I will be holding off on the pen. I got a great offer on the Diplomat Nexus. Considering the price point of this pen, I am surprised at the small leakage when uncapping the pen. The cap must create a small vacuum when closed. Great review.
I agree with you, the ink spewing on the section was a let down. Also congrats on the Nexus! I’m hunting for a good deal and hoping to review that one someday.
You can align the finial very easily. Below the ring you unscrewed from the section end, there is another threaded ring which you can turn a little changing the alignment this way.
I wasn’t able to turn those threads, not sure if they are glued in place or how they’re attached to the grip section. Unfortunately I no longer have this pen to experiment with, but if they could just turn I would still be concerned about loose threads getting undone.
@@ForTheLoveOfPens this threaded ring has something like a tooth inside which enters the longitudinal channel in the inner part. If you can't turn the threaded ring it should be placed upside down then the tooth will slide first into this longitudinal channel, then into another perpendicular channel and can be turned. It's hard to explain in words, but if you could see it, you'd immediately understand how it works. In any case, you can set the finial however you want.
@@ForTheLoveOfPens - exactly, something like that. Thanks for video, I was looking for that kind of information before buying Carene. This is quite interesting pen but has its issues also. Ink on fingers can be limited by spilling few ink drops after load. Still not ideal but it helps. Carene is not in my favourite kind of pens but I would say for me it's something like reference to pens which I wrote with almost 40 years ago in school - mainly chinese Hero with hooded nibs. And this is a better version of those. Not the best but still pleasant pen. My daily writer is Pelikan M1000, so I know I shouldn't require to much from Carene. It's more a sentiment than material for daily writing. I wish you have great pens adventures :)
@@waldemarowczarski146 thank you! I agree it’s unique and a good reference. I’ve been using an M1000 for a few months now and really love it. I have the broad nib, which is amazing, but a bit too wide for daily use. Hoping to make a review of that model soon 😊
For this level of pen, from a company like Waterman, I feel that there are enough red flags for me that I will pass on it. Thank you for your honest review.
@@fossilimprint2954 thank you! It is a beautiful pen but I was surprised by some of the craftsmanship and design concerns. I’d be interested in trying other modern pens from Waterman. I have a vintage lever filler which writes like a dream.
I feel the same way, love the flowing design that inlaids/integrated nibs allow. I just wish they would be easier to service. Maybe this is one of the reasons I go back to the Lamy 2000 time after time. It’s not inlaid but has a similar look and the nib is swappable.
It appears that your ink splatter is actually due to leakage at the horns of the nib. I had a similar issue with a new Carene. Fortunately, the Waterman customer service was able to repair it - no more inky fingers!
Thank you for the great review. I already am a curator of a Black Sea version of this wonderful pen. I was not happy with the high price of the Carene, so I waited a year-and-a-half to find a new one at a happier price. It IS one of my favorite fountain pens. Such a smooth and expressive writer, at least for me, even though the nib is more rigid than some. I just wanted to mention that the reviewed flaws - the nib not lining up with the finial - and the ink splattering because of the aggressive capping - is not something I have seen or experienced. Those mentioned would indeed have made me sad and frustrated. Perhaps I was lucky to get one made on a Wednesday Thanks again and take care.
Thank you and glad to hear you love the pen! I think the finial lining up with the nib is “luck of the draw” instead of a designed feature. I’m not sure about the nib splattering issue, maybe it’s how the component’s tolerances stack up.
Just an additional note; while trying to remove the converter from my Carene, and not remembering if it was a friction fit or a screw in converter, I somehow managed to unscrew the back end of the section. Mine came off fairly easily, it turns out. Anyhow, this left me with three metal parts; a decorative band, the very small clutch ring (which is actually a steel crescent with ears, and easily lost, I found) which fits into a cut-out in the section, and held in place by the decorative band, which has two small notches to fit the clutch ears. And that is held in place by the large screw-in metal piece which secures the converter or cartridge. One almost needs three hands to get all three of these pieces to line up and tighten in place. I almost lost the clutch crescent three times in reassembling this trio of pieces, and was tempted to use Loc-Tite to forestall this happening again. There is NO advantage in removing this assembly for thorough cleaning. Once again thank you for the review on this fountain pen.
@@philnaunton7181 wow, not the most user friendly design. I imagine much of that is installed with machinery and not by hand (at least by the sound of it). Glad you were able to get the pen together again!
I have a Carene, and like it very much. I found the 18K Fine nib very smooth. I have pens I like better, but it’s a nice addition to my collection. It’s one of the nicest looking pens in my collection. A real beauty. I have the one with the silver cap.
Thanks for your wonderful video. Your video confirmed some points that prevented me from buying one. Have you noticed any hard starts, as it is a snap cap?
I will be holding off on the pen. I got a great offer on the Diplomat Nexus.
Considering the price point of this pen, I am surprised at the small leakage when uncapping the pen. The cap must create a small vacuum when closed.
Great review.
I agree with you, the ink spewing on the section was a let down.
Also congrats on the Nexus! I’m hunting for a good deal and hoping to review that one someday.
