Posts filed under Fountain Pens

Kaweco Skyline Sport Ocean Blue Limited Edition Review

You don’t have to twist my arm very hard to get me to review one of my all-time favorite pens. Make that pen in a limited edition color? Well, when Cityluxe asked me if I would like to check out their store exclusive Kaweco Sport Skyline in Ocean Blue that was about an easy of a “Yes!” As I could give.

What is it about the Kaweco Skyline Sport that I love so much? It is the best pocket carry/full-sized writing experience on the market. That’s accounting for everything from build, to performance, to price. Add it all up and it equals excellence.

Kaweco Skyline Sport Ocean Blue Limited Edition

My favorite feature of this pen is its main feature: It is compact when you carry it or store it away, but provides what I consider a standard pen writing experience with the cap posted. This is my most commonly used pocket fountain pen, by a pretty good margin.

When I say pocket, I mean it. This pen goes where I go, and despite being lightweight, the barrel holds up to all the dings and drops I put it through. In fact, I think this pen almost looks better in a well-loved state than brand new.

*It may be tough to see on the yellow pen, but this is what a well-loved Sport looks like.*

This Ocean Blue model doesn’t quite have the wear and tear as some of my older Sports have due to the Quarantimes we are currently living in. It travels in my pocket from desk to couch, but hasn’t had a chance to cohabitate with keys, pocket knives, phones, and any of the other mess normally in my pockets. I’m anxious for the day it gets to leave the house with me.

Kaweco Skyline Sport Ocean Blue Limited Edition Cartridge

I inked up the Ocean Blue with the supplied Kaweco Midnight Blue ink cartridges - probably my favorite of their ink lineup. This package ships with a six-pack of cartridges in a built-in area of Kaweco’s traditional tin box. I hadn’t seen this packaging design before, and thought it was a nice touch.

Kaweco Skyline Sport Ocean Blue Packaging

The use of short international ink cartridges present one of the drawbacks pocket pens have, and this Kaweco is no exception. If you are looking for large ink capacity, this is not the pen for you. And don’t bother with any of Kaweco’s attempts at converters for their Sport pens, unless you want to use them strictly for syringe filling your bottled inks.

The other drawback often mentioned around the Kaweco Sport is the inconsistency of their nibs, but that is something I rarely, if ever, experience - especially after a switch in manufacturing plants a couple of years ago. I normally use an EF nib in my Kaweco pens, but chose a Medium for something different. It’s just as consistent and smooth as any of my other Kaweco nibs.

Currently priced at $32, it is right in line with all other Kaweco Sport limited edition releases, especially since it includes a pack of cartridges instead of a single. You can get another 10% off by signing up for the Cityluxe newsletter, and Cityluxe offers a free gift of a 30ml bottle of Monteverde ink with the purchase of this pen, making the entire package a downright steal.

(Cityluxe provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, for which I am very grateful.

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!

Posted on May 18, 2020 by Brad Dowdy and filed under Kaweco, Fountain Pens, Pen Reviews.

Montegrappa Elmo Fantasy Blooms Blue Cross Gentian Fountain Pen Review

The Montegrappa Elmo is one of “those” pens. No, not the ones with the interminably long names, but rather, one of the ones that lands in the $150-$200 price range that I have been discussing so much recently.

While the Montegrappa Elmo Fantasy Blooms Blue Cross Gentian Fountain Pen might be the new product name length record holder, it’s also a heck of a good pen.

I’ve had my Elmo inked up and in use for several weeks to get a good feel for it, and I’m having a hard time coming up with a narrative thread to weave in this review. That’s a good thing, because that means that it just works. It looks great, feels great, and writes as well as any other out of the box experience I’ve had.

The standout feature of the Fantasy Blooms series is the materials used. I chose the vivid Blue Cross Gentian - named after a plant with vibrant blue flowers - but Iris Yellow and Black Star Calla Lilly are equally as bright and fun.

Based on the product images, I thought the Blue Cross Gentian would have more purple in it, but there are only a few swirls present. I noticed that Ana’s was almost identical to mine. I’m good with that because of how unique this material is. It’s more of an overhead shot of the Caribbean Sea, with the Mariana Trench added in for good measure. It’s a great look.

