Kaweco Dia2 Fountain Pen Review
Is the Kaweco Dia2 their best fountain pen? Here’s a detailed review with photos, video and specs so you can discover what it has in store for you…
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Kaweco Dia2 Fountain Pen Design
Nib Width: 7mm
Nib Length: 16mm
Cartridge/Converter Fill
Screw Cap
Steel Nib
Capped: 130mm
Posted: 156mm
Uncapped: 122mm
Mid-Grip Width: 7mm
Cap Band Width: 11mm
Total Weight: 26g
Cap Weight: 10g
The Kaweco Dia2 is a black acrylic pen with a solid brass clip. It comes in either gold-colored trim or chrome trim.
Of all of the Kaweco fountain pens I’ve used so far, the Dia2 is the most classic design and up there with the AL Sport Raw as one of my favorites of their pens. Where the Raw is a more utilitarian pocket pen, this is a fashionable writer’s pen.
The clip is a bit oversized, the nib a bit undersized, but somehow it all pulls together for a dignified look. There are ridges around the ends of both sides of the pen, marking the end of the body just before Kaweco’s round logo brands both ends.
What’s interesting about both logos is the circular shaped logo is drawn up to a slight point in the middle so either end has a sort of inverse funnel shape.
The cap band is two bold rings just above the bottom of the cap and the nib is the standard Kaweco steel nib they purchase from Bock Heidelberg available in EF/F/M/B or BB. (We’ll get to the nib later in this review…)
How Does The Nib Perform On Different Papers?
Ah, where the rubber meets the road… Nib performance!
First, I will tell you that I struggled with some doubt when I inked this pen. I have already used several Kaweco pens and they are great pens overall, but more of the workhorse variety.
Pocket pens. Beater pens.
This pen is designed to look like more of an office pen.
How can an office pen with a steel nib hold up against beloved beater pens you can take anywhere?
Well my doubts were all answered as I kept gravitating back to this pen, even when I’d have 2-3 other pens available for use. It’s convenient, reliable and not so prohibitively expensive that you don’t want to take it outside of your house. It’s a great pen!
The Kaweco Dia2 is the best of their sport pens in terms of nib performance married with the best look of a more upscale office pen.
What I adore about the Kaweco Dia2 is the way it writes. To clue you in… I carried this fountain pen around for a month in my bag and kept gravitating back to it even when I was “supposed” to be using other pens because I was in the middle of reviewing them.
Why?
Because this pen wrote right out of the box, no cleaning, no adjustments, no hassle. It writes flawlessly without skipping or hard-starting every time I uncap it. I don’t have to scribble if it sits in the bottom of my bag for three days unused, it starts writing as soon as nib touches paper, this is such an excellent find!
It’s a medium writer, not wet, not dry.
I am reviewing the Fine nib and it writes on everything. While not normally a huge fan of fine nibs, I enjoy this one because you can write on cheap notebook paper all day long without bleed-through or any overly wet issues. You can use it for notes, writing in an expensive, handmade journal with rough paper, and fancy 90g paper like I did.
Now this is not rare for a pen around $100, in fact if you spend more than $100, a fountain pen SHOULD be able to write on a wide variety of papers. What is rare is that it starts up without any issue with days of non-use in between, even when you store it abusively in the bottom of a purse rolling around for days. (BTW, No leaking into the cap, no issues!)
Because this is a steel nib, there is no give in it. It is not flexible, not even a hint of give in the tines as you write. This is how all steel nib pens are unless they’ve specifically engineered as semi-flex. But this steel nib is smooth and a workhorse. Such a great value at this price!
Okay, But How Does It Feel?
What you notice when you take it out of the box is the cap end definitely carries a majority of the weight.
Uncap it and you find, to your surprise, it’s not all the cap! It’s the section assembly. The section is weighted so it makes it feel balanced, even when posted because most of the weight is toward the nib so it doesn’t pull away from the paper.
I write with the cap posted on the back and I didn’t have any trouble although it does cause some hand fatigue if you write for long periods with the cap on the back because it’s longer than most posted and there is some weight in the end of that cap.
The Cap – Screw/Pull/Post and What That Means
It takes 1.25 turns to remove the cap. The ridges on the end of the pen grip the threads inside the cap when you post, so it posts securely without chatter or any issues. The one thing you’ll notice after using this pen for a month or so is that faint scratches will begin to appear on the acrylic barrel where you cap the pen from daily use.
Who is the Kaweco Dia2 Good For? Is It a Good Overall Value?
Okay, well I asked you in the beginning of this review: is the Dia2 their best fountain pen?
I believe it is. Overall this one is up there with the AL Sport Raw as one of my favorite Kaweco fountain pens. They do two different things for you… the Raw will be your best pocket pen to use in the garage or wherever you are and it’s cheaper. This Kaweco Dia2 is classic, office appropriate and fun.
This is a mid-priced fountain pen as judged by non-collectors. (“Pen people” might think this is a cheaper pen, as so many fine writing instruments run north of $300.)
You would want this pen because it’s a wonderful value for the price and all you need to make it go are some ink cartridges or a converter. I use cartridges with it and love that it comes with two cartridges in the barrel so you’re always carrying an extra with you.
I heart this pen, it’s still in my bag and will stay there for the foreseeable future.
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