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Five Tips For New Kaweco Sport Owners

Kaweco Parts

I think of all the fountain pens we currently stock at Knight’s Writing Company, Kaweco are among my favourite. While I love the awesome feeling of writing with an amazing Staedtler Lignum, not everyone has $280 to spend on a fountain pen.

Kaweco are extremely good value for the price and I always carry an AL Sport with me wherever I go. The are just plain fun! Below are five simple tips that I’ve found add to my enjoyment of these superb pens!

Kaweco Nib Section

1. Use Peripherals.

Being a computer scientist by training, I found that most enjoyment was had from adding parts that hung off the CPU. Fountain pens are no different, and Kaweco provide peripherals by the bucket load. Consider adding a clip (nostalgic or standard) to your pen so it clips securely in your pocket. If you are a fan of bottled inks then consider a converter. Kaweco have two types of converter for Sports. The classic squeeze converter and the mini piston converter. We’re hoping to have piston converters before long but so far they remain elusive.

2. Pull your nibs people!

I’m going to tell you a dirty little secret about Kaweco plastic Sports. Ssh... don’t tell anyone. It’s not an official thing. Did you know you can remove the nib from a standard plastic Sport? Grab the nib section then give the nib and feed a good hard tug.

This gives you the opportunity to do something no one really talks about in the world of plastic Sports – exchange nibs by pressing in a new one! Premium fountain pens come with the ability to swap nibs using the replacement nib system but you don't get this luxury with plastic Sports... well now you do... sort of.

Kaweco AL Sport Fountain Pen

3. Post your pen!

It may seem obvious but you wouldn’t believe the number of phone calls we receive from new Kaweco Sport owners complaining that the pen is a bit short. In fact the Sport is designed to write posted. Remove the cap, put it on the back of the pen barrel, and write to your heart’s content!

4. Woohoo! International Cartridges!

One thing that I really love about Kaweco fountain pens is that they accept international standard cartridges. You can use as many different inks from as many different manufacturers as you can possibly find – as long as they also manufacture to the international standard.

5. Grab a pouch.

I always carry my AL Sport in a Buffalo pen pouch. For me it always seems to complete the package. Kaweco Sports just beg to be thrown into a pocket when you are on the move. Add a pouch and it makes you feel special! Pouches come in black, cognac and buffalo.

Do you have any tips for the new Kaweco Sport owner?

The Genius Of Kaweco Sport

Kaweco AL Sport Fountain Pen

When in the Bahamas for a little rest and recuperation, what does a pen blogger write about? Of course the pen he brings with him! And what better pen to travel with than a Kaweco Sport? It's name makes me want to hit the gym, tennis court or swimming pool with pen in pocket and full belief that despite sweat and chlorine, it will write another day...

Let me sip my beer and continue... 

Kaweco of Germany has been producing fountain pens since 1883, a time when the humble dip pen was the writing instrument of choice. The first pocket fountain pen from Kaweco appeared in a catalogue for pen holders in 1908. The company has had a rich history of pen production and those who say that fountain pens are a thing of the past can look to Kaweco for an answer. They are clearly here to stay!

Kaweco has it all. Full sized pens like the DIA 2 or Student (see a wonderful review of the Student by our friend Gourmet Pens), teeny tiny pens like the Liliput, amazingly crafted metal tubes with a nib stuffed in the end! And of course the Sport.

Kaweco AL Sport Fountain Pen With Buffalo Pouch

The Sport first made an appearance in 1911 and was advertised as a safety pen for ladies, officers, and sports guys! In 1913 the short safety pen was advertised as the Sport-Series and claimed to have the safest closure in every situation. The Sport went through several designs until 1934 when it became the pen we know today.

Premium pens from Kaweco, such as the AL Sport,  have one distinct advantage over their lower cost counterparts. Replaceable nibs! This wonderful design makes Kaweco stand head and shoulders above many other manufacturers, the majority of which require you to purchase an entire front section of the pen in order to replace the nib.

Not so with Kaweco. Simply hold the nib between a thumb and forefinger and unscrew from the front section. Replace with another and start writing! Consequently you will find Kaweco enthusiasts with a collection of nibs that give them the ability to change line thickness or writing style at a whim.

The Sport fits easily into a pocket and promises not to become uncapped as you go about your day-to-day business. The pen comes in several flavours. My travel buddy of choice is stonewashed blue. You also have the choice of stonewashed black. And they really do look like denim that has been through the ringer a few times. There are even stranger choices such as brass, or raw polished aluminium. This pen develops a character of its own as it gets scratched up and dented. Customers are warned away from purchasing this pen if they don't like scratches.

Pilot and Kaweco Fountain Pens

While you can easily throw the Sport in your jeans pocket and not worry about any accidental mess, Kaweco also manufactures a selection of pouches that are designed to protect your pen. My favourite is the Buffalo single pen pouch. This pouch is nice to the touch and adds a certain je ne sais quoi to the whole outfit. The Buffalo has a softer leather than other pouches and both pen and pouch are head turners when in a room of biro users.

There are a couple of downsides to the Kaweco Sport. Firstly the pen barrel is short and this allows you to use only short international cartridges. You cannot store a spare cartridge in your pen. Your only choice of converter is Kaweco's squeeze converter. This works just fine and carries the same amount of ink as a cartridge would, but it can be tricky to use and takes some practice to become a squeeze converter ninja. This problem may soon go away as Sport piston converters have recently been released. We should have them in stock shortly (on a boat somewhere in the Atlantic) but right now Mr. Squeezy is your only option.

Kaweco has a line of inks that are a perfect match for their pens. Sepia is my favourite flavour, being a brown-ink lover. I decided that J. Herbin's Terre De Feu would be a perfect ink for this week, however. Kaweco nibs rarely give problems but if you do find your nib skips or doesn't lay ink down the right way then a drop of washing up liquid and a quick scrub (see last week's article on cleaning your fountain pen) should fix that.

I highly recommend Kaweco to any fountain pen beginner or aficionado. And by far the most popular seller is the Sport. It's a versatile fountain pen at an affordable price and it brings me a great deal of enjoyment - especially when writing in my journal on a beach in the Bahamas!

Do you own a Kaweco fountain pen? What do you think? What's your favourite?