The Montegrappa Elmo has a great feel too. This model was first introduced in the early 1900’s, and enjoyed a long run as one of Montegrappa’s most popular every day writing instruments. The Elmo made its way back into the lineup in 2019 with a basic black barrel, but the standout of the return are certainly these Fantasy Bloom editions.

If there is one particular thing to consider when purchasing this pen it’s that the section is not overly long, so the back side of your fingers on the grip will rest on the barrel transition. That part of the pen is metal, but it is rounded and smooth. I have a low grip on most pens so it is a non-issue for me, but it is something to think about if you grip the pen higher on the section.

The steel Extra Fine nib in my Elmo, manufactured by Jowo, was wonderful out the box, and continues to be great the more I write with it. It’s firm, and surprisingly wet for a steel EF. I inked up this pen with Kobe NOLTY 70th Anniversary Blue, so it could be the ink that is responsible for this wonderful flow. Whatever it is, I’ll take it.

And I’ll take the Montegrappa Elmo, now, and in the future. At $200, it bumps right up against the ceiling of my new favorite price point, but this is a new realm for Montegrappa. I was a fan of the brand already, but if they continue to dedicate catalog space in this price point there will be more Montegrappa pens in my future.

(I purchased this pen at a discount from Vanness Pens.)

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!

Posted on May 4, 2020 by Brad Dowdy and filed under Montegrappa, Fountain Pens, Pen Reviews.

Kaweco Student Fountain Pen 50s Rock Blue Review

(Sarah Read is an author, editor, yarn artist, and pen/paper/ink addict. You can find more about her at her website and on Twitter. And check out her latest book, Out of Water, now available where books are sold!)

Love the look of vintage pens, but worry about the care and feeding of a working antique? Fortunately, there are a number of pen manufacturers making new, low-maintenance pens with a throwback fashion sense, and I am totally here for it. This Kaweco Student 50s Rock has that fabulous vintage aesthetic without any fuss.

It has a resin cap and body with gold-tone chrome trim, finial, and grip section. The body is a cream color that looks like aged white--like this pen has been treasured for decades (as it likely will be), and the cap is a pretty denim blue. The gold trim looks warm and elegant. The clip has a nice, functional shape with the work "Kaweco" and some scrollwork stamped into the metal. It is a firm clip, but with enough spring that it is easy to use while still protecting your pen. The top finial is the classic Kaweco tri-circle. The band is stamped with "Kaweco" and "Germany" with dots separating them.

The metal grip section is what surprised me most about the pen. It's solid, and lends quite a bit of weight to it. It feels front-heavy when you lift the pen, but it settles into balance nicely when written with. The grip section has a smooth hourglass shape that flares at the end to help prevent slipping. It does get a bit slick, but the shape stayed comfortable, even during long writing sessions.

The pen takes cartridges or Kaweco converters, and comes with one cartridge and one placeholder. Two cartridges can fit in the longer body, so it's easy to carry a spare. Unposted, I find this pen to be the perfect length. It does post, but not very deeply, and the weight of the cap, plus its added length, make the pen a bit awkward when posted, I feel. I do have very small hands, though.

The nib is a small, gold-plated steel nib. It has some scrollwork, the Kaweco logo, and the words "Germany, since 1883" stamped on it, along with the nib size. This one is a medium. Like my previous Kaweco nibs, I found this one to be a smooth, wet writer that is easily comparable to a Japanese Broad nib. It writes like butter on hot glass, except when it doesn't. I think this nib might actually be too smooth, and suffering from some baby's bottom, because it occasionally has hard starts. Once it gets going, it doesn't skip, but the first few strokes of the pen after it is lifted are hit or miss. I think this can be solved with some simple home-tuning, and it's definitely worth the few minutes that would take, as it is otherwise a nicely performing, beautiful pen.

Priced at $60, this pen might be a bit pricey for a student to buy, but it would make a lovely gift for one. It's a great build for a school or work pen, and the ability to carry a second cartridge is great for class or meeting notes. It will clip safely and securely to a pocket and look fantastic there.

I love my wee pocket Kawecos--the jellybeans of fountain pens. This pen is definitely several tiers up from those. It's in the same price range as the higher-tier TWSBIs and the mid-range Sailors and Pilots, and I think it definitely earns its place among those favorites.

(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!