WatermanGraduate Allure Fountain Pen, Black Lacquer, Fine Nib, Blue Ink, Gift Box

I am pleasantly surprised by this pen. I have been using fountain items on and off for years, but usually Chinese made and of inconsistent writing quality. My last fountain pen was one I got for eight dollars at the bookstore, branded "Ooly", which hardly writes at all. For twenty dollars, this, however, is a fine pen.It weighs a couple of ounces, I think. It has a good heft. Not as heavy as I'd like, but not lightweight. I got an 8-pack of "Mysterious Blue" cartridges to go with it, but used the blue cartridge that came in the box with the pen. It was easy to insert, and popped in right away. Literally two presses onto the paper and the ink started flowing. The Waterman writes smoothly and doesn't scratch or skip at all. Nice, wet ink flow that's not so fast that you leave spots all over if you pause frequently, as I do. I took a picture of the ink on a standard wire bound notebook paper. I wish I had good stationary to test it on, but you can get a sense of how it writes, hopefully. I have a heavy hand; the pen actually writes finer on less fibrous paper. I work at a men's clothing store, and this pen will be great for keeping in my jacket pocket to use when filling out tailoring cards when fitting customers. It's such a nice compliment to professional dress. I'm well pleased with this Waterman pen.

I am a fountain pen aficionado, having a variety of pens from various manufacturers. This one is one of my favorites: light weight, precise fine point, perfect ink flow, and excellent value. If I needed more, I wouldn’t hesitate to purchase them.

Only thing that I would suggest about this product, is to make sure that you keep the cap on when you are not using it. I would write and then read something or look something up on the internet. And if i had not capped the pen, it will dry up quickly and i will have to get the pen flowing again. With that said, i do like the comfort of the pen and how well it does write.

I have three fountain pens and have used them for 8+ years. I am a daily writer so actually use them. Original was a Waterman that I dropped on the nib earlier this year. After extensive research I ordered a new nib for $50. During this time I bought my 13 year old son this particular Waterman Graduate. I also acquired a MontBlanc from my fathers estate which is not top of the line MB but certainly a quality pen. It writes a little broad for my liking so now I need to have it tuned but still nice. My son had quit using this Graduate so I cleaned it last week and began using this one. I cannot get over the quality of this pen. Really a fabulous pen. Better daily writer than the MB so far. For the $20 you cannot go wrong. I visit clients and frequently write notes during meetings. At this price if anyone remarks on it I can give them the pen to begin their fountain pen journey and get another. Great pen bottom line.

I am very satisfied with the feel, look and performance of this pen. For a pen in this price range it is outstanding. Given that Waterman is an expensive brand, this is a real bargain. My Waterman Hemisphere writes smoother but costs a lot more. My Waterman Phileas is overpriced junk. I highly recommend the Allure Graduate to either a newbie or an experienced fountain pen user like myself. The smoothness of the writing impresses me each time I use the pen. Even when left unused for long time, the nib does not dry out. I use a fine nib and Waterman ink.

Not as good as I hoped

I purchased this pen as an everyday user and was very surprised at the smoothness of the pen and the balance of the pen in my hand. I own several Monte Blanc pens, Waterman, Pelikan, and Parker pens and for a daily use without the fear of losing it or having it ripped off, this pen is excellent. The medium nib is not too broad nor is it too fine. It is proving to be one of my favorites. A favorite and not having to break the bank, well worth it!!!!

This is my third fountain pen that I own. I started with two Chinese made pens (PenBBS) I bought from ebay, and was turned off from using fountain pens for a while because of their low quality, and inability to write in the way I had hoped.Then I bought the Waterman. What a complete night and day difference. I used the included blue ink cart which is included with each pen. It writes beautifully, and thankfully, puts down ink in a much better fashion than the cheaper pens which I own. It's more on the wet side, in comparison, and that was what I was hoping for. Others have noted that since this is a European fine nib, it's closer to a medium Asian nib. I prefer the larger European nibs, to be honest.As for the build quality, it amazes me how much this pen costs, for what I received. The pen seems to be made of metal, and coated with a matte lacquer finish, which makes it non-slippy in the hands. It has a nice heavy feel to it, and becomes even heavier with cap posted on the body.I highly recommend this fountain pen, and I also recommend you buy it while it's still available...