Waterman Expert Fountain Pen, Stainless Steel with Chrome Trim, Medium Nib with Blue Ink Cartridge, Gift Box

I took a risk in getting this pen via an Amazon Warehouse deal for the low price of $67.75. If I had bought the pen new here on Amazon, it would have cost about $85. And wow, the risk paid off well! The box had some very minor damage, but the pen is in wonderful shape and is perfect. It is a shiny black pen with chrome accents, which I greatly prefer over gold. I find gold to be tacky almost always. 😊 Since this pen comes with an ink cartridge but not a converter, I also purchased a Waterman converter when I bought the pen. I don't care for cartridges and prefer to buy bottles of ink because there's way more color and brand selection in bottles. Advice to fountain pen newbies: always read the product description and some of the associated questions regarding the products here on Amazon. I see that many are upset that the pen comes with no converter. Read before you buy, people! I own several Lamy Safaris, a Waterman Laureat from the 1990s, a few Chinese pens (Jinhao, Baoer, and Kaigelu), a Waterman Kultur, a TWSBI Eco, and a Pilot Metropolitan. My small fountain pen collection is growing, and I'd say that this Waterman Expert is hands down my best pen. It has a very smooth medium nib, and writes very well. It's not terribly heavy at 1.17 ounces (measured on my scale), but it has a nice heft to it, which I like. I can write with it posted or unposted with no problems. The pen has a very satisfying and clear snap of the cap when posted or closed. I can easily see this pen as my favorite daily writer. I love a good medium nib, and this Expert pleases me to no end. I love it! I have it inked now with Pelikan Royal Blue ink, and it writes wonderfully. I highly recommend this pen!

This Waterman truly is a beautiful, top-quality writing instrument. The uncapped body possesses an ideal weight that lends balance in the grasp of the female hand - and I've been told the same effect is achieved when held by the male hand; my husband liked it enough to purchase one for himself. Replacement ink cartridges fit handily, installing with ease. The cap clicks audibly both when closed (to ensure against leakage) or when fitted at the opposite end while writing (to prevent misplacement of the cap itself). The nib is medium to wide, which is perfect for me because I believe bolder fonts make for better penmanship. I don't believe this model was crafted with finely detailed scripting in mind: it's nearly impossible to write in true hand with this instrument. This pen is a throwback to my school days in Germany: straightforward precision with beautiful-looking results for journaling, letter-writing and work with standard-sized sheets of paper. The Waterman produces fine results when I've used it for Spencerian script, and of course informal handwriting. Overall this is an excellent investment, and I'd purchase it again as well as recommend it to anyone looking for a quality writing instrument on a modest budget.

I’ve owned this pen for almost five years now. I have never had an issue. The fine nib writes flawlessly and smoothly. It starts every single time.Currently I am inked up with Diamine Majestc Purple. The ink works beautifully in this pen.This is a great pen. No issues at all, in five years, no issues. Just simply take care of it. I flush it out once the converter runs out of ink. For those of you that are new to fountain pens, buy an ear syringe flush bulb. Fill it with water and flush the nib section out with it, after the water runs clear, draw some water into your converter a few times. Flush until clear. Using the bulb syringe will take minutes off of your flushing time. Research this technique on YouTube. There are some good videos out there on this subject.

