Kaweco Sport Cognac Se Fountain Pen

[visvamitra]

When you think about pocket pens chances are the first name that comes to your mind will be Kaweco Sport. The size ant the shape of this pens is almost iconic and the Sport series is rather popular in the community. I think that it's second most popular fountain pen on polish fountain pen boards (the other one being Lamy Al-Star). Personally I have five Sports that I use mostly for ink reviews / tests.

I don't think they're particularly well made but I enjoy compact sice and possibility to use them as eyedroppers and the ease with which I can clean the pen and change the ink. Also, they're quite handy. So far I've managed to accumulate five modern Sports: one demo Classic, two Skylines (burgundy and white), one AL and Seitz-Kreuznach special edition called Kognac.

I find the color of the barrel very nice and it's quite possible others will find it interesting as well. The main thing to remember before buying new Kaweco Sport is the fact that you get what you pay for. It's cheap pen and it's cheaply made. It doesn't ooze quality. Once you don't expect miracles you'll be able to enjoy what this pen has to offer.

Packaging

The packaging is nothing special, really. The pen comes in a simple cardboard box and it's protected by a plastic sleeve. Once you take the pen out you'll find one blue cartridge inside the body. Kaweco doesn't add converter or a clip to their budget pens - you have to pay for them some extra dollars.

Overall impressions

The design is rather simple and rather unique. Personally I find older Sport much nicer and shapely. There's not a lot of adornments on a plastic transparent body except for engraved Kaweco Sport logo and metal medallion on top of the cap. While I don't really like gold trim I think in this case it fits the barrel very well and looks pleasant to the eye. The barrel is transparent and for me it's a plus.

The cap is screw cap and can be puszed to post on the pen. Some people may find it comfortable to write with the Sport uncapped but I'm not one of them. Actually it's the only fountain pen that I use posted. The pen is really tiny when uncapped. The cap stays on the end of the barrel securely and it requires applying some force to pull it straight off. Sadly as the plastic used to make the pen is of low quality some scratches on the barrel appear fast with time and use of the pen - after two or three weeks of writing with the pen little and medium lines became visible on the barrel in the place where the threads touch when the pen is posted. I can live with them as Sport is for me mostly utilatarian pen and I don't find much aesthetic value in it.

Nib

Ink: J. Herbin Eclat de Saphire, quote from great book that I highly recommend: Senlin Ascends by Josiah Bancroft

As I've mentioned I have five Sports - three with broad nib, one with double broad and one with medium. My first Sport had stunning buttery smooth nib that I find amazing after three years of abuse. Sadly the other three nibs were dry and / or scratchy out of the box and each of them needed some micromesh treatment in order to write the way I like it. People say Kaweco improved their quality control but in my experience nothing changed. One month ago I've bought another Skyline and the nib was very dry and unpleasant to use. I needed to work on it to make it tolerable. That's a shame, really.

Medium nib in this particular SE fountain pen was too dry to my taste and needed some tuning as well. At the moment it writes well, but in my opinion Kaweco should really check their nibs more often.

Filling system

I hope one day we'll be able to see modern and reasonably priced Kaweco Sport piston-filler. At the moment though once you get the pen you can choose three options of filling it:

1. Cartridge - international cartridge can always be filled with syringe with the ink of your choice. Personally I rarely use cartridged.
   
2. Kaweco converter - you have to pay for it and, frankly, it sucks.
   
3. Eye-dropper - this is the way I fill my Sports (except fot AL Sport that's made of metal and that I use it with cartridge). Just put some silicone grease on the threads and fill the barrel of your pen with ink. During three years of using Kaweco Classic Sport as eye-dropper I have never experienced ink leaking.
   

Dimensions

Capped: 105 mm

Uncapped: 100 mm

Posted: 132 mm

Summary

After reaing this review some of you may think I'm not thrilled with the pen but it's not the case. I'm huge Kaweco Sport fan but I don't think it's a great pen. It has quite few drawbacks and it's good to mention them and know about them before actually buying one. The pen is cheaply made, there are quality issues with the nibs that as I see it weren't adressed by producer. On the other hand when someone asks me for cheap fountain pen recommendation I have three recommendations and Sport is one of those. It's perfect for every day use, it's comfortable, handy and light. If you're lucky and there's no baby-bottom on the nib it writes very well. Also metal version that I may review in the future if, for me, perfect every day pen.

As fot Seitz-Kreuznach special edition I really enjoy it's color and I'm glad to have it among other Sports. It's not high-end pen and the materials aren't most durable or special. On the other hand it's a convenient and comfortable workhorse pen taht, when tuned, writes very well. I plan to acquire another Sport soon - it'll be orange AC Sport with broad nib. It looks simply stunning.

Edited December 10, 2016 by visvamitra

[benbot517]

Thanks for the review of this nice special edition!

 

I love the color, and think they did a great job with it. It's a warm color without being obnoxious or eye-searing. I've had pretty good luck with my Kaweco Sports, although one is definitely on the dryer side. Then there's a demonstrator with a BB nib that's just oodles of fun to write with used as an eyedropper. Sure they're cheap, but they've given me a ton of enjoyment, something that some other, more expensive pens have trouble with.

