I am heading off to Europe tonight for a 16 day trip spread between Denmark, Switzerland, Italy and France. I thought it would be fun to show what pen and paper related items I will be bringing along.
I am bringing my Nock Co. Hightower three plus one bifold with a Caran d’Ache Ecridor pencil, Aurora Ipsilon Metallic fountain pen, Pilot Hi-Tec C Coleto Lumio multi-pen, Field Notes Shelterwood Edition, and a 5 pack of king size Aurora black ink cartridges.
I am also bringing a Rhodia Reverse Book, my Midori Traveler’s Notebook (passport size) with a Field Notes Bic Click ballpoint pen and my every day carry set, the Zebra SL-F1 and Maruman Mnemosyne Modified A7 memo pad.
The World Meister’s Note is a collection from Midori that fuses Japanese craft with the craft of other countries. In Vol 2 you get a Dutch “leather paper” cover and Midori’s much loved MD paper. The edition is called “Santina” because that is the name of the Dutch manufacturer that makes the leather paper cover.
The plastic wrapper includes details on the notebook.
The cover is smooth and pliable. I like the way it feels in my hands; no one will mistake it for leather but it has a nice smooth almost rubberized feel to it.
The notebook has “Santina” embossed on the front cover and “The World Meister’s Note” embossed on the spine.
Inside cover.
My favorite feature of this notebook is the pages have blue edges that match the color of the cover and “SANTINA” in white letters. It just looks awesome.
Santina notebook with Sailor Shu-Katsu Multi-pen
Inside the notebook you will find 192 pages (96 leafs) of grid 5mm MD paper.
As I am sure you already know, MD paper performs phenomenally with fountain pens and you wont have any issues with bleeding or ghosting. It really is one of the best fountain pen papers on the market.
The binding is stitched and has many small signatures.
I did find that the leather paper is a bit stiff and prevents the notebook from lying flat. As with all Midori paper products the quality and attention to detail is exceptional. I have reviewed all four notebooks in the World Meister’s Note series and I think the Santina is definitely the best looking but I find the cover to be too stiff for my tastes.
The Santina, comes in a couple of sizes and colors. The notebook I reviewed is the blue A6 version. I had difficultly locating these in the USA and ultimately ending finding one while on a trip to Tokyo. If I recall correctly the retail price for this notebook in Japan is about 1,000 yen (aprox $10 USD) and for that price it’s not bad.
Below are my reviews of the other editions in the series:
The Delta Horsepower is the first Delta pen I have had my hands on and I have to say that I am impressed. Thank you to my new friends at Pen Chalet for the opportunity to test this beautiful pen.
Appearance
When you look the Horsepower the first thing you notice is the cap. I have been told that it is supposed to look like a birds eye view of a Formula 1 car. None of the Delta materials that came with the pen explicitly say anything about the cap design. That is a strange omission if you ask me. Here is a picture of a Williams Mercedes F1 car from last weekends Austrian Grand Prix:
My father and brother attended the Austrian Grand Prix last weekend as guests of Red Bull and I was lucky enough to get some of their pictures 🙂Can you see the resemblance?
With the F1 car context and squinting really hard I can kind of see it, but it’s a stretch. I like the cap and I think I would like it even more if I didn’t know that it was supposed to look like an F1 car. The hand polished red resin body is beautiful. It’s a really deep rich red. Continuing the race car theme there is a wide band of real carbon fiber around the barrel and unlike the carbon fiber on the Kaweco AC Sport I reviewed, it is very well finished, no loose fibers here. The ruthenium coated trim pairs beautifully with the carbon fiber. The thick cap ring is imprinted with “HORSEPOWER”. I would have preferred lettering that was a bit less bold but with the dark ruthenium trim it doesn’t jump out too much. That back of the cap is engraved “DELTA ITALY” and is numbered “0295”. This is not a limited edition but I definitely like that the pens are numbered, it’s a nice touch that I don’t see on many pens. The big arched clip is quite nice looking, especially when viewed from the side. I do notice that it sits a bit crooked and looking at other pictures of this pen it seems to be common; it’s not a big deal but worth pointing out. The nib is also ruthenium plated and features some pretty standard looking scrollwork and a Delta logo. I don’t normally talk about boxes because I think they are boring but the Horsepower’s packaging was quite well done so I thought I should include some pictures: All in all I really like the look of this pen. The high quality deep red resin and carbon fiber really make for a sporty looking pen. Score: 3.5/5
Build Quality
The fit and finish is a real stand out on this pen; it is excellent. The Delta paperwork states that the pen is entirely made in Italy. The resin body is hand turned from a solid rod and polished by hand. It doesn’t look or feel like the cheap plastic that many similarly priced pens are made of.
