Customer Reviews

Waterman Phileas Blue Fountain Pen Kit - 99702WC

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I first heard of Waterman pens on a quest to find out how "Old English" style letters were written, and with what type of pens. I found out that there were several brands, and after reading much of its history, and the history of other pens, I decided to settle with this kit. At first I thought it was pricey, for a pen, but I also discovered that few people owned (a real one, not the cheap disposable type)and even fewer knew how to properly use one. I was impressed with the quality of the pen. I don't like the plastic cartridges, so I prefer to use the converter and fill it up from the bottle. I didn't really like the ink quality that came with this kit, but I also wasn't disappointed, it seemed a little watery. The pen itself is good quality, it writes smoothly even with hard hand pressure, but I would suggest buying a disposable type first if you're learning how to use one, as the tip of the pen adapts over time to your writing style. If you want to start writing with fountain pens, this one is for you, as it comes with a bottle of ink, and several colors. It also makes a great gift, but otherwise, if the person already has one, just go for the pen. I've bought another Waterman pen since then. People have asked me if it has ever leaked, and the first time I was asked, I was a bit confused, as I have never had problems with this pen, except for my mistake of leaving the pen in one position for too long (like a month without being touched)and when that happens, the ink starts to dry out and clog, in which case, you clean the pen throughly with cold water.

This review is the first one I've ever submitted on Amazon.com, and I had to write it because I was so pleased with this Waterman Phileas Fountain Pen set. Despite being a long-time admirer of fountain pens, I've never had the pleasure of owning a real one of high quality. The Phileas is a wonderful pen for the beginner fountain pen writer, and this set contains everything the beginner needs for its proper care, maintenance, and use. It's surprisingly lightweight, yet the craftsmanship is obvious in the nib and the design, which is a beautiful blue and gold combination. The ink flow, provided you follow the instruction booklet included, is very smooth, and I have no problems, e.g. uneven quantity, blotchiness, etc., with the Waterman cartridges included. I have not yet tried the converter with the bottle ink, so I cannot give feedback on that particular part of the set. Nevertheless, I honestly cannot see that anything can go wrong for the novice if he uses this set!

This WATERMAN PHINEAS BLUE FOUNTAIN PEN looks ALMOST exactly the same as the Waterman Fountain Pen my dad got in Woolworths, in the 1940s!
I used that pen in school in the 1950s and 1960s, and was VERY proud to be using a FOUNTAIN PEN, instead of the ball-point pens everyone else was using!

Of course, I can't be sure this is EXACTLY the same pen -- but the pen being offered here, and my dad's pen, were both Waterman pens, and both had blue barrels! I'm also very glad to see that this Waterman pen comes with not only cartridges, but with an ink bottle and a converter as well. (My dad stopped using fountain pens when they seemed to come ONLY with cartridges, and thus were far MORE expensive than ballpoints, sigh!)

In a world filled with not only ballpoint pens, but with felt-tipped, rollerball, and now quickly-used-up gel-ink pens, a fountain pen with a converter, especially at this price, is VERY much appreciated! No -- it's NOT a Mont Blank Masterpiece pen -- but in many ways, (especially the blue barrel), it seems a lot more attractive! Even though my dad's pen had a 14Karat gold nib, (gold was $35 an ounce in those days), and used an Internal ink supply only, I have a definite feeling that this "Phineas" pen is the closest thing to my dad's pen available today.

What with the quickening, (and ever-more-dizzying) pace of modern life, more crowded highways, higher taxes, torn jeans masquerading as "fashion", raucus music, (and weird paintings), masquerading as art, TV comedies that seem like farces, (with writing to match), corporate executives earning two hundred times as much as their average line-employee, (and hardly doing two-hundred times as much to help their own companies), newspapers becoming electronicized, (and thereby able to take out any offending articles at an instant notice, before they have been read), education loading kids up with homework, and yet not creating truly educated adults, Enron and Worldcom, and children moving out on their own before they marry, (and before they even turn 16 in many cases), and a million and one other things that
make any sane person yearn for the ability to jump into a time-machine and go back to the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s.....or any other time period but our own -- the Waterman Phineas Fountain Pen stands as a
hallmark of quality, craftsmanship, value -- and beauty! I, for one, hope it never ceases being made, and that more and more people discover the wonder and distinct pleasure, of writing with a fountain pen -- especially a fountain pen that need not be used with expensive cartridges!

