Waldmann Xetra Vienna Fountain Pen Review

Luxury Brands of America sent a Waldmann Xetra Vienna Black fountain pen for review quite some time ago and now it’s time to share some thoughts about it.

The Xetra Vienna is a handsome pen that has a layered, lacquer finish and hand engraving that makes every pen unique. The Vienna pattern sparkles against the black finish. To say it stands out on my desk would be an understatement.

With certainty, it is one of the most well-built pens I have ever used. It is both elegant and solid. It is not a large pen, but heavy for its size. Given its length, diameter and balance, I still found it useable even though I prefer pens that are half its weight. It posts securely and has a spring clip that grips snugly.

The broad, iridium tipped, rhodium plated, stainless steel nib is very wide creating lines that are bold and strongly colored. There is no definition as is found with a stub, so it is a true, round nib. Initially it experienced hard starts,  but that has disappeared with use. In fact, after over a month of idleness, it wrote as soon as put to paper though that was with the very well-behaved Waterman Blue-Black ink. Writing more slowly than usual allowed the ink flow to keep up with the broad nib, but I have found that to be helpful with wide nibs in general.

Quite a few retailers carry Waldmann pens, so it should be easy to find this model. It comes in white as well as black, both neutrals so any ink will look fine with it. Admittedly, I am partial to the black and silver that puts my matchy-matchy urge to rest. One of these days I’m going to introduce it to a pale pink or orange and see how the wide nib handles a softly colored ink. It should be very pleasing and appropriate come spring.

The Waldmann Xetra Vienna Black would make a beautiful addition to any collection. Thanks Luxury Brands for sending such a fine pen for review.

Dimensions from Waldmann:

• length closed in mm: 137,00
• diameter in mm: 10,80
• weight in g: 38

Fill Mechanism: Cartridge/Converter Cartridge Type: Standard International

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Waldmann Xetra Vienna Fountain Pen Unboxing.

Tuesday Tidbits: Pen, Paper And Ink Links

José Naranja makes beautiful journals that he on occasion offers for sale. Oh, and I didn’t even make it through January without falling in love with an ink from Colorverse. What do you think of it?

• What is Washi tape? + Ten Tips to Use It (#4, 5, 7, and 8 work well in my journals.)
• Notebook Stories: Daily Carry Notebook
• Pen Chalet: Lamy Al-Star Special Edition (Gorgeous color!)
• Stamps, Scientific Charts, and Hand-Drawn Maps Occupy Every Inch of Travel Notebooks by José Naranja (h/t Fountain Pen Quest)
• The Well-Appointed Desk: Ink Review: Taccia Ukiyo-e Inks
• Retro 51 is going on a sabbatical (h/t Brad Dowdy – The Pen Addict)
• Jet Pens: Lefty-Friendly Stationery Videos
• Life Imitates Doodles: Review: Hahnemühle 1584 Notebook (Via Doodlewash)
• Watercolors Meet A Laban Fountain Pen
• The Getty-Dubay App: Handwriting Success for Real Life (h/t Kate Gladstone)
• Exaclair Has The Classic Blues
• Colorverse No. 24 Gluon (The first ink to go on my 2020 wish list.)
• Papyrus closing all stores (In my early FP days, it was a source for good paper and greeting cards.)

From the archives, a photo of my mother’s jet beads, a silk flower, Rhodia pad, and ten pens. The red Lamy Safari looks out of place but it’s a good writer. In my rotation, how a pen writes is more important than its form. Which is more important to you?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Trouble At Inkophile, Part 2

A comment to yesterday’s post gave me the opportunity to expand on the situation about continuing to reside at WordPress. I am reposting that comment here.

Shubhranshu Das wrote:

Sign of the times…I hope you can get out of this paid version and rescue the prior records and exit to a more conducive platform …

My reply:

Yes, it is a sign of the times. Being profitable is essential to survival and expansion. I get that. The rub is that hobby blogs are rarely profitable. There is no income flow to defray expenses. My reviews have dwindled along with my budget while product prices have risen. The WP fee will cut into it further.

Thankfully, Luxury Brands (distributor of Platinum Pens, Noodler’s Ink), Exaclair (distributor of Herbin, Rhodia, Clairefontaine), Pen Chalet, Goldspot Pens, Nemosine, Jackson’s Art Supplies, and others have sent products in recent years that have kept Inkophile alive. Such supporters are priceless as are those readers who have sent products or donated cash. Inkophile has become a group effort in which every individual is greatly appreciated.

Unfortunately, I lack the expertise to relocate. Moving 1,244 posts with associated links and images along with 6,245 comments would be a daunting task. Inkophile is trapped in the clutches of the WP monster.

Update: A lovely reader sent a donation that will help pay the WP ransom. Yay!

The saga continues at Trouble at Inkophile, Part 3.

