Waterman Edson

[rodaballo]

Hello,

 

I recently found this forum and this my first post.

 

I need your advice.

 

I have a Montblanc Meisterstuck, a lacquered Dupont, a Parker Cyselle and a Graf Von Faber-Castell Classique.

 

This Christmas my wife presented me a wonderful Waterman Edson.

 

I have been longing for this pen for a long time.

 

The pen has an F nib.

 

My surprise was that when I tried it scratched the paper very badly. I was expecting something very smooth and it was the contrary.

 

I went back to the shop where it was bought and tried another one and it scratched the paper.

 

The seller told me that he was ordering another one.

 

Is this normal for the Waterman Edson?

 

None of the other pens that I have scrtached so badly even when they were new.

 

Thank you in advance.

[marklavar]

Hello,

 

I recently found this forum and this my first post.

 

I need your advice.

 

I have a Montblanc Meisterstuck, a lacquered Dupont, a Parker Cyselle and a Graf Von Faber-Castell Classique.

 

This Christmas my wife presented me a wonderful Waterman Edson.

 

I have been longing for this pen for a long time.

 

The pen has an F nib.

 

My surprise was that when I tried it scratched the paper very badly. I was expecting something very smooth and it was the contrary.

 

I went back to the shop where it was bought and tried another one and it scratched the paper.

 

The seller told me that he was ordering another one.

 

Is this normal for the Waterman Edson?

 

None of the other pens that I have scrtached so badly even when they were new.

 

Thank you in advance.

Another member has mentioned this. The plain truth is that you should have gotten a medium nib Edson, not the fine nib! I originally purchased my Edson in fine nib and I had the same problem as you, but the medium nib pen I exchanged it for has been much smoother.

 

Answer: go for the medium nib.

[goodguy]

Hello,

 

I recently found this forum and this my first post.

 

I need your advice.

 

I have a Montblanc Meisterstuck, a lacquered Dupont, a Parker Cyselle and a  Graf Von Faber-Castell Classique.

 

This Christmas my wife presented me a wonderful Waterman Edson.

 

I have been longing for this pen for a long time.

 

The pen has an F nib.

 

My surprise was that when I tried it scratched the paper very badly. I was expecting something very smooth and it was the contrary.

 

I went back to the shop where it was bought and tried another one and it scratched the paper.

 

The seller told me that he was ordering another one.

 

Is this normal for the Waterman Edson?

 

None of the other pens that I have scrtached so badly even when they were new.

 

Thank you in advance.

Another member has mentioned this. The plain truth is that you should have gotten a medium nib Edson, not the fine nib! I originally purchased my Edson in fine nib and I had the same problem as you, but the medium nib pen I exchanged it for has been much smoother.

 

Answer: go for the medium nib.

Hi marklavar

 

I also have an Edson with a F nib and would like to change it to M.How did you change it ?

[goodguy]

To rodaballo

 

My F nib is ultra smooth.The thing is that it doesnt feel like a F nib it feels more like a XF nib.It feels like working with a needle,but I must admit it feels good on the paper.

I personly like a nib to be in the M range.I never had any negative issue with either the pen or its nib.I do think the pen is a bit over priced.

[Mike S.]

I had exactly the same experience. I bought an Edson with a fine nib (because that's all they had in stock) at a local jewelry store that had recently stopped carrying Waterman pens and were closing out the line. When I came back into the dealer's shop the day after I bought the pen, he said, "Nib's scratchy, right?" I said yes, and he sent it to Waterman for a nib exchange at no charge. It took about a week. I now have a medium and it is incredibly smooth and wonderful to write with. It is a rather fat line so you might not like it if you really prefer a fine. However, if smoothness and flow are your primary objectives, you will really like the medium.

