Firstly, my apologies to Agatha Christie.
Secondly, my title was inspired by the fact that, as far as I can ascertain, the original Dia was released in 1934, the same year as ‘Murder On The Orient Express’ and its successor the Dia2 is made to look like the original so it’s only a small leap of faith to imagine the original one in use on the famous train.
The Original Kaweco Dia
The Kaweco Dia2
As you can see the Dia2 is a very close replica of the original.
It comes boxed in a standard Kaweco cardboard sleeve and that’s where the similarity ends; once you slide off the cardboard sleeve you won’t find the usual Kaweco tin instead what you find is an old-fashioned silk lined leather effect box that opens at the push of a button.
It makes me smile to see that Kaweco didn’t take the easy option and put the pen in a tin but took the time and trouble to have a box made that reflects the pen and its heritage.
The Dia2 is a polished piano black with silver fittings with matching silver Kaweco emblems on the top of the cap and the bottom of the barrel and interestingly printed on the side of the cap is Kaweco Dia Germany where you might have expected to find ‘Dia2’.
The cap unscrews to reveal a short section and the normal Kaweco number 5 nib, and although the pen, unposted, is only about 5 inches long it doesn’t feel short because the Dia2 sits very comfortably in my hand. The build quality is, as you would expect from Kaweco, very good; whilst it’s not a particularly heavy pen it is heavy enough to reassure you that this is a pen that was made to exacting standards.
As I said earlier it is the normal Kaweco number 5 nib but this nib seems just that bit smoother and it glides across the page making me wonder if Kaweco had these nibs tuned. I might be wrong and it could just be the nib I have but it has proved very reliable; mine is a medium and, to date, I’ve not had a single skip or hard start and I’ve been playing with it over the last couple of months, writing short notes, long pieces and sometimes leaving it for a couple of weeks without use to see how it would behave. Interestingly other than the ink I’ve used it has not suffered from any evaporation problems which I expected having left it for a couple of weeks at one stage.
My final thoughts about this pen is that it really does carry a sense of old fashioned charm and elegance that makes you want to write with it; but instead of the rush of the modern world it’s about taking time to consider the words you use before committing the ink to the paper.
It might be a pen from the past but it’s definitely a pen for today, for my two cents this is probably the best pen Kaweco make, that I have used, and of all the Kaweco pens I own this this the only one I want to carry with me and use.
This pen is definitely worth the pennies, if you are thinking of buying a new pen put this one at the top of your list, just remember to factor in the cost of a converter (if you need one) as Kaweco do not include one.
Disclaimer: The pen was purchased with my own funds at retail price. The opinions expressed in this review are my own; and I am not connected with either the retailers or manufacturers in any way.
The Indian Marmalade Company 