Kaweco Sport By Diplomat?

[Paul Raposo]

Hey all.

 

Hoping to get some info on the Kaweco Sport by Diplomat. I have an opportunity to buy a 1996 FP/BP set with leather pouch. The seller says he never used the pen, so I don't have a history of the how the pen works. But searching FPN I found two posts where some posters had problems with the nib not writing, drying out, and not being smooth.

 

Kaweco Classic Sport Nib Problems

 

Badly Skipping Kaweco

 

Any good stories about the Kaweco Sport? The seller wants $30, so I'm debating whether to take a flyer on it, or just avoid the hassle and pass it over.

 

http://img651.imageshack.us/img651/2983/img08391f.jpg

Edited August 31, 2012 by Paul Raposo

[Chi Town]

Sure wish I could offer you some assistance as you need some!

[Paul Raposo]

Sure wish I could offer you some assistance as you need some!

 

Thanks, Chi Town It's good to know someone is thinking of me!

 

I'm thinking I might just walk away from the deal. If it was a company I knew and had used their pens before, I'd take a chance. But I know nothing of this company and I don't feel like risking $30 on a gold plated steel nib, that may, or may not work. But those pens are just so darn cute

Edited August 31, 2012 by Paul Raposo

[jameswatts]

Well I have a couple -- a plastic bodied one with a medium nib and an aluminum one with a fine -- both are very smooth writers. I had a bit of trouble with the blue one at first, but a rinse with water and drop of dish washing liquid did the trick, and it's been great ever since.

[nafi]

I have three vintage Kawecos (one of them is a piston Sport), and two recent AC Sports, and never had a problem with any of them.

[paolino_paperino]

I like my vintage KaWeCo. Nice piston action and smooth nib,

[Kaweco]

Hello

The Kaweco Sport Diplomat surely cannot be compared to the vintage Kaweco piston fillers. The old fountainpens have gold nibs and the last versions, produced until 1972 had been very good writers. For some years Kaweco went out of production and went to bancrupty in the 90th. The first re- launched Kaweco Sport was made by Diplomat located in Stuttgart/ Germany, a firm with a very good reputation. The trade mark Kaweco IMHO was owned by Gutberlet in Nuremberg at this time. The pen looks nice, the pouche is very unusual. The steel nibs and the feeds came from Bock, the filling method is cardridge and the fountain body is made anywhere where every cheap plastic parts in this world are made. The imprint Diplomat is relatively scarce, short time after the new launch the Gutberlet`s factory made the fps. The price is nearly ok notwithstanding I always purchase vintage Sports with gold nibs for a similar price. When I overview your selling offers, containing much better pens, I think you want to resell that pen. You surely will not make a tremendous profit.

Kind Regards, Thomas

Edited August 31, 2012 by Kaweco

[Chris S]

I'm probably looking at this from the wrong point of view, but, from the picture it looks like 2 pens, plus the pouch for $30. I have a current edition - M nib that was nearly that price by itself. I really like the darn thing. I can carry it with me all the time because of the size and the nib is really smooth. I honestly have no idea about the history. Worst thing I can think of is you need a new nib section - I think I saw them for $20 at Goulet.com - and you would still have the pouch. It's $30, not $300. Can't believe I'm saying this but YOLO! (yes I hate myself now and need a shower).

 

Edit: it's late, g & k, still a word but the wrong one.

Edited August 31, 2012 by Chris S

[Paul Raposo]

Well I have a couple -- a plastic bodied one with a medium nib and an aluminum one with a fine -- both are very smooth writers. I had a bit of trouble with the blue one at first, but a rinse with water and drop of dish washing liquid did the trick, and it's been great ever since.

 

Thank you for this info, jameswatts The seller said the pen is unused, but it looks to me that there is some staining on the feed from ink. So my plan was a thorough soak of the nib/feed, just in case. I'm hoping the problems in the above links are isolated incidents, because I would really like this set.

[Paul Raposo]

I have three vintage Kawecos (one of them is a piston Sport), and two recent AC Sports, and never had a problem with any of them.

 

Yeah, those vintage pistons look beautiful Seen some on eBay, and they look like great little pens, with a brilliant piston. Good to hear your newer pens are good writers, too.

[Paul Raposo]

I like my vintage KaWeCo. Nice piston action and smooth nib,

 

I don't have one of the piston fill pens, but from the pics I've seen on eBay they look very nice--old German manufacturing that still works today.