 

If you're set on a fine nib, you might try looking at the tipping to make sure the tines are properly aligned. If one is higher than the other, you will get more scratchiness as the inside of the slit scrapes on the paper. You can also try flossing the nib with a thin sheet of brass (I bought mine from Richard Binder at www.richardspens.com). You gently slide the metal sheet between the tines to remove any small burrs in the metal slit that might be catching on the paper. You can finish the job by writing a few cursive L's or figure-8's on finishing paper, an extremely fine polishing paper (once again, I got mine from Richard Binder's website). After you've aligned the tines, draw circles with the nib on the paper and take note of the point in the arc where it catches. Then draw on the finishing paper in the same direction and see if you can address the scratchiness.

 

Here's a good article on this subject by John Mottishaw:

 

www.nibs.com/Article6SmoothingAdjusting.htm

[John Cullen]

HI Same here. My fine nib Edson dug into the paper badly. Get a medium. It is smooth. Hope it all works out for you. j

[marklavar]

Strange that so many people have had issues with the Waterman Edson fine nib. I agree that it feels very much like an extra-fine. I generally like fine nibs, but extra-fines are out for me!

 

I know that Sanford do a free exchange of nibs, so anyone who wishes to change should send the fine nib to Sanford in a secure container, and request a medium to be sent to them.

 

Interestingly, the fine on the Exception is much broader (and smoother) than on the Edson. Weird!

[FrankB]

I like the Edson a lot. I have one in each of the three colors - ruby, emerald and blue. But, I am a big fan of the Waterman stub nibs and I have stubs on all three pens.

 

The Edson is far to nice a pen to have to settle for a nib you might not like. If the M works for you, it will be a good choice. But if your handwriting is small and you reallly want a F why not try smoothing your own nib? One of my stubs had a bit more feedback from peper than I wanted, so I used a smoothing kit from Tryphon Enterprises (usual disclaimer). A few minutes and a good rinse with clear water and I have a nib that I will enjoy for many years.

 

Just a thought. Good luck all.

[wspohn]

The Edson is far to nice a pen to have to settle for a nib you might not like. If the M works for you, it will be a good choice. But if your handwriting is small and you reallly want a F why not try smoothing your own nib?

Excellent suggestion.

 

I am amazed to see how many people have had trouble with the F on the Edson. I must be lucky as mine wrote smooth from the beginning without any further nib tuning needed.

 

The F suits me exactly - great for taking notes, clean and clear. In fact one of my faves, although I have a Needlepoint on the way for my Duofold Centennial so we'll see which I prefer....

[ProfMike]

Hi everyone!

 

The other day, I posted a similar experience on the Waterman forum. While I was expecting an exceptionally smooth nib, the fine on my Edson had quite a bit of tooth. My handwriting's generally too small for a medium point, so I'm hoping to work out the bugs with this fine. I've drawn some light circles on a piece of cardboard (a trick I'd head about a while ago) and it's helped a bit. My current plan to to just try writing with it for a whole day to see if I can make some headway. If all else fails, I'm heading to the Philly pen show this Saturday, so I can see some professional help there.

 

All the best,

Mike

[rodaballo]

Hello,

 

Thank you for all the interesting answers.

 

I really like the F nib.

 

Will the nib get smoother with use or it is more advisable to go for the M nib?

 

Regards

[wspohn]

I really like the F nib.

 

Will the nib get smoother with use or it is more advisable to go for the M nib?

If you like the nib, just smooth it - cardboard etc. or have someone do it.

 

Sending it back to Waterman will probably just get you another new F nib, and by the sound of it, it will be luck of the draw as to whether or not you get a smooth one.

 

Why not just send it off to Mottishaw, Binder or the nibmeister of your choice - smoothing it shouldn't cost much and then you are set for the long haul.

 

I know I wouldn't give up my Fine for anything.

[marklavar]

Hello,

 

Thank you for all the interesting answers.

 

I really like the F nib.

 

Will the nib get smoother with use or it is more advisable to go for the M nib?

 

Regards

In my opinion you should go to a good pen shop and try out the Edson M nib. If you like it, go for an exchange, if you still prefer the F nib then I suggest you send it to a good 'nibmeister' for smoothing.

[sleek_lover]

The problem sorta strikes me as odd...

