Posts filed under Fountain Pens

Kaweco Student 70s Soul Fountain Pen: A Review

I saw the Kaweco Student 70s Soul Fountain Pen a few months ago on the Vanness Pens website. It was love at first sight--I mean who wouldn’t love a pen that looks like a creamsicle? Unfortunately, Vanness was out of stock, and I decided that it wasn’t meant to be. But, a couple of weeks ago there it was! The 70s Soul back in stock! So I ordered one immediately.

The pen comes in the usual Kaweco tin box with one blue cartridge.

Fortunately, I had a Kaweco converter in my stockpile, so I loaded it up with my favorite orange ink: Kyoto Kyo-Iro Higashiyama Moonlight (reviewed here).

The Student is a small pen, though it is not pocket-sized. It measures 5 and 1/8 inches/130mm capped; 4 and 3/4 inches/121mm uncapped, and 6 and 1/4 inches/159mm posted. Although the pen writes fairly well posted, I always feel like posting throws off the balance unless the cap posts deeply. This one does not.

I love the shade of orange used on the 70s Soul. It really does look like a creamsicle alongside the cream-colored barrel. The cap has a gold Kaweco finial, a gold clip engraved with the Kaweco name in cursive, and a gold band engraved with “Kaweco Germany.” The back of the cap also has “Kaweco Student Germany” printed in gold lettering.

The body has no branding at all, just a clean, uninterrupted line. I love how it tapers near the bottom. The grip is gold (presumably over steel). I normally don’t like metal grips, but this one isn’t heavy and my fingers don’t slide all over it. That said, it is a thin grip. I don’t own a caliper, so I can’t state the diameter of the grip, but it’s too thin to be comfortable for long writing sessions, at least for me.

I chose a steel, gold-plated fine nib for this pen. It’s a tiny nib, but, fortunately, it’s smooth and the tines are aligned. Kaweco nibs are often hit or miss, and I lucked out on this one.

Unfortunately, the converter is just okay. Ink tends to pool near the piston end, so I have to open the pen up and manually push the ink down toward the nib to keep things flowing. I’ve read that Kaweco pens work best with cartridges, but, dang it, I like using my matchy Japanese inks!

The Kaweco Student 70s Soul Fountain Pen is adorable. I love the colors, and it’s fun to write with (at least in short spurts). At $70 (converter not included) I think it’s way overpriced. I guess you’re paying for the Kaweco brand and . . . I’m not sure what else. It’s a plastic pen with a steel nib. I think $30 would be more reasonable for a pen of this size and quality. Vanness Pens has this pen in stock if you need some 70s soul in your life.

(I purchased this pen with my own funds with a reviewer’s discount from Vanness Pens.)

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Posted on May 10, 2019 by Susan Pigott and filed under Kaweco, Fountain Pens, Pen Reviews.

Conway Stewart Churchill Peppered White Bespoke Fountain Pen: A Review

(Susan M. Pigott is a fountain pen collector, pen and paperholic, photographer, and professor. You can find more from Susan on her blog Scribalishess.)

The Conway Stewart Churchill Peppered White is a bespoke pen--only eighteen were made. Vanness Pen Shop had one of the eighteen, and Brad purchased it (at a discount) for me to review on The Pen Addict.

Packaging is, of course, not the most important factor when reviewing a pen. But, when you’ve purchased a special pen, presentation can make it feel even more extraordinary. Conway Stewart definitely knows how to present a pen. The Churchill comes in a handsome leatherette box with a black velvet interior. Included are a certificate of authenticity, a user guide, cartridges, and a pen cloth to remove tarnish from the silver fittings.

The Churchill is an oversized pen, measuring 5.7 inches/146mm capped; 5.4 inches/138mm uncapped; and 7.1 inches/181mm posted. Unposted, the pen feels wonderful in the hand with excellent balance. Posted, the pen is ridiculously long and feels more like a wizard’s wand than a fountain pen. Actually, my Professor McGonagall wand is better balanced than this Conway Stewart pen is posted! The pen weighs 35gm total.

Although the barrel and cap are made of acrylic, both have brass fittings which gives them heft. The barrel screws onto brass threads, and the finial is attached to a brass piece in the cap. I like the fact that there is added weight near the grip because it makes the pen more comfortable.

The cap has a large, engraved black finial. The clip and cap ring are solid sterling silver. I love the shape of the clip which ends in a diamond, and the raised Conway Stewart logo looks classy. The cap ring has no branding, but the silver content is engraved in small letters.

The body of the pen is acrylic with a black grip and black finial at the bottom. Both ends are adorned with silver rings (two near the grip and one near the bottom).

The acrylic is called “Peppered White,” which is an apt name. It has white, gray, and black flecks and an occasional blue fleck.

My pen is fitted with an 18k gold two-tone fine nib. It has a simple design without any scrollwork. There’s a tiny British flag engraved underneath the breather hole, and the gold content and nib size are engraved near the base of the nib.

