(Kimberly (she/her) took the express train down the fountain pen/stationery rabbit hole and doesn't want to be rescued. She can be found on Instagram @allthehobbies because there really are many, many hobbies!.)
As I’ve mentioned before, I am a big fan of the Kaweco Sport (and AL Sport) and have a possibly unhealthy number of them, but I don’t own any other Kawecos, so I was excited when the Bossman sent me the Jungle GreenKaweco Perkeo for review (Perky-oh? Or Per-KAY-oh? Tomato, tomahto? Someone please find out!). I had already started using it when I watched one of his Twitch streams where he was unboxing a Ferris Wheel Press (FWP) Carousel pen in Seaside Glass that looked very similar, so I called dibs so I could review that too. And here we are, staring down at 20 paces for a little head to head review (queue the western showdown music). Who will be left standing? Let’s find out!
Packaging/Presentation
Ok, I’m not really one that cares about packaging for most pens. In fact, I’d happily pay less to get a less ostentatious, normal-sized box than one that I can use to store treasured heirlooms or a Monopoly board (yes, that’s a thing!). So it doesn’t bother me in the least that the Perkeo is “packaged” in a Kaweco-branded plastic sleeve. But if you were going to give the pen as a present, I’d have to go with the Carousel as it looks nicer in the color-coordinated box.
Round 1: Carousel
It’s a low bar to beat Kaweco’s cellophane (left), but FWP (right) really does a good job with their presentation.
I like that the back of the Carousel box has a cutout to show the pen and howthe box matches the pen too.
The Carousel has an inner box/”tray” that slides out.
What’s Included
Packaging aside, the Perkeo, like other Kawecos, includes a Kaweco blue standard international cartridge and an empty cartridge “spacer” (which can be used to refill with other bottled ink, or just kept inside the barrel with the other cartridge), but no converter. Contrast that with the Carousel which does include a standard international converter, but no cartridge. I don’t know who makes the converter but I don’t think it is one from Schmidt (who makes a lot of branded and unbranded standard international converters).
Carousel’s standard international converter is included with the pen.
If instant inking is a requirement (like if you’re gifting this to someone and not giving them a bottle of ink), then the Perkeo would be the better option, but I personally would rather have the converter any day over a cartridge.
Round 2: Carousel (cuz I like converters)
Feel
How does it feeeeeel? Like a rolling stone. Sorry, I just had an iMyke moment and couldn’t help myself, lol. This one is very subjective as it relates to how the pens feel when you are holding them. They are very similarly sized, though the Carousel is a bit smaller. Both are made from plastic/acrylic, so they are both lightweight. Both have faceted caps which snap on/off, which is great for quick writing.
You can see that the Perkeo (left) and Carousel (right) are similarly sized but the Perkeo is just a bit longer and girthier.
Comparison with other budget-friendly pens (L to R): TWSBI 580 ALR, Pilot Metropolitan, FWP Carousel, Platinum Plaisir, Kaweco Perkeo, Faber-Castell Grip, TWSBI Eco, Lamy AL-Star.
The barrel on the Perkeo is also faceted (I LOVE facets) and has a triangular grip reminiscent of the Lamy Safari but not nearly as drastic, while the Carousel has a faceted grip. Neither bothered me in any way or were even something I noticed (and that’s a good thing) but I use a fairly standard tripod grip when holding pens so your mileage may vary depending on how you hold your pens or if you don’t like triangular grips. Those similarities aside, the Perkeo just felt a bit more substantial. Both are “plastic pens”, yes, but there’s something about how the acrylic feels in hand that differentiate the two. The Carousel is also a slimmer pen all around, from the barrel to the cap to the grip. Perhaps it’s the slightly matte texture of the Perkeo vs the very smooth feel of the Carousel combined with its slightly lighter weight, which makes the Carousel feel just a little “cheaper” than the Perkeo to me.
