I'm new here and kind of curious. I've been using a Hemisphere for 10 years. It's just been a working tool for me, but lately I got a bit of a FP bug, which explains why I'm here.

So I'm curious to know why it is that this pen seems to get such little attention at FPN. It seems that the Phileas is seen as great value so it gets the nod as a starter pen. But then what? What am I missing? I checked out a Charleston but it was too big for me. What do people "move up to" within Waterman after a Hemisphere, and why?

Wad.

I don't know why it doesn't get more attention: it's a good pen. I have one that I've been working with till it's just about broken in--I didn't like it at first, but grew to like it more as it got broken in. It's a good, solid pen, and I like it better than either one of the Laureats I've had. All of these Watermans satisfied me until I decided to indulge the vintage bug.

The Hemisphere is actually the pen that got me started on this bloody road to perdition! I love it! Unfortunately, it lost an argument with a tile floor so doesn't get used any longer, but I still have that pen and look upon it fondly. After the Hemisphere, I discovered the Carene - a step above the Charleston and slim like the Hemisphere. I can't even begin to recreate how my interests have branched out since then, but the Hemisphere is a fantastic pen.

James

I had one and wasnt too impresed with it.Just a basic tool in my eyes with nothing much to offer.

I too like the Hemisphere--it was my first Waterman. I like pens with a bit of weight to them. But like many others, the siren call of the Carene seduced me, and now my Hemisphere sits idly on my desk. Still, it is a good, solid pen.

I bought mine ~18 months ago because I wanted to get back into using a fountain pen: I'd learnt to write with one in primary school and was given a brushed metal Waterman fountain pen in the mid-70s, which I really liked using. This one unfortunately has been lost during one of many moves. I saw the brushed metal Hemispheres and bought it because it looked just like the Waterman I had when I was a kid. Was Waterman making Hemispheres in the 70s?

Anyway, to answer your question, I have just bought a second Hemispheres (black lacquer with silver trim) because the Hemisphere is a comfortable, reliable workhorse. But I have also bought a Carene (which is in transit) so will be interested in comparing the two.

Seems if there's that many unused Hemispheres around this forum, that posting a note in Marketplace ought to turn up a couple of ones in good shape.

I think the Hemisphere is a good pen. I do not know why it does not get more attention here.

I have only one Hemisphere. It is a good writing pen, but I have personal issues that prevent me from using mine regularly. I have problems with my writing hand. For me it is a narrow pen that I can only use for limited amounts of time. I also find the nib to be smallish, as I do the Charleston nibs. That, again, is a personal preference.

I hope that does not sound like too harsh a criticism. I still find the pen to be a good one, and I will keep mine indefinitely. If you like yours enough that you have used it for 10 years, then consider another pen of the same model.

I had a few, but sold them on as they were too narrow for comfortable long-term usage.

Now I have 7 Carenes and a few other pens.

The Hemishere was my first Waterman too. Shimmering grey with a steel medium nib. I find it extremely smooth, loaded with blue waterman cartridges. My second Waterman is a crystal Kultur again with a medium nib loaded with waterman black cartridge. The Kultur is no way as smooth as the Hemisphere and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend the Hemisphere to anyone.
I'd like to get another Hemisphere at somepoint when the price is right but first I'd like to try the bigger pens - the Carene and Charleston to really figure out if I like a heavy pen or a lighter one. I definitely like the slightly thicker Kultur in terms of feel.

milo

I have a Hemisphere- had it since about the time they came out. I don't use it- I find the pen a below average performer. It's thin and heavy. I found the nib on mine to be fairly unreliable. This is just not the pen for me.

On the other hand I have a number of Phileas pens and they have never let me down when I've called on them.

As I mentioned above I am a very happy Hemisphere user, I have two: one black lacquer w silver trim (M nib) and one brushed steel (F nib). I have now received my Carene (F nib, Ultramarine Blue w silver trim) and have been using it for over a week. Here's my view of the pens:

Hemisphere: the pen I love to write with.

Carene: the pen for which I make up things to write just so I get to use it. Glorious pen!!!

By the way, when did Waterman first release the Hemisphere pen?

The one thing wrong with the Hemisphere is that it is TOO SKINNY. I want my pens to have GIRTH.

Hi,

I have a Hemisphere, brushed steel and medium nib, loaded with Noodlers Bulletproof Black. It was the first pen I bought when returning to FPs after forty years! It's a genuine pleasure to write with. The nib is first rate and comparable with many of the gold nibs I've tried. The Hemisphere is a little slender for those of us with hands like George Foreman, but this is compensated for by the smoothness of the overall writing experience.

Regards

Geoff V

The only thing wrong with my Hemisphere is that it arrived in the middle of a collecting frenzy, and has to compete with vacuum-fill Sheaffers and such-like. I don't find it too thin, although the section is a little slick for my liking. Writes well enough, tho'. I'd call it a darn good way to get someone on the FP train.