Here is a pen I would not have looked twice at until I touched it. This is another temporary loan from Kaweco - thank you Sebastian for trusting this pretty thing in my hands.(And for making me fall in love with yet another Kaweco...)
ABOUT
Body Material: Piano lacquer acrylic
Trim: Metal
Length (capped): 5.4"
Length (uncapped nib-end): 5.2"
Length (posted): 6.9"
Barrel Diameter: 13.1 mm
Section Diameter: 9.9 mm
Nib material: Steel
Weight: 33 g/1.2 oz
Fill type: Cartridge
Price: $150.00USD
Where to buy:
JetPens
PACKAGING
The Kaweco Elite comes in a nice gift box that actually suits the size of the pen! Usually pen boxes are huge. I like that this one is just a little larger than the pen - no wasted space. That means it passes the Keep It? cut because it won't take up a huge amount of space on my shelf.
APPEARANCE
The Kaweco Elite fountain pen is something different to me - I'm familiar with Kaweco's pocket sized pens like the Ice Sport, the AC Sport, and the
Al Liliput. the cap is chrome with a matching chrome clip. The barrel and top of the cap are a lovely black piano lacquer acrylic. Both ends of the pen carry the Kaweco metal logo. The clip has Kaweco flair and flourishes.
The barrel is faceted -something I love to see and feel, but the cap is smooth. The barrel hops into the section quite smoothly with unnoticeable threads. The section has two chrome rings, one at the top and the other at the bottom. The large nib matches the silver and black colour scheme.
Even the converter is kinda sexy.
NIB & PERFORMANCE
The nib on the Kaweco Elite is larger than on the other Kawecos I am familiar with. Alas, it is a larger pen! I love the nib. It is a larger version of the nibs found on the pocket-sized pens. I think it's gorgeous on this pen.
I did not flush this pen before inking it up with a Kaweco Royal Blue cartridge. As this pen is on loan, I did not adjust the nib at all. The nib gave no issues whatsoever with writing - immediate start up, no skipping, consistent lines, smooth writing, good flow, and a generally reliable writing experience. Excellent. Just what I would expect from an unflushed pen in this price range. It's a pretty dry nib so personally, I would prefer it a little wetter.
The medium runs a little on the fine side (at least for a German nib), and ink dries very quickly with the way the nib is currently set up. Left-handed users would love this! If it were my pen, I would open up the tines a little to make it a tad wetter. Or put a broad in this. THAT WOULD BE IDEAL. The medium nib gives some line variation and the feed does keep up but I wouldn't write with it regularly that way.
IN HAND
This is a lovely pen. It is very comfortable to hold. It does not post deeply and is a little top heavy but I was able to find a comfortable writing position. Nevertheless, I chose to write unposted because of the length of the pen when posted. I love the design of the barrel where it meets the section - the threads are not noticeable at all. The nib performs so well that this pen is such a pleasure to write with.
PROS
- Attractive colour scheme.
- Nib performs very well.
- Feels great in hand.
- Interchangeable nib units.
- Clip is snug and designed to slide into pockets and on to papers easily. Very practical.
- Nice detailing.
CONS
- Top heavy when posted. (On the other hand, it's a decent size so it doesn't have to be posted.)
- Double broad/extra fine nib not available.
OVERALL
At $150.00USD, the price range of this fountain pen is amongst other standard priced pens (think production line
Edisons,
Sailor 1911S,
Waterman, or
Pilot Vanishing Points). The
Kaweco Elite is a great contender - great design, feels good in hand, looks good. No obvious cons - even being top heavy, that affects my hands because they're not large. But I'm totally in love with broad nibs though, so that's what I would pick. If you like precise, finer nibs, the fine or medium would be an excellent choice.
This pen was provided by Kaweco for review. I was not compensated monetarily for this review. This pen will be returned to Kaweco.
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