Fountain Pen Review: Kaweco DIA2

Did you know that Kaweco makes full-size fountain pens, too? Yes, Kaweco makes other pen models aside from the famous pocket-sized Sport series. Kaweco makes several full-size fountain pens including the Dia2, a handsome nostalgic fountain pen made of high-grade precious resin with gold or chrome trims. The design of the Dia2 is based on the Kaweco Dia that dates back to the hard rubber and celluloid pens from the 1920s.

The Kaweco Dia2 is packaged in an elegant pen case.

The Dia2 is a handsome pen. It is available only in black with chrome or gold trims. It has knurling in the cap and barrel ends that is so unique to the old Dia model. Though I am drawn to colorful pens, I love the black Dia2. It has a simple design, but it looks elegant and stylish. The high-grade precious resin is hand-polished to an exceptional gloss and shine. The chrome trims (clip, cap band, barrel band) also look so perfect with black! 

Kaweco Dia2 fountain pen with chrome trims.

The Dia2 fountain pen has an excellent design using high-quality materials. The barrel has a metal lining and is slightly larger in the middle and tapers off towards the end. The Dia2's cap design is similar to the Student's cap except for the double band on the Dia2. The clip, made of solid brass, has the Kaweco logo. The Dia2  has a nice heft and is well balanced in the hand even with the cap posted. It's not a light pen, but it's not too heavy, either.

The Kaweco DIA2 fountain pen has the following measurements and specifications:

• Length, capped: 5.23 in | 13.28 cm
• Length, uncapped: 4.91 in | 12.47 cm
• Length, cap posted: 6.24 in | 15.84 cm
• Full pen weight with full short ink cartridge: 27 g | 0.9 oz
• Weight, cap only: 10 g | 0.3 oz
• Weight, barrel and section: 17 g | 0.6 oz
• Body material: Precious resin
• Trim: Chrome
• Cap: Brass, screw-on, postable
• Clip material: Metal 
• Nib: Stainless steel in Extra Fine, Fine, Medium, Broad, and Double Broad (BB)
• Filling mechanism: Standard international cartridge included in the pen package

The Kaweco Dia2 can be filled with ink using a standard international cartridge or a converter if filling from bottled ink. Unfortunately for this full-size pen, Kaweco does not include a converter in the package but provides only a short international ink cartridge.

The Dia2's parts: barrel, nib assembly and section, ink cartridge, and cap. This fountain pen doesn't come with a converter, but a short international ink cartridge is included in the package.

The Dia2's screw-on cap has knurling on the top similar to the vintage Dia's cap. This pen's cap has two chrome bands and the brass clip bears the Kaweco logo. 

The Dia2 has a metal section and the barrel has a metal (probably brass) lining underneath the precious resin.

The cap's finial and barrel end are both installed with the signature Kaweco logo disc. Notice the knurling in both cap and barrel ends.

The steel nib on the Dia2 is an excellent one. It shares the same nib as the ones installed in the Sport and Student series, and they can be easily swapped with one another. This pen came with a Broad nib and it wrote well out of the box. I didn't need to prime or modify it before writing with it. 

Kaweco has designed the Dia2's section really well. The barrel and section are smoothly joined after the threading without a noticeable step or crease which can cause writing discomfort. The section is smooth and comfortable to hold while writing.

The Kaweco nib wrote smoothly out of the box.

Having used this fountain pen for some time, I would have liked it to be a piston filler. The cartridge filling is fine with me, but the Dia2 is in the same price range as some piston filling pens and it will be a nice design touch-up. Still, I am happy with this pen and the cartridge fills do not bother me in any way. 

The Kaweco Dia2 is a full-size pen but still looks smaller compared to some standard pens. It is smaller than the Lamy Safari and 2000 but is the same length as the Otto Hutt design 04. It is a bit longer than the Esterbrook JR.

Black pens look handsome, don't you think? From top: Lamy Safari All Black, Lamy 2000, Kaweco Dia2, Otton Hutt design04, and Esterbrook JR Tuxedo Black.

To test how the steel Broad nib on the Dia2 writes, I used a Kaweco Sunrise Orange cartridge, to give this black pen a happy vibe. The Broad nib wrote smoothly and wet without the need for priming, adjustments, or tuning. It wrote very well, and there were no hard starts, skipping, or inky blobs. I had no trouble writing with it at all. The Dia2 fountain pen is such an enjoyable pen and one that can be used for long periods of writing without any discomfort.

