The fountain pen world is full of myths and legends. On examination some of them hold true, others do not. One that interests me is the oft-repeated statement, “I have big hands so I need a big pen.” Back in yesteryear the only really big pens around were very expensive ones. Somehow, most people seemed to manage with their Swan SM/100s and Conway Stewart 286s. More recently, I remember my fellow workers, some of whom were great hulking brutes, doing just fine with their Crystal Bics.

How does one explain the popularity of the Kaweco Sport? This is a tiny pen; even posted it’s 13.3 cm. There are thousands of them out there. Can that only be explained by the existence of an army of Munchkins all busily using their Kaweco Sports? Somehow, I don’t think so. I think you can use any size of pen you want to and anything bigger than a pencil stub is comfortable for anyone.

It’s a curious little thing, the Kaweco Sport. It’s like a descendant of all those pocket pens of long ago mixed with the long-shorts that the Japanese used to be so fond of. Personally, I rather like them but I’d like them better if the nibs were more to my liking. I’m told these are Bock nibs. This one is a fine and it’s okay but it’s not a patch on some of the other fines I have, like my Pilot or Platinum. I’ve also had a medium and I didn’t like it at all. I’m not sure why that is. It’s just an impression. I could sit here and analyse it all but I might still never get to the bottom of it. I’m just not fond of Bock nibs.

That said, the Sport seems to be an almost ideal carry-about pen. Small, well-capped and light. They’re quite good on the desk too. With their faceted shape they stay where they are set down and don’t go falling on the floor. They are cheap too, coming in at under £20 for the Classic – quite a bit under, if you shop around. I am told that they are quite easy to turn into an eyedropper, though why you would want to do such a thing I don’t know.