The pen for this review was provided by Kaweco, and will be part of a Giveaway after the publication of the review. No additional compensation was provided. All opinions expressed are solely those of the reviewer.
- Material: Plastic
- Nib: EF Steel
- Appointments: N/A
- Filling System: Standard International Short Cartridge/Converter
- Length (Capped): 105.5mm
- Length (Uncapped): 100.4mm
- Length (Posted): 131.8mm
- Section Diameter: 9.5mm
- Barrel Max Diameter: 11mm
- Cap Max Diameter: 13.4mm
- Weight, Capped (with ink and/or converter): 10g
- Weight, Uncapped (with ink and/or converter): 6g
When it comes to iconic pens, the size and shape of the Kaweco Sport series is unmistakable. It is the design most people think of when they think of pocket pens. It’s a very popular pen, and usually well-respected in the community. And thanks to the kind folks at Kaweco, I had an opportunity to take a look at the Skyline model of the Sport series.
The Skyline Sport is, for all intents and purposes, identical to the CLASSIC Sport and the ICE Sport, save for the materials from which it is made. Where the CLASSIC Sport has a variety of colors and uses gold-colored trim, and the ICE Sport features clear plastic with silver-colored trim, the Skyline Sport sticks with a muted palette of plastics (black, grey, and mint), and featuring “silver” steel nibs.
The Skyline Sport comes in the standard gold-colored “Altoid tin” style case, wrapped in a grey, patterned cardboard sleeve. The version of the pen I received came with two Kaweco Royal Blue cartridges, one of which I used for the review of the pen. I received the grey version of the pen, which is the version I probably would have chosen had I purchased the pen myself.
Like all pens in the Sport series, the octagonal cap sits on the barrel deeply, making the pen a very short 105mm in length when capped. Removing the cap will result in a very short little pen which, unless you have small hands, would be uncomfortable to use unposted. Fortunately, due the to length of the cap, posting the pen leaves it at a very reasonable 132mm.
In my review of the Kaweco AL Sport, I was suitably impressed by the feel of the pen’s aluminum body. It gave the pen a very solid feel, and a heftiness that helped offset its small size. While the grip was a touch smaller than I generally prefer, I found writing with the pen to be quite comfortable.
The Skyline Sport, by comparison, doesn’t feel quite as robust. It’s very light, even for a plastic pen. The plastic of the pen is still solid, but I miss the heft of the aluminum version. Despite that, the pen (when posted) is still quite comfortable in the hand. It is also clearly well-manufactured, with tight tolerances, and with a polished fit and finish. It doesn’t feel quite as special as, say, a turned acrylic pen, but it is very nicely made nonetheless.
The Skyline Sport, like the rest of Kaweco’s pocket pens, will accept standard international short cartridges. I understand that Kaweco makes converters for their pocket pens in both a squeeze/bulb format and a twist converter. The pen will not work with the standard international long cartridges or standard K5-style converters. The Skyline Sport, unlike the AL Sport, can also be used as an eyedropper, although it may require the application of a healthy layer of silicone grease on the threads, or even a rubber o-ring.
Also common to the Sport line of pens, the Skyline Sport does not come with a clip by default. If you want a clip, it is considered an add-on accessory.
In my experience with Kaweco pens this season, I continue to be impressed by the Bock nibs that Kaweco uses in its pens. This Skyline Sport came with an extra-fine steel nib–a nib that I would never purchase myself–I don’t care for very fine nibs. However, I was very pleasantly surprised by this extra-fine. It is, perhaps, equivalent to a Japanese fine nib, but very smooth for such a fine tip. The smoothness of the nib, despite the lesser ink flow resulting from such a fine point, is a real testament to the quality control that went into these nibs. This is an extra-fine nib I could actually get behind using, were I unfortunate enough to have to use poor quality paper on a day-to-day basis.
The Kaweco Skyline sport is not the flashiest or highest-end pen. It’s not made of amazing material or with any particularly special characteristics. It’s not even the most exciting of colors. What it is, however, is a convenient, efficient, workhouse of a pen that can take a bit of a beating, and writes like a champ. It’s a pen I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend to someone new to fountain pens. And at $25, it’s a very reasonably priced pen that will just work.
The Pen Habit will be giving away the pen used in this review, as well as a set of three ink cartridges in every color ink that Kaweco manufactures. Make sure to follow us on Social Media (Facebook, Twitter, Google+) or check back here often for the announcement of the giveaway!
