Waterman Patrician

[JFT]

Hello all,

 

after enjoying others people review here's my turn! Sorry about the picture quality, I have a very old digital camera and no scanner. All the picture for this review and the one on Pelikan M620 Grand Place and the Safari AL-star have been taken over Whitelines paper (knowing that you'll appreciate the total absence of color correcting skill on my part ) Last disclaimer I have an ugly handwriting, the picture with the writing sample are particularily bad I'll try to update those.

 

Now:

 

 

1. First Impressions 5/5

I bought this in 1994, I had coveted that pen for three years, so when I got my first job I fulfilled that dream Everything about that pen was appealing to me: the large size, the heft, the perfect balance, the smooth medium nib and the beautiful green lacquer. Everything about that pen impressed me, including the box: teck wood apparently! This was my second fountain pen, my first being an Elysee, and it has become the standard against which all pen are judged.

 

2. Appearance & Finish 5/5

The pen was flawless! The richness of the green marbled lacquer pattern and the high-gloss finish is still as impressive 14 years later; likewise for the cap that clip, it still works perfectly. I wish I could say the same of the gold ring near the nib section... that part lost plating and got corroded. But I bought this pen to write so that was to be expected!

 

I'll let the pictures do the talking

The lacquer is still intact despite many years of usage.

The cap on the other hand

 

3. Design/ Size/Weight 5/5

As mentioned previously the pen has a lacquer on brass construction and feel very sturdy (and it is!). It has some serious heft but once posted the balance is so perfect that the weight simply disappear! As weird as it sound the pen feels heavier when writing without the cap posted! (Note that I grab this pen rather high and write with a shallow angle) The pen is also quite large, close to 17 cm when posted.

 

4. Nib Design & Performance 4/5

The nib is a large 18kt dual-tone affair, about as large as a M800. It is rigid but I have yet to try a smoother nib than this one. Mine is a medium nib which is medium wet. This nib is the reference against which all nibs gets compared... The nib section has one downside though: it seems like it is impossible to clean thoroughly. Flushing repeatidly, blowing through it, flushing repeat and reapeat for over 24 hours and everytime I put some papertowel on the rim on top of the nib there is seemingly an endless supply of ink there. It looks like there is some “secret cave” where inks goes to dry... It doesn’t impact flow in anyway but cleaning it perfectly IS a chore...

 

5. The Filling System 4/5

Typical Cartridge/CC, the converter works very well but has a small capacity nothing special about it.

 

6. Cost/Value 5/5

I paid 500$Can in 1994 for that pen; at the time the Can$ was rather weak. I guess I could have barter more but I was young I bought it at a small b&m store. Despite the price I paid I still give it 5 point, that’s how much I appreciate that pen!

 

7. Overall Opinion/Conclusion 5/5

Whatever the price I paid for it, 14 years later it still is one of the best buy I ever did! It has everything I could ask in a pen: smooth nib, beautiful and classy, sturdy and outstanding overall quality. An impressive pen for the eyes as much as it is when writing.

 

 

P.S. I'll add picture of the teck box the pen came with!

[Maja]

Thanks for the review.....and the other ones you did for your Lamy Al-Star and Pelikan Grand Place----much appreciated!

 

I don't have a modern Patrician, but I do have a Man 200 and it has the same trim ring corrosion as your pen!

I haven't seen the fountain pen in person, but I've seen the ballpoint version in a local store and the green pattern is stunning! Nice to hear that your Patrician is still a favourite after all these years

[goodguy]

Thank you for the review.

This is really an impressive pen.I wish Waterman would make this pen again.

[bizerkel]

JFT,

 

Thanks for the review. This is truly a beautiful pen. I, like Maja, don't have this pen, but I do have a Le Man 100, which also shows the chipping of the gold plating at the ring at the base of the nib. As a result my cap no longer fits on snuggly. Despite this, it remains one of my favorite pens and as you mentioned is super smooth.

 

Regarding ink flushing (I don't know if the Patrician is the same as the Man 100, but I imagine so from the pictures), the nib actually unscrews from the section, making cleaning extremely easy. The section does have a tendency to retain ink, but when the nib is removed, it flushes clean quickly. Hope that helps!

 

[Brian]

It's good to see someone else enjoying this sleeper of a pen. I got mine around 1996 in lapis when there were many of them being let go as overstock items...I wish I got a few more in different colors and recall paying a little more than $140 plus for it BNIB. The thing about this pen is that the nibs really are good, along with superb inkflow. I've used it since only once or twice and plan to keep it as a record of a 1990s Waterman.

 

IIRC this pen was doing battle with the Parker Duofold Centennial and would have been priced comparably. Interestingly the only similarity the two pens shared was their filling system, cart/convertor. The differences were many:

 

Waterman - Lacquer over brass construction, slip cap with no threading, somewhat springy nib with no air hole. Heavier than Parker Duofold.

