Fun With the Dentist

If I were you, I’d thinking, “What the heck does the dentist have to do with pens?!” Patience, my friend, patience.

It’s been Kaweco Sport fest around here lately with the addition of three new pens to my already healthy Kaweco collection—the Apricot Pearl (extra fine), the Pebble Blue acrylic Art Sport (medium), and the pen I’m writing about today—the Carmine Galen Leather exclusive which arrived Friday, all the way from Istanbul, Turkey.

Opening up packages from Galen Leather is like opening a gift from a friend—there are always little surprises tucked in with your order. Inside the blue cloth zippered pouch, I found a printed thank you note that tells the story of Galen Leather, a 10% off coupon, Turkish stickers, a postcard featuring a Rumi quote on the back, some Turkish tea, and a refreshing wipe. I was all smiles before I even took a look at the pen.

But I smiled even more when I opened the kraft paper tube holding the pen. What a sweet transparent bright red pen.

Despite being awash in inked pens, I could not resist filling this one. (What’s one more?!) After a bit of deliberation, I chose Sailor Jentle Grenade and syringe-filled an empty cartridge. Talk about a perfect match.

Right?

As lovely as the color is, I probably wouldn’t have ordered it just for that alone. This is where the dentist comes into play. (HUH?!?!)

Not the “have you been flossing?/every six months/plaque-scraping” dentist, but the Dentist NIB! Who knew there was such a thing?! When I saw that this pen was available with 16 (yes, 16!) different nib options—from various size italics and obliques to a couple of fude nibs—I was immediately reeled in. They had me. The Dentist (Soft Architect) nib called my name and I did not hesitate one second longer to buy the pen with this $20 option.

Galen Leather’s nibmeister, Meltem Hazarhun, took a double broad nib and ground it into a delightful writer that suits my handwriting perfectly. Galen Leather describes the Dentist nib like this: Reminiscent of the Architect nib, the Dentist nib stands out for its softer feel, providing a smoother writing experience with minimal feedback and reduced scratchiness. It’s excellent for everyday writing tasks. Thin on the down stroke and wide on the side stroke.

They are spot-on in that description. Ever since Friday, I’ve been madly journaling with it…

and writing letters with it. Any chance to use it, you know.

I love the style this grind adds to my handwriting with little to no effort. The nib is both smooth and crisp, with excellent flow—a truly delightful discovery.

Who knew that a dentist could be this much fun?! I didn’t, but I do now.

Another Viewpoint: The Kaweco Sport Squeezable Converter

A few weeks ago, I ordered this Special Edition Kaweco Sport Mocha Fountain Pen from Fontoplumo, which has become my go-to shop for Kawecos. Frank has great prices, very reasonable shipping rates, and personal touches that keep me coming back, despite the fact that he’s in the Netherlands while I’m in the US. When I caught wind of this Mocha edition, I talked myself out of it. For awhile. I’m trying to not fall into the “I must have every color” mindset (though my Lamy Safari/AL-Star collection would tell you that I’m pretty much full of s#&t in this regard).

I caved and ordered this version of the Kaweco Sport because it looks an awful lot like my favorite iced coffee. Or caramel. That is to say, it looks delicious. It’s a dessert pen, without the guilt or calories. Sold!

Along with the pen, I also ordered the Retro Sport Gold Clip AND the new “squeezable” converter, Kaweco’s latest effort to provide a converter option for their line of pocket pens.

I syringe filled the tiny converter with a squirt of Akkerman #5, Shocking Blue, popped it into the pen as you would a cartridge, and started scribbling. The gold-tone medium nib wrote immediately, very smoothly, and nicely wet. Though I know that you can eyedropper the Kaweco Sport model, we all know how well that works for me, so having this new converter option kind of made my day.

Right around this time, Jeff Abbott published his review of the same converter, and came away with a very different experience and opinion than I did. He calls the item a “dud,” and outlines his reasons in a well-written post. He had trouble achieving a full fill. I never tried to fill the converter by dipping it into ink and squeezing it. As I said, I went the “syringe fill” route and didn’t have any trouble at all, whereas, Jeff did. He also noticed that his pens with squeeze converters installed seemed to leak ink onto their nibs while they were being carried. I haven’t found that to be the case. I don’t baby my pens, so I’m not sure why that’s happening for Jeff and not for me. He also states that this converter is a pain to clean. I haven’t cleaned mine out yet, so I can’t really voice an opinion on this aspect. I do, though, plan to just flush it with a syringe so I don’t think it’ll be too much trouble.

