Kaweco Pink Skyline Sport Fountain Pen

Kaweco have been making pens in Germany since 1883, and the Sport, first designed in 1911, is the model the company is still best known for. The Skyline Sport carries the same octagonal cap and oversized proportions as the Classic Sport, finished with silver accents where the Classic carries gold: a chrome-plated steel nib, embossed lettering and a silver metal logo set into the top of the cap. Pink has just returned to the core range after several years away, and it is a saturated, confident colour that sits closer to hot pink than to a pastel.

The body is ABS injection-moulded plastic, which is what keeps the pen light enough to forget about in a pocket. Closed it measures 10.5 cm. The cap unscrews and mounts on the end of the barrel, at which point the pen grows to a standard 13 cm, and that is where the Kaweco slogan comes from: small in the pocket, large in the hand. The flats of the octagonal cap also stop the pen rolling off a desk.

Each pen is hand assembled in Germany, and the nib is made there as well, in five widths from extra fine to double broad. We stock the fine, which suits most everyday handwriting and is the sensible width to begin on. Manufactured within the EU, where labour law sets minimum standards for pay, working conditions, and holiday entitlement.

Ink and Accessories for the Kaweco Sport

The pen arrives in a Kaweco gift carton with one standard international ink cartridge travelling loose inside the barrel, which occasionally needs a tap against something firm to shake free. After that it takes any short standard international cartridge, including our six-pack of Kaweco cartridges and the ten-pack colour mix. For bottled ink, the Kaweco mini converter folds down to fit the short barrel and works with our 50ml ink bottle. The Sport ships without a clip, and the Nostalgie clip slides straight on. We would take it in silver here, since that is what the Skyline trim is.

How to Care for Your Fountain Pen

A fountain pen writes best when it is used regularly, because ink left standing in the feed thickens as the water in it evaporates and the flow slows. If the pen is going to sit unused for more than a couple of weeks, take the cartridge out, flush the nib and grip section under cool running water, and stand them nib-down on a folded cloth to dry. Avoid hot water, which can loosen the feed where it seats into the section. Screw the cap fully home before the pen goes into a bag, since the thread seals the nib against the air and is the reason the Sport travels as well as it does. When moving from one ink colour to another, rinse until the water runs clear, or the previous colour will tint the first few lines.

Specifications