Introducing The Cramped

My friend Patrick Rhone has a new online venture that I am extremely excited about. Introducing The Cramped:

If you are the sort of person who appreciates nice paper, a decent pen, a well-crafted notebook, a solid pencil, writing and receiving handwritten correspondence, beautiful handwriting, or the clicky-clack of a dependable typewriter, you have come to the right place. The Cramped is a site dedicated to the pleasures of writing with analog tools (the name is purposefully ironic).

Yes, yes, a thousand times yes! And with the promise of contributions from other internet friends like Harry Marks and talks of a podcast down the line I am all in.

Congratulations to Patrick on the launch. I cannot wait to see what the future holds.

Kaweco AL Sport (EF Nib) Review

The Kaweco AL Sport seems to be one of the first "premium" pens that beginners pick up after they try a few < $50 pens. I know that a $76 pen doesn't really count as premium, but when you're new to the world of nibbed writing instruments, it seems like a lot.

And I completely understand why the AL Sport is a popular pen. It's gorgeous, well-built, portable, and classy. It's a great all-around pen, and it doesn't break the bank.

Now, I should explain that this review is about the same pen that I had so much trouble with when I first got it. You can read all about those problems, as well as the solution, in the article about correcting baby's bottom.

In this review, I won't let any of my previous feelings and conclusions about this pen influence what I think about the pen now -- the corrected version that I believe Kaweco strives to produce. Although, maybe they could strive just a little bit harder, but that's beside the point. Off we go!

Look and feel

I went with the black model of the AL Sport, but it was a really difficult choice. They all look great. In the end, the matte black sheen won me over, and I'm extremely happy with it.

The AL Sport comes in a fancy Kaweco tin, unlike the regular Classic Sport models. On first picking it up and sliding it out of the plastic sleeve, I was surprised by how light it was. I was expecting something a bit heavier. Upon closer inspection, I was blown away by the build quality of the pen. It seems to be made from a block of aluminum. The pen screams quality and precision. The threads are solid and fine, which make it feel even more secure when screwing the cap or the body. There's no play at all.

In my hand, the pen feels well-balanced and easy. I've written for periods of 30 to 45 minutes with this pen. I wasn't uncomfortable, but I did find myself wanting a longer pen after a long period. This isn't so much a hit against the Kaweco as it is my own preferences. Besides, when you make a portable pen, it's understood that you sacrifice part of the writing comfort. Overall, it's a completely comfortable pen.

Being metal, the pen is susceptible to scratches, but it hasn't scratched or scuffed nearly as much as I expected it to. This is a delightful surprise, but I also won't be upset when it starts developing more character over the years.

This is an attractive pen that feels good in the hand, looks good on the desk, and won't break in my pocket or bag.

Writing performance

When I first received the pen, the writing performance wasn't the best. Again, you can read the article for more details on that. After tuning the nib for a while, it writes really well.

The EF nib puts down a line that is on par with other EF nibs from German manufacturers. Lamy might be a hair finer, but not much. Putting pressure on the nib results in a slightly wetter, broader line that resembles a medium nib width.

The nib flows across the page with little effort. Due to the size of the pen and the way I usually hold my pen, I tend to choke my grip toward the nib, resulting in scratchy writing. When I notice this, I back off my grip and lighten my touch. When I'm using the proper grip, the nib feels like silk. The proper grip for me means that I'm gripping the threads for the cap. I know that some people really dislike this, but I actually like it. It provides a nice grip. I'll also note that the threads are shallow and very close together, so it feels more like a texture instead of ridges.

Due to the size of the pen, the weight of the pen tends to go more toward the nib side. Again, the fix for this is mental, meaning I have to mindfully keep my posture and grip on check. It's a small, metal pen, so some imbalance is expected. Like I said earlier, I can achieve a great balance if I back off my grip and loosen my hand.

Ink filling mechanism

The Kaweco accepts international short cartridges. This means you have lots of options available outside of what Kaweco offer. They also offer a converter, which is fairly new to the market as far as I know. I haven't tried it, but it looks like it won't hold much ink. I've been happy with just filling old cartridges with a syringe.

Conclusion

This is a great pen that delights me every time I use it. That wasn't always the case, but I'm glad it is now. I wouldn't recommend this pen until you've tried a Classic Sport. In my opinion, the writing experience for the Classic Sport and AL Sport is nearly identical. If you find that you don't prefer the Classic Sport, you likely won't enjoy the AL Sport either.

The Kaweco AL Sport has a multitude of color and nib options. The hardest part of buying one is figuring out which one to pick. Black, blue, gray, silver, and raw finishes all look fantastic. Plus, you can easily swap out the nib you purchase with the pen with another fairly cheaply.

(You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution, Twitter, and App.net.)

The Worst Pens I Have Ever Reviewed

As a follow-up to my Top 5 Pens update, several readers have asked me to name names when it comes to the worst pens to come across my desk. Never one to shy away from a challenge, here are a handful of the worst pens I have ever reviewed:

Dude! Sweet! (Image via JetPens)

Ohto Fine Fountain Pen / Ohto Dude Fountain Pen

The Ohto Fine was a nib disaster, and I was still new enough to the fountain pen game to where I didn't have the knowledge or skills to figure out what was wrong with it. I gave Ohto another shot with the Dude, but instead of getting a decent pen I doubled-down on terrible. An Ohto fountain pen will never grace these hands again.

Pentel Sliccies

The hype was big for this one - finally a competitor for the Pilot Hi-Tec-C! I enjoyed it at first and gave it a solid review, but the problems appeared soon thereafter. First off, the ink cartridges come out at an angle. Not an "if you turn it to the right angle in the right light" angle, but an obvious one like you dropped the pen and bent the tip. Secondly, the cartridges do not write nearly as sharp as the single cartridge model. That is a big feature of the standard Slicci that did not carry over to its multi pen counterpart.

TUL Ballpoint

I am a fan of the TUL pen lineup from Office Max, except for the ballpoint. The original design was flat out terrible and the new model is better in barrel alone. Writing performance is a blobby mess, doing everything it can to keep the Uni-ball Jetstream at the top of the ballpoint pen heap.

Bic A1 Gel

I didn't expect much from a Bic but the A1 gel was a new kind of terrible. There are no redeeming qualities to this pen, leaving me no choice but to end the review with "This may be the single worst pen I have ever reviewed."

Caran D'Ache 849

I wanted to like this pen so badly but the refill was horrible. The barrel is excellent though, leaving some room for improvement. Still, it was a poor overall experience.

Well there you have it! Those are some of the worst pens I have ever reviewed. I'm sure I have forgotten several others but these stick in my brain like a Justin Bieber song that I want to scrape out with a spoon.

What are some of the worst pens you have used?