Posts filed under Kaweco

Kaweco Liliput Brass Ballpoint Review

If there were ever a pen in need of a built in tracking device it would be the Kaweco Liliput Ballpoint.

I love pocket pens about as much as any other subset of pens or pencils I can think of. Manufacturers these days build durable, functional, and great performing pocket pens. The only catch is the obvious one: They are easy to misplace, or even lose.

That's where I was a week ago with the Brass Liliput Ballpoint. I had been carrying and using it in preparation for this review, and took it on a trip with me to an out of town baseball tournament. I keep score for my sons team in a traditional scorebook, and was planning on using this pen for the task.

As it turns out, I left it back in the hotel room before the first game. I keep my Brass Fisher Space Pen in the car for situations just like this, and it became my scoring pen for the weekend. (I use pen in the scorebook instead of pencil. When it's 90+ degrees outside my hand and arm sweat smear pencil marks, which drives me insane.)

I went on about my fun-filled weekend and forgot all about the Liliput. This came into play the following week when I wanted to continue using it in preparation for this review. It had left my mind so completely I didn't remember where I had put it, or that I had even taken it with me.

I looked for it around the house for a couple of days, then gave up. I only stumbled back on it because I was looking for a power cord in the backpack I took. There was the Liliput, tucked neatly inside the Field Notes Campfire Edition that I had brought. I felt like a big dummy, but I was happy my pen was found.

You'd think stories like this would turn me off pocket pens completely, but that's not going to happen. I love this pen, and others like it.

I prefer the brass Liliput over its aluminum counterpart, mainly due to the weight of the pen. The aluminum model has an airy feel, while the brass has some density to it. It's not a weighty pen by any stretch, but you can feel it unlike the aluminum model. You think the brass model is easy to lose? The aluminum model laughs at your silliness.

Two areas where the Liliput beats the competition in my mind are it's retractable deployment and the use of D1 refills. Most pocket pens are capped - like the Fisher Space Pen - and therefore take more time to start writing. Those with a knock - like the Lamy Pico - are two to three times the size of the Liliput. I love both of those pens too, but it goes to show you how different the Liliput is in this category.

The use of a D1 refill gives this pen flexibility its competition can't offer either. Kaweco's stock blue ballpoint is fantastic, but you can upgrade it to a Uni-ball Jetstream or Zebra Sarasa Gel - two of my favorite D1 options. There are a myriad of other choices as well.

If there is any downside to this pen it is the price. At $70 it is very expensive relative to its competition. Add in the fact of how easy it is to lose or misplace, well, that’s a lot of money down the drain. People have given up the Fisher Space Pen for the same reason, and it is less than a third of the cost.

Decisions, decisions. I love this pen. I’m glad I have it. I recommend it wholeheartedly. But there is a price to be paid for ownership, and after as well.

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

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Posted on July 24, 2017 by Brad Dowdy and filed under Kaweco, Liliput, Ballpoint, Pen Reviews.

Kaweco Supra Eco Brass Fountain Pen Review

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

A while back, I purchased my first Kaweco Liliput. It was the Brass Wave model with an EF nib, and I immediately fell in love with the form factor. A little later, I also picked up a stainless steel version, which strengthened my affection for the little Liliputs even more.

Fast forward a bit to 2016, and we have the Kaweco Supra. The name caught my attention when the pen was first announced because the only Supra I'm familiar with was one that Toyota made back in the day. Let's just they don't have much in common at all.

The Kaweco Supra take the idea of the Liliput and adds a bit of size and flexibility. An all copper body? Check. Threaded rear for posting the cap securely? Check. Slim size and cigar-like shape? Yep. So what does the Supra have that you can't find in the Liliput? Several things.

Size

The Supra is quite a bit larger than the Liliput. When you compare the Supra with a brass Liliput, there's an entire ounce of difference. That's significant when comparing pens. The Supra is 5.1 inches when capped, and the Liliput is 3.8 inches. Both are pocketable, but the Supra has a more normal diameter compared to the Liliput. I've always felt that the Liliput isn't ideal for long writing sessions, but the Supra take care of that concern with no problems. This is a full size pen that still breaks down to a small, pocketable superstar of a pen.

Flexibility

The Supra has another trick up its sleeve, though. Unlike the Liliput, it has an additional section piece that can be removed to reduce the overall size and weight of the pen. The extra section is 3 cm long, which is about a quarter of the overall length. When you remove this extra section, the Supra really is a big brother to the Liliput. But, I love the flexibility that this additional piece offers. For one, you can store an extra short cartridge in the pen, or you can use a full-size converter with the extra space. It also changes the weight and feel of the pen depending on the configuration you're using. For me, I prefer to use the pen unposted when the extra section is installed, but I prefer to use it posted when the extra section is removed. You can certainly post the cap with the section installed, but that makes for a pretty long pen. For me, it threw the balance off too much.