The steel Broad wrote smoothly out of the box. I love the thick, wet lines from this nib. The Sunrise Orange ink is the perfect happy vibe for this pen's blackness.

Kaweco Dia2 is an enjoyable fountain pen. It is simple, elegant, and looks very classy. The shiny precious resin of the barrel and seems resistant to scratches and the section is designed well for comfortable writing. The steel nib writes very well, too, and I'm glad that it is the same nib that Kaweco uses for the Sport series. Swapping nibs with other widths is easy with a quick and easy pull-out. I recommend the Dia2 to anyone who wants to experience writing with a Kaweco fountain pen. Get one for your collection!

Rants of The Archer thanks Kaweco for providing the Dia2 fountain pen for review purposes. The Dia2 and other Kaweco pens are widely available in many reputable sellers worldwide. For a list of sellers, visit Kaweco's Store Locator.

I received the Dia2 fountain pen in this review free of charge from Kaweco Germany for review purposes. For more details, visit the Kaweco website.

In the Philippines, Kaweco pens are available from Scribe and Stationer Extraordinaire.

Fountain Pen Review: Kaweco Classic Sport Red

Kaweco welcomed 2016 with the launch of a selection of new pens, ink colors, and accessories. Four Sport pens — one for each of the following lines: Classic, Skyline, ICE, and AL — were released during the year. A bright, shiny red pen with gold trims was added to the Classic line, and my friends at the magical shop in Nürnberg sent me one to review here. I do not have many red fountain pens, and the red Classic Sport pen is the perfect addition to the small group of red pens in my collection.

The red Classic Sport fountain pen is from Kaweco's Sport Series that includes the Aluminum, Stonewashed, AC, Art, Brass, ICE, and Skyline. It is available in black, chess, guilloche, white, green, burgundy, transparent, and red. It is called the Classic because it follows the same design from the early 1940 Kaweco Sport pens. Sport pens are clipless, but clips are available from retailers in chrome, gold, or bronze finishes.

The Sport is a lightweight fountain pen, is easy to carry in one's jeans' pocket, or tuck in a bag. This small pen, however, has a unique design and becomes a full-sized pen when the cap is posted on the barrel. The pen is designed well, and Kaweco built it using high quality plastic.

Without a clip or an ink cartridge, the Classic Sport fountain pen weighs 10g (body - 6g; cap - 4g) only. Did you know that a posted Kaweco Sport fountain weighs exactly the same as the body of a Lamy Safari?

The Classic Sport fountain is ~4.10 inches with its cap on, and a short 4 inches without the cap. When the cap is posted, the pen measures 5.3 inches long — a full-sized fountain pen!

Some fountain pen users say that Kaweco Sport pens are difficult to use without posting the cap. But this pen's faceted cap is designed to be an extension of its barrel to make it a full-sized pen. The cap is also a built in roll stopper, so that even without a clip, the pen will not easily roll off a surface.

The Classic Sport fountain pen's parts — barrel, section (grip + feed + nib), and cap are in the same bright red color. The nib and feed are friction-fitted into the section, and they can be easily pulled out for a thorough cleaning. The cap is threaded and screws securely to the barrel — not typical of small pens in this price range — which is a very practical feature.

The Classic Sport fountain pen is filled with ink using cartridges or converters. Kaweco has their Premium ink cartridges for Sport fountain pens, but international standard short cartridges also fit in these fountain pens. Kaweco also offers two types of converters for Sport fountain pens: mini-converter and the squeeze converter (in my pen, pictured above) which can fill up with the same amount of ink as an international standard short cartridge (0.5–0.6 ml). However, filling it up was awkward, and squeezing it repeatedly did not fill it with ink to its full capacity. I inked this pen instead with a cartridge of Kaweco's Sunrise Orange.

The bottom of the Classic Sport fountain pen barrel is knurled, and says 'Made in Germany.' 

The Sport's oversized cap with octagonal shape is iconic and distinguishes it from other Kaweco pens.

Classic Sport pens have gold trims, including their finial (top cap), which bears the Kaweco logo.

My red Classic Sport has a medium (M) nib, but Kaweco Sport pens have nibs ranging from extra fine (XF) to double broad (BB). Other Sport pens have chrome/silver nibs, but those in the Classic line have gold plated nibs. The imprint includes the nib width (M), Kaweco logo, and the words Germany and 1883 under a filigree-like pattern.