Sunday Reads: Pens, Writing And Some Birds

Need a new pen? There are several here that I would enjoy. How about you?

• The Well-Appointed Desk: Notebook Review: Compoco Airplane View Journal
• Ferris Wheel Press (pens and inks)
• Benu at Pen Chalet
• The home of Ranga Pens
• United Inkdom: Italix Chaplain’s Tankard
• Kaweco shows frost has a place even in spring
• Quick Fountain Pen Review: What’s In My Pen Case Today?
• Notedian: Why English Author Neil Gaiman Writes with a Fountain Pen
• How to write with a brush pen
• T.K. Coleman: Am I a Writer? Are You? Does it Really Matter?
• This Genius Woman Created a Photo Booth for Birds in Her Backyard

From the archives

Sunday Links: Ink, Books, And Scooby-Doo

You have probably seen Nick Stewart’s ink and bleach swatches. If you like them, his tutorials might give you just the right amount of encouragement and technique to venture into this intriguing use of fountain pen ink. Both successes and failures could make unique greeting cards. No sense letting an ink splotch go to waste…

• Nick Stewart Ink: Fountain Pen Ink Art – Online Tutorials
• Write About Now CT: The Pen Is Mightier Than The Sword…
• Analog Attorney: Fountain Pen Obsession Starter Kit
• Pen Chalet: Colorverse Ink Sale
• Mental Floss: Study Confirms Growing Up in a Home Filled With Books Is Good for You (No duh!)
• ‘Scooby-Doo’ mansion on the hill
• Make Ink: A Forager’s Guide to Natural Inkmaking by Jason Logan (Good for dip pens – not fountain pens.)
• Cactus Friends (A little watercolor fun.)

From LuxuryBrandsUSA.com

 

Nemosine Singularity On Sale

Pen Chalet has the Nemosine Singularity on sale. Nemosine.com has them as well. If you’ve had an urge to try this model, grab it now. As they say, supplies are limited.

Links to a few of my posts about the Singularity:

Nemosine Singularity Stub – First Look

Nemosine Singularity Fountain Pens

Fountain Pens Are Cool

Fountain Pens Are Cool

Last week, HisNibs.com shared a link to a Bloomberg article about fountain pen ink that stated, “Worldwide, fountain pen sales are forecast to total $1.15 billion this year, up 3 percent from 2017 and almost 31 percent from a decade ago, according to market-research company Euromonitor International.” Yes, fountain pens are cool and so is ink.

An inkophile needs a stable of pens to test and compare several colors at the same time. A five-pen rotation works well for me and for a reasonable investment, these are some of my favorite models.

• Pilot Metropolitan – My three are good writers, but might seem slender in a large hand.
• Pilot Kakuno – Mine has a good nib and adds virtually no weight to my kit.
• Platinum Plaisir – Good nibs and attractive colors. Slightly larger than the Metropolitan.
• Kaweco Sport – Modern pocket pen works well in small spaces. Nibs can be swapped.
• TWSBI Eco – Small nib and simple design, but folks swear by the Eco. The Diamond 580 is my preferred model.
• Lamy Safari – Sturdy build, but the grip is awkward for some users. Nibs can be good if finicky about ink. The Studio is my preferred model for an everyday pen.
• Nemosine Singularity – Good build for the price. My italics work best with well-lubricated inks.
• Conklin Duragraph – The stub nibs are smooth and juicy. I liked the design and performance well enough to purchase two.

Although I have owned a few inexpensive Chinese pens that wrote well enough, most brands have been too inconsistent to recommend. However, for the modest investment, they could be worth the gamble. Amazon and eBay offer quite a few, but you might have better luck at His Nibs.

The Pilot Metropolitan has emerged as my favorite fountain pen for ink testing because it cleans easily and flows well with every ink. The Duragraph with its wide nib is good for general writing so it will often get filled with an ink I would use for a journal or correspondence. The Kakuno or the Singularity come out to play when aqua ink is on the menu. The Nova Orange Plaisir is happy with orange ink or sometimes a fill of Noodler’s Lexington Gray. Either way, it makes my desk look cheerful.

My current pen rotation for testing ink includes

• Silver Pilot Metropolitan – green ink
• Aqua Pilot Metropolitan, Kakuno, or Nemosine Singularity – blue/aqua ink
• Plaisir – red/orange ink
• TWSBI – purple/burgundy ink
• Duragraph – black/brown ink

That makes five pens for under $150. Or a mix of Metropolitans and Plasirs could be put together for less than $75. Add a selection of ink samples and you are on your way to being a collector. Now wasn’t that easy!

Though I have never needed to make a return, do purchase where that would be easy. Low-end pens can be imperfect by some accounts though I suspect that is less common with the pens on my list.

Most of the links are to Amazon from which Inkophile receives a tiny commission when you buy within 24 hours of clicking the link. Thank you for your support.