Kaweco Sport Fountain Pen

Kaweco might be one of those companies that even some real pen people don't know that much about.  I have been a huge fan of their stuff for years and I really like what they do.

In 1883 Kaweco started making pens.  1883!  What's interesting is that they are still in business and that's the same year that Louis Waterman began doing experiments to create the fountain pen.   I love when companies appreciate their history and do a decent job in presenting it. Kaweco does that here with a nice little wrap up.  If you do not feel like clicking, the short story is around 1908 they starting making the Sport Pen (or Ladies Pens, or Pocket Pens) after a run of nice dip pens. They really haven't changed that much since they kicked it off.

The Sport is a style of pen that I really like: a nice, small form when capped and then suddenly large enough for my hand when the cap is posted.  It's tricky... "it's tricky, tricky, tricky"...and yes... somehow I managed to go through 104 years of History.  The start of a wonderful pen company straight in 1883 to RUN DMC's 1987 hit. Sing it together:  "to rock a rhyme, to rock a rhyme that's right on time....it's tricky."

If you haven't met before...here is the Kaweco Sport.  A wonderful little cartridge filled fountain pen that has landed a special spot in my rotation.  At first blush you might question the gold end piece and the silver clip.  That's completely my doing.  It doesn't come with a clip,  you have to order them separately and I picked the silver over the gold. Yes, the nib is gold also. It's just my preference.  More on that later.

The cap is beveled to keep it from rolling around your desk if you opt out of the clip and here is how it stretches out. Nice lines.

I cheated a little here for impact.  The Sheaffer Lifetime is a slightly larger fountain but here you see them side by side. Notice how the caps are really similar in length.  It has to be for the Kaweco to give it a little extra room in your hand.     

As always, click for better images. Here's how the world comes together in odd little bursts...I swear that I simply Googled "small quotes" and this was one of the ones that  I liked...When I hit Mr. Hill's Wiki Page to find out who he was- the first thing I noticed was his birth year.  You got it. 1883.  I just blew my mind a little.  I know not everyone loves blue ink...I just need to burn through this cartridge and then I can trade it out.  This EF is a little thicker than I am used to for EF's but it doesn't bother me. Even from the first time it hit paper this one was smooth and crisp.  I can't wait to throw some nice ink in here.  Someday I will write a full review in the pen I am reviewing and not have any typing...some day. 

                      Here's the breakdown.  Nothing unusual here. Just good, solid German manufacturing. 

Nice touch on the end cap here.  If you are an iPad user I really recommend a little app called Flipboard.  Once you are in there search the feeds for Good Pens.  It looks pretty decent on the page. (Thanks JR.) 

I bought this one at JetPens,  I went with the EF nib and the Silver Clip.  There's a ton of options depending on your needs and style.  There is also a demonstrator if you feel lucky.  Bottom line...even if you do have large hands, don't be afraid to give these pens a try.  

Good Pens.

Updates!

If you have noticed some changes...I thought that I should put up some new drapes and add some features.  You might have noticed the Tabs being added up top and I added an official  Facebook page  for quick little updates when I can't do a full post.  Bear with me as I clean things up and thanks again for reading.

Holiday Gift Guide Penstravaganza!

It's always around this time of year when I start to get a few emails and comments from people asking about gifts and they usually go something like this:

Hey Good Pens Guy Dude:  I LOVE your blog...but I need some potential gift ideas for my (fill in the blank) girlfriend, sister, room mate, father, Siamese twin etc. and oh..they really like pens.

Usually I try my best to gather some info and put a response together but this year,  I thought that I would put a little buying guide together for you and pass along some knowledge hopefully saving you some time and energy.  Don't get me wrong,  I am still happy to answer your emails.

