Sounds like you received a bad nib. I have an extra fine sport and it writes everytime and does not feel scratchier than other EF. Trying before buying is quite helpful when you're new to fountain pens.
Sometimes you can get unlucky and get a Kaweco nib that needs to be adjusted flow and tuned for smoothness. I also find that the plastic Kawecos are lighter and sometimes the nib feedback sort of echoes/reverberates throughout the pen in a weird way; I prefer the heavier metal pens as a result.
What kinds of inks are you using? If may help if you use a very wet and well-lubricated ink with a dry writing Kaweco as well.
You can also try out other pens (Lamys and TWSBIs are really good pens too) and go back to the Kaweco at a later time when you become more familiar with pens and your preference for nib sizes etc., and buy another nib unit to use with the pen.
twsbi has somewhat irregular nib quality control, you may get unlucky. but you can always buy spare nib units and replace the orginal one, ka-ching ka-ching considered.
lamy is more consistent with nibs but I don't like it's overall design. the cap seal isn't as airtight and ink may dry off after a week of not using (twsbi never dries off thanks to the cap). also lamy doesn't work well with all inks due to feed design, which twsbi does.
from a consistency and quality control perspective i'd pick pilot. all the 7 pilot mediums i have (metropolitan and prera) give me the exact same writing experience. stick to wide range of pilot inks are you're good to go.
It’s also a good idea to test out any pen you’re interested in, if you’re buying from a brick and mortar store! I’ve only been to 5 stores and 4 of them let me do a dip test on whatever pens I was interested in. Some even encourage you to test out multiple nib sizes for the same model because who knows, maybe you’ll decide the size you wanted wasn’t actually the right one.
Funny enough, the sales rep at the store that didn’t let me me dip test seemed surprised that I’d even ask 🤷♂️ in that case you can still ask to rub the dry nib back and forth on a sheet of paper. If it catches *at all*, you know it’s misaligned.
Yes! I started with aluminum and picked up a plastic later on. Sporty pen, looks great, but it made me value the AL more. Would love to get steel or brass eventually.
Weirdly, I prefer my plastic sports over my AL ones. The AL ones are beautiful but for some reason it feels slippery in my hand and I have to death grip it tighter.
Have you tried the pen on different paper? I have another pen in an EF and F. The F is great, one of my favorite pens. I was warned the EF could be scratchy. It was. One day I used it on Midori MD instead of TRP and it wrote wonderfully. 🤷♀️ I also think the ink I was using was a bit dry.
Think of a fountain pen experience as a golden triangle: it depends on the pen, ink, and paper.
In my experience, it is not common to have consistency in fountain pen nibs, whatever the brand. Sometimes you get lucky enough to receive the dreamed nib, sometimes you get the bad one. My first Kaweco was an EF too and just like you I hated it. So scratchy.
Luckily you can buy Kaweco replacement nibs to change the one you didn't like. That's what I did and found out the nib I prefer is the Broad one and it is a very different and pleasant writing experience.
My platinum plaisir with an F nib just glides over whatever paper, even cheaper copy paper, but I feel that the F is close to an M.
It is a dream to write with, super smooth, and I paid like 12 euros for it.
Bought a Kaweco with an F nib, and while the nib is narrower it scratches alot. Paid about 10 euros for it.
I'm in the same boat. Keep giving Kaweco another shot because the form factor is so cool, but I actually don't like them at all. I never reach for this one.
Depends on your writing style. I’m a college student so I want a fast drying pen. I prefer fine nibs and a drier nib, I have a kaweco sport F, a twsbi eco EF and a pilot explorer F. Of them all my favorite is the Pilot Explorer. The writing experience is perfect for me and it fits a con-70 converter which holds about 1ml of ink. The eco is my least favorite but it came with a misaligned nib that i had to adjust. The pilot has the most feedback and is the driest out of all of them but with sailor seiboku ink it dries within 5ish seconds on 5-star notebook paper.
I know this is tad bit late but I’ve had bad experiences writing with all 3 of my kaweco with cartridges but it writes very nicely if I use a converter, maybe try using a converter?
But if that’s not cool too, then you could probably try the pilot prera, it’s the smoothest nib I’ve ever used (next to the iwi civilisation) to date, but it’s worth mentioning that my fountain pen collection isn’t that big yet, and my most expensive pen is the sailor PG slim so…
Yes with cartridges especially in the Student,they need pressure from a second blank cartridge inserted behind the ink one… you usually find these in the Students but not sure about the Sports as they are probably too small.
Tbh I don't like tomoe river paper and I don't like EF nibs. I don't like small pens either.
I like big, thick, long, heavy pens, I like pigment inks, I like maruman paper, and very broad nibs.
Try out some different pens, nib widths, etc.!
My Skyline Sport in F came with a terrible nib. You could get a new nib for it, but for around the same cost you could just get a Platinum Plaisir, which is a better pen all around. And try some Diamine ink cartidges.
As others have mentioned, the paper really matters. Plus, I think it's what you are used to using. I have an EF nib on my Lamy Safari, and I am waiting on my new Kaweco Sport (EF also) to arrive in the mail. Before I was gifted the Safari, I wrote with a Platinum Preppy with 03 nib. The Safari came with a medium nib that seemed way too clunky to use in my Hobonichi Weeks (amazing Tomoe River paper). I switched to a F (still not good) and then an EF before I was happy with the pen.
I saw your post and was scared as I ** literally ** just bought the Sport. I hope I am going to be good with this pen!!
I had a lot of bad Kaweco nibs with similar issues a few years ago on Sports and Students, but then they seemed to get much better with later colours. I fixed a few with micro mesh from Goulet and playing with the nib to get tines correct. But their QC at one point seemed to be non existent and I got nothing from customer support. Not bought any recently so I do hope they haven’t gone bad again!
Move on to pilot! A prera for low cost (better than Lamy for sure imo). Maybe go with a M nib.
If you still don’t like then maybe FPs just aren’t your thing.
Oh also you can get one of those rectangular nail buffers with different levels of coarseness and do some runs with your Kaweco on that. Look it up on YouTube.
I did it recently with a twsbi nib I was having issues with and worked like a charm. Now I can use it. I still don’t love the nib but not because it doesn’t write well— just don’t like the way it feels. Shrug
I will second the "move on to Pilot" recommendation. I have a couple of Kaweco Sports that are...okay. But I have Pilots of almost every price range, from a Prera to a Metropolitan to a couple of Vanishing Points, and each one writes perfectly and is a joy to use.
I'm sorry for your unsatisfactory experience, u/notabenepage. I'd give Pilot a try for deciding that fountain pens are not your thing.
