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

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.

It's rare to get beauty in life with such minimal outlay of effort and money. This manages it. A lovely and hard-working everyday pen for fountain pen lovers, or a great starter pen for those who are not already familiar. Other reviews have picked apart (and accurately) how this pen writes--good, not great. But I forgive everything for how low-maintenance it is. If you're worried about annual and pre-use flushing, drying, etc., rest assured that (purists, close your ears) I did none of these things for this pen and it still serves beautifully. Over time I've grown bolder in neglect--forgotten to use it, stored nib up and inked for weeks--okay, months--and let the ink dry on the nib... No matter. After a second it starts up again and all is as before. Someday I'll have to flush it well but that day is not here yet.I have the stainless barrel with gold trim. Good weight, no scratching/fading of the finish, etc. Feels wonderful in the hand (NB: I am a woman with quite small hands, so this may mean something different to you), and the black plastic barrel is high quality. (Lately I've noticed some unscrewing there but not enough to really bother me.) I'd originally planned to switch to using a converter with this pen, but the cartridges are so easy I just never bothered.The packaging is lovely--simple, elegant. This is not an expensive pen and so the packaging isn't going to be peak luxe, but the quality is well within the reasonable range for a tasteful gift. Sturdy, well-made darker blue box (matte-textured, like a NARS lipstick case) inside a white cardboard outer box. Interior is some creamy leatherette/faux-suede?--I don't quite remember now, but it was serviceable and unobtrusive.

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.