[visvamitra]

I agree. They're nice pens and if only plastic would be better I would say they're hard to beat in price / performance ratio.

[MsRedpen]

Vis - as all your reviews, this one is great.

Agree with all the good / could be better aspects of Kaweco Sport, having similar experience.

Out of three nibs, only one (F) wrote out of box, and M and B needed some efforts to make them write. Probably this is the only pen where I would (and I did) experiment myself messing with the nib, due to the low price point.

It is a great pocket pen at low price, but in standard colours lacks any personality.

Your Cognac pictured on frosted wooden bench has a bit more aesthetical appeal.

Was it already snowing today?

[Barkingpig]

Thank you for your review of this pen. I have just "hopped over" to Seitz Global & placed an order for a BB; I have enjoyed the different bodies this pen has offered. You are always thorough in your reviews & I always appreciate them. Thanks again for introducing me to this pen.

[visvamitra]

@MsRedPen - the Thaw came recently to Poland so at the moment we have no snow. The photo was taken two weeks (during the same session I made for Hero 007) ago when we had a lot of snow. To be honest I'm not longing for winter return.

 

@Benbot517 - thank you for kind words

 

@Barkingpig - you're welcome

Edited December 10, 2016 by visvamitra

[bobje]

Visvamitra,

Great review. I have also been enjoying this cognac color. My medium nib is so juicy and smooth that it writes like a broad, and I like the Kaweco nib imprint.

 

There is a fourth method of filling this pen -- creating a bulb filler -- explained carefully in this video by Cary of Fountain Pen Day. I used a mostly transparent no. 18 1/2 silicone sac from David Nishimura of Vintage Pens. The bulb capacity is about 1.2 ml, which provides a little more flexibility for ink changes than a 3 ml eyedropper.

 

http://www.vintagepens.com/catill_sacs_seals.shtml

 

 

 

[visvamitra]

Thank you Bobje for the link. Interesting, J haven't tried it yet but it looks like a reasonable alternative for cartridge in my AL Sport.

[mehandiratta]

 

Summary

After reaing this review some of you may think I'm not thrilled with the pen but it's not the case. I'm huge Kaweco Sport fan but I don't think it's a great pen. It has quite few drawbacks and it's good to mention them and know about them before actually buying one. The pen is cheaply made, there are quality issues with the nibs that as I see it weren't adressed by producer. On the other hand when someone asks me for cheap fountain pen recommendation I have three recommendations and Sport is one of those. It's perfect for every day use, it's comfortable, handy and light. If you're lucky and there's no baby-bottom on the nib it writes very well. Also metal version that I may review in the future if, for me, perfect every day pen.

As fot Seitz-Kreuznach special edition I really enjoy it's color and I'm glad to have it among other Sports. It's not high-end pen and the materials aren't most durable or special. On the other hand it's a convenient and comfortable workhorse pen taht, when tuned, writes very well. I plan to acquire another Sport soon - it'll be orange AC Sport with broad nib. It looks simply stunning.

 

 

I agree with you on AC sport in the orange finish...

it is simply superb.... I plan to buy same....

 

The review was great... What I have found with the use if 5 Kaweco Sports that I have most of the nibs above Broad tip have baby bottom....

 

one thing I believe is that this pen even though the plastic feels cheap, is durable... it easily can wear most of the falls... can be easily carried in any pocket ...

 

Also tin packaging is available but you will have to pay extra...

[MuddyWaters]

I have one myself in black and M nib. I find the pen comfortable to hold and I do find the plastic pleasant against my fingers. The nib is smooth but the flow is just terrible (still subpar after tinkering) and I would suggest another pen to those willing to pay $20-30, unless they really wanted a small pant pocket carry.

 

My pocket carry uses are mostly for work, and a medium or broad nib is too wide for writing in charts. So given that the pen is already too dry, I don't see how it would be useful for pocket carry professional use in finer nib sizes.

 

If you are able to find alternative pens of similar weight, Id give those a try as well like the Safari, though they are longer.

[FrozenLand]

Even if performance is excellent, I might have problem with problem with accepting its shape

[KellyMcJ]

I know that these are common eyedropper pens, and I haven't heard any complaints about them, but my only eyedropper experience is with hand cut ebonite feeds, not modern ones. Do you every have any issues with burping or too much ink? I'm thinking about buying a Kaweco Sport and I may convert it to an eyedropper for daily carry, but if it does what my dedicated drawing pen does, I would be afraid to do the eyedropper fill.

[mtcn77]

I have 3 nibs - M, EF and B. They are similar in width when writing. Personally, I think the nibs are adjusted to be a little wider than the reverse writing side. So, M and EF becomes toothy whereas B is just right. However, if this causes tine wear and even wider gap on the reverse, ink flow becomes erratic.

[Fenner Benedict]

Thanks for this review! I have the Kaweco Sport rollerball in brass but its really too heavy for anything more than quick notes. I have been thinking of getting a fountain pen Sport for a while so might go for the plastic version.

[AlexLeGrande]

Re: Your written quote and recommendation of "Senlin Ascends"

 

I've read all four of Bancroft's "Books of Babel" series. Great reads, highly recommended.  Imaginative, exciting, funny, and deep, and very well written.