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Twsbi Mini With Pendleton Stub Nib - Worth The Extra Cost?


OakIris

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Realizing that everyone's writing preferences and impressions - and pen budgets - are different, I still would like to know the answer.

 

I just got my first TWSBI. a Micarta (V2) with a broad nib. Love it. I am now considering getting a TWSBI Mini and was looking into my options.

 

Pendleton Brown offers the Classic Mini with one of his Butter Line Stub~Italic nibs for $90, so $40 for the grind. For those that have pulled the trigger for one of these, was it worth the price? I would probably get either the broad or medium nib.

 

All opinions welcome and appreciated. :)

 

Holly

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I own three of Pendleton's custom nibs, two Esties and a Levenger. They were worth every penny. Smooth, expressive, delightful to use. If you enjoy writing and you want your writing to look better on the page I would consider a Pendleton grind a good investment. Anything that makes my scribbling look more presentable is a miracle and these three nibs do that.

 

As an added bonus you get to deal with Pendleton, one of the nicest people in a community with many nice people. Enjoy the experience.

Dave Campbell
Retired Science Teacher and Active Pen Addict
Every day is a chance to reduce my level of ignorance.

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I've ordered a Pendleton cursive Italic for one of my mini's. I'm waiting for it to arrive in the post. My experience of the standard mini nibs is awful. I have bought 3 minis and all of them feel terrible. I'm hoping some nib mods will make them great pens. I love the mini, it's just let down by the feel of the nibs in my experience.

 

I'm also sending one of my pens to Oxonian to see if he can work some magic.

 

I will update once they are modified / set up.

They're trying to build a prison.................it's the totalitarian tiptoe!

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Well said, Kestrel. I really missed PB at the LA Pen Show this year.

"When Men differ in Opinion, both Sides ought equally to have the Advantage of being heard by the Publick; and that when Truth and Error have fair Play, the former is always an overmatch for the latter."

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If you want to write with the pen, it is worth getting it ground by him. I have four nibs from him and they are fantastic. They occasionally make me a pick up and write something just for the sake of writing!!!

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Nothing but good stuff to say about Pendelton and his nib work. At a show I was going to have him narrow an Aurora 88 from M to F and chanced to play with a couple of his sampler pens with a CI and BLS. Changed my mind then and there to the BLS. Have another couple he did as well. Stellar work and a gentleman.

Some people say they march to a different drummer. Me? I hear bagpipes.

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Very positive responses thus far!

 

We were actually lucky enough to have Pendleton join us for our very first Colorado Pen Posse in March of 2012 so I did get to meet him and talk with him; it was quite a treat. :)

 

I hadn't heard bad things about the stock nibs before, Blueorb, so I was a bit surprised to read in your post that you had received three lousy nibs from TWSBI. :o I certainly hope that Pendleton and/or Oxonion can fix them for you. Nothing worse than avoiding the use of an otherwise well-built and nice looking pen because you can't stand the way it writes.

 

Holly

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At last years New England Pen Show, I ended up negotiating a partial trade with Pendleton for a TWSBI 580 with his CI stub nib. My past experiences w/ Stub had been with the Monteverde 1.1 in an Invincia Cold Fusion. Typically, my preferences are F-EXF, with a sometimes enjoyment of calligraphy and flex nibs.

 

I have to say that I truly savor the 580 CI I got from him. It's smooth, and writes a beautiful line with enough variation to make my writing distinctive without being flamboyant or overwhelming. Previously I had not used any TWSBI and had considered the 580 with an EF nib so I have nothing to compare it to.

 

If I were at a show where he was, I would definitely check out what he had available and would not hesitate to purchase if I found something I liked and could afford.

 

As for the additional cost to customize the nib, that's really dependent on two issues (imo), what does the original nibs feel like and how much is it worth, to you, to have someone look at it and enhance its writing capabilities. Will you notice the difference? Perhaps. Perhaps you have learned enough about writing and using a writing instrument to notice and enjoy the difference. If not, either learn to do so or move on. I don't meant that in a critical or sarcastic manner. Simply that if it's important, make the investment in good equipment.

 

From my perspective people like Pendleton, Richard Binder, Mike Matsuyama, and the limited number of recognized nibmiesters, are crafts people who make things a little or a lot better with their persona attention and expertise. With all of the things I own, my pens are a special area where I can and do appreciate the work of a fine craftsperson.

Edited by brgmarketing

“Don't put off till tomorrow what you can do today, because if you do it today and like it, you can do again tomorrow!”

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Thank you for your response and for letting me know about your positive experiences with Pendleton and his nib work, brgmarketing.

 

Like most of us, I should think, I want to support the people/vendors/manufacturers that keep our hobby thriving with their skills, art and knowledge. I do like stub nibs (have some vintage pens with factory stub nibs,) and would love to have a nib that had been worked on by a nibmeister. I was also looking into my options for a relatively inexpensive pen with a piston fill mechanism. This combination of TWSBI Mini/Pendleton point seems to fit the bill nicely. I just needed reassurance, as this will be my first customized nib. :P

 

I will be ordering this pen.

