I bought the Waterman Carène marine amber fountain pen a few weeks ago and have been using it ever since. I love writing with this pen. I usually prefer bigger fountain pens, but the quality of its construction and its weight make the pen very pleasant and very comfortable to use. And I chose a stub nib. I am not the biggest fan of stub nibs, but the Waterman Carène is perfect; it glides well on the paper, and the line variation is well marked, significant enough. I use the pen with Diamine Ancient Cooper ink. Also, Appelboom's service has been excellent; it’s one of the few places where they offer the stub nib.
I have six fountain pens, and this is my new favourite. I am not an expert by any stretch of the imagination, but I do love this pen. I have a Waterman Charleston Ebony EF which I bought in 2009. I loved that pen, but I wanted to see what else was out there. I gradually tried Parker, Pelikan, Sailor, Pilot, and a couple of others, but my Waterman always came out on top. My new Carene is perfect. It is beautiful to look at and to hold, there is very little feedback, and my writing (which is small) is clear. Also, Appelboom was great to deal with. My delivery was delayed, and they didn't wait for me to contact them to ask what was going on - they emailed me before I started worrying to say it would be another week. It arrived on time, very well packaged, and I couldn't be happier.
This is such a fantastic pen. It's slender but pretty hefty for it's size, feels very solid in the hand. I got the stub nib and it's wet and smooth and writes perfectly. The pictures of the amber color don't do it justice. In person it's a very deep rich color that changes depending on the light. Elegant, understated, perfect for a workplace but with that unique inlaid nib that gives it extra flair to set it apart from other pens. Just take note of where you hold it, since it's easy to accidentally get ink on your fingers from near the filling hole without a separate section between your fingers and the nib.
What can I say, it was all that I expected it to be. The pen was perfect in weight and balance. It feels premium and the design is classic. Mine was a stub nib that writes not too broad (less than 1.1mm) but still gives a good line variation. Perfect for everyday writing. Nib can be a little dry, so you may want to pair this pen with a wetter ink. I had to wait a little longer for the delivery as the pen was not in stock, but Appelboom doesn't disappoint. All queries were answered expeditiously and I managed to receive this pen right before Christmas. Thank you Joost and the Appelboom team!
First of all this pen is a nice writer, I ordered fine, but writes like a medium. The nib is not scratchy, but you can feel it moving over the paper, it is not "buttery smooth" as it is usually stated, a larger nib should have a different feeling. Appelboom’s packaging (gift wrap, box) was nice, and with great attention to detail to ensure the pen would not get damaged during transport. The pen came with a converter, but the spare cartridge and the warranty booklet were missing, which does not seem right for a pen at this price range. Lower price pens (Hemisphere, Graduate) came with booklets and cartridges. It’s also annoying that the end of the barrel does not align with the nib. This misalignment just looks unattractive, after all, every picture of the pen shows the nib aligned with the end of the barrel. For a $200+ pen you'd think all these details would be taken care of. Overall, this is a good pen, but Waterman should pay more attention to quality.
Hello, I got the Carène Marine Amber for Christmas and I so far it's been one of my top 3 fountain pens. I like its shimmering colors that change according to the light. The nib has a unique shape and I haven't had any issues (hard start,...) so far. I've read that Waterman nibs are on the broad side of the spectrum but the F nib seems like a standard fine to me. I usually like to have some feedback when writing with a fountain pen. I hardly feel any with this one but the smootheness it provides is pure heaven. The pen literally glides over the paper (I use Clairefontaine and Rhodia paper) and allows effortless long writing sessions. The included ink cartridge was missing, which Appelboom corrected by sending me a full pack of 8 long cartridges. This is what I call GREAT customer service!
The pen itself is beautiful. Very sleek lines, a wonderful finish that is hard to show in photographs but intricate and wonderful in person, and the heft and feel of the pen is fantastic. The nib is very striking, and for an EF is very smooth especially on a paper like Tomoe River.
Customer service was fantastic, and Mr Appelboom was very quick to reply to questions and provide all information requested. I would absolutely buy from this store again.
This pen really does have beautiful sleek lines, just like a luxury yacht. Resin is a rich, glowing amber brown like exotic timber. Recommended if you love beautiful design.
I love this pen! It has a very unique design and it writes like a dream. Before purchasing this I mainly used F and EF nibs. After acquiring this juicy and has a stub like medium nib I realised how much I enjoyed broader nibs. I think its a bit pricey though, even so, I would not hesitate on purchasing g another one if another design caught my eye.
