Kaweco Sport - 10Mm Short Of Love

[Sliff]

There are plentiful of reviews of this pen available online so I will skip the technical details like dimensions and weigh and go straight to my experiences of using it (for the record I'm owner of transparent version with fine nib).

 

As in title, story that could be true love (especially for the aluminium versions ) if the pen could be only few mm longer, ends as total disappointment. The extra length would allow to fit a international cartridge or proper converter giving a decent supply of ink to go though the day and would help to use the pen unposted for quick note taking. Then manufacturer decided to tie customers to either stick to limited color pallet of cartridge ink or get ready to fill pen anytime as converter capacity is super small. I'm aware that you can fill used cartridges or convert the pen to the eyedropper but I don't find it a viable solution as this way pen is more prone to leakage which of course needs to avoided in pocket carry pen (just imagine cracked body and 2ml of ink in your pants).

 

Also when filing from bottle there was waiting an unpleasant surprise to be discovered. The nib section connection to grip is not airtight and after submerge in ink gets:

a) inside grip,

into cap,

c) between plastic insert and cap,

d) and some onto the grip staining fingers for some time after fill.

 

So say goodbye to nice clean demonstrator look, say hello to cheap plastic look.

 

For me Kaweco Sport definitely didn't live up to legend, but I would still recommend this pen if you indent to use it as cartridge only pocket pen, or for eyedropper conversion.

 

 

The Good:

• Pocketability - Kaweco sport is made to be carry in your pocket, in keep loose inside a bag - short and light. Due to it's fat cap with disincentive hexagonal shape it's easy to locate fish out of even most cluttered bag.
• Screw on Cap( ~1 turn) - Some protection against ink stains.
• Very good writing experience - When posted it's a full size pen. Nib give a good feedback although is quite stiff, no start problems, no skipping, not drying out when not capped for a few minutes.
• Reasonable price tag.

The Bad:

• Transparent plastic feels and look extremely cheep - More like 20 cent ballpoint then fine writing instrument.
• Converter capacity (piston) is pitiful. We are taking like a drop more then half of standard short cartridge.
• Body don't accept long cartridges.
• A bit too short for use unposted.
• Nib unit mount is not airtight - Yay ink stains visible through grip section.

and The Ugly:

• Clip sold separately - Seriously, company expect you to buy clip! Well at least you don't need to buy nib separately.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited June 18, 2018 by Sliff

[minddance]

I agree with u tt it needs to accept a full-length cartridge. But Kaweco won't give us tt. I syringe-fill the mini cartridge. It is a good pen for my hands only when posted, real unique sensation. But mine arrived way too dry, I had to hack 1-2 crucial fins in the feed and widen the nib slit to make it write exactly the way I need it to. It preserves inks (seal) very well indeed. It can be left untouched for a month, or possibly longer, and still write immediately.

 

My hands, somehow, did not agree with the medium nib. The rest of the nib widths: EF, F, B, BB are very very good and smooth indeed.

Edited June 18, 2018 by minddance

[Amory]

There are plentiful of reviews of this pen available online so I will skip the technical details like dimensions and weigh and go straight to my experiences of using it (for the record I'm owner of transparent version with fine nib).

 

As in title, story that could be true love (especially for the aluminium versions ) if the pen could be only few mm longer, ends as total disappointment. The extra length would allow to fit a international cartridge or proper converter giving a decent supply of ink to go though the day and would help to use the pen unposted for quick note taking. Then manufacturer decided to tie customers to either stick to limited color pallet of cartridge ink or get ready to fill pen anytime as converter capacity is super small. I'm aware that you can fill used cartridges or convert the pen to the eyedropper but I don't find it a viable solution as this way pen is more prone to leakage which of course needs to avoided in pocket carry pen (just imagine cracked body and 2ml of ink in your pants).

 

Also when filing from bottle there was waiting an unpleasant surprise to be discovered. The nib section connection to grip is not airtight and after submerge in ink gets:

a) inside grip,

into cap,

c) between plastic insert and cap,

d) and some onto the grip staining fingers for some time after fill.

 

So say goodbye to nice clean demonstrator look, say hello to cheap plastic look.

 

For me Kaweco Sport definitely didn't live up to legend, but I would still recommend this pen if you indent to use it as cartridge only pocket pen, or for eyedropper conversion.

 

 

The Good:

 

• Pocketability - Kaweco sport is made to be carry in your pocket, in keep loose inside a bag - short and light. Due to it's fat cap with disincentive hexagonal shape it's easy to locate fish out of even most cluttered bag.
• Screw on Cap( ~1 turn) - Some protection against ink stains.
• Very good writing experience - When posted it's a full size pen. Nib give a good feedback although is quite stiff, no start problems, no skipping, not drying out when not capped for a few minutes.
• Reasonable price tag.

