Waterman 52 Red Ripple – Super Flex (On Ebay)

Here is a very nice Waterman 52 in Red Ripple hard rubber. The pen is in very nice condition. There is only moderate fading of the hard rubber. The gold filled trim is in good condition, but there is some brassing on the band and some wear to the lever. The clip has one little scratch on it below the rivets. Imprints on the side of the barrel are almost completely worn off. The “52” is still crisp, however. This pen also still has the original red ripple feed. The 14kt. Waterman #2 is a beautiful writer. Normally, it writes as a smooth, slightly stubbish XF (0.3mm) with moderate wetness. With little pressure the nib flexes and can create swells up to 1.7mm (BBB). It is also a fairly responsive nib when flexed. The red ripple 52 is an iconic pen and this one is fantastic writer with nice flex abilities.

SIZE:  5 3/4″ Capped

NIB: 14kt. Waterman #2, XF to BBB (0.3mm-1.7mm),  SUPER FLEX (See “Grading Flex Nibs” for How I Grade)

FILLING: Lever

CONDITION: Good

Restration Work:

• Pen thoroughly cleaned & flushed
• Nib polished and tuned to write smoothly
• Nib and feed ultrasonically cleaned
• Nib and feed adjusted for optimal flow
• New sac installed
• Test driven for a week to insure quality

Waterman 54 – Good Flex (On Ebay)

This Waterman 54 comes in BCHR. The 54 is about the same length as the 52 only slightly larger in diameter and of course having the larger #4 nib. The hard rubber barrel is still pretty black, though the cap has faded a bit more to a dark brown. Imprints are still good and crisp. The chasing is worn some but still visible with some texture left. The nickel-filled trim is in overall good condition. There is very little wear to lever. The clip looks pretty good as well but lost the original ball at the bottom. The 14kt. Waterman #4 nib is a lovely. For normally writing, it is superb. It has excellent flow with a soft buttery feel. A pure joy to use, and well worth purchasing just for that. Additionally it has has flex that comes easily with good responsiveness and nice range. From XF (0.3mm) it can swell up to BBB (1.6mm). The feed however lags a little behind at times causing some railroading, and it is for for that reason alone that I graded this as a “good flex.” This is another superb Waterman nib on vintage BCHR 54.

SIZE:  5 3/8″ Capped

NIB: Waterman #4, XF – BBB (0.3mm-1.6mm), GOOD FLEX (See “Grading Flex Nibs” for How I Grade)

FILLING: Lever

CONDITION: Good

Restoration Work:

• Pen thoroughly cleaned & flushed
• Nib polished and tuned to write smoothly
• Nib and feed ultrasonically cleaned and adjusted for optimal flow
• New sac installed
• Test driven for a week to insure quality

Wahl Gold-Filled Vest Pen – Super Flex (On Ebay)

Here is a larger size Wahl Gold-Filled vest pen with clip. This is a good size gold-filled pen. There are only a few small dings here and there on the pen. I only counted 4, and they aren’t very noticeable. You have to hold the pen at the angle to see most of the them. The edges on the end of the barrel have some brassing, but otherwise its free of plate loss. There is no personalization on the pen. The pattern etched on the pen still looks great. The 14kt. Wahl #3 nib is a rare XXXF (0.1mm) nib. It writes pretty smooth for how fine it is. The flex on this pen is also quite nice. It doesn’t need much swell due to how fine the nib is, but it goes quite easily up to BB (1.4mm). I would say ease of flex is on the lower end of “super flex,” but the XXXF makes it feel very responsive. These XXXF flex nibs are not easy to come by, and this one comes on a durable, gold-filled Wahl.

SIZE:  4 7/8″ Capped

NIB:  14kt. Wahl #3, XXF to BB (0.1mm-1.4mm) SUPER FLEX (See “Grading Flex Nibs” for How I Grade)

FILLING: Lever

CONDITION: Good

Restration Work:

• Pen thoroughly cleaned & flushed
• Body thoroughly polished.
• Nib polished and tuned to write smoothly.
• Nib and feed ultrasonically cleaned and adjusted for optimal flow
• New sac installed
• Test driven for a week to insure quality

Waterman 94 Mahogany (Keyhole Nib) – Medium Flex  (On Ebay)

Here is a Waterman 94 in the gorgeous Mahogany body. Pictures never fully do justice to this color. This looks and feels posh. The body has normal light marks from use, but nothing big and most I could polish out. The gold-filled trim is in good condition overall. There is some tiny spots of grassing on the edges of the lever and clip. Imprints look good. The black hard rubber section has faded to a dark brown. This pen comes with a 14kt. Waterman #4 “Keyhole” nib. The nib writes wonderfully as a wet and beautifully smooth F/M. It really feels like a stubbish Medium. It really brings on the shading. While normal writing is where this nib really shines, it does have some flex ranging up to BB (1.5mm). While flex comes rather easily, it lacks some of the range and responsiveness of better flex nibs. That doesn’t mean this is a lesser nib, because it excels at normal writing. But I would only grade it as a “medium flex.” If you are looking for a great writing vintage pen with some flex, you can’t go wrong with this beauty.

