Fountain pen review ~ Kaweco Brass Sport
I bought this pen almost out of solidarity for a “new to me” pen store I discovered in Perth. I visited the store on a quick getaway holiday towards the end of 2021, amidst the COVID madness. We were lucky we didn’t get caught in any COVID complexities and I was personally lucky I found this store and enjoyed myself so much during my visit. I felt I had to get something, seeing as they’d entertained me for so long.
I wasn’t necessarily looking for a travel pen at the time, however, once the topic of pocket pens came up, this pen was a no-brainer for me. I like heavier pens and the brass is just hefty! At the time I was also wanted to add non-plastic pens to my collection, I already have a wooden pen so brass was the next step!
There are many reviews for this pen, it’s a fairly old pen (new to me), so I’m not going to spend a lot of text going over measurements etc. I want to give you my personal thoughts.
In this review, I’ll go over my favourite features of this pen and what I don’t like. I’ll picture some writing samples with different inks, to give you a feel for how it handles various types of ink. In summary, I’ll discuss why this pen is in my collection and whether this pen is truly worthy of being a GP’s pen!
pros
For it’s size it really packs a punch! I love the brass and how it patina's with time. Of course it’s straight forward to polish out but who cares really, it’s not like my Silvern. This is a pen made to be abused a little. Drop it, carry it around without a case or hand it around for everyone to use — no problem. I really do think the “aging” adds character and I’m not just saying that because everyone else is saying it.
I primarily use this pen as my “journaling pen”. No real reason other than it’s a portable pen I can bash around and I bought it from my favourite store in Perth and started on my journaling journey from that day forth. This is a pen, no matter when I pick it up, is never dry. It writes as soon as it hits the page. I’ve even accidentally put shimmer inks into the size M basic steel nib and it never clogs. For a small steel nib, it’s surprisingly a smooth writer too and despite many complaints online regarding Kaweco Nibs, I’ve been incredibly lucky. I’ve been pondering whether to upgrade to a “premium steel” nib for this pen for some time now, and to be honest I’m not sure what it will add to my experience. This nib is already brilliant!
I find that as I’m writing it’s a very comfortable long session writer. It’s heavy so it easy allows me to write for a long time, without needing to put heaps of pressure on the page. Occasionally I’ll get tired and get cramped, but not often. Very quickly, if I’m feeling cheeky I’ll not even bother to post the pen for a quick signature or something, and it’s fine long enough to write with, posted is obviously better.
The really awesome display box/pencil case that it comes in is brilliant! I love having it on my best as nod to vintage days.
Cons
The Nib is small. I don’t understand why you can’t put a size 6 nib on a pocket pen? I feel like this pocket pen is bigger than most pocket pens to begin with anyway so why not go for a full sized nib.
The converter issue is a terrible mess. I made the mistake of getting a small converter with this purchase. It came to me in the mail in a couple of weeks after my store visit (they didn’t have any in stock at the time). I opened the package to find this tiny little Dental sponge sized thing and immediately thought, “what a waste of 12AUD”. I haven’t used it once since getting it as I prefer to just syringe fill old small sized cartridges.
writing samples
I apologise for my horrendous writing sample images, but this pen is great to write with. shimmer doesn’t show off as much as other bigger and wider nibbed pens might, but there’s still enough that it’s noticeable. Wet “light” inks like the Taccia do great and flow beautifully and handles fast writing without issues. The same is not true for heavier inks like the Robert Oster, fast writing was skipping all over the place. Reverse writing is terrible.
Why is this pen in my collection?
It looks great. Its a unique design. Despite the recent controversy with Kaweco and Moonman/Majohn this IS a unique pen, an exellent writer, a fantastic design and brilliant material to work with. This is the perfect pocket pen, I honestly don’t need another one. It’s hardy, it’s fashionable and some even claim it has antibacterial properties — which isn’t something I’m holding my breath on!
This is exactly the pen I needed to round off my collection and have something from the pocket pen genre and I’m just lucky I got it right first time.
Is this a pen fit for a GP?
No, I don’t think pocket pens in general are suitable for doctors. It would be an absolute disaster on a ward round, in emergency and sometimes even in my office to fiddle about with a pen that absolutely needs posting to be able to use. The small ink capacity isn’t great either, meaning one has to carry ink around too or a back-up pen.
This is well and truly a travel pen. It serves a different purpose and for a different market. Not for doctors at work.
Ultimately, I would recommend this pen. If I’m having a slow day I’ll use it in the office or on my lunch break to do some journaling. When I do use it in my office it’s a great ice-breaker for patients.
Thanks so much for reading and remember no matter who you are, “first, do no harm.”