You can align the finial very easily. Below the ring you unscrewed from the section end, there is another threaded ring which you can turn a little changing the alignment this way.
I wasn’t able to turn those threads, not sure if they are glued in place or how they’re attached to the grip section. Unfortunately I no longer have this pen to experiment with, but if they could just turn I would still be concerned about loose threads getting undone.
@@ForTheLoveOfPens this threaded ring has something like a tooth inside which enters the longitudinal channel in the inner part. If you can't turn the threaded ring it should be placed upside down then the tooth will slide first into this longitudinal channel, then into another perpendicular channel and can be turned. It's hard to explain in words, but if you could see it, you'd immediately understand how it works. In any case, you can set the finial however you want.
@@waldemarowczarski146 thanks for the information! Sounds almost like a bayonet locking mechanism.
@@ForTheLoveOfPens - exactly, something like that. Thanks for video, I was looking for that kind of information before buying Carene. This is quite interesting pen but has its issues also. Ink on fingers can be limited by spilling few ink drops after load. Still not ideal but it helps. Carene is not in my favourite kind of pens but I would say for me it's something like reference to pens which I wrote with almost 40 years ago in school - mainly chinese Hero with hooded nibs. And this is a better version of those. Not the best but still pleasant pen. My daily writer is Pelikan M1000, so I know I shouldn't require to much from Carene. It's more a sentiment than material for daily writing. I wish you have great pens adventures :)
@@waldemarowczarski146 thank you! I agree it’s unique and a good reference. I’ve been using an M1000 for a few months now and really love it. I have the broad nib, which is amazing, but a bit too wide for daily use. Hoping to make a review of that model soon 😊
For this level of pen, from a company like Waterman, I feel that there are enough red flags for me that I will pass on it. Thank you for your honest review.
@@fossilimprint2954 thank you! It is a beautiful pen but I was surprised by some of the craftsmanship and design concerns. I’d be interested in trying other modern pens from Waterman. I have a vintage lever filler which writes like a dream.
I love inlaid and hooded nibs. There's just something about them that really just tickles me. ESPECIALLY the gorgeous integrated nib of the Pilot Myu
I feel the same way, love the flowing design that inlaids/integrated nibs allow. I just wish they would be easier to service. Maybe this is one of the reasons I go back to the Lamy 2000 time after time. It’s not inlaid but has a similar look and the nib is swappable.
It appears that your ink splatter is actually due to leakage at the horns of the nib. I had a similar issue with a new Carene. Fortunately, the Waterman customer service was able to repair it - no more inky fingers!
@@jreednichols I’m not familiar with the term “horns of the nib” do you mean tines? Also any idea what the fix was?
Thank you for the great review. I already am a curator of a Black Sea version of this wonderful pen. I was not happy with the high price of the Carene, so I waited a year-and-a-half to find a new one at a happier price. It IS one of my favorite fountain pens. Such a smooth and expressive writer, at least for me, even though the nib is more rigid than some. I just wanted to mention that the reviewed flaws - the nib not lining up with the finial - and the ink splattering because of the aggressive capping - is not something I have seen or experienced. Those mentioned would indeed have made me sad and frustrated. Perhaps I was lucky to get one made on a Wednesday Thanks again and take care.
Thank you and glad to hear you love the pen! I think the finial lining up with the nib is “luck of the draw” instead of a designed feature. I’m not sure about the nib splattering issue, maybe it’s how the component’s tolerances stack up.
Just an additional note; while trying to remove the converter from my Carene, and not remembering if it was a friction fit or a screw in converter, I somehow managed to unscrew the back end of the section. Mine came off fairly easily, it turns out. Anyhow, this left me with three metal parts; a decorative band, the very small clutch ring (which is actually a steel crescent with ears, and easily lost, I found) which fits into a cut-out in the section, and held in place by the decorative band, which has two small notches to fit the clutch ears. And that is held in place by the large screw-in metal piece which secures the converter or cartridge. One almost needs three hands to get all three of these pieces to line up and tighten in place. I almost lost the clutch crescent three times in reassembling this trio of pieces, and was tempted to use Loc-Tite to forestall this happening again. There is NO advantage in removing this assembly for thorough cleaning.
Once again thank you for the review on this fountain pen.
@@philnaunton7181 wow, not the most user friendly design. I imagine much of that is installed with machinery and not by hand (at least by the sound of it). Glad you were able to get the pen together again!
I have a Carene, and like it very much. I found the 18K Fine nib very smooth. I have pens I like better, but it’s a nice addition to my collection. It’s one of the nicest looking pens in my collection. A real beauty. I have the one with the silver cap.
It is a beautiful design!
I really like the Carene specially the Amber model.
That is a beautiful finish!
Thanks for your wonderful video. Your video confirmed some points that prevented me from buying one. Have you noticed any hard starts, as it is a snap cap?
Thank you! I haven't noticed any hard starts
I do not think it is a snap cap. It seems to be friction fit.
@@paulmchugh1430 There are little studs in the clutch ring that hold onto a ridge in the cap.