Waterman School Pen

[Kaych]

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My parents were in Paris recently and having read about French stores stocking up for Back to School, I thought I would ask them to check out Carrefour to see if there were any fountain pens for sale. Apparently this Waterman was the only one available. Given that I've never seen or heard of this pen before, I assume that its only available in France. This is a simple pen, and this review is likewise straight to the point.

 

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First Impressions

7/10

 

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This pen has no pretensions. It is a pen found in a blister pack in a grocery store. I didn't even know Waterman had a lower end line aside from the now-discontinued Phileas and Kultur. The package is quite spartan, there is no model name - just a 3 year guarantee and the regular marketing spiel about using only Waterman cartridges and how Waterman invented the fountain pen in 1883. I'll admit I wasn't expecting much from this pen.

 

Appearance and Design

7/10

 

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Nothing really spectacular or noteworthy about this pen. It's literally a steel cylinder with a clip, breather hole at the top of the cap and a smooth, black plastic section. It's simple and unostentatious (unless you consider the "blinginess" of the steel to be too flashy). The pen is quite slippery though due to the metal body and smooth plastic section. I am afraid that it'll slip out of my hands one day.

 

Construction and Quality

8/10

 

Solidly built. This pen has a snap cap that is quite secure. There is almost no chance of it coming uncapped in your bag or pocket. I probably wouldn't mind this pen dropping on a somewhat hard surface. The metal may dent but I doubt there would be any damage beyond the cosmetic. Like I mentioned above, it really is a no frills pen. That is not necessarily a bad thing as there are no dangly bits to fall off, or trim that could brass. I would not hesitate to bring this pen hiking or expose it to rough conditions. It can handle it.

 

Weight and Dimensions

9/10

 

Quite light for a metal pen. I would compare this pen both in size and weight to a Parker 51, albeit the smaller diameter. I can see myself using this pen for long writing sessions. It is more balanced towards the cap, but it is so negligible that I don't mind writing cap or uncapped as the difference is more in the length rather than the weight. People with large hands should probably stay away.

 

Length capped: 5.1 inches / 13 cm

Length uncapped: 4.8 inches / 12.1 cm

Length posted: 5.9 inches / 15 cm

Circumference: 1.4 inches / 3.5 cm (at cap band)

 

Nib and Performance

9/10

 

The biggest surprise of this pen. Although it is a steel nib, it is almost as smooth as my Pelikan and Montblanc, but with a touch of feedback. I have a sneaking suspicion that it is probably the same nib that is used on the Waterman Hemisphere but with a different imprint as they write almost identically. This is what makes this pen stand out from the other school pens that I have tried (especially from Parker). It writes like its more expensive cousins further up in the Waterman catalogue but for a fraction of the price! This particular pen is a fine but it is not scratchy at all.

 

Filling System & Maintenance

7/10

 

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Cartridge filler. Not much to say. Takes international cartridges.

 

 

Cost and Value

10/10

 

11 euros at Carrefour in Paris. Quite a good price considering the quality of the construction and the smoothness of the nib. Obviously won't be my daily writer, but it definitely is a workhorse that I can use when I don't want to damage my other pens yet don't want to sacrifice writing quality.

 

 

Conclusion

8/10

 

A surprising winner for me! Didn't have great hopes going in given my previous experiences with school pens, yet it completely changed my mind. Why is Waterman hoarding the love in France? I'm sure if they sold this here at Staples, it would probably outsell the cheaper Parkers. I was toying with the idea of getting a disposable fountain pen, but for only 3x the price, I got myself a wonderful keeper. Overall, this pen reminded me of the Waterman Hemisphere but cheaper looking. This pen would make a great gift for people starting out with fountain pens or as a backup to keep in your bag if your main user runs out of ink in the middle of a lecture. I'd say if you have even the slightest idea of maybe picking up this pen, do it. If not, then you aren't really missing out on anything you can find in a more expensive pens.

Edited August 28, 2011 by Kaych

[777]

That's a slick lookin' pen for only 11 euros! Thanks fro the review of a pen moist of us won't get to see.

