(Kimberly (she/her) took the express train down the fountain pen/stationery rabbit hole and doesn't want to be rescued. She can be found on Instagram @allthehobbies because there really are many, many hobbies!.)
Not gonna lie, I was super excited to receive the Waldmann Tango Imagination for review from Luxury Brands of America (LBA), who is the North America distributor for Waldmann Pens (as well other brands like Platinum, Colorverse and Gioia Pens). I have been drooling over them since seeing LBA’s posts last year as well as seeing them first hand at the SF Pen Show.
Waldmann has been making writing instruments for over 100 years; they started in 1918 in Pforzheim, Germany, making gold and silver mechanical pencils. Many of their current offerings are created in 925 Sterling Silver and the Waldmann Tango Imagination is an example of this. Despite its long history, Waldmann isn’t well-known in the pen community. I suspect part of this is due to them not having much of an online social media presence until LBA started distributing them a couple years ago. Also, their pens have traditionally been more reserved in appearance … until this year, when they launched new models which boasted new colors, textures and styles.
The new Waldmann Tango Imagination line was announced over the summer of 2021 and became available later that fall. The Tango Imagination shows off a PVD-lacquered multi-layered new guilloche pattern on its cap and barrel and comes in Aquamarine (which is the subject of this review) as well as Lilac, Burgundy, Black and White.
The presentation of the pen is lovely - nice black, leatherette clamshell box which houses the pen, a pack of standard international cartridges in Waldmann Blue, warranty card and a nice little note reminding you that this is a screw cap pen.
But never mind that, when you open the box, you see the absolutely stunning pen. Still pictures just can’t capture how beautiful the engraved cap and barrel are. Alternating lines of turquoise and silver combined with the subtle pattern produce a look that is simultaneously elegant, flashy and classy. The color reminds me a bit of the Statue of Liberty and also of a little jewelry store in New York that’s famous for their little blue boxes. Look carefully on the cap and you will see “925” and the Waldmann logo etched on the cap. Engraved on the cap band are “Waldmann” and “Made in Germany” engraved and the logo adorns the top of the clip. Even the included converter is engraved with the brand and logo.
Pictures don’t do this pen justice.
”925” to let you know it’s sterling silver.
I like branded converters, especially when it’s etched.
Comparison with other pens (L to R): Lamy 2000, TWSBI 580 ALR, Leonardo Momento Zero, Pilot Vanishing Point, Pelikan M600, Pilot 823, Waldmann Tango Imagination, Pelikan M800, Platinum 3776, Sailor Pro Gear, TWSBI Eco.
The Tango Imagination is an average length pen - about : 5.4”/137mm capped and 4.1”/104 mm uncapped. Uncapped, it is similar to many pens on the market, including the Lamy 2000, Pelikan M600, Platinum 3776. Weight-wise, it is a bit heavier than most acrylic pens. Since the Tango was inked up, I removed the converters for all of the pens that had them, so the measurements would be more on-par. Keep in mind that some pens have more metal in their converters than others (Leonardo for example), and would be heavier than regular standard international converters that have more plastic. The Tango is similar in weight to pens that have metal pistons like the M80x and 823. I don’t post my pens but I think this pen would feel really back-heavy if it was posted because a lot of the weight is in the cap.
Where the Tango differs the most from other pens is the grip. For starters, it is a metal grip section. I do like that the bottom of the grip near the nib is flared, so fingers don’t slide off the grip. But since the grip itself is smooth metal and not textured at all, folks with slippery fingers may not like the grip. It is also a fairly skinny grip for a pen of this weight. In fact, I was surprised at how skinny the grip is and how tough it was to find pens of similar girth. The Franklin-Christoph 28 is the most similar pen to the Tango that I have (that isn’t a Waldmann).
Comparison of grip sections (L to R): Pilot Stargazer/Stella, Pilot Custom Heritage 92, Platinum Preppy, Kaweco AL Sport, Waldmann Tango Imagination, Franklin-Christoph 28, Sailor Pro Gear Slim, Sailor Pro Gear.
Like the regular Tango model, the Imagination is offered as a ballpoint, rollerball, or fountain pen with either a steel or 18kt gold nib, in EF-B sizes. Their nibs are made by Jowo but are custom-tuned to Waldmann’s specifications. As such, you can expect a solid writing experience from them. I inked this one up with Bungubox Tears of Alice and it wrote smoothly right out of the box, and has done so for the past 6 weeks that it’s been inked up. The Tango nib units are also easily swappable with any Jowo 5 nib unit. In the US, MSRP is $400 for the steel nib with a street price of $320 and $525 MSRP/$420 for the 18kt gold nib option.
Likes:
- Beautiful, well-crafted pen that’s available in a variety of colors and nib offerings in both steel and gold
- Reliable, well-tuned nib that writes well out of the box
- Flare at the end of the grip sections keeps fingers from sliding down
- 10 year warranty from Waldmann
Something to consider:
- Weight of the pen may turn off some users, especially if they like to post their pens
- Slim grip section feels a touch too slim for a pen of this weight
- Metal grip section might be too slippery for some
- Price is a bit on the higher side, especially for the steel option
If Tango’s weight and grip sections don’t bother you (I had no problems with either the grip nor the weight), I highly recommend picking this up. The difficult part will be figuring out which color to get.
(Luxury Brands provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)
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