First of all, some words of warning and getting rid of all the legal mumbo-jumbo.  In terms of warnings....there are two types of people that you could be potentially be buying for. 1. Pen people. 2. Non-Pen People. Know the difference.  They are similar in looks and stature but should be treated slightly differently (more to follow on this.) The Legal stuff:  I have zero affiliation with any links or sites or anything else I am about to post.  I just had a glass of Beaujolais Nouveau and The Walking Dead is on so who knows what that this could bring.

Here's the deal, it's still November and there is no need to panic. Go down through your list, who do you want to buy pen stuff for? Cool, Crazy Uncle Benny would be perfect.  Let's make a list.

First piece of advice...don't just go out and buy a fountain pen unless you are pretty sure the person might use it. Don't get me wrong, an unused pen that can get passed down is a cool thing,  but a pen that will get used and appreciated is a better gift. Also,  like I said, you have time:  Sneak into the persons house late at night that you are buying for and take a look at what kind of pens they use (don't do this.)  That way you know what sort of pen to buy. (Don't do this.)

1. Pens,  Non-Fountain, low cost version.  Everyone knows I am crazy for the Zebra Sarasa's.  They have a sweet spot in my heart.  Perfect colors, perfect points and at around $2 each they are dreamy. (Did I really just call a pen dreamy?  Yes,  yes I did.)  I buy them from the Japanese Pen stores when I am in NYC or San Fransisco or Jetpens carries them.  Buy a set, rave about how hard they are to find and thank me later. Stay away from CVS and Staples,  nothing good can come from this. Uncle Benny will haunt you for the rest of your life if you do this.  Uniball's  are nice.  The secret is to buy a few colors and sizes and let them pick a favorite.

1.a  Pens, Non-Fountain Medium and High Cost Versions- You know... I kinda like my Lamy's.  Rarely have they disappointed me. I never really had to do much to they to keep them flowing and it's a name that most will recognize.  Here's one I like that can get picked up for about $60 or so the Lamy Studio Roller ball. The Cross Affinity is popular also or any Parker Sonnet at this level would be nice. Oh and buy a couple refills for roller balls.  It really makes it easier on the person getting the gift.  It's much less likely to get thrown in a drawer once it runs dry. Think about his for the business guy/ graduate/ sister in law for the match here.

What?  you have more to spend?  Hold off there sparky, It is not worth it to spend more than that on one pen at this level. Let's move on and since you asked: stay away from brush pens or pen and pencil sets.  Too quirky and too predictable. (In that order.) If you want to spend more,  go with a combo gift (details below.)

2. Fountain Pens. Low Cost Version.  Yee-Haw.  My possible favorite category. For the Non-Pen Person, you could be introducing them to a whole new world without killing your pocketbook.  For the Pen lovers...any fountain pen will be appreciated. Honestly it's rare that a pen guy will frown upon a new pen. Low cost is probably around $25. Anything less than $8 is likely disposable,  anything more than $50 will creep into the next category. The Lamy Nexx is nice. Pelikens are fun and durable.  I love the Lamy Vista Demonstrators (more on these later.) in fact, tons of Lamy's in this category will work. The Sheaffer Prelude is a Classic. Even Rotring has something in this category.

Ok,  shhhhh,  here's a secret:  It will be another one in the list as well but buy some ink along with the fountain pen.  If it's a cartridge pen, try to find a converter for it instead of cartridges. (Just ask, they will know) Wrap it up,  put a bow on it and wait for the return gifts. Wait,  I am being told that is not what the Holidays are about.  Moving on.

2.a  Fountain Pens. Medium Cost Version.  This one is fun also. Here's the trick,  finding your comfort zone (in terms of dollars) and matching that with a potential pen.  Having a secret that only you and AMEX know is fun,  but don't let it drive you crazy.  Here's another secret,  a lot of fountain people like demonstrators. Back in the day, they were used to show people the inner working of pens.  Now... they are just plain cool. This Pilot Prera from JetPens rocks.  Google them,  tons of choices.   The Sheaffer 300 is nice at around $100 and I also like Waterman Phileas line.   Here's the only kicker: fountain pens come in different size nibs so be aware of this.  I like EF (Extra Fine)  Fine (F)  is usually a safe, but some people like Mediums.  I know I am not helping here.  Just giving you a heads up. Your stalking skills will come in handy here.

