Review: Waterman Hémisphère Ombres et Lumières Fountain Pen @AppelboomLaren

Thank you to Appelboom for sending this pen for review!

ABOUT

Body Material: Lacquer
Trim: Chrome
Length (capped): 137.1 mm/5.39''
Length (uncapped nib-end): 120.0 mm/4.72''
Length (posted): 149.8 mm/5.89''
Barrel Diameter: 8.1 - 10.5 mm/0.31'' - 0.41''
Section Diameter: 7.9 - 9.3 mm/0.31'' - 0.36''
Nib material: Steel
Weight (all): 22 g
Weight (cap): 8 g
Weight (body): 16 g
Fill type: Cartridge/Converter
Price: € 84,00 (excl. VAT € 69,42)
Where to buy: Appelboom Pennen (click banner for info on a 10% discount!)

PACKAGING

The outer sleeve for this box matches the pen - it has the same black and white motif seen on the pen. The box i a hard case in a silky smooth blue, with a ribbon across the middle. Inside, the pen sits on a beige felt bed. Underneath the bed is the warranty and pen information papers.

I actually really like the look and feel of this box - it's almost not over packaged, it's tidy, and it's clean.

APPEARANCE

This Hémisphère is a thin pen compared to most of the others I own. It has a flat, blunt back end in chrome. The finial is also shiny chrome but is blunt and angled towards the clip. The clip is attached externally - it is slim, with the Waterman 'W' logo at the top, and a slit running down the middle.

The center band is wide, composed of a thin unmarked band on the end of the cap, and a wider one on the barrel. The wide band is engraved with Waterman Paris, France. The section is black plastic, tapering towards the nib smoothly, and ending in a flared lip before the nib. The two seams on the sides of the section are visible as thin thin white lines.

The body and finish is cute. The cap is black, and it extends halfway up the barrel before turning into a black dot gradient on a matte white background. Ombres et lumières is an appropriate, chic name. The finish won't appeal to everyone though, I'm sure.

NIB & PERFORMANCE

The medium steel nib has a single slit and no breather hole. It is engraved with Waterman Paris, M, the Waterman logo, and simple linear flourishes.

This nib offered a very strange writing experience. The nib performed, for the most part, like it was well-adjusted. It was a consistent writer, it did not skip or hard start. The ink flow was steady and it had a good level of wetness. It even produced a little line variation with pressure.

The very strange thing was the nib felt scratchy, and upon observing the tip with a loup, there was a burr visible in the tipping  material. I cannot imagine how this made it through Waterman's quality control. Even with the burr, the pen wrote pretty well, but the burr scratched paper and would pick up paper fibers. I expect this is a rare occurrence with Waterman nibs though, as I understand they are pretty dependable, reliable pens otherwise. The burr did not affect the line width, at least. It was still a tidy medium.

Some simple smoothing removed the burr and now the nib is rather lovely - smooth, wet, and pretty exquisite.

IN HAND

The clip is nice, springy, and easy to operate. I like how it feels. The section shape was comfortable enough but in action, I found it somewhat slippery during extended writing sessions.

Unposted, the pen was wel-balanced and comfortable. I preferred to use the pen unposted. The cap did post deeply and securely by friction, for those who like posting. For my hands and my low grip, I found the pen unbalanced and top heavy when posted.

PROS & CONS

OVERALL

This is a pretty pen that isn't extraordinary in any way, but feels robust and solid in hand. I have used other Hémisphères before and all the nibs were flawless, so I thin this is an unusual occurrence to have a burr in the tipping. I'm a bit disappointed to have found this, but it was an easy fix. You could also return it to the place of purchase and have it exchanged, should this happen to you. I think if you really like the model/appearance, you'll probably be luckier than me and your nib will be fine!

I received this item free of charge for the purposes of this review. I was not compensated monetarily for my review. Everything you've read here is my own opinion. No affiliate links.