Waterford Fountain Pens

[kathywc]

T gave me a nice fountain pen, and I can't seem to find any info on them. Any one know anything about the Waterford Marquis pens? I know it is made by waterford crystal but they don't list it on thier site. I also know that it seems to be made of a silver type metal that is not magnetic. And, it can't be a really expensive one, 'cause she wouldn't have bought it.

 

Any other info?

[Maja]

Congratulations on your birthday gift, kathy! I don't know much about the Waterford pen company but I do own a couple of Waterford pens, and both are Marquis models.

 

I have a beautiful red ballpoint ( ) and a lovely silvery fountain pen with a nice, almost-springy nib that is fun to use. My husband doesn't like using fountain pens all that much, but he likes the way that last one writes, so go figure...

[Fulcanelli]

I don't know what sort of info you want, but if you Google a search for the pen, you'll get many hits. I did this search: "Waterford Marquis" "fountain pen". I got 909 hits, mostly retail sales of those pens.

[kathywc]

Thanks to you both. Actually, I'm kinda looking for info like a review. How do they write? What are the nibs like? Things like that. Basically, I just wanna know more than the retail sites would give me. I tried googling it and didn't find anything along those lines. Sounds like Maja's got a similar one, so......any idea what they're made of? Chrome plated is my current guess, but I can't remember if chrome is magnetic, and my neighbors won't let me near their harley anymore......

[stonefiddle]

Hello everyone,

 

I'm new to FPN, having found it when I googled for fountain pens. I hope someone might be able to help me.

 

I received a Waterford Marquis fountain pen a couple of years ago for my birthday and have never been successful in getting it to write more than just a few words before it quits. I've cleaned the nib and I've tried some different ink refill cartridges but always end up putting the thing back in the drawer for a few months. I have some super cheapo fountain pens I bought at WalMart that never give me any problems.

 

Do I have a bad pen? Bad ink? Operator error? This is the nicest pen I have ever had and it frustrates me that I can't use it.

 

Suggestions? (other than hurling the thing into a deep lake and telling my fiancee I lost it somewhere)

 

dh

[Shannon]

I rec'd a set of Waterford writing instruments (RB, BP & pencil) as a gift a few years ago. They're a very pretty candy apple red. Unfortunately, soon after I got them--and after very little use--the silver plating on the clip started to peel or flake off. I could probably return them (I think they have a lifetime warranty against defects) but I just haven't been that motivated....

[acogbill]

Hello everyone,

 

I'm new to FPN, having found it when I googled for fountain pens. I hope someone might be able to help me.

 

I received a Waterford Marquis fountain pen a couple of years ago for my birthday and have never been successful in getting it to write more than just a few words before it quits. I've cleaned the nib and I've tried some different ink refill cartridges but always end up putting the thing back in the drawer for a few months. I have some super cheapo fountain pens I bought at WalMart that never give me any problems.

 

Do I have a bad pen? Bad ink? Operator error? This is the nicest pen I have ever had and it frustrates me that I can't use it.

 

Suggestions? (other than hurling the thing into a deep lake and telling my fiancee I lost it somewhere)

 

dh

 

Sounds like it's the feed's fault. You might try contacting Waterford; they can probably fix it for you.

[Benjamin McFerret]

I have a Glendalough ballpoint but not a fountain pen. The lacquer spontaneously started chipping off my pen and when I called the service center I learned two things. 1. The finish on the pen is not covered by warranty 2. The pens are made by a nameless subcontractor and the sub contractor has changed within the last 6 or so years. So far, I have not heard great things about the fountain pens but they look nice enough that I'm almost willing to take a chance on buying one.

[Ping]

I recently saw the Waterford Kilbarry Collection - Red Barley Fountain Pen, and I found it quite stunning. But like most people here, I can't find much information on this company.

 

I tried google for some review and information about the company. But haven't found anything interesting and the official website does not even have the pens on it...

 

Anyone has more input on these fine looking pens?

 

 

[Richard]

Waterford pens are not actually connected with Waterford of Ireland. They're made for Hampton-Haddon Marketing Corporation, which is also the U.S. distributor for Sheaffer. H-H licensed use of the name from Waterford of Ireland, and the people who design the pens are careful to keep the star-cut shape that is the Waterford trademark. Waterford pens use stock working parts similar to those used by many European brands, and they're reliable -- they're also well made. I like some of the designs, dislike others. (Surprised?)

[Ping]

Thank you Richard for the information. I am still not sure if I will get the Kilbarry FP especially since they are not made by a true FP company. But since you say they are reliable... I may give them a chance.

 

I am not surprised that you like some of the designs and dislike others since I react the same way with most brand of FP! It's a question of personal taste.

 

But I am surprised by the difference in price from one store to the other. I have seen the Kilbarry FP collection from 83$ up to 160$ for the same pen...

[Richard F]

I have a Waterford Lismore palladium-plated FP that I bought in Dublin in 2001--a nice metal pen and a reliable writer. It's marked "Germany" on the cap. Someone on Pentrace a while back said this model was most likely made for Waterford by Bossert & Erhard.