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.
Fisher Space Pen, top.
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.
Kaweco Liliput Fountain Pen, top.
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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