The feed and nib of Kaweco Classic fountain pen. The nib's gold plating has discoloration in the part where it is inserted in the section, but this does not affect writing at all.

My red fountain pens: Lamy LE China, Pelikan Souveran M400, Unic, and Kaweco Classic Red.

Kaweco Sport fountain pens (from top): Calligraphy, AL (aluminum), ICE, Skyline, and Classic.

The medium nib wrote well out of the box. It's still a little narrow for my writing, but very useful when the occasion calls for small handwriting. Sunrise Orange was launched in 2016, together with Smokey Grey.

The Kaweco Classic Sport is a well-made, compact fountain pen that is portable and easy to use. The gold-plated steel nib writes well, and can easily be swapped with other Sport nibs. It's a great pen in the US$30 price range, a perfect companion for small notebooks. If you are looking for a happy fountain pen, I suggest you get this red Kaweco Classic Sport for yourself.

The Classic Sport and other Kaweco pens are widely available in many reputable sellers worldwide. For a list of sellers, visit Kaweco's Store Locator.

I received the Classic Sport fountain pen in this review free of charge from Kaweco Germany for review purposes. For more details, visit the Kaweco website.

In the Philippines, Kaweco pens are available at Scribe Writing Essentials stores in Eastwood Mall, Shangrila Plaza Mall, Glorietta 5, SM Aura, SM Megamall, and in their Cebu branches. For their complete location/address, contact numbers, and store hours, visit the Scribe website. Kaweco pens are also available at Stationer Extraordinaire.

Fountain Pen Review: Kaweco Liliput

 

I have magician friends in Nürnberg, Germany, and they are hiding in a place called Kaweco House of Magic and Sorcery. They make small, tiny pens that become big pens as soon as you uncap them. My friends are led by wizards, and one of them is Sebastian Gutberlet. Yes, my friends, Sebastian is a wizard and he is running Kaweco's team of magicians in Nürnberg. Magicians!

That scenario is only a fantasy, but I will always think of the people behind Kaweco as magicians. That was my initial reaction to the Kaweco Liliput when I first held it, uncapped it, and screwed the cap onto the barrel: This pen is a work of magic!

When Kaweco's Sales and Marketing Manager Sebastian Gutberlet sent me a box of Kaweco products last year, he kindly included an aluminum shiny black Liliput fountain pen. I've been curious about this tiny aluminum pen since it was reintroduced in 2011, after Kaweco was revived by H&M Gutberlet Gmbh. I wanted to know how it writes, and see if I could write with it.

Kaweco introduced the Liliput fountain pen in ebonite in 1910. The remake is now made from different metals, with a matching ballpoint pen. The Liliput in this review is made from lightweight aluminum with a shiny black finish, but the line includes other colors/finishes: aluminum (shiny silver); lead-free brass (eco brass smooth satin, eco brass wavy); stainless steel; copper; and tempered steel which is used on the fireblue steel Liliput.

The Liliput is a small and compact pen. It is the smallest fountain pen made by Kaweco, and one of the smallest fountain pens in the world that uses standard short international cartridges. Due to its size, the Liliput can only take short cartridges. I have seen converters for Kaweco Sport fountain pens, but none for the Liliput.

Kaweco makes its own ink in 30ml bottles and short international cartridges, available in 8 colors: Pearl Black, Midnight Blue, Royal Blue, Paradise Blue, Palm Green, Caramel Brown, Ruby Red, and Summer Purple. In 2016, two new ink colors were introduced: Smokey Gray and Sunrise Orange.

Lots of parts for a small pen: cap, barrel, section, feed and nib holder, feed, and nib. 

The aluminum Liliput is the lightest among all Liliput fountain pens. It weighs ~11.3 grams, and measures ~3.8 inches long while capped, 3.4 inches uncapped, but becomes a full-sized pen at ~5.0 inches when the cap is screwed onto the barrel.

The barrel of the Liliput is even smaller and thinner than the barrel of the Sport series. At a diameter of 0.4 inch, it could almost fit in the Sport's barrel.

Kaweco Sport (left) and Kaweco Liliput (right) barrels.

The threading on the end of the Liliput's barrel allows the cap to be screwed on securely, converting the pen into a full-size length of ~5.0 inches, comfortable enough for writing.

Because of its material, the aluminum Liliput cannot be transformed into an eyedropper pen. Prolonged contact with ink may corrode the barrel.

