I have had the photographs for this review ready to go since May, but I found myself floundering around like an idiot because my appreciation for this fountain pen is entirely based on feeling. On the surface of it, the Waterman Hemisphere is a pretty basic pen. In light of all the inexpensive goodness coming out of Asia, it’s very hard for me to recommend it; which leads us nicely to the incongruity of this review where I tell you that it’s great and I recommend it.
Because it feels nice.
Months of hand wringing and still no real conclusion, yet again I will say that this is a frustrating pen to review. It flies in the face of conventional wisdom when it comes to value. It’s super nice, but totally overpriced when it comes to materials. But then again it feels worth the price. Eugh.
Waterman Hemisphere Fountain Pen – Amazon / eBay
Quality is a very difficult adjective to properly convey across a screen. All pens look decent enough when photographed under proper lighting with the right angles, etc.; but the feel of quality is something the Waterman Hemisphere excels at for an entry (yet mid-end, more on this later) price point. The fabrication is made in France with a level of detail that you just won’t find in cheaper pens when it comes to the fit, and trust me, I own a metric ton of the stuff (damn you, eBay!).
Everything is machined cleanly in a precise industrial sorta way. It’s not polished, but the pen is perfectly smooth, like a rifle (weird analogy, but it works).
It has the same precise click that my Carene does, which lends credence to the notion that this is just the way Waterman does things, regardless of price point.
The only thing that irks me and screams a bit slapdash is the seam line on the section from the injection molding. It’s tacky and Waterman should have polished it out. That said, I can see the same seam line on my Platinum #3776, so it’s not like its unheard of in the mid-range tier of fountain pens. I have kept it as such for the photographs, but it takes 2 seconds with some micro-mesh to get rid of, so I shan’t lose any sleep over it.
As for the clip, it’s pretty in a very Waterman’ish sorta way. It’s not roughly stamped out, but rather, feels quite solid and high end. Very similar (once again) to all Waterman offerings I have handled.
The Hemisphere’s styling is a blend of avant garde and art deco. It works, and I dig it. That being said, the aesthetics might suit me, but repulse others. Regardless of your visual biases, it’s nicely finished if perhaps a bit flashy, but the again the whole pen is understated bling (23k gold plating and hard angles/big bands, etc).
Like all modern Waterman pens, it’s a cartridge converter. I don’t hate that. I don’t love it, but I don’t hate it either. It works, it gives you options, and seeing as I own more or less every Diamine ink ever produced (40+ of them) I like being “forced” to switch inks.
That said, the writing sample is with the standard Waterman Blue ink that it comes with on the standard Tomoe River paper from my Hobonichi Techo (which is exclusively for fountain pen scribble/samples now).
For a basic ink, it had surprisingly nice depth folks. I reckon I might snap a bottle or two up.
Waterman Blue Fountain Pen Ink – Amazon / eBay
Comfort-wise, the Waterman Hemisphere is a thin pen. I shan’t drone on about measurements, but by modern standards it would be considered lithe. Not an issue, as it doesn’t feature any weird tapering or ergonomic swedges so you can adjust your grip as needed. Needless to say, it can also be posted. It’s balance point is solid- no real biases in the hand. It just feels sturdy and practical, albeit a smidgen thin.
The nib is a chubby steel nib. Its shape is interesting with a very wide flair yet stout length. Performance-wise, it’s legitimately perfect in my opinion. Super wet with “just right” feedback and an ever so slight flourish of character. I own plenty of expensive pens and I wish they came with nibs tuned like that out of the box.
That said, it is steel, but then again, I prefer it to the vastly more expensive 18k gold Carene or Exception nibs that I also own. It has a very distinct character unlike the Carene, which is just a nail; a very nice nail, but a nail nonetheless.
Relative to price, it’s way too expensive. For $20 more you can import a Platinum #3776 from Japan with a more expensive nib (and varied nib options) and objectively superior styling in terms of the appearance of value. Which leads us to a weird thing to consider: can a pen be valuable because you love it? If that’s the case then yes, the Hemisphere is superb value. If you think a pen can only be valuable relative to the cost of materials and construction, it’s really not worth it.
No matter how you look at the Hemisphere, it’s a tough sale. It’s too small to be a flashy/pretty (in a masculine way) contract signer and its too basic to be an art pen. So where does it fit? Sixty bucks for a steel nib, lacquered brass body and a plastic section. Admittedly, all made in France with very crisp precision compared to the Chinese stuff that I have handled.