[Paul Raposo]

Hello

The Kaweco Sport Diplomat surely cannot be compared to the vintage Kaweco piston fillers. The old fountainpens have gold nibs and the last versions, produced until 1972 had been very good writers. For some years Kaweco went out of production and went to bancrupty in the 90th. The first re- launched Kaweco Sport was made by Diplomat located in Stuttgart/ Germany, a firm with a very good reputation. The trade mark Kaweco IMHO was owned by Gutberlet in Nuremberg at this time. The pen looks nice, the pouche is very unusual. The steel nibs and the feeds came from Bock, the filling method is cardridge and the fountain body is made anywhere where every cheap plastic parts in this world are made. The imprint Diplomat is relatively scarce, short time after the new launch the Gutberlet`s factory made the fps. The price is nearly ok notwithstanding I always purchase vintage Sports with gold nibs for a similar price. When I overview your selling offers, containing much better pens, I think you want to resell that pen. You surely will not make a tremendous profit.

Kind Regards, Thomas

 

Thank you for all this info, and history, Kaweco! Your screen name looks familiar :clap1:

 

I do understand this pen is a cartridge fill, and not a piston. One of the reasons I would like to have it, because of that convenience. Everything I know about Kaweco I read in this link:

 

kaweco-sport-historie.pdf

 

Thank you for filling in some missing information.

 

I'm glad you mentioned the pouch, it doesn't look like the pouches that originally came with the pen, but the pens fit perfectly inside it. I asked the seller about this, but he states that was how he received the pen set. It's also good to know the imprint is scarce. Something that adds a little bit of value to the set.

 

To be honest, I don't plan to re-sell this pen anytime soon. Considering the seller originally paid $75 a few years ago, I think I'm doing better than he did. But if I do sell it in the future, I would hope to get my original investment back. I'm not too greedy :embarrassed_smile:

[Paul Raposo]

I'm probably looking at this from the wrong point of view, but, from the picture it looks like 2 pens, plus the pouch for $30. I have a current edition - M nib that was nearly that price by itself. I really like the darn thing. I can carry it with me all the time because of the size and the nib is really smooth. I honestly have no idea about the history. Worst thing I can think of is you need a new nib section - I think I saw them for $20 at Goulet.com - and you would still have the pouch. It's $30, not $300. Can't believe I'm saying this but YOLO! (yes I hate myself now and need a shower).

Edit: it's late, g & k, still a word but the wrong one.

 

Hi, Chris S. I will be getting both pens, and the pouch. Checking eBay completed auctions, I noticed the new pens were selling for close to this price. But they do come brand new, with boxes and papers, so I think the additional ballpoint, and pouch evens that out. Thank you for your advice with this

 

BTW--YOLO? Never read that before.

[jameswatts]

I'm probably looking at this from the wrong point of view, but, from the picture it looks like 2 pens, plus the pouch for $30. I have a current edition - M nib that was nearly that price by itself. I really like the darn thing. I can carry it with me all the time because of the size and the nib is really smooth. I honestly have no idea about the history. Worst thing I can think of is you need a new nib section - I think I saw them for $20 at Goulet.com - and you would still have the pouch. It's $30, not $300. Can't believe I'm saying this but YOLO! (yes I hate myself now and need a shower).

Edit: it's late, g & k, still a word but the wrong one.

 

Hi, Chris S. I will be getting both pens, and the pouch. Checking eBay completed auctions, I noticed the new pens were selling for close to this price. But they do come brand new, with boxes and papers, so I think the additional ballpoint, and pouch evens that out. Thank you for your advice with this

 

BTW--YOLO? Never read that before.

 

TO judge by the context of the message, perhaps it stands for "you only live once."

[Paul Raposo]

Can't believe I'm saying this but YOLO! (yes I hate myself now and need a shower).

 

BTW--YOLO? Never read that before.

 

TO judge by the context of the message, perhaps it stands for "you only live once."

 

Interesting interpretation, jameswatts :hmm1:

[wastelanded]

I bought this exact set, with the same pouch, for my son's mother in 1996. She is still using it, and it's still going strong. Mechanically, the only difference with the current model is the feed: the older fountain pen has a feed with exposed fins. To me it's preferable, as it's easier to clean.

