A Dance with the Waldmann Tango Imagination
Sometimes I like to tease people who get a little too serious about fountain pens being the most superior writing implements in the world by comparing fountain pens to jewelry. The comparison goes that the best value out there for a fountain pen is the Platinum Preppy, which features a steel nib worthy of the Platinum name, the same spring-loaded “slip seal” mechanism in its cap as the higher-end Century 3776 models, and the ability to refill with both cartridge and converters. If you’re feeling really adventurous you can even get a special adapter to use standard international short cartridges in the pen. Even after recent price increases, you can still find the Preppy for less than ten bucks in most pen shops, special edition variants too!
But what’s so wrong about being a little extravagant? Why not have some “writing jewelry”? Understandably, styles and tastes change over the years. There was a time when a rolled gold or gold filled pens where seen as the height of classy. These days, understated rhodium plated good nibs and furniture tend to be appreciated a little bit more, not hiding the precious materials the pen is made from, but not overly flaunting them either. Then you have the entire world of Urushi lacquered pens, where a premium is paid not so much for the materials (although they are themselves quite gorgeous) but for the effort and time and expertise needed to properly apply them.
The pen we are looking at today is a combination of these factors. Both precious materials and elegant craftsmanship come together to make the Waldmann Tango Imagination quite an impressive pen. There’s more to a pen than just looks, of course, so now after using the pen for a few months I can let you know how it’s function stacks up to its form as well.
But first, let’s look at the packaging. I actually did an unboxing of this pen on TikTok and Instagram last year, so if you’ve been following me for a bit you may have already seen that (and if not, feel free to check it out on your preferred platform above.) The packaging is nothing crazy, but it all feels of a very nice quality. And honestly, that feels right here; this pen isn’t calling for a crazy package that gets opened once and set aside, it’s better suited with a simple outer cardboard box and inner clamshell that come together to let the pen be the star of the show.
Of course, the box isn’t completely empty aside from the pen. There is an instruction card informing the recipient that the cap twists to open (don’t overlook this card; I intend to bring it up later.) There is also a sterling silver certification chip, a warranty card, and a full package of cartridges, which is a nice touch for a pen in this price range, allowing you to not only use it right out of the box with nothing else, but even to use it for some time before you have to find more cartridges or a bottle of ink.
Once that package or cartridges runs out, or more likely before those cartridges are even opened, the Tango also ships with an ink converter, that provides an even wider flexibility in terms of ink colors and brands that can be used. The Tango is a relatively thin pen compared to many others, but still fits a standard Schmidt converter inside without any difficulty. The barrel tapers slightly so that the cap can post (granted, the pen posts relatively long, which may feel unbalanced in smaller hands) and there is a nice pinch at the section. There is also a purely aesthetic pinch on the cap, just below the finial, which gives the pen a more interesting silhouette, compared to other relatively thin straight line pens.
In a kind of a balance with the indentation in the cap, the guilloche lines along the barrel of the pen feature an occasional indent each. These lines, indent and all, are visual only, and smooth to the touch under clear lacquer. I’ve featured pens of a similar style before from Diplomat and from S.T. Dupont, but I am still stunned every time I pick up one of these pens. There’s something about this style of pen that really benefits from being seen in person, rather than in photographs online, and whether you think you’re a fan of the style or not, I’d encourage you to make an effort to see one of these pens in person the next time you find yourself at a pen show, or at a pen shop that carries them. I should mention that theses lines are what make this pen specifically part of the “Imagination” sub-series of the Waldmann Tango shape of pens.
The sterling silver furniture on this pen shines beautifully, and is complimented by dark teal lacquer. This particular color is a numbered limited edition, even though it is priced the same as its regular edition counterparts (and kudos to Waldmann and Luxury Brands for that decision, pricing the pen based on what it is, but just manufactured scarcity.) The Tango Imagination is also available in white, black, lilac, burgundy, and a lighter shade of aquamarine. All of these colors are well balanced with the silver of the pen; my personal favorite aside from the dark teal would be the burgundy, but that’s really no surprise considering the colors of pens I usually enjoy.
I am such a sucker for a bicolor nib. The bicolor 18ct gold nib on this pen completes the overall look of elegance, although the pen is available in a steel nib option as well that is no slouch either. The good nib has written accurately for me, putting down a truly medium line, and I expect the steel nib would be the same. There is a difference in price based on the nib material, with the steel nib pens having an MSRP of $400 to $430 and a street price of $280 to $320 and the the gold nib pens having an MSRP of $525 to $570 and a street price of $420 to $456. The ranges of price there have to do with a recent price increase and which retailers are still selling and accounting for inventory that they purchased prior to the increase, so the longer you wait, the more likely you are to find the pen available at the higher price.
Clearly, from looks to presentation to price, this is a luxury fountain pen. It would look absolutely lovely as a part of a Cole collection for any collector interested, but what kept calling out to me as I reviewed the pen was how nice of a gift it would make for a person who is interest in starting down the fountain pen path. There are the little touches, like the instruction card advising an unfamiliar use to be careful in uncapping the pen, or the full package of cartridges included alongside the pen, that make it particularly accessible for a new user. Additionally, the overall shape of the pen, combined with the color options, adheres closely with traditional pen offerings, while deviating just slightly, making this offering both traditional and unique at the same time.
The Waldmann Tango Imagination feels like a piece of jewelry that you can write with. Considering the price, that feels absolutely appropriate to me. There may be other pens out there am that are significantly cheaper and more reliable, such as disposable ballpoints that can be had for pennies, but those pens will never bring the kind of joy and admiration that this pen brings. This price range understandably isn’t for everyone,, but for those who are shopping in that range, this is definitely a pen worth taking a look at, especially if you are trying to shy away from oversized pens.
Thank you to Luxury Brands of America, Waldmann’s US distributor, for providing me with this pen.