This is where I have an issue with this pen: I absolutely love it, I love the feel and the refinement, and oh god that nib, but it’s $60. Is it worth sixty bucks? I don’t know.
I know that if I lost my Hemisphere, I would buy another almost immediately, but that’s me and you’re you (hopefully). In tough times like this, I am extremely glad I made the choice to abscond from any reviewing standards, as attributing a number out of 10 for this pen would leave me in a frenzied state.
It feels nice. It’s got a steel nib attached to a lithe frame.
It’s sixty dollars.
Attributing value at this point is going to get philosophical, and so I will leave it at that.
Excellent review and a niche blog you have in here. may i know the nib size on the hemisphere you own? Also whether the Watermans sold in India are made in france or india by luxor?
I have one for 15 years and I like it. It still looks good. I noticed that with some inks it have issues but when the right one is in – it works flawlessly.
Good to hear! I haven’t had any issues with ink but I tend to stick to Diamine/Waterman/Montblanc/Pelikan inks and don’t really use anything exotic. I always worry with the niche inks that I will love it and suddenly it will become discontinued. 🙁
Mine blead/ gushed with the fire opel i put in it. I might try a quicker drying ink.
Yeah, I would try a different ink- let me know how it works out!
Thomas, I seldom read a review that I completely second, but this is that rarity. I agree with every single point you’ve made regarding the Hemisphere. It’s a strangely endearing pen. And now that I think of it, I have much that feeling about my Platinum 3776 Century, too. Hmm.
Cheers Jon, glad someone else sees this little tyke the same way I do! I love the 3776- insane value- even compared to the Chinese imports!
You’ve nailed it! I keep going back to it, a fantastice everyday pen. Pricey but good quality. And, it always works!
Preach. +1
I enjoyed your review. Very helpful. I am no pen maven, but this pens seems good. But I like a heavier, thicker pen that the Hemisphere. any suggestions for a good one under $100?
In the a similar vein, the Waterman Carene can often be found sub $100 when on sale. Its definitely on the heavier side of things thanks to its brass & lacquered body. I would also consider taking a look at Jinhao, Duke & other Chinese fountain pens as they often have a heavier build. The issue with Western brands are the options sub 100 bucks. You will either be buying derivative garbage (Modern Parker) or something injection molded and thus very light.
Its the ever WORST fountain pen….its ink always get overflow irrespective of POSITION in which u keep the pen.
Every time putoff the cap to use the pen.its find full of ink…nd evry tim gv embrassing feeling.
Interesting, I never experienced that at all. Did you try contacting Waterman? Sounds like their is a sealing issue here, or perhaps the feed is too generous?
Enjoyed reading this very personal review.
Thanks Susan, much appreciated!
Man, it’s exactly that. A very nice pen for a rather big price (in it’s category, mind!). And just as you, I have had one for about two and a half years. However, the nastiest thing happend to me… I lost it outside. And I couldn’t find it anymore. So whoever foud it (and I sure hope someone did), I wish you all the happiness in the world with it. I truely do. So that being that, after a week of mourning, I bought another one. It just arrived and I’m glad to say, welcome to the family!
Great review.
Niels.
Thanks for the compliment Niels, I am sure whoever has your Hemisphere is over the moon. 😉 Sucks to lose pens, its why I rarely take my babies out of the house and when I do, I use a pen kimono and keep ’em in a bag.
I’m very confused. I have only seen the pictures. The Platinum does not look pretty at all. Looks like cheap plastic basic fountain pens. Who cares if its material is supposed to be expensive; it looks like cheap plastic toy. The Hemisphere, however, looks like something one could use in a library or office. It is also much more modern looking than the Platinum. I think this is why you like it.
Well, the Platinum has a luster in the flesh that is quite beautiful but yes, admittedly the brass body of the Hemisphere does lend itself to a more substantial/higher quality feel than plastic/resin pens.
Got the exact same model today! Unfortunately it keeps skipping on the first stroke. I’m waiting to get a converter so that I can give it a good flush.
Eek, mine has never skipped a beat- hope flushing it out solves this issue! 🙁
Did some flushing today, now it’s working perfectly! 🙂
Excellent! Thats what I wanted to hear!