Kaweco Elite Fountain Pen (with optional 14k nib)

One thing that Kaweco does well is holding true to their heritage and roots. There seem to be a lot of your “classic style” fountain pen brands that have been around for 100 years (thinking Shaeffer, Parker, Waterman), but none seem to be quite as quirky (in an endearing way) as Kaweco.

At this point, I’ve lost count of how many Kaweco products I’ve reviewed here on the blog, but they always intrigue me. 

One such pen I’ve been wanting to try and review is one of the Kaweco Elite series fountain pen, especially with one of Kaweco’s 14k, size 250 two-tone nibs. Kaweco was kind enough to send this my way on loan for review.

Similar in size to one of Kaweco’s other larger, nicer fountain pens, the Dia, the Elite is a full sized pen, but not too big, and extremely comfortable.

While I feel the Dia has some definite Kaweco styling it tends to fit in with the crowd, but the Elite embraces the uniqueness of the brand which is another reason why I was anxious to check it out.

This pen is one of the higher-end, luxury models in the lineup, but the overall aesthetic of the Elite is a bit difficult to describe. It has a bit of flash and glitz with its polished chrome cap and piano black acrylic barrel, but then blends it with a octagonal barrel to break up the cylindrical shape, and then finished the end of the pen off with some ridges (likely paying tribute to previous models where this may have actually worked as a piston filler).

Each end of the pen is garnished with an inlaid, chrome Kaweco logo finial.

I am extremely fond of this design. It isn’t over the top in any way, but is definitely not boring. Elegant, but not garish.

With the cap being chrome, and the barrel being a polished piano black, it is a bit of a fingerprint magnet. The price we pay for luxury... 

On a side note, I would love to see a line of pens from Kaweco that incorporate a piston mechanism again. Much of their vintage line were piston fillers, so it would certainly be possible!

They did release a limited (and very expensive) acrylic Sport model several years back, but there doesn’t seem to be anything on the horizon for piston fillers that we’ve seen.

The Elite is a standard cartridge/converter, but the catch is that a normal Schmidt converter doesn’t fit which is a bit of a shame, but understandable from a proprietary standpoint as Kaweco sells their own, thinner converter systems. The pen comes with some Kaweco standard international short cartridges, but I opted to put in a international long.

I don’t currently own any of Kaweco’s other converters, so I’m not certain the feel and quality of theirs when compared to those by Schmidt, but is something I should look into.

In contrast to the other pens (except the Supra) in their lineup which share a smaller nib, the Elite comes standard with a larger, size #6 steel nib, but I requested to review the pen alongside their 14k two-tone version.

This 14k nib is a medium which has been a relatively wet writer, but has been so enjoyable. I haven't experienced any hard stops and it has a nice blend of a mostly glassy, but with some occasional feedback. The medium is definitely a European medium with a relatively wide line.

I filled it with a Pelikan Edelstein Aquamarine long cartridge and have been writing on a Leuchtturm1917 A5 softcover notebook (although a Rhodia Ice pad shown here), one of my favorites for fountain pen writing.

The cap can post during writing, but I've found it extends the pen too much and is uncomfortably top heavy.

From a price point, the Elite fountain pens with a steel nib can be found online ranging from $130-150 on average, but to add the 14k nib it jumps to more than twice that much and depends on whether the retailer you work with has the larger nibs available. The Kaweco 14k nibs, even for the smaller sizes, tend to be a little steep in price in comparison to others like Pelikan and Lamy (again, depending on the retailer), but we're talking a difference of $30-40 usually for a comparable replacement.

I don't consider the pen with a gold nib to be over or underpriced really when compared to pens like the Pelikan M405, just sans the piston filler.

For example, before shipping if you lived in the US to buy the Elite with the added 14k nib from Most Wanted Pens, the final price would be close to $300 at the moment.

Anyhow, enough about price analysis... Overall, I really enjoy the Elite and this one may not be heading back to Kaweco...

Special thanks again to Kaweco for sending the Elite my way on loan for review! What are your thoughts on the Elite?.     

Ystudio Brass Rollerball Pen: Review

A brand that seems to be making its way into some decent press lately (and with good reason) is Ystudio, a small Taiwanese company that began in 2012 with a vision to create products that were more than just "products", but unique artifacts that create purpose in their use.

Works of art made from raw materials like brass, copper, and wood, that promote a desire to be used and appreciated. Their series, "the weight of words", are a variety of writing instruments that may seem somewhat simple (yet quite unique) in design, but are beautifully and meticulously crafted.

The pen I'm reviewing today is my second experience with a Ystudio product and I'm thrilled to provide another more in-depth review as I really enjoyed the first.

I was sent the brass rollerball pen by Kohezi of Amsterdam, a lovely online store that has a curation of goods that fit a very modern and clean aesthetic. I could peruse their selection all day... Please take a moment to visit their shop, and special thanks to them for sending the pen for review.

The rollerball pen is part of "the weight of words" stationery series mentioned above and is made from solid brass, but with some copper accents neatly tucked away at the ends. Being raw brass, the pen is hefty at 1.5 oz, but since the cap doesn't post, the writing section is a comfortable 1.0 oz. 