Granted, this latest iteration of the mini Kaweco converter doesn’t hold much ink, but I’ve been using mine to write plenty of notes, and this review, and still haven’t had to refill. For me, it’s been a convenient way to use my favorite inks in this tasty looking Mocha Kaweco Sport. (Whenever I use this pen, I WANT COFFEE.)

I’m not saying that I’m right and Jeff’s wrong. Not at all. I just wanted to present another viewpoint. For me, the Kaweco Sport Squeezable Converter, is well worth the couple of dollars it costs.

Now we need a tie-breaker. Anyone?

There are no affiliate links in this post. I purchased the pen and accessories with my own money. 

Refreshing! The Kaweco Skyline Sport (Mint)

I really wasn’t in the market for another Kaweco, but then I read Ana’s post about the Kaweco Skyline Sport in Mint. MINT! That’s not a pen color that you see very often, and it’s one that reeled me right in.

I ordered the pen from Fontoplumo, using the discount code on Ana’s site, and just a couple of hours later received an email saying that my order had shipped. THAT was fast! Frank, from Fontoplumo, also followed up with a genuinely friendly thank you email. Good vibes already, all the way across the ocean.

The pen arrived about eight working days later— not bad from the Netherlands— and I immediately popped in the included blue cartridge. I couldn’t wait to put pen to paper. I’ve had mixed experiences with Kaweco nibs— from amazingly smooth in my first Kaweco, the Liliput (EF nib), to “won’t write at all” in my AL Sport (also EF). The vendor remedied THAT problem, but it’s made me leery of the brand. My clear Sport writes nicely, but not as good as my Liliput. So what would my experience be with this Skyline Sport model and its medium nib?

SUSPENSE!

I’m happy to report that this Skyline writes like a dream— smooth, consistent, pleasantly wet— just like my Liliput. Kaweco nibs are inexpensive and super simple to swap, but I’d rather swap nibs because I want to try a different line width than because of a problem. All is well. Phew.

This Skyline Sport is, of course, the perfect pocket pen, made even more perfect by the unusual pale mint color. It’s cool. It’s retro. It’s minty fresh.

The pen is light (about 10.5 g), but the plastic is sturdy and feels as though it will hold up well. Posted (as it really must be) the pen is almost identical in length to a Retro 51 Tornado. The cap posts securely, better than the one on my AL Sport which always seems to wiggle loose as I’m writing. The plastic on this Skyline Sport is grippier than the metal on the AL Sport so that hasn’t been a problem at all.

I plan to stick with cartridges or syringe re-filled cartridges. There’s a mini converter available but I haven’t read many (or any) favorable reviews on that, so sticking with cartridges seems to be the best plan.

Despite an iffy experience in the past, this Sport Skyline has me back on the Kaweco bandwagon. Everything about it has been superb— from the quick and friendly service by Fontoplumo, to the smooth and juicy nib, to that cool mint color.

The Kaweco Skyline Sport— it really IS wonderfully refreshing.

———————

Check out Ana’s review HERE, for her take on the same pen, as well as her Fontoplumo discount code.

Compare and Contrast: Kaweco Classic Sport Liquid Ink Rollerball

In last week’s post, I wrote about the ACME Eames Chairs Rollerball. This week’s pen is ALSO a rollerball, so I thought it might be an interesting exercise to compare the two. While there are a number of similarities, there are also some key differences, so let’s take a look.

While I purchased last week’s pen at a local shop, this “gently used” Kaweco Classic Sport Rollerball was sent to me by JetPens. It happened to arrive close to my birthday— a happy coincidence. It’s not a birthday without a new (or “new to me”) pen!

PACKAGING

Each pen comes packaged in a cool tin, which is probably my favorite type of pen box because I know it’ll last virtually forever. Both tins have hinged lids, but the relief graphics and lettering on the Kaweco tin really make it pop. For a relatively inexpensive pen, this is an impressive package that has an appealing, somewhat vintage, look.

MATERIAL

The ACME Rollerball is a brass and lacquer pen, while the Kaweco is plain black ABS plastic, with just a bit of accent branding. The plastic is sturdy and durable, great for pockets and purses and backpacks. While I’m very careful with my ACME, the Kaweco is the perfect on-the-go pen. Does the plastic get scuffed up a little bit? Sure, but this is a pen that’s meant to be carried, so if it suffers a ding or scrape, that just means that it’s out doing what it was made to do. I love the ACME, but it’s more likely to live a pampered life than this rough and tumble Kaweco.

