waterman phileas

[Ray-Vigo]

I have about a half dozen or so Phileas pens of various kinds- they've never let me down. I've used a Phileas of one sort or another since they came out years ago. They're great pens in general.

[JonF]

I just bought one today... haven't tried it out yet...

[Shangas]

I just wrote two entire pages of diary-entry with my new Phileas. It's a charmer on the page! Dances across the paper in a swirling, inky ballet...

[ballboy]

Great starter pens. I used one my Dad got me for years until I sold it to finance a Carene. Good performance for the money.

LOL! that's what I was thinking while using my Phileas, but I think I'll be patient and save to buy the Carene (black/GT, current choice) :ltcapd:

[fpfanatic5]

I have a blue marbled Phileas and I love it. It is the smoothest pen I have, smoother than my 2 Parker 51s. It uses a standard Waterman converter.

[Coche_y_bondhu]

Hello Shangas,

 

Yes, a standard Waterman converter will work nicely in a Phileas or a Kultur. Using the converter allows me to use a much wider range of ink colors versus cartridges. By the way, a long or short Waterman cartridge will also work in the Phileas/Kultur. And the barrels, caps and sections of the Phileas are interchangeable with the Kultur. A very versatile, inexpensive good writer don't you think?

 

Cheers,

 

Richard in Texas

Edited December 25, 2007 by Coche_y_bondhu

[punch]

Excellent pen! Writes very well, far better than pens that cost many times as much. I only wish that it was a bit heavier since I am partial to pens made of metal. Never cared for plastic, not even the "precious" plastic of pens costing ten times as much that do not seem to write as well

[Ghost Plane]

Ah! I hear my cue! For luscious Waterman writing and heavier/metal, get your hands on a Carene. Brass body underneath the finishes is nearly indestructible, luscious colors, weightier and oh those inlaid nibs! Juicy writing.

[punch]

Ah! I hear my cue! For luscious Waterman writing and heavier/metal, get your hands on a Carene. Brass body underneath the finishes is nearly indestructible, luscious colors, weightier and oh those inlaid nibs! Juicy writing.

 

Thanks for the recommendation! I am drooling on myself. I have seen and held the Carene, but never written with one. How is the Charleston? Styling looks similar to a Phileas, but I have not had a chance to handle one.

[Ghost Plane]

They're light. The nib is a tad small for the body [visually], but writes much the same as the Phileas. Good width, but too light for my preferences [i like a heavier pen]. I ended up selling mine as my fingers fall right on the decorative band or threads depending on how I held the pen. I hold my pens WAY back on the body. If it wasn't for the decorative band hitting my hand wrong and the light feel, I would've kept it.

[two2tone]

I picked up a couple of Phileas "starter kits" (pen, converter, cartridges, bottle of ink, etc.) at an Office Max sale last year for $10 each. My Phileas medium nib writes about the same as my Carene fine nib. The Carene is in a entirely different class as it should be considering it cost 20X what I paid for the Phileas. At current street prices, the Phileas probably offers the best value in a FP. The starter kits come up on the bay now and then for around $30 brand new -- a steal!

 

Twotone

[Blacksheep95]

The Phileas although quite inexpensive is an incredible writer. It is my only pen that does not choke on poor quality paper stock that I have to put up to at work. it is worth every penny for being such a reliable fountain pen.

 

 

That is my only real complaint about my Phileas (M nib).....it is very sensitive to the paper quality....a fantastic writer on one notepad and it skips and scratches on a different one. My Kultur in f nib is smooth as butter.....just not as 'flashy'.

 

I still recommend the pen to anyone who asks, because it is a great bargain, but mine has a rather small annoyance that can be frustrating.

[Coche_y_bondhu]

Down in the barrel is a brass insert that blocks me from using the converter!? Now like Shangas I am wondering if there is a converter for this pen? How about the Carene does it have a converter?

 

Hello pakmanpony,

 

The brass insert at the end of the barrel will prevent a standard Waterman converter, the same one that fits a Carene, from being used.

 

The brass insert is used on the rollerball barrels to hold the rollerball cartridge in place and to keep it from rattling. I have one and ran into the same problem, so had to use the long Waterman cartridge. I guess a rollerball barrel sometimes gets into the fountain pen barrel queue by mistake. They look alike. You might be able to wedge a long pair of tweezers into the barrel and see if you can pull the insert out.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Richard in Texas

[ferannia]

What are peoples' experiences with the Waterman Phileas?

My medium Phileas nib heavily skips, and quite often, mostly on downstrokes, almost in every two or three words. Often half of a letter and sometimes a whole letter is missing. Only when I significantly increase a nib pressure on a paper it gets better, but when doing so there is a feeling like writing with a pencil. My Fine Phileas nib never skips.

