A couple of months ago, while doing some internet surfing, I discovered a local online pen retailer called Noteworthy Stationery . I'd never heard of them before, but they were located in Burnaby and their website stated "We are an authorized retailer of Caran d' Ache, Dux Sharpeners, El Casco, Graf von Faber-Castell, Kaweco, Lamy, Traveler's Company and many more".
They offered free Canadian shipping on all orders over $95, but even more attractively to me (pen-budget-wise ;) they offered the choice of paying in installments via Sezzle. I'd used this hassle-free, interest-free payment service for some pen purchases from Fendrihan.ca with zero problems, so I placed an online order with Noteworthy for a Kaweco 'Steel Sport' fountain pen ... and here's the little beauty that arrived a few days later:
The Kaweco 'Steel Sport' model is a German-made, stainless-steel fountain pen with chrome trim and a very attractive brushed metal finish. If it looks familiar, it's because it's essentially a slightly longer (by 0.3cm) but much-heavier version of the ever-popular 'Sport Classic'. The plastic Sport fountain pens weigh a mere 0.33 ounces/9 grams empty and the
aluminum ones weigh 0.68 ounces/19 grams empty. Both are considerably
lighter than the 'Steel Sport' (1.38 ounces/39 grams empty) and 'Brass Sport' (1.48 ounces/42 grams empty)
fountain pens.
I own several plastic 'Sport' fountain pens and yes, they are a lot lighter than my 'Steel Sport', but the steel version still feels comfortable in my hand (when posted, of course--it's too short to use unposted) because it's short and well-balanced. It actually has a *pleasant* heft to it, by which I mean that it feels solid in the hand, but not overly heavy.
The steel Medium nib that came with my 'Sport Steel' is a wonderful writer---very smooth and consistent in terms of ink flow; I couldn't be happier with it :)
The 'Sport Steel' model comes with EF, F, M, B and BB nib options, but if you'd prefer a different nib than the one your pen came with, you can buy 'Sport' nibs separately. They come in various nib widths (EF, F, M, B and BB) and different materials (steel, gold-plated steel, black PVD-coated steel, 14K gold - single & two-tone -- and rhodium-plated 14K gold). Kaweco also makes "calligraphy" nibs for the 'Sport' in 1.1mm, 1.5mm, 1.9mm and 2.3mm, but they are only available in "regular" steel (ie. not gold-plated or black PVD-coated steel).
Tip: Jet Pens has a comprehensive guide on how to swap out the 'Sport' nibs here that's worth reading because the nibs on the metal 'Sport' pens (the 'AL Sport', 'AC Carbon', 'Brass' and 'Steel') are removed in a different manner than the plastic versions ('the Classic', 'Ice' and 'Skyline').
I love the look of the pen's brushed steel finish, its texture .. and the fact that the metal has no smell at all, unlike its brass counterpart (not a criticism, just an observation).
Here are CultPens.com's thoughts on the finish: "Brushed steel is a classic finish for pens. It's strong, hardwearing,
and looks good. The brushing on these Sport pens is a little unusual,
though, as it's brushed on a diagonal, giving it a very subtle pattern
that just looks a little different. As with all uncoated metal
pens, while it's tough, knocks and scratches will mark the surface,
leaving a story of your time with it. Sport pens were made to live, not
to be displayed."
And finally, here's a quick shot of my current collection of Kaweco 'Sport' writing instruments:
Photo above (top to bottom): 'Sport Steel' fountain pen, 'Sport Classic' fountain pen in "Bordeaux" colour, 'Skyline Sport' fountain pen in "Fox" colour, 'Sport Ice' fountain pen in "Ice Red", a 'Metallic Sport' (?) rollerball in red/pink, and a 'Sport Classic' ballpoint in black with guilloche pattern (this ballpoint model --the KW 0100 UV-- came out in 1996 and is branded "Kaweco Sport by Diplomat")
Regarding those clips (made by Kaweco) in the photo---There are two different Kaweco 'Sport' clip styles -- one with a curvy
shape and etched design that looks like a snake, and another clip type that's straight and unadorned (both types are shown above) The straight clip only comes in two
colours (silver and gold) whereas the curvy clip (referred to as the "N clip") comes in four (gold, silver, bronze and black colours). Both clip types are sold separately from the writing instruments, but they're not expensive (less than $4 CAD).
References:
--Not sure which Kaweco 'Sport' model to get? Check out this very helpful article on JetPens.com - 'Kaweco Sport: A Comprehensive Guide'
--An excellent, well-illustrated, in-depth look at the (surprisingly-long) history of the Kaweco 'Sport' writing instruments - 'Kaweco Sport History' document (34 page PDF)
--A Kaweco 'Sport' fan website that might also be of interest is Kaweco-Madness.com. This collector also has a very active YouTube account (OdE on YouTube) with lots of good info about these models (and other fountain pens, too).
(photos & review by Maja)
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