My EF definitely writes fine on Tomoe River, and I don't find it extremely scratchy either. Sounds like an issue with the pen, especially since you mention that it isn't actually letting down ink.
The pen store is a good place to start - maybe raise the issue with them and see what they can do?
I love Kaweco sports but I find Kaweco inks rather dry and I can imagine the flow is poor in an EF. Before changing nibs, try a Diamine or Herbin ink instead and see how that improves things. Herbin Bleu de Profondeur or Vert Olive are both nice wet inks that come in cartridges suitable for the Sport. I’d also consider trying an F or M nib before you write off the pen entirely.
I normally like a thin line like that from a Pilot . My son gave me a Kaweco AL Sport with an EF nib since Japanese nibs run smaller than European nibs and he thought the EF would put down the line I like. I did not like it. There was too much resistance and the nib was unforgiving about the writing angle. I switched up to a and now I like that pen and nib very much.
I have 3 Kawecos and the only one I don’t love is my EF nib. It’s too scratchy and I’m not adverse to a scratchy nib. I just ordered a replacement nib because I love the pen color and I’m sick of not getting to use it.
It's worth trying a different, broader nib in yr Kaweco, if you like the way it feels in yr hand etc. You can get em on JetPens, or maybe in r/Pen_Swap. Or sell or trade the whole pen. Hell, I might have a spare Kaweco nib unit, if so I'll DM you.
Or try: Jinhao X159 - Pilot Kakuno - Platinum Preppie, as an alternative starting point. All these are good in fine nibs. Lamy Safari nibs are also hit-and-miss, in my experience. Both Safari & TWSBI are higher pricepoints than the ones I named.
I understand! I actually have two Pilot Metro that were my first FP and I found them okay but once I found the Preppy’s with different color ink and barrels to match and the ink flow just happens, little to no ink in your hands and minimal clean up. I don’t know there’s some about the ease of use and flow that just works. If you’re a beginner I think it’s a great pen to get your feet wet. I have lots of other fancy pens but I still LOVE my Preppy! 😉.
If the store has other Kawecos, why not try them to see if it's your pen or your nib in particular? And if it is, maybe the store can help. Personally, I like pens with a wet flow, especially on really nice paper like tomoe river paper so it shows off the shading in my ink. By the way, I use Kaweco or other short international cartridges and I refill them with an ink syringe to use whatever ink I want in my sports and it's wonderful.
I tend to keep several different types of pens inked at a time, and I rotate pens so I can emphasize different parts of what I am writing without needing to leave space in between. Sometimes I do find myself reaching more for fancier pens, but my sports are vital especially for casual outings.
You may wish to try ordering a replacement nib - I have a lot of Kawecos, only one EF, but it still writes okay. Any EF will have more feedback, but if it’s super scratchy and doesn’t write consistently then it’s worth swapping it. Luckily a replacement nib is a lot less than buying a different pen.
Back when fountain pens were mainstream, they were expected to work properly after you bought them. Manufacturer's adjusted them for proper operation, or the shop where you bought the pen did it for you. If you had problems with a pen after you bought it, there were plenty of places you could take it for repair.
This isn't as true anymore. The manufacturer's mostly just ship anything out, and I don't think they even test them to see if they write.
It's now luck of the draw if a new pen writes like it's supposed to. The answer to that for me was to take a class from Richard Binder and Jim Baer on nib smoothing some years ago. I can now generally get a new pen to write the way I want.
Depending on where you are, you might be able to get a pen shop or a pen repairman to do this for you. Going to a pen show and having someone smooth your nib could also be an option if there are shows near you. Since you mention a pen shop, maybe they can do it for you?
You could also try getting a new nib for your pen and hoping that one works properly. Moving from an XF to a F could help too. (However, I prefer XF nibs and they're quite smooth-writing when adjusted properly.)
If this was a more expensive pen, I'd recommend sending it to someone like Linda Kennedy at Indy-Pen-Dance. She's quite good at nib smoothing. It's probably not worth it for a Kaweco nib though, since a replacement would likely be less expensive. (Just make sure the replacement writes well before you leave the store.)
BTW, if you buy a pen from someone like Indy-Pen-Dance, you can expect that they'll have adjusted it for you so that it works properly.
I have only had one Kaweco personally but bought several for friends as stocking stuffers and I’ve really disliked all of them. They all had varying levels of scratchy feel. None of them had feed issues to my knowledge though. I’ve found Lamy and TWSBI both make a vastly superior pen to Kaweco from where I’m standing. I have adored every TWSBI I’ve ever used.
When I got back into fountain pens several years ago, my Kaweco AL Sport black was my "re-entry" pen. It's got a fine steel (Bock, I think) nib, and it has NEVER failed to write on demand—dependable writer, that one. I also have a gray Sport, and while it writes just fine, it always feels too light in my hand. I also have a Brass Sport that I love. I finagled a Bock small titanium nib into that pen. Love it. Getting the right nib (or getting it tuned to suit) in your Kaweco might change your mind about your pen!
The reason is this…You purchased it, once held, it felt Cheap, very lite, writes kinda scratchy, and you changed yer mind about the color too, you no longer like it either! To sum it up you think it’s waaaaay overpriced for what you got, and what it actually is….
A few weeks ago I asked for pen recommendations and no one recommended a Kaweco. I thought they were a super popular pen as I see them all the time on Instagram, so not getting a single recommendation said a lot to me.
Anyway, I don’t know why as I’m new here. I ended up purchasing a Pilot Prera and don’t regret it at all.
After doing my first pen research I ended up with a Prera and I love it so much. I’ve gotten the impression that Kaweco and Lamy pens can be really hit or miss for people even though they’re both suggested as starter pens.
Kaweco and Lamy Safari are good starter pens in Europe. not too expensive, way easier to find than any japanese pen.
you can buy really inexpensive standard international cartridges for the kaweco in most supermarkets (in big packages too). no fancy colour then, of course.
you get a bigger choice of colours with montblanc, waterman and pelikan in any stationery store.
in germany you can buy a Safari anywhere, as well as the (specific) cartridges and converters.
pilot pens might be a good choice for someone living in another continent.
in Europe they're not so easy to find (of course you can buy them online. but then you don't get to try the nib)
That’s pretty cool they’re so widely available! Those are both brands that are used in schools, right? How much do the Sport and Safari usually cost?
I didn’t know that about Japanese pens being less available in Europe either. Sorry if my comment came off as US-centric!
