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Waterman Carene Glossy Red


Legal Eagle

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Purchased new from World Lux in Seattle for $219. The sales rep at World Lux was nice enough to test the pen for me; making sure the nib was smooth, cap was secure and the pen didn't skip. They also threw in an extra converter free of charge.

Upon first opening the box I was actually rather dissapointed at the colour of the pen. I'd been oggling this pen on a monitor that wasn't calibrated, it was showing me a bright cherry blossom red pen. What actually arrived was a feminine looking semi-metallic deep fuschia pen. In the last 6 hours I've grown a little more accustomed to it's girly hue and I'm hopefull that I'll eventually like the colour, or at least be able to use the pen without trying to avoid eye contact with it.

 

Presentation- 8/10

 

Nothing too special here. Just a silver box with some cartridges and warranty booklet. I took a minute to read the warranty booklet and was thinking that they should go into a little more detail for people who have never used a fountain pen before.

 

Fit & Finish- 10/10

 

The lacquer finish on this pen is really beautiful, it's oh so smooth and free from any imperfections. Even though I'm not entirey pleased with the fuschia colour I ended up with, I can honestly say that it is a pretty pen. If I were a lady looking for a modernish fountain pen this would be the one.

The tail peice on my Carene lines up perfectly with the nib, which is pretty much hit and miss on the Carene line of pens.The cap and clip both feel very secure; I have full confidence in thier longevity. Due to the brass body the Carene has a bit of weight to it which is perfect for me.

 

Nib- 8/10

 

I chose a fine point nib as most mediums lay down a line much to thick for my chicken scratch writing. The inset nib on the Waterman Carene is such a unique and cool looking nib. You really can't look at these hip space ship looking javelin pens without taking a second glance.

The nib on my Carene is relatively smooth. It's not as smooth as the Waterman Exception I used to own but pretty close. This one has just a hint of tooth to it, it's not unpleasant but I prefer my nibs to be buttery smooth.

 

Filling System- 10/10

 

Cartridge/Converter system on this baby. They don't hold as much ink as a MB149 or M1000 but they are definitely reliable and easily replaced if the converter goes kaputs.

 

Value- 10/10

 

This is one of the strong points of the Carene line. For $220 you'd be hard pressed to find another pen that looks as classy cool, writes as nice, or is as reliable as the Waterman Carene.

 

Overall Score- 46/50

 

Now for the Photos!

 

http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn249/LegalEagle14/001.jpg

 

http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn249/LegalEagle14/003.jpg

 

http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn249/LegalEagle14/004.jpg

 

http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn249/LegalEagle14/005.jpg

 

http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn249/LegalEagle14/007.jpg

 

http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn249/LegalEagle14/008.jpg

 

http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn249/LegalEagle14/017.jpg

 

http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn249/LegalEagle14/020.jpg

Current Favourites

Pen- Pilot Custom 74

Ink- J.Herbin Emerald of Chivor

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I should add that the pics are showing the colour of the pen to be just a little darker than it actually is. I really need to buy a DSLR camera!

Current Favourites

Pen- Pilot Custom 74

Ink- J.Herbin Emerald of Chivor

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That is a really nice pen, and ouch whatta watch! I've got an old Bulova/Accutron Railroad wristwatch from the late 80s early 90s that a friend gave me.

 

I think you should use the mess outta that pen. It's just too cool.

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I love Waterman Carene FPs; reading reviews from users who are equally enamoured of them always gives me a nice warm glow.

 

I almost bought one of these glossy red ones myself; it seemed on my monitor to be a brighter red, but I realised just in time that it was the same garnet colour as my matt finish one... but glossy. I want them to issue a glossy poppy red Carene!

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this is really a nice looking pen. thx for the review!

 

and on my screen it now looks red!! :hmm1: i can see why you went for it when you saw it.

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After owning this thing for about 1 week I have decided that I will not keep it. I'm going to give it to my girlfriend.

Current Favourites

Pen- Pilot Custom 74

Ink- J.Herbin Emerald of Chivor

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Love the Carene. I have one in glossy black with a broad nib, and I think it's gorgeous. Wonderful writer.

 

I'm considering the one in blue, but with a medium nib.

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the Carene is a true heavy weight in the fountain pen arena. A fantastic pen and great value for money. Every collector should have one.

Fountain pens aren't a collection, it's an insatiable obsession!

 

Shotokan Karate: Respect, Etiquette, Discipline, Perseverance

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hi,

Nice review of the red Carene pen you purchased but a shame you're not keeping it for yourself.

I have a complete set in Marine Amber that I purchased when they first came out and they look as good today as they

did back then (over ten years ago). The fountain pen writes so smooth (fine nib) and I've never had any problems with skipping etc. I use a converter and although it doesn't hold as much ink as a cartridge, refilling this pen is with the ink bottle is like a ritual and part of owning a quality fountain pen.

The shaped end of the barrel by the way can be adjusted to line up with the nib should it ever get out of line. There is a round, brass adjuster at the end of the nib unit and you can turn it either way to line up the end of the barrel. It takes a few goes but gets there in the end.

Anyway,Kind regards,

Keith E Bartlett

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I love Waterman Carene FPs; reading reviews from users who are equally enamoured of them always gives me a nice warm glow.

 

I almost bought one of these glossy red ones myself; it seemed on my monitor to be a brighter red, but I realised just in time that it was the same garnet colour as my matt finish one... but glossy. I want them to issue a glossy poppy red Carene!

