Kaweco Ice Sport (Red) Review

[Aditkamath26]

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.

[TheDutchGuy]

Congratulations on acquiring a pen that you really like! I fully understand the appeal of the Kaweco Sport; I own an AL Sport and two regular Sports, all with different nibs, and they’re really good and fun pens. Baby’s bottom sometimes plagues Kaweco nibs, but if you get a good one... wow.

 

Great review, by the way. Enjoy your pen!

[namrehsnoom]

Thank you for the very detailed review and wonderful pictures of your pen. I am also a big fan of the Kaweco Sport model, although I prefer the metal finishes (especially the Raw Aluminum). With the metal finishes, the scratches that the pen accumulates during use simply add to the character of the pen. These Kaweco’s are fantastic EDC pens, and I also quite like the ease with which you can change nib units to experiment with different nib sizes.

[Aditkamath26]

Congratulations on acquiring a pen that you really like! I fully understand the appeal of the Kaweco Sport; I own an AL Sport and two regular Sports, all with different nibs, and they’re really good and fun pens. Baby’s bottom sometimes plagues Kaweco nibs, but if you get a good one... wow.

 

Great review, by the way. Enjoy your pen!

 

Thank you! I think I lucked out on this as well as the Goldspot exclusive one. My friend tells me the EF is a joy to use and the folks at Goldspot also tested the pen prior to shipping, so that's always good

 

Thank you for the very detailed review and wonderful pictures of your pen. I am also a big fan of the Kaweco Sport model, although I prefer the metal finishes (especially the Raw Aluminum). With the metal finishes, the scratches that the pen accumulates during use simply add to the character of the pen. These Kaweco’s are fantastic EDC pens, and I also quite like the ease with which you can change nib units to experiment with different nib sizes.

 

 

Always makes me happy, making these reviews. I do plan of getting a Brass Sport, the aging would be interesting to see.

[austollie]

Nice review. My Al Sport came with a clip, when I bought it about five years ago. Not that I find it all that useful.

[Astronymus]

I like the combination of red cap and blue ink.

[langere]

It's the exact same pen I have! I did not know about the eyedroppering capability. I will have to try it out!

 

These are great little pens made for traveling. I took mine along on a research trip to Bolivia two years ago. Worked like a charm, though with cartridges.

 

Erick

[Aditkamath26]

Nice review. My Al Sport came with a clip, when I bought it about five years ago. Not that I find it all that useful.

 

 

Thanks

Maybe the Al Sports do? Hmm...I don't know, I mean people will be mad if you have to spend extra on a 50+ USD pen to get a clip

[Aditkamath26]

I like the combination of red cap and blue ink.

 

Right!? First I had it inked with Edelstein Star Ruby. Though it wrote well, something about the looks didn't click. Then I put this one in and blue FTW!!

[Aditkamath26]

It's the exact same pen I have! I did not know about the eyedroppering capability. I will have to try it out!

 

These are great little pens made for traveling. I took mine along on a research trip to Bolivia two years ago. Worked like a charm, though with cartridges.

 

Erick

 

I'm yet to take this pen anywhere other than school, but it served its purpose well for writing notes.

If you do plan to ED the pen, do grease the nib collar first, else you'll have a leaking pen.

[jchch1950]

Thanks for the photos and information.Is the pen leaking from the nib or section if you keep it horizontal or in other position that is not with nib upwards?

[Aditkamath26]

Thanks for the photos and information.Is the pen leaking from the nib or section if you keep it horizontal or in other position that is not with nib upwards?

 

 

You're welcome. The pen leaks from between the section and nib collar (the black thing in the section). This only happens during writing though.

[jchch1950]

 

 

You're welcome. The pen leaks from between the section and nib collar (the black thing in the section). This only happens during writing though.

Thank you .

[txomsy]

Great review! You almost lured me into getting a new one

[Aditkamath26]

Great review! You almost lured me into getting a new one

 

 

Thank you If you do plan on getting the Ice Sports, hurry up. These are apparently discontinued.

[bbs]

Thanks

Maybe the Al Sports do? Hmm...I don't know, I mean people will be mad if you have to spend extra on a 50+ USD pen to get a clip

Not in my experience, having just bought two, neither of which has a clip! Great little pens though (although the Rose Gold finish wasn’t what I was expecting and I probably wouldn’t have got it if I'd seen it first, but hey ho).

 

Great review though, and very nice writing!

[Aditkamath26]

Not in my experience, having just bought two, neither of which has a clip! Great little pens though (although the Rose Gold finish wasn’t what I was expecting and I probably wouldn’t have got it if I'd seen it first, but hey ho).

 

Great review though, and very nice writing!

 

 

Thanks

As for me, the brass Sport and the Stonewashed blue are on my list.