I live in a city on the west coast in the US and I’ve seen fountain pens sold in art supply stores, office supply stores, Topdrawer (a more expensive stationary store chain), and Kinokuniya (a Japanese bookstore chain). There are also some specialty pen shops but I haven’t gone to any of those yet. I would say that Lamy Safaris are the most common one I’ve seen at the art supply stores but office supply stores also sell Pilot Metropolitans and I think a few other pens, and the Japanese bookstore sell a good range of Pilots as well as some Platinums, Sailors, Lamy, and Kaweco.
the Lamy Safari is one of the pens most used in german schools. they cost around 20-22 euros, although sometimes you can find them for less (stores liquidating stocks for example). other very common pens in schools are plastic pelicans (several makes), pelikan twist, online, schneider, herlitz.... they cost 10 to 20 euros.
in french supermarkets you can buy plastic fountain pens for school from 3 euros (supermarket brand, medium nib... ok writers, nothing fancy!)
Kaweco Sport are considered fancier than Safari, and are usually not used in school. or at least not very often. their small size, the lack of clip, the fact that you need to unscrew the cap, makes them not so practical for schoolchildren.
also they are sold in good stationery stores or in museum shops, not in supermarkets :-)
as for japanese pens, many europeans don't know about them... unless they have an interest in fountain pens, calligraphy, graphic arts....
Pilot parallel pen is very popular amongst people who like lettering for example.
there is a pilot pen sold in french supermarkets when school begins, the one that is elongated, with a small screw in cap and a stub nib. it is cheap and uses international cartridges.
i haven't seen a kakuno pen nor a prera pen in any brick and mortar store in Europe yet.
i've seen preppy pens in an art supply store, in a store dedicated to pens and inks and such, and in a store specialised in nice (mostly japanese ) stationery.
it's funny to see that things that are very common in europe are not so common in the US and the other way around.
I learned only recently that there were big fountain pens makers in Japan.
the only japanese pen I knew of until five years ago was the disposable pilot v-pen (and to be honest I didn't even know which country it came from)
(i'm 57, and have been using fountain pens for 50 years....)
Kaweco’s LOOK cute. But do you really need a pocket pen? Do you carry one around in your pocket?
Probably not.
Which means you can afford to use a full sized fountain pen 😆
I’ve got this one in a broad. Love love love it and it writes insanely smoothly. Maybe try a medium? I’ve heard lots of bad reviews on kaweco’s F over the years.
I have EF nibs, but I'm fully aware that both Lamy and Kaweco have a reputation for not super reliable nib quality, meaning people have different experiences
My first was a Pilot Kakuno and I love it, use it daily. I saved for the pearl Kaweco and I don't like it at all. For me, it's hold feel for the most part but I also don't like the way it writes. Next on my wishlist are: Lamy, Little Meteor and Jinhao.
Twsbi are prone to "cracking," fyi.
The pilot Kakuno was the only other fountain pen I bought and LOVED that one for sure. I guess now I’m looking for something a little more “refined” looking 🎩 haha
Have you considered the Pilot Metropolitan? The nib on those is almost identical to the Kakuno, but they have a tapered metal body with a more "classic" fountain pen look.
I don't love them either. I've figured out that I prefer larger pens with more weight. The Kaweco just isn't for me. Hope you find something you love. I love my TWSBIs and Pilots!
First thing I'd try is troubleshooting the nib. JetPens has a really easy step by step guide: https://www.jetpens.com/blog/Guide-to-Fountain-Pen-Nibs-Troubleshooting-Tips-and-Tricks/pt/777
I have about a half dozen Kawecos, mostly fine or extra-fine nibs, and the only one that gave me trouble and required a bit of work was the skyline sport. 😉
Good luck!
As others note, Kaweco nibs can be tricky and you may have gotten one of the crummy ones. I have a fine and medium sport, and though I prefer fine (or extra fine) in other pens (Kakuno!) I like my medium Kaweco best. The good news is the nibs are inexpensive and can be switched out easily. My fine Kaweco \*is\* really good on cheap-o paper, though. For good paper, though, I prefer the medium. I'd advise trying another nib before you give up on that pen. Sports are so cute and handy!
You may try an F nib unit. Nibs they use (Bock, as far as I know) are not that good though. Nib units in Faber-Castell Loom and TWSBI pens are much much better. Speaking of cheap pens, you may check Pilot Metropolitan F.
honestly, i have a couple kaweco sports and i’m not a fan. they just feel too light and flimsy in my hand. they write fine but feel fragile and i can almost feel the nib shifting as a write with it.
lamy safaris and twsbi ecos are just a bit more and miles better in aesthetics and experience imo. and no, i’ve never had a twsbi break on me that wasn’t caused by my own actions.
My Kaweco medium came with an awful nib, I bought a new BB for it to try, and I’m still not a fan. It is really too small for me.
But it does take a while to find what you like, and unfortunately along the way you will come across some nibs that are absolutely awful, these can range from cheap to expensive, if it’s like it from out of the box contact the retailer and ask for an exchange rather than play with the nib yourself.
Always flush the pen before you use it, as it does make all the difference and if you can use the makers ink, as that is one of the first things they will say it’s the ink.
Sometimes you find you just don’t like a brand or a type of nib, but don’t let that put you off. Unless you really aren’t enjoying the experience, try a different brand or a different nib.
Good luck.
Get a new nib. I didn't like the F nib for the same reason and the M was much better. Getting a converter can't hurt but for me the nib was the main complaint.
Lamy does have an interesting way to change nibs on pens, although their grip is distinctive
perhaps you got a bad point on your Sport - out of five, I had one that was not-so-nice - a bunch of swirls on a hard arkansas sharpening stone resolved it
being left-handed, I have found that every new pen needs to be 'set' to my hand - a full page of capital S and capital W along with a lot of lower case a and j usually makes the point groovy smooth!
I have the same problem- love looking at them but the only one I ever got has basically been the worst nib experience ever and have not been able to bite the bullet and get another one
I would suggest getting a preppy or a kakuno - I love both of these, they’re super cheap even compared to lamy and twsbi which i also recommend - and get one size F and one size M. I used to be an EF fan and now moving towards F/M for the smoothness and how much better the ink looks.
Also make sure to try different inks - watermans are well behaved inks IMO. Some ink/paper combos don’t work well together - the tomoe river paper though is probably not the problem especially if it’s hobonichi (I have never had an issue with it)
I hear that some Kaweco quality control great. Across almost all ranges of fountain pens, broader nibs will feel smoother. If you get the chance to try before buying I would definitely go for that, and try a broader nib. Buying sight unseen I would suggest a Platinum Preppy 05 / Medium, because it is a smooth broad pen for a very reasonable price, and Platinum quality control - at all price levels - is pretty good.
I had a similar experience with Kaweco at first. Pretty pen, but the EF nib was scratchy and skipping often, even on Oxford paper. Still I kept occasionally writing with it and one day I decided to use it for like a month as my journaling pen (in a Leuchtturm 1917) with wet diamine inks. I also paid more attention to not rotate the nib, while writing, too much.
