So,
you're looking for a little something in the way of a new pen? If you
really want a "little" something, we've got you covered here!
The Waterman Ici et La is about as little as it gets. As a friend said
"It's so cute!" I guess it is cute, no getting around
that. But it's a pretty good pen, too, cuteness aside.
First the name. It's French. Very French. No, I don't know what it's supposed to mean! "Here and There" I think is the direct translation as best I can figure.
Now that's out of the way, we can get to the pen. These are very small pens. I'm assuming that they're being sold as "lady's pens" or "purse pens". Terribly sexist, but it wasn't my idea! Let's just say that they are the perfect size for anyone who wants a very compact pen, whatever their gender might be. But, the pen, and it's nice little case do look just the right size for a purse.
Unlike
many small pens, however, the Ici et La is a perfectly scaled down pen.
In fact, with the cap on, it looks kind of like someone left a Carene
in the dryer too long. It's perfectly in scale with it's small size. In
use, it's a bit thinner than my all time favorite pen, the Parker 51,
but not too skinny to actually use. You do have to post the cap to get
enough length to balance correctly.
But once you manage that, the Ici is not a bad pen for short stints of writing. I doubt you'd want to start a novel with it or anything, but for everyday use, writing a note, a check, or singing paperwork, I think it would be eminently practical.
If nothing else, the size would see to that! I couldn't find a pocket in my closet that wouldn't accommodate the Ici with ease. In addition to being small, it's also light in weight.
In
the pocket, it's one of those pens that literally disappears. In the hand,
it's small, but not unusable. So, how does it work? Quite well,
actually. The nib is of steel, plated on the gold trim versions, and plain
on the silver trim models. As you might expect, it's a firm nib, but smooth,
Waterman uses a good sized piece of tipping material on these nibs. They're
inexpensive, but not cheap. The distinction is an important one!
These pens are cartridge fillers. Not cartridge/converter, mind you. Cartridge fillers. And not even the long Waterman's cartridges, either! Only the short ones fit. This is too bad, it does limit your ink choices. Unless, of course, you refill your empties with a syringe... Feed and flow seem good with the sample we had for review, but we were only able to give it a cursory work out due to time constraints.
So,
do I recommend the Ici et La? Yes. And no. It's not a pen for everybody.
Obviously you have to want a small pen! If you need something compact,
I can say it's one of the best "small pens" I've tried. It's
not comfortable for extended use, but very usable for short stints, and
it literally fits anywhere. Quality and construction is first rate,
these are very well made pens, with a nice high quality look and feel
to them.
The Ici et La is available in several colours. Black, Blue, Red, Champagne, Khaki Green, or Silver. The Green, Red, Black, and Champagne have gold plate trim, the others silver plate.
List price is $55 for the fountain pen, there is also a capped ballpoint version available in the same colour combinations, with a slightly lower list price.