Pen Review: Kaweco Dia2, Dual Review

[tinta]

Chrissy, I am intrigued by that 585 two-tone M nib that you show in couple of your pics. Where were you able to get a Kaweco gold nib with this finish? I suppose Bock makes them in all grades, including a BB.

If a BB nib would be available in a two-tone finish, I'd seriously consider getting one.

 

I've no problem aesthetically with a black pen having chrome furniture & a yellow gold nib. In fact, this combination kind of grows on you.

Still, of greater importance is how well the nib writes & how efficiently its feed controls the flow of ink.

 

Thanks in advance for any info on the above.

Istvan

[n1019]

Having received a black/chrome Dia2 two days ago, at the same time as a Faber-Castell e-motion, I'm pleased to announce that the Dia2 is the clear winner, beating the e-motion in the following respects:

 

Styling: classic, can't-go-wrong

 

Size: ideal for average hands

 

Weight: again ideal

 

Grip: comfortable, not slippery like the FC e-motion's, but maybe too narrow towards the nib; see the comparison below

 

Nib: a very smooth and quiet medium steel nib, significantly better than the FC e-motion's, which surprised me, however it is not perfect (see below). Of course big gold nibs look better, but this is a steel workhorse, not jewellery. As always, it's not the size that counts...

 

A comparison - nibs and comfort

Comparing the Dia2 with my 2 Pelikan M2xx series pens, I determined the following:

 

1. The M200 cafe creme upgraded with an M400 gold medium nib was the most comfortable, wettest and laid the thickest line, but was slightly louder than the Dia2.

 

2. The M205 amethyst with standard medium steel nib was the loudest/scratchiest, and second most comfortable to use after the M200... or second least comfortable after the Dia2, depending on your perspective.

 

3. The Dia2 had the quietest (damn-near silent) and finest medium nib of the three, but was the least comfortable to use for prolonged writing sessions. My fingers seemed to start cramping after awhile, a problem which was still present but less apparent with the M205 steel nib but barely noticed with the M200 (M400) gold nib.

 

I can only attritbute the above to the following possibilities:

- possible extra flex in the gold nib making it more comfortable to use (although it is by no means a 'flex' nib* in terms of line variation)

- the relatively small size and composition of the Dia2 nib allowing for less comforting flex

- the grip section at its narrowest point is perhaps too narrow, and given the short nib, holding it there puts the fingers very close to the paper meaning finger and hand muscles are working at unusual angles (holding near the threads is more comfortable)

- the extra care I put into producing neat cursive with the finer nib resulting in finger strain and cramps, whereas my writing was quicker and messier with the thicker lines of the other two, the gold nib in particular

 

Whatever the case, I repeated the test a few times and got the same result in terms of comfort.

 

 

Score: 4/5

 

Improvements wish list:

1. Make it piston fill (ideally) or provide a bigger converter as standard. I hate having to buy converters separately.

2. Make the medium nib broader, wetter and softer - I don't care about the nib's physical size as long as it performs well, but it may be found that simply making the nib bigger resolves the comfort issue.

 

*I do not believe that nib flex is a question of gold vs steel. Steel nibs can be designed to be very flexible as in the case of old steel dip pen nibs.

Edited March 11, 2018 by n1019

[TheDutchGuy]

Love the stylish Art Deco design, love how well it is built, love how it feels in the hand. Yes, the nib looks smallish but that's not a dealbreaker for me. After buying one with a M nib, I struggled with it for a week before bringing it back to the store. The nib was bone dry, had baby's bottom and there was 'drag' when writing. My other Kawecos, which have F steel nibs, don't have any of these problems. I could've tried improving the nib myself, but for just a few euros more I got a Diplomat Aero, which just might have one of the finest steel nibs currently on the market. An amazing writer, right out of the box. And that's what I do with pens: I write, I don't put them on display. I will get another Dia2 one day but it will have to be a really good deal, i.e. significantly below MSRP. I really want to love the Dia2.

[minddance]

I love silent and smooth nibs.

 

Platinum, and Sailor produces some of the noisiest nibs that irritate the ___ out of me.

[Chrissy]

Chrissy, I am intrigued by that 585 two-tone M nib that you show in couple of your pics. Where were you able to get a Kaweco gold nib with this finish? I suppose Bock makes them in all grades, including a BB.

If a BB nib would be available in a two-tone finish, I'd seriously consider getting one.

 

I've no problem aesthetically with a black pen having chrome furniture & a yellow gold nib. In fact, this combination kind of grows on you.

Still, of greater importance is how well the nib writes & how efficiently its feed controls the flow of ink.

 

Thanks in advance for any info on the above.

Istvan

 

Yes, I mentioned in my review that Kaweco sent me their two-tone gold at a slightly later date. At the time of the review, they only supplied that two-tone nib with a M point, but now they supply it in other sizes. If you look on their web-site it will give you all of the information about the monotone and two-tone gold nibs.

 

I'm slightly different in that I couldn't have a monotone gold nib on a pen with platinised trim. The two-tone nib improved it aesthetically for me.

[Chrissy]

I love silent and smooth nibs.

 

Platinum, and Sailor produces some of the noisiest nibs that irritate the ___ out of me.

Ditto.

[sansenri]

thank you for a very nice review and excellent pictures (I really do like to see the reviewed pen and here it was done very well with clean and sharp photos)

 

I also own a Dia 2 in silver trim, the old stile box is also very nice by the way.

Comments are spot on, a fantastic old stile design and quality build. Some slight reserve on the nib, I also would have liked it slightly larger and softer.

Nonetheless it is a very smooth writer, and my specimen has a nice flow (same nib on other modern Kawecos I own, not so...)

[Karmachanic]

Thank you Chrissy and Laura for this clear and to the point review, and thank you also to those who have contributed. I find all the info herein contained most helpful. It has swayed me firmly into the Dia 2 camp.

 

There have been two candidates for my next (second) serious pen: Dia 2 or M200. Living far away from a city, I have had no opportunity to look and touch either of those pens. This is exactly the push that I needed.

 

The Opus 88 Koloro - Blue, should arrive by Friday, giving me the opportunity to grind some #5 nibs before ordering the Dia 2 in May. What fun

 

The Jinhao x750 and Kaigelu 316 will be very happy to heve such prestious company!

[TurboPen]

Thank you, for the great review!

[Chrissy]

Thank you, for the great review!

 

You're welcome.

[TheDutchGuy]

The OP is still one of the best and most informative reviews on FPN, in my opinion. I had to return my Dia2 in March because the nib was a dud, but I kept missing that pen. Last week I had the good fortune to win another one in a give-away contest :-) and this time I opted for the EF nib. It's a really great pen! In terms of materials used, size, weight, construction, serviceability and design (I love art deco!) it punches way above its weight. The stock EF nib is nice and there's really nothing wrong with it, yet its quality is the least-strong point of this pen. I will invest in a gold nib soon.

[MuddyWaters]

The kaweco nibs have an extensive reputation of baby's bottom which is why they can have trouble writing. This was the case with my sport as well. I agree that the Dia looks like a nice pen (and I'm quite drawn to kaweco's aesthetic style) but I would not splash on another pen with this kind of nib. If I really liked the body of the Dia then it might make investment into that with a replacement or gold nib more attractive.

Edited December 3, 2018 by MuddyWaters