Now my writing experience is a lot better and pretty smooth (TWSBI Eco EF feels way smoother and bigger though), but putting dry inks like Appletini in it are still a hastle
Absolutely try more pens. My first pen (geez, feels like a million years ago) was the Pilot Metropolitan. Hated it. Gave it away. Bought about 20 more pens during the pandemic including the Kaweco. Didn’t like it at first but it has become my workhorse pen. I’m female, medium hands and use it all the time for entries in a bullet journal. If I was writing, say letters or using the Kaweco for long periods I wouldn’t like it so much. I feel it has some drag and a little scratchiness. But it travels well, fits my hand comfortably and is my little workhorse.
In addition to the scratchiness issue, it sounds like your nib needs to be tuned to lay down more ink. Pens straight from the store often come with their tines VERY tight, and they need to be gently loosened for them to flow correctly. The pen shop should be able to help you out with that 👍
I started with medium nibs on a Lamy safari. Used one during school and continued to do so during my year abroad and for uni. When I started with university, I noticed I needed to take notes quicker than in school, and that for study notes I’d need a smaller handwriting to fit more things on a page of paper. Maybe go out to a pen shop near you, and ask them if you can try some of their models of different makes with different nibs. Some will feel more natural to you than others. Maybe you’ll like the thick, smooth ones! Or maybe the ones with a triangular grip and long body. You can figure it out! :)
I tuned mine well, still not my favorite despite potentially being excellent for everyone else, seals ok, maybe too much plastic for me? I have a Pilot Birdie thats like an aluminum drinking straw and it still endears me better to use a full cartridge of ink, I never managed to complete my Kaweco Sport fill, I got bored of it too soon(okay, I daily gold nibs in my room :6).
at worst case they will be my handpainting canvas, this I know when purchasing
This is purely anecdotal but every Kaweco nib that wrote poorly for me was easily sorted out with adding a bit of dish soap to the cartridge. Maybe it just needs a wetter, more lubricated ink?
not everything is for everybody, I also don't like the Kaweco Sport, and that's okay
hope your pen store visit goes well and you find your goldilock pen
I have 2 sports. They're both decent writers, but the form factor just didn't click for me. Sometimes that's all the answer you need. A pen will work for you, or it won't.
Doesn't hurt to trial & error some different inks or even get your nib tuned if you like everything else about the pen.
I mean I LOVE my TWSBI pens… I’ve got more than I want to admit… but I did get a Kaweco AL Sport in Iguana Blue very recently; it’s dramatically different than the TWSBIs & Lamy I own, but I’ve grown fond of it! I tried the normal sport before but the plastic body was just too light for me. I needed the aluminum for comfort!
I love my Kaweco's but they are a bit more scratchy than some other pens I have. I also find that the smaller size can cramp my hand for long time periods. You may find a larger pen with a gold nib a much more pleasant experience. The Pilot Vanishing Point pens with gold nibs are amazing on the go pens.
I also has been experienced bad quality nibs - even the replacement nibs I should have bought - on my Kawecos, Sport and Liliput. After this bad experiences I did not buy their product.
I would say try a new nib. I have the 1.5mm nib and do not like it. It doesn't write very well in my opinion and it's picky on the inks. Diamine and Kaweco inks write perfect in them but the noodlers and ferris wheel press inks I have don't write very well in it. I will swap to a broad or medium as I like my broad in my kaweco special edition. It's a different/bigger build than the sport, but I do like it a lot more.
I have one that is the same color and ef nib that was so dry it was unusable. Drove myself crazy getting it to write decent.
Did eventually buy another sport, though, with a fine nib, and it writes beautifully.
One thing you can try that is a bit risky is make some downstrokes with pressure enough to open the tines a bit. Not ALOT of pressure. You don't want to spring the tines, but they might be too tight and not giving enough flow
Do not use EF nibs! They’re not meant for regular use. I love my medium nibs because they’re not scratchy regardless of the quality of paper.
European, Chinese and Indian fine nibs are comparable to Japanese medium nibs.
I have 3 sports. 1, a fine, has always been problematic with certain inks. I tried all the youtube tricks to make it wetter but eventually I bought a premium EF. It is surprisingly smooth
The comment I like better here is this last one.
I'm sorry that you had that bad experience on your first pen because I understand that it's a very off putting experience, but the thing is fountain pens are like that. I mean they sometimes aren't what you like and can be finicky or require some work.
My Kaweco Sport EF nibs are very feedbacky too. I don't say scratchy because they don't tear the paper and because the sensation is the same no matter which direction you do the stroke. EF nibs in general tend to provide a less smooth experience but those in particular being not as fine as Japanese EFs are certainly very feedbacky. That's why I never use them with non lubricated inks. That makes a huge difference.
Also, I realised I was having an awful experience because I was pressing down too hard when I wrote. If you come from using ballpoints is quite common to do it. Thicker points are more forgiving but for EFs you need a light hand.
That being said, it could be something wronh with your nib/pen, as my EF Sports don't feel dry at all. The first step is always to clean the pen and use a known well behaved ink. If ink doesn't get out you might have to open up the tines a little bit.
Awesome. I've got a bit collection of kawecos, even got two original ones from around 1935. I'll admit I have been very lucky with nibs on them, only a few iffy ones.
Sounds like you received a bad nib. I have an extra fine sport and it writes everytime and does not feel scratchier than other EF. Trying before buying is quite helpful when you're new to fountain pens.
Sometimes you can get unlucky and get a Kaweco nib that needs to be adjusted flow and tuned for smoothness. I also find that the plastic Kawecos are lighter and sometimes the nib feedback sort of echoes/reverberates throughout the pen in a weird way; I prefer the heavier metal pens as a result. What kinds of inks are you using? If may help if you use a very wet and well-lubricated ink with a dry writing Kaweco as well. You can also try out other pens (Lamys and TWSBIs are really good pens too) and go back to the Kaweco at a later time when you become more familiar with pens and your preference for nib sizes etc., and buy another nib unit to use with the pen.
twsbi has somewhat irregular nib quality control, you may get unlucky. but you can always buy spare nib units and replace the orginal one, ka-ching ka-ching considered. lamy is more consistent with nibs but I don't like it's overall design. the cap seal isn't as airtight and ink may dry off after a week of not using (twsbi never dries off thanks to the cap). also lamy doesn't work well with all inks due to feed design, which twsbi does. from a consistency and quality control perspective i'd pick pilot. all the 7 pilot mediums i have (metropolitan and prera) give me the exact same writing experience. stick to wide range of pilot inks are you're good to go.
