Pocket pens are a sneaky little side hobby for me. I enjoy the creativity of the designs and how they overcome the constraints of the pocket pen brief. It’s remarkable how many different solutions there are to the same problems. And as a result I’ve ended up with quite a few over the years, several of which I’ve reviewed here.
But one thing I haven’t done is a roundup of pocket pens, and I figured that might be useful to show a size comparison and some of the trade-offs you might make when picking one.
In this video I cover the Kaweco Sport and Art Sport, the Schon Pocket Six in brass, the Ensso Piuma Pocket in titanium, and the Namisu N1 in titanium. I wish I still had the Montegrappa Gnomo to include!
Coming soon I’ll be able to add the Elbwood Pocketmaster and Gravitas Pocket to the list too — but I think this is a good start.
What’s your favourite pocket pen?
I have the Kaweco sport in stainless steel, the Ensso pocket pen in titanium, the Schon in aluminum, a vintage Soennecken Pony, a vintage Kaweco sport with piston filler (!) , and I like them all, esp the metal ones are sturdy travel pens.
The one that beats them all though is a Montblanc Boheme, a lovely and nifty extensible pocket pen. Wonderful nib too.
I have LOTS of pocket pens; over the years I have increasingly focused on collecting mini fountain pens. I love tiny things in general, but especially those that function beautifully. I’d have to say my favorite mini fountain pens are my Pelikan M300 and M320s; in the M320s, I have the Pearl, Ruby Red, and Orange Marbled. It never ceases to amaze me how these tiny little versions have all the same features as the larger pens, right down to Pelikan’s awesome piston filler system.
I also really like Kaweco Sports, actually mostly the metal models, like the AL Sport, the Stainless Steel, Brass, etc. I like their history and design. However, I do have to say that when I saw my first Sport online, I didn’t see the appeal; I thought they were stubby and kind of odd looking. Since then, though, they have definitely grown on me. I have over a dozen now.
I also have lots of other pocket pens of various brands, but the Pelikans and Sports are definitely my favorites.