I’ve found the nib to be smooth and wet and unyielding. It’s definitely a Western fine with no flex or bounce. Although it writes well most of the time, occasionally it skips on downstrokes. Nevertheless, I really enjoy writing with this pen.

The Churchill is a cartridge/converter pen. I’m a little disappointed that a pen of this size and price point isn’t a piston filler, but the converter works well and supplies an adequate amount of ink to the nib. I definitely prefer a cartridge/converter over a lever filler (some modern Conway Stewarts are lever fillers), because lever fillers can be difficult to clean.

I am really pleased with my Conway Stewart. It’s a gorgeous pen with presence. The size and weight are perfect for me, but if you prefer small, light pens you won’t want this model.

Vanness only had one Peppered White in stock (and I now own it), but you can purchase this bespoke pen directly from Conway Stewart for $478.80.

(This pen was purchased at Vanness Pens with a reviewers discount.)

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Posted on May 3, 2019 by Susan Pigott and filed under Conway Stewart, Fountain Pens, Pen Reviews.

Matthew Martin Fountain Pen Review

“Brad, you need to come see this. It's going to be a problem for you.”

That’s how I first learned about Matthew Martin, and the pens he had on display at the Atlanta Pen Show. My friends know what I like, and when they come to me with a statement like that, I know what I’m about to see is going to be good. And it was.

Matt has been making his unique style of every day carry pen for several years. A quick scroll through his Instagram feed shows a wide variety of barrel materials and finishes, including very detailed machine work. It’s a glimpse behind the mad scientist curtain that produces such wild and varied designs.

One thing you will notice when scrolling through his page is the lack of fountain pens. That was a conscious effort in the beginning it seems. His market was the knife and tactical carry enthusiast. Retractable pens with glass breaker tips and Fisher Space Pen refills tend to lean that way.

The groundwork had been laid, and Matthew decided to start dabbling in fountain pens. And by dabbling, I mean making one of the best machined fountain pens I have ever used right out of the gate.

Storytime: As I was browsing through Matt’s table in Atlanta, my friends and I noticed something interesting. All of Matt’s fountain pens had Edison Nibs in them. Nothing wrong with that, of course, but we had to ask why. Matt told us he didn’t know where to get nibs from, so went to Goulet Pens, and bought all of the 16 Edison nibs they had in stock to use for his pens. How great is that?

That tells you where Matt is at in relation to the fountain pen world. We told him where he could source #6 Jowo nibs in the US (funnily enough, from Brain Gray at Edison Pens) and all had a good laugh about his commitment to making this happen.

While there was work to be done on the nibs, the pen barrels needed no such conversation. In fact, I was left curious at how Matt does what he does. I bought a full titanium, smooth barrel and section, fountain pen, but couldn’t help but be enamored by the mixing and matching of metals Matt offered. Aside from titanium, there were bronze, copper, and zirconium barrels - and mixtures of the various metals in different parts of the pens. On top of that, many pens had the added touch of additional machine work - be it a barrel cut out or section etching.

As simple as the pen I chose is compared to the rest on the table, I knew it was the one I was leaving with. I like technical and flashy, too, but for my first pen from a new brand I like to keep it straightforward, so I can get a good look at the manufacturing without being swayed by swirls.

When I look at my pen, I’m in a constant state of “I don’t get it,” as in, I don’t get how a machined metal pen is this clean and this refined. I use a lot of metal pens and am impressed by a lot of metal pens. This pen has set a new high bar for manufacturing refinement. Yes, I am gushing over this pen, as you have undoubtedly heard me do on the podcast over the last few weeks.

Two main features make this a perfect pen for me. One is the length. It’s neither short nor long. It’s perfect-sized - just long enough to hold a standard international ink converter, and have a good length grip section. There is no extra anywhere. Two, it’s lighter than expected for a metal pen. That is because Matt thins out the interior barrel wall to reduce weight while keeping it thick enough to retain its durability. Those two things combine to give this pen a great feel and perfect balance in hand.

If there is any downside to Matt Martin’s pens, it is that they may be priced out of your comfort zone. After what I have seen, and felt, and used, I think they are correctly priced, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t expensive. The model I purchased was the least costly at $295, and they went all the way up to $595 for a full zirconium pen, with additional barrel and section design work. Most of the two-tone models - which are next on my list - range from $395 to $495. All of the prices include a steel #6 Jowo nib. I bought a new steel EF SIG nib from Franklin-Christoph at the show to add a little extra awesomeness to my pen.

*Top to bottom: Sailor 1911 Standard, Matt Martin Titanium, Kaweco Sport*

If this is a style of pen you are interested in, then I can wholeheartedly recommend Matt’s work. They aren’t easy to come by right now, with most of them appearing for sale on Instagram as opposed to his website. If nothing else, he is one to watch.

When I entered the Atlanta Pen show, I had never heard of Matt Martin and had never seen his pens. Now, I own a pen that is never leaving my side. I look forward to the day when I can pick out my second one.

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