REVIEW: KAWECO SUPRA STAINLESS STEEL FOUNTAIN PEN

Remember the Kaweco Supra brass (review HERE)? It was such a refreshing new product when it launched back in 2016. (yes, that was four years ago!) I think it was generally quite a well-conceived pen, there certainly was a bit of a hype surrounding it for a while (I don't think I exaggerate when I say Kaweco as a whole was a hype brand at that time!).

Back then, I naturally expected Kaweco to follow the same business strategy as with their uber-popular Sport and Lilliput pens: bring out new versions and special editions on a semi-regular basis to keep the product line fresh and relevant, and the customer's interest peaked.

But they didn't. Total radio silence about the Supra.

Four years went by, and just this year - when I thought all hope for a successor was lost - they decided to release the next installment in the Supra product line: the Kaweco Supra stainless steel. In my irrelevant opinion, that's about three years too late though. I feel like people lost interest, and maybe even forgot about the Supra altogether. 'Out of sight, out of mind' certainly applies here.

That's unfortunate because the Supra was is a cleverly designed, cool, well-built chameleon of a pen! Chameleon, obviously, because this pen adapts to the kind of use you want to get out of it. It shines as a pocket pen when the extension piece is removed, creating a pen that's a good bit shorter and even a bit thinner than the Kaweco Sport while still packing a full-sized writing experience and a #6 nib (So far, that's something only this pen and the Schon DSGN Pocket 6 are able to say).

I personally use the Supra with the extension piece in place about 80% of the time. I really like the looks of the Lilliput, but find the form factor just a bit too compact for a comfortable everyday writer. The Supra offers the same, pill-shaped, simple (I want to say 'minimal' but I already overuse that term to death) design as the Lilliput, but with a more normal footprint that I find more enjoyable to use.

The addition of a stainless steel version should make a lot of people very happy since it offers the same hefty feel without the smell that brass and copper give off. From an aesthetic point of view, it's interesting how the all-stainless steel construction gives the Supra a clinically clean appearance, much more modern-looking than the brass Supra and its vintage-esque patina.

L to R: Ensso Piuma, Kaweco Sport, Lilliput, Supra Brass, Supra stainless steel (with extension), Lamy Safari, Lamy 2000

The more 'normal' footprint of the Supra equates to what's still, for all intents and purposes, a mid-sized to smaller pen. Especially capped, at just 13 cm (5.11"), it's comparatively short alongside a true average pen, like the Lamy 2000 or Safari (which have become somewhat of a 'sizing standard' in my reviews). Uncapped, it retains most of its length though, so at 12.5 cm (4.92") it still hits that sweet spot of a comfortable size without needing to post. Obviously, these are all measurements with the extension piece in place.

With both the extension in place, and the cap posted, the supra is really quite a long pen.

Without it, the Supra shrinks about 2.5 to 3 cm in length, making it effectively as long as the Lilliput. The extra girth of the Supra is the biggest contributor to making this pen feel more like a normal-sized pen.

Even though I prefer to hold the girthier Supra over the Lilliput, in absolute terms, comfort has never been the Supra's strong suit. The threads are cut deeply and have surprisingly sharp edges. Without the extension piece, the barrel has an almost imperceivable step behind the threads, but with the extension piece (which is wider than the barrel) in place, you do get a noticeable step right behind the threads. The section - while nicely concave-shaped - is short, so your grip automatically rests right on those sharp edges. I'm not typically one to complain about threads or steps, but in this case, there's definitely room for improvement.

It sort of speaks for itself, but the construction of the Supra is actually a lot beefier than that of the Lilliput. All parts are machined substantially thicker, and therefore a lot heavier as well (50g total). The machining is clean and precise, bringing the overall build quality to a very high standard. It looks and feels like a precision but also heavy-duty tool, ideal for in an EDC kit.

The Supra can technically take a full-sized converter (however, only with the extension piece in place!), but I continue to find myself using syringe-filled cartridges, just like I did in my original review. It's just a better trade-off than having to switch between converter and cartridge every time you want to add or remove the extension piece, and it's not like you get more ink capacity out of a converter anyway.

If you've recently read the Pen Addict's review of this exact pen, you'll notice that my writing experience was quite different from his. I did adjust the F steel nib a bit upon arrival, out of the box it was a bit too dry for my liking. A few passes with a brass shim increased the flow to a more balanced level that I was happy with. Other than that, the fine steel (Bock) nib has been an excellent writer that's perfectly polished -not too smooth, but still very little feedback- and responsive. I also found that, contrary to Brad's findings and my experience with a great deal of Bock nibs I own, it's a fairly stiff nib, although I don't really have a strong preference for one or the other.

At the end of the day, I've had a positive writing experience with this particular pen, but nib performance is, and always will be a case-per-case unknown. Maybe I got lucky and Brad didn't? Or maybe my writing style is better suited for Bock nibs? There's a lot of variables.

PS: I wanted to write that I feel like there should be a slip-on clip available for the Supra, even if it was just to prevent it from rolling off your desk - but it turns out they already make one! Only available in bronze though, but it's better than nothing.

I don't know if the Supra is a best-seller for Kaweco (probably not, with the fierce competition of their own Sport pens!) or even if it ever has been a popular model at all. But I can't stop wondering what it would've been like if they had updated it more steadily over the years. In any case, I hope they don't forget about it again, and maybe come up with a titanium or aluminium version in the not-too-distant future.

The Kaweco Supra is different, and even after four years I continue to like it simply because of that. True, it may not be my first pick for long, comfortable writing sessions, and the ability to swap between a full-sized and pocket pen on the go might be a gimmick to some people. But it does do a lot of other things very right: It's a fun design, the modularity can actually be practical for the right person, build quality is rock-solid (excellent for EDC?), and it still comes in at a relatively decent price: 110€ / 135$ for this new stainless steel version.

NOTE: This product was provided by Kaweco, 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 affiliate links.