The Kaweco Al-Sport is a pocket sized cartridge-converter fountain pen made of aluminium. The existing Al-Sport lineup includes the black, blue, grey, silver and raw finishes, which are all really classy alternatives to the plastic Kaweco Sport.
The new Stonewashed Blue and Black finishes are the latest models in the Al-Sport collection and feature a distressed look and feel, which bring vintage charm to an otherwise modern looking pen.
The Kaweco Sport has a small barrel and huge cap, which was designed to be posted when writing. This is the same concept found in most pocket sized fountain pens. A vintage style clip is available separately.
The Stonewashed finish is perfect for people who are afraid of wear and tear, because it comes with a distressed texture. It is also a great complement to a nice pair of jeans.
The Al-Sport in Stonewashed Blue is a great talking piece – many people thought I had indeed bought a vintage Kaweco from Germany and I had to explain that this was a new model with an artificially distressed look.
In my experience, Kaweco nibs are reliable performers and the M nib is just right for my writing style. When using Kaweco cartridges, the nib was smooth and wet but not overly so. The nib and feed can be unscrewed and replaced easily, and a selection of nibs from EF to BB is available.
The only gripe that I have with Kaweco Sport fountain pens is their lack of a proper converter – Kaweco Sport fountain pens can be converted into an eyedropper fill, but the metal threads and barrel of the Al-Sport are not suitable for that purpose.
Unfortunately, the converter that was made for this pen has such a low capacity that I would rather use a syringe to fill an empty cartridge. On the bright side, the Kaweco Sport takes any standard sized international cartridge.
A bad converter is a serious flaw in a fountain pen, yet I have two Al-Sport fountain pens. My willingness to overlook the converter shows how much I like the Al-Sport, and I hope a better converter design will be launched someday.
PROS
– Compact, extends to comfortable length
– Interesting vintage appearance
– Built to last from solid aluminium
– Fits international cartridges
CONS
– Converter has below average capacity
– People may mistake it as being cheap
The Kaweco Al-sport comes in a metal tin and is available from Campo Marzio and Fook Hing Trading Co.