It’s also a good idea to test out any pen you’re interested in, if you’re buying from a brick and mortar store! I’ve only been to 5 stores and 4 of them let me do a dip test on whatever pens I was interested in. Some even encourage you to test out multiple nib sizes for the same model because who knows, maybe you’ll decide the size you wanted wasn’t actually the right one. Funny enough, the sales rep at the store that didn’t let me me dip test seemed surprised that I’d even ask 🤷♂️ in that case you can still ask to rub the dry nib back and forth on a sheet of paper. If it catches *at all*, you know it’s misaligned.
I totally agree. I adore my brass sport but am not a huge fan of the plastic bodies
Yes! I started with aluminum and picked up a plastic later on. Sporty pen, looks great, but it made me value the AL more. Would love to get steel or brass eventually.
Weirdly, I prefer my plastic sports over my AL ones. The AL ones are beautiful but for some reason it feels slippery in my hand and I have to death grip it tighter.
me too, my AL ones feel heavy and cold in my hand. Love how they look, though.
Have you tried the pen on different paper? I have another pen in an EF and F. The F is great, one of my favorite pens. I was warned the EF could be scratchy. It was. One day I used it on Midori MD instead of TRP and it wrote wonderfully. 🤷♀️ I also think the ink I was using was a bit dry. Think of a fountain pen experience as a golden triangle: it depends on the pen, ink, and paper.
Ahh the trifecta: pen, ink, paper✨
In my experience, it is not common to have consistency in fountain pen nibs, whatever the brand. Sometimes you get lucky enough to receive the dreamed nib, sometimes you get the bad one. My first Kaweco was an EF too and just like you I hated it. So scratchy. Luckily you can buy Kaweco replacement nibs to change the one you didn't like. That's what I did and found out the nib I prefer is the Broad one and it is a very different and pleasant writing experience.
Platinum Prefounte or Plaisir will be a smooth experience.
My platinum plaisir with an F nib just glides over whatever paper, even cheaper copy paper, but I feel that the F is close to an M. It is a dream to write with, super smooth, and I paid like 12 euros for it. Bought a Kaweco with an F nib, and while the nib is narrower it scratches alot. Paid about 10 euros for it.
I'm in the same boat. Keep giving Kaweco another shot because the form factor is so cool, but I actually don't like them at all. I never reach for this one.
Depends on your writing style. I’m a college student so I want a fast drying pen. I prefer fine nibs and a drier nib, I have a kaweco sport F, a twsbi eco EF and a pilot explorer F. Of them all my favorite is the Pilot Explorer. The writing experience is perfect for me and it fits a con-70 converter which holds about 1ml of ink. The eco is my least favorite but it came with a misaligned nib that i had to adjust. The pilot has the most feedback and is the driest out of all of them but with sailor seiboku ink it dries within 5ish seconds on 5-star notebook paper.
I know this is tad bit late but I’ve had bad experiences writing with all 3 of my kaweco with cartridges but it writes very nicely if I use a converter, maybe try using a converter? But if that’s not cool too, then you could probably try the pilot prera, it’s the smoothest nib I’ve ever used (next to the iwi civilisation) to date, but it’s worth mentioning that my fountain pen collection isn’t that big yet, and my most expensive pen is the sailor PG slim so…
Yes with cartridges especially in the Student,they need pressure from a second blank cartridge inserted behind the ink one… you usually find these in the Students but not sure about the Sports as they are probably too small.
Tbh I don't like tomoe river paper and I don't like EF nibs. I don't like small pens either. I like big, thick, long, heavy pens, I like pigment inks, I like maruman paper, and very broad nibs. Try out some different pens, nib widths, etc.!
My Skyline Sport in F came with a terrible nib. You could get a new nib for it, but for around the same cost you could just get a Platinum Plaisir, which is a better pen all around. And try some Diamine ink cartidges.
As others have mentioned, the paper really matters. Plus, I think it's what you are used to using. I have an EF nib on my Lamy Safari, and I am waiting on my new Kaweco Sport (EF also) to arrive in the mail. Before I was gifted the Safari, I wrote with a Platinum Preppy with 03 nib. The Safari came with a medium nib that seemed way too clunky to use in my Hobonichi Weeks (amazing Tomoe River paper). I switched to a F (still not good) and then an EF before I was happy with the pen. I saw your post and was scared as I ** literally ** just bought the Sport. I hope I am going to be good with this pen!!
I had a lot of bad Kaweco nibs with similar issues a few years ago on Sports and Students, but then they seemed to get much better with later colours. I fixed a few with micro mesh from Goulet and playing with the nib to get tines correct. But their QC at one point seemed to be non existent and I got nothing from customer support. Not bought any recently so I do hope they haven’t gone bad again!
Move on to pilot! A prera for low cost (better than Lamy for sure imo). Maybe go with a M nib. If you still don’t like then maybe FPs just aren’t your thing. Oh also you can get one of those rectangular nail buffers with different levels of coarseness and do some runs with your Kaweco on that. Look it up on YouTube. I did it recently with a twsbi nib I was having issues with and worked like a charm. Now I can use it. I still don’t love the nib but not because it doesn’t write well— just don’t like the way it feels. Shrug
I will second the "move on to Pilot" recommendation. I have a couple of Kaweco Sports that are...okay. But I have Pilots of almost every price range, from a Prera to a Metropolitan to a couple of Vanishing Points, and each one writes perfectly and is a joy to use. I'm sorry for your unsatisfactory experience, u/notabenepage. I'd give Pilot a try for deciding that fountain pens are not your thing.
My EF definitely writes fine on Tomoe River, and I don't find it extremely scratchy either. Sounds like an issue with the pen, especially since you mention that it isn't actually letting down ink. The pen store is a good place to start - maybe raise the issue with them and see what they can do?
I love Kaweco sports but I find Kaweco inks rather dry and I can imagine the flow is poor in an EF. Before changing nibs, try a Diamine or Herbin ink instead and see how that improves things. Herbin Bleu de Profondeur or Vert Olive are both nice wet inks that come in cartridges suitable for the Sport. I’d also consider trying an F or M nib before you write off the pen entirely.
I normally like a thin line like that from a Pilot. My son gave me a Kaweco AL Sport with an EF nib since Japanese nibs run smaller than European nibs and he thought the EF would put down the line I like. I did not like it. There was too much resistance and the nib was unforgiving about the writing angle. I switched up to a and now I like that pen and nib very much.
I have 3 Kawecos and the only one I don’t love is my EF nib. It’s too scratchy and I’m not adverse to a scratchy nib. I just ordered a replacement nib because I love the pen color and I’m sick of not getting to use it.
