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The Charleston is the least expensive fountain pen offered today by Waterman which has a gold nib, and it`s placed in the middle of the range. The question is: is the Charleston a compromise or a universal soldier? Let`s find out. 1. Design and appearance: 4/5. They say that the Charleston design was inspired by an 1930s model, therefore having some art-deco design features, most noticeable being that middle metallic ring. I personally would have placed it near the cap ring, but nonetheless, it does offer a note of distinction to the pen. What I like more about it is the clip design and the fact that it has a screw-on cap, which is pretty uncommon for a modern pen. I also like the fact that the section threads are made from metal. http://i57.tinypic.com/288zj0h.jpg http://i62.tinypic.com/5k10jn.jpg The nib is rather small and uninteresting, which is a shame in terms of design, but we`il see how it performs. Another sign that this is a cheaper pen are the lines which remain from the production process and which can be felt along the cap and section, and on the lower half of the barrel. The cap comes with a metal ring, which is good. About the color: mine is the worst version, blue with silver accents. If I had a choice, I would have gone with the white version with gold trim, which looks fabulous. 2. Size and weight: 4.5/5. The pen is 13.cm long and around 1.2 cm in diameter, and weights around 25 grams. In my book, these are near-perfect proportions for a medium sized hand. It sits comfortably in the hand, and it can be used both capped and uncapped. The cap posts very well, and the weight is evenly distributed. 25 grams is average in terms of weight, but the pen feels solid. The clip is rigid, but usable. 3. Writing: 4.5/5. I have tried both the fine and medium sized nibs available with the Charleston, and I can safely say that this looks like a solid performer. The short, 18k nibs are really smooth(9/10), even the fine nib performs very well. Ink flow is average, but constant from the first try, and I could see myself using this pen on a daily basis. The nib has a pretty large sweet spot, and it`s tolerant, meaning it will write using several angles and hand positions- just the way I like it, since i`m a sloppy writer. The pen came with a standard converter which works well, although i`m not a fan of the twist type converters. The good news is that Waterman pen also accept(in theory at least) standard international ink cartridges. http://i62.tinypic.com/15ewde.jpg 4. Cost and packaging: 4/5. I paid less the 100 dollars for a Charleston set, and at that price pont, it`s safe to say that I got a bargain. In general, I would say that the fair price for a Charleston would be around 100 dollars. The box in which it came looks nice, but it`s fairly standard. Conclusion. Although Waterman made some compromises on the Charleston(short, plain looking nib, less than perfect finish, pretty high mrsp price), this is a rather nice pen. It`s comfortable during use, thanks to the smooth nib and good proportions, the design has a classic inspiration and with a bit of luck, you can pick one of these for a really good price.