I apologize for the photography in the review; these pictures were taken while I was at the cabin, and there was some undesirable weather up there (northern Minnesota). Until the Kaweco Sport, the Lamy Safari was pretty much the only other pen that I was willing to trust not to leak in my pockets. The Kaweco Sport also has a threaded cap for extra protection, which provides additional confidence that a pool of ink wont suddenly appear through my pants. The paper I used for this test is 80 gram Rhodia paper, and the Kaweco felt silky smooth. While some fountain pens only feel smooth on higher-tier paper, the Kaweco feels quite smooth on even the cheaper grades of paper that I have tried. Yep, I am really loving this one.
What is not visible in this photo is the scratches on the barrel that were inflicted by my car keys. Either way, keep this one away from sharp metal unless you feel that scuffing and scratchers adds character to your pens.
The scuffing I was talking about actually shows up a bit in this image. Look near the back of the barrel. Do you seen the spot that looks like a finger print or a smudge? That happened on several areas of the pen. At $15.00 (U.S.), I might just get a second one that is meant for home and bring this one out and about. According to JetPens, the nib is a 23 karat gold-plated nib. Here is their product info:
"Kaweco is a German company that has been manufacturing fine quality writing instruments since 1883. The sporty and compact look of these fountain pens transcend fashion time and are just as attractive today as they were when they were first created years ago. Each pen is made of high-quality, colorful plastic and is compact when capped (approx. 4.1 inches long), but very comfortable when posted (5.3 inches long). Thus the Kaweco slogan "Small in the pocket, great in the hand". Each pen features a screw-on cap for extra security and a 23 KT gold plated stainless steel nib with an iridium tip. The Germany-made pens reveal a Kaweco metal logo on the top of the cap. One free blue ink international short cartridge is included, more ink colors are available separately at JetPens. Included cartridge will be inside pen upon receipt."
Besides the photogenic view of the nib, this image also gives a better idea of what the ink looks like. It is a light, soft blue. It is not very saturated at all, and the overall properties remind me of a J. Herbin ink: well-behaved, dries quickly, and doesn't stain or create concern about potential clogging.
I understand if you don't like the opulence of a gold nib, but you might want to let go of that aversion for this one.
Okay, so the one major downfall of this pen is that the size more or less prohibits the use of a converter. I've heard rumors that there are some converters small enough to fit this barrel but, in an effort to save on money, I will probably just refill the cartridges or convert this pen to an eyedropper. JetPens has a tutorial on the eyedropper conversion, and you can get a cartridge refill kit at the Goulet Pen Company. I've written quite a bit with the included short international cartridge, and it looks like I've barely used any, so it's not like you'll have to replace the cartridge after just a few pages.
In short, I highly, highly recommend this one. I think this one is a must for your collection, or it would be a perfect starter pen if you want to see just how amazing a fountain pen can be.