[atypical]

Thanks for the review.

 

Although my local Carrefour carries these pens, I never bought one.

However, based on this review, I think I'll pick one up next time.

[RookSeven]

Neat pen, looks like a pretty good deal for 11 Euros.

[Apotheosis]

Thank you for sharing Kaych.

I'm a fan of school pens myself so this is very interesting.

Never seen one of these before but I'll be on the lookout now !

[Mellock]

I believe it is a Waterman Apostrophe. I have one in grey. It's not in the catalogue anymore. I have wondered if it was because Parker pens were supposed to become the "everyday" and "school" brand of Rubbermaid, and Waterman the "higher-end" line.

[mr T.]

I believe it is a Waterman Apostrophe.

 

It is a Waterman Graduate.

Edited August 29, 2011 by mr T.

[Nonsensical]

I believe it is a Waterman Apostrophe.

 

It is a Waterman Graduate.

+1

I have one, never really cared much for it, though. Sits unused in my desk drawer .

[Lebrac]

Nice review thanks.

 

This pen is also sold in Belgium and probably in The Netherlands: the packaging is bi-lingual french/dutch.

[Chrontius]

I'd buy one for a ten spot. I'd probably buy a few more and give them away. It's very handsome for a cheapie, and with a large bag of el cheapo Ebay cartridges, could introduce someone who's quite hesitant to fountain pens in an enjoyable way. Just need to make sure they have enough cartridges to really form a preference or habit; the usual one or two with no locally-available cartridges will not cut it here.

[Kaych]

The great thing about it is that it doesn't feel cheap at all. The only thing that probably gives it away is the plastic section. Despite what some people say, not all plastic is made equally.

[yus2001fr]

Very nice review ! And a smart foutain pen !

[Mellock]

I believe it is a Waterman Apostrophe.

 

It is a Waterman Graduate.

 

Indeed it is! When I got mine from the local pen merchant, it was labeled as an "Apostrophe", which is shaped similar, it seems. My apologies for leading anyone astray. I should have researched it more thouroughly before commenting. Thank you for the timely correction! *tips his hat*

[Kaych]

No worries! Now we know there is a similar pen to the Graduate. It's better to have people participate in the discussion and be corrected then for everyone to be silent and have no disussion at all.

[georges zaslavsky]

I remember the days were even waterman school pens had a lifetime warranty, not the case anymore.

[tfaust]

I just inked this pen up for the first time this morning and I agree that the nib is very smooth, but this pen lays down a really heavy line with the Waterman cartridges - much heavier than with my Lamy AL-Star. Will use it throughout the day and see if it tapers off a bit.

[John the Monkey]

There's a wider range at the Intermarché Hyper, I think - I saw these there, but bought a clear Waterman school pen that looks like a Kultur instead (both priced at Eur 10.97 each). There were also offerings from Bic and Papermate, as well as an own branded pen, as I recall.

 

My daughter was unable to resist a large pack of Papermate ink cartridges (different colours, some scented).

 

In the places we visited, even the smallest town centre stationer seemed to carry a decent range of Herbin and Waterman inks too.

[Anne-Sophie]

Thank you for posting this review and the pictures.

 

The pen is almost identical to the ones I used all through high school, very nice walk on memory lane.

[Phormula]

The pen is a Waterman Graduate, i had one and it is a real workhorse, they are meant to be school pens but are also quite common in business environments, thanks to the minimalist but not cheap look and easy replacement (pens disappearing in business environment is not an uncommon event). I would say that they are the FP equivalent of the Parker Jotter BP. When visiting my French customers in at least a couple of occasions I found myself sitting at a table with a customer and we were both writing with a Waterman Graduate.

 

After many years of use (and abuse) I had to replace the feeding section, and to my surprise I discovered that the whole feeding assembly (nib + feeding + grip) is the same of the Waterman Allure, so I replaced the original F nib assembly with a M gold plated Allure one and now I am using it with Pelikan Blue-Black.

[robofkent]

I purchased one on e-bay from an american seller and I have to say that I am mightily impressed by the smooth nib. Nice knock about pen.