 

It didn't take much to persuade me, did it?!? :blush:

 

Holly

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I have a B butter line stub italic on my Rose Gold 580 and it is fantastic. I haven't used any of TWSBIs stock round nibs, but my Pendleton nib is awesome and definitely worth it. I hope you enjoy yours too.

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Holly,

 

Compared with my Sailor Sapporo, the standard mini nib is very poor. It might not be fair to compare gold with steel, but I also have a Delta Italiano with a steel nib that is very similar to the Sailor and a world apart from the mini. It's a shame TWSBI don't offer a decent nib for the mini, because the rest of the pen is quality. For me the mini is also perfect with regards to size, weight, style and ink capacity. If one of the nib magicians can get my minis writing well, I will be over the moon and will by more of these pens with custom nibs.

 

Still waiting on my Pendleton point, but should arrive soon I hope. I'm sending my other "TWSBI mini to Oxonian later today..

 

My Binder nib for my Pelikan has finally cleared customs and should be with me in a few days.

 

Matt

They're trying to build a prison.................it's the totalitarian tiptoe!

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I own three of Pendleton's custom nibs, two Esties and a Levenger. They were worth every penny. Smooth, expressive, delightful to use. If you enjoy writing and you want your writing to look better on the page I would consider a Pendleton grind a good investment. Anything that makes my scribbling look more presentable is a miracle and these three nibs do that.

 

As an added bonus you get to deal with Pendleton, one of the nicest people in a community with many nice people. Enjoy the experience.

 

^^^ That there. Not only could I have typed this word for word myself, I can't see the need for any addition or change.

 

Bruce in Ocala, Fl

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From your post I can't tell if you're thinking of trying your first overall stub, or if you're familiar with stubs and are just considering your first Pendleton stub.

 

If you're considering your first stub of any kind, that I would think a Pendleton TWSBI mini would be a good place to start. My reasoning is as follows:

1. If you're not sure if you like a stub, then the best way to try it is on a pen where you can easily get a replacement nib, if you don't like it. The TWSBI mini fits that bill.

2. While I admittedly have limited experience with stubs, I've found my Pendletons to be a little more forgiving than other grinds.

 

For my first non-factory stub I had Pendleton grind down a Pelikan m215 nib that had been misbehaving. But it was an extra nib, as I already had a Binder Fine for the same pen. I wound up liking the results, so I had him grind a Visconti Opera into a stub for me as well. Both of these get plenty of use.

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More very positive recommendations; I can't wait to get the pen! It would appear that the TWSBI mini nibs are not well regarded after all; I thought they were, but I stand corrected! I know the nib on my TWSBI Micarta is lovely, and I thought that TWSBI paid attention to their nibs..... Not that I need further justification for having a nib customized by Pendleton, of course. :P

 

@dcroe05: I am no expert on stub nibs, the very few I have tried have been very pleasant writers. I have had the opportunity to try pens with stub nibs, thanks to fellow Posse members, and I also own a couple: I have a Parker vacumatic with a Parker factory stub on it, a vintage Pelikan 400 with a medium stub on it - or that is what Rick Propas considers it, and that is good enough for me! I also just remembered - how could I forget? - that I have a Lady Balance Sheaffer that Ron Zorn stubbed for me. To correct my previous statement, this will be my first customized stub nib on a modern pen.

 

Holly

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Just put in my order on Pendleton's site. I decided to get the broad nib.

 

I hope I don't have to wait too long to get this lovely little pen; other than the cost, I couldn't find any shipping info on the site.

 

Holly

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More very positive recommendations; I can't wait to get the pen! It would appear that the TWSBI mini nibs are not well regarded after all; I thought they were, but I stand corrected! I know the nib on my TWSBI Micarta is lovely, and I thought that TWSBI paid attention to their nibs..... Not that I need further justification for having a nib customized by Pendleton, of course. :P

 

Holly

It's worth bearing in mind people have specifically replies to this post to say the adaptation is worth doing, so consider improvement on the TWSBI nibs is worth paying extra for.

 

The sample of respondants in this thread don't necessarily represent the majority of TWSBI nib experiences.

 

My experience of buying a TWSBI mini with 1.1mm nib was a happy one & I feel no need to seek a custom stub for the pen. If money were not such a consideration I'd try one just for the experience, but I'm happy with the nib as-is.

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The nib in my TWSBI was smooth, but just kinda meh. A mild stubbing woke it up nicely.

@arts_nibs

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I love my Pendleton nib.

 

http://sheismylawyer.com/INK/attachments/Pendleton.jpg

 

Here is a quick comparison. Somewhere around here I did a review of the nib he did for me.

 

http://sheismylawyer.com/INK/attachments/2013-03-27-pb_03.jpg

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