Kaweco Eco Leather Pouch Review

I was a bit surprised when I saw the Kaweco Eco Leather Pouches pop up at JetPens. Kaweco has made larger, sturdier pen cases in the past, making these seem like a bit of an outlier. I was even unimpressed when I first opened the package for the Liliput 1 Pen Pouch. It seemed thin and flimsy and I was concerned it wasn't such a good deal at $18.50. I was wrong.

I chose the single Liliput pouch because 1. The Liliput needs a pouch more than the AL Sport and 2. My pens would touch in the two pen pouch. The Liliput is so small it tends to get lost in my pocket, but sliding it into this pouch has made it perfect for pocket carry. The leather is thin and soft, allowing it to form to the pen very well. It is also breaking in nicely, getting some nice wear, which all leather goods need.

I can see the use for the single sleeve Sport pouch, but that size of pen just goes straight into the pocket without issue for me. The two-pen pouches seem too large for the pocket but will be fine in a backpack or purse.

Bottom line: The Kaweco Eco Leather Pouch comes in more handy than I thought. My Brass Wave Liliput has found a new home.

(JetPens is an advertiser on The Pen Addict and I received this product at no charge.)

Kaweco Skyline Sport Fountain Pen Review

I’ve long been a fan of the Kaweco Classic Sport fountain pen but it never made my daily rotation. I’m not the biggest fan of the gold colored nib and trim of the pen, after all. With the release of the new Kaweco Skyline Sport I can happily carry one of the best pocket pens on the market with fresh, new silver furniture.

Kaweco didn’t just just swap gold for silver and keep the barrel colors intact, they added Mint and Gray to the lineup, and also made Black available in the Skyline lineup. The blogosphere is in love with the Mint barrel - rightfully so - but I went with the more subdued Gray with an EF nib and couldn’t be happier.

If you are a fan of the Kaweco Classic you will be glad to know the nuts and bolts of the pen haven’t changed a bit. The same great design and functionality are found in the Skyline. It is a lightweight, compact pen when closed and full-sized for writing with the cap posted. It is easily comfortable enough to use all day.

What I like about the Skyline the most is that it is a no-frills pocket carry. The smooth plastic barrel just slides into your pocket, with no clip to snag on anything and no metal barrel to scratch up other items. It’s also cheaper than most pocket fountain pens so there is no fear in losing it.

The Kaweco Classic is a great all-around fountain pen and the Skyline fits right in to an already excellent lineup.

(JetPens is an advertiser on The Pen Addict and I received this product at no charge.)

An Introduction To Brush Pens

Fountain pens are pretty awesome, and gel and ballpoint pens have their place. I'm not totally on the pencil bandwagon yet, but I have been experimenting for a while with another genre of writing instruments: brush pens.

Before JetPens, I didn't know that brush pens existed. They're not a typical item you find in a office supply store or even an art store. I worked in a college bookstore that stocked lots of fancy art supplies, but never saw anything like this. That's why I purchased a couple so that I could see what they're about.

There's many different brands and models to choose from when you decide to try out a brush pen, but I went with the Pilot Petit3 first. I already owned a couple of Petit1 fountain pens and loved the form factor, so I knew the brush version would at least feel good in my hand and make me smile when I noticed the charming translucent design.

I won't lie – when I first tried writing with these pens, I was really turned off by how they felt. It's so different than anything I've tried. Most pens have a very firm tip that allows you to write in a very controlled way. Brush pens offer a different kind of control. You just need to back off a little.

Brush pens write the way they do because of a cluster of tiny fibers that form the tip. Since there's hundreds (thousands?) of these fibers in a cluster, you get a beautiful variation of line widths and ink flow. I would compare it to a flex nib, but I don't own one to compare it with.

After figuring out to press lightly and limit my upstrokes, I began to really enjoy writing with the pens.

These aren't pens that I would use to write for long periods of time. I've mostly used them to jot down notes and (more often) draw quick doodles. These pens are fun to play with, and that's a good enough reason to have a few. They're fun.

At just under $4, it's a pretty low risk experiment. Whatever you do, be more adventurous when you're picking out your colors. I went with black and blue, and the former is pretty boring. Check out the vibrant colors as they'll shade more and have more character! Personally, I think the Apple Green and Apricot Orange are a great combo.

Also, these pens (as well as the rest of the Petit line) are refillable. For about half the price of the pen, you can pick up three more cartridges. All 8 colors are available as refills, which is awesome.

These are a great introduction to the brush pen category, and you can't beat the value of the Petit line.

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