Kaweco Skyline Sport (Grey) EF
Ink: Graf von Faber-Castell Stone Grey
Paper: Rhodia Dotpad 80gsm
Pros: Nib, color, weight, portability, design
Cons: Few converter options, almost too light, very small for some, no Kaweco tin :(

The first time I saw the Kaweco Sport pens, I thought they were less than beautiful. I didn't get the giant octagonal cap especially. But after hearing so many people rave about their Kawecos, my interest was piqued. The one thing that was stopping me was the gold-plated nib and trim on the Classic Sports. I am not a fan at all of gold furniture on anything, especially pens. When I discovered the Skyline Sport had been released with rhodium-plated trim and in a grey color, I had to get one to try out.

When I received my Skyline, the first thing I noticed was that it didn't come in the cool Kaweco tins. I had thought that all of the Kaweco Sports came in one of the tins, but the Goulets let me know that only the AL-Sport comes in it now. I was lucky to have a Twitter follower offer to send me one of his extras, which speaks to just how amazing the pen community is.

As you may know, the Kaweco pens are very small, and because of that, they do not fit a standard international converter. There are a few converters out there that will work, including Kaweco's squeeze converter and the Monteverde Mini Converter. Not many people care for aerometric converters, myself included, and I've read mixed reviews on how well the Monteverde Mini Converter fits in this pen. Luckily, I stumbled across one of SBREBrown's videos on a Kaweco Sport, and he had been sent the Templar Mini Converter. I'm intrigued by this little thing, so I may end up picking one up - if I do, I'll be sure to review it! For now, I chose to pick up some standard international short cartridges to try out. Being that I love grey ink and this is a grey pen, I chose Graf von Faber-Castell Stone Grey. Spoiler alert: I LOVE THIS INK. Review to follow.

Kaweco is a German brand, and have German nibs on their pens - so they run close to what a Lamy nib size would be. I chose the EF because of this, and I was not disappointed. I always worry that an EF will write scratchy out of the box, but this one was quite smooth. The rhodium plating looks very sharp, and I love how the Kaweco logo is stamped into the nib. I'm not sure why I'm drawn to their logo, but I really love that thing. They included a sticker in the box with the pen, and it now has a place on the front of my Macbook Pro.

The pen is very lightweight which adds to the portability aspect, though some would say it feels kind of cheap. Honestly, I just don't get the cheap vibe from this pen. Looking at pictures online, you would think that it's just a cheap plastic pen, but I'm very impressed with the craftsmanship and the quality. For the price, it really can't be beat. I love the grey color, and the finial with the Kaweco logo on it is a nice touch.

The pen when capped can very easily fit into the palm of your hand. For some, writing with it unposted is impossible, but posted, the pen's weight is very balanced. I hardly ever post my pen, but this one doesn't change in balance at all and is actually more comfortable for longer writing sessions.

I am very happy with this pen. If you've been debating getting one, trust me, you need to do it. It writes like a dream, never skips or hard starts and is a great pocket pen. The Skyline Sport is available in 3 colors, Black, Grey & Mint. The Mint and Grey are both new colors to the Sport line and the pen community are going crazy for both of them. You can pick them up at Goulet or a similar retailer for $25-$27 (for some reason JetPens has the EF listed at $27 and the others at $25).