Kaweco Steel Sport <Extra Fine> Review
The Kaweco Steel Sport has been the first serious pen that I have bought. Before it I would limit myself to pens under 30£. I don't know if I should thank Kaweco for bringing me to decent pens, or hate it for giving me an urge to buy just one more fountain pen. Nevertheless, this pen has been with me for a good 6 months now and it isn't even scratched.
This pen is often overshadowed because of his more attractive brother the Brass Sport. And that is unfortunate since I believe this is the ultimate fountain pen pocket carry. It is machined on a CNC Machine and has unbelievably sturdy design, it is all steel, you cannot get more sturdy than that. The threads are also steel, meaning that you can screw the crap out of them. Good for someone that likes to fidget with something. It is difficult to even scratch this monster of a pen.
The ink used here is Diamine Sapphire. Here's me writing this post with the Steel Sport
If you've been in the fountain pen world for some time, you have probably heard that Kaweco nibs are quite.... questionable.They use Bock nibs, which are known for inconsistency. Although I have seem to got lucky; so far I have bought four Kaweco pens and my nibs were all good writers, but with lots of inconsistencies. My brass sport writes like fine, classic sport like medium. Kaweco Special and Steel Sport like a true extra fine. Even though they are all formally extra fine. If you are really picky about having your fountain pens extra extra fine, like me, then you can have them regrinded. Kaweco pens are also known as being dry writers, so if that is something that bothers you, avoid Kaweco.
It is a heavy pen though. If you don't like that then you are left with Kaweco Al Sport or classic/skyline variants. I personally prefer heavier pens. I like the control of your writing that you get in a substantial pen like this. I found the Kaweco classic to be too light.
The price will leave you with a few questions, and it is a limiting factor for a lot of people, especially given that it is a simple Kaweco Sport. You should not have to worry about buying this pen second hand though. There is no way you will get this pen second-hand damaged, maybe apart from minor scratches. It also doesn't have those weird threads on the inside that the brass sport seems to have, so it doesn't get caught on those like the brass.
To summarise, if you don't mind the price then you can't go wrong with this pen, if you want a reliable substantial pen that will most likely outlast you, you should get this. Although if you would like a cheaper alternative then the AL sport can still survive a forklift. It's just that this pen can survive a hydraulic press.