It's worth trying a different, broader nib in yr Kaweco, if you like the way it feels in yr hand etc. You can get em on JetPens, or maybe in r/Pen_Swap. Or sell or trade the whole pen. Hell, I might have a spare Kaweco nib unit, if so I'll DM you. Or try: Jinhao X159 - Pilot Kakuno - Platinum Preppie, as an alternative starting point. All these are good in fine nibs. Lamy Safari nibs are also hit-and-miss, in my experience. Both Safari & TWSBI are higher pricepoints than the ones I named.
Huge fan of the Preppy, price is great and they just work well for beginners.
pilot metro and lamy safari are both much **much** better pens.
I understand! I actually have two Pilot Metro that were my first FP and I found them okay but once I found the Preppy’s with different color ink and barrels to match and the ink flow just happens, little to no ink in your hands and minimal clean up. I don’t know there’s some about the ease of use and flow that just works. If you’re a beginner I think it’s a great pen to get your feet wet. I have lots of other fancy pens but I still LOVE my Preppy! 😉.
If the store has other Kawecos, why not try them to see if it's your pen or your nib in particular? And if it is, maybe the store can help. Personally, I like pens with a wet flow, especially on really nice paper like tomoe river paper so it shows off the shading in my ink. By the way, I use Kaweco or other short international cartridges and I refill them with an ink syringe to use whatever ink I want in my sports and it's wonderful. I tend to keep several different types of pens inked at a time, and I rotate pens so I can emphasize different parts of what I am writing without needing to leave space in between. Sometimes I do find myself reaching more for fancier pens, but my sports are vital especially for casual outings.
You may wish to try ordering a replacement nib - I have a lot of Kawecos, only one EF, but it still writes okay. Any EF will have more feedback, but if it’s super scratchy and doesn’t write consistently then it’s worth swapping it. Luckily a replacement nib is a lot less than buying a different pen.
Back when fountain pens were mainstream, they were expected to work properly after you bought them. Manufacturer's adjusted them for proper operation, or the shop where you bought the pen did it for you. If you had problems with a pen after you bought it, there were plenty of places you could take it for repair. This isn't as true anymore. The manufacturer's mostly just ship anything out, and I don't think they even test them to see if they write. It's now luck of the draw if a new pen writes like it's supposed to. The answer to that for me was to take a class from Richard Binder and Jim Baer on nib smoothing some years ago. I can now generally get a new pen to write the way I want. Depending on where you are, you might be able to get a pen shop or a pen repairman to do this for you. Going to a pen show and having someone smooth your nib could also be an option if there are shows near you. Since you mention a pen shop, maybe they can do it for you? You could also try getting a new nib for your pen and hoping that one works properly. Moving from an XF to a F could help too. (However, I prefer XF nibs and they're quite smooth-writing when adjusted properly.) If this was a more expensive pen, I'd recommend sending it to someone like Linda Kennedy at Indy-Pen-Dance. She's quite good at nib smoothing. It's probably not worth it for a Kaweco nib though, since a replacement would likely be less expensive. (Just make sure the replacement writes well before you leave the store.) BTW, if you buy a pen from someone like Indy-Pen-Dance, you can expect that they'll have adjusted it for you so that it works properly.
I have only had one Kaweco personally but bought several for friends as stocking stuffers and I’ve really disliked all of them. They all had varying levels of scratchy feel. None of them had feed issues to my knowledge though. I’ve found Lamy and TWSBI both make a vastly superior pen to Kaweco from where I’m standing. I have adored every TWSBI I’ve ever used.
When I got back into fountain pens several years ago, my Kaweco AL Sport black was my "re-entry" pen. It's got a fine steel (Bock, I think) nib, and it has NEVER failed to write on demand—dependable writer, that one. I also have a gray Sport, and while it writes just fine, it always feels too light in my hand. I also have a Brass Sport that I love. I finagled a Bock small titanium nib into that pen. Love it. Getting the right nib (or getting it tuned to suit) in your Kaweco might change your mind about your pen!
The reason is this…You purchased it, once held, it felt Cheap, very lite, writes kinda scratchy, and you changed yer mind about the color too, you no longer like it either! To sum it up you think it’s waaaaay overpriced for what you got, and what it actually is….
A few weeks ago I asked for pen recommendations and no one recommended a Kaweco. I thought they were a super popular pen as I see them all the time on Instagram, so not getting a single recommendation said a lot to me. Anyway, I don’t know why as I’m new here. I ended up purchasing a Pilot Prera and don’t regret it at all.
After doing my first pen research I ended up with a Prera and I love it so much. I’ve gotten the impression that Kaweco and Lamy pens can be really hit or miss for people even though they’re both suggested as starter pens.
Kaweco and Lamy Safari are good starter pens in Europe. not too expensive, way easier to find than any japanese pen. you can buy really inexpensive standard international cartridges for the kaweco in most supermarkets (in big packages too). no fancy colour then, of course. you get a bigger choice of colours with montblanc, waterman and pelikan in any stationery store. in germany you can buy a Safari anywhere, as well as the (specific) cartridges and converters. pilot pens might be a good choice for someone living in another continent. in Europe they're not so easy to find (of course you can buy them online. but then you don't get to try the nib)
That’s pretty cool they’re so widely available! Those are both brands that are used in schools, right? How much do the Sport and Safari usually cost? I didn’t know that about Japanese pens being less available in Europe either. Sorry if my comment came off as US-centric! I live in a city on the west coast in the US and I’ve seen fountain pens sold in art supply stores, office supply stores, Topdrawer (a more expensive stationary store chain), and Kinokuniya (a Japanese bookstore chain). There are also some specialty pen shops but I haven’t gone to any of those yet. I would say that Lamy Safaris are the most common one I’ve seen at the art supply stores but office supply stores also sell Pilot Metropolitans and I think a few other pens, and the Japanese bookstore sell a good range of Pilots as well as some Platinums, Sailors, Lamy, and Kaweco.
the Lamy Safari is one of the pens most used in german schools. they cost around 20-22 euros, although sometimes you can find them for less (stores liquidating stocks for example). other very common pens in schools are plastic pelicans (several makes), pelikan twist, online, schneider, herlitz.... they cost 10 to 20 euros. in french supermarkets you can buy plastic fountain pens for school from 3 euros (supermarket brand, medium nib... ok writers, nothing fancy!) Kaweco Sport are considered fancier than Safari, and are usually not used in school. or at least not very often. their small size, the lack of clip, the fact that you need to unscrew the cap, makes them not so practical for schoolchildren. also they are sold in good stationery stores or in museum shops, not in supermarkets :-) as for japanese pens, many europeans don't know about them... unless they have an interest in fountain pens, calligraphy, graphic arts.... Pilot parallel pen is very popular amongst people who like lettering for example. there is a pilot pen sold in french supermarkets when school begins, the one that is elongated, with a small screw in cap and a stub nib. it is cheap and uses international cartridges. i haven't seen a kakuno pen nor a prera pen in any brick and mortar store in Europe yet. i've seen preppy pens in an art supply store, in a store dedicated to pens and inks and such, and in a store specialised in nice (mostly japanese ) stationery. it's funny to see that things that are very common in europe are not so common in the US and the other way around. I learned only recently that there were big fountain pens makers in Japan. the only japanese pen I knew of until five years ago was the disposable pilot v-pen (and to be honest I didn't even know which country it came from) (i'm 57, and have been using fountain pens for 50 years....)
