Fountain Pen Review Kaweco Art Sport Lapis

[Chrissy]

Kaweco ART Sport Lapis FP Review

History (reproduced from the Kaweco web-site)

Kaweco - In 1883 the manufacturer of high-quality writing instruments was founded in Heidelberg Germany. Kaweco has been producing a wide range of fine writing pens and has been setting a great value on classy design and high standard manufacturing.

The first Kaweco Sport was founded in 1912 as a pocket fountain pen for ladies, officers and sportsmen. In 1930 the brands and models of Kaweco and Aurumia fused and the Ka We Co three part circle emerged. This circle is still used today on nearly all of it’s pens.

Even Sepp Herberger already appreciated these characteristics. It was with a Kaweco Sport that the former coach of the German national soccer team wrote on a piece of paper his winning tactics which brought the Germans to the world cup in 1954.

In 1993 H & M Gutberlet GmbH made it’s first prototypes for a relaunch of the Kaweco Sport under the name Trekking, but gained and registered the rights to rename as Kaweco in 1994.

The Kaweco Sport was newly produced as a cartridge holder in 1995, but the design remained the same as the 1935 model.

In 2000 the first Limited Sport edition was produced in green celluloid, and the AL Sport as well as the Art Sport were launched in 2003.

Kaweco's product range is perfectly described by the keywords "tradition" and “innovation"

Appearance and Design

The Kaweco ART Sport starts off like all Sport pens as a small and compact pen until you remove it’s cap, and replace it on the end of the barrel to make a good sized fountain pen in your hand.

The ART Sport range of pens are made from beautifully marbled, high-value acrylic material that is machine turned by CNC machines then hand polished. Each pen is unique and represents a small piece of art of its own.

The Lapis pen comes supplied with a standard 23kt gold plated steel nib unit that matches it’s Kaweco gold plated metal cap emblem.

Construction and quality

Although this pen is made from acrylic, it feels well made and quite substantial in your hand, and performs as well as many full sized pens. It’s lightweight, but not at all flimsy, and it has a nice size, well-shaped grip. The cap is intended to be posted on the barrel for Sport pens and the pen feels nicely balanced with it’s cap posted.

As always with Kaweco Sport pens, the cap and the barrel screw together very well for a close fit, on smoothly machined screw threads. Nothing feels rough on this pen.

Weight and Dimensions

Weight: 12grams. Measurements: Closed; 105mm, Posted; 135mm, Nib; 17mm.

Nib and Performance

23kt gold plated steel nib units for this pen come as a complete section, as opposed to the screw in nib and feed units that Kaweco make for their metal Sport pens. However, with extreme care you may be able to unscrew the nib unit and change it for a different screw in one. I managed to try this one with the gold screw in nib that I have from Kaweco.

I found this steel nib wrote straight out of the box as soon as I fitted a cartridge. I was impressed with the smoothness of the nib, that needed no adjustment at all. It gave me a writing experience that rivalled that of some gold nibs in more expensive pens.

There is no flex with these steel nibs, but I don’t mind that.

You can choose from EF, F, M, B or BB nibs

Filling system and Maintenance

As I’m reviewing several Kaweco pens and inks, I selected a Royal Blue cartridge for the Lapis ART Sport. The cartridges are International Short cartridge size. You can also buy a Kaweco converter that fits this pen and allows it to be filled from an ink bottle.

If you’re looking for a pen with a sophisticated piston filling system, or even a classic type of twist converter, then you might be disappointed with this pocket-sized pen. The compact converter that Kaweco make for this pen is just like a cartridge except that you squeeze it to draw up ink out of the bottle. It’s less easy, and contains less ink, than using a twist action converter, but the Kaweco twist converter doesn’t fit this pen.

It isn’t a difficult pen to clean out. I just used an ear bulb and pushed some lukewarm water through it to clean out the ink after I had used it.

Cost and Value

I found 3 colours of the ART Sport pen for sale at Hamilton Pen Company for £75.95 in the UK including free delivery. Sadly, though Lapis wasn’t one of the available colours. It’s still showing on the Kaweco web-site though.

On balance I think thats quite an expensive price to pay for this acrylic pen that comes with a standard steel nib. For the same price you could also buy the aluminium AC Sport

Overall Opinion

Kaweco Sport pens have a really good screw cap that prevents their cartridges from drying out, and I have always liked that in these pens. I also like the way they are compact pocket sized pens that extend into good size pens that are easy to write with.

If you want a clip or a converter they are available separately, but I find it as easy to refill cartridges from bottled ink with a syringe, as using the squeezy converter that is made to fit this pen.

All in all, I really like this beautiful pen. The only thing against it is it’s an expensive pen.

Kaweco loaned me this pen to review, and I really appreciate that. Thank you Kaweco.

[visvamitra]

Great review and nice photos. Because of the price I didn't buy it, but I really like Citrin one.

[PAKMAN]

Haven't seen this pen in this color. Love it! Thanks for the review!

[inkstainedruth]

Is this one that could be turned into an eyedropper (which I know you can't with the AL models)? I've been considering one of the lower end Sports, particularly the purple or metallic purple.

