Has Anyone Tried The Kaco Sky?

[antichresis]

 

It's about $6.00 locally in China but $24.00 on eBay. There's also Makrolon bodies (the three below) for $8.00 that aren't sold on eBay. Comes with an EF nib that one person has described as soft.

 

It looks quite good but the clip worries me; looks brittle.

[mke]

And another plastic pen.

Probably the prices of this one will also go down - at the moment they are too expensive for being considered by me.

Does taobao only deliver to Chinese addresses?

[k3eax]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/KACO-SKY-Transparent-Matte-Fountain-Pen-Extra-Fine-Sky-Blue-with-box-/262798326718?hash=item3d30003bbe:g:M2QAAOSwo4pYcjNo

 

'Seems now to have appeared on aBay, Makrolon or not I cannot tell. As an aside, isn't Makrolon a proprietary name used by Lamy?

[mke]

Makrolon is a trade name registered by Bayer (Germany) and now belongs to Covestro - a spin-off.

 

"polycarbonate Makrolon® is the trade name used for polycarbonate from Covestro"

[Seele]

Makrolon is a trade name registered by Bayer (Germany) and now belongs to Covestro - a spin-off.

 

"polycarbonate Makrolon® is the trade name used for polycarbonate from Covestro"

 

So it's just a proprietary name for polycarbonate, much like PMMA is known as Perspex, Lucite, Plexiglas etc.

[mke]

> So it's just a proprietary name for polycarbonate

Yes.

[mehandiratta]

Oh these pens are wonderful writers... I have them and I love them ...

[thechowmeinguerrilla]

Oh these pens are wonderful writers... I have them and I love them ...

For how much did you bought this? From where?

[minddance]

The nib is quite springy. But extremely dry. Nib width is on the finer side. Interesting steel nib. I have one in fine. I could flex mine without springing the nib.

 

Quite a popular pen in China 3yrs ago.

Edited September 26, 2018 by minddance

[truthpil]

 

It looks quite good but the clip worries me; looks brittle.

 

I grabbed one of the cheapest versions of this pen as a gift for my son on Double Eleven shopping day and it just arrived. The clip isn't brittle, but I think the opposite is the problem. The plastic of the clip seems too flimsy and I can imagine it very easily snapping off if it got caught on something when being pulled out of a bag. Perhaps the Sky II with Makrolon material has a sturdier clip, but still just it's design seems like it will be prone to snapping off.

 

The size and weight of the pen are nice and the materials don't feel cheap.

 

The nib is a decent Schmidt #5 with Kaco branding, so the in-country price for a Kaco Sky is a real deal even if just to scavenge the nib.

 

Has anyone been able to unscrew the nib unit from one of these? Unlike with the Kaco Edge, the nib unit seems to be thoroughly glued to the inside of the section.

[Holon]

For how much did you bought this? From where?

 

They are available at ebay, but the price is higher (around 20$).

 

I have the sky II, that is the makrolon version. The nib is nice, it's a Schmidt nib like in the Kaco Edge, but coated black. Good Pen, good writer, quite robust. It looks and feels like a school pen for me. I prefer the Edge (for half the price)

[truthpil]

 

They are available at ebay, but the price is higher (around 20$).

 

I have the sky II, that is the makrolon version. The nib is nice, it's a Schmidt nib like in the Kaco Edge, but coated black. Good Pen, good writer, quite robust. It looks and feels like a school pen for me. I prefer the Edge (for half the price)

 

How sturdy is the clip on the Sky II?

I'm really concerned that one accident could break off the clip on the original Sky.

[JollyCynic]

Frank Underwater reviewed the Sky II in March and took specific exception with the clip. He said if anything, it's slightly worse than the original Sky as it moves the clutch and reduces functionality. He also states the the nib unit is of unique design and not easily removable. (I'd link you, but I read the site policy, and it's left me confused as to whether or not I'm ever allowed to link to anything. Best to just point and grunt than try to figure out the imprecise language.) There's no description of the durability. (Yup. I just responded to your post and didn't even have an answer to the only question you asked. I'm the world's least effective troll.)

 

The clip is also the biggest drawback of the Edge. Kaco just don't seem to think of clips as anything but decoration.

 

I love the look of the section on the Sky, and came extremely close to getting one on a 11/11 deal, but I'm trying to switch from buying pens to improving the ones I've got. (You know, until PenBBS release a new model or colour.)

[truthpil]

I always appreciate your insightful posts, Jolly!

 

I had read Frank's review a couple weeks ago when trying to decide whether or not to order the Sky and remember him being unhappy with the clip but I couldn't totally grasp why. The Sky clip is functional but a little odd because the bump that usually goes on the underside of the clip is on the barrel instead which means the clip itself doesn't have anything to hook onto something when in use.

 

I was also a little disappointed because I thought the clear faceted section had some kind of soft material like on a Dr Grip BP, but it's just as hard as hard as the rest of the pen. The facets are nice though if you like a tripod grip, much more user friendly than those on a Safari. For the street price in China, the Sky is the perfect first pen for a beginner.

 

I'm with you on a Chinese pen moratorium; it's time to match perfect nibs to the pens I've got and wait it out for Penbbs' next stellar releases. I believe one more is supposed to happen before the end of the year.

Edited November 13, 2018 by TruthPil

[Guettaby]

I'm awaking this thread because I wanted a full black cheap pen and in my searching process, I've discovered the black version of this model with a black coated nib, but there is a problem : All Kacos Sky II I can find in Ebay are black but with the classic stainless steel nib, I've asked 3 or 4 sellers, same answer, no black nib . I think the batch with black nibs were limited . I have the Kaco Edge EF and I like its juicy nib , working perfectly with a dry ink like Salix, I've tried their customer service (Replaced the defective cap, Dhl from China to France) and I really appreciate this brand !

Edited September 13, 2019 by Guettaby