SIZE:  5″ Capped

NIB: Waterman #4, F to BB (0.3mm-1.4mm),  MEDIUM FLEX  (See “Grading Flex Nibs” for How I Grade)

FILLING: Lever

CONDITION: Excellent

Restration Work:

• Pen (barrel, section, nib, feed, & cap) thoroughly cleaned & flushed
• Nib and trim polished
• Nib and feed ultrasonically cleaned
• Nib and feed tuned to write smoothly and with optimal flow
• Body buffed and polished
• New Sac Installed
• Test driven for at least a week to insure quality

Mabie Todd Swan S.F. 1 – Super Flex (On Ebay)

Here is a made in England Swan in a “self-filler” model (lever filler). The black hard rubber is still quite black with only slight fading. The chasing is worn though visible. Imprints are easily readable. The swan on the top of the cap is partly worn off. The gold-filled lever is in great condition with only very small spots of brassing on the edges. The 14tkt. Swan nib is a very soft and wet F. This is a near wet noodle or borderline wet noodle. It’s soft enough that normal writing pressure will cause the tines to spread slightly, so you have to use a light hand for writing. Flex on this nib comes very easily ranging from F to BBB+ (1.9mm)! I would have graded this a “wet noodle” except it’s not quite as responsive as most wet noodles. It’s really close to being a noodle though. Certainly, a very high “super flex.” A lot of people would call it a wet noodle. Anyway, it’s a great vintage flex pen for a great price.

SIZE:  5 1/8″ Capped

NIB: 14kt. Swan #2, F to BBB+ (0.4mm-1.9mm)  SUPER FLEX (See “Grading Flex Nibs” for How I Grade)

FILLING: Lever

CONDITION: Good

Restration Work:

• Pen thoroughly cleaned & flushed
• Nib polished and tuned to write smoothly
• Trim buffed and polished
• Nib and feed ultrasonically cleaned and adjusted for optimal flow
• Test driven for a week to insure quality

Waterman 52 Red Ripple – Super Flex (On Ebay)

Here is the iconic and beautiful Waterman 52 in Red Ripple hard rubber. The red ripple still has good color and only faded slightly. The gold-filled clip and band are in great condition with no brassing. The lever has spots of plate loss and brassing (see pics). The name “Helen Mitchell” is engraved on the side of the barrel with “L.C.C.I.” under the name. The 14kt. Waterman #2 is a beautiful writer with a wet flow. It is technically a F but feels more like a M. It has a stubbish look and feel to it, which is a nice feature. The nib has some nice flex going rather easily up to BBB, and it has decent responsiveness. As I said, the 52 Red Ripple is an iconic pen, and for good reason. They are beautiful and generally have superb nibs, and this pen is no exception.

SIZE:  5 3/4″ Capped

NIB: 14kt. Waterman #2, F to BBB (0.4mm-1.8mm),  SUPER FLEX (See “Grading Flex Nibs” for How I Grade)

FILLING: Lever

CONDITION: Good

Restration Work:

• Pen thoroughly cleaned & flushed
• Nib polished and tuned to write smoothly
• Nib and feed ultrasonically cleaned
• Nib and feed adjusted for optimal flow
• New sac installed
• Test driven for a week to insure quality

Wahl Gold Filled #4 Vest Pen – Super Flex (On Ebay)

Here is a fantastic Wahl gold-filled vest pen (with clip and not a ring top) in the larger size with a #4 size nib. This Wahl is in very good condition with no signs of brassing There is very little wear to the body. The one flaw is that there is a decent sized ding on the side of the barrel. The 14kt Wahl #4 nib is lovely: wet and smooth and feels a bit stubbish. A blast to write with. Technically, it’s measures around a F but it feels more like a M.  The flex is also quite large going from 0.4mm all the way to 2.0mm! That is an impressive range. The responsiveness is quite good, and this pen lays down a lot of ink. This is a durable, portable pen that is a fantastic writer with wonderful flex.

SIZE: 5 1/8″ Capped

NIB: Wahl #4, F to BBB (0.4mm-2.0mm) SUPER FLEX (See “Grading Flex Nibs” for How I Grade)

FILLING: Lever

CONDITION: Good

Restration Work:

• Pen thoroughly cleaned & flushed
• Body thoroughly polished with jeweler’s cloth.
• Nib polished and tuned to write smoothly.
• Nib and feed ultrasonically cleaned and adjusted for optimal flow
• New sac installed
• Test driven for a week to insure quality

Wahl-Eversharp Doric with “Flexible” Nib – Super Flex – (On Ebay)

This Doric is in beautiful condition. The black body has little signs of wear. There is a little spot of  wear on the end of the barrel (the facet edges are a little worn) from the lip of the cap when posted. The Dorics had robust quality trim, and it really show. The gold-filled trim almost looks brand new. No brassing whatsoever. This pen also comes with the ink shut off system (shuts the ink off from the feed when the pen is capped), and it’s one of the rare instances where it actually works great. The 14kt. Eversharp “Flexible” nib is pure pleasure to write with. It’s a wet F (0.4mm) that feels soft and pillowy. The wet flow, though not gushing, really brings out the shading qualities in an ink. The flex is pretty decent. I gave it a “super flex” grade, but I would put this on the lower end of super flex. It has good range going up to BBB (1.7mm) and decent responsiveness. Ease of flex is on the stiffer side of spectrum for “super flex.” Still, you can do some great flex writing with it. The is a gorgeous, top tier quality pen (think Pelikan, Omas, etc. quality) with a phenomenal F nib. You won’t find better. Plus, it has vintage flex.

SIZE:  5 1/4″ Capped

NIB: Wahl-Eversharp “Signature”, F to BBB (0.4mm-1.7mm),  SUPER FLEX  (See “Grading Flex Nibs” for How I Grade)

FILLING: Lever

CONDITION: Excellent

Restoration Work:

• Pen thoroughly cleaned & flushed
• Body buffed for scratches
• Body and trim cleaned and polished
• Nib and feed ultrasonically cleaned and adjusted for optimal flow
• Installed new ink sac
• Test driven for a week to insure quality