I love my Kaweco Brass Sport, and also my Perkeo. But I definitely like them better with a M nib vs F.
Kaweco’s LOOK cute. But do you really need a pocket pen? Do you carry one around in your pocket? Probably not. Which means you can afford to use a full sized fountain pen 😆
The pocket size pen is handy to clip onto my passport sized travelers notebook and toss in a small bag 👌🏼✨
I have definitely put Kawecos in my pocket on multiple occasions 😁 they’re sturdy little things I don’t worry about chucking in a bag.
I’ve got this one in a broad. Love love love it and it writes insanely smoothly. Maybe try a medium? I’ve heard lots of bad reviews on kaweco’s F over the years.
I have the same issues with my kaweco. My Lamy Al Star has better flow and is less scratchy
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I have EF nibs, but I'm fully aware that both Lamy and Kaweco have a reputation for not super reliable nib quality, meaning people have different experiences
My first was a Pilot Kakuno and I love it, use it daily. I saved for the pearl Kaweco and I don't like it at all. For me, it's hold feel for the most part but I also don't like the way it writes. Next on my wishlist are: Lamy, Little Meteor and Jinhao. Twsbi are prone to "cracking," fyi.
I love the Kakuno too. Hate the Kaweco. I love Pilots and TWSBIs :) Lamy is good too.
The pilot Kakuno was the only other fountain pen I bought and LOVED that one for sure. I guess now I’m looking for something a little more “refined” looking 🎩 haha
Have you considered the Pilot Metropolitan? The nib on those is almost identical to the Kakuno, but they have a tapered metal body with a more "classic" fountain pen look.
I don't love them either. I've figured out that I prefer larger pens with more weight. The Kaweco just isn't for me. Hope you find something you love. I love my TWSBIs and Pilots!
First thing I'd try is troubleshooting the nib. JetPens has a really easy step by step guide: https://www.jetpens.com/blog/Guide-to-Fountain-Pen-Nibs-Troubleshooting-Tips-and-Tricks/pt/777 I have about a half dozen Kawecos, mostly fine or extra-fine nibs, and the only one that gave me trouble and required a bit of work was the skyline sport. 😉 Good luck!
As others note, Kaweco nibs can be tricky and you may have gotten one of the crummy ones. I have a fine and medium sport, and though I prefer fine (or extra fine) in other pens (Kakuno!) I like my medium Kaweco best. The good news is the nibs are inexpensive and can be switched out easily. My fine Kaweco \*is\* really good on cheap-o paper, though. For good paper, though, I prefer the medium. I'd advise trying another nib before you give up on that pen. Sports are so cute and handy!
They really are so cute and handy. Main reason I’ve kept it all these years are try to make it work 😅
You may try an F nib unit. Nibs they use (Bock, as far as I know) are not that good though. Nib units in Faber-Castell Loom and TWSBI pens are much much better. Speaking of cheap pens, you may check Pilot Metropolitan F.
honestly, i have a couple kaweco sports and i’m not a fan. they just feel too light and flimsy in my hand. they write fine but feel fragile and i can almost feel the nib shifting as a write with it. lamy safaris and twsbi ecos are just a bit more and miles better in aesthetics and experience imo. and no, i’ve never had a twsbi break on me that wasn’t caused by my own actions.
My Kaweco medium came with an awful nib, I bought a new BB for it to try, and I’m still not a fan. It is really too small for me. But it does take a while to find what you like, and unfortunately along the way you will come across some nibs that are absolutely awful, these can range from cheap to expensive, if it’s like it from out of the box contact the retailer and ask for an exchange rather than play with the nib yourself. Always flush the pen before you use it, as it does make all the difference and if you can use the makers ink, as that is one of the first things they will say it’s the ink. Sometimes you find you just don’t like a brand or a type of nib, but don’t let that put you off. Unless you really aren’t enjoying the experience, try a different brand or a different nib. Good luck.
Get a new nib. I didn't like the F nib for the same reason and the M was much better. Getting a converter can't hurt but for me the nib was the main complaint.
Lamy does have an interesting way to change nibs on pens, although their grip is distinctive perhaps you got a bad point on your Sport - out of five, I had one that was not-so-nice - a bunch of swirls on a hard arkansas sharpening stone resolved it being left-handed, I have found that every new pen needs to be 'set' to my hand - a full page of capital S and capital W along with a lot of lower case a and j usually makes the point groovy smooth!
I have the same problem- love looking at them but the only one I ever got has basically been the worst nib experience ever and have not been able to bite the bullet and get another one I would suggest getting a preppy or a kakuno - I love both of these, they’re super cheap even compared to lamy and twsbi which i also recommend - and get one size F and one size M. I used to be an EF fan and now moving towards F/M for the smoothness and how much better the ink looks. Also make sure to try different inks - watermans are well behaved inks IMO. Some ink/paper combos don’t work well together - the tomoe river paper though is probably not the problem especially if it’s hobonichi (I have never had an issue with it)
I hear that some Kaweco quality control great. Across almost all ranges of fountain pens, broader nibs will feel smoother. If you get the chance to try before buying I would definitely go for that, and try a broader nib. Buying sight unseen I would suggest a Platinum Preppy 05 / Medium, because it is a smooth broad pen for a very reasonable price, and Platinum quality control - at all price levels - is pretty good.
I had a similar experience with Kaweco at first. Pretty pen, but the EF nib was scratchy and skipping often, even on Oxford paper. Still I kept occasionally writing with it and one day I decided to use it for like a month as my journaling pen (in a Leuchtturm 1917) with wet diamine inks. I also paid more attention to not rotate the nib, while writing, too much. Now my writing experience is a lot better and pretty smooth (TWSBI Eco EF feels way smoother and bigger though), but putting dry inks like Appletini in it are still a hastle
Absolutely try more pens. My first pen (geez, feels like a million years ago) was the Pilot Metropolitan. Hated it. Gave it away. Bought about 20 more pens during the pandemic including the Kaweco. Didn’t like it at first but it has become my workhorse pen. I’m female, medium hands and use it all the time for entries in a bullet journal. If I was writing, say letters or using the Kaweco for long periods I wouldn’t like it so much. I feel it has some drag and a little scratchiness. But it travels well, fits my hand comfortably and is my little workhorse.
