KARAS PEN CO. DECOGRAPH FOUNTAIN PEN REVIEW

Karas Pen Co. (The new brand name for Karas Kustoms' writing-related products) is, despite the new name, of course not a newcomer to the writing industry. We all know them for their rather rugged, machined metal pens. Beceause of this 'built to last a lifetime' design philosophy, their products speak mostly to the EDC community. Their pens that are made to be used and carried, designed to withstand daily use.

That's not to say that their metal pens, such as the Retrakt, Ink or Render-K don't get any attention from our writing community (which often overlaps with the EDC community anyway). But it's clear that their more rugged designs, and mostly all-metal construction don't speak to everyone. We can be quite picky about our pens, and Karas Kustoms knows that. So they 'branched' out with their latest pen design: the Decograph!

In a way, the Decograph is a clear departure from their earlier products. It's a more refined and elegant pen, and it's made of acrylic instead of metal. But then at the same time, it still carries their signature style. It's got a retro-ish look to it, sort of art-deco and industrial at the same time.

Yet they didn't entirely leave the machined metal scene for this one... The Decograph comes in a one-of-a-kind custom machined aluminium tube that doubles as a carrying case/desk stand! The first impression when you open the box: wow! The case, machined from a solid rod of aluminium, has the Karas Kustoms logo machined on the lid and it feels incredibly solid. Uncapping the tube takes a few turns which really feels like you're dissasembling some heavy machinery or something. It guess you could consider this a nod to their history, showing off the expertise KK has built up over the years of building and tuning hot rods.

But of course we're not here for the case, no matter how cool it is. Let's talk about the pen...

The flattop cigar shape has a rather wide and large cap, which I think emphasizes the strong taper of the body of the pen. This pen has curves, where other Karas pens usually had a more straight and bulky design. 

The finials on both cap and barrel are aluminium. The one on the cap has a slightly pointed shape, whereas the bottom finial is slightly hollowed out and has the Karas Kustoms logo machined inside it. The branding on the bottom finial is also the only branding on the entire pen (apart from the bock-branded nib), which is a nice touch to keep a clean look.

The clip is one of the main attention points of the pen, with a uniquely machined aluminium design, attached to a spring stainless steel connection piece. The beveled edges give the clip a streamlined and refined look, while the two-part design of the clip keeps some of that Karas Kustoms ruggedness. The clip is definitely the main design element on this pen, and I think they did a good job on the design. Clips, for me, are a purely aesthetic element, but in this case the spring steel actually makes it quite functional. it's still a relatively stiff clip, but it's definitely more usable than the ultra stiff solid steel clips on other KK pens I've tried.

The black thermoplast material (which is one of the standard color options available, alongside seasonal limited edition materials) is most likely a regular acrylic as you would find from other brands. The term 'thermoplast' sounds quite space-age, but it's just a technical term really.

The plastic parts are all polished manually. You can still faintly see the machining lines of the CNC process. In my opinion, the semi-glossy finish gives it the look and feel of black ebonite, which is quite nice. For some reason, this pen feels really pleasant in the hand.

L to R: Kaweco Brass Sport, Pelikan M805, Karaskustoms Retrakt, Karaskustoms Decograph, Lamy Safari, Lamy 2000

Measuring in at 13.7cm (5.39") capped, and 12.7cm (5") uncapped, the decograph is a moderately sized pen. I originally anticipated it to be rather large, as it could be seen as KK's current 'flagship' pen. But instead they chose to go for a more manageable size that will probably fit a lot of users. Uncapped, it hits the sweetspot for me, but it can also be posted. The cap attaches firmly to the barrel when posted. Due to the lightweight construction of just over 20 g total, posting the cap doesn't make it terribly unbalanced (although it does shift the balance more towards the back). With a relatively wide maximum diameter of 1.5cm (0.6") around the cap, it appears quite stout.

The section has an average diameter of around 1 cm (0.4"), and has a strong concave shape which makes it very pleasant to hold. Being the first Karas pen without a metal section will probably also appeal to a lot of people that find metal sections too slippery. Behind the section is a relatively sharp step towards the threads. The threads themselves are unobtrusive, but the step towards the threads is noticeable. This would be the only minor downside I could think of in terms of comfort. It's a very comfortable pen to write with, due to the combination of a large, comfortable section, good dimensions and low overall weight.

The nib is a standard bock #6 nib. Not a whole lot to talk about, other than that it writes well and does what it's supposed to do. This particular medium (not indicated on the nib itself, but Karas Kustoms utilizes a color code on the nib housing to indicate nib size) is a smooth one with a balanced flow. It's a nice writer, what more can I say?

Optional titanium nibs are available at a 45USD premium, while 14k gold nibs command a 105 USD surplus over the steel nibs. Personally I think Bock's steel nibs are good enough so I rarely consider the premium myself. Although at one point I suppose I'll HAVE to try out those gold nibs...just because, right?

