Kaweco Al Sport Delike Alpha

[Lugworm]

The Kaweco AL Sport now seems overpriced since the Delike Alpha came along. Are they many times better than the Delike? Doubt it. I don't like the War and peace though. The resin ones look lovely. Just wish they improved the look of the metal ones.

[Honeybadgers]

I'd consider the delike to be better in every way. If you get the brass one, you can sand off the lacquer protecting it (so it'll start to get a lovely patina) and that takes the war and peace with it. The aluminum anodized ones, just position the clip so it sits over the "war and peace"

 

The acrylic models of the alpha don't have "war and peace"

 

I prefer it to my kaweco. My kaweco gets zero use. my delike gets daily use. That extra centimeter lets you use a normal converter, and makes it usable unposted.

Edited November 7, 2018 by Honeybadgers

[A Smug Dill]

I'm sure you can sand off the 'War and Peace' inscription from any Delike Alpha if that really bothered you.

[bass1193]

I have two of the Brass Sports, both with extra fine nibs. I'd heard that the nibs were better and I had to see for myself. Yep, the second one wrote beautifully wet right out of the tin, where the first one made me work for it. Both are lovely pens that I love dearly, as much as my vintage Sports.

 

I first heard of the Alpha after buying my first Brass Sport. I had to buy it to compare to my Kaweco, naturally 😅 Needless to say, I was floored and became addicted to Chinese pens!

 

I bought a second to strip so it could patina. Because I was determined to strip rather than sand and was injudicious with the paint stripper, I melted the plastic liner in the cap, so I ordered a third.

 

With the third, I followed Chris's method of carefully painting the stripper on and letting it sit. This was my first usable patinable Alpha. It is still in my regular rotation.

 

I've bought several since then, to stockpile when the price is right. I've been experimenting with modifying their nibs to great effect. I now have my own very fine stubs to play with. The acrylic bodies are beautiful and just as fantastic as the brass ones! Never bothered with the aluminum ones but would love to try a steel Alpha 😍

 

I've been extremely disappointed with their recent converters. Starting with the green ones, and even the more recent colorless ones, the piston doesn't have a good seal on the inside of the piston barrel. Found this out the first time because the coarse barrel threads of a New Moon were weeping Heart of Darkness on my thermoelectrics notes 😭 the converters suck but the pen is divine. I really wish their converters could be as perfect as their nibs!

Edited November 7, 2018 by bass1193

[bass1193]

Just noticed this thread was about Al Sports not Brass Sports. My apologies! Because I like brass more (as a geological engineering student whose favorite metal is copper) I decided to try that one first and became hooked! In my experience aluminum pens are too light, so I love the feel of brass pens. As much as I love my 51's, Duofolds, Balances, Skylines, etc. I prefer my Brass Sports, Jinhao X750's, Alphas, and Jinhao X450's for heavy use. Love me some heavy pens!

 

Though, at the same time, I love my vintage pens 🤔 so maybe age outweighs... weight itself??

[Honeybadgers]

I'm sure you can sand off the 'War and Peace' inscription from any Delike Alpha if that really bothered you.

 

You'd have to take off the anodizing on the aluminum ones, which would be the hardest to do.

 

But you'd have a pretty sweet raw aluminum model. Tempting.