Waterman Phileas Vs Parker 25 Flighter

[myn]

When I arrived here at FPN last week Lalique asked me if I'd do a comparison between my Waterman Phileas and my just purchased

Parker 25 Fligher. Well I'm about to give that a try but I do ask you to please excuse the image quality. I don't have one of those

nice digital cameras. Okay here we go.

 

Head to Head, Phileas vs the Parker 25 Flighter

 

http://i47.tinypic.com/hrmyyh.jpg

 

Appearance

 

The first most noticeable thing, other then colour of course is the size difference where the diameter is concerned. Preference

here will depend on what type of feel you like when holding your pen. Both balance beautifully in the hand when capped but I

find that the Phileas definitely wins this category when uncapped. My personal preference has always been toward the larger

diameter pens although I was pleasantly surprised with the reasonable comfort of the Parker given it's smaller girth.

 

The gold banding on the Phileas gives a very elegant look to this pen but inspite of it's rather bland silver colour and lack

of embellishments, the 25 Flighter does equally well in this category. It's profile is "simply elegant" and this pen goes out of it's

way to prove that old saying, " it's often the simplest things that are the most elegant." To give either of these pens a nod, one over

the other is impossible for me. I truly believe it comes down to a personal preference between resin and steel as well as your

judgement as to what defines elegance.

 

Okay enough about the outside - let's get to the guts of the whole issue.

 

The Waterman Phileas uses a piston convertor while the Parker 25 Flighter uses an aerometric converter. The piston I know what to

do with, but the aerometric system caused me a moment of panic. I mean the last time I ever used one of those it was oh 40 years

ago or more. Shh! Shame on me I absconded to the ball point click - just a few years of insanity folks - I'm well now.

 

After a few minutes of just staring at this contraption my brain woke up and I realized all I needed to do was squeeze it to get the air

out and release the squeeze to get the ink in - I did that several times and I'm still writing with my first fill-up from four days ago so

I must have done something right.

 

Call me a bit weird but I like to see the ink filling, especially so that I know I actually do have all the air bubbles out, so on this point

I give a preferential nod to the Phileas.

 

The Rest of the Story.

 

http://i49.tinypic.com/ix4fo0.jpg

 

Now a look at the nibs of each and the line they produce. Unfortunately for the Phileas I happen to love a fine nib and this particular one

comes with a beautiful, smooth writing medium. The Parker 25 Flighter has a fine nib and gives a lovely writing experience. It certainly

saves on the amount of paper I use. The Flighter nib is steel but very smooth and writes a nice fine line. The Phileas nib is a 23k gold

electroplated steel nib giving it a lovely two-toned appearance. In trying to compare these two nibs I have to liken it to trying to compare

a Ferrari with a Jeep, both have their uses.

 

To be very honest, when push comes to shove my preference gives the nod to the Parker 25 Flighter because of it's lovely fine line.

 

So there you have it - Waterman Phileas vs: the Parker 25 Flighter - Both are lovely pens, both write beautifully, both are elegant in their own

way. If I had to have just one? Well, let's not even go there.

 

Which would you chose?

 

http://i50.tinypic.com/35l6k1w.jpg

[J English Smith]

I'm a big fan of the P 25, and yes, the F nibs write very well. I like the durability, the 70s look, and the very solid posting of the pen. A very comfortable pen to write with for an extended period of time (the width is definitely the 'sweet spot' for my hand).

 

Don't have a Phileas fountain pen, do have ballpoints and a rollerball. Every now and then I get the urge to use them for the Deco appearance of them. I didn't buy the FP as I have two Waterman Laureats that I like and I believe the writing experience is very similar. Waterman has made some good lower-end pens, which I applaud. Good quality should be possible at a variety of price points!

[Sandy1]

Hi,

 

I have both pens, and think you have given them a fair comparison.

 

I would like to add a bit if I may.

• Sections for the 25 can be purchased separately - no need to buy another pen for a different nib width.
• The rigid conical nib of the 25 is great for making 'carbon' copies, where high pressure is required.
• The 25 accepts the current translucent Parker converters: screw- slide-driven plunger.
• Some consider certain variants of the 25 to be 'collectors items', and price them accordingly. (Phooey!)
• The Phileas comes in so many more colours, (like RED), and a Demonstrator.

Bye,

S1

[deherrerajames]

Thanks for your review. --- Jim

[cygnoir]

Thanks for your review! Recently I found a Parker 25 Flighter at a festival market here and picked it up for £5. It has quickly become my favourite "everyday" pen, which my red Philéas had been a few years ago. They are both nice pens, and I wouldn't want to choose between them, either.

 

Here is a photo of my Flighter.

 

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7219/7339106246_13a5ccde38.jpg

Day 194 of Project 365: Flighter by cygnoir, on Flickr