CAP and POSTING

My ACME Rollerball sports a snap cap, while the Kaweco features a threaded cap. Both caps post deeply and securely by pushing them onto their respective pen bodies. The ACME sports a good-looking clip. The Kaweco is clipless, though an optional slide-on clip can be purchased separately. Since I tend to tuck this “everyday carry” pen in a pocket, I’m fine without a clip. The Kaweco’s faceted body keeps it from rolling away on a desk, so a clip isn’t needed for that purpose. But, as I said, if you’re happier with a clip, there’s one available.

As for posting, it really is a must for the Kaweco as the unposted pen is very compact at a mere four inches. This is, for me, usable in a pinch, but posting the cap makes for a much better writing experience. For those with larger hands, posting is a necessity. The ACME feels a bit top heavy when posted, so I usually use THAT pen unposted.

REFILL

The refill in this Kaweco has no branding or markings but it’s the exact size and shape as the ACME 888 Safety Ceramic Rollerball refill in my ACME rollerball, which, incidentally, is also the same as the Retro 51 branded refill (or the Schmidt P8126, for that matter), which means you’ll get the same writing experience in all of these pens. These refills contain liquid ink, not gel, so there’s the potential for a tiny bit of bleed or feathering depending on what paper you’re using. I have to say that I tend to prefer gel ink over liquid ink, but as I rule, I enjoy either one more than ballpoint. Gel is just a bit crisper and predictable, but my qualms with liquid ink are very, very minor.

The one thing that I’m not crazy about with the Kaweco rollerball is that the refill rattles a bit inside the pen. I don’t mean that writing tip wiggles— that’s actually very solid— but that you can hear the actual refill rattling a bit when you move the body of the pen. Hearing this always makes me think that the cap is coming unposted from the back of the pen, but it’s not. Though not a huge deal by any means, it’s something that makes the Kaweco feel less solid.

PRICE
This Kaweco Classic Sport is available for $21.00 at JetPens, while I paid $69.50 locally for the ACME rollerball. Obviously, we’re talking plastic versus brass. Since you get the exact writing experience with either pen, it comes down to a matter of personal taste and intended use.

I’m a sucker for that Kaweco logo!

If you’re looking for a cool, compact solid writer, the Kaweco Classic Sport is a great option. It’s super handy and ready to take on anything the day may throw at you. The ACME is a looker, but not something I want to treat lightly. Some days— actually MANY days— I have so much vying for my attention that the last thing I need is pen angst. So, for me, the ACME is better off at home and in controlled environments, whereas the Kaweco is ready to hit the ground running.

The ACME’s like visiting a museum. You have a good time, and see cool stuff, but there are rules. On the other hand, the Kaweco is like a day at the beach where you boat or swim or play ball. No rules, just fun.

The choice is yours.

I choose…….BOTH.

When Things Go Wrong: The Good, the Meh, the Bad, and the Truly Ridiculous

Sometimes things go wrong. Sometimes things go wrong with PENS. And when things go wrong, some companies leap over tall buildings in a single bound, some gingerly scale small fences, while a few can’t be bothered to get off the couch. Some examples? Don’t mind if I do.

THE GOOD

TWSBI

TWSBI STORY #1: I’m in love with my TWSBI Mini (as you can read here), but soon after I posted my review, blobs of ink would periodically fall onto my paper from the nib. I flushed the pen, re-inked it, to see if that made a difference, but it didn’t. So I emailed TWSBI and received a very quick response from Philip Wang. He was as baffled as I was, but offered to take a look at the pen to see if he could diagnose the problem. Just as I was getting ready to box up the pen for mailing, I noticed an o-ring in my pen case, right near the elastic loop where I keep the Mini. Ah ha! By looking at the schematic drawing that came with the pen, I was able to determine that an o-ring was missing from the piston end of the pen. It obviously came off when I dragged the pen through the case’s elastic loop. Once replaced, no more maddening drips. So the pen wasn’t at fault, but HAD IT BEEN, Philip was prepared to make it right. We exchanged a few emails over the course of a few days trying to sort this out, and the replies were always prompt, courteous, and sincere. I came away from the exchanges an even stronger TWSBI fan. THAT collection is bound to grow.

TWSBI STORY #2: This weekend, my husband and I were looking over past American Express statements for some reason, and when we got to the October 2012 statement, I noticed what appeared to be a duplicate charge for a TWSBI purchase. One charge was via PayPal, while the other appeared to be from TWSBI itself, both for the same amount, on the same day. Being a saver of receipts, I put together an email with documentation, and sent it off (Sunday evening), feeling like a bit of a stooge because I’d just noticed an October 2012 problem in February 2013. (Kick self.) A little before lunch on Monday, I received a PHONE CALL from Philip. He’d investigated and found that there WAS, for some reason, a duplicate charge, which he promised to immediately refund via PayPal. He’d even investigated my previous purchases and found nothing amiss. Who knows why this happened- we’re both baffled- but the whole thing was cleared up quickly and professionally, and WITH A PHONE CALL. FROM A PERSON. Yeah, I’m happy. TWSBI, you made my day.

