Waterman Hemisphere Essential Stainless Steel Chrome Trim Fine Point Fountain Pen - S0920410

This is my first Waterman and after mixing up the ink selection to fine tune, it's an amazing writer and I've since ordered a second (and am considering adding a few more for even more color variety). I've owned a Mont Blanc fountain since I received it as a graduation present out of college but the "frugal" side of me cringes at the thought of carrying around a $600 pen for everyday writing. I began maintaining a photo journal in the past few weeks and fell back in love with the smoothness a fountain pen offers.I found this gem browsing through Amazon and after comparing a few pens decided to pull the trigger. Out of the box, it wrote very smoothly and never skipped. However, with the included blue cartridge, the writing was very wet and I noticed substantial shading as I wrote across the page. I stored the pen upside down for a few days as I've been told it might help but the latter never corrected itself.I ordered the converter for $8 and filled it with the Blue Black Mont Blanc ink (the new, non-perm version) I'd purchased for my other pen. The drier ink cleaned up most of the bleed and nearly all the shading I was experiencing in my notebook and sharpened up the lettering considerably.As for the pen's aesthetics and feel, the stainless and gold finish gives it a very sleek, modern look. The pen is a bit on the thin side but that is my preference (even with big hands). It has a substantial weight and is very well balanced and glides effortlessly across paper. I'd have zero reservations recommending this to someone as a first fountain pen or to anyone looking for a daily writer.If you need a fountain pen that will not break the bank and that's available in a multitude of styles to keep your inks straight, this is an outstanding choice. I can say that these pens will have a home in my briefcase and photo bags for years to come.

So this pen is quite inexpensive, and name brand! Alas, when you hold it in your hand... it's rather light and tinny feeling. Certainly I don't like giant pens. I bought this specifically for it's size and metal finish. But... it's really light and there can't be enough metal in the tube to be very sturdy. It feels aluminum light to me. You can definitely tell it's not a brass barrel, but it doesn't even feel heavy enough to be steel. The nib writes OK, but honestly I have made cheap kit pens that write much better. The finish is very good though. It is well put together, and while it feels light and kinda cheap, it looks really good. I don't regret buying it at all at the price I paid.SEVERAL YEAR UPDATE:I give this a much better review now. The nib broke in quite well, and after a few months use wrote like a dream. It blows all other pens I have, save a Pilot, out of the water now. It is quite durable as I've dropped it several times. I paid less for mine, but for the price today (~$60) I'd buy it again. And it still looks really good. It's an elegant pen. You won't find a better value in a quality fountain pen without rolling the dice on vintage (which I'm not afraid of, but you eventually get a lemon).

I am assuming that you probably will not buy a fountain pen for everyday writing.Appearance- The bushed stainless steel finish looks very nice and the gold plating looks good, too. The black band (plastic) where you grip the pen when writing is a nice contrast. Of course beauty is in the eye of the beholder.Writing- This pen writes very nicely for the start. I have used a few fountain pens that needed to be worn in to match the users grip, but this one did not. Only thing I might mention is that I am used to slightly "fatter" pens and so it is tiring to use this one for long periods of time. I never put the cap on the body of my pens when writing so I don't know if that works or not.Refills- This pen does not come with a converter (and only 1 cartridge) so budget about $10 for that if you want to go the bottled ink route. I own a quart of ink so all my pens use converters in the long run. The cartridge is about twice the size (in length) than the cartridges I am used to (the European standard that fits a Monte Blanc or a Pelikan, or the Cross style) so it should last a fairly long time. On the other hand I cannot fit two of them in the pen. When I fit two in my pen I have a spare for when the cartridge runs out. I cannot comment on the availability or cost of cartridges since I am not going that route.Would I recommend this to a friend? Yes, if that friend wanted to buy a serious fountain pen without breaking the bank.Is it worth the money? Well the pens that cost twice as much do write a nit nicer, but not twice as nice. It does write noticeably nicer than the few $20 fountain pens I own (or the disposable ones). But you have to decide if that is worth the money.