Ever since I've gotten my hands on a Kaweco AL Sport I've been hooked. By far, I think it is the best option the company has going for it at the moment and with a starting price of around $75 I feel that the value is there.
A brief description of the AL Sport would be that it is a compact pocket pen with a lot of class mixed with some neat design and history. The Kaweco Sport line is running close to having been around for nearly a century which is a pretty amazing feat. At some point it would be cool to get my hands on a vintage "original" sport, but not sure where would be best to find one (or how much one would cost...).
What makes the AL Sport line so appealing (for me) is it's unique faceted cap design, small size, and the feeling of quality I get while using it. The design is almost a bit odd if you really think about it, but perhaps that is what makes it so intriguing. Almost like you're not sure whether it is "attractive" or not, but it draws you in and definitely has a beauty all it's own.
Upon seeing the newly released Stonewashed series I knew I would likely be picking one up to add to the collection. I know it is pretty much cheating on aging a pen, but the tumbled and weathered look of this edition pulled me in.
Not all pens could pull off a tumble finish so gracefully. What makes the AL Sport an ideal pen for the job is the sheer number of subtle edges and sides it has, particularly in the faceted section. The corners of the facets aren't sharp in any way, but when tumbled it creates just enough of an edge to wear nicely through to the metal while keeping the faces full of color.
Very cool.
One of my favorite parts where the pen has seen weathering is the grip and threaded section, mainly from an aesthetic standpoint. It seems to stand out to me and each time I uncap the pen I enjoy seeing it. I'm not sure which process they used for tumbling, but they did just enough not to wear it down too much, but to definitely give it an aged appearance.
Nestled safely in their One Star Leather Goods sleeves
From a more tactile standpoint, the tumbled finish does give the pen a different feel than the standard blue AL Sport. It actually feels a little softer which is somewhat odd; maybe more smooth is a better description? The regular AL Sport has a subtle texture which is pretty much worn off completely in the stonewash.
Now, is the writing experience going to change? Of course not, but the pen does look pretty awesome. From a writing perspective, my experience has shown that Kaweco nibs in an F and EF are exceptional while larger nibs tend to be less smooth. For the Stonewashed I went with an EF as I've found it to be my personal ideal with these little pocket pens.
The Stonewashed edition wasn't available from any of my regular US based retailers like JetPens or Pen Chalet, so I was forced to go to Amazon... I anticipate that these beauties will be hitting these shops at some point in the future.
For UK and Europe readers, Cult Pens does carry these in fountain pen, ballpoint, and rollerball versions in either blue or black.
Ana from The Well-Appointed Desk also let me know that Fontoplumo from the Netherlands carries these. Ana has a promo code listed on her site for 10% off any order from them as well!
From a price standpoint, the Stonewashed does carry a slight premium of about $10-15, so be prepared to pay a little more for them.