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I thought Kaweco is one of the oldest pen brands from Germany and it needs the thread where people can show of their Kaweco instruments. So hereby I request all to show us their Kawecos. Would love to know a lot about vintage ones too.

Spoiler alert; my search for the ideal beginner's pen is over. Well at least for now 😅 This was a pen I got from the proprietor of one of UAE's two pen shops, Pens Corner, at the Pelikan Hub 2019 in Abu Dhabi. Though people consider this as an insanely inexpensive pen, I had to think over it for a while since my pen budget is pretty low and I am not accustomed to pens this size. People who know me well would know that I love oversized pens the most as majority of my pens are Indian oversizes in ebonite. So this pen was really a gamble, but I totally hit the jackpot with this one. Design and Appearance: The Kaweco Sport debuted in 1911 as a pocket pen. The modern iteration has an octagonally faceted cap and a round barrel that ends in a slight conical shape. Both of these are almost equal in length, however, the cap is much wider in diameter. This allows for the cap to post, rendering an otherwise puny pen totally usable. The cap tapers slightly towards the top and has a conical insert on it. It also bears 'Kaweco Sport' on one of its facets. The barrel ends with an edge is ridged. Mine has an aged appearance and I feel adds a nice vintage charm. The section is designed to be concave and is proportionally aesthetic to the body. This pen is not going to win any beauty contest, but that's not the point. This pen is meant to be functional. And functional, it highly is. The pen doesn't come with a clip but you can buy them separately. They are available in two designs, and I got the vintage styled curved clip. This clip is IMHO one of the best looking clips out there. The end is diamond shaped and has a few engravings. The clip attaches with a ring like thing that is also faceted to match the facets on the barrel. The facets on the clip has 'since 1883', the Kaweco logo, and GERMANY engraved on them. I'll be entirely honest here and say that I got the clip only for the looks. The functionality is somewhat limited as the clip tends to come off the cap when you apply more force to clip the pen. I avoid this problem by putting my index finger against the top of the clip and then it clips with no issues. Construction and Quality: This pen is made of a sturdy plastic that I recall reading as ABS. At this price point, you shouldn't really expect any remarkable finishing and this pen certainly shows it was made to fit a price point. The polishing isn't the best, as there were a few visible micro scratches on the barrel that has accumulated even more scratches where the cap posts. I baby all my pens so this hasn't scratched up as heavily as a friend's Ice Sport that he carries around in his pencil pouch along with other things. Filling System: The pen is designed to take both cartridges and converters. But the size means that it can only take some of the mini converters out there and I'm not sure it'll even take a long International cartridge. You can eyedropper fill this pen but it dose have a caveat, that ink seeps in through the section and friction fit nib collar and leaks out through the end of the section. But this does have a fix. Using the cartridge that came along or any empty cartridge as a knockout rod, you can knock out the nib collar and grease it with silicone grease. Now you can safely ED your pen and enjoy the high ink capacity and increased ink flow Nib and Writing Comfort: Here's where the pen doesn't kid you. The nibs on these are stainless steel, from Bock and are engraved with all the things as on the clip, and also the nib width. The feed is plastic. My medium nib came perfectly writing with average wetness and a light feedback. While totally usable as it was, I smoother it a bit and increased the ink flow since I prefer uber smooth nibs with a really wet, almost gushing ink flow. The writing sample is with Camlin Blue. Since it is a pocket pen, the section on it is a bit small for me and feels a bit thin but I also have bear paws for hands 🤷‍♂️ Final Thoughts: This pen is appropriately priced but I really cannot understand why the clip isn't provided and costs as much as it does. I mean there are pens much cheaper that come with sturdy clips. I wouldn't consider this a fair argument though since the pen is meant to be tossed around and not clipped to your pocket, so I'm not complaining. I also get that some people have had terrible experiences with their nibs with dryness and baby's bottom being the most common. But I cannot deny that I love this pen. Much more than the Pilot Metropolitan, Lamy Safari and family, or the TWSBI Eco. In fact, I've got a second one, the Goldspot exclusive turquoise demonstrator that is currently with a friend. Just waiting for this coronashit to die down and normalcy return to this world.