The Bad:

• Transparent plastic feels and look extremely cheep - More like 20 cent ballpoint then fine writing instrument.
• Converter capacity (piston) is pitiful. We are taking like a drop more then half of standard short cartridge.
• Body don't accept long cartridges.
• A bit too short for use unposted.
• Nib unit mount is not airtight - Yay ink stains visible through grip section.

and The Ugly:

• Clip sold separately - Seriously, company expect you to buy clip! Well at least you don't need to buy nib separately.

Having read your post I am quite surprised you would consider recommending this pen.

If it were a 99cents pen one would just put it in the trash, but paying all that money it would be reasonable to expect a well thought out design and for it to work properly.

[Karmachanic]

Maybe you'd love a Delike Alpha!

Edited June 19, 2018 by Karmachanic

[Honeybadgers]

The delike alpha solves literally all your complaints for about $15.

Edited June 18, 2018 by Honeybadgers

[minddance]

But the nib writes very different from kaweco Or, does it take Kaweco nibs? If yes, it would be great!

Edited June 18, 2018 by minddance

[Sliff]

Having read your post I am quite surprised you would consider recommending this pen.

If it were a 99cents pen one would just put it in the trash, but paying all that money it would be reasonable to expect a well thought out design and for it to work properly.

 

Well don't get me wrong, It's a great pen if and only if you decide to use exclusively cartridges. Then most of the problems are nonexistent, also then you woldn't choose transparent/Ice version.

Most of the time when there is a pocket pen in question your options narrow down to short, toothpick like fountain pen-nish things. Here you got full fledged pen.

 

Just people in reviews are often too optimistic, especially if they paid with their own money. Well maybe even I am the victim of it also, and try to protect my bad bad purchase decisions

 

 

 

 

[Honeybadgers]

But the nib writes very different from kaweco Or, does it take Kaweco nibs? If yes, it would be great!

 

It's a standard #5 nib. It'll take a kaweco nib. It'll take a vintage 14k eversharp nib. it'll take a nemosine nib.

 

The "Bent nib" option is genuinely one of the best nibs I have ever used, I have probably ten pens with that nib now, and go out of my way to buy them for other pens.

[ENewton]

I was very disappointed with mine at first, because of the cheap plastic feel of the body and the cheap metal feel of the nib, but converting it to an eyedropper has addressed the flow problems.

 

I would still like to replace the Kaweco nib with something better. In fact, if it were possible to swap a better nib into a Kaweco Sport, I'd be tempted to try one of the metal models.

 

I have never seen a Delike Alpha, but if it looks like a Kaweco and will take an Eversharp nib, I am intrigued.

[Honeybadgers]

I was very disappointed with mine at first, because of the cheap plastic feel of the body and the cheap metal feel of the nib, but converting it to an eyedropper has addressed the flow problems.

 

I would still like to replace the Kaweco nib with something better. In fact, if it were possible to swap a better nib into a Kaweco Sport, I'd be tempted to try one of the metal models.

 

I have never seen a Delike Alpha, but if it looks like a Kaweco and will take an Eversharp nib, I am intrigued.

 

It looks exactly like the kaweco except the facets are a bit less sharp, it comes in brass (my favorite) aluminum and new acrylics that I have coming in the mail. And the barrel is about a centimeter longer so it both can be used unposted a bit and accepts a proper converter. And the brass model is tough as gooddamn nails.

 

It's a chinese "knockoff" but it's hands down better than the original in every way that matters to me.

 

And I love the bent nib so much I use that one primarily, but an eversharp skyline's manifold nib fits like it was made for the pen.

[majorworks]

 

It's a standard #5 nib. It'll take a kaweco nib. It'll take a vintage 14k eversharp nib. it'll take a nemosine nib.

 

The "Bent nib" option is genuinely one of the best nibs I have ever used, I have probably ten pens with that nib now, and go out of my way to buy them for other pens.

 

Pardon my ignorance, but what do you mean by "bent nib?" Thanks in advance for enlightening me.

[Honeybadgers]

 

Pardon my ignorance, but what do you mean by "bent nib?" Thanks in advance for enlightening me.

 

It's basically an architect nib (different delike model, same nib)

Edited June 22, 2018 by Honeybadgers

[majorworks]

 

It's basically an architect nib (different delike model, same nib)

 

Oh, OK. Thanks for the reply.

[Antenociticus]

I've got three Kaweco Sports.

 

The youngest of them is nine years old, a black guilloche I received as a birthday present.

 

I've had the oldest for 14 years. A simple black one with a medium nib. It was the pen that got me back into fountain pens: could be carried around in my pocket, sturdy enough not to worry about, not so expensive to be a tragedy if I lost it, and above all it wrote nicely. I filled many notebooks with this pen.

 

A year or so after buying that one, I acquired a grey, gun-metal aluminium Sport. Fifty euros was at the time quite a lot for me to spend on a pen, but I wanted it badly, and rewarded myself upon finishing a job. After years of knocking around in my bag or pocket – it's been to deserts, it's been to jungles, it's been to techno clubs, it's prowled the mean streets of two dozen cities – the pen is now appealingly battered-looking but seems more or less indestructible. I've had a few problems with ink leakage into the cap but not recently. I must try to remove the ancient black ink stains from the threading, but its functionality is unimpaired.

