Kaweco AL Sport Fountain Pen Review

A friend of mine kindly sent this little pen over to me after a discussion about the TWSBI Mini vs Kaweco AL Sport.  You know who you are and I want to again say thank you for sending me such a fine pen to enjoy.

Kaweco is one of the pen brands that is most fascinating to me.  Even more so because it is a very old brand that is less mainstream; less publicized or flashy than other brands like Lamy (whom I also love).  There is kind of a mystique to the brand (for me) that produces this unique faceted design that has withstood nearly the last century. 

I was interested in finding some history around Kaweco and discovered this really great presentation of slides from Kaweco.com.  There are a lot of pictures that go through examples of Kaweco pens over the last 100+ years.  Pretty awesome as they have held very true to their heritage.  If anyone has any vintage Kaweco pens that they would like to share images of or stories about, please do.

I really enjoy metal barrel pens and the Kaweco is no exception.  Although small, this pen feels amazing in your hand.  It is well built, sturdy, and frankly, beautiful.  The body finish is more of a matte and is soft to the touch in a rich blue color accented with a silver logo and white lettering.   

It is a small pen, but with the cap posted it extends pleasantly out to the right size and feels very well balanced.  Although metal, it is light enough (yet weighty enough) to feel comfortable writing with for extended periods of time. 

Also being a small pen, the nib seems a bit tiny (about the size of a dime) when compared to a more full-sized fountain pen, but the writing experience is not hindered whatsoever.  Don't let the small nib psych you out into thinking it will be strange to write with!  

This particular Kaweco came with an EF nib which made me a bit nervous at first because I generally prefer a wider line, but I was pleasantly surprised at how much I actually like the finer nib.  It makes me slow down my writing a bit (and write smaller), but the ink flow was very good with the Kaweco blue cartridge and the line was nice and dark.  It made my handwriting a bit neater it seemed which is a plus.  I'm still putting it through its paces, but I'm enjoying it nonetheless.  I did order an M nib from Jetpens and may do a follow-up review to compare the ink flow when this cartridge is out. 

My thoughts about why Kaweco pens are less mainstream are because there is a limited selection of pen types, it is a "unique" product in size and aesthetic, and the price barrier to entry may be high for people.  The Classic Sports run about $20-25, but to make the jump to an AL Sport pushes the price up to $70+.  Without using or handling one, this would be something to weigh pretty heavily on before buying one.    

After handling my AL Sport ballpoint and also this AL Sport fountain pen, the build quality is superb and, in my opinion, worth the money.  It is a special item that also has a value of ownership all of its own.   

All I know is that from my experience this will likely not be the only AL Sport fountain pen that I own in the near future.  The raw aluminum is pretty enticing...  Cult Pens even carries a capped rollerball version in the raw aluminum; for convenience and looks, (and the fact that it takes the Schmidt Cap-less Rollerball) that one almost has me pegged too. 

Cross Click Gel Matte Black - Pen Review

It seems that I start most pen reviews with, "this pen has been on the radar for about a year", and the Cross Click is no exception to this.  Often times I'll see a pen online or happen to stumble upon one in the store that I forget about over time.  With the Cross Click, I recall being intrigued by the idea of a click-style Cross pen because it is definitely outside of the norm for them. 

I was looking on Staples.com for a completely different pen when I noticed a little add for a Cross Click Gel gift set that comes in a nice box with three refills.  This package normally retails at $40+, but they had it on sale for $15.  Sold.  The refills alone would probably be that much, so I felt like a got a good deal.  As of this review they are still at that price.  Not sure if Staples will no longer be carrying them? 

I traditionally haven't been a fan of Cross pens.  Not because they don't make great pens, but because they haven't really fit my style.  They always seem a bit too "gold" in color or too ornate for my tastes.  A bit gaudy maybe?   

When I saw the matte black Cross Click, I thought to myself that it could be a pen that may be something I'd like to try and I'm glad I did. 

I'm going to first start with the refill; I really like this one.  I was surprised at how much I actually enjoy it.  It lays down a nice dark line and I didn't have an issue of skipping once in my entire writing sample for the review.  I opted for the blue refill (included in the gift set) which has an appealing dark navy blue color.  It is pretty smooth, although not the smoothest I've written with, but the slight friction on the paper isn't a deal breaker.  As far as the ink flow and line width, I'd probably compare it to the Schmidt Cap-Less rollerball refill found in the Retro 51 Tornado which actually says a lot.  The Schmidt is still a smoother experience I'd say, but the Cross gel isn't far behind.

The body is very thin as it fits in line with most other Cross pens in this style which isn't my favorite, but the pen feels good.  The body has a good weight to it and is made of brass.  The matte finish looks cool and the silver accent ring around the knock and subtle "CROSS" lettering on both the clip and back are nicely placed. 

The knock on this pen is fun to click.  It is substantial and doesn't feel cheap.  I'd consider it a loud click, so be mindful of your neighbors... 

In my opinion, a great pen for a great price.  I really enjoyed the writing experience with this one and I'll probably keep it in my rotation of daily carries. 

As a side note, found out that the Karas Kustoms Retrakt accepts the Cross gel refill which would be a great option.  Visit the Kickstarter campaign to give them a look if you haven't already. 

 

Lamy AL-Star Ballpoint Limited Edition Black - Pen Review

The name of this thing is kind of a mouthful, but it is pretty sweet.  I've been eyeing the plastic Safari ballpoints for awhile and never took the bait, but when I saw this one I knew it was on the list to purchase.  I found this one on Amazon for $20 (plus some shipping) which I thought was a smoking deal and the company out of the UK that was selling it got it to my door in about a week.  Kudos to them for sure! 

Good weight and balance, and the metal barrel gives this pen a great feel.  The matte black finish of the Limited Edition looks really good.  I really enjoy the smoky plastic see-through part of the pen as it has been tastefully done.  The color makes it subtle enough to where it doesn't seem cheap that they made it out of plastic, but the plastic is thick and high quality and fits in with the overall build of the pen.  

 My thoughts about this plastic part are that they did it not so much for aesthetic, but due to manufacturing processes?  To make the part out of metal would require specialized casting or machining which would add to cost; just a hunch. 

Instead of doing the bold LAMY stamp into the barrel like they usually do, on the Al-Star, the LAMY is more of a subtle outline.  This looks classy to me 

I swapped out the refill with the Monteverde L132BU which replaces the Lamy M16 refill.  This was done on recommendation from Mary at From the Pen Cup in a review she did last year.  Thanks Mary!  The Monteverde is much smoother than the Lamy I've found, and I got it in blue which suits me better.

A feature I like about this pen is that they resized and repositioned the iconic Safari clip.  It is considerably smaller and sits a bit lower on the pen making it a better fit for shirt pockets.  When I put a regular Safari in my pocket it sometimes feels like the clip is barely hanging on because there is about a half inch left of "clip space" towards the top.  I'm not knocking on the Safari clip (because that would be blasphemy), but I find that I appreciate that Lamy did this on the retractable ballpoint versions. 

Being the same diameter as the regular Safari, these fit well into The Cube or The Block  found in The Clicky Trading Post.  Another shot below of the clip comparisons...

The knock has good stiff click to it that is enjoyable to use.  Very enjoyable!  My only concern long term with this pen is the rubber accordion cover over the knock that might be prone to splitting or drying out over time.  I guess we'll see, but I'd imagine the part might be replaceable through Lamy if needed.  

I'd have to say that I am extremely pleased with this purchase.