Waterman Charleston Review

[rochester21]

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.

Edited April 30, 2014 by rochester21

[grainweevil]

Thanks for the review! I hummed and hawed over a back/silver one at a good price for a long time recently, but in the end couldn't reconcile myself with the appearance; the cap and body just don't look like they belong together. Shame, because otherwise it ticks several boxes for me.

 

Cheers, Al

[theverdictis]

Great review and great job on the pics! Will always have a soft spot for Waterman.

 

Ben

[Montblanc owner and lover]

you say high retail? you realize this nib is 18K? even if it's not one of highest quality nib the simple cost of the gold make it expensive...this pen sell in a price range where most pens have steel nibs or only a phew with 14K so no the retail is not high

[rochester21]

Well, you might be right, but my impression is that the Charleston is not a very popular model, and my explanation for this was that the retail price is too high. I may be wrong- maybe it`s a niche model, or maybe people would rather buy a Pilot Custom 74, which i see as an alternative to the Charleston.

Edited April 30, 2014 by rochester21

[therecorder]

Less than $100? Did you buy it used? On ebay, the prices are mostly between $150 and $200.

 

http://www.ebay.com/bhp/waterman-charleston-fountain-pen

[rochester21]

Neah, it was new when i bought it, but the seller didn`t know what he was selling, so....i told him, but only after i bought a couple of sets Sometimes you can find great deals, like the time i bough a brand new waterman gentleman sterling for 80 usd on ebay. When buying pens, patience and scavenging are virtues

 

Anyway, in my region at least, prices for pens have been dropping in the last few years, and there is little demand. I blame the economy for this- i also sell pens as a hobby, so i should know

http://i62.tinypic.com/10wsdx1.jpg

Edited April 30, 2014 by rochester21

[alexander_k]

Thanks for the review. I've got a Charleston a few years ago but haven't inked it yet. You've certainly whetted my appetite.

[max dog]

Nicely done review!

I have the black/gold trimmed version and like it a lot. It's a really classy/elegant looking pen that is a reliable smooth consistent writer. Loved to have gotten the ivory one which is not available any more. I think the plastic they use is one of the best I've seen on any pen. The black one I have is highly glossy, almost glass like. If you want something polished without spending high end luxury pen prices, I think this French made Charleston with an 18K nib is hard to beat these days.

Edited May 1, 2014 by max dog

[checkrail]

Well, you might be right, but my impression is that the Charleston is not a very popular model, and my explanation for this was that the retail price is too high. I may be wrong- maybe it`s a niche model, or maybe people would rather buy a Pilot Custom 74, which i see as an alternative to the Charleston.

Thank you for your review. I am looking forward to trying out my new one once it is back from nib exchange.

The Charleston does seem not to be marketed very vigorously. Here in Britain it is the one Waterman model most web sellers do not carry. I suppose that having made such a success of the Carene, the premium in revenue from pushing potential buyers in that direction makes commercial sense to retailers and the manufacturer. It tends to suggest there may not be a long life to production.

Kind regards

Timothy

[meiers]

I own a yellow charleston. Nice pen.

[bk123]

Thanks for nice review,

I have a black GT charleston with Fine nib. It is a well balanced and smooth writer. The only thing I don't like in this pen is it's nib size. It is small as compared to the overall size of the pen; doesn't look good.

[jriverside]

Greetings from Mexico.I love my Silver/Black model. Excellent nib that writes great the Caran d'Ache Carbon ink. I got it for under $40.00; bought it new, but with the bottom resin section broken, hence the low price. I hope to replace it soon. Does anyone know how much should I pay for a spare part? Cheers.

[ulmensis]

Hi, Thank you for the nice review!

I also have a yellow one with F nib. It is a reliable writer, writes very smooth with Waterman Noir ink.

 

Greetings from Mexico.I love my Silver/Black model. Excellent nib that writes great the Caran d'Ache Carbon ink. I got it for under $40.00; bought it new, but with the bottom resin section broken, hence the low price. I hope to replace it soon. Does anyone know how much should I pay for a spare part? Cheers.