 

It's a very good price. You should have no problem with either pen. BP refills are readily available at JetPens and other places, or from wide range of sellers on German ebay. If the fountain pen is clogged or skipping, I would take it apart to give it a good clean. It's very easy: use a tissue or thin cloth, grasp the nib and feed, and gently and slowly twist and pull. They will come out. Give the nib and feed and empty section a good soak in some soapy water (or dilute ammonia), and you can give the feed a scrub with a soft old toothbrush in the soapy water. Try to make sure there is no dried ink sitting in the slit of the nib: this all depends on how clean the pen is inside. Rinse well, and reassmble. Push gently until you feel a small click.

 

If it still writes skippy, try this: you will notice on the top of the feed there is a little ridge where the nib is supposed to sit when you put everything back together. Put the nib back on the feed a little forward of this ridge, maybe 1mm, and then re-assemble. Just make sure the feed and nib are properly aligned. I find this increases the flow a little, for what it's worth.

 

The Sport is one of my favourite pens, cheap, portable, quality nib, writes well and easy to maintain. Definitely punches above its weight.

 

[Edit] There's tons of posts here on Kaweco Sports, hours of entertainment on converting the FP to an eyedropper, etc.

 

Enjoy the pens, you got a good deal!

Edited August 31, 2012 by wastelanded

[Paul Raposo]

I bought this exact set, with the same pouch, for my son's mother in 1996. She is still using it, and it's still going strong. Mechanically, the only difference with the current model is the feed: the older fountain pen has a feed with exposed fins. To me it's preferable, as it's easier to clean.

 

It's a very good price. You should have no problem with either pen. BP refills are readily available at JetPens and other places, or from wide range of sellers on German ebay. If the fountain pen is clogged or skipping, I would take it apart to give it a good clean. It's very easy: use a tissue or thin cloth, grasp the nib and feed, and gently and slowly twist and pull. They will come out. Give the nib and feed and empty section a good soak in some soapy water (or dilute ammonia), and you can give the feed a scrub with a soft old toothbrush in the soapy water. Try to make sure there is no dried ink sitting in the slit of the nib: this all depends on how clean the pen is inside. Rinse well, and reassmble. Push gently until you feel a small click.

 

If it still writes skippy, try this: you will notice on the top of the feed there is a little ridge where the nib is supposed to sit when you put everything back together. Put the nib back on the feed a little forward of this ridge, maybe 1mm, and then re-assemble. Just make sure the feed and nib are properly aligned. I find this increases the flow a little, for what it's worth.

 

The Sport is one of my favourite pens, cheap, portable, quality nib, writes well and easy to maintain. Definitely punches above its weight.

 

[Edit] There's tons of posts here on Kaweco Sports, hours of entertainment on converting the FP to an eyedropper, etc.

 

Enjoy the pens, you got a good deal!

 

Great information, wastelanded, thank you very much It's good to know the pouch is correct. Knocking out the nib/feed was something I thought I might have to consider if it gave me issues. It's good to know they come out and are seated this easily. I was going to start with a soak, and a flush with a bulb, and water. If the water doesn't run clear after a few hours, I'll consider disassembly.

 

And thanks for the tips about buying BP refills. I was wondering where I would find one if needed.

 

I did try doing a search for Kaweco Sport, but didn't get too many posts returned. Must be how I worded the search. I"ll have to try again.

 

I'm really looking forward to picking up this pen now.

[wastelanded]

Yeah, I've never seen that pouch again until your post here. I always wondered about that: must have been a Diplomat thing. I think it's a nice pouch, even though it's not retro Kaweco-looking.

[Chris S]

Can't believe I'm saying this but YOLO! (yes I hate myself now and need a shower).

 

BTW--YOLO? Never read that before.

 

TO judge by the context of the message, perhaps it stands for "you only live once."

 

Interesting interpretation, jameswatts :hmm1:

 

Yes - You Only Live Once.

 

It's one of those, of late, overly used pop culture phrases. Typically when people are trying to decide if they should do something that's "not so bright" - that becomes their rational for doing it.

 

Sounds like your getting a really nice deal.

[Paul Raposo]

Yeah, I've never seen that pouch again until your post here. I always wondered about that: must have been a Diplomat thing. I think it's a nice pouch, even though it's not retro Kaweco-looking.

 

I'll have to post some pics of it when I pick up the set. Should be interesting.