The Kaweco Piston Filler: An Artist's Review

[@davidmoscati]

I have to agree that the Sports are not necessarily the best tool for the job, but they are fun and I enjoy using my Brass for quick sketching. On that same note, I have tried to explain this to many other artists and non-artists alike but you have said it perfectly here; "The motivation to make art comes from many places but one of them is simply the pleasure of working with nice materials." Thanks again for another great review!

[@mkompan]

My pleasure! Glad to hear that my thoughts resonated with you. It’s one of those things that really can’t be explained to people that have no sensitivity to art materials. Kind of like talking about the qualities of a good wine to someone who doesn’t drink.

[@szaggasd]

first review to say the ink capacity precisely, thanks Marc

[@mkompan]

My pleasure. I heard conflicting reports on the capacity, and made sure to get it right.

[@verlegen]

Did I understand it right, that it is 1.25 ml? Pelikan has 1.3 (m400+600) or 1.35ml (m800+1000). That's not so much more. However, it's half of a Pilot Custom 823 (823 ml). What's your favorite (piston) fountain pen in terms of capacity?

[@mkompan]

@@verlegen 1.25 ml. Is correct. My favorites are the TWSBi mini and the Asvine p36.

[@fivespice]

Thanks for another great review.

[@mkompan]

My pleasure!

[@ichirofakename]

That is a wonderfully drawn face.

[@mkompan]

Thank you!

[@katyakompaneyets7982]

Great lecture!

[@mkompan]

Thank you mom!

[@paulll47]

Love the fact that you are the first one to actually state the capacity (it's been incredibly hard to found it online), I would say that it isn't that different from most piston fillers (the Twsbi mini and the Pelikan m200 have a pretty similar capacity) and you can fully refill a piston filler quite easily once you learn to push the air out like with a syringe. That being said, the Kaweco piston has the same flaw as the Sport, which is a really bad seal in the cap, this thing will dry out fast if not used frequently, a shame because I love the design otherwise.

[@mkompan]

Good point, the capacity is indeed similar to the TWSBI Mini and the Pelikan 200, and yet no one complains about this.

[@paulll47]

@@mkompan At the end of the day, there is only so much space in a pen, the Lamy 2000 has about a 1.3 ml capacity, the Leonardo momento Magico, which is a little longer than the lamy, has 1.5, if you want more than that then you have to go with an eyedropper or a vacum filler.

[@mkompan]

@@paulll47 this is certainly something to consider when buying a piston filler. The only advantage they confer is ink capacity. Otherwise these pens are harder to maintain than cartridge converters, and are generally more expensive. If the ink capacity isn’t much better, they might not be worth the extra price and difficulty of maintenance.

[@paulll47]

@@mkompan I guess it depends from the model, the Pelikan m200 is really easy to maintain all things considered, even a Twsbi doesn't require that much work to clean, the problem arise with those pens that can't be disassembled easily like Montblanc or this Kaweco, as long as you have access to the barrel, you can easily clean any pen really. I personally would say that the easiest system and the most convenient is the Japanese eyedropper, really Opus 88 pens are ultrareliable tanks.

[@gtrckt]

I've recently got the Kaweco Sport Piston Filler in EF nib size. Unlike yours, mine is on the wet side (I'm using Parker Quink ink) and I do enjoy writing with it. The pen is certainly not cheap, but what tip the scale for me are (1) the nib unit can easily be twisted off and replaced with a different or worn out nib unit, (2) ease of cleaning the barrel once the nib unit is off and (3) the quality feel of the pen. I think as long as the piston mechanism don't mal-function, the pen can probably works for a very long time. I would recommend to tune the nib wetter, that would make the pen more enjoyable. Regardless, thanks for unbiased review and opinion.

[@mkompan]

You're welcome. Wetness is very ink specific, but. did find that the Piston Sport wrote a touch wetter than the regular sports. I do tune these pens to write petter, sometimes by opening the tines, and sometimes by widening the ink channel, but when reviewing my policy is to use the pen in its original condition. All in all I think this is a very nice, well designed pen, but in terms of price there are better options out there.

[@riesemma]

I made my brass sport write wetter by lifting the nib about 1 mm up from the base of the nib groove in the feed and reassembling ... Feels like the feed is a little wetter without worrying about physically spreading the steel tines... Thank you for your thorough and thoughtful review! May I ask what ink you are using?

[@mkompan]

@@riesemma you’re welcome! I’m using Noodler’s Lexington Grey ink.

[@ronniemiller53]

Have you tried the Hongdian/Asvine fountain pen? They are various colors, stainless steel. I have the extra fine but they do have others available. Ive had one for daily use for 3 years and have beat it up. Ive bought one for my dad, gpa, and brother and they all love it. I now have 3, one at work, one at home and one in my pocket. They are under 20 for them on Amazon.

