Collecting Special Edition fountain pens: Good fun or a rip off? 

The answer: Yes. Hey, at least I don’t have a gambling problem or a drug addiction.

I think limited/special editions are a great way to make a few of something for the handful of people who really wanted that precise thing. I'm one of those Halloween people so I pretty much used this entire year's fountain pen budget on Benu's October Fall. It is exactly perfect for me and not a whole lot of other people. That, to me, is the point of all this. They made something special for me and 299 other people who live for ghost stories and apple cider. Lamy makes sure that you can eventually get your very favorite color, whatever it is. That's cool. I thought that was what Kaweco was doing until I found out how many were exclusives, and how quickly they come and go. Sounds like they're using Fear Of Missing Out to make people collect all the pretty colors until they have more pens than they could ever really pay attention to. I'm glad if people are having fun with it, but it seems really cynical on Kaweco's part.

I'm sure you know of ODE, another youtuber who likes Kaweco's, he knows a lot about them as well as you. Follow you both.

I think Special Editions are good as they provide a lot of options for people to choose. Retro 51 has literally hundreds of different versions of the Tornado. The versions are significantly different from each other. However, Lamy with the Safari / Al-Star and Kaweco Sport Special Editions. The difference is the colors, no patterns or other variations. I do not own any Lamy or Kaweco pens. I have not been drawn to any of them. Yes, Visconti and Leonardo have produced dozens of Homo Sapiens and Momento Zero variations. Yes, the price is for me almost exorbitant, especially the Homo Sapiens. I have one Leonardo. I appreciate that there are different resins and ebonite varieties, so I can choose the one that speaks to me. Would I buy another variation? Probably not. But I appreciate the variety. As for the Homo Sapiens, I would buy only one, used as the price is exorbitant, but as there are dozens of styles to choose from. If all the variations and Special Editions are to give me a choice of one to get, then the manufacturers have done their job. To buy all of a particular model is not for me.

I agree, Rob. I mean, my favourite pen of all is my Kaweco Skyline Sport Black (M), and I also have a red Classic, and a black Ice. But the plethora of 'new' models emerging is just ridiculous. Cards on the table: I WILL buy one of the piston Sports when they emerge. And I want a vintage V Sport, and a Stainless Steel. But that's it. I'm a suckered for trying to be a completist, but it's so obvious that I can never collect them all that I'm smart enough to just not start. Marketing like this relies on the gamblers 'sunk cost fallacy' to the extent that 'I've got all these, so I need to keep collecting...' But even that is not a sustainable strategy for any company, albeit they may have made a large number of multiple sales during pandemic, while we've been bored, and wanting a dopamine surge from NPD. At least Sports are pretty cheap. The company I think is pushing it is Leonardo, with 'new' variants constantly - all of which cost quite a bit for a different coloured stick. 🙄

I see all of this limited/special edition nonsense as a way to create the illusion of need. Nothing wrong with having a few cool colors of the same pen, but given only one can be in hand at a time, having literal piles of pens strikes me as materialism gone wrong.

I have no problems with special editions when they sell at the regular price, except when the brand collaborates with another brand, it is reasonable to pay more, because you now have two trademarks and associated costs involved. For example, the Hello Kitty you mentioned. My take is, just don’t buy it. I love how Kaweco works with different stores to produce the store exclusive, and often these are not significantly higher in price, or are offered at the same price. And I don’t see the need to get a store exclusive, especially if I have never heard of or done business with the store before. Eventually, everyone can get a pen they love in a color they love. And the new releases keep the hobby interesting. For me, a purchaser’s decision to try and collect every single pen in a model is personal, very personal, so why should the maker be held accountable for that? My advice to anyone collecting, if it’s getting out of hand, set some parameters for yourself. So Lamy, Kaweco, TWSBI, and whoever else, keep your marketing game strong. I much prefer too many pens and your business stays afloat, than more of the same pens and your business falters.

Wow, Kaweco should sponsor your videos :-) Coming from huge fun of them on my own :-) but sincerely I would like them to bring more than just color changes, it would be nice to get some variations in writing experience. I would say I would not be against to be even disappointed but at leat we are surprised. In any case we still continue to buy them 🙂

This is so timely for me, thank you YT algorithm gods. 🤗👍❤️

The normal life span is just not long enough to collect all Kaweco sport pens.