2. Fountain Pens. High Cost Version.  Skip this section. Again,  unless it's on their list as a HAVE to HAVE Christmas item and you know exactly what the person wants...don't don't do it.  Just being expensive does not mean that the person will love/use it. And...unless you know what you are doing,  avoid used fountain pens on eBay,  yes there are some great deals out there but its not that unusual to buy a fountain pen on eBay needs some work. Not a cool gift.  It's easy to spend $1000 on a fountain pen,  it's not easy to sneak in how much you paid for it to the person that has no idea what you just bought them. I will admit the Vanishing Point by Pilot is still pretty sweet. It's not for the novice,  but a really fine gift for those who know their way around a pen.

3. Mechanical Pencils  Are you kidding me?  Mechanicals make a nice gift. A lot of people have really cheap Mechanical Pencils.  Not a lot of people have really nice Mechanical Pencils.  I have given one or two of these away as gifts and I hope they are well used.   Coolness tip:  Drafting or Architect pencils are a sweet gift for dudes.  Again,  be aware that there are different size leads available from the super fat the the ultra thin.  .5 is usually a safe bet.  Here are some of my favorites...The Kuru Toga will automatically rotate your lead for you and at $16.50 it is bad ass.  LAMY makes another one for around $25 that is nice.

Side tip: buy some different hardness lead along with the pencil so the person has a choice.  A nice eraser also makes a good side gift.

4. Ink.  Ahh,  assuming your Siamese twin likes to use fountain pens...they will need ink and ink is sexy.(yep, I said it)  There are so many choices and the good news is, you can afford this.  Noodlers has some awesome colors.  Levengers is good.  They are less expensive, but I like the Pelikan inks also.  Buying tip:  buy 3 or 4 in similar shades and give it that way. Blue-Blacks, Greens or even reds.  Awesome gift. I have never heard a pen junky say "I have too many inks."  That's just silly. Tons of choices here folks.

5.  Others:  Journals can be special gifts, but tricky unless you know what the receiver likes..A nice Bundle of Moleskines or Rhodia's or Field Notes would be sweet with a Sarasa or two on top.   I could go on and on  forever about pen cases, antique ink bottles, pen holders etc. they all are awesome in their own way and can make a great gift.

Bottom line,  get creative,  be comfortable and doing your research (i.e.stalking)  can go a long way to making sure you get that pen lover (or not) a good gift.

 Oh,  and I ran a marathon last weekend. It was fun and that's why I didn't get a post out.

Happy Holidays,

The Pen Blog Guy Dude

and I did just get a fresh shipment of pens in...so some fun reviews are on the way.

Parker Vacumatic Blue Diamond Major...a favorite.

A few weeks ago,  I was out with some friends that knew about this blog and as usual, the first question that came up was "What's your favorite pen?"  My gut instinct was to run for a Sarasa .4 in Blue-Black.  Jetpens sells them for $2.20 and do not tell them this,  but I would pay double that price any day of the week for those.

Then,  the more I thought about it...and after watching everyone's eyes roll around horribly after 20 minutes of discussing the finer points of ink flow, pen weight and other stuff, I realized there's a lot more to it. There are my favorite pens and then there are my favorite pens.   My Sarasa is my favorite daily pen just because I know it's rock solid but when the zombie apocalypse happens there are other pens that I would make sure I have in my bug out bag or if I am grabbing a pen to throw in my pocket for a night out I wouldn't grab the Sarasa. See?  Favorite vs. Favorite.