Lots of paperwork. It’s nice to have an guarantee card with a serial number.
There are no seams on the body and everything fits tightly. Someone definitely took care in making this pen. The only thing that is a bit off is the clip; it is slightly crooked but it doesn’t seem to affect the function of the pen. The Horsepower has a steel Bock nib that doesn’t appear to be overly modified like the Bock nibs you find on some Visconti and OMAS pens. That’s not a knock to the build quality but it is relevant when considering how much this pen might cost to make. Score: 4/5
Size & Weight
The Horsepower measures approximately 5.6” capped and 4.6” uncapped. It’s 0.6” in diameter at its widest point. It’s a pretty thick pen. With ink cartridge installed it weighs 26 grams. The pen posts well on the body but I found it to be a bit top heavy so I prefer to use the Horsepower with the cap off. I don’t usually give much thought to the shape of the grip section but the combination of a fat section with a convex shape didn’t feel ideal to me. Most of my daily writers with fat sections have a concave shape that feels more secure to me. It could be that I am just used to the concave shape….the Horsepower never felt like it was going to slip out of my hands and overall it is a very comfortable pen that I have enjoyed using. Score: 3.5/5
Performance
The fine ruthenium plated steel Bock nib performed flawlessly. No hard starting or skipping, just smooth even lines. The flow is average; I wouldn’t call it wet or dry. The nib doesn’t have much in the way of character and as you would expect from a steel nib there isn’t any line variation to speak of. If you are seeking a bit of flair, the Delta Horsepower is available with a stub nib. Score: 3/5
Filling System
The Horsepower takes standard international cartridges/converters and comes with one black Delta cartridge. Interestingly, it does not come with a converter; that’s a pretty unusual thing to leave out on a pen with a $225 retail price. A converter only costs a few dollars so while not a big deal it does make the package less complete. Score: 2/5
Value
With a street price of $180 I do believe you get your money’s worth but it’s important to think about your priorities for a fountain pen. In this price range there are a lot of wonderful pens. Do you want a pen with a solid gold nib or do you want a pen with a beautifully handcrafted body? For the same money you could have a Lamy 2000, or a Platinum 3776, or a Namiki Falcon, or a Pilot Vanishing Point. None of these pens will be able to match the look and feel of the Horsepower’s body but they all have solid gold nibs. A gold nib is not necessarily a better nib but it can potentially be softer or more springy. The Horsepower is also available with a Delta Fusion nib for a retail price of $395. I have no experience with Fusion nibs but it is my understanding that they are part gold and part steel. Without trying it I cannot say if its worth the extra money. Score: 3.5/5
Bottom Line
Confusing cap design aside, the Horsepower is a beautifully made pen that performs like a champion. Final Score 19.5/30
The World Meister’s Note is a collection from Midori that fuses Japanese craft with the craft of other countries. Volume 4 is called “Katagami” and features a collaboration with Swedish design brand Brita. The notebook features handmade Ise Stencil Paper.
I love everything about this notebook except the look of cover. It’s a bit too feminine for my tastes but I love the elastic and the slim A6 size which measures 3.9″ wide by 5.8″ high.
The cover has a smooth waxy feel but does not feel special like all previous volumes of the World Meister’s Note series that I have reviewed.
Inside the book you will find 160 pages (80 sheets) of high quality Japanese Ise Katagami paper. The paper is awesome and definitely my favorite part of this edition.
You will notice that the lines on the Ise Katagami paper are not perfectly straight. This is because the print is hand carved by a master craftsman.
The paper performs beautifully; no bleed and no real ghosting. The paper is smooth but has a bit more feedback than Rhodia paper. I found the dry times to be slightly better than Rhodia.
