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Which One: Twsbi Diamond 580Al Or Twsbi Diamond 580


TheDane

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Hi FPN

I have a couple of questions for you guys :-)

I'm thinking about buying a 580 or 580AL.

1) Which one should I buy?

2) I know that the metal parts will make the 580AL a more long lasting pen but is that true in practice ?

3) Also, is the point of balance different ? If it's: Which one is most bottom heavy ?

 

Thanks in advance!

- Shams :-)

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Hmmm... I suppose in considering whether the 580AL will be more durable, it is helpful to refer to which parts of the plastic TWSBIs most commonly break.

 

Caps separating at the cap band - 580 and 580AL share the same construction.

Plastic feed holder stress failure - 580 and 580AL share the same construction.

Section stress cracks - the 580AL uses metal here, so ought to be more durable.

 

I've never heard of a plastic TWSBI piston shaft breaking, but I'd expect the metal shaft in the 580AL to withstand rough treatment (perhaps forcing a stuck piston to move) better than the standard 580.

Latest pen related post @ flounders-mindthots.blogspot.com : vintage Pilot Elite Pocket Pen review

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I love all my TWSBIs and the AL is my new favorite.

Fountain pens are my preferred COLOR DELIVERY SYSTEM (in part because crayons melt in Las Vegas).

Create a Ghostly Avatar and I'll send you a letter. Check out some Ink comparisons: The Great PPS Comparison 

Don't know where to start?  Look at the Inky Topics O'day.  Then, see inks sorted by color: Blue Purple Brown Red Green Dark Green Orange Black Pinks Yellows Blue-Blacks Grey/Gray UVInks Turquoise/Teal MURKY

 

 

 

 

 

 

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  • 2 months later...

I went to look, but my AL is out on loan.

Fountain pens are my preferred COLOR DELIVERY SYSTEM (in part because crayons melt in Las Vegas).

Create a Ghostly Avatar and I'll send you a letