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Waterman Charleston Ebony BLack with Gold


griffin2020

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1)First Impressions: What first drew me to this particular pen was that the nib looked to be finer than most of the others in the store. I usually write on small notebooks of 3X5 cards, so I need to be able to write small and most medium nibs will not allow that. Since the only pen store in the Dallas area very rarely carries F (and never carries EF) nibs, my original plan was to order something from Pam Braun. However, once I touched, hefted, and wrote with this pen (dipped), I was hooked. The pen came in a blue leather presentation box enclosed in a white (recycled) cardboard sleeve. The top of the box has the Waterman name and logo embossed in silver. Inside the box was a single ink cartridge, and there was a converter in the pen.

 

2)Appearance/Finish: The body is shiny black, with gold rings. The section is black plastic (resin) over a brass core, and the threads that mate it to the body are brass. In the center of the length (capped) is a wide gold ring etched with “Waterman”, “France”, and some art deco style “key” etching. Flanking each side of the wide ring are a pair of narrow rings (one on each side), and four channels in the resin. Both ends taper slightly, and the clip spreads out to become the end cap with the stamped hexagon and Waterman “W”. The only finish issues that I can see are very faint mold lines on the cap and between the section and the ring bands. This pen has a simple, slightly understated elegance.

 

3)Design/Size/ Weight: The main components are injection molded plastic. The nib is 18k gold (18K 750), and the rings, bands, and clip are gold-plated. Some of the internal components are brass, and give the pen a slight heft. It is not a heavy pen, but it has a nice weight in the hand. This pen is smaller than either the Lamy Safari or the Retro 51. Its dimensions are 13.2 cm capped, 11.8 cm uncapped, 14.5 cm posted, and 4 cm in diameter.

 

4)Nib Design & Performance: The nib is a medium, but is (in my uneducated opinion) a little on the thin side. This is an advantage to me, as I need/want a fine line. It is 18k gold. It is buttery smooth, with a bit of flex. I do not know details on the feed materials or fit. All in all, it is a great writer, with a semi-juicy, but fairly fast drying line. I loaded it up with PR Orange Crush, and am very impressed so far.

 

5)Filling System: This is a CC pen. Not much to say about that. I have only loaded the converter once, and had no issues with that. Considering that this was my first attempt at filling a pen from a bottle, I am happy with it.

 

6)Cost/Value: At $165, this is my most expensive pen purchase to date. I could have gotten it cheaper online, but I am okay with what I paid for it. Even at full retail, this seems to be a good value. My only choice for B&M pen stores in North Texas is Paradise Pens. One of the employees is very knowledgeable, the others not so much, but they are enthusiastic, polite and friendly. I enjoy shopping there, I simply wish they had a larger selection of nib sizes (the entire world does not revolve around M nibs).

 

7)Conclusion: I absolutely love this pen. It is the smoothest writing FP I have used to date. I would go back in an instant and make the same purchase. However, I made this purchase yesterday, and I will have to see how I feel about it after writing with it for longer. I cannot see this opinion changing, as I wrote quite a bit last night.

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I have this same pen in Ivory. My mom bought it for me before she died last Dec. Besides having a special meaning it is an excellent writer. It quickly became my favorite. Enjoy :thumbup:

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The Charleston is a classy and good writer pen that IMHO is quite underrated. The design, nib and performance makes this pen one of the best values for your money out there.

Thanks for posting the review. Very nicely done.

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Hi,

 

Thanks for the review. I have to agree with the other positive comments about this pen. I picked one up on a whim, even though it wasn't a model I was actively seeking (one of those "too-good-to-pass-up" deals), and I've been extremely pleased. Nice balance, flawless fit and finish, good looks, and a really excellent nib: just a touch of softness, superlatively smooth, and absolutely indifferent to the paper it's scribbling on.

 

I wish all my modern pens - even (especially?) the ones whose price dwarfs that of the Charleston - were as good.

 

Cheers,

 

Jon

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That is one thing that I am very surprised with, this pen absolutely does not care what it is writing on. I have used paper ranging from cheapo copier paper to Rhodia pads (used in the test) to Moleskine Cahiers, Journals and Reporter Pads. On the thin paper of the Cahiers, I get very, very light feathering, but absolutely no bleed-through.

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My ivory Charleston is one of my daily writers. LOVE IT. Congrats on a nice addition to your collection.

My fingers are always inky and I'm always looking for something new.  Interested in trading?  Contact me!

 

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Excellent review! I also have it in ivory, and it's one of my absolute favorites - the 18K nib is amazing. I think it's one of the best values out there.

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  • 1 month later...

I guess better late than never for a reply.

 

I have had the Charleston ivory pen w/fine nib, for about a year now. I absolutely love it. :cloud9:

 

When I first bought the pen, $100 at Office Depot outlet, it came with a Medium nib. It 'felt' too wide for me so I sent it back to the service center here in the US. They sent it to France and there they replaced the M-nib for a F-nib. It took about 4 weeks turn-around. They did not charge me anything for this service and I was very happy. The only money I paid out was the cost to ship it to the service center. They shipped it back overnight at their expense - WOW!!

 

The F-nib 'fells' very nice and the pen writes extremely smooth with no dribbles, smears or runs. I am a southpaw, by the way. :)

 

I do not keep the cap on, because the first time I used the pen, I had a very hard time keeping the cap on and it feel on my wooden floor a chipped a very small piece of the ivory off. So I no longer keep the cap on. This does not effect the balance of the pen at all. I feel very comfortable with it.

 

The only drawback I have was with the Waterman ink. I had bought a Waterman ink well bottle and some cartridges for the pen. I accidently dropped some water on a paper that I was writing and got upset cause the ink 'ran everywhere'. So I have recently ordered some Noodles Black foolproof ink. I will let you know how it works out.

 

I also have a Lamy, and a Retro 51. I enjoy them but not as much as the Charleston.

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  • 4 months later...

Good, thorough review.

 

Since I am considering buying a Charleston, I wanted to double-check on detail: the barrel diameter is stated as 4 cm, but that was meant to have been 1.4 cm, correct?

 

A diameter of 1.4cm seemed about right for the pictures of the pen, which appears to be a nice, thick-bodied pen.

 

Thanks.

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  • 1 month later...

I guess better late than never for a reply.

 

I have had the Charleston ivory pen w/fine nib, for about a year now. I absolutely love it. :cloud9:

 

When I first bought the pen, $100 at Office Depot outlet, it came with a Medium nib. It 'felt' too wide for me so I sent it back to the service center here in the US. They sent it to France and there they replaced the M-nib for a F-nib. It took about 4 weeks turn-around. They did not charge me anything for this service and I was very happy. The only money I paid out was the cost to ship it to the service center. They shipped it back overnight at their expense - WOW!!

 

The F-nib 'fells' very nice and the pen writes extremely smooth with no dribbles, smears or runs. I am a southpaw, by the way. :)

 

I do not keep the cap on, because the first time I used the pen, I had a very hard time keeping the cap on and it feel on my wooden floor a chipped a very small piece of the ivory off. So I no longer keep the cap on. This does not effect the balance of the pen at all. I feel very comfortable with it.

 

The only drawback I have was with the Waterman ink. I had bought a Waterman ink well bottle and some cartridges for the pen. I accidently dropped some water on a paper that I was writing and got upset cause the ink 'ran everywhere'. So I have recently ordered some Noodles Black foolproof ink. I will let you know how it works out.

 

I also have a Lamy, and a Retro 51. I enjoy them but not as much as the Charleston.

 

 

I know this is a little late in the game, but since you switched to a fine nib, would you be able to post an example of how it looks -- by that I mean a writing sample?

 

Thanks!

 

 

:happyberet:

 

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  • 2 years later...

The only finish issues that I can see are very faint mold lines on the cap and between the section and the ring bands. This pen has a simple, slightly understated elegance.

i just bought a brand new blue charleston with chrome trims and a medium nib for just €40 via a local advertising site, there was a original leather pen pouch includes.

the mold lines are visible, also the injection point is visible at the bottom of the pen, i think it makes the pen look cheap. i'll try to polish them away.

after some starting problems the pen have a good flow now and writes smooth.

beside the mold lines i really like this pen.

Nib (re)plating: please visit www.Dutchpen.com

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