Brand new Kaweco Sport Blue with minorly scratched cap and grip

[dimpep]

Hey, I got my first sport today and I noticed that the cap and grip do have two scratches. The resin is really soft and I already expect some scratches to be developed, especially from the cap. But, are these scratches somewhat normal, even from transporting the product or put it on a shop shelf?

[Azulado]

3 hours ago, dimpep said:

Hey, I got my first sport today and I noticed that the cap and grip do have two scratches. The resin is really soft and I already expect some scratches to be developed, especially from the cap. But, are these scratches somewhat normal, even from transporting the product or put it on a shop shelf?

It is not normal. It has been treated with little care. The plastic of the Sport is relatively scratch resistant. The critical area is the barrel, which gradually gets scratched due to the twist of the cap. If you close carefully, the scratches will be lighter. They are not too noticeable, in the light or with a magnifying glass. The Frosted model was less scratch resistant, the inner lip of the cap was somewhat smudged and the barrel accumulates more scratches than the plastic version.

At home we have two Sport Classic, for the last year or so. My wife's, who uses it at work, has been subjected to rough treatment – sometimes even stored in a case full of pens and pencils – it has many surface scratches and some a little deeper. But it still looks nice to the naked eye. To see the scratches well you need a magnifying glass or look at it very carefully.
Mine is impeccable, but I only use it at home and I treat it with care, like all my pens, by the way.

[dimpep]

58 minutes ago, Azulado said:

It is not normal. It has been treated with little care. The plastic of the Sport is relatively scratch resistant. The critical area is the barrel, which gradually gets scratched due to the twist of the cap. If you close carefully, the scratches will be lighter. They are not too noticeable, in the light or with a magnifying glass. The Frosted model was less scratch resistant, the inner lip of the cap was somewhat smudged and the barrel accumulates more scratches than the plastic version.

At home we have two Sport Classic, for the last year or so. My wife's, who uses it at work, has been subjected to rough treatment – sometimes even stored in a case full of pens and pencils – it has many surface scratches and some a little deeper. But it still looks nice to the naked eye. To see the scratches well you need a magnifying glass or look at it very carefully.
Mine is impeccable, but I only use it at home and I treat it with care, like all my pens, by the way.

Thank you for the answer. I think exactly the same as you. However, I wonder how the scratch on the grip was developed. I can't guess something except that it hasn't been treated with care, at the shop or before during transport.

[Azulado]

16 minutes ago, dimpep said:

However, I wonder how the scratch on the grip was developed

The grip is the area least exposed to scratches and marks. Even with the 10x magnification magnifier it is difficult to see any surface scratches.

[dimpep]

35 minutes ago, Azulado said:

The grip is the area least exposed to scratches and marks. Even with the 10x magnification magnifier it is difficult to see any surface scratches.

I attach the afforementioned scratches

[Azulado]

@dimpep The pen comes wrapped in a small plastic bag, it should be perfect. This may be a unit that was returned and the first customer was not careful. I don't know Kaweco's industrial processes, I don't know how likely that could happen on a machine. But several brands, it seems very odd to me that it was at the Kaweco factory. I also find it difficult that it was in transport, the pouch would be broken.
I once closed a ring notebook while holding a Lamy Safari in one of my hands, with such bad luck that those got stuck in the cap. Two marks remained. I had to get the magnifying glass to find out where they were. A few days later you forget.
I suggest you use a polish suitable for plastics that is not too abrasive. I use one for the body of my car and it leaves my nibs very shiny, both plastic and metal. I know some people sand and polish vintage pens with special products, but I don't think it is necessary in this case. After cleaning it with a normal polish, the marks will not disappear, but I think it will improve the look. In a few days you won't even remember that it has those marks. Unless you treat the pen like a careless schoolboy, the pen will last a long time looking great. If you want to minimize barrel scratches, don't twist the cap violently.

[dimpep]

41 minutes ago, Azulado said:

@dimpep The pen comes wrapped in a small plastic bag, it should be perfect. This may be a unit that was returned and the first customer was not careful. I don't know Kaweco's industrial processes, I don't know how likely that could happen on a machine. But several brands, it seems very odd to me that it was at the Kaweco factory. I also find it difficult that it was in transport, the pouch would be broken.
I once closed a ring notebook while holding a Lamy Safari in one of my hands, with such bad luck that those got stuck in the cap. Two marks remained. I had to get the magnifying glass to find out where they were. A few days later you forget.
I suggest you use a polish suitable for plastics that is not too abrasive. I use one for the body of my car and it leaves my nibs very shiny, both plastic and metal. I know some people sand and polish vintage pens with special products, but I don't think it is necessary in this case. After cleaning it with a normal polish, the marks will not disappear, but I think it will improve the look. In a few days you won't even remember that it has those marks. Unless you treat the pen like a careless schoolboy, the pen will last a long time looking great. If you want to minimize barrel scratches, don't twist the cap violently.

My pen came only with the box, no small plastic bag. That enhances the fact that the pen may be a return unit, second mark reminds me the mark when you remove the clip. I surely forget the marks and enjoy the pen (the EF nib is sooo smooth!!). I will try to use a car polish just at this spot just to make the marks less noticeable.
Thank you for all the advices. I already unscrew the pen very carefully to avoid making marks, which are unavoidable as far as I understand.

 

EDIT: I managed to reduce the scratches by applying carefully toothpaste and rubbing it with cotton swab. However, a little bit of cloudy area appears (which I masked it with the clip ). The plastic resin is very very sensitive, even worse than many Jinhao pens I own.

Edited August 18, 2023 by dimpep
Added info.