Yay, Waterman's Phineas Fountain Pen! May it continue to be used by more and more, (and more!) people -- both young and old -- forever!
: )

Everytime I take it out to sign, the other person reaction is always the same. They are greatly impressed! I own one but purchased a second set as a spare. It works marvelously. Ink flow is smooth so signatures are always perfect no matter the writing speed. Also, this pen looks much more expensive than it really is. It truly is a little jewel. Highly recommended.

This pen has become my everyday pen, and I am quite happy with it for the price. I like having the bottle ink adapter, but the inclusion of all the different color cartridges seems like a waste. Most folks are probably going to use a blue or black, and those who have some special color need will likely want more than one or two color cartridges that they can't easily get more of. Better to have included blue and black, and left the colors to be ordered in a bottle for use with the adapter. After all, why tease us with something we can't find to buy?

I love using this pen. It feels good in my hand, writes easily and clear. I would recommend this pen to anyone who needs a good, basic pen for everyday use.

I'm a fine tip fan; so when I first used this pen, I didn't like it. The wide nib is a little wider than most, and way too much ink flowed, making my writing nice and sloppy especially depending upon the paper. I tried both Waterman and one of the Noodler's Inks, and then I tried to give the pen away, but thankfully I didn't get far before someone mentioned you can buy a replacement nib or trade in a new one with Waterman. I ended up keeping this pen though! I had some Pelikan cartridges in another pen and had just gotten a bottle of beautiful Pelikan ink; so I decided to give this pen one last try, and it writes beautifully! The turquoise Pelikan ink flows just right for my writing style and looks gorgeous! I had no idea what a difference the ink could make especially since I'd already tried two very different inks, and I like Noodler's in all my other pens. All of my others are inexpensive fine and extra fine tip pens. I'm keeping this medium point! It really shows the shading of the ink well, and now I can write neatly with the right ink. The box this comes in is nice for gift-giving. It has a nice little booklet that teaches you how to write with and care for a fountain pen, a bottle of ink and colored cartridges to try out, as well as some blotting paper and cleaning cloth. It comes with a converter to use bottled ink. Make sure to store the pen upright when ink is in your pen. Otherwise, you can store the empty pen in the box.

The delivery transit time was reasonable: I received Waterman Phileas in 8 days after placing the order and used super saver's shipping option.

The converter cartridge is easy to use. Just follow the instructions. As for filling the converter cartridge, I have noticed that ink needs to be drawn then expelled a few times until the inside develops a good vacuum. On my first try, the cartridge was mostly filled with ink bubbles.

I have started writing notes on a plain composition notebook using this pen. For the most part, the writing has been smooth. Ink seems to flow most optimally in the middle of a lengthy writing. In general, I would recommend using a fountain pen for those who write a lot and write cursively; smooth ink flow of fountain is a plus. Not to mention that a better writing tool also helps in improving one's writing style.

I think this entire fountain pen kit a bit pricy, mainly because of the inclusion of 5 disposable cartridges. It would have been better if Waterman sells a more 'bare basics' fountain pen kit. For example, a fountain pen, a bottle of ink, plus one or two converter cartridge(s). Let customers decide whether or not to purchase disposable cartridges afterward. On the other hand, this would be an excellent gift item for those who want to be introduced to fountain pen as its packaging is pretty nicely done.

I love this pen kit, as it has everything one needs and works very well. I love the fact that there is a way for one to purchase their own ink and keep using it for years to come.

For all Muslims out there that like to write Quranic verses with Saffron, I would highly recommend this pen kit, because it works very well with saffron and rosewater also.

Any artist and creative writers can choose to use food coloring as well to play with their edible creativity. Excellent for anyone wanting to learn how to write well with a fountain pen but not spend the hundreds upon hundreds of dollars on replacement sets. All in all it is nice to have that empty vile option that allows for the multipurpose use of this pen kit not to mention that it also writes beautifully.

I bought this exact set for myself about 8 years ago. I still have it today. I rarely used the plastic ink inserts, I use the glass refill tube that comes with it, and it is a godsend. Once you start writing with it, you just want to make up things, just to write, which will use a LOT of ink. That is a good problem though, because it comes with a jar of ink. I have NEVER regretted buying this set and am thinking about buying my 2 teenagers their own ones.