Almost immediately upon using the pen it has begun to acquire an aging and patina that gives it a worn in look. The barrel and cap are a faceted hexagon shape with rounded, but distinct edges, and the weathering look blend nicely into a unique aesthetic. There are pens that are so simple, but are beautiful in their own way and I feel that Ystudio has created exactly the experience they intended.

Apparently this is version two of this particular rollerball, the first being a threaded cap/barrel, but to remove the cap you simply pull on a pressure fit system. It is snug, but not tight and easy to remove. It is difficult to see up inside the cap as to how this works exactly, but there is a slight ridge on the grip section that "catches" on some sort of o-ring or spring. There is one piece of plastic in the pen, up near the finial inside the cap, but I'm not sure what purpose it serves.

The refill that comes with the pen is a Schmidt Safety Ceramic rollerball which is a great writer and is easily available. It is held in place by a flush copper set-screw in the end of the barrel that can be removed with a coin, or potentially a fingernail if it isn't too snug.

Sometimes you can easily swap out this size of refill with a Pilot G2, Pentel Energel, or other similar gel pen, but upon trying the opening for the tip seems to be too small to allow for more options. But, I can confirm that the Schmidt Fineliner refill fits perfectly if you like a more expressive line.

I have to admit, a pen like this makes you want to use it which says a lot in my opinion. Not only for what it is doing while writing, but just the act of using it is enjoyable.  

The Ystudio rollerball pen runs around $100 which I feel is a fair value for the pen as it is unique and very well made. I've paid similar amounts for other brass pens like this and don't find the price outrageous.

Special thanks again to Kohezi for sending the rollerball my way to share. In addition to the rollerball version of the Ystudio pen, they also have a wide range of other pen/pencil types to fit other preferences.     

TiScribe-Pencil Review - Brass

Back on Kickstarter is a new project from Kelvin of Urban Survival Gear called the TiScribe-Pencil, an all metal, hefty, and durable mechanical pencil to fit the rest of the TiScribe line-up.

Kelvin was kind enough to send me a sample prototype version for review, so many thanks for providing an opportunity for a hands on look.

*Note - While Urban Survival Gear is a current site sponsor of The Clicky Post during his campaign, my review of the product will be honest and objective. 

The TiScribe-Pencil is an obvious and well designed pairing with another of his recent projects, the TiScribe-Bolt which shares the same overall shape, size, and clip. I've been following Kelvin's work for a couple of years now and it has been fun to see his products evolve/enhance overtime.

Above is a "family photo" of a series of pens he's created which all share a common aesthetic, with the pencil being on the far right.

With any machined pen/pencil, the first thing I did (don't we all?) is take it apart to look at the internal mechanism to see how it worked.

The pencil mechanism inside is made by Schmidt, a company that produces many of our favorite pen refills, pen parts, and apparently mechanical pencil parts as well.

What I like about this mechanism is that the tip threads into the tip of the pencil itself which ensures a snug, tight writing experience. The click to extend the lead isn't really a "click", but more of a smush with some sound/feedback, but you can tell when it is working. More of the sound seems to come from the metal parts coming together vs the mechanism.

The tip of the pencil mechanism does not retract, so it will always be visible. Although, it has a somewhat lower profile being a conical tip vs other pencils (take the rOtring 600 for example) that have a permanently protruding pipe that is prone to catching on things or bending.

Still, it works great and as designed and pushes close to 2-3mm of lead per click. The provided model is a 0.7mm lead width. 

To make the click happen, rather than using a knock at the end of the pencil like most, he turned the clip of the pencil into the "clicker" that extends the lead. A cool design that helps to maintain the consistent look shared with the bolt pen.

The edge of the top of the clip does have a bit of a sharp corner and if there is a piece of feedback about comfort, this would be where it is for me. I spend a lot of time in a wood shop for my Dudek Modern Goods brand so my hands are used to rough surfaces, but I did find the edge of the click to be a bit sharp during use.

Not sure if there is a good solution to this without potentially reshaping the clip, or maybe just softening that edge a bit more. I did find that alternating from a top click approach to more of a side click approach did work and resolve the issue, but wasn't the natural way of going about it.

The mechanism on his bolt pen uses the same process, but it hasn't been something I've noticed I think due to the fact that the spring tension seems less.

As mentioned, this version of the pencil is made from brass and weighs in around 1.3 oz (not a total heavy weight) in comparison to his titanium bolt pen that comes in at 0.8 oz.

The pencil is also a comfortable length of roughly 5.75" which is in line with most retractable pens/pencils. If I were being super picky, I'd say it could be about 1/2" shorter to be the perfect length for my hand, but that is just me being a diva. It feels great and well balanced in the hand.

Branding on the pencil is subtle, merely a small etching on the clip of the Urban Survival Gear logo. There is an engraved logo on the finial of the pencil, but I believe Kelvin mentioned these will likely be omitted during final production.

I really enjoy the products that Urban Survival Gear puts out and I think Kelvin did a fantastic job in creating a well executed pencil to go alongside his recent popular pen. If you enjoy mechanical pencils, definitely give his Kickstarter project a look.

Thanks again to Urban Survival Gear for providing the pencil for review!