Next Pen?

I am reaching out to you, my readers, for this next post. I need help with a very important decision. What pen should I get next?

In order to simplify the decision, I have narrowed it down to two pens: the TWSBI Vac700 and the Kaweco Sport AL blue stonewash. This came about when I made my Top 5 Fountain Pens Under $30 post. I was looking for pens in a reasonable price range for beginners, when I found these pens online.

Of course I had heard about these pens before, but they really seemed to click for me and now my dilemma is that I want them both. They are both great pens in the price range around $70 so price is not so much of a factor in this decision.

For the Vac700 by TWSBI, a new filling system is used to entice me. This fountain pen has a filling system known as a vacuum filler. This type of filling system uses a vacuum to draw ink into the pen. A knob (similar to a piston knob) twists at the end of a pen. Once it is fulling unscrewed, it can be pulled back. This action pulls a plunger to the pack of the pen, priming the vacuum chamber. The next step is to submerge the pen into the ink bottle. Then, you would push in the plunger. Towards the base of the barrel, you will feel a pop (the plunger pushing past an opening) and ink will rush into the pen. Then you can close off the end of the pen.

This type of filling system has a few pros and a few cons. The pros are that it has a huge capacity for ink, similar to a piston system. It can also be great for travel since the ink reservoir can be cut off from the nib. This prevents leaks during pressure changes that can occur during flights.

One draw back to this system is that since the ink reservoir is cut off from the nib and feed, you must unscrew the filling cap occasionally to allow more ink to flow into the feed. Some people prefer to keep the filling cap open during long writing sessions to avoid running out of ink.

On the other side, we have the Kaweco Sport Al in a stonewashed blue. This pen has caught my eye because of its design. I am drawn to this pen because it is a durable pocket pen.

This pen is designed so that it is a small pen when capped, but normal sized when posted to write. This is appealing to me because of its transportability.

The metal body on the pen makes it durable and the stonewash finish adds to the worn character of having a pocket pen.

If you have experiences with either of these pens, let me know in the comments below!