KWZ Standard Walks Over Vistula Ink: A Review

*Vistula River (Image via* *Wikimedia Commons*)

(Susan M. Pigott is a fountain pen collector, pen and paperholic, photographer, and professor. You can find more from Susan on her blog Scribalishess.)

I can’t believe that I haven’t reviewed another KWZ ink since I did my KWZ Honey review in . . . 2016! I clearly need to add to my KWZ ink collection, and Walks over Vistula is definitely one that deserves a spot.

The Vistula is the longest river in Poland. This photograph from Wikimedia Commons depicts the beauty of the river.

The ink nicely captures the blues of the river. I can’t decide whether this is a blue ink or a turquoise ink. It’s sort of in between, and it most closely matches other inks that I’ve classified as turquoise. So, I’ll call it a deep turquoise.

You can see from my Col-o-dex card swab, that the color definitely leans toward turquoise. But, more important for sheen lovers is the burgundy/pink sheen. You can see it most clearly in the close up of the swirls and splats.

In my ink testing on Rhodia paper, there isn’t much evidence of sheen (but that’s due to the paper rather than the ink). Even without sheen the color is a gorgeous dark turquoise. It’s highly saturated and very wet. It is not a waterproof ink.

Walks over Vistula looks terrific in fine, medium, and broad nibs, and you won’t have any trouble with flow since it’s such a wet ink.

This is one ink that chromatography does not show off very well. It’s mostly comprised of a light lavender/gray with dark turquoise.

My Handwritmic ruling pen demonstrates all the wonderful characteristics of this ink. It has good shading from lighter to darker turquoise. Where the ink pools, you get lovely purplish sheen. It’s interesting how the MD Cotton paper brings out a different sheen color than the Col-o-dex card.

I compared Walks over Vistula with some other turquoise/blue inks. I expected it to be very similar to Sailor Yama Dori. But in actuality, it is much closer to Robert Oster Soda Pop Blue, including the burgundy sheen, and J. Herbin Kyanite du Népal (without the silver shimmer, of course). Yama Dori is much greener.

You can purchase KWZ Walks over Vistula from Vanness Pens. 4ml samples are $2.50 and a 30ml bottle is $15.00.

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

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Posted on August 16, 2019 by Susan Pigott and filed under KWZ, Ink Reviews.

The Pen Addict Podcast: Episode 372 - We Used To Budget

Remember that time I used to have a budget for pen shows? Good times. Do as I say, not as I do, kids! Myke and I try to instill our special brand of wisdom on a first-time pen show-goer this week, and first-time guest on the podcast. You will definitely want to check this one out!

Show Notes & Download Links

This episode of The Pen Addict is sponsored by:

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Posted on August 15, 2019 by Brad Dowdy and filed under Podcast.

Kaweco Frosted Sport Mechanical Pencil 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 first novel, The Bone Weaver’s Orchard, now available where books are sold!)

Kaweco has a gift for simplicity and the simple Frosted Sport Mechanical Pencil is the perfect illustration of that. There's nothing fancy or complicated about it. You remove the end cap to insert a piece of lead or two, pop the cap back on, click it, and write. There aren't any extra moving parts or gadgets--all it does is pencil, and it does it well.

It lacks an eraser, but I prefer to use a separate eraser, rather than have a proprietary refill that I have to stockpile. Still, that could be a deal-breaker for some.

The pencil is the same size and plastic material as the Kaweco Sport fountain pen, and this one matches my lovely frosted lime pen. It's chunky, but lightweight, and very comfortable to hold and write with. It has a steel tip cone and logo on the end cap, and the Kaweco brand engraved in silver paint on the body. The nose cone does not retract at all, but it's not as delicate or stabby as the narrow lead tubes on other pencils. It's more like the tip of a rollerball pen. The lead can be retracted by holding the button down and pushing the lead in.

Inside the pencil, there's a narrow tube to hold the lead refill. It's only wide enough for a piece or maybe two, so keep extras nearby if you go through lead quickly. The lead that it comes with is very nice to use. It's smooth and soft, but doesn't break easily. It can be dark with pressure, but shades well. the regular writing line is a bit pale, toward the middle of its greyscale. You can refill it with any .7mm lead you prefer, though, and JetPens has a handful to choose from.

The pencil does not come with a clip, but Kaweco sells separate clips that slide onto their pens and pencils. These work fairly well, but can come loose or scratch the plastic. I do worry about the durability of the plastic, but I have other Kaweco Sports that have been heartily knocked around with no consequence.

Overall, I've really enjoyed using this pencil. My only real complaint? It doesn't fit behind my ear! I need some sort of Kaweco headband to strap pens and pencils to for the days I have no pockets.

(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!