Faber-Castell

After I posted the review of my Faber-Castell e-motion, a commenter asked about interchanging nibs between the e-motion and BASIC pens. Hmmmm…I couldn’t answer that, so I contacted Faber-Castell, and received a lightning fast response. (No, they can’t be interchanged.) So many times, an email to a company seems to fall into a black hole, but Faber-Castell reads and responds. QUICKLY reads and responds.

A few weeks later, after I reviewed the Faber-Castell BASIC fountain pen, a commenter complained about an issue he’d been having with a Faber-Castell rollerball:

The issue: I own both the carbon roller, and clicky ball-pen. I wanted to get the fountain, however the roller uses the same rubber-grip screw-into-carbon construction, and over time, the plastic at the base of the threads have cracked and the thread section is holding on, barely.

The response: I’m very sorry to hear that you are experiencing a problem with the pen and I would like to correct the situation for you. Please contact me at consumer@fabercastell.com so that I may assist you in replacing the broken part.
Sincerely,
Renee Lamb
Faber-Castell

Faber-Castell…making it right.

Daly’s Pen Shop

When I received this Lamy Safari Charcoal (EF nib) from Daly’s Pen Shop, the blasted thing would not write. I cleaned it and coaxed it with different inks, but couldn’t get anything more than a dry, dry line. I emailed a few photos of the issue to Daly’s, and received a quick offer to replace the pen. Daly’s tested the 2nd pen before mailing it out (smart move). Happy ending. Happy customer.

JetPens

I ordered an EF nib for my Kaweco AL-Sport from JetPens. Once installed, I was disappointed to find that the nib performed horribly; not at all like the buttery smooth EF nib on my Kaweco Liliput. Once again, I emailed a couple of photos showing the inconsistent and dry lines, and by the next day, a new nib unit was on its way to me. Problem solved without breaking a sweat.

The Goulet Pen Company

I’ve been eyeing a TWSBI Micarta for a LONG time, but have been a little put off by some of the reviews that call it a “dry writer.” Since I’m not, as yet, able to adjust my own pens, I’ve been hesitant to order one. I noted this dilemma in an email to The Goulet Pen Company, and received a quick and helpful response. The folks at Goulet Pen will happily ink up and test a pen prior to shipping to make sure that it flows properly. All it takes is a mention in the comments section of the order form. Good to know.

THE MEH

Levenger

I’m a big fan of Levenger products and am knee deep in Circa notebooks, Circa punches, True Writer fountain pens, and even a piece or two of furniture. Their products are strong, but their customer service could stand to kick it up a notch or two. In mid-December, I used a promotional gift card to place an order for a Pilot Prera with free ink, then applied a promotional discount to the bundle (after first checking with Customer Service to verify that the discount could be applied). “Yup, no problem.” Shortly after that, I received a back-order notice. Fine, I’m in no hurry. Sometime in January I started wondering where my pen and ink were, so I checked the order status online and found that the order had been cancelled. Cancelled without notification. Yikes. AND my gift card still showed that it had been debited for the order! Double yikes. I called and spoke to someone who said that they would pass along the issue to “Customer Service” (who was I speaking to?!), and that they’d get back to me. Never happened. So I called again, and reached someone who did all the right things. She started from scratch by re-loading the gift card, then placed the order a second time. Some time after that the Pilot Prera arrived (with free shipping, for my troubles), and it’s a dream. (But that’s another story.) The ink, though, has yet to arrive. After emailing yet again, I was told that the original receipt date has been pushed further into February. And so I’m waiting nearly two months for a bottle of Levenger Cobalt Blue.

I have every confidence that I’ll receive the ink, just as I received the pen, but the problem is that I’ve been doing the bulk of the work in this transaction. I’ve been emailing. I’ve been calling. I’ve been waiting. I have no problem waiting as long as I receive timely communications whenever there’s a change. Maybe it’s a fluke, but this transaction ran off the rails a few times. If I wasn’t such a fan of their products, would I stick around after this falderal? Probably not.

THE BAD

ACME Studio, Inc.

So this happened…

Yup…I dropped my precious white ACME Crayon rollerball on a counter at work, and it hit in such a way that the top of the brass crayon “cone” sheared off. Totally my fault. I emailed ACME Studios, explained what happened and sent the picture, hoping that the damaged piece could be replaced (on my dime, obviously). When I didn’t hear a peep, I tweeted the same photo and story to @AcmeStudioInc.