One of my definite favorite pens needed some love. I can do all the work I need on 95% of my fountain pens..pull them apart, replace what's needed and shine them up properly but the Parker Vacumatics are a different monster.  This one needed professional help. (why does the scene from Ferris Bueller always come to mind here?  "Relax, You have nothing to worry about I'm a professional."   
I needed to send this one off for some love and to do the work I chose Pentiques.  I sent a late night email that had a response in about 5 minutes and the second I returned from Copenhagen I mailed it off to them.  Oh and it was terrifying to drop this thing in the mailbox.

Look at the clear celluloid bands...crazy clean.

After about a week or two (your mileage may vary) a payment and a few other friendly emails, my mailman dropped off a pleasant surprise. Imagine Christmas morning except in the form of a small very well wrapped and packaged US Mail Priority Box.

Sea glass really isn't that manly.

Blown Away. Time actually stopped.  Here's a 65 year old pen that is now as close as it was to when it rolled off the assembly line as it ever will be. Un-inked, shiny, sparkling. Amazeballs.

Here's how it's broken down.  That plunger on the far right is for filling this thing. It's happily inked now  (equally scary just dirtying this thing up) and will get used. A lot.

This pen makes me want to write long letters that I don't even really care if they ever get read by anyone. Just write and hide them away for some stranger to find one day.   It's that good.  It's a joy to write with. I said it before.  Mr. Parker, thank you. you created almost perfection.

Again,  it's personal.  For me..this is a classic pen in my perfect color and nib size.

The Blue Diamond doesn't hurt either.  So thank you Pentiques for your work restoring this beauty. I am hoping I can give this another 65 years of use.

Good Pen.

Black n' Red A4 Journal

When it comes to pens and stationary stuff I am rarely surprised.  It’s sort of simple:  if you have seen a few pens in your day ("in your day?"  What am I- 80 years old?)  you/I can judge a book by its cover in a minute.

I can spot a cheap pen from a mile away and it kills me when I see people who spend a lot of time writing suffering with a trade show giveaway or a pen found in a box in the basement.  Bad pens are easy to spot, journals are a little more difficult.   An unlined journal that runs away yipping when faced with fountain pen ink might be perfect for someone out there… and on the other hand…a lined, heavy-weight, bleed-proof journal would not be appreciated by someone who uses those CVS pens.
So when I was sent a journal from the awesome fellas over at  www.officehero.co.uk  I was skeptical.  I felt like I had been there before.  I thought..here’s a big lined journal that wouldn't hold up to anything.  I was wrong. Introducing the Black n Red A4 sized Smart Ruled Journal. 

So I started off with a Pilot G2 in .38 to do make a few lists. No surprises there.  I have a work journal (that I really need to review and love but it’s my to do , thoughts and  reminder book) one thing I was missing was a notebook for meetings and phone-call notes with.
Then one amazing thing happened.  I grabbed a Waterman with some Sailor Black ink and BAM! This paper held up to my heavy handed inky doodles. Like…really held up.  No idea this paper would be this good. It does not bleed. At all.  I can’t believe the versatility.

You have seen my doodles in the past and occasionally they get a little sloppy and something that might someday resemble some sort of homemade Copperplate Script.  I am not aiming for perfection in penmanship,  just something that looks cool to me.  Suddenly this notebook started filling up with my inky rants. It was a pleasure to use this paper.  

Size does matter and when it comes to A4 paper I can appreciate breaking out of the 8.5 by 11 “ rut and expanding a bit. As always,  click for better views.  I like having the vertical lines as options.  Checkboxes, dates, whatever.  There's also a ton of info on the first and last couple pages,  personal info, a calendar, rail schedules, etc. Good options.

And the more I think about it.  This is the first hardbound journal that i have used in a while.  It's easy to be able to throw it into the computer bag and not worry about creasing the covers.   Here's the details from the experts: Black n Red casebound hard back book with Smart ruling system for organised note-taking. features left-hand column for bullets or numbering and two right-hand columns for actions and deadlines. High quality 90gsm smooth paper for minimal show-through.-

So,  I like it.  I really like it.  If you are looking for a big sturdy notebook that can hold up to ink...you have another choice, check out Office Hero and the Black N Red. Now I am going to go work on my Copperplate and watch Shawshank.