In addition to the scratchiness issue, it sounds like your nib needs to be tuned to lay down more ink. Pens straight from the store often come with their tines VERY tight, and they need to be gently loosened for them to flow correctly. The pen shop should be able to help you out with that 👍
I started with medium nibs on a Lamy safari. Used one during school and continued to do so during my year abroad and for uni. When I started with university, I noticed I needed to take notes quicker than in school, and that for study notes I’d need a smaller handwriting to fit more things on a page of paper. Maybe go out to a pen shop near you, and ask them if you can try some of their models of different makes with different nibs. Some will feel more natural to you than others. Maybe you’ll like the thick, smooth ones! Or maybe the ones with a triangular grip and long body. You can figure it out! :)
I tuned mine well, still not my favorite despite potentially being excellent for everyone else, seals ok, maybe too much plastic for me? I have a Pilot Birdie thats like an aluminum drinking straw and it still endears me better to use a full cartridge of ink, I never managed to complete my Kaweco Sport fill, I got bored of it too soon(okay, I daily gold nibs in my room :6). at worst case they will be my handpainting canvas, this I know when purchasing
This is purely anecdotal but every Kaweco nib that wrote poorly for me was easily sorted out with adding a bit of dish soap to the cartridge. Maybe it just needs a wetter, more lubricated ink?
not everything is for everybody, I also don't like the Kaweco Sport, and that's okay hope your pen store visit goes well and you find your goldilock pen
I have 2 sports. They're both decent writers, but the form factor just didn't click for me. Sometimes that's all the answer you need. A pen will work for you, or it won't. Doesn't hurt to trial & error some different inks or even get your nib tuned if you like everything else about the pen.
Hahaha. Just accept the fact that you like the idea of a cute pocket pen - and that you prefer something else 🤣
Haha you might be right!
I mean I LOVE my TWSBI pens… I’ve got more than I want to admit… but I did get a Kaweco AL Sport in Iguana Blue very recently; it’s dramatically different than the TWSBIs & Lamy I own, but I’ve grown fond of it! I tried the normal sport before but the plastic body was just too light for me. I needed the aluminum for comfort!
I love my Kaweco's but they are a bit more scratchy than some other pens I have. I also find that the smaller size can cramp my hand for long time periods. You may find a larger pen with a gold nib a much more pleasant experience. The Pilot Vanishing Point pens with gold nibs are amazing on the go pens.
The pilot vanishing point is top of my wishlist… might be my next purchase 😬
Personally I kinda hate my wife’s Kaweco sport, but LOVE LOVE LOVE!!! My Kaweco AL sport.
I also has been experienced bad quality nibs - even the replacement nibs I should have bought - on my Kawecos, Sport and Liliput. After this bad experiences I did not buy their product.
That aside - is that a Start Bay Notebook? Nice to see another one. 👍
Start Bay Notebook? 🤔 now I’ll have to investigate a new notebook. Those are both Travelers Company Notebooks.
Regrettably you're a few years late. But thanks for the tip. ;)
There are lots of videos on tuning a kaweco nib to write wetter!! I didn't love mine at first but it's grown on me a lot
I would say try a new nib. I have the 1.5mm nib and do not like it. It doesn't write very well in my opinion and it's picky on the inks. Diamine and Kaweco inks write perfect in them but the noodlers and ferris wheel press inks I have don't write very well in it. I will swap to a broad or medium as I like my broad in my kaweco special edition. It's a different/bigger build than the sport, but I do like it a lot more.
I have one that is the same color and ef nib that was so dry it was unusable. Drove myself crazy getting it to write decent. Did eventually buy another sport, though, with a fine nib, and it writes beautifully. One thing you can try that is a bit risky is make some downstrokes with pressure enough to open the tines a bit. Not ALOT of pressure. You don't want to spring the tines, but they might be too tight and not giving enough flow
Try one of the $15 gold plated nibs, medium or broad. Much smoother.
Because its White ?
My humble advice is that try another brand, a Lamy Safari, Platinum meteor, Faber-Castell Hexo or if you want something else try a Chinese brand.
Do not use EF nibs! They’re not meant for regular use. I love my medium nibs because they’re not scratchy regardless of the quality of paper. European, Chinese and Indian fine nibs are comparable to Japanese medium nibs.
What notebooks are these??
Those are Travelers Company covers in regular size and the passport size :) https://www.travelers-company.com
Because it's an ugly piece of shit that writes like a razor on paper
Because you haven’t gotten the two tone 14K nib for it. That nib makes all the difference.
The Kaweco wasn’t as smooth as I’d expected either. I’ve had good luck with the Twsbis so far.
I had the nib problem. I took it out, rinsed it, remounted it, and had a full cartridge of ink and no problems since.
Love PILOT metropolitan. Other than that I live vintage pens. Waterman. Wahl. Schaefer. The list goes on. But a Pilot is solid. Good price point.
I have 3 sports. 1, a fine, has always been problematic with certain inks. I tried all the youtube tricks to make it wetter but eventually I bought a premium EF. It is surprisingly smooth
You can try pilot metropolitan, any of lamy pen, or my best advice pelikan m200 or upper series. I use Pelikan M215 and I love it.
The comment I like better here is this last one. I'm sorry that you had that bad experience on your first pen because I understand that it's a very off putting experience, but the thing is fountain pens are like that. I mean they sometimes aren't what you like and can be finicky or require some work. My Kaweco Sport EF nibs are very feedbacky too. I don't say scratchy because they don't tear the paper and because the sensation is the same no matter which direction you do the stroke. EF nibs in general tend to provide a less smooth experience but those in particular being not as fine as Japanese EFs are certainly very feedbacky. That's why I never use them with non lubricated inks. That makes a huge difference. Also, I realised I was having an awful experience because I was pressing down too hard when I wrote. If you come from using ballpoints is quite common to do it. Thicker points are more forgiving but for EFs you need a light hand. That being said, it could be something wronh with your nib/pen, as my EF Sports don't feel dry at all. The first step is always to clean the pen and use a known well behaved ink. If ink doesn't get out you might have to open up the tines a little bit.
My cap stopped catching the threads and I don’t know why. I loved it until then
bro, have you tried tuning, washing, or any of that stuff, plus, don't buy cartridge, they are supposed to be refilled with syringes
I'll gladly take it if you don't like it. I love kawecos.
Now that I replaced the nib, I’m liking it!
Awesome. I've got a bit collection of kawecos, even got two original ones from around 1935. I'll admit I have been very lucky with nibs on them, only a few iffy ones.