Like all Midori products the Katagami Notebook is very well made. It has a stitched binding and tiny little signatures. If they made a bit more attractive cover this one would definitely be my favorite of the series. I paid $16 for this notebook at a local Japanese stationery shop and thats a lot of money for a little notebook but I do believe you get what you pay for.
Check out my reviews of previous World Meister’s Note Volumes:
This pen is troublemaker. I have had it for a good number of years and as I reflect on it now, I am not exactly sure why.
I figure that my first OMAS review should be one that I would consider to be a great first OMAS. Don’t take that to mean that the Paragon is the bottom of the line pen, it’s not, it is in fact the top of line oversized model but used, in black resin, it is quite affordable and a good place to start with the brand if you are willing to roll the dice a bit.
A little background:
For those that do not know, OMAS stands for “Officina Meccanica Armondo Simoni” and they continue to make some of the world’s most beautiful fountain pens. OMAS is famous for their Arte Italiana line that features wonderful faceted pens. The Paragon is the largest model (and consequently the most desirable) in the Arte Italiana line.
Barrel Imprints can help identify the approximate age of a Paragon.
The Paragon I am reviewing today is from the early 1990s. It differs in a few ways from the current Arte Italiana Paragon which confusingly now has two distinct styles “Vintage” and “Icon”. The “Vintage” style is more or less the same pen they have been making for decades and most closely resembles my 1990s Paragon.
Appearance
The body is made out of black resin and has 12 facets with 18kt gold furniture including Greek key bands on the cap and on the section just above the threading. The pen terminates at each end with short points. The large nib is a classic OMAS arrow design that I have seen on OMAS pens as old as the 1930s. It is one of the best looking nib designs out there.
No ifs, ands, or buts about it, this pen is beautiful. I have had the pleasure of owning a few celluloid versions and those really gave my Nakaya a run for its money in the awe department.
Score: 4/5
Build Quality
OMAS pens are turned from a single block of resin or celluloid and just about everything on this pen is done by hand. OMAS made the nib in house and it’s beautiful. Even the hand cut ebonite feed is beautiful. There are no seams and nothing on this pen looks poorly executed BUT there are some functional problems.
Hand cut ebonite feed.
The piston knob is hard to turn (something I have experienced with all my OMAS pens from the 1980s-2000s purchased new and used). I don’t know if OMAS is trying to cut down on costs by saving on lubricators or what but it seems odd that such an expensive brand would have a hard and rough mechanism.
My biggest gripe about this pen is that I get ink all over my fingers when I use it. I believe ink comes out from the nib sleeve and onto the collar of the section. I have sent this pen in for repair where the entire pen was disassembled (piston mechanism lubricated…still hard to twist) and the problem wasn’t solved.
This is a beautifully made pen but unfortunately, it just doesn’t work all that well.
Score: 2.5/5
Size & Weight
The Paragon measures 5.6” capped, 5.25” uncapped and a whopping 7.15” posted. My partially full Paragon weighs in at 19.6 grams, which is very comfortable, and lightweight for a pen of this size. I find that the Paragon is comfortable to write with unposted as well as posted, despite its long length.
For me the combination of its large size and lightweight make it almost perfect. I am buying more and more old OMAS pens from the 40s and 50s and I always try to opt for the largest size in a series.
I did not realize until after I took the picture that the OMAS pictured beside the Montblanc 149 isn’t the 1990s Paragon in all the other pictures…its an older 1960s celluloid version. The size is identical though.
Founder Armondo Simoni, believed that writing should be an enjoyable experience and as such pens needed to be lightweight. You wont see any overweight OMAS pens until after he passed in 1958.
Interestingly, the Paragon size (also know by the number 557) has changed throughout the years. In the late 40s to early 50s the 557 was over 5.6” and then in the late 50s it dropped to under 5.5” which would have been the senior size (aka the 556) in the late 40s early 50s. Today the Paragon is back to its original extra large size.
Score: 4/5
Performance
Up until the mid 1990s OMAS manufactured their own nibs in house before switching over to highly modified Bock nibs. It is clear to me now having owned a several modern OMAS pens with both Bock and OMAS nibs that the change was really quite minor in terms of performance and feel. They both have the same hand cut ebonite feed and the design is mostly the same. In the 1960s and prior the OMAS made some of the best “semi-flex” (like the 14kt Extra Lucens pictured below) and flex nibs that I have ever used. Below are three different nibs from Paragon-sized OMAS pens.
