Over the last year or two, Kaweco has expanded their offerings quite a bit. Not necessarily with new models per se, but existing models out of new materials. Examples of this would be the Kaweco Sport in brass and the Liliput in copper, brass, and stainless steel.
The Liliput is a very small fountain pen, likely one of the smallest on the market, and the original aluminum version is very light and a bit "dainty" for those of us with bigger hands. Not that the pen itself isn't usable, there just isn't quite enough substance there for comfort in my opinion.
This is where these newer material offerings come in... expanding the line into these denser and heavier materials has shifted that sentiment considerably. I reviewed the waved brass version almost exactly a year ago (has it been a year already?) and was impressed then by the added weight.
When the stainless steel version of the Liliput hit shelves I knew eventually I would want to give it a look over. I enjoy brass and copper pens due to their heft, but really don't enjoy the smell associated. It won't make me stop using a pen, but is just one of those things.
Thanks to JetPens I was able to acquire the stainless steel Liliput, so special thanks to them for providing the pen for me.
The first noticeable things about the stainless version is the heft. Inked up it comes in at just about the same as the brass at 23 grams (compared to the 8 grams of the aluminum). This added weight provides such a contrasting experience for such a small pen and makes it considerably more enjoyable and comfortable to use.
The aluminum version of the pen is durable enough being metal, but the threading feels thin and light weight make it feel a bit more fragile if that makes sense. On the contrary, the stainless version feels like a tank. Everything is sturdy, the threads feel secure and strong, and all of the components seem more likely to withstand some serious wear and tear.
Like its Sport cousin, the Liliput is designed to be posted while writing. At just around 3.5" unposted, putting the cap on the end pushes it up to around 5" which puts it in range with many normal length pens.
I ordered this one with a fine nib and haven't been disappointed in it. Kaweco nibs seem to be traditionally hit or miss unfortunately. The flow could be just a bit more and the nib seems to be a little "grabby" on the page, but isn't scratchy. Larger nibs in the medium, broad, or double broad I've always seemed to have trouble with in Kawecos, so I tend to stick to the finer ones.
Someone asked me if I've ever gotten nib work done on a Kaweco and I answered no so far. With many of their pens coming in under the $70 range, it has been hard for me to justify $30-50 on nib work. Would I love an architect grind on an Al Sport? Sure, but I'm not certain dropping the added dough would make sense to me. Thoughts on this?
The stainless version of the Liliput will set you back another $40 over the aluminum, but if you love the design and portability but wish for more weight, I'd stand behind this pen as a good purchase. I've bought gobs of Kaweco pens and even with their occasional nib issues I still enjoy the brand and recommend it.
My hope is that they will release a stainless steel Sport model too...
Thanks again to JetPens for sponsoring this post!