Guest Review: Cult Pens Mini Fountain Pen

(This is a guest post by Ron Gilmour, one of the lucky winners of the Pen Addict 100 giveaway. Thanks for doing this Ron!)

Several weeks ago (in April 2014), the Pen Addict Podcast celebrated its one-hundredth episode with some excellent giveaways. I was lucky enough to win one of the prize packages. The centerpiece of my package was a Cult Pens Mini fountain pen, made for the UK retailer Cult Pens by Kaweco.

Appearance & Design

This is a very attractive pen, at least if you’re into the German industrial look. Worshipers of the Lamy 2000 will love this. The body is made of anodized aluminum (or should I say “aluminium”?) with a brushed finish. This is not only attractive, but has a nice satiny feel in the hand. The center band, finial, blind-end, and grip section are all shiny, nickel/chromium-plated brass. The contrast between the brushed body and the shiny trim gives the pen a lot of visual interest.

The clip is flat and plain with a nice curved-under end to prevent snags when being pushed over the edge of a pocket.

The center band flares out from the body width (9.5 mm) to the width of the cap (10.5 mm). Seeing the pen closed, you might think that the band was part of the cap. The grip section is smooth, with four latitudinal grooves, presumably to make the section easier to grip. Smooth metal sections are among my least favorite pen features, so I was glad to see Kaweco think of this. As it turns out, I find it more comfortable to hold this pen above the grip section, with my fingers resting on the raised center band, so the section grooves are a moot point.

Fun design fact: the length of the brushed aluminum part of the cap is exactly equal to that of the brushed aluminum part of the body. This makes for a pleasant symmetry. Also, when you post the pen, a bit of the shiny blind-cap is still visible, forming a shiny boundary between the two brushed sections, so this symmetry is still there to entertain you when the pen is posted.

The pen is branded “Cult Pens / by Kaweco” at the top of the cap, opposite the clip, in an appropriate sans-serif typeface.

Construction and Quality

The pen feels every bit as solid as the Bauhaus aesthetic makes it look. Everything fits together perfectly. Perfectly machined threads and solid posting.

Weight & Dimensions

This is a true mini pen: seriously teensy weensy. Capped, it’s 105 mm (4.1 inches). Posted (and you will want to post it), it’s 123 mm (4.8 inches). Posted, the pen is shorter and slimmer than a Kaweco Sport. Since this is by far the smallest pen in my collection, I can’t really point to any similar-sized pens. This size range, I think, was more common among the “purse pens” of the 30s and 40s than it is among current market offerings.

Nib & Performance

The pen came with a fine steel nib. I’d say it’s on the finer side of fine for a western nib, certainly finer than a Pelikan fine. (Which is just about perfect for my taste!)

The pen wrote beautifully out of the box, with a consistent line of medium wetness. No tweaking required.

Filling System

This pen takes short international cartridges. Kaweco makes a converter that is available separately (the same converter used for the Sport and associated models). I don’t have one of these, so can’t comment on how it works. I do have a syringe, so I’ll probably just keep re-filling cartridges.

(Aside: The prize package also included a pack of Diamine Deep Dark Red cartridges. This is a gorgeous, dark-red-going-on-brown ink that is exclusive to Cult Pens. If you find yourself ordering the pen, you may as well get some uniquely English ink while you’re at it.)

Cost & Value

At £29.95 (about $50 US), I’d say this pen is a very good deal. It’s a solid, easy-to-carry mini pen that feel like it will last forever. The bad news for those of you not in the UK is that you’ll pay another £10 for delivery, but that’s per order, so you can treat that as a shopportunity and stock up on other stuff.

Many thanks to the Pen Addict and Cult Pens for gifting me this great pen!

Kaweco Dia2 Fountain Pen Review

You do know Kaweco makes full-size fountain pens alongside thier already awesome pocket-size fountain pens, right? The Kaweco Dia2 is another of the big batch of products Kaweco sent me for review and it might be my favorite.

The Kaweco Allrounder is a decent enough looking pen, but not really my style. The Kaweco Elite is my style, but is a big, chunky pen that may be too much for others. The Kaweco Dia2 is just right in all the right places.

Simple. Classic. Understated. These are the words that describe the Dia2. Sounds boring, right? It is far from that in my mind. There are so many things that makes this a great pen. From a design standpoint, little touches like the knurling on the cap and end of the pen harken back to the original Dia2 which was released in the 1930's. The clip and Kaweco badge on the top of the cap are not unique to the Dia2 but the style of each fits this pen perfectly.

What I enjoy the most about the Dia2 is the grip section. Kaweco has done an excellent job unifying the barrel between the section and the body. The transition is smooth outside of the threading, which you hardly notice because there is no step to speak of. Sometimes a deep step in that area causes grip uncomfort but that isn't a problem here.