 

The exchange of the barrel will cost around USD 100 at an authorized distributer.

For that money you could buy one more Charleston fountain pen :-)

Edited May 22, 2014 by ulmensis

[h.farmawi]

nice review for a nice pen, Waterman FPs are nice i dont own any but i think i will in the near future...
thanks for the pictures.

[CSG]

I'd bought a Charleston rollerball as a pen to use at meetings. Most people are using gimme pens and I wanted something a little nicer. Got it for a great sale price from Altman Luggage. I also have a Phileas which I thought was a pretty decent but somewhat cheapish looking fountain pen. So I decided rather impulsively to buy a black and gold Charleston when I came across a new one on ebay a couple weeks ago for $131 shipped. I sort of figured it would scratch my jones for a Montblanc Meisterstuck (it didn't) and it was a pretty good price compared to what they are typically being offered for these days ($150-175). Anyway, this one came with a medium nib. I agree that the nib is too small for the pen but it doesn't affect performance. Cosmetically, it looks great unless you inspect it too closely and see the seam line. That's really pretty inexcusable for a pen in this price range. I'm using Waterman Mysterious Blue bottled ink in it currently.

 

All in all, with the great way it writes and balances in the hand and general cosmetic looks, I'd give it somewhere between an 8-9 out of 10 and closer to 9. That's based on the price *I* paid. The score would go down if I'd paid $30-40 more.

 

I said earlier that it didn't scratch my Montblanc itch and I've got a 146 on its way. If I like the Montblanc as much as I hope, I'll probably pass the Waterman on to another member.

[SLG]

I'd bought a Charleston rollerball as a pen to use at meetings. Most people are using gimme pens and I wanted something a little nicer. Got it for a great sale price from Altman Luggage. I also have a Phileas which I thought was a pretty decent but somewhat cheapish looking fountain pen. So I decided rather impulsively to buy a black and gold Charleston when I came across a new one on ebay a couple weeks ago for $131 shipped. I sort of figured it would scratch my jones for a Montblanc Meisterstuck (it didn't) and it was a pretty good price compared to what they are typically being offered for these days ($150-175). Anyway, this one came with a medium nib. I agree that the nib is too small for the pen but it doesn't affect performance. Cosmetically, it looks great unless you inspect it too closely and see the seam line. That's really pretty inexcusable for a pen in this price range. I'm using Waterman Mysterious Blue bottled ink in it currently.

 

All in all, with the great way it writes and balances in the hand and general cosmetic looks, I'd give it somewhere between an 8-9 out of 10 and closer to 9. That's based on the price *I* paid. The score would go down if I'd paid $30-40 more.

 

I said earlier that it didn't scratch my Montblanc itch and I've got a 146 on its way. If I like the Montblanc as much as I hope, I'll probably pass the Waterman on to another member.

Thanks for the great review. I am also have the Montblanc yearning and finally asked my father to "put my name" on the one I gave him many years ago He told me he gave it to his son (half brother) two weeks prior. I'm the only one in the family that uses a fountain pen.

[jameswatts]

I have a white and gold model that I got for a relative steal from an Office Depot that didn't know anything about good pens. Haven't used I t in awhile, but today filled it with Noodlers Green and was reminded of what a sweet writer this pen is.

[DrDebG]

I picked up a used Waterman Charleston for myself. Unfortunately, my husband found it, tried it and has now absconded with it! It is truly a little known treasure!

[amk]

I've recently picked up a Waterman Charleston in white with gold trim, medium nib. It's a lovely pen - my first disappointment with the slightly small nib disappeared as soon as I started using it. I have it in my desktop pen box at the moment next to a Pelikan 400 and 600, and it's easily as good to write with as either of those pens - gently springy and nice and wet.

 

I'm now looking out for the yellow version. (There don't seem to be a lot of yellow pens about - I wonder if Parker's experience with the fragile Mandarin made pen makers fight shy of the colour?)