The Liliput's screw-on cap serves two purposes: nib protection and barrel extension. When the cap is screwed onto the section, it protects the nib and prevents ink from drying up. Once it is uncapped and screwed (posted) onto the barrel, it becomes an extension, and transforms the pen into a full-sized fountain pen. The Liliput's cap is a wonder, but I wish the Kaweco wizards can install a clip on it.

The logo KaWeCo (Federhalter-Fabrik Koch, Weber & Co), or “KA-WE-CO” in the three-part circle was first used in 1930. It's still being used today in nearly all Kaweco pens.

The Liliput's section has a feed and nib holder, probably to avoid rusting and corrosion from the prolonged contact between the aluminum section and the wet feed and nib. The feed and nib holder is threaded, and screws onto the section for a tight fit.

The medium stainless steel nib was scratchy, and hard starting at first, so I thoroughly cleaned both feed and nib to take off any manufacturing residue. I widened the feed's ink channel, and the space between the tines. 

Bock, a German nib manufacturer, makes nibs for Kaweco. The Kaweco nib imprint includes the width (M), logo, and the words 'Germany' and 'since 1883' under a filigree-like pattern. Five nib sizes are available for the Liliput: extra fine (EF), fine (F), medium (M), broad (B), and double broad (BB).

Other nibs available for the Liliput are: gold, rhodium plated gold, or a bi-color gold nib. The carbon black steel nib is perfect for the black Liliput. Some of these nibs are available for order at MostWanted-pens.com.

The Liliput's nib.

Kaweco uses identical stainless steel Bock nibs on the Liliput, Sport, and Student series. This feature of Kaweco fountain pens is helpful because I can easily swap nibs from one pen to another.

Left to right: Liliput, Sport Skyline, Student.

The Liliput, capped, is ~3.8 inches long. Uncapped, it's only ~3.4 inches.

When the Liliput's cap is screwed onto its barrel, the pen becomes a full-sized pen at ~5.0 inches, almost the same length with the Sport at ~5.3 inches.

Writing with a posted pen is new to me. I tried writing with the Liliput without the cap, and it was uncomfortable. Writing with a short and slender pen felt like there was no balance between my hand and the pen. The Liliput's cap not only extends the length of the pen, it also provides additional weight and balance.

Writing with the pen uncapped was still possible, but uncomfortable.

The Liliput is a comfortable pen to write with once the cap is screwed/posted onto the barrel.

Writing sample of Kaweco Liliput with a broad nib inked with Kaweco Paradise Blue.

The aluminum shiny black Kaweco Liliput is a well-made, compact, and solid fountain pen that is uniquely designed to be portable and easy to use. The stainless steel nib writes well, and changing nibs is very easy. It's a great pen and the perfect companion for small (and big) notebooks. If you are looking for a portable fountain pen, nothing's better than a Kaweco Liliput.

The Liliput fits comfortably in my TN's pen holder.

The Liliput and other Kaweco pens are widely available in many reputable sellers worldwide. For a list of sellers, visit Kaweco's Store Locator.

I received the Kaweco Liliput fountain pen in this review free of charge from Kaweco Germany. For more details, visit the Kaweco website.

In the Philippines, Kaweco Liliput pens are exclusively available at Scribe Writing Essentials stores in Eastwood Mall, Shangrila Plaza Mall, Glorietta 5, SM Aura, and SM Megamall. Their 6th store has opened in SM City Cebu in April. For their complete location/address, contact numbers, and store hours, visit the Scribe website.

Fountain Pen Review: Kaweco Student Transparent Blue

After sharing my review of the orange Ice Sport with Kaweco's Sales and Marketing Team, the manager, Sebastian Gutberlet, arranged to send me a small package of sample products to review on the blog. The box from Nürnberg arrived safely in Los Baños, and to my surprise, it had Kaweco ink cartridges in all colors, a Denim pouch for two Sport pens, and a selection of Kaweco pens, including this beautiful transparent blue Student fountain pen.

I have always known Kaweco for their small pens — which I think are cleverly designed. The short Sport and tiny Liliput — extended by posting their caps — are wonderful pens. But Kaweco also makes full-sized pens, such as DIA, Elite, Allrounder, Special, Elegance, and the Student.

I look at the Student as an introduction to Kaweco's range of full-sized pens. It is closely similar to the aluminum-bodied Kaweco Allrounder, but is made from high quality acrylic. Think of the Student to the Allrounder resemblance as that of the Safari to the AL-Star.