Seth

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner

How appropriate to do a giveaway on post #250 for me!!!  We should have cake.  Instead we have what I think might be the first video reveal ever in the world of pen blogging.  You might want to watch your volume.  I was having a Kanye moment.

Uh, oh.  I told you it was heavy.  It looks like you low # people are in trouble.  This was a box of pens from Grammy. (Everyone remembers Grammy right?) I probably went through this box at one point and pulled out all the good ones and the box was still  full of ballpoints.  More on those later.

Here's what I found.  They are all ballpoints and no,  I do not write with them and that's the reason they are tucked away in a box in the basement.  Maybe someday they will get some use or I can donate them to a good cause,  but for now they remain happily curled up in a box. Well except for the fact that I had to count them...and count them I did.

Those are piles of 10 except for the pile of three in the center. Breaking out the abacus,  I come up with 24 piles and 3 to spare. Go ahead count them just to be sure...also,  I am really curious how many of you went out and filled up a shoe box with pens just to see what kind of numbers we were looking at here.  I did find a few decent pens,  some mini's, a few Cross's and some other fairly newer ones that aren't going back in the box.  Oh...that's 243 by the way.

Here's the deal,  don't hate the pen blog, hate the rules.  I stated that the contest ended at Midnight Eastern on Friday (last Friday.) Sorry,  a few of you missed the deadline.  I am just trying to keep it fair.

So, Aaron from HMMMMMMM is the winner at 250!   Only 7 off and remember I said you could go over.  Shoot me your details and I will get the prizepack out too you.

What was in the prizepack you ask? (Or actually,  now that you haven't won you probably already closed the browser and moved on but - anyway but if you are curious:)

Ta da!  Yes, that's a Pilot Explorer in there. Now you wish you had thrown all your pens into a box to see what you would have come up with. And that Blue one is a Fountain Pen. I might have a few more things to throw in there, this is just what I grabbed to shoot.  Aaron... enjoy it.

And Dad to Liberty Lover of Pens wins the backup prize just for being scientific about this.  An Explorer is on the way to you also if you shoot me your details.

So...post number 250.  Wow. Thank you guys for supporting me and reading my blog.  I really appreciate the comments, feedback emails and clicks on the AdWords.  I do have some plans for this thing and hope you stick around for the ride.

Enjoy what's left of your weekend.
Seth

The times they are a Changing...

Quick update:  Here's my post from Vegas a few short months ago.  Sadly, all I had with me were 4 pens and two pencils for 5 days in the desert.  It was clear that I had lost some faith in my ability to love pens and the need for writing material.

Bob Dylan (I know, I know) wrote that "The Times they are a Changing" and they definitely were.  Here we are now for a quick 2 night business trip to Chicago and there's a huge difference.  19 Pens (not all shown) and 2 pencils are in my bag..  That includes two fountain pens and not even close to my favorite Dylan song.  I think I have spared you of that until now. Girl of the North Country might top my list. 3rd and 4th verse. Hits hard.

That is a full and happy bag and worth every ounce of dragging it around the city. It's nice to have a choice in the arsenal and good to know that there are writing options as the needs comes up.   I haven't given up my electronic friends though...also in my bag are two laser pointers,  a stylus, laptop, iPad 2, wireless mouse, Garmin GPS and about 20 GB's of storage. If the Stationary Apocalypse ever comes, I will be prepared.

And as for the contest...I could be waaaay off,  but I think your guesses might be low. If I can drag 19 pens around  in my bag  imagine how many I can shove into a shoe box?  Still open through Friday so keep them coming. Possibly even a video reveal.  Kinda like Oprah  revealing her secret sister...only not as awkward.
     
So the lesson learned is: break out of that funk.  Break the rules,  go nuts. Change it up and fix things.

Good Pens.