I have a number of F nib Carenes, which, I suppose, could be looked at as poor relations of the Edson. Nary a problem with any of them.

 

One additional suggestion. Try burnishing the nib before using--instead of using an abrasive paper, start with plain ole brown grocery bag paper and do some loops and whorls. Then do the same on a piece of plain ole window glass. Ya might want to try this after ensuring the tines are aligned and burnishing the interspace as described...the old-style page pointers Levenger used to sell work great.

 

Bill in Souf Joisey

[MikeLip]

One thing annoys me about this whole thread;

 

Why should you have to *repair* a brand new pen? I see advocates of various fixes, but they shouldn't be necessary especially on a $500 pen! A $25 Duke or Hero, sure, but this is nuts - it should be flawless.

[rodaballo]

Hi,

 

That was my bad surprise.

 

I was expecting that a new pen with a price higher than 500 USD was going to be a wonderul writer and it is not.

 

I agree with your comment, why should I fix a "new" pen.

 

I will try to get an M nib, test it and if does not work as expected I will not keep the pen.

 

Thank you for your comments.

 

Regards

[wiglaf]

Dear Rodaballo-

 

Absolutely- no one should have to "alter" the reality of a new pen- In my estimation, you are a saint-

I would casually ask if (and granted this is hypothetical)- you had to have this pen pushed up your ass, would you like my idea of "toothy" or "yours"?

 

And though the advice is first class (nowhere else would you get such ideas), do not accept ANY of this issue as your fault or responsibility-

Simply because sellers are unfamiliar with the product- it doesn't mean they should create an alternate reality.

And Waterman, yet!!!!!!!!!!

Come on- you deserve kudos just for implying that you would order another pen-

 

Best of luck-

 

Tony

[marklavar]

One thing annoys me about this whole thread;

 

Why should you have to *repair* a brand new pen? I see advocates of various fixes, but they shouldn't be necessary especially on a $500 pen! A $25 Duke or Hero, sure, but this is nuts - it should be flawless.

Who says that any repair is needed? It might just be that the buyer mistakenly believed that the fine nib would suit him when a medium is, in reality, better. What is smooth for one person may not be for another.

[wspohn]

Who says that any repair is needed? It might just be that the buyer mistakenly believed that the fine nib would suit him when a medium is, in reality, better. What is smooth for one person may not be for another.

Exactly!

 

I am writing with a Parker 75 today, with a fine stub nib. Many people would say it was scratchy, yet there is nothing out of order with it at all, that's just the way it writes.

 

For people used to M or B nibs, I can easily see them characterising an F as a bit scratchy, and that wouldn't require any remedial activity - maybe they just like a broader nib.

 

If a guy like me, that uses mostly F says a regular F nib is scratchy, it means something. I find that some Signums have a bit of tooth to them, for instance.

 

But we shouldn't be damning Waterman for something that they may not have done at all.

[Mocksy]

I bought seven pens online in the last year. Two have had major nib problems and two required minor adjustments. One of those pens was Duofold Centennial that had a slit you could kick a field goal through and was totally unusable (real heartbreaker, I still haven't gotten the replacement). Parker claims to dip test all their Duofolds at the factory, but anybody could have just looked at this nib and known it was all wrong, so I don't know what happened there.

 

The one pen I bought at a brick and mortar store, a Carene, had a nib that was separated from the feed. I dip tested the pen before I bought it, but it dip tested fine. However, the store made it very easy for me to swap nibs once I found the pen was a bad writer.

 

My conclusion from all of this is that fountain pens don't lend themselves to online purchasing. Nibs are too finicky and the manufacturing tolerances are too high to expect pens to work out of the box. Trial and error is to be expected and is much easier with a B & M store. But online purchasing is so much less expensive.

 

Sigh.

 

If we could just talk the world into going back to fountain pens, there would be knowledgable retailers everywhere; problem solved.

 

My conclusion from all of this is that if you buy a pen untested, expect at least a 1 in 4 chance of getting a poor nib, so be ready to go through an exchange.