Waterman ballpoint pens UK 2025: Waterman made the Laureat during the mid-to-late 1990s, and possibly into the early 2000s. (I’m not a vintage expert – all I know is that it’s no longer available and by the time I was back into the hobby in 2010, they had disappeared from store shelves.) I purchased this particular pen in London, in 1999, when I lived in Strasbourg, France and spent many a weekend visiting friends who were studying in London at the same time. As a slimmer pen, the Laureat made for a great introduction into the world of fountain pens because at the time it felt very similar to the “stick” ballpoints and rollerballs that I regularly used in school. It slotted easily into my Filofax pen loop, and the cap was designed to post easily onto the back of the barrel. Despite the lacquered brass construction, the slim barrel meant that the pen maintained a usable weight and decent balance. Discover extra info at https://www.penshop.co.uk/product/waterman-carene-black-sea-gt-fountain-pen.
When it comes to name brand pens like Waterman, sometimes different designs really do matter in terms of the writing quality of the pen. (This is particularly true of fountain pens where the more expensive pens will feature better quality nibs.) When you pay for a more expensive fountain pen, you are ideally getting the best writing experience possible with pure gold nibs and hand-tooling. Unlike the fountain pen, the ballpoint and rollerball pen tend to have the exact same ink refills from pen to pen. That means the same ink writing experience will occur from the highest price item to the lowest price item. Every Waterman rollerball pen will feature the Waterman rollerball ink refill in black. And this is not to knock the Waterman rollerball gel ink refills. They are, in fact, quite a good ink refill whether you choose to use the fine or the medium point.
Consider gifting a high-quality pen alongside a handwritten note. This gesture elevates the gift, showing that you not only value the recipient but also the art of writing itself. It’s a simple yet profound way to convey your appreciation, whether it’s for a colleague’s hard work, a friend’s support, or a loved one’s kindness. Pens are versatile gifts suitable for various occasions. Whether it’s a birthday, graduation, wedding, or a simple “thank you,” a pen can fit the bill. Here are some occasions where a pen makes an excellent gift: Graduation Ceremonies – Graduations are monumental milestones in one’s life. A pen symbolizes the knowledge gained and the journeys yet to come. Gifting a pen to a graduate encourages them to write their future, set goals, and document their experiences. A personalized pen engraved with their name or graduation date adds an extra layer of sentimentality.
How to write smoothly with a ballpoint pen? We all have different handwriting styles, and we all hold our pens differently. If you hold your pen at an acute angle, close to the surface of the page, the chamber that contains the rolling ball of your ballpoint pen can pick up and collect tiny paper fibres from your page. These fibres can then create a sensation of scratchiness as you write and the fibres may cause blobs of ink to form at the pen’s tip and fall onto your page. If this happens, try holding your ballpoint pen at a wider, more obtuse angle, which will help to keep the edge of the ball chamber away from the surface of your paper.
Like traditional ink pens, gel pens consist of a barrel housing the writing mechanism, a cap, and a reservoir that can be refilled with ink. A “follower” of more dense, gelled material – typically transparent – follows the water-based ink at the tip of the ink tube. Ink leakage and reverse flow are key problems the follower helps to solve. The barrels can be made with different designs, with some featuring rubber or plastic finger grips. Nib or pen tip dimensions are between 0.18 and 1.5 millimeters (0.0071 and 0.059 inches).