Pen Pit Stop : Kaweco Special Red

[namrehsnoom]

Pen Pit Stop : Kaweco Special Red

 

Welcome to the Pen Pit Stop. Here you will find reviews of pens that already have some mileage on them. More specifically, these reviews are of pens that are in my personal collection, and that have been in use for at least a year. I thought it would be fun to do it this way – no new & shiny pens here, but battered vehicles that have been put to work for at least a year. Let’s find out how they have withstood the ravages of time.

 

The fountain pen that enters the pit stop today is the “Kaweco Special Red”. Kaweco is a well-known German pen company, whose history dates back to 1883 with the foundation of the Heidelberger Federhalterfabrik (Heidelberg dip pen company). Circa 1899, Heinrich Koch and Rudolph Weber took over the firm and set up a production facility just outside Heidelberg. Soon after, they introduced the Kaweco brand name, which is derived from “Koch, Weber and Compagnie”. The brand is best known for its pocket pens of the Sport and Liliput range. 

I couldn’t find any information about exactly when the Kaweco Special Series saw the light of day. I know that the Liliput was first released in 2012, and from what I could find online the Special series launched at a more recent date. If you have more exact history info, please add it in the comments. Anyway, the Special series inherits the trademark octagonal barrel design, this time in a full-sized pen with a very slender profile inspired by the office pencils of the 1930’s. You also get the traditional tin box that forms the typical Kaweco packaging, but now in an elongated version that fits the size of this pen. I like the re-usability factor of this packaging: these tin boxes are excellent storage for cartridges and nib units of different sizes.

The Red was a 2021 special edition. I bought this pen in February 2022, and it has been in regular rotation since that time. My Special Red has been in use for over two years now, so the honeymoon period is over. Below I give you an honest review, flaws and all. 

 

Pen Look & Feel
The Special Series are metal pens with most models using aluminium (there is also a brass version). They are excellent everyday-use pens, with a minimalist and vintage feel to them. Too big to be pocket pens, but sturdy enough to throw them in your bag or backpack without having to worry about them. 

 

On the dome of the pen’s cap you can find the KaWeCo logo with a knurled ring connecting the dome to the octagonal section of the cap. The cap is screwed onto the body, and takes about three rotations to remove. Once removed you can screw it onto the back of the barrel for posting – a similar mechanism as the one used with the Liliput pens. Edged on the side of the barrel is the pen’s designation – in case of this Red Edition it specifies “Kaweco Collection FP Germany”, on other pens of the Special series it simply states “Kaweco Special FP Germany”.

 

The steel nib on this pen is the same as that of the Sport and Liliput models – a small nib that looks right at home on this slender pen.

The octagonal body concept is simply genius… it functions as a built-in roll-stop, that’s automatically incorporated into the design. Very Bauhaus ! No need for a clip, that would spoil the minimalist elegance of this pen. But this is also the point where the first flaw of the Special design shows up: when you take the brand-new pen out of the box, the flat areas on both cap and barrel line up nicely, creating an aesthetically pleasing continuity over the complete length of the pen. But that’s not how it works in practice! When screwing on the cap, or when posting the pen, it’s quite easy to get that alignment out of whack – see picture below. It’s just a matter of the amount of torque you used. It doesn’t bother me, but if you are susceptible to such imperfections, it will definitely irritate you immensely. And once you’ve seen it, I can guarantee you that it’s quite impossible to unsee it.

 

Posting your pen is a must for the Liliput (to give it some decent size to write with), but is completely optional for the Special series. These pens are large enough to comfortably use unposted – about 12 cm, a little bit shorter than an unposted Safari. And although the Special is a slender pen, it is wide enough to allow for a comfortable grip. Personally, I consider the Special series of pens the most comfortable Kaweco writers. These pens can certainly be used for long writing sessions. 

 

The Special is a cartridge convertor pen that can take both small and regular-sized standard international cartridges. Personally I prefer cartridge convertor pens because they are low maintenance and easy to clean. I’ve never understood the real (instead of imagined) value of piston fillers. When I want to use bottled ink, I simply syringe-fill a cartridge. Very easy, and a lot simpler and less messy than dumping the nib sufficiently deep into the ink bottle for the piston-filling to work. Yup… give me a cartridge convertor pen any time 😉

 

But… this is also where the second flaw of this pen makes its appearance. Both cap and barrel screw onto the center nib unit block, with a rubber O-ring separating them. When unscrewing the cap, it sometimes happens that you accidentally unscrew the barrel. It all depends on the amount of torque you used when screwing on barrel and cap. Sometimes the cap gives first, sometimes it’s the barrel. Not a big issue, but it’s sure to happen on a regular basis. 