I've only bought two Kawecos. The Pearl because it was soooo damned pretty and i just like pretty pens. And the frosted white with a 1.1mm italic because i wanted that nib for the Pearl and it was only £8 more to buy the frosted white pen than just the nib unit on it's own. And after the hassle i had with both of those nibs i won't be buying any more Kawecos. The tines on both nibs were totally rammed together and both pens didn't write because of that. Opened the tines and got them both working nicely but this shouldn't happen. One expects more from German manufacturing. I suppose i'm lucky in that i don't have much money so even if i wanted to i couldn't buy a load of pens -- apart from Jinhaos (i have 5 now). LOL If i win the lottery i would probably up my game though.

Really depends. I am trying for an example of each Esterbrook from Dollar ones through at least the double jewel J and CH models. Ultimately could possibly have a different nib/writing experience in each (33 nib options I am aware of, and have heard there might be more than that.) And have yet to get a modern one. Modern Esterbrook only shares the name and the box color with vintage. Any vintage model (except maybe the Relief they commissioned from Conway Stewart) never came in limited edition anything, and the vintage still can be gotten for the equivalent to what they sold for new (around $40 USD.) And where are made in house nibs in remotely the variety found in vintage? I also want a selection of types used by historical figures (Winston Churchill's preferred Red Dwarf stylograph is an example. Conway Stewart was only a necessity during WWII. 😁) A 1945 buckskin and gold Parker 51 like Eisenhower used for peace treaties at the end of WWII. A 1926 Parker Duofold Junior like was used for the Japanese peace treaty. A 1952 Parker 51 Vacumatic in burgundy and gold like QEII had. Gunther Wagner Pelikan 100N like Einstein used. Things like that. I "internet know" the guy behind the Kaweco Facebook page. And there's those who have to get everything Lamy Safari or AlStar. I kind of understand the draw, though my tastes are in vintage (well before "special edition" anything.) My concern is: what difference in writing is there? For me, I like the different writing experiences. If there's no difference... Why I will never own a Pneider. What REALLY is different between their bog standard Jowo nibs and another for under half the price? Collecting is for highly individual reasons. And any more than you could realistically use in the course of, say, a week, yeh, you're a collector. Is there a need for multiple desk sets? I ultimately have 5 complete right now. 3 Esterbrook iterations and 2 Parker 45s (a single and a fountain pen/Jotter double. Both for other people.) I have no space to really use even one. Can get obsessive. Especially when "special edition" really seems to mean "new color for a little while." FOMO kicks in. Especially if they're not awfully expensive. Things like some of the Montegrappa unusable monstrosities? Maybe as desk art. But I prefer something I want to use.

Lord of the Kaweco's: One pocket clip to rule them all. LOL

Great video, mate.

Somewhat interesting....I see you must love Kaweco. 😎 I'm relatively new to the world of fountain pens, there's only so many guitars I can house, not to mention the cost far exceeds fountain pens. 😉 However, I'm yet to buy a Kaweco, largely due to the fact I can't work out the range and the varied costs for what appear to me to be exactly the same pen, just a different colour. I have no idea what constitutes original colours and what are so called special editions. The prices are just too confusing. And whilst 'everyone' seems to love them, I feel ink capacity is a real weakness and so I'm just not especially drawn to them. With so many coloured and mostly cheap looking plastics, I feel they look way too generic & simply like a mass produced cheap (not inexpensive) Chinese pen. I have a number of safaris, including that green Al star as shown here. I had no idea it was a special colour. It's my only green pen and naturally is inked with green (private reserve Cadillac green). It gets used some and lives with my daily carry pen case. However, I'm not a fan of the safari nibs of which I have an ef, f & M. None are smooth, all are scratchy. And to be clear I prefer a nib that has some feedback as opposed to smooth, yet these are neither, all scratchy & I don't feel they are reliable writers. Btw... I find it odd that some fountain pen reviewers face away from the camera as you do. I'd prefer to see a face that's talking, rather than blank or just a group of pens with seemingly a voice over. Cheers.

My question is does Rob prefer pink or grey in his fountain pens.

1. Let's get real for a moment. If people didn't buy so many versions, they wouldn't make so many versions. Though the companies that put out large numbers with meaningless difference are "enabling" avid collectors, which is questionable morally, but ok in my book in business terms. You can only protect people from themselves so much. 2. I am lucky in that my collecting habit has a governer on it, in that I can't conceive of any reason to buy a second pen unless it has a different nib. I'm basically a sucker for any BB or BBB nib. Does anybody know of any available besides what I already have which are, ironically, all Kawecos?