In review: The Kaweco Aluminum Sport Fountain Pen

Kaweco Aluminum Sport Fountain Pen – $68.75 – $76.50

“I gave her my heart, she gave me a pen.”

Well, which pen Dobbler?

This is obvious to many, but there’s just something about hand-writing instead of typing. A step above that is writing with a pen you like. Not some crummy chewed-on-by-Jerry-from-accounting Bic. Or a pen with the logo of a business you’ve never patronized, yet you can’t figure out how you acquired their branded writing utensil. What you want, is a pen that fits well in your hand and also easily in your pocket, writes smooth, and feels like it’s a treat to use… even if you’re just writing out a check for the sewer bill.

 Metal. Without the heavy.

Blame Bespoke Post for introducing a few of us to the German brand Kaweco. Makers of smooth writing, good looking, unpretentious fountain pens, these pens are more compact than most. But while they are on the small side, they’re not cramped. They’re smaller, but not annoyingly tiny. Think more Mini-Cooper, and less Smart Car.

Their “AL” series is the aluminum body option of their plastic “sport” fountain pen. Measuring just over 4″ closed, and 5.2″ open with the eight sided cap on the back of the business end, it’s plenty portable. The aluminum gives it substance while keeping it on the light side… yet has none of the plastic feel of the original.

Disassembled. Easy and intuitive. Durable too.

Installation of the ink cartridge is a cinch and intuitive. It’s a fountain pen, so the writing motion/pressure is a little different than using a standard ballpoint, but you quickly get used to it. And once you get used to it, you’ll find yourself preferring it, if not actively enjoying the feeling of using a fountain pen. And if you’re the type that wants to take more notes, be more organized, or journal more, using a pen that doesn’t feel like a chore is gonna help.

The pen seen here came from the recent (and now expired) East Dane sale. It showed up in a Kaweco tin with two extra 6-packs of cartridges. Not quite sure if that’s the standard setup at other retailers, so, know that going in. Sadly, doesn’t look like East Dane has anymore in stock. But you can find them elsewhere.

Yeah, yeah, yeah… it’s just a friggin’ pen. But like a lot of things (suits, shoes, etc…), there’s an enormous disparity between what’s irritating & annoying to use, and what looks and feels great. This is the latter, while still being reasonably affordable.

So save the sappy boombox routine Lloyd. You ain’t getting this pen.