Ever wish your pen was a different shape? The perplexing Waterman Exception...

[@bestattitude]

I've been owning this pen for 18 years (I bought it in Paris in 2006), and I couldn't agree more with your statements. When I first saw this pen, I got appealed by its sleek and unusual design, which I still find very elegant today. Then, I was further charmed by its overall build quality and by its nib, which is truly excellent : stiff but perfectly adjusted, smooth, and delivering a perfect inkflow. But I never got used to the square shape and the awkward grip section. So in 18 years of ownership, my Waterman Exception (mine is black with gold trim and has a Fine nib) has spent most of the time uninked. It's okay for jotting down quick notes, at most (the snap cap certainly serves this purpose), but by no means is it suitable for long writing sessions.

[@RyC2004]

The logo is not upside down if it's sitting in your dress shirt pocket, showing off to your friends and colleagues at the office.

[@psw3828]

Exactly this! Or if it is a leather pen case with the clip pointing outward. Everything in that pen is intentional and thought out. Things just align!

[@gristlevonraben]

thank you for your honesty

[@gavinpaull1793]

I think the W is like that so if you have it in a pen case and look down on it the W is in the right orientation.

[@forgotMyUsername100]

I bet W is up-side-down for the same reason the apple logo is on laptops: so when it's in your pocket/table, *other* people see it right-side-up. I feel that's turning a label into an advertisement. I'm with OP's - the W should be right-side-up with the clip up.

[@ironmic9244]

I agree with this.

[@paulmchugh1430]

I used to own this pen. When I saw the Visconti Wall Street, I saw this pen. I liked the design and bought both. I still have the Wall Street but have since sold the Exception. I did not know it is the flagship pen. When it came out, it was in their mid range in terms of price. Their flagship at the time was the Edson.

[@tonibat59]

The idea of a square pen - or in general a poligon shape - is to train the hand to automatically set to hold the pen without any rotation. Most newcomers to fountain pens tend to hold the pen with too much tension and slight rotation vs the vertical position.. so the writing gets scratchy and faulty at first. With a square, hexagonal, or octogonal body, the hand can be trained (or so it seems) to automatically hold the pen perfectly vertical with respect to the paper. If you look at 8:23, it seems you are holding the pen with slight rotation. Could be the camera angle, but I think it is really the hand. Of course, experienced users eventually train their hand to automatically correct for any deviation, taking the writing and the feel of scratchiness as their guide. Moreover, good pens have some tolerance for slight rotations, because of the polished nibs at the side angles, but cheap entry-level pens not so much. What do you think?

[@penarbor]

Thanks for the review and I totally understand your concerns. It's definitely not a pen for everyone which is probably why it doesn't sell like hot cakes! It has its features due to the design and I think they achieved what they were going for: no pen feels like this one when you hold and write with it. Take that which ever way you want :) I find it just fine and enjoy the fact that it reminds me that I am not writing with any other round pen. The nibs on these are just Ideal, pun intended. They feel right on most paper and the ink flow is generous too. I don't remember having major drying issues with the one I have, mine seems to seal well when capped. My only niggle is that the cap can rotate slightly when capped so as to not be perfectly aligned with the barrel. It's minor but it could have been easily avoided by having tighter tolerances in the cap liner.

[@ironmic9244]

The Carene also doesn't sell like hotcakes. I don't get it. Waterman is such an underrated pen across the board, including inks. I definitely like the square pen look. Round section??? maybe they could have gone that route, but like you wrote, then it can be like any other round section pen. I feel if the square turns one off, the Carene is the way to go.

[@davidanderson3425]

I agree with you. It seems like another attempt to re-invent the wheel. It doesn't just stop with this shape. Some pens are triangular, some are hexagonal and then you have the oddball Pelikan Twist! The logo on top of the cap is not how I would like to see it. As you said, needs turning 180 degrees. That said, I haven't tried this pen myself. I might find it comfortable to write with.

[@sailcat9]

I have a couple of Waterman Carene pens and I also have an Expert ordered in the l' Essence du Bleu finish right now, so I like Waterman's quality. The Exception, however, has been an enigma to me and I haven't quite persuaded myself to buy one. I appreciate your review and it vindicates my reticence. Maybe someday I'll pick one up but only if it has been discounted heavily. Until then, I will enjoy my other Waterman pens. Thanks for your video!

[@HyTeddyBear]

You're supposed to hold the pen in a triangular hold with the middle finger holding the bottom, and leave top clear

[@zebratroopfan6695]

I bought this pen in Paris. I actually love it. I don’t have any issues with any of your complaints. I love the cap. I prefer snap caps for work and it just feels great in my hand. I have pens from most of the major players and I find myself using this pen or my Pilots the most. It is just a wonderful writer and it feels great in my hand at least.

[@criscavi19]

This is a very nice fountain pen. Mine is black.

[@middleclassmotoring]

I've always been curious about these, but not enough to buy one haha - thanks for the video!

[@JohnDoe-el5ir]

"W" is not upside down in my opinion. Expert looks much more premium, Exception looks like lipstick. Price is ridiculous for Exception. Many pens have ridiculous prices, for instance Mont Blanc, that has nothing to do with quality or performance. It is how it is.

[@ironmic9244]

Are you saying Montblanc has no quality or performance value whatsoever?

[@channelsixtynine069]

It would make more sense, if it were a triangular X-section.

[@gavinpaull1793]

yeah triangular would be much better

[@ironmic9244]

I sometimes turn the pen to form a triangle, well it would be more like a diamond, and it's very comfortable. Only the nib is in a much different orientation, where in this case, this would make one hell of a rollerball pen.

[@guidobosch8459]

What an irritating awful fish bowl sound.