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Waterman's
"entry-level" fountain pen, the Phileas is one of those pens that gave
many pen enthusiasts their first taste of what a fountain pen could be.
And why not? For about $60.00 (MSRP), you get an attractive pen that's
comfortable, well-balanced and writes, uh . . . right.
As I
said, the Waterman Phileas got many a collector started in the hobby. I
wasn't one of them, however, and this is the first Phileas I've had the
chance to hold and use. To say I was skeptical about the Phileas is an
understatement. As much as I love fountain pens, I've had a hard time
falling in love with Waterman. It's certainly not for a lack of trying,
and I own a lot of Watermans. While their quality has almost always
been good, many of Waterman's pens are lacquer over brass, which makes
them too heavy for me. Some people prefer a heavy pen, but I don't,
especially for long writing sessions. My hands are small and after a
while, heavy pens really start to cause me a lot of hand fatigue.
Moreover, in my experience, many of Waterman's modern nibs lean toward the bland. Don't
get me wrong - they work well enough, but the one's I've used lack a
certain je ne sais quoi. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that the Phileas is unlike those Watermans I've used in the past.
Construction: First
of all, it's light, but not so light that it feels cheap. Waterman
accomplished this by building the Phileas out of plastic, rather than
lacquer-coated brass. But Waterman inserted a small brass sleeve into
the upper portion of the barrel to give the pen a bit of substance. It
feels nice in the hand, and I was able to write several pages without
even the slightest hint of fatigue. The pen is also nicely balanced,
and is exceptionally comfortable with the cap posted or unposted.
Of
course, the true test of any writing instrument is how well it writes
and this is where the Waterman must have put its R & D money,
because the Phileas excels in this department. When I first inked up
the Phileas I honestly wondered if I was setting myself up for
disappointment. Not a chance!
Performance: I filled the included converter
with Noodler's Bulletproof Black ink and less than a minute later, I was ready to
go. I pulled off the slip cap and started to write. Much to my
surprise, the two-tone stainless steel nib was buttery smooth. I mean
really smoooooooooooth. Although it still lacked some of flair that
comes with more exotic nibs, the line it laid down was consistent and
even. It was neither too wet nor too dry - it seemed to lay down the
right amount of ink at all times. Oh, and did I mention it was smooth?
Every
single letter was perfectly formed (to the best of my ability, that
is), and there was not a single moment's hesitation, skipping,
streaking or any of the other potential pitfalls of pendom. Vertical
lines were as smooth and clean as horizontal ones. I left the pen
uncapped for about an hour and it started immediately when I picked up.
It wrote perfectly after sitting on my desk overnight.
I did not
detect any tooth to this nib at all. Some people may find that
disconcerting, as they prefer to get a little feedback from the nib as
they write, so if that sounds like you - be forewarned. My medium nib
was true to size, which was also unexpected, since Waterman nibs have a
reputation for running a hair wide.
Appearance: Appearance wise, the Phileas
is an attractive pen. The model I tested is a red marble acrylic. The
red is a nice deep, almost burgundy, red with black swirls stirred in.
The pen is decorated at the ends with black on the cap and a black
"blind cap" to match the black plastic section. Gold-colored trim rings
separate the black pieces from the red marble, and a gold clip finishes
the package. The nib itself is two-tone stainless steel and looks quite
rich as well.
On the fit and finish side, it's obvious that this
is an entry-level pen. On close examination, the luster of the pen's
plastic just doesn't match that of more expensive pens, but when viewed
from a distance, it's not as apparent. One of the things that sets many
expensive pens apart is attention to detail, and the Waterman Phileas
is lacking in this area as well. The biggest "flaw" to my eye was the
trim ring at the end of the barrel - it was not a solid ring that
encircled the pen barrel; rather, it appeared to be a clip that was a
few millimeters too small to complete the circle. I don't know why
Waterman would skimp in that area. It's one of those tiny details that
few will ever notice unless they happen to be looking for something to
criticize, though. And I was.
Size: The Phileas measures 5" from the
tip of its nib to the end of the black plastic blind cap. That number
stretches to 5 5/8" when the cap is posted and 5 3/8" long when capped.
Not a large pen by any stretch of the imagination, but certainly not a
small one, either.
The pen comes in the familiar blue clamshell
box, in which is a blue Waterman ink cartridge and a converter for
using bottled ink.
I have to confess, I almost chose not to
publish this review. Because the Wateman Phileas may just well be the
last pen you'll ever need, I was worried I'd go out of business! .
Summary: To
wrap up, the Phileas is a terrific pen. It looks good and performs far
better than one would expect for a pen at this price-point. It's not
perfect, but the flaws are primarily cosmetic and easily overlooked
when one factors in the outstanding performance. It's easy to see why
so many fountain pen enthusiasts got hooked after using one. It really
is that good.
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