 

Sounds like the one I have. I call it tomato red but I'm not sure what the Official Name is.

 

Mine is quite glossy. But if by 'glossy' you mean semi-frosted... actually the OP's pen looks pearlized, too.

My latest ebook.   And not just for Halloween!
 

My other pen is a Montblanc.

 

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I've got a Carene exactly like this for Christmas. I really love it. This is my first Waterman and I am very impressed about the smoothness of the nib and the overall quality. Since Christmas is almos the only one pen that I'm using everyday.

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  • 4 weeks later...

I love Waterman Carene FPs; reading reviews from users who are equally enamoured of them always gives me a nice warm glow.

 

I almost bought one of these glossy red ones myself; it seemed on my monitor to be a brighter red, but I realised just in time that it was the same garnet colour as my matt finish one... but glossy. I want them to issue a glossy poppy red Carene!

 

Sounds like the one I have. I call it tomato red but I'm not sure what the Official Name is.

 

Mine is quite glossy. But if by 'glossy' you mean semi-frosted... actually the OP's pen looks pearlized, too.

It does look pearlised in the photos, but that may be down to the camera; I didn't really mean pearlised. Comparing matt to glossy is like comparing the flat colour on paper to that same colour in glAss, so the gloss/glAss adds something on its own... what to call it... texture? Tomatoes can tend towards pink or orange tones, so I don't know what you mean by tomato red. Poppies have a definite slight tendency towards orange, and that's what I'd like. The matt red Carene is well-named garnet red, as it tends towards pink. The Pilot Capless/VP 2009 vivid red is proper RED red to me, so I mean something with a wee smidge more orange in it, innit? :blink: ;) Cheers!

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I love Waterman Carene FPs; reading reviews from users who are equally enamoured of them always gives me a nice warm glow.

 

I almost bought one of these glossy red ones myself; it seemed on my monitor to be a brighter red, but I realised just in time that it was the same garnet colour as my matt finish one... but glossy. I want them to issue a glossy poppy red Carene!

 

Sounds like the one I have. I call it tomato red but I'm not sure what the Official Name is.

 

Mine is quite glossy. But if by 'glossy' you mean semi-frosted... actually the OP's pen looks pearlized, too.

It does look pearlised in the photos, but that may be down to the camera; I didn't really mean pearlised. Comparing matt to glossy is like comparing the flat colour on paper to that same colour in glAss, so the gloss/glAss adds something on its own... what to call it... texture? Tomatoes can tend towards pink or orange tones, so I don't know what you mean by tomato red. Poppies have a definite slight tendency towards orange, and that's what I'd like. The matt red Carene is well-named garnet red, as it tends towards pink. The Pilot Capless/VP 2009 vivid red is proper RED red to me, so I mean something with a wee smidge more orange in it, innit? :blink: ;) Cheers!

 

 

My Carene is fairly poppy-ish.

 

Was the Official Color Name Coral? Might be.

My latest ebook.   And not just for Halloween!
 

My other pen is a Montblanc.

 

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I love Waterman Carene FPs; reading reviews from users who are equally enamoured of them always gives me a nice warm glow.

 

I almost bought one of these glossy red ones myself; it seemed on my monitor to be a brighter red, but I realised just in time that it was the same garnet colour as my matt finish one... but glossy. I want them to issue a glossy poppy red Carene!

 

Sounds like the one I have. I call it tomato red but I'm not sure what the Official Name is.

 

Mine is quite glossy. But if by 'glossy' you mean semi-frosted... actually the OP's pen looks pearlized, too.

It does look pearlised in the photos, but that may be down to the camera; I didn't really mean pearlised. Comparing matt to glossy is like comparing the flat colour on paper to that same colour in glAss, so the gloss/glAss adds something on its own... what to call it... texture? Tomatoes can tend towards pink or orange tones, so I don't know what you mean by tomato red. Poppies have a definite slight tendency towards orange, and that's what I'd like. The matt red Carene is well-named garnet red, as it tends towards pink. The Pilot Capless/VP 2009 vivid red is proper RED red to me, so I mean something with a wee smidge more orange in it, innit? :blink: ;) Cheers!

 

 

My Carene is fairly poppy-ish.

 

Was the Official Color Name Coral? Might be.

Aaaah! There is a Coral, although I think of that one as orange, if a slightly dull orange. I have one, and like it very much. I was thinking a lot closer to red... it's so subjective... a red with just enough orange in it to make it go pop! No pun intended. The sort of pop! I'm red a crew of poppies shout at you in a green, green field. :cloud9:

 

Maybe it's more of an impression, than an absolute hue.

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  • 1 month later...

Nice Review. I got a Waterman Carene Deluxe Fine Nib for Christmas and the the same Accutron automatic watch - I am wearing it this very minute. The Carene is my best writing fountain amoungst my 50 or so fountain pens. My Pilot VP / Fermo / Decimo, Sailor 1911, Montblanc 146, Waterman Charleston and my Delta Dolce Vida come in at the next tier of smoothness.

 

In addition, I love the look of the Carene. It is very fluid and Waterman does make a beautiful pen.

 

Enjoy.

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  • 2 months later...

Nice review. This helped me decide to buy a Carene Deluxe SE.

 

Love the watch. I'm a watch collector and I have two of the Accutron Gemini models. I've got the 26C01 like yours and the 26C02 in black. Both are excellent ETA 7750 based chronos. If I didn't have such a hard time getting my Omega Planet Ocean off my wrist I'd wear the Geminis more. When I do I really like them.

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