Kaweco Dia2 Dual Review My friend Laura and I thought it would be fun to do a dual review of a fountain pen. Kaweco loaned each of us a Dia2 with chrome trim. Laura used a steel EF nib, and a 14ct gold BB nib. I used a steel M nib. I also tested it with a steel 1.1mm nib and a 14ct gold F nib. We posted the full review, with more thoughts and pictures, on Laura's blog here but we also want to show you highlights from our review here on FPN. We hope you enjoy reading it. 1. Appearance and Design. Laura: It’s based on a traditional design from the 1930s. I love the chrome-colored trim, the shiny black resin and the knurled rings on the end of the cap and barrel that date from the original Dia. And the shape of the clip is gorgeous. Chris: The Dia2 is a full length pen based on a classic 1930’s Art Deco design. It comes with either chrome or gold trim. The cap has 2 decorative inlaid chrome bands at the base. 2. Construction and Quality. Laura: The Dia2 feels very nicely built. The barrel screws firmly onto the section and a spring-loaded feature inside assures you that the cartridges are firmly in place. Chris: Everything about the Dia2 suggests a high quality pen. It is not a flimsy, lightweight, pen in your hand, as the barrel has inner brass screw threads that give it a good balanced feel. The highly polished black CNC acrylic has cleanly cut and smooth screw threads. You insert one cartridge into the section, and a spare inside the barrel. The spring loading is reassurance that the cartridge won’t fall out. 3. Weight and Dimensions. Weight of pen capped: 27.8 grams (inked with cartridge). Weight of body only: 18.6 grams (inked). Length: Body only, unposted: 12.5 cm or about 5 inches. Posted: 16 cm or just over 6¼ inches. Capped and closed: almost 13.5 cm or 5¼ inches. Laura: I used the Dia2 unposted, and found it to be a nice full sized pen, that feels balanced and comfortable in the hand, even for longer writing sessions. Chris: I only used it unposted, and it felt comfortable in my hand. It might feel slightly unbalanced if posted. 4. Nib and Performance. Laura: The Dia2 uses the same nib units as used on the AL-Sport. The steel EF is smooth, with a touch of feedback, and no flex, but it doesn’t feel stiff. It’s excellent for fast writing and just how I like a nib. I tried the gold BB nib, but didn’t find that improved the writing experience for me. I think the Kaweco steel nibs give a lot of bang for the buck, and I’m very happy with them. Chris: You can choose from threaded steel calligraphy nibs, black steel nibs, or gold nibs. I found my M steel nib had a dry flow. When I swapped in the gold F nib I found the flow was much better with a softer writing experience. I found the nib size looked slightly small in the pen, and I felt it could easily have handled a slightly larger nib, but it didn’t make that much difference to me. 5. Filling System and Maintenance. Laura: I used the Dia2 extensively, but with cartridges only because I did not have a converter that fits. I like cartridges but would have liked a converter as well. Chris: I used cartridges in the Dia2, because I have been using them in the Sport pens that I’ve been reviewing. However, Kaweco also sent me a KW23846 converter that fits it, as none of my International sized converters would stay in properly. The twist action converter that fits the Dia2 is different to the squeeze converter that fits the Sport pens. 6. Cost and Value. Laura: This is the only rub for me. In the US, the Dia2 in chrome sells for about $100, which puts it up in the highest range among steel-nib pens. The converter that fits the Dia2 is an additional $4. That is around the same price as a Pelikan M200, which is a similar steel-nib German pen. I think the Dia2 looks like more of a premium pen. It has much nicer trim, it feels more solid and it’s a bigger pen. The Dia2 feels like a grown-up’s pen. Chris: In the UK, Cult Pens sell the Dia2 Chrome for £72 and the Dia2 Gold for £92. You also need to add £3 for the converter. Pelikan M205’s cost £90 and the M200 costs £120. If you wanted to have the Dia2 with a gold nib then you are adding at least a further £99 to the UK price. So the price would then be comparable with the Lamy 2000 Makrolon FP. I actually prefer the shiny black classic and more traditional finish of the Dia2, and feel that it is a higher quality pen overall. 7. Conclusion. Laura: I really liked this pen. It’s a full-size pen with traditional looks, that feels very well-made. I’m a big fan of the steel EF nib. The Dia2’s only drawback, for me, is that it’s on the expensive side. And I think it should come with a converter. Chris: I like it’s size and high quality, as well as it’s looks and performance. However, I wouldn’t be able to live with the chrome pen fitted with a yellow gold nib, and the gold trim version or the two-tone gold nib make it significantly more expensive. I also think Kaweco need to include a converter with the pen for the sake of the insignificant additional price. N.B. Kaweco kindly sent me the two-tone 14ct gold nib to try it with, and I think it looks much better than the monotone gold nib. I'm adding a couple of pictures to show this nib.