Overall, I think Karas Kustoms did a great job with their latest creation. It's right in there with other US-based brands like Edison and Franklin-Christoph, with a price point of 165 USD. The superlative packaging is a nice extra (especially when you give this as a gift!), and the pen itself is on the level of quality we've come to expect from KK.

If you're looking for a more playful and colorful material, there's a semi-translucent green option available as a standard choice. But you can also wait for the limited edition releases that will occur every so often. These are very limited production runs of special acrylics that will definitely speak to a lot of people! The recent 1702 Elektron LE appealed to me a lot, but unfortunately it sold out incredibly fast (you can still read Ed Jelley's review about it HERE. Honestly check out the amazing photos he took of this pen!)

Note: This product was provided by Karas Kustoms (Karas Pen Co.), free of charge, so I could write this review.  I was in no way influenced in the making of this review, the opinions shared in this review are completely my own! This post does not contain affilate links.

FANTASTICPAPER COLOR A5 NOTEBOOK REVIEW

I was very curious to check out this new -to me- notebook brand from Germany called Fantasticpaper. With a name like that, expectations are inevitably through the roof. Skeptical as I am, I expected a big letdown when I bought one from my local pen store Leën in Hasselt (no webshop yet, but definitely worth a visit if you are in the area!) 

Luckily I'm often proven wrong, and this is one of those instances. For me, the positive experience actually already starts at the design of the notebook. It's incredibly well-thought out and features some welcome functions in a stylish, minimalist package. 

Fantasticpaper currently makes two different models, the COLOR featured here, and the COUTURE which has silver gilded edges. The Color comes in 6 different two-tone color combinations. I went for grey and red which I think is stylish with just the right amount of color. The cover is made of a relatively thin cardboard that had a very pleasant rubberised texture to it. The corners of both the cover and the paper inside are pointed, as opposed to most notebooks that feature rounded corners. There's minimal branding on the back cover but the rest is slick and clean-looking. 

While this cardstock paper softcover is probably not as sturdy as a hardcover, it's definitely thicker than most softcover notebooks. About three seconds after I removed it from the shrink-wrap, I dropped it on a corner and it seemed to survive that pretty well. It can probably withstand a fair share of usage, but I doubt it'll still look like new after a few months of use. Softcover notebooks are usually thinner with less pages, so they don't have to keep up as long. This being a full-sized notebook with 200 pages, it'll have to last a bit, so I could see durability being an issue in the long run.

Size comparison of the Fantasticpaper A5 (top) with the Leuchtturm A5 notebook (bottom).

Honestly, nothing about this notebook is standard. Sizewise, the Fantasticpaper A5 isn't really that far off from standard dimensions. But the shape of the notebook is somewhat unusual. The dimensions are wider and shorter than most comparable brands' offerings.It measures 15 cm (5.9") by 20 cm (7.9"). Comparing it with a Leuchtturm 1917 A5 notebook, the Fantasticpaper Color is slightly wider and less tall. It's also quite thick, despite the thin paper cover. 

The size is odd, but the binding is even more unusual. They call it Swiss binding, which is a combination of bound and glued, and instead of being attached to both sides of the inside of the cover, it's only attached to the back. This means the front cover opens up to lay entirely flat, and for some reason the pages itself also open up perfectly flat.

One issue with the binding is that the front cover doesn't support the left sides of the pages, so for the first half of the notebook, the back side of each page is quite difficult to use because it doesn't rest on the cover (I used another notebook stacked underneath it to support it while writing, not ideal).

The Fantasticpaper notebook may seem quite 'basic' at first sight, but they actually pack a really clever design feature that adds functionality. Inside the back cover, you'll find a few perforated slots that you have to loosen yourself. The top one is a foldable bookmark, while the bottom slot can accommodate a business card or two. I really like how they incorporated this into the design, while still keeping the overall look of the notebook very clean and simple. 

The 96 sheets of lined 90 gsm Munken paper make for quite a thick stack of  surprisingly decent paper. Would I call it fantastic? Well no, it's a bit toothy for my taste (ideal for pencil or ballpoint pen). But it does handle ink surprisingly well.

At first, it seems like the paper wants to soak up the ink entirely and feather like crazy. But surprisingly the feathering is very limited. Ink spreads a little bit, which makes line widths appear a bit wider than usual (not ideal if you like those EEF lines), but the writing looks surprisingly crisp and clear. There's a slight bit of shading to it, but it's not very pronounced (don't even think about sheen, that's a bridge too far). Despite the relatively absorbent paper, I encountered no bleedthrough, and only moderate ghosting (although not up to the point where it interfered with writing on the back of the page.