 

Parker - Milled acrylic, threaded cap, stiff nib with airhole. Lighter than Waterman Patrician.

[Tricia]

I have one of these, too! I bought it for the name, natch, back in the 90s, too. Mine's also green and I agree, it 's a beautiful pen, very smooth nib (mine is a fine). My only difficulty is that it's a bit heavy for me, so I don't write with it quite as often as I'd like to, given that great nib.

 

Thanks for the great review of a lovely pen.

[georges zaslavsky]

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/in...showtopic=62848

I made a review of mine, a green one with a full flexible fine nib. I bought another man 100 today, the very limited and rare french bicentenary revolution pen which I will post a review tomorrow. I will buy another man 100 patrician, this time a blue one in july. After that I may perhaps buy buy my last and 4th man 100 either an opera or a harlekin or an oliver wood man 100. The man 100 is best modern waterman you can buy, it blows the edson and the exception in terms of smoothness and quality. The man 100 patrician is the pen of a real connoisseur. I rate it way above many italian pens. I also know that it was the most expensive ever manufactured by Waterman. Part of its manufacture processes, especially on harlekins, rare wood models, operas and patricians were made by hand that is not the case with the EDSON or the Exception.

[George Drummond]

The Patrician is certainly a great pen. I have the Coral Red version and I would also like the blue one, but it very rarely appears on eBay. I think Waterman discontinued it because it has a rather old fashioned image, but I have always liked it. I also like the Man 100 in sterling silver, but again this is rarely on eBay. Lewertowski had a big stock but sold out of them several months ago.

[JFT]

Thank you for linking back to your review I had somehow missed it.

 

And by reading it I learned that it can be used as eye-dropper?!?!?! I had mine for 14 years, I saw the rubber ring but it never occured t me it could be use as an eye dropper! Doh! Not sure I would dare do that though...

 

Thanks again

 

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/in...showtopic=62848

I made a review of mine, a green one with a full flexible fine nib. I bought another man 100 today, the very limited and rare french bicentenary revolution pen which I will post a review tomorrow. I will buy another man 100 patrician, this time a blue one in july. After that I may perhaps buy buy my last and 4th man 100 either an opera or a harlekin or an oliver wood man 100. The man 100 is best modern waterman you can buy, it blows the edson and the exception in terms of smoothness and quality. The man 100 patrician is the pen of a real connoisseur. I rate it way above many italian pens. I also know that it was the most expensive ever manufactured by Waterman. Part of its manufacture processes, especially on harlekins, rare wood models, operas and patricians were made by hand that is not the case with the EDSON or the Exception.

 

[satrap]

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/in...showtopic=62848

I made a review of mine, a green one with a full flexible fine nib. I bought another man 100 today, the very limited and rare french bicentenary revolution pen which I will post a review tomorrow. I will buy another man 100 patrician, this time a blue one in july. After that I may perhaps buy buy my last and 4th man 100 either an opera or a harlekin or an oliver wood man 100. The man 100 is best modern waterman you can buy, it blows the edson and the exception in terms of smoothness and quality. The man 100 patrician is the pen of a real connoisseur. I rate it way above many italian pens. I also know that it was the most expensive ever manufactured by Waterman. Part of its manufacture processes, especially on harlekins, rare wood models, operas and patricians were made by hand that is not the case with the EDSON or the Exception.

==

 

Georges, where are you getting all these LeMan 100 pens? Do I need to move to France (not a bad idea)? You would love the Opera and the wood. Oh forget it, you love ALL of them!

 

I need a blue Patrician and an all-sterling, and then I will be happy. No really. Honest :ltcapd:

 

 

[georges zaslavsky]

I am getting all my man 100s from the best shop in France: MORASTYLOS. MORASTYLOS has sterling silver man 100s for sale as well as an oliver wood man 100 for sale. Morastylos is in the business way before epray appeared, MORASTYLOS is in the business since 1930, the customer service is a five star customer service.

[satrap]

Thank you, Georges. I will also try to treat myself to more LeMan 100 pens in July. :clap1:

 

 

diane

[bizerkel]

Thank you for linking back to your review I had somehow missed it.

 

And by reading it I learned that it can be used as eye-dropper?!?!?! I had mine for 14 years, I saw the rubber ring but it never occured t me it could be use as an eye dropper! Doh! Not sure I would dare do that though...

 

What do others think of using the Man100 as an eyedropper fill? I often get frustrated with the small converter volumes and would love to turn that long body into an ink reservoir, and considering that most water pipes are made of brass, I'd assume it wouldn't cause corrosion with friendly inks.

Anybody else tried it?