Waterford Pens

[Nikhil]

What are your opinions on Waterford pen, and do you recommend them?

[jar]

Since no one seems to want to step up, the answer is no, I would not recommend one to a friend.

[Silvermink]

They seem pretty generic. I almost bought one, but that was just because I liked the color and they were on closeout.

[HenryLouis]

I agree with silvermink. Quite generic. Nothing special about the designs of the pens.

[avlisyar]

I own one that was picked up on a closeout

from Swishers. ( The normal no affiliation ..........)

There is nothing out of the ordinary about the pen.

The nib is a nice medium and it starts up all of the time.

As for a recommendation, probably not. It's an average pen.

[ralphawilson]

I almost bought one at a special pen event at a local art store--it looked kind of stately and had a nice heft to it--but was hesitant to buy a brand I'd never heard of. Probably made by someone else, I guess. If the price were "righter" I'd have bought it, lack of reputation notwithstanding.

[FrankB]

I guess in some ways Waterford pens are similar to Cross pens. They are not standouts for design, but they are good, reliable pens. I own only one Waterford, but it is good writing and dependable. For their price point, I think they are a good buy.

[loweevan]

I got a Kilbarry from FPH from my grandmother as a gift at Christmas. It's heavy, but the nib is smooth, stiff, and starts every time. I've only had starting troubles with it when using Noodler's Manjiro Whalman's Sepia, but I had the same issues in other pens before I started cutting it with water. The guioche finish is holding up pretty nicely. It posts firmly, but is a little more balanced without posting.The threading on the cap is more than a Pelikan m200 but less than a MB 146 -- probably a good 3/4 of a turn. It came off in my pants pocket once, but I think that's due more to the fidgeting I was doing being in a very uncomfortable gathering that I was unable to leave without making it more awkward. I have no complaints, though it's not at the top of my list of pens I own. If you can find one at a good price and the design appeals to you (whether it's generic or not -- who cares but you?), it's worth buying. I don't know about their quality control, but if you get it from a reputable dealer, that shouldn't be an issue. Like I said, mine wrote great right out of the box from FPH (no affiliation other than satisfied customer).

[mikerph]

I almost bought one at a special pen event at a local art store--it looked kind of stately and had a nice heft to it--but was hesitant to buy a brand I'd never heard of. Probably made by someone else, I guess. If the price were "righter" I'd have bought it, lack of reputation notwithstanding.

When the Waterford pens first came out, they were made by Lodis--they make office supplies,leather folders,coin purses,check holders,etc. I believe they are based in Germany, but the pens are assembled in the far east. I'm not sure that Lodis still makes them, that was about 8-10 years ago.

[Scribero ergo sum]

Any idea who makes them now? I read where the Waterford company (presumably the same entity, world renowned for their crystal, but also has a writing instrument division) went into a form of bankruptcy this year.

 

I've seen the pens around from a few of the online retailers and the design seems fine enough, imo, but I would like to have an idea of where they're from and who makes them before I took a plunge.

 

[Silvermink]

I thought they were made by Aquila, but I couldn't find any references to that so that's probably not right.

Edited August 27, 2009 by Silvermink

[penicillin]

I have had one for a couple of years. Medium point; writes smoothly and reliably. It's in my rotation.

 

M

 

[Vulcan1066]

I have a Waterford Kilbarry and its a medium point, seems to be the only nib size they offer. Overall is an okay pen, but seems to be very heavy. The finish on mine started flaking off in under a month, so I wouldnt recommend it based on that. An okay writer but nothing to write home about

Edited August 27, 2009 by Vulcan1066

[JJZ]

Hello,

 

I might be in the minority, but I love all my Waterford pens. I have several ranging from the Marquis to the Pallas and they all function wonderfully. I use converters in all of them and either Noodler's Hear of Darkness or Eel Blue and the nibs write smooth as silk. The weight of all the pens is comfortable and fit nicely in my hand. At times I am in meetings taking copious amounts of notes and never ahd a problem. The other nice thing about Waterford Pens is that I haven't paid much for any of them because you can find deals on the internet or Ebay.

 

I would highly recommend them. I have bought duplicates of a few and given them as gifts. My friends who are not Fountain Pen fans love them. I think they are worth a try.

 

JJZ

[sundowner02]

I have one disappointing ball point that was a gift from a person who noticed I had distinctive pens. I guess they weren't really noticing much since it was a ball point and not a fountain pen. Still looking that gift horse in the mouth, it is still knocking around somewhere - good as new which is not saying much.

 

abc

[Yuri]

I have two Waterfords. One is slender one, do not remember the name. Got one for cheap, but do not use it due metallic section which is slippery. Nothing special in design, but it writes well, reliable and good starter. Another one I gifted my wife is Kilbarry, brown, two tone nib, medium. She adores it and says it is the best pen she ever tried. She likes the heft, little wider section. It writes wet, VERY SMOOTH and totally reliable, never dries up with any inks. My wife uses the pen on a daily bases without babying it and the pen still in good shape, no flaking of finish after almost year of usage. I would say if you look for daily reliable and pleasant writer and do not care for a design, go for Waterfords.