This nib, of course, is excellent. The Dia2 uses the same nibs found in the Kaweco AL Sport line and are easily swapable with a quick twist. I used an F nib with Kaweco Ruby Red bottled ink that Kaweco also provided. My lines were tight and clean and I liked the red ink better than I imagined.

While I find no downside to the Dia2, if I were King of Kaweco I would love to have this pen as a piston filler. It is cartridge/converter fill which doesn't bother me one bit, but this pen is screaming for a piston mechanism. At around $100 it is competing with the Pelikan M205 and the piston filler is the lone, and large, differentiator. Regardless, I'm happy with the Dia2 as-is and it works its way into my daily carry frequently.

Huge thanks to Kaweco for sending me this pen and ink to review. I think I have a few more goodies in the box to get to so stay tuned!

Kaweco AL Sport (EF Nib) Review

The Kaweco AL Sport seems to be one of the first "premium" pens that beginners pick up after they try a few < $50 pens. I know that a $76 pen doesn't really count as premium, but when you're new to the world of nibbed writing instruments, it seems like a lot.

And I completely understand why the AL Sport is a popular pen. It's gorgeous, well-built, portable, and classy. It's a great all-around pen, and it doesn't break the bank.

Now, I should explain that this review is about the same pen that I had so much trouble with when I first got it. You can read all about those problems, as well as the solution, in the article about correcting baby's bottom.

In this review, I won't let any of my previous feelings and conclusions about this pen influence what I think about the pen now -- the corrected version that I believe Kaweco strives to produce. Although, maybe they could strive just a little bit harder, but that's beside the point. Off we go!

Look and feel

I went with the black model of the AL Sport, but it was a really difficult choice. They all look great. In the end, the matte black sheen won me over, and I'm extremely happy with it.

The AL Sport comes in a fancy Kaweco tin, unlike the regular Classic Sport models. On first picking it up and sliding it out of the plastic sleeve, I was surprised by how light it was. I was expecting something a bit heavier. Upon closer inspection, I was blown away by the build quality of the pen. It seems to be made from a block of aluminum. The pen screams quality and precision. The threads are solid and fine, which make it feel even more secure when screwing the cap or the body. There's no play at all.

In my hand, the pen feels well-balanced and easy. I've written for periods of 30 to 45 minutes with this pen. I wasn't uncomfortable, but I did find myself wanting a longer pen after a long period. This isn't so much a hit against the Kaweco as it is my own preferences. Besides, when you make a portable pen, it's understood that you sacrifice part of the writing comfort. Overall, it's a completely comfortable pen.

Being metal, the pen is susceptible to scratches, but it hasn't scratched or scuffed nearly as much as I expected it to. This is a delightful surprise, but I also won't be upset when it starts developing more character over the years.

This is an attractive pen that feels good in the hand, looks good on the desk, and won't break in my pocket or bag.

Writing performance

When I first received the pen, the writing performance wasn't the best. Again, you can read the article for more details on that. After tuning the nib for a while, it writes really well.

The EF nib puts down a line that is on par with other EF nibs from German manufacturers. Lamy might be a hair finer, but not much. Putting pressure on the nib results in a slightly wetter, broader line that resembles a medium nib width.

The nib flows across the page with little effort. Due to the size of the pen and the way I usually hold my pen, I tend to choke my grip toward the nib, resulting in scratchy writing. When I notice this, I back off my grip and lighten my touch. When I'm using the proper grip, the nib feels like silk. The proper grip for me means that I'm gripping the threads for the cap. I know that some people really dislike this, but I actually like it. It provides a nice grip. I'll also note that the threads are shallow and very close together, so it feels more like a texture instead of ridges.

Due to the size of the pen, the weight of the pen tends to go more toward the nib side. Again, the fix for this is mental, meaning I have to mindfully keep my posture and grip on check. It's a small, metal pen, so some imbalance is expected. Like I said earlier, I can achieve a great balance if I back off my grip and loosen my hand.

Ink filling mechanism

The Kaweco accepts international short cartridges. This means you have lots of options available outside of what Kaweco offer. They also offer a converter, which is fairly new to the market as far as I know. I haven't tried it, but it looks like it won't hold much ink. I've been happy with just filling old cartridges with a syringe.

Conclusion

This is a great pen that delights me every time I use it. That wasn't always the case, but I'm glad it is now. I wouldn't recommend this pen until you've tried a Classic Sport. In my opinion, the writing experience for the Classic Sport and AL Sport is nearly identical. If you find that you don't prefer the Classic Sport, you likely won't enjoy the AL Sport either.

The Kaweco AL Sport has a multitude of color and nib options. The hardest part of buying one is figuring out which one to pick. Black, blue, gray, silver, and raw finishes all look fantastic. Plus, you can easily swap out the nib you purchase with the pen with another fairly cheaply.

(You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution, Twitter, and App.net.)