Left to right: 1) Bock made 18kt gold, 2) OMAS made 18kt gold, 3) OMAS made 14kt gold “Extra Lucens” from the 1960s. “OMAS” on a Bock nib has a large “O” and a bit different Greek-style lettering. You cannot see it without removing the nibs but the OMAS made nibs actually have a much longer body than the Bock ones. I don’t think there is any difference from a performance perspective but it is clear that OMAS made nibs are made with more gold.
The medium point 18kt gold nib is quite springy and with its generous flow feels quite nice on paper. The nib as long as I have had it skips. I sent it to a well-known nibmeister to be sorted out unfortunately he didn’t fix the problem, it still skips…I suspect that it needs a bit more regrinding. If the nib didn’t skip it would be one of my best nibs on a modern pen…it really feels excellent.
Side view of the Paragon nib.
In the end it sort of does everything I don’t want a fountain pen to do… it skips and gets ink on my fingers.
Score: 1.5/5
Filling System
The Paragon is a piston-filler and holds a good amount of ink. If you have ever had the displeasure of twisting the piston knob on an “untested” vintage pen only to find that ink has dried inside the pen locking the mechanism then you have a pretty good idea of what it’s like to use the piston on this pen (and sadly most modern OMAS fountain pens). I might be exaggerating a bit but let’s just say it’s not that pleasant.
Score: 1.5/5
Value
A used resin OMAS Paragon in nice condition can be had for around $200-$250 and honestly it’s a ton of pen for the money IF you get one that works well. My success rate with both new and used OMAS pens from 1980-2005 has been about 60% and I have had more fountain pens from OMAS than any other manufacturer.
I know people who have had nothing but great luck with modern OMAS pens so I would encourage any potential buyer to do their own homework and come to their own conclusions.
New, you can buy a resin Paragon (or some version of it) for around $600-$700. The beautiful celluloid versions cost around $1,000.
Score: 2.5/5
Bottom Line
This Paragon’s beautiful looks are let down by poor performance.
I found out about this product back in December while listening to the Pen Addict podcast (thank you Myke Hurley).
If you don’t speak German, Roterfaden is the manufacturer and Taschenbegleiter is German for, “bag companion”. This is without doubt the coolest organizer I have ever had the pleasure of owning.
Roterfaden Taschenbegleiter with early 1950s Aurora 88.
The Taschenbegleiter is a custom made-to-order organizer that utilizes a unique clip system that allows you to clip in all sorts of notebooks and loose paper.
Taschenbegleiter clips
The Taschenbegleiter comes in three standardized formats: A4, A5, and A6. For the outer cover you have two material choices (in multiple colors): dance floor and leather. Dance floor is a synthetic material that was originally used for (you guessed it) dance floors. I opted for the black leather option.
The black leather has a suede-like finish that is very soft to the touch. The Taschenbegleiter has a wonderful organic hand-made quality to it. Depending on the colors and options you choose it can be more casual look or more professional looking.
Few scuffs on the back from taking the Taschenbegleiter in and out of my bag.
For the inside material you again get two options for materials, suede and wool felt. I chose the blue wool felt and I also chose to have my name embroidered into the felt in a light blue thread and Interstate font. You can actually send them a picture and they will embroider it on the organizer!
Empty Taschenbegleiter with all the clips open
There are various pocket configurations that include an option designed specifically for an iPad mini. Instead of pockets on the back cover you get 4 elastics that hold the iPad Minis corners. I chose the large pocket (which also fits an iPad) because it serves a dual purpose as a pocket for smaller notebooks like Field Notes and work as an iPad holder when I travel. The downside of course is that you have to pull out the iPad every time you want to use it.
iPad Mini in the back pocket.
There are more options still. You can have all the pen loops you want. You can have them on the bottom the top or the side (as I have on mine). If you like to use really fat pens you can specify the size of the pen you want to use and they will make the loops bigger.