When I received the pens, I noticed that Kaweco's packaging for the Student is simple, yet unique: the pen came in a long Nostalgic tin, encased in a cardboard sleeve. The tin has a lovely vintage design, and can fit one or two pens. It's a reusable box, and will hold more pens and other stuff once the tray is removed.

The cardboard sleeve for the Kaweco tin.

And has a tray with slots for two pens. Once the tray is removed, the box can hold other stuff.

The Student is made from high quality polished acrylic, while the section and trims (clip, cap ring, finial) are chrome-coated brass. It weighs ~26 grams (with a full short cartridge), and measures ~5.2 inches while capped, 4.7 inches uncapped, and 6.3 inches when posted.

The Student when I disassembled it: cap, barrel, section, feed, and nib.

The Student is a bottom heavy pen because all of the brass trims (finial, clip, cap ring, section) are in that part. The cap alone weighs 16 grams, the barrel and section at 10 grams. The barrel without the pen's section is very light, is wider in the middle, then tapers off towards the end.

Sebastian sent me a fountain pen to review, but the Student is also available as a ballpen, or rollerball. This pen fills with ink through a converter or a cartridge, and I inked it with the Royal Blue cartridge which came with it.

Kaweco uses the same finial (top cap) design for most of its pens. The Student's finial is in chrome, bearing the Kaweco logo. While this finial is the same as the finial on the Sport, the Student's diameter makes it appear smaller.

 The photo below shows the underside of the top cap.

In other pens, the branding is all over the barrel. The Student, however, has it all in the cap. The Student's chrome clip — identical to the Allrounder's clip — has the Kaweco logo. The clip is tight, but slipping it on or taking it out of a pen slot is not a problem at all.

On the top part of the cap, opposite the clip, 'Kaweco Student Germany' is printed.

On the chrome-coated cap ring, the imprint says 'Kaweco'.

On the other side, the imprint is 'Germany'.

Bock, a German nib manufacturer, makes nibs for Kaweco. The nib imprint includes the width (B), logo, and the words 'Germany' and 'since 1883' under a filigree-like pattern. For the Student, nib availability ranges from extra fine (EF) to double broad (BB).

I requested a B nib for this pen, and thoroughly cleaned both the feed and nib before inking, to take off any residue from manufacturing. The steel B nib wrote well, it is smooth, wet, and did not skip when I wrote with it. Some line variation was possible with a little pressure, but I didn't push it further because it's not really a springy nib. But it's not a nail, either, and I love writing with it.

The Student's section is a heavy part of the fountain pen. It is made of brass, made smooth by the chrome coating, and I little flared towards the nib. It's cold to the touch, and because it's so smooth, my fingers sometimes slide towards the nib.

I didn't notice this before, but Kaweco's feeds have imprints too!

Kaweco uses the same feed and Bock nib for many of its fountain pens, which allows users to easily change their pens' nibs. It is the same feed and nib for all the Sport series, the Liliput, Student, and Allrounder.

Left to right: Liliput, Student, and Sport. They have identical feeds and nibs.

As I mentioned above, the Student measures ~5.2 inches, a length that I find comfortable enough for writing without the need to post the cap. The Student allows posting, but it becomes unusually long at ~6.3 inches, and a bit top heavy.

The Student is longer than the Sport by an inch, and by ~1.5 inch than the Liliput. Uncapped, though, the two small pens become full-sized pens when their caps are posted.

The Student with my blue demonstrator pens. It's a bit shorter than the Platinum 3776 and Noodler's Ahab,
but longer than the Pelikan M205.

Here's the Student with other pens.

Here's a writing sample of the Kaweco Student, filled with Kaweco's Royal Blue ink. The ink is a vibrant blue with hints of purple. It shows minimal shading, but flows well. It's a truly well-behaved ink.

The Kaweco Student is a light pen, and very comfortable to use for long periods of writing. It's a well-balanced and well-built pen, a reliable writer, and though I find the nib a bit small for my writing style, it's fun that I can swap nibs between pens. The Student is an elegant and beautiful fountain pen and I am happy to add it to my growing collection of blue demonstrator pens.


The Student and other Kaweco pens are widely available in many reputable sellers worldwide, with prices ranging from US$58 to US$65.

In the Philippines, Kaweco pens are exclusively available at Scribe Writing Essentials, where it sells for PhP2,995 (~US$62).

I received the Kaweco Student fountain pen in this review free of charge from Kaweco Germany. For more about Kaweco and their products, visit their website at http://www.kaweco-pen.com/en/index.php.