I love the Supra for its flexibility and quirk. It can be a bit hefty since it's solid brass, but it's still a good weight for writing. Of course, the brass will take on a new personality fairly quickly after you start using it. In just three weeks of use, I have some patina starting to show on the more heavily used areas of the pen. Over time, it will develop into a duller, warmer finish.

Personally, I would love a stainless steel version of the Supra as well. It would be a tad lighter, but wouldn't develop a patina. I have a love-hate relationship with brass pens. On one hand, I love the unique and aged look they take on over time. On the other hand, I sometimes feel annoyed by the texture that the oxidation creates. It makes the pen feel dirty in some cases.

But, don't let that bother you. Cleaning off the patina is a simple matter of letting it soak in white vinegar for 15 minutes followed by some mild scrubbing. After that, it's shiny and new again.

Writing

By now, you know I'm a fan of the exterior of the Supra, but let's talk a bit about the important part — the nib.

The nib on the Supra is also a step up over the Liliput (and many other common Kaweco models). It uses a large #6 nib that fits perfectly on this pen. It makes a statement and plays well with the overall aesthetic of the pen. I love the large nib, and I'm also very happy to report that it's an excellent writer. I've had trouble with Kawecos needing minor (and not-so-minor adjustments) in the past, so it was a relief to find this one worked well straight away.

The nib is smooth and delivers ink with constant flow. It's a stainless steel nib, so there's not any flex to report. What I can say is that it's a sturdy, reliable, and enjoyable nib.

Again, depending on how you configure the Supra, it will feel different when writing because of the changes in weight and balance. I look at that as a benefit, but I'm sure others would disagree.

I've used this pen for a solid three weeks and have been very happy with it so far. It does very well for extended writing sessions, but also is the perfect size for going along for off-site adventures in your pocket or bag. The brass material also means you'll pick up dings and scratches that add more character to it over time.

Conclusion

Overall, I'm really happy with this pen. It's a great product from Kaweco that is a "larger than life" take on one of my other favorite Kaweco products, the Liliput. Of course, the Supra is a bit more expensive than the Liliput, but that's easy to explain with the larger size and larger nib. I look forward to other variants of the Supra from Kaweco in the future!

Goldspot have the Supra in EF, F, M, B, and BB nib sizes.

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

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Posted on November 9, 2016 by Jeff Abbott and filed under Kaweco, Fountain Pens, Pen Reviews.

Kaweco Special Nib Holder + Nib: 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 Kaweco Special Nib Holder is made of anodized aluminum with a matte black finish. It has an octagonal shape that tapers at the end. Although the holder is made of metal, the matte finish and octagonal shape make it easy to hold. The metal gives the nib holder some weight, and it feels balanced in the hand–not too heavy and not too light.

The Kaweco Special comes in a plastic box that can be used for storage.

Nibs can be inserted anywhere along the circle of the nib grip. In the photo below, you can see rust on the nib holder. I believe this is rust transferred from the nibs (which rust quite easily) and not the metal parts of the holder rusting.

The nib holder comes with a Leonardt 30 pointed nib. It’s a fairly stiff nib that writes a fine line.

I wanted something more expressive, so I purchased a Brause 361 Steno Blue Pumpkin Calligraphy Nib that has more flexibility.

Both nibs write fairly smoothly, but because the tips are sharp, you can definitely catch the paper on upstrokes. The Brause nib offers a great deal more flexibility and I prefer writing with it. But the Leonardt nib is good for basic writing and sketching.

The nibs are easy to insert into the holder, but I have to use rubber gloves to remove them. The nibs are sharp and slippery. They are also prone to rusting, so you need to rinse and dry them off after each use (I learned this the hard way). The blue plating on my Brause nib is flaking off, but these aren’t exactly high-end nibs. I don’t expect them to last long.

I love dip nibs for ink testing because you can simply rinse the nib off between inks rather than having to fill a piston or converter. It saves time and a lot of ink. The downside of using dip nibs, especially if you’re not accustomed to writing with them (like me), is that the ink can come out much wetter than it would with a fountain pen nib. So the ink appears darker and, in some cases, it feathers, when it would not do that in a regular pen.

The Kaweco Special Nib Holder with the Leonardt 30 nib is $36.00 on JetPens. If you want a more flexible nib, I recommend the Brause Blue Pumpkin which is $1.80 also on JetPens.

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

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