Round 3: Perkeo
Nib
The nib on the Perkeo is the same as the ones in the Kaweco Sport. I tried, unsuccessfully, to pull the nib/feed from the Perkeo. Maybe it’s possible but I couldn’t do it and I didn’t want to try too hard. Mine was great out of the box, though I know that some folks have had problems with their Sport nibs, especially the fine and extra fine.. The Carousel’s nib is a similarly sized nib, and has custom engraving. It does not appear to be a Jowo, Schmidt, nor Bock nib or feed. FWP says that the Carousel’s “custom-ground steel nib is…able to produce beautifully nuanced lines with its subtle flexibility”. This was NOT my experience as the nib is very stiff and I could not get any line variation unless I used significant pressure, which I don’t recommend. Regardless, despite not being a remotely a soft or flexible nib, the Carousel wrote well out of the box.
Nibs from left to right: Jowo 5 nib unit (with Franklin-Christoph branding), Carousel, Perkeo, ystudio Schmidt nib.
Back side: as you can see, none of the feeds are the same.
I inked up both pens with Diamine Inkvent 2019 Mistletoe. The Perkeo was inked up about 3 weeks longer than the Carousel, which I think contributes to the slightly darker line. Both are medium nibs but the Perkeo is also just a wee bit broader than the Carousel.
Both wrote well out of the box with the Perkeo having slightly broader and wetter lines than the Carousel.
The Perkeo isn’t a “wet writer” per se, but it felt ever so slightly wetter than the Carousel, which didn’t feel like a dry writer either. Both have worked flawlessly even after 2 weeks of non-use.
Round 4: Tie
Nice Touches
Both caps are branded - “Kaweco” branding is subtly embossed on the cap while “Ferris Wheel Press” is debossed on one side of the cap, while the other side says “the CAROUSEL”. I like both the subtlety of the Kaweco branded cap as well as the silver debossing on the FWP.
Aside from what I’ve already mentioned in the first two rounds, the Perkeo has a groove on the grip section where the barrel screws onto it. You really only notice this during the last quarter turn, making it feel extra secure. Whether it’s really necessary or not, I’m not sure, as most pens don’t just unscrew themselves easily, but that gave it a nice feel. More of “luxury/quality” experience than I would’ve expected.
It was a nice touch to feel how securely the barrel screwed onto the grip.
The Perkeo also has the metal Kaweco finial in the cap, which just looks nicer than the Carousel.
End of the caps on the Carousel (left) and Perkeo (right).
The Carousel’s little dimple looks unpolished and sadly, felt cheap in comparison. It was close but it was the finial that gave the win to the Perkeo on this round.
Round 5: Perkeo
Variety
The Carousel, which was released in the fall of 2021, is available in 6 solid colors (the Tattler’s Teal and After Midnight are calling my name!). The Perkeo, which was launched in 2017, comes in 11 colors, not including the Blue Calligraphy set, and has some interesting color combos along with solid color options, too. I personally like more of the Carousel colors compared to the Perkeo’s, but since everyone’s tastes are different, having more color choices wins. But will the Carousel be released in more colors? Guess we’ll have to wait and see!
Round 6: Perkeo…for now
Price
The Kaweco Perkeo retails for $16 USD/15 EU with VAT/12.50 EU without VAT and the Ferris Wheel Press Carousel Pen retails for $28 USD/29 EU with VAT/24 EU without VAT. So both pens are budget-friendly. But the Carousel is nearly double the price, so if you’re on a really tight budget, the Perkeo’s got the upper hand.
Round 7: Perkeo
In summary, both the Kaweco Perkeo and the Ferris Wheel Press Carousel fountain pens are both solid, budget-friendly pens that come in fun color options. In the end, with a score of 5-2 and 1 tie (and yes, this western shootout appears to have turned into a boxing match), the Perkeo is the winner for me. It checks off more of what’s important to me and does so at a lower price point. There are other pens in the Carousel’s price range that I would pick instead, like any of the others in the comparison shot above, but you really can’t go wrong with either.
(Thank you to Vanness Pens and JetPens for sending the Ferris Wheel Press Carousel and Kaweco Perkeo, respectively, for review. The Diamine ink was from my own stash.)