[@mkompan]

I have a few Asvine and Hongdian pens, and many of them are excellent. I'll be making a review of the Hongdian pocket pen (the flat top version) very soon. It compares very favorably with the Kaweco Sport.

[@manfredcheung9314]

Very good review.

[@mkompan]

Thank you!

[@Sahil99413]

great video

[@mkompan]

Thank you!

[@michelgolabaigne595]

This new Kaweco fountain pen with piston mechanism is a charming and coherent continuation of the Sport series. The design is an absolute success, but it has one flaw that surprises me. The dimensions of the new Kaweco are identical to those of the regular Sport model, with one exception: the section goes deeper into the cap. On the regular Sport model, it measures 3.7 cm, while on the Sport Piston, it measures 4.3 cm. For this reason, the fountain pen is 6 mm shorter. This inexplicable fact reduces writing comfort, giving the strange impression that something is wrong. That's very unfortunate...

[@bngr_bngr]

I wish it came in a magnum size for larger hands. I hate to use a pen made for my young daughter’s hands.

[@mkompan]

It’s strange, I’ve never heard anyone complain about the narrowness of a pencil or a ball-point, yet when it comes to fountain pens, suddenly people get fussy.

[@bngr_bngr]

@@mkompan we are neglected in that way. I usually use a Waterman or similar mechanical pencil. I just can’t leave it out at work😭

[@JaggiSpaceProgram]

Have you gotten a different microphone? I feel like the audio quality with narrations has dropped compared to older videos

[@mkompan]

Hmmm, the equipment was the same. Thanks for the feedback, I’ll look into it.

[@therebeginner]

Hi Marc, Sorry for this out of topic comment, I just wanted to let you know the contact page on your personal website doesn't seem to be working. I tested it with various browsers with similar results: an empty page.

[@mkompan]

Thanks for letting me know. It seems to be working on my end, but I'll look into it. Perhaps it's just a temporary website glitch.

[@therebeginner]

@@mkompan OK. That's great but really odd: I've tested just now and I still get that empty page. I can send you a screenshot of what I see if you give me an email address? Hopefully it only impacts me. It is still annoying but it is so just for me ;)

[@freesketchdraw]

💚💚💚💚💚

[@gunsmokeandghouls]

Theres something very off putting about spending that much cash and then a separate nib. I understand its personal preference and nib swapping is part of yhe fountain pen culture, but still.... Good review, as usual.

[@mkompan]

I agree. For that much money, the nib should be spectacular, not an ordinary steel nib that you can buy for 15 dollars.

[@notbatman1001]

Pineider pen filler is your friend for portable ink.

[@mkompan]

I have one! It’s a great device.

[@user-nu9so2ki6w]

I think the grip width is fine, not everybody is male after all

[@mkompan]

And not everyone is female. It’s possible to design a grip section that can accommodate a wide range of hand sizes.

[@user-nu9so2ki6w]

@@mkompan its also fine to have one that suits smaller hands too

[@mkompan]

@@user-nu9so2ki6w No disagreement there. But I think comfort is dependent on more factors than just hand size. These things are highly subjective, and I was just giving my opinion, not some kind of universal proclamation.

[@jacobmach3740]

I would actually be interested in this pen, but yikes, not for that much and considering I would replace the nib.

[@mkompan]

I have to agree. Curiosity (and the chance to do a review) got the best of me.

[@jeremyeicke3682]

I think I sprung my fp nib 😭I hope it can be saved !

[@mkompan]

Sorry to hear that! That’s an expensive mistake, but imagine doing that to a vintage nib.

[@jeremyeicke3682]

@@mkompan yeah I’d beat myself up over it more I’m sure. None the less, bending a nib isn’t even in top 10 of expensive mistakes I’ve made in life 🤣

[@christinebussimaus1548]

The pen is nice, but imo way too expensive. For half the price it might be a consideration but for 150€ you can get a better deal than a Sport.

[@mkompan]

I agree. It that I have any insight into the economics of the pen industry, but Kaweco’s pricing seems off.

[@saytisnotso]

This is the most frank and relatable review of this pen so far, thank you! Especially the tip on nib compatibility with vintage #2

[@mkompan]

Thank you! I'm glad my honesty was appreciated.

[@user-gl5ld9vm7i]

The Kaweco piston filler is overpriced. Understanding business, I know that Kaweco is trying to get back R&D dollars that went into this pen.

[@mkompan]

I think they did price it too high. All of the reviews I’ve seen so far are full of comments with the same sentiment.