 

When it comes to ergonomics... diameter of a barrel is perfect for my palm/fingers, but I prefer larger, I mean a bit longer writing instruments including fountain pens. Phileas is a bit short for my comfortable writing even with a cap posted. Of course the ergonomic "issue" is totally personal. But the medium nib makes me sad.

 

Edited for spelling...

Edited January 8, 2008 by ferannia

[Silver54321]

To buy, or not to buy a Waterman Phileas? That is the question.

 

I have been lusting after a blue Waterman Phileas, for years, though I have not yet purchased one. I can buy that model at the local Office Depot for around $ 37.00 (USD). That's a fair price, though it's a bit high for my budget, which is primarily what has prevented me from buying one.

 

I bought an Aldo Domani fountain pen at Office Depot a few months ago, for around $ 19.00. I have been pretty pleased with it, so far. My only mini-complaint is that I need to "prime" it occasionally, by brushing the tip with ink or water to get it started.

 

I was in Office Depot, last night, browsing the fountain pen section again. They had a Waterman Phileas laying open for display and handling. I compared it to the Aldo Domani, and after careful consideration, I think I like the looks of my Aldo Domani better than I do the Waterman Phileas, at least in some regards. However, I still do like and want the Phileas.

 

I know it pretty much boils down to personal preference, but the WPFP seemed a bit "gaudy" compared to my ADFP. I feel like I'm in a catch-22. In one way, I like the way the Phileas stands out with its brilliant coloring and gold accents. On the other hand it seems a bit too loud. I just can't make up my mind if I really want to drop 37 bucks for a Phileas. Based on performance reviews here, it appears it's well worth the price.

 

Office Depot also has more discreet Waterman Charleston models for $ 127.00. Awesome, but ouch.

 

I love to write and I do a lot of it. Fountain pens have made handwriting much easier and more elegant, for me.

 

To Waterman Phileas owners: I ask, does using your Phileas grab a lot of attention when you're writing with it in public? Do people ever approach you and say "Hey, what kind of pen is that you're using?"

Does it make a good ice-breaker & conversation piece?

If so, then I might get one. I'm shy and I can use all the help I can get for breaking the ice with strangers (especially females, ).

[kopio]

I have had the same skipping problems with my FPs, but I was told it has more to do with how I am holding them. I was experiencing this problem with my Carene, and Ghost Plane gave me some very good suggestions in this thread about how to correct my hold on the pen. I am happy to report that since I have changed my hold, my pen(s) are writing much better with very few skips and less dry starts. Here's the topic

Carene Link

 

 

My medium Phileas nib heavily skips, and quite often, mostly on downstrokes, almost in every two or three words. Often half of a letter and sometimes a whole letter is missing. Only when I significantly increase a nib pressure on a paper it gets better, but when doing so there is a feeling like writing with a pencil. My Fine Phileas nib never skips.

 

When it comes to ergonomics... diameter of a barrel is perfect for my palm/fingers, but I prefer larger, I mean a bit longer writing instruments including fountain pens. Phileas is a bit short for my comfortable writing even with a cap posted. Of course the ergonomic "issue" is totally personal. But the medium nib makes me sad.

 

Edited for spelling...

 

[Mescof1]

I bought a black one at Staples for $33.00 with a medium nib; went back the next week and bought another one - blue - with medium nib. I then called Parker/Waterman and ordered a fine nib for $19.00.

 

My medium is a nice wet writer, and I carry it every day. It really ticks me off to spend three or four hundred dollars for a pen and then get it and it doesn't write as good as the Phileas; and then have to send the expensive one off to get the nib worked on. LOL.

[Bela]

I recently bought a Phileas (green marble) on the Net and was shocked by its size: it is much too large for my small hands. I find it ever so slightly grotesque. I haven't used it yet and won't at all so I will never know how good it is. I intend to sell it... to a man. LOL!

[Hans-Peter Ording]

I recently bought a Phileas (green marble) on the Net and was shocked by its size: it is much too large for my small hands.

You should try a Pelikan M300/M320.

It is 10,5 cm long without the cap - much too small for me.

 

Regards

Hans-Peter

 

[Ernst Bitterman]

A bit of a cross-posting; there's a chap on the Repair forum who's having mid-fill drying, and I'm wondering if anyone has had a problem with Private Reserve ink down a Phileas? I've only used Quink, Skrip and Pelikan in mine, and don't have a good yes/no on whether Phileas doesn't get along with more saturated inks.