Kaweco Sport Ebonit Special Edition

[Fluegelfeder]

First of all:

 

My passion for fountain pens has been with me for more than 25 years now and has therefore changed many times: from classics from Germany to the pretty colorful divas from Italy to the noble Japanese fountain pens and back again and back again. In the meantime, a small core collection has emerged, but there have been no constants throughout this time - with one exception: No matter in which collecting phase I was and where my preferred collecting area was, different models of the Kaweco Sport have been added again and again over the years. It started when I first saw such a fountain pen at Manufactum in Hamburg a good 20 years ago (black in checkerboard pattern or diagonally striped). Since then, this concept of a pocket fountain pen has not let me go and I personally still feel the Kaweco Sport as one of the greats in this segment - literally, because unlike the vast majority of other real pocket fountain pens, the mini-converter fits inside and that is simply ingeniously solved for me.

Since I first came into contact with vintage fountain pens in Vienna in 2007, the desire for a Kaweco Sport in ebonite has been germinating, which I have also included here in some reviews from time to time over the years. And now suddenly - to my really big surprise - it is actually so far. When I came across the topic of Sport Ebonit the other day at in Münster while talking shop with Mr. Hille and Mr. Thoben, and there was actually news on the topic, I was very happy. And to let you share in my joy in this regard, I have made you below quite a few pictures J

 

Actual Review:

 

Packaging:

The 140th company anniversary set comes in a cardboard box with gold embossing of the company logo and name. Wrapped in black wrapping paper, it contains the usual booklet with care instructions, a sticker, a booklet with the company history, a 10 cardboard box with cartridges in all current Kaweco ink colors, the actual fountain pen and separately the gold logo clip (personally I would have wished for an additional converter and a leather pouch). 

 

Body:

This lovely piece is light... very light... my scale reads 9 grams.

For comparison, the plastic version is also 9 grams, the aluminum version is 19 grams, and the brass version is 45 grams.... 

The other dimensions are identical to those of the other Kaweco Sports, though subjectively I have the impression that the Ebonite feels narrower in the hand and even lighter than the plastic Sport; my calipers and scales prove me wrong in this regard, though: identical weight, identical dimensions....

 

Material: 

Eboniiiiite! Wonderful! I like the material very much - generally ebonite, but also specifically this (brownish)red-black version. (I'm always tempted to say 'red ripple', but it's not a 'ripple' pattern at all, rather simply striped).

It feels wonderfully warm in the hand, is excellently polished and yet not slippery, not even at 30° outside temperatures with sweaty fingers, which is why it was used for so long especially for sections (and is still sorely missed by me there today). By the way, a polite inquiry to Mr. Wunschel (Head of Marketing at Kaweco) brought to light a small overview of the material history of ebonite at Kaweco: The last Kaweco made entirely of ebonite was the Colleg #603 in 1937-45, and the Sport still had an ebonite cap in 1952-58 (the barrel was celluloid at the time ). Possibly more importantly, however, the first Kaweco Sport was also made of ebonite - in this color scheme. By the way, both the material and the production of the fountain pen are based in Germany. They are old stocks that senior boss Michael Gutberlet had stored for a suitable opportunity. In February of this year, the opportunity then apparently seemed appropriate, because there the idea of an Ebonit Sport for the 140th anniversary was born (- at this point my thanks for the effort of research to Mr. Wunschel)

 

Nib & Feed: 

Standard gold plated Kaweco steel nib unit. Opinions will differ here. Those who don't like the rather dry ink flow and the comparatively small nib per se will also be bothered by this. Others would certainly have liked a gold nib for this version. Personally, I find the gold nibs from Kaweco in no way superior to the steel nibs in their writing characteristics and am therefore rather pleased with the steel version, especially since there are various hand-ground stubs here that are easily replaceable and fit the fountain pen well. I actually wouldn't have liked the surcharge for a gold nib here. In addition, the company remains pleasantly true to itself in this regard: the other special editions, such as the recent Bronze, also have the steel nib ex works.

 

Fit & Finish:

Impeccable. There's really nothing to complain about: Threads perfect, polish flawless, company and series names pin sharp, cap logo picobello. The cap - in contrast to my Sport brass - does not have an internal ring that ensures that the shaft is centered in the cap, yet the shaft has symmetrically the same amount of distance to the cap all around when the cap is screwed on. And don't worry, nothing will dry out: an inner cap to seal the nib at the top of the cap is also available in ebonite. The areas around the internal thread of the grip to the body are not polished, which provides a little more grip when screwing. I can't say if it's suitable as an eyedropper like the plastic Sport models, but if you want to try it out: be careful with Vaseline! If I remember correctly, petrolatum is not compatible with ebonite. But overall, this eyedropper thing at Kaweco is fun, especially with the transparent plastic versions, because you can keep an eye on the fill level.