 

There are a number of members in the Special family, and I like them all. The Special Red is definitely the most refined pen of the series: the dark burgundy red works really well with the otherwise gold-coloured accents, giving the whole a truly distinguished look. A superb desk pen for personal journaling. The brass pen is the all-terrain version of the Special – a pen that can take some beating, and that you’ll often find in my backpack.

 

 

 

The pictures above illustrate the size of the Special Red compared to a standard Lamy Safari. As you can see, the Special is a decent-sized pen, that can be used both uncapped or posted. The pen is certainly large enough to use comfortably, sparing you the hassle of screwing the cap onto the back of the pen. And the octagonal shape ensures that the cap won’t roll away. For me, the unposted pen has the ideal proportions for a comfortable writer. Of all the Kaweco models, I find the Special the one I will reach for at the start of a longer writing session.

Pen Characteristics

• Build Quality :  a well-machined pen that is very maintenance friendly. Build quality is excellent. Just be aware of the few flaws I mentioned above. The O-ring on the nib unit may wear down with time, but that hasn’t happened yet (and in that case, it’s a piece that’s easy to replace – you can probably find a replacement in a DIY shop). These pens get regular use, and after more than 2 years, they still look great. The Special pens with brass parts will patina of course, but that adds to their character. If you don’t like that weathered look, simply use a polishing cloth from time to time.
• Weight & Dimensions : decent-sized pens (comparable in size to a Lamy Safari), that can easily be used unposted. They are slender, but not excessively so – overall really comfortable in the hand, and well suited for long writing sessions. The aluminium pens are definitely light-weight, whereas the brass version is a lot heavier. You might prefer that one if you like some heft to your pen.
• Filling System : this is a cartridge convertor pen, that fits both small-size and standard international cartridges. I’ve never used a convertor with my pens, finding it much more convenient to just syringe-fill small cartridges. 
• Nib & Performance : I find the steel nib perfectly sized for this slender pen. Kaweco sells nib units in multiple sizes. I really appreciate that you can easily swap nib units. You don’t have to fear damaging your nib, since you can easily replace it. You can also experiment with different nib sizes. Steel nib units cost about 13 EUR – not expensive. The F nib on my Special Red wrote superbly out-of-the-box – really smooth and with good ink flow. 
• Price : about 79 EUR, including taxes. That’s a bargain for such a nice pen – great value for money.

Conclusion
The Kaweco Special Red is the perfect everyday-use pen, with a Bauhaus-style look that is both minimalist and elegant. It’s the type of pen design I really appreciate, and continue to enjoy after more than 2 years of use. I’m even seriously considering to add the black version to the family.

 

[lionelc]

much appreciated review as usual

[Jamerelbe]

A great review, thanks for doing it!  I picked one of these up on a deep discount at my local TK Maxx, maybe a year ago?  Initially it was a bit of a dry writer (EF nib), but the flow has improved with time.  Definitely a great EDC option!

[jchch1950]

Thank you for the review, as always informative and with great comments.

[Paul-in-SF]

Thanks for the review. This reminds me quite a bit of my Kaweco Elegance, which I bought about 5 years ago. I can't lay my hands on it at the moment to note the similarities and differences, but I found a photo online which helps. The body is matte black aluminum and 8-sided like yours, while the cap is tubular, with a clip, and in polished aluminum color. The length appears comparable, 121 mm uncapped. The cap screws to post, also like yours. I have found this pen very reliable, it has been inked for most of the time I've owned it, and it always wrote immediately. 

[InesF]

Thank you, @namrehsnoom, for this review with long term experience! 👍

I was sure, the Special is an older model than the Liliput. However, I can't find any information about its first introduction. Furthermore, I didn't know about the blue model - this escaped me completely. Great to see it here!

I can only agree about quality and sturdiness of those pens. They are great understatements in each pen case, as they look like "harmless" pencils. And, best of all, you can buy regular or special steel nibs for easy exchange.

 

I have a quite old and well used black Special set consisting of fountain pen, 2mm lead pencil and dip nib holder (which has a hollow body to safely store and transport up to three dip nibs). Sure I have the red model als well.

... and now I have to search for a blue ...  

[chromantic]

Ooh, I bought one of those because, well, red and to fill out an order of a couple Diamine Kopi O Kaw from Pen Gallery in Malaysia so the blanket $50 s/h didn't seem quite so exorbitant.