I have a tendency not to use the best pens that I own. I’d like to say it’s because I’m saving them for special cards and occasions, but the truth is, I often forget I even own them when I sit down to write a card, or else I opt for a colored pencil. The one exception is the (ball-point) Cross Pen I got for graduation years ago, which I keep in my purse since it’s so small and handy.

At any rate, that’s probably why it’s taken me until now to play around with the new Waterman Phileas I bought nearly two months ago, as per Beth’s suggestion. I’m new to fountain pens, so there was a bit of apprehension. But the Phileas is widely accepted as a good entry-level option, so really, I needn’t have worried. It writes smoothly, in a solid but not heavy plastic case, and it comes with a converter (which I haven’t tested yet) if you want to use your own ink.

I like the art deco-ish design, though I stuck to basic black rather than buying one of the blue, green, or red marbled models. My nib is medium, and I expected not to like that—I’m generally a fine-point fan, but the medium was all I could find—but in the end it was a worthwhile departure, something I would never have tried otherwise. My letters felt solid on the page, intentional (though please forgive the fuzzy photo):

Apparently the Phileas was inspired by the character Phileas Fogg in Jules Verne’s Around the World in Eighty Days. That’s probably just a bunch of marketing fluff, but it still makes me smile.