*Crickets*

Nothing irks me more than no response. I’ll take a “sorry, tough luck” response over no response.

And so I remain irked.

THE TRULY RIDICULOUS

[md]-pen on Kickstarter

I’ve backed a number of pen projects on Kickstarter, and have received a number of very cool pens…one WAY ahead of schedule (thank you, David!), but most a few months after the expected ship date. Communication has, at times, been spotty, but in the end, I always wind up with my pen. Until now. No matter how slowly a project has progressed, NOTHING compares to the wild ride the 321 backers of the [md]-pen have taken (myself included). It all started out very normal oh so many months ago, but deteriorated to the point that I’m 99.9% sure that there is no pen. And yet the charade continues. Over the course of the project’s history, there have been tales of manufacturing woes and misunderstandings, an admission that the creator’s profile photo (since taken down) DOES NOT BELONG TO THE CREATOR, tales of computer hacking, stolen images, and stolen ideas, countless lies, no follow-through on promises, and giant gaps between updates.

I can’t even begin to explain the whole saga, but you can read about it here.

Kickstarter projects are not guaranteed. I understand that. If a project fails because of an unforeseen complication, so be it. But to feel defrauded is an ugly feeling. A pretty awful feeling.

Things can and do go wrong, and when they do, companies would be wise to treat these hiccups as opportunities to show their customer service strengths. Happily, a number of my favorite pen companies and vendors do just that. Some certainly have room for improvement, while others simply disappoint.

All of this made me think, as I go throughout my day, how am I treating my “customers” (for no matter what we do, almost all of us are dealing with people who we could call our customers)? Where am I on the scale of TWSBI to ACME? (Let’s ignore that Kickstarter debacle as a true outlier.) Where do I shine, where can I improve, and where do I disappoint? Hmmmmm.

May we all be a little more TWSBI.

———-

Updated to add: Just after posting this, I received an email from Levenger with the tracking number for my ink. IT HAS SHIPPED.

A Kitten Pen: The Kaweco Liliput Fountain Pen (EF nib)

This weekend, on the way home from a meeting, the friend who was giving me a ride asked if I’d mind taking a bit of a detour to see some kittens who were recently discovered under the porch of an acquaintance. (I know…world’s longest sentence.) Would I MIND?! For KITTENS?! Heck no!!

I won’t go into a lot of detail here (imagine that), but let’s just say that there was some serious cuteness going on in that yard and under that porch. There they were…four calicos and one back-and-white…skittish and clumsy and oh so tiny. 100% pure cuteness.

And THAT is what the Kaweco Liliput has in common with kittens. It is tiny and 100% adorable. And tiny. Really tiny. You have to see it to believe it.

When Brad Dowdy talked about the Liliput on a recent Pen Addict podcast, I started browsing on JetPens right during the show– and I was smitten. I THINK I’d run across it before, but hadn’t given it more than a passing glance. I had my Kaweco AL-Sport. I was happy. But then, as the days passed after that podcast, I couldn’t stop thinking about this seriously small fountain pen. (I think I even had a dream about it. Yeah. Weird.) Long story short(ish), I cracked. And I’m glad I did.

Teeny tiny Kaweco Liliput branding

I have a few fountain pens- mostly Lamys- and they’re fine, but the EF nib on this Liliput is the smoothest nib I own. Like buttah! I ordered Kaweco sepia cartridges along with the pen, rather than my typical black, and love the ink as much as the pen. They’re just the perfect combo.

What’s also unique about this pen- at least to me- is that the cap threads onto the end of the barrel, giving you enough length to hold and write comfortably.

Threaded barrel for posting the cap

Because the cap and barrel are threaded, you can’t just whip the pen out, pull the cap off and write. There’s a little bit of time involved to unscrew the cap, then thread it onto the barrel. This doesn’t take long, but it feels like a tiny ritual, and I like that. Because so much of what we do and how we work is done almost by reflex, I like having something- or I should say, using something- that feels “mindful.” In the few moments that it takes to uncap the pen, then post the cap, I feel like I settle in and settle down. I exhale. I think about my words. I am present.

That’s not to say that this pen isn’t without its drawbacks. If you have large hands, or require a grip, or have a tendency to lose things, this probably isn’t your pen.

I’m a total sucker for this packaging.

So while this Liliput fountain pen is just as adorable as those five little porch kitties, its qualities run much deeper than its good looks. For me, this pen is my soulmate. And I’m not even kidding.