New Kaweco Sport Converter: The Nightmare Continues

[senzen]

Ever since I was (very kindly) given a Kaweco Sport I've had nothing but problems: the pen regurgitates big blobs of inks out of the blue, the gold plating was gone after the first swiping with tissue paper, but mostly the converters have been terrible: tried Kaweco's original, sad squeeze type, Monteverde's alternative, finally got Kaweco's new mini converter, and... You get ink bubbles outside the converter and ink on the stalk as you turn or pull it up to suck ink in. The whole thing is so tiny you need to almost put your fingers inside the ink bottle.

 

 

I give up, I've learned to have patience with fountain pens but this is officially my nightmare pen. I hope everyone that likes Kaweco keeps enjoying them, anyone else looking for a pen... Caveat emptor.

 

 

 

 

[KellyMcJ]

I eyedroppered mine. It leaked but due to a crack in the nib collar, nothing at all to do with the filling system.

[NicolausPiscator]

Jup! Using Kaweco Sport as eyedropper is one - very good - alternative, the other is - I use it quite often - to refill cartridges with the ink you like. You just have to use a syringe. I is easily done. And you can even close the cartridges with hot glue so you can transport them...

[LizB]

I don't mind the little squeeze one with my EF nib - it is doing very well. But I've eyedroppered the other one with an italic nib.

[Flounder]

I just refill Diamine cartridges (with more Diamine ), clean and serene. My one at least has had no flow issues from plenty of full-to-empty writing cycles (Diamine ink in Diamine carts, fine nib, old style feed without external fins, for what it's worth).

 

A pen like this will always be quite polarising, and I wasn't sure I would like the Sport hearing about it's various issues. I've been happy with mine so far - though I specifically went out my way to avoid gold plating. Functions well, and I like how ornate the retro clip is for the price.

[migo984]

I agree about the Kaweco converters - hopeless. I tried their new mini piston-type & got ink leaks behind the seal on 2 of them. I do have one of their old-style squeeze converters with metal press bar (á la Parker 51 aeromatic style) & it works very well, but they're hard to find, Best converter I have is a home-made squeezy one, made by my partner.

I also do as others do & use refilled cartridges.

[WaskiSquirrel]

I've been very lucky with my converters. In fact, the pen is overall quite good and I use the Kaweco Sport as my EDC pen all summer since I don't wear many shirts with pockets then. (It rests in the winter and I switch to a Lamy 2000.)

[Barkingpig]

I am glad to know I am not the only person who has not experienced a problem with this converter. I have used cartridges & two of my pens filled as eyedropper style; when the converters became available I bought several & have enjoyed them. I have not had any problem with any of the eight Kaweco Sports I own, using any of the three filling systems, so maybe I have been REALLY lucky. But for me the converter has been an improvement, since I often fill the pens to try newly arrived inks & don't mind the lesser fill they provide. I will probably keep the one filled as eyedropper because it is a dark Brown, "Espresso," purchased from Cult Pens, filled with Rohrer & Klingner's Documentis Braun & I know I always have a permanent ink, in an easy to identify pen.

[Mike 59]

Hi, I just refill the short cartridges, a minutes 'work'. I find my Kaweco is very economical with ink anyway, don't think I could use a whole cartridge in a day if I tried.

With other sizes and brands of converter, they never hold as much ink as a cartridge, so a mini converter is going to hold say, 50% of a short international cartridge?

But what a reliable little pen, it's in my coat pocket almost constantly, so lightweight, never leaks and writes first time.

[Beechwood]

Hi, I just refill the short cartridges, a minutes 'work'. I find my Kaweco is very economical with ink anyway, don't think I could use a whole cartridge in a day if I tried.

With other sizes and brands of converter, they never hold as much ink as a cartridge, so a mini converter is going to hold say, 50% of a short international cartridge?

But what a reliable little pen, it's in my coat pocket almost constantly, so lightweight, never leaks and writes first time.

 

 

I havent had the same luck Mike, i bought mine following the very positive reviews on FPN, I had nothing but hard starts and running dry. It was suggested that I tried the converter, again following the positive FPN comments, I found the converter fiddly and awkward to use.

 

I like the idea of the pen, its neat, just that the pen didnt work for me.

[Mike 59]

Hi Maximan, When I first got mine, I thought that the ink flow was too little for a medium nib, so I did widen the feed channel, say, 25%, using an Xacto blade and looking through a x10 loupe.

Also the tine gap was wrong to my eye, and I changed it several times, to get a good compromise between smoothness and ink flow.

It took a few tries, but now it's a good portable pen, writes first try on paper, no trouble at all.

The only points I don't like and can't change are, the cartridge could fit more positively, and it is light, I weigh it at 5gms, but then there is the AL-Sport and Brass-Sport, a bit out of my league.

Overall a different and useful pen to carry, needs a bit of tuning, in my case.

[Flounder]

I'll say this much in re flow - mine was terrible for the first day, after detergent cleaning and drying. And then it was fine from the on. It's almost as if the feed is slightly porous - I made no changes to either nib or feed.

Edited July 4, 2017 by Flounder

[Cyber6]

I have done the bulb filler conversion in a bunch of mine (3-4) and the others have just converters I refill (another 3-4). Never had a problem with any.

 

 

 

 

 

C.

Edited July 4, 2017 by Cyber6

[NicolausPiscator]

This is interesting! Very nice, I'll make a test.

[Astronymus]

I imagined something like that. Yet the converter Pseudo88 has problems with works fine for me.

 

I also thought of shortening long cartridges, sealing their ends and filling them with a syringe.

[OakIris]

Another unhappy Kaweco converter user here. I have one of the squeeze converters with the metal casing; very cool looking, but it does not suck up ink at all, not a drop. Useless. The mini-piston converter was a great idea but, as has been said, it is difficult to get a full load of ink in it, the ink gets behind the piston and, something I have experienced, it can come loose from the section when you are carrying the pen. I just refill cartridges now - but they, too, can come loose from the section so I find myself having to take the time to check that every time I take the pen out to use it.

 

Holly

[Joe in Seattle]

I accept the fact that some of my pens will be used with cartridges. I have 25 other pens that I can use with any ink color that I desire. There are enough selections in standard short international cartridges that I don't feel deprived.

[mbankirer]

Diamine carts can now be found in some 'different' colors...I'll stick with carts for my little Kaweco's. Agree with Joe, I have plenty of other pens that can be put to good use with bottled ink.

[Astronymus]

Another unhappy Kaweco converter user here. I have one of the squeeze converters with the metal casing; very cool looking, but it does not suck up ink at all, not a drop. Useless. The mini-piston converter was a great idea but, as has been said, it is difficult to get a full load of ink in it, the ink gets behind the piston and, something I have experienced, it can come loose from the section when you are carrying the pen. I just refill cartridges now - but they, too, can come loose from the section so I find myself having to take the time to check that every time I take the pen out to use it.

 

Holly

Hm, put a spring behind it.

[OakIris]

Hm, put a spring behind it.

 

I am aware that, if you can find the right size spring, you can use this to hold the cartridge in place; I just haven't gotten around to doing the research - no local spring store around here, lol. The point is, really, that none of my other fountain pens, pocket pens or not, have ever had a problem with the cartridges or converters coming loose from the section. What is up with that, Kaweco?!? Rather unacceptable, especially with pens in this price range.

 

Holly