This one is too pricy a pen for me at the moment, but it is pretty....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[whichwatch]

Great photos and fine review, Chrissy. The pen is small for my taste, but I love the material. It's real attractive. I'm thinking hard about it!

 

By the way, for those interested, the Art Sports are available in a number of colors at a dynamite price of $81 plus there is a 15% off coupon which makes them USD $68 at Pen Chalet.

Edited December 31, 2015 by whichwatch

[Joe in Seattle]

My experience, too. They write great from the get go.

[Gloucesterman]

Great photos and fine review, Chrissy. The pen is small for my taste, but I love the material. It's real attractive. I'm thinking hard about it!

 

By the way, for those interested, the Art Sports are available in a number of colors at a dynamite price of $81 plus there is a 15% off coupon which makes them USD $68 at Pen Chalet.

 

Sounds and looks like a nice pen to have tucked away in one's pocket and readily at hand. The price, even with the discount, seems to quite out of line with my perceived value of such a pen.

 

Even though the size is much smaller and "pocket-able" than something like a Pilot Metro, it somehow doesn't appear to be worth 4+ times the price.

 

With a little effort you could buy and restore 3 or4 Salz Brothers Peter Pan model pens - with 14k nibs.

Edited December 31, 2015 by brgmarketing

[gerigo]

Chrissy, we have the same pen! Thanks for the review.

 

Although I have had the pen for a while, I decided to bring it back to my regular pen rotation, partly because of the lovely BB nib. While using the pen, I formed a couple observations.

 

Although its called the Kaweco Sport, and it looks the part, it really is quite different than the cheaper regular sport version. Upon closer inspection, I realize there are lots of small details that are different between the pens. See the photos I attached of a comparison. Note the mold marks on the white Sport at the end of the barrel. Also note the threads are completely different. So much so I can't switch caps on both pens. This made me realize the pen is probably turned from rod stock and hand finished. Very different than the machine molded regular Sport.This explains why the pen is so much more expensive. If you think about it, it's akin to buying a hand finished Edison.

 

Really poor marketing from Kaweco to not help the customer understand why they are paying so much more for this pen.

[benbot517]

I really don't need an art sport, but they sure are pretty! Thanks for the review!

 

EDIT: I say I don't need one, but I may have to take it into consideration naxt time I think about getting a pen.

Edited January 5, 2016 by benbot517

[Chrissy]

Chrissy, we have the same pen! Thanks for the review.

 

Although I have had the pen for a while, I decided to bring it back to my regular pen rotation, partly because of the lovely BB nib. While using the pen, I formed a couple observations.

 

Although its called the Kaweco Sport, and it looks the part, it really is quite different than the cheaper regular sport version. Upon closer inspection, I realize there are lots of small details that are different between the pens. See the photos I attached of a comparison. Note the mold marks on the white Sport at the end of the barrel. Also note the threads are completely different. So much so I can't switch caps on both pens. This made me realize the pen is probably turned from rod stock and hand finished. Very different than the machine molded regular Sport.This explains why the pen is so much more expensive. If you think about it, it's akin to buying a hand finished Edison.

 

Really poor marketing from Kaweco to not help the customer understand why they are paying so much more for this pen.

 

 

Kaweco do market the ART Sport as being made from "high-valued acrylic resin that is machine turned by CNC machines and hand polished"

 

I agree that the ART Sport is quite different to the regular Sport version.

[Chrissy]

Thank you all for your kind words. You're all very welcome.

 

I was lucky enough to be able to keep this pen.

[Chrissy]

Is this one that could be turned into an eyedropper (which I know you can't with the AL models)? I've been considering one of the lower end Sports, particularly the purple or metallic purple.

This one is too pricy a pen for me at the moment, but it is pretty....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

 

I have seen clear Sports turned into eyedropper pens. Although there is no reason why this couldn't be turned into an eye dropper, I think that people generally tend to do it with the clear Sports or Ice Sports because you can see the ink swirling around inside the pen.

 

I asked Kaweco the question, and their response was that they don't recommend this practice as the feed isn't made to cope with that volume of ink.

[Barkingpig]

Thank you all for your kind words. You're all very welcome.

 

I was lucky enough to be able to keep this pen.

I am very happy you were able to keep this pen & from your review make others aware of the beauty of this pen.

 

I started with a green Sport & after receipt decided I wanted MORE!

 

The Amber/Tortoise Art Sport was discontinued before I became aware of the "Arts" & despite futile efforts to find one I purchased an AL Sport followed by the Brass, added a Cult Pens Dark Brown Sport, a pink All Sport & finally discovered SBRE Brown had a Tortoise Art Sport listed for sale on his site. I felt very fortunate to finally find a Amber/Tortoise & since it was his review of same that made me aware of the pen; I was doubly grateful for the opportunity to acquire it. I have BB nibs on each except a B on Dr. Brown's Art Sport & as much as I would like to try the 14Kt nib have not yet felt it necessary to spend more than the cost of any of my pens to do so. I may weaken someday but for now am just happy to have a small handful of these fun pens.

 

(I would probably be still tempted by a Copper Sport!)