 

The cartridge-only thing has never bothered me. For most of the time these were all inked with nothing more fancy than Pelikan Brilliant Black, though these days I'm experimenting with sombre shades of green, mostly from Diamine.

 

All three Sports did lie fallow for a while, but recently I cleaned them up and they all still write just fine (or medium). And after first getting into them partly because I wouldn't be too bothered if I lost or damaged them, they all still often rattle around my bag or pocket, functional as ever, more than a decade of use and abuse later.

[TheDutchGuy]

It was the pen that got me back into fountain pens: could be carried around in my pocket, sturdy enough not to worry about, not so expensive to be a tragedy if I lost it, and above all it wrote nicely. I filled many notebooks with this pen. ... ..I acquired a grey, gun-metal aluminium Sport. ... After years of knocking around in my bag or pocket.. ... ..the pen is now appealingly battered-looking but seems more or less indestructible. ... ..its functionality is unimpaired. The cartridge-only thing has never bothered me. ... ..recently I cleaned them up and they all still write just fine (or medium). And after first getting into them partly because I wouldn't be too bothered if I lost or damaged them, they all still often rattle around my bag or pocket, functional as ever, more than a decade of use and abuse later.

 

 

^---I might have written that. My experiences are very similar. A Classic Sport and a stonewashed blue AL Sport (both F) were the pens that got me into the hobby. I've got a few more pens by now, ranging from enjoyable entry-level pens to mid-price models to some oldies . Writing-wise, some of these are definitely much more refined than the Kawecos. Yet I literally never leave my house without a Kaweco on me. My son is now using the Classic Sport in school, he's writing the hell out of that thing, it's getting lots of abuse, it has cheap generic blue ink cartridges in it... yet it always works 100%. The AL Sport is getting a similar treatment from me. I've written hundreds and hundreds of pages with it, at work, on good paper, on bad paper, on buses, trains, planes, park benches, you name it. That pen is like an extension of myself. Pretty soon it's going to grow legs and walk away from me.

 

While I admire and cherish all of my 15-odd pens, I can honestly say that I love 4 of them: my two Sailors and my Kawecos. The Sailors are fragile, bland-looking pens that write like nothing else on Earth. I treat them with great care. They're the equivalent of an exquisite three-Michelin-star diner experience with a fine wine to go with it. The Kawecos are like the best pub food you can find. It's no-nonsense, it's jeans and t-shirts instead of formal diner attire, but man, does it taste good with that beer you ordered on the side.

 

In fact, as a brand, I like Kaweco enough to have bought a new one this week: a Supra Brass with a broad nib. Awesome pen. Since the nib can be changed in the most simple way imaginable, I've now ordere a separate F nib so I can use this fine brass pen with different nibs, depending on my mood.

 

A brief pros and cons of Kaweco pocket pens:

 

Pro:

• Indestructible
• Awesome design
• Dependable (but see below)
• As steel nibs go, the price/performance ratio go these nibs is awesome (but see below)
• Every part can be renewed easily and economically (a new Classic Sport nib+feed costs less than 10 euros)
• You can use various nibs in the same pen, takes 30 seconds to change

Neutral:

• It's a pocket pen! Don't buy it if you require 2 mL of your own hyper-special home-brewed ink mixture in a pen.
• It's a steel-nibbed pen, the nibs are cheap (in terms of price) and are mass-produced by Bock. If you expect it to write better OOTB than your vintage Montblanc 149, then don't buy one. Having said that, personally I really like these nibs.

Con:

• Some new Kaweco nibs are too dry. I'm not making excuses for that, but it's a fact. Accept it, or don't buy one. The dryness will pass. The more you use it, the faster it will pass. Once the pen plateaus out, the flow will be very nice and even on the wet side. If you can't live with the dryness, there are non-invasive tricks you can use or you can seek help from a nibmeister (but note that most of these pens *will* get wetter over time, so if you tune the nib early-on, you might have to re-tune it later). In general, thoroughly and repeatedly flush the nib+feed. After that (not before that!), it will help a lot if you unscrew the nib+feed and put it in a bottle of the ink you intend to use for 12 hours or so. Take it out, clean off with a rag, screw back into the section, pop in a cartridge of the same ink, and you will have accelerated the plateau-ing out process a lot.
• Some new Kaweco nibs have baby's bottom; if you get one, get another one on warranty (same as with any other new pen) or get a nibmeister to fix it for you.

[php2316]

After six months in a desk drawer, my Kaweko Sport wrote perfectly on first try.

Excellent pen.

[ENewton]

I understand that Kaweco pens now have JoWo nibs rather than Bock nibs. Are these interchangeable? Is there anyone on this thread who has used both and is willing to share a comparison?