Waterman Edson Review

[Roz]

Lucky Man!!! I love the looks of the Diamond Black FP. To me, it really is classy looking. That pen is on my "to buy queue" especially if I can find it with the factory stub!!!

 

TNS

 

Can I be a complete newbie and ask what exactly a 'factory stub' is?

 

[dwmatteson]

Roz -

 

When they leave the factory, most fountain pen nibs have balls of "iridium" or some hard material at the tip of the nib, which generally puts down a fairly consistent line no matter which direction the nib is being moved. A stub nib (scroll down to the section on "The Stub Nib") allows writers to add some extra character to their letters by laying down thick lines in one direction -- typically vertical strokes -- and thin lines in the other direction -- usually horizontal strokes (depends on how you hold the pen).

 

Pens with the usual iridium tips are sometimes sent out to nibmeisters who will grind the nibs into stub nibs. A factory stub is that came that way from the manufacturer. Not all manufacturers offer stub nibs as an option when you purchase the pen, so those would need to be sent out for grinding.

 

Don

Edited September 22, 2007 by dwmatteson

[Roz]

Wow! Thanks Don. I've never seen such a thing. I really must get more technical and investigate

[CharlieB]

Wow! Thanks Don. I've never seen such a thing. I really must get more technical and investigate

 

Roz: come to a pen show (any pen show), and you'll be able to see and try stub nibs, italic nibs, oblique nibs, and more.

 

You can have a stub nib on any pen. It doesn't have to be a Waterman Edson. Let me add, however, that the Edson is one fantastic pen, and any lover of large fountain pens should own one. Large is definitely the operative word!

[CharlieB]

Great review! I really like the sapphire and gold combination. The Edson is going on my short list of Pens I Want.

 

I am glad to see that I am not the only one who thinks that blue pens with gold trim are extremely attractive. There seems to be a recent trend to use silver trim on blue pens on the premise that silver and blue are both "cool" colors.

 

In fact, I'm dismayed that silver trims are outnumbering gold trims throughout the fountain pen marketplace these days. Bring back the gold trims! They're beautiful.... and warmer.

[Pen Nut]

Great review that but then again I am a sworn follower of the Edson.

 

Just posted a couple of pics in the Waterman forum on the 'Edson ruby red or emerald green' thread if you want to take a look.

 

Regards

 

Ian.

Edited September 22, 2007 by Pen Nut

[JayLo]

Great review. I've been won over by my 2 Carenes. I can only imagine the Edson.

The Edson will be added to my list of wants.

[jniforat]

nice review! digging this up from the past as i research this and the carene...

[tonybelding]

What happened to the photos? I'm not seeing them.

 

In my experience most modern Watermans are excellent pens. I like the snap-on caps too. My only complaint is their stubborn adherence to cartridge-converter filling.

 

Regarding the stub nib. . . I got my hands on a Waterman L'Etalon a while back with the factory stub. At first I thought it was a bit "flabby", the cross-strokes didn't seem thin enough, the line variation not sharp enough. It didn't take long to get used to it, and it won me over. It's amazingly smooth and shows off colorful inks to good effect, and it makes a great signature pen. I'd even say it's become my favorite stub. This is something Waterman have clearly gotten figured out.

[corbinreynz]

It is a beautiful when i see in gold colour pen. Fits perfectly in your hand glide smoothly over the surface of paper. It is a great pleasure to write with such a pen. I love this one.

Edited August 18, 2010 by corbinreynz

[Muncle]

I had the opportunity to try out an Edson a few weeks ago. I couldn't believe it, it seemed just perfectly made. It was the pen that made me realise why people would spend so much money on a writing stick.

 

I love vintage pens, so the Edson may be the only modern pen that I buy. In fact, I'm torn between getting one to celebrate finishing school, or hunting down a vintage pen.

[breaker]

nice review on a very nice pen

[softdown3]

One question: What is it that makes the Edson different from the Carène, which as I understand also features an Edson nib?

 

I own a Carène Blue Obsession/Gun Metal and just love it. Only recently I acquired an Elégance (black/gold trim) as well but it seems to be defective as there are skippings on basically every other letter I'm writing (using the original Waterman ink because I am still waiting for the Pilot Iroshizuku one to make it here from Japan).

 

So, I am wondering if I should get an Edson Sapphire Blue instead of the Elegance which I am about to return...or give it another shot with the a working specimen of the Elegance. What I did notice is that the Elegance is much heavier and might actually be a tad too heavy...but with a malfunctioning pen I can't really tell.

 

 

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

[ArchiMark]

The Carene and Edson do not have the same nibs. The Edson nib is larger. They are similar nib designs as both are inlaid nib design.

 

The Edson is quite a bit larger pen overall.

 

As for your Elegance pen, it could something fairly simple to fix the pen to write well. Is it new or used pen?

 

It might need a good cleaning by soaking and then flushing out pen a few times.

 

Or it might have misaligned nib tines or 'baby's bottom' at nib tip.

Either way fairly simple to fix.

 

However, if new pen and you can exchange it that might be good solution.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Mark

[softdown3]

Hello Mark,

 

thank you for your fast reply.

 

I bought it as a new pen and I already tried flushing it out and even used a different ink, first Waterman Florida blue, then Waterman Serenity Blue, which might be the same but still from different packages.

 

But how do I address the issue about the Elegance being possibly too heavy for me... Like I said, it is really hard to determine whether or not this pen is the right one for me if it won't work properly.

[ArchiMark]

Hello Mark,

 

thank you for your fast reply.

 

I bought it as a new pen and I already tried flushing it out and even used a different ink, first Waterman Florida blue, then Waterman Serenity Blue, which might be the same but still from different packages.

 

But how do I address the issue about the Elegance being possibly too heavy for me... Like I said, it is really hard to determine whether or not this pen is the right one for me if it won't work properly.

 

I'll PM you....don't want to hijack this review anymore with other issues.....

 

[gerigo]

The Waterman Elegance is a funny pen. It does not handle like the Carene or the Edson, and I don't mean in a good way. It's very heavy and the nib is very small. This combination results in an ungainly balance of the pen because one can't decide to grip it at the actual grip, which is metal and very slippery or the slightly higher etched section, which is just a little too high and has an awkward step. Although it's designed to be a very pretty looking pen, it does not handle well.

 

The Waterman Edson on the other hand is a masterly design ergonomically, as well as aesthetically. The standard luminous blue and matte gold finish is quite unique and beautiful. Probably a combination we will never see again because of the construction and also the relatively fragile cap finish and material. It's actually a very comfortable pen to use despite its weight. Yes the design has a dated appearance that screams 80's corporate Europe, but I wager it will be a future classic. I actually much prefer this pen to the other famous brands flagship with the precious resin, and the white splatter on the cap finial. And unlike many, I actually like the converter system as it makes cleaning and maintenance a breeze.

[softdown3]

Thank you for this detailed comparison of the two pens in question. I can subscribe to every single word you say about the Elegance. Looking incredibly pretty but hard to write...and since I am looking for a pen to write that is not the one.

 

I am about to order and Edson Sapphire Blue and am looking forward to holding it in my hands .

 

Thanks for your help!