Overall, I am quite pleased with the results! The limited amount of ink spread and feathering is acceptable, and the lack of bleedthrough is impressive. It's a strange paper to write on because it sucks up the ink (which makes it feel 'mushy' when you write), but the result is pretty decent and I like it.

Unfortunately they are currently not that widespread available. But if you are in Europe, there are a few online and physical stores that offer them. The best part: they are VERY affordable. Prices vary a bit, but I've seen them go between 10 and 12.5 EUR per book. I guess the lack of a hardcover is a good way to press costs, and in the end the most important part is paper quality (for me at least). That being said, if you are looking for a durable notebook, a hardcover might be the better way to go.

KAWECO STEEL SPORT FOUNTAIN PEN REVIEW

Ah yes: a new year, a new Kaweco Sport review! Kaweco has made a habit of releasing a new metal version of their classic pen each year, and the latest metal in the line-up of Kaweco's ever-growing collection of Sport pens is stainless steel. Since I'm so terribly late with this review of last year's release (Yeah, it's 2018 already! Anyone else who still thinks it's 2017?), I'm already waiting for what is up next. I really hope they'll go for a copper Kaweco Sport this year.

Anyway, I thought it would still be relevant to talk about the Steel Sport, since it's something a little different to the Brass Sport that came before it (that I still enjoy very much). My thanks to Kaweco for sending one over for this review! 

Stainless steel is relatively similar to brass when it comes to density (just slightly lighter), so it's somewhat comparable to the Brass Sport in terms of weight (total weight of 40g). But most importantly, it lacks the smell that so many people absolutely hate. It's the best of both worlds for the most part, but I do miss the awesome patina that brass gets after use. 

Instead of patina, the Steel Sport received a brushed finish to give the cold grey surface some visual texture. I quite like how this makes it stand out from the wide variety of other finishes that is available on the Kaweco Sport. It gives the pen a pleasant texture in the hand, and it provides a nice satin look.

The threads seem to have received a black finish that contrasts the rest of the pen quite nicely. I don't know if this is a side-effect of the machining of steel, or if it's finished like this on purpose, but either way I think it looks quite good. 

L to R: Kaweco Sport mechanical pencil, Kaweco Steel and Brass Sport, Lamy Safari, Lamy 2000

An 'open' comparison, to show once again how full-sized the Kaweco Sport becomes when posted

In terms of size and dimensions, I realised I always drag on and on about the convenient size. Yet I never actually showed a good comparison of how the Kaweco Sport compares to some other pens when posted. So in the two photos above you can clearly see how it relates to the Lamy Safari and Lamy 2000 (both what I would consider full sized pens). When posted, it's somewhere in between the Safari and 2000, at 12.7 cm (5"), which is the perfect size for my hands.

One thing I noticed in use, is that the cap does not post as securely as my other Kaweco Sport pens. Each metal has different characteristics that can cause differences in the machining process. So I assume the tolerances might be a bit different with this one. A firm push is needed to post the cap, and even then it occasionally pops off. 

Since I tried and reviewed most Kaweco nib sizes so far, I opted for one that's usually out of my comfort zone: the extra fine. What nib I prefer depends strongly on my mood and what I am using it for, but this EF actually finds a good use in my daily carry. It's a smooth nib (considering the line width, of course it's not as smooth as a BB!), and it writes a consistent fine line. I like to use it for taking notes on crappy copy paper, which is unfortunately very common when you're a student.

Again I didn't notice any 'shoddy QC' with this nib. It's sort of a bad rep Kaweco has always suffered from, yet in my opinion it's not quite justified. Of course you can always come across a dud (which can happen with every brand), but in general I have always found Kaweco's nibs quite good. They might not be the most exciting steel nibs ever, but they rarely don't do what they are supposed to do. Ink choice is a VERY important aspect of how a nib behaves, so I generally like to keep my Kawecos filled with something a bit more lubricated or wet (My personal favorites being Sailor or KWZ). 

The succes story of the Kaweco Sport continues with the addition of steel to the ridiculously varied offering of metals and other materials to choose from. Each material has a slightly different price, based on the cost of the material itself and production process. Unfortunately, the Steel Sport is the most expensive as of yet (excluding the AC Sport which is a bit of a special case). I suppose that's partially because it's harder to machine compared to brass or aluminium. 

With a price of 85 EUR (from Mostwanted Pens) or 88.5 USD on the US market, it's not exactly cheap for a pocket pen. The Classic Sport, made of plastic, is a more ideal entry-level, and the step up to an aluminium AL Sport is a bit easier to digest (at 57.5 EUR incl. VAT on the european market). The Brass or Steel Sport, and even the AC Sport, are more aimed at those that want to expand the collection, or try something different.

Note: This product was provided by Kaweco, free of charge, so I could write this review.  I was in no way influenced in the making of this review, the opinions shared in this review are completely my own! This post does not contain affilate links.