Waterman Hemisphere Vs Expert Vs Parker Sonnet

[Gojira]

Hi! Good to be back after some time away. Anyway, as you can tell from the title, I'm considering between the above 3 pens and I'm kinda feeling like Goldilocks at the moment, if you understand what I mean. I just wanted to know which pen you would choose and why, taking into account that I'm going with a Fine nib with either. Thought that I'll post it here instead of the brand-specific forums for fear of getting lynched...

[RCC]

The Expert is a bit bigger and heavier than the standard sonnet.

 

The Expert nib is very firm; the sonnet nibs has some spring to it.

 

My Expert medium nib has a generous flow and a shade of tooth, though smooth.

 

My Sonnet Fine nib was smooth but not good for fast writing and swift direction changes....unless held very lightly.

 

I kept the Expert but gave to Sonnet to a friend, who thought it was wonderful.

 

 

Don't know if this helps any?

[welch]

I have a Sonnet medium and like it. I've never tried the others, so this won't help much. However, I like the Sonnet so much that I quit using ballpoints -- including an old Hemisphere I've had for 10 - 15 years.

[xena]

I have to put in a good word for the hemisphere here, but it is a very slender pen. Nice nib, nice finish, elegant presentation. if you prefer a thicker pen, the expert is what you want.

[acolythe]

Hi! Good to be back after some time away. Anyway, as you can tell from the title, I'm considering between the above 3 pens and I'm kinda feeling like Goldilocks at the moment, if you understand what I mean. I just wanted to know which pen you would choose and why, taking into account that I'm going with a Fine nib with either. Thought that I'll post it here instead of the brand-specific forums for fear of getting lynched...

 

I also have an Expert and a Sonnet

I think the Sonnet iis drier and not so glassy smooth as the Expert. Given the choice of the two I always pick up the experty. But then I like heavy ink flow ( 7-8/10 on the Binder scale).

Barry

[dogpoet]

Out of those three, I'd go for one of the Watermans. As Xena says, the Hemisphere is an excellent pen, but rather skinny, so you'd be better off with an Expert if you like a fat pen. Both are very smooth and comfortable writers, so what size pen you want is going to be the main factor.

[RCC]

Gojira ---You might want to look into service options depending on where you live. Does Waterman or Parker have a local service center or would you have to send a pen far far away for a long time to have it looked at if warranty work was necessary? Or maybe that sort of consideration would not matter to you. I do not mean to be negative but on occasion a new pen must go away for a nib switch or such.

[Gojira]

Thanks for all the replies!

 

I'm not too worried about warranty and service issues as there are several sellers and distributors where I live that can easily help me with a nib swap or some form of repair.

 

Yes, I do find the Expert comfortable in hand though I'm not too keen on its weight for extended periods of writing. The Sonnet and Hemisphere are quite similar in size, the Sonnet being slightly bigger. However, while i like the overall style of the Sonnet, I do keep hearing bad things like leaky caps and such. Even the local salesperson who attended me recommended the Hemisphere over the Sonnet, despite the Sonnet's much higher price tag.

 

I've yet to try out the Sonnet's nib but past experience with a Waterman Phileas and Carene sort of indicated that Waterman nibs tend to be gushers. Which is good...and bad for use at work since bleedthrough is a problem with the paper we use.

 

Argh!