 

Price: 

Prices vary greatly on the web: among European suppliers, everything between roughly 280€ and 350€ is in there. As with all other fountain pens from all other manufacturers, the same applies here: One can argue about it. If I look at the current models in ebonite from other manufacturers, we are usually similar in price or above. In this respect, everyone can form their own opinion.

 

Overall impression:

I said at the beginning that I was very excited about the announcement. And the overall package fully lives up to my expectations. I especially like the details: I like the simple, contemporary and environmentally friendly paper packaging. I like that it doesn't have one blue cartridge in it, but a whole package. I especially like that it's a test pack with all the colors. I find it extremely convenient to be able to easily test through the ink assortment within the scope of delivery, without having to buy a pack of cartridges each time, only to find out that the color on the paper is quite different than the pack suggests. I like the enclosed clip, and that it's not pre-attached because it would involve scratching, which some would probably want to avoid. And most of all, I like the fountain pen: this classic and pleasant material just fits this classic fountain pen design perfectly. I would actually like to see more Ebonite special editions in the future; for example, a black version with the diagonal stripes that have still been available at Manufactum for over 20 years – but now in ebonite. Anyway, I'm looking forward to the new materials in the next few years with the Kaweco Sport series, which hasn't gotten boring for me one bit since its introduction. 

 

And now for the long-awaited pictures:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(No affiliation - just a happy customer)

 

 

[txomsy]

That is a real (and most tempting) beauty!

 

Thanks for the premiere and the great review!

[jchch1950]

Thank you for your comments and for the nice photos of the pen.

[amk]

That really is very nice ebonite and a fine polish on it. The presentation is lovely, too. Thanks for the review!

[Fluegelfeder]

Some more pictures to show the beauty of this material in sunlight:

 

 

[InesF]

What a great photo stream! Thank you, @Fluegelfeder, you managed to forward your passion and love for this great fountain pen to us - well done! 

(I especially love the wide depth of field of your macro photos)

[Andy1883]

Beautiful pen, beautifully photographed.  Thanks @Fluegelfeder.  It's on my wishlist.

[Ted A]

Wow that’s a beauty

[ralfstc]

That is a beautiful material! Well done to Kaweco for choosing a subtle homage and not going over the top.

 

And thanks to fluegelfeder for the thread!

 

Ralf

[Dip n Scratch]

One thing I have against the pen is the small piston converter you can get. This limited edition needed an aerometric converter that exactly fills the max space inside the barrel.

No way would I buy this limited edition. I have three conventional Sports already.

 

[MarcoA63]

can you use it as an eye dropper too? The small converter is really not good!! You have to use cartridges only wit this pen but if you can fill the barrel with ink then it is another thing!! Silicone grease on the section threads and it is ready to write

[Dip n Scratch]

I would have thought you'd need an 'O' ring on the section threads. Just wondering how much the heat transfer from your hand will make the pen blot. I don't think that Ebonite transmits so much heat as a standard Kaweco barrel.

[MarcoA63]

by looking at this photo 

Under the threads there is a groove, I guess you can put the o-ring there. But I think that silicone grease on the threads would be more than enough. Burping with hand temperature? I have no idea. But why make it with no metal parts on the section then? Ranga uses the same production approach. Just wondering. From the photos it looks amazing, but at almost £300 it seems a bit steep, I bought a 1929 Conklin for a bit more.

[Dip n Scratch]

This version of the Sport still has very thin barrel walls, wheras the barrel of an ebonite Ranga has thicker walls. Heat comes through into the ink inside the barrel from your hand Any air inside expands with the heat. The minute pressure rise forces the ink down through the feed.

The Sport's feed is more resistant to burping. If you try it: Be ready with blotting paper, or TP just in case.

 

I like the straight grain of the ebonite. I think Mr Pandurangan could have made a wonderful Ranga Sugarcane of it in simulation of the burnt & harvested cane.

I just think that the Ebonite Sport is very expensive for what it is. I have nothing against the Kaweco Sport's performance apart from the annoyingly small converter.