Kaweco 14k Gold Two-Tone Medium Nib Review

I like new fountain pen nibs almost as much as I like new fountain pens. Many companies offer replacement nibs for their pens, and for those that do, I find myself owning at least two different nibs. Why? Swapping an EF nib out for a 1.1 mm stub, or something similar, gives a completely different writing experience and makes for a more useful pen.

Kaweco, on the whole, makes this very easy to do. When I was just a novice fountain pen user it was eye-opening when I first found out how to change a Kaweco nib. This amazed me, because something that I thought was too advanced for me at the time was so simple. I had no idea at the time how it would open up an entirely new world to me.

I have several Kaweco pens on my desk, but I use a total of two nibs between all of them. A stock steel EF nib, and a modified B nib that Shawn Newton turned into a cursive italic, as seen in action here. This way, I always have my favorite nib handy for use in whichever compatible Kaweco I want to break out.

I've been anxious to try out one of the new Kaweco 14k nibs since I heard of their existence, so I appreciate Kaweco loaning me this one for review. It is a real stunner to look at, with the two-tone gold making a great visual impression. Performance wise, it is just as you might expect. It is smooth, soft, and consistent, with a feel similar to its German counterparts such as Pelikan or Lamy. The medium nib is not fine enough for my taste, so I would be looking to modify it, but those who like a wide Western line should enjoy it.

The price is as you would expect for a 14k gold nib these days, if not a touch high. Fontoplumo is the only place I see it available right now and it will run you €120, or approximately $140. I'd be more comfortable paying closer to $100, but with the versatility it brings in fitting a huge range of Kaweco models (Liliput, AL Sport, AC Sport, Luxe Sport, Special, Allrounder, Dia chrome, Dia gold, Elegance, Student) it may be worth a splurge.

Check out more reviews of the 14k solid colored BB nib at Gourmet Pens and The Well-Appointed Desk. My thanks to Kaweco for letting me test out this excellent nib.

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Kaweco Liliput Fireblue Fountain Pen Review

Reviewing the Kaweco Liliput Fireblue was a huge challenge, more so than any other pen I can remember. There is so much to discuss with it that even finding a starting place is difficult, but let's give it a shot.

The Fireblue pen came about as a special project from Kaweco CEO Michael Gutberlet. Each steel body Liliput - the first in this material I am aware of - crosses Mr. Gutberlet's desk to be individually tempered with a 600 degree flame to give them their distinctive look. JetPens has a great video showing how these pens come to life:

The colors that result are amazing. I got this pen sight unseen and when I opened the package to see what was inside it was a definite "whoa" moment. The blues, purples, coppers, silvers and nearly every other color of the rainbow had me inspecting every millimeter of this pen. It is fascinating to look at each and every time it is put into use.

Using it is great too, as it is with all of my Liliputs. The size makes it the most portable fountain pen on the market, and the steel body gives it a weight that the standard aluminum doesn't have and is close to the brass model. The nib I use is the bold cursive italic I swap between all of my Kawecos. Its crisp, sharp line is one of my favorites.

Since each Fireblue is hand finished it causes the pens to be somewhat supply constrained. They aren't limited but are a JetPens exclusive and the first batch of 40 or so pens sold out in a matter of hours. That shocked me to be perfectly honest because at nearly $170 this pen is very expensive. This is where my original dilemma comes in. Do you know what kind of awesome pens you can get for that price? It's a long list, and you could even grab multiple pens, and throw in some ink to boot.

So it boils down to this: The Kaweco Liliput Fireblue is pure luxury. Yes, many of the products I talk about that fit that description, but this one especially so. If you want a nice, portable fountain pen, you can grab the aluminum Liliput for $55, or upgrade to the amazing Brass Wave for $83. Is the Fireblue worth more than twice that? More people than I thought believe so. The market doesn't lie.

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

Cult Pens Mini Fountain Pen Black Edition Review

(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)

When Brad sent me the Cult Pens Mini fountain pen to review, the first thing I noticed was the BB nib. I'm kind of disappointed to say it's my first time writing with this size nib, but I'm glad I had the chance. It's not nearly as wide as I thought it would be, but it's so, so smooth.

Anyway, we'll get to the nib a bit later. Like I said, Brad sent me this pen to review and I was pretty excited to put it to use. So, who makes this stylish black pen? Cult Pens designed it, but it uses Kaweco nibs. In my opinion, a great combination. 29 pounds (about $47) is a fairly good price for a metal pen with a nice Kaweco nib. So, how does it stand up against other mini pens? Not bad, but it might not be for everyone.

First off, this pen really is mini. It's nearly the same exact length as a Kaweco Sport, but much slimmer. The black body and silver metal accents give it a classy, elegant look, and the small size makes it even more interesting to the eye. When you pick it up, it has a nice weight to it without being hefty. You can tell it's made of metal, but it's still lightweight and solid. The one thing that put me off initially about the look of the pen is the Cult Pens logo on the top of the cap opposite the clip. It's a bit large and the spacing between the letters seems cramped. Also, the typeface could be more elegant. It doesn't seem to match the overall style of the pen. But, those are minor niggles.

The cap screws onto the pen, and the threads feel good. No squeaking or harshness in the turns. Like most Kawecos, I can't use it without posting the cap. The cap posts solidly on the bottom of the pen, and it turns it into a decent length for writing.

Everything is good for me so far, but then it takes a major hit when it comes to the grip. Personally, I love metal grips. This is a metal grip, but it's just too thin for me. I can't get a comfortable grip on the pen because my fingers are too close together when writing. Also, I'm not a huge fan of the scoring in the grip – four rings around the grip that don't seem to help my grip problem.

This is usually a problem for mini pens – when creating a small pen, there will always be trade-offs. This won't be the pen I use to write a 5,000 word essay in class, but it is a great pen for everyday carry and jotting down quick notes. And, if you like small grips, this might be perfect for you. There's nothing wrong with the grip, it just doesn't fit my hand and writing style.

Moving on from the grip, the section unscrews from the body to reveal a nice interior. Again, this pen does not feel cheap at all. Everything is made of high-quality metal and machined precisely. Of course, it takes the same cartridges as any Kaweco, plus any international shorts or short converters.

The clip is strong, which is important for a mini pen that will likely be put in bags, pockets, purses, and so on. If you clip this pen to something, it's not coming off by accident.

Now, to the writing experience. I'm so pleased to say that this is the first Kaweco I've used that was fantastic out of the box. Being a BB nib, it's a smooth, wet line that is probably 1mm at its thickest point. Writing with this nib is a pleasure. It's a bit thick for thin-ruled notebooks, but it's so smooth that it makes up for this small problem. I've really enjoyed this nib, and I'm almost convinced that I should try out some more Kawecos – but not quite yet.

What I am definitely convinced of is that I need to get out of my rut of nib choices. I generally always go for a fine nib, which is good most of the time, but also pretty boring when every pen I own is the same tip size. Trying out the BB nib was a great experience, and I need to branch out more into medium (of which I own a few) and also purchase my first B nib. Ya know, for comparison's sake.

I wish I had a Kaweco Lilliput to compare this pen to, but I don't. I can only assume it's very similar. But, the design of the Cult Pens pen is much different, which will appeal to a different set of customers and writers. If you're into mini pens, this is a great place to start. This is a well-built pen that won't let you down.

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