You can also specify the number clips. The standard is three but you can have none, one, two or four if you request it. This is an important consideration because it will determine how much stuff you can put in your Tachenbegleiter and how fat it will be. Mine is about 1.5″ wide with the three clips in use…but you can make it even fatter if you really stuff it.
Roterfaden makes various refills and inserts for the Tachenbegleiter. They all look beautiful and are of excellent quality. Let me show you how I normally have mine loaded up:
I always fill from the back forward. This is the notepad. It comes with a cardboard cover and the pages are blank on one side and graph on the other. The pages are perforated so they tear off easily.notepad coverNext is the middle clip which I use to hold the diary refill and three sheet protectors.Sheet protectors.Last up is the calendar. The clips work beautifully as bookmarks.Calendar refill with optional cardboard cover. Cell phone, memo pad and business cards in the cover pockets.
Here are some more pictures of the unusual diary refill which has a stave on one side and a dot grid on the other.
Notice that you can see glue and the red stitching on the spine. Also notice all the lovely signatures!This is right in the middle of the notebook. It lies ultra flat.
I love the red stitching in particular. The different booklets have different papers. The calendar has 70g paper that does show some bleed through with fountain pens. The 80g paper in the diary booklet holds up well to fountain pen ink. If you write with a fat juicy nib you might get some light bleeding but nothing serious.
There is some minor show through and some bleed from the juicy OMAS nib.
I have not yet had the chance to sample the 120g drawing paper booklets. Most of the larger booklets have an optional cardboard cover and while they are not necessary they are nice to have as the booklets are otherwise protected by paper only.
Because the Taschenbegleiter comes in standard A series sizes you can put pretty much any A5 notebook in the organizer. I have also been able to put a standard Field Notes in one of the clips (top or bottom only). The new larger Field Notes Arts and Sciences notebooks work beautifully.
Field Notes Sciences Notebook
A5 Kyokuto Notebook
I have been using mine everyday for the last five months and there are some downsides. The main one being that it’s a pretty big organizer and its weight wont go unnoticed in you bag. For personal travel I tend to take my smaller Midori Travelers Notebook with me (maybe I need to get an A6 Taschenbegleiter).
The clips are also great for loose pieces of paper and receipts. A folded A4 sheet of paper will fit perfectly into the clips.
The other downside is the price. It’s expensive, especially if you start adding options like a leather cover and embroidery. The basic A5 size runs 89€ or $120 USD (this includes VAT which is not applicable outside of Europe). With options mine came to $182 USD but with VAT removed (because I live in the USA) the organizer cost about $150 USD.
While expensive, I do believe you will have a hard time finding a better quality organizer for double or even triple the price. I have looked and I haven’t found anything close. The Taschenbegleiter is completely hand-made in Germany.
I love my Taschenbegleiter. It is a wonderful product and I recommend it to anyone in the market for a high-quality and highly adaptable organizer.
The Arts and Sciences editions are special because they are much larger than all past Colors editions. Instead of the normal package of three 3.5″ x 5.5″ notebooks you get two large 4.75″ x 7.5″ notebooks with 64 pages each.
The Arts Field Notes notebook next to a normal-sized Field Notes.
The covers feature the normal Futura Bold typeface but unlike past editions “Field Notes” is debossed into the covers as are the little Arts and Sciences logos on the back cover.
The back covers feature debossed logos show here with matching buttons.
The Arts notebook has a “chili” colored cover and features art related references on the inside covers:
Arts inside front cover.Arts inside back cover.
The Sciences notebook has an “urban grey” colored cover and features science related references on the inside covers:
Sciences inside front cover.Sciences inside back cover. Notice this one has a metric ruler where the Arts has an imperial ruler
The pages in the Arts notebook are lined on one side and blank on the other. The Sciences notebook is a bit more interesting. It features “Engineer’s Graph Lines” on one side and blank pages on the other. The thickest grid lines are the 1″ followed by 0.5″ and 1/10″. I love these graph lines.
Arts on the left and Sciences on the right.
The paper in both of these notebooks is the same and like most Field Notes they don’t hold up well to fountain pen ink. There was a good amount of bleed.
Again Arts on the left and Sciences on the right. Lots of bleed…the thicker nibs even bled onto the opposite pages!
Of the two, the Sciences notebook is my favorite. I really like what they did with this edition. I am not sold on this larger format at the moment but I need to spend more time with them. My initial reaction is that they are too big. You can’t put them in a pants or coat pocket.
The Pentel EnerGel Multi-function pen features two 0.5mm liquid gel ink refills, one black one red, as well as a 0.5mm pencil and an eraser at the top of the cap.
I am a big fan of EnerGel ink as writes similar to a rollerball but dries as fast as a traditional gel pen. The EnerGel is thinner than most of the similarly priced multi-function pens and as a result feels more comfortable in my hand.
Red refill deployed as indicated on the barrel.
To deploy the different pen and pencil points you simply twist the cap to the indicate positions on the barrel. It’s not a smooth action and to me it feels pretty unpleasant. Also it can be a bit confusing to switch points. You have to remember that the red is the middle point. For instance if you were to switch from the black EnerGel refill to the pencil you have to pass over red; if try you to simply go from black to the pencil you will unscrew the barrel.
The design of the this pen is a real pig’s breakfast. I am not sure what they were thinking of but it looks terrible. There are so many non-related design elements to this pen that I will just let the pictures do the talking.
I purchased this pen on my recent trip to Japan at its retail price of 500 Yen (about $5 USD). I like the EnerGel refills and the pencil works quite well but with the unpleasant twist mechanism and hideous design I don’t think it’s a winner.
I have been collecting fountain pens for twelve, maybe thirteen years now and it has been a real journey. I have a lot of fountain pens from the early 1900s to present day and for me my favorite era is the late 1940s to the late 1950s.
Why, you ask?
I believe this period was the culmination of fountain pen technology combined with the best quality nibs and the most beautiful celluloid bodies. During this time in Europe the major manufacturers were moving to piston fillers that are more or less the same mechanism that we have in modern day fountain pens.
Back then the composition of gold nibs was different…I don’t know what specifically has changed but in general the nibs were softer and springier than the gold nibs on modern pens.
Manufacturers like Montblanc and OMAS were at their innovative peak during this period and I would argue that we have seen very little innovation from 60s to present day (apart from some smaller newer manufacturers).
Okay, if you are still here and I haven’t bored you to death, Soennecken: they went out of business in the late 1960s but they were a competitor to Montblanc and Pelikan. They made lots of colorful celluloid pens in various patterns and in my opinion were of equal (or superior) quality to their German rivals.
The 103 is my first Soennecken. It is a ladies pen made in the early 1950s specifically for the Swiss market. Being a ladies model it was significantly less expensive than the highly desirable 111 Extra (MB 149 size) and 111 Superior (MB 146 size) flagship Soenneckens.
Appearance
The 103 has a beautiful green striped celluloid body with a hard rubber finial and blind cap (piston knob). Being on of the earlier models the finial is pointed instead of the rounded dome shape the later models had.
The gold plated clip is in excellent shape and reads “SOENNECKEN” with the “O” overlapping the “S”. The ring on the cap has a good amount of brassing and sadly doesn’t match the gold color of the clip as well as it should.
The body has “SOENNECKEN 103” imprinted on the body and all the letters are still white and crisp.
There is a little ink window that is quite clean for its age. No ambering like I see on a lot of old ink windows.
The nib is quite small and while it seems proportional to the body it is a bit narrow for my tastes. It is a pretty plain nib with an overlapping “S” and “O” as the only design other than “14K – 585”. The ebonite feed is cut nice and flat; it looks very similar to an OMAS feed.
The 103 is a great looking little pen.
Score: 4/5
Build Quality
This is a 60+ year old pen and everything on it fits tight and as it should. The 103 is a handmade pen. There are no seams like you would find on most mass-produced plastic pens today. I also see no celluloid shrinkage like I see on a lot of pens from this era.
The piston seal is cork (as was common at the time) and can dry out if stored dry for a long period of time…otherwise it should be good to go another 60 years. It is a stout little pen that stands up well against Montblancs and Pelikans of the era.
Score: 4/5
Size & Weight
The little 103 measures 4.6” capped, 4.4” uncapped, 5.75” posted and weighs 16.3 grams. It’s the smallest vintage pen I own. I have smaller hands and I have been able to write a few pages pretty comfortably. Even though it is lighter weight it doesn’t feel cheap in hand. Is it my ideal size for a pen? Certainly not, but the combination of light weight and a nice sized grip section all allow the little 103 to work as comfortably as many larger pens.
Left to right: Soennecken 103, Geha 790, Montblanc 146 (early 50s), Montblanc 149 (1972)
Score: 2/5
Performance
The little 14kt gold nib performs like a champ. It’s a very soft and springy fine. There is not a lot of line variation like some of my other pens from this era but it has the same wonderful feel that I have come to love. No issues with skipping or hard starting. There is a sweet spot to the nib but it is easy to find.
I used the 103 as my daily writer for two weeks straight and it proved to be a real workhorse.
Score: 4/5
Filling System
The 103 has a standard piston filling system and not the famous Soennecken “click” mechanism that is more prone to breaking. As I mentioned above, it does have a cork seal, which can be a weak point if you store your pens for a long time. My 103 was completely overhauled and has a new cork. The 103 holds a good amount of ink for such a small pen.
Score: 3.5/5
Value
Even though I went for a cheaper model, Soenneckens are not cheap pens in general. The condition and the color and pattern of the celluloid all affect the price. I have seen 103s go for $250+ but in my opinion that is on the high side. I think the sweet spot for a pen 103 with a nice striped celluloid body should be around $140-$175.
I paid around $170 for my restored 103 and while I admit it’s a lot of money for a small pen, I think it’s worth every penny.
I purchased the 103 to see if Soennecken should have a place in my collection. I figured if I didn’t like it I wouldn’t be out too much money. As you can tell, I did like it and I am now on the hunt for a very nice 111 Superior or 111 Extra.
Score: 4/5
Bottom Line
It’s a winner with beautiful looks and full-sized performance in a small package.
Final Score 22.5/30
One thing to note: If you want a bigger Soennecken you can add a couple hundred dollars for each pen size you go up. I think that 111 Extra (MB 149 sized pen) is a value at $900-$1,100 in good condition. A Montblanc 149 from the early 50s is worth around $2,000 and a 139 from the late 40s is worth $3,000+. I just point this out because 1950s Soenneckens are pretty close price-wise with 1950s Montblancs until you get to oversized pens where the Montblancs start getting crazy expensive.
The Kaweco Special fountain pen is a very nice looking pen with a faceted aluminum body. The slender matte black body reminds me of vintage hard rubber pens. Unfortunately, like the Kaweco Allrounder I reviewed earlier, it’s not really a pen that I would recommend.
The first problem I noticed was that the coated brass grip section is tiny; it’s noticeably thiner and shorter than the section you get on a Kaweco Sport. The section is less than half an inch long before you run into the threading and is just over .25″ in diameter. This wouldn’t be the end of the world if it were not a full sized pen. It measures 5.5″ capped, 4.75″ uncapped and a massive 6.75″ posted. Because there is threading on the back of the pen (a feature I do like) the cap screws into the threading resting about .15″ in on the body. With a half full converter the Special weighs 20.5 grams which feels like a lot more when the pen is posted because it is so long.
The broad nib is the same as you get on a Kaweco Sport and the performance was pretty difficult in the beginning. There was a lot of skipping. As I used the nib more it became less of an issue but it never totally went away. I again think that the feed had trouble keeping up with the nib as was part of the problem with the double broad AC Carbon I reviewed.
It does take a Kaweco converter which is actually quite nice looking as far as converters go…if you notice in the picture the piston is about halfway down…that was because I couldn’t get the sucker to write after being stored nib up on a couple of occasions.
Throw a $118 price tag on this pen and it’s a definite no-go for me. If you want to spend $100+ on a Kaweco opt for a vintage Kaweco Sport with a gold nib and a piston filling system.
Bottom-line: Calling this pen a “Special” seems pretty generous.
Please note: this product was provided to me at no charge by Kaweco for review purposes.
Here are some great reviews of the Kaweco Special :
(I have no affiliation with any of the sites linked below)
The big arched clip is quite nice looking, especially when viewed from the side. I do notice that it sits a bit crooked and looking at other pictures of this pen it seems to be common; it’s not a big deal but worth pointing out. 
The nib is also ruthenium plated and features some pretty standard looking scrollwork and a Delta logo. 