Part 1. Price.If you're thinking of getting one of these, get ready to make a chart. The price varies on this item pretty wildly. See for yourself. This is what the various Waterman Experts cost, on the day I made my purchase, 9.1.19....PRECIOUS <M> 126.45 . . . <F> 121.65GLOSS BLACK W/CHROME <M> 63.98 . . . <F> 70.52GLOSS BLACK W/GOLD <M> 94.58 . . . <F> 94.53DEEP BROWN <M> 94.04 . . . <F> 84.78DELUXE BLACK W/CHROME <M> 96.40 . . . <F> 113.91DELUXE BLUE OBSESSION <M> 126.40 . . . <F> 130.00MATTE BLACK W/CHROME <M> 70.00 . . . <F> 91.12STAINLESS STEEL W/CHROME <M> 61.89 . . . <F> 120.00STAINLESS STEEL W/GOLD <M> 59.00 . . . <F> 115.50The above chart repays study. Question to you: Are the "Precious" and "Deluxe Blue Obsession" pens really worth *twice* as much to you as a "Gloss Black with Chrome"—? Keep in mind: these pens all have the exact same steel nib.Moreover, observe that there are cases where there is a surprisingly large price difference between a medium nib and a fine.I originally ordered a "Precious": found it not as sexylooking in real life as it was in the pictures, returned it, replaced it with a "Gloss Black w/Chrome." Half the price, same nib. Let me clarify: Half the price, same nib.• • • Part 2. Specs.The point of the nib, if you look at it through a loupe, is different from anything else I have.*_____________* Pilot Metropolitan, Pilot Prera, Lamy Safari, Parker Urban Premium, Pelikan Jazz, Monteverde Regatta Sport, TWSBI Eco, Kaweco Sport, Conklin Herringbone.It's hard to explain. There's, like, the bulb of the nib, right? I don't know what it's called. I'm calling it the bulb. The thing at the point of the nib. Well on the "bulb" of the Waterman nib there's a raised extra part, a raised "facet," smooth yet distinct. How does it affect the writing experience? I don't know! It seems like a pretty normal nib. (I would feel more confident weighing in on the nib's performance, if I hadn't started the pen going with a couple inks I consider "problem" inks. Diamine silver fox + Pelikan turquoise. In both cases I gotta wonder if they wouldn't work much better in an EF or at least a F. But all my pens are M and B.The rest of the pen. Tell ya something. I don't think much of most grip sections. Anything where there's no real barrier between your holding fingers and the base of the nib—I don't like that. I'm 6'1: big hands, big feet. When I hold these dinky sections, like on a Monteverde Regatta, I am in grave danger of contact with the inky whatever-it-is at the base of the nib. Even when nothing happens to be going wrong, there's always the threat. (I'm getting fonder and fonder of my Conklin, but just the other day, w/o feeling even the slightest wetness, I looked and the whole face of my pointer finger was as if dipped in Diamine Oxford blue. What was happening was my finger was connecting ever-so-slightly w/the rubber seal at the base of the nib section—a jointure behind which is a pile of ink. And which is not really sealed.) Anyway the point is the Waterman grip section is not like that. It's that classic shape that gently sticks out like the mouthpiece of a trumpet. AND the grip section is almost an inch long, so you have plenty of room when you're holding that and unscrewing the other part. Reduce the grip section to three quarters of an inch, and some of you gents are going to be getting ink on yourselves, every time you take off the back end of the pen.Weight's moderate. No one would call it heavy, no one would call it light. Unless you think a Pilot Metropolitan is heavy. Waterman Expert is a tiny bit heavier than that.Meanwhile here's a small blessing on the Black w/chrome. It's got a metal ring right *below* the lip of that trumpet mouthpiece part, which means when you dip the thing in your ink, it's actually easy to see when you've got the end properly wiped off. When that part of the pen is plain black (as it usually is) it's hard to see when you've got all the ink off.One last point. Cap comes off with a snap. All things considered, I think that's better, if the pen's going to be sitting on the desk and doing lots of actual work. Somehow it seems like too much fuss to *unscrew* a cap just to write down a one-word note to yourself or to make a single correction to a manuscript you happen to be looking at. Snap caps are always welcome there. But get this. The Waterman Expert does something not one of my other pens does. It snaps closed, but it also snaps on its ass! You don't just post it by ramming it down. It snaps into place there, too. I like that.Fundamental judgment on first impression: Very good pen; jury's still out on the nib. One thing I'll say, though: I feel much better having paid $64 (+ 10 for the converter), as opposed to $130 + 10. Basically for $140 I think I'd like to see a gold nib.• • • LITTLE BIT LATERNow I've tried six or seven inks and settled, with satisfaction, upon Levenger "raven" black. Feel like I can say w/some confidence: The Waterman Expert's nib is basic plain-Jane. No nib-and-ink combination I tried yielded any kind of excitement. It's a good nib—but nothing special. It knows how to behave itself in front of company. Not looking for a handout. The kind of nib that doesn't want to give (or listen to) excuses.