Waterman Expert Essential Black
Waterman Expert Essential Black Test & Review – The Waterman Expert Essential Black is a ballpoint pen from the series of alternatives to the Mont Blanc ballpoint pen. So ballpoint pens that have a comparable quality, but are cheaper. Here you can find the overview of this comparison.
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Inhalt:
1. Facts
| Lenght: | 5.6 in |
| Girth of the grip surface: | 1.2 in |
| Weight: | 13,5 g |
| Price: | $ 139,99 |
| Scope of delivery: | Ballpoint pen, gift box, Warranty certificate |
2. Scope of Delivery and Packaging
The Waterman Expert comes in a beautiful blue box made of sturdy cardboard.
There is a kind of leaflet included which contains instructions for changing the refill and the warranty certificate.
The blue box is itself wrapped again, making the Waterman Expert perfect as a gift.
3. Design und Workmanship
The Waterman Expert Essential Black looks similar to the Basic model by Mont Blanc. This is because the pen is characterized by glossy black, decorated with silver accents.
Just like the Mont Blanc Pix, the pen manufacturer’s logo sits at the end of the pen.
While the Mont Blanc Pix, however, is made of so-called high-grade resin, the Waterman Expert is mostly made of brass, which is coated with a high-gloss clear lacquer. The silver accents are made of palladium. Only a few parts of the Waterman Expert are made of plastic.
The only criticism of the pen’s concept is the clip. This consists of a single part, so the material is bent and thus stressed every time the clip is used. This will wear out the material over time. A spring-loaded clip might have been a better option here.
The Waterman ballpoint pen is otherwise immaculately crafted. However, what surprised me a bit was that the tip of the ballpoint refill was greasy, meaning it was coated with something like grease. When using the pen, you don’t notice any of this at all, but when replacing the refill, you would touch the grease. This can also be wiped off easily and does not really matter in the end. However, this should have been noticed in quality control.
4. Handling of the Waterman Expert Essential Black
The Waterman Expert is with 35.4 g relatively heavy. This is because the pen is primarily made of brass. This makes the pen feel very valuable, but it also feels heavy in the jacket pocket, for example. The weight is optimally distributed, however, so that the pen’s center of gravity is in the front half and you can hold the pen well despite its heavy weight.
The mechanism for unscrewing the refill works smoothly and well. However, the mechanism is a bit more tense than the Mont Blanc Pix, but that doesn’t make it worse. The thread which is responsible for closing the pencil when changing the refill is very good, because the pencil can be unscrewed smoothly.
5. Writing with the Waterman Expert Essential Black
The line of the Waterman refill is fine and does not smear. The refill still works well when passed over the paper at a 34-degree angle. However, because the refill is quite fine, it is less easy to pass over the paper compared to other refills. This is neither positive nor negative, because it is a matter of taste how fine or wide you want the refill to be and how much resistance it offers when writing.
Since the pen is relatively heavy, it is not so well suited for longer writing sessions. So if you are looking for a ballpoint pen to take notes in seminars etc., the Waterman Expert is rather less suitable. For occasional note taking, signing etc. the ballpoint pen is however quite suitable.
6. Price/performance ratio
I bought the Waterman Expert for $ 139.99. So instead of one Mont Blanc Pix, you could buy about two Waterman ballpoint pens. The ballpoint pen by Waterman is very well made, but is not an uncompromising pen, because, for example, the clip is not perfectly constructed. Nevertheless, it is made of high-quality materials and is assembled by hand in France. As a result, I think the price is just about okay. Nevertheless, even with the Waterman Expert, you should be aware that you are paying some of the price only for the brand name.
7. Conlusion on the Waterman Expert Essential Black
The Waterman Expert is a satisfying ballpoint pen. Because it is well made, writes well and has a nice simple and classy design. The materials are high quality and the price is also still acceptable. Those who do not like heavier pens should probably opt for a different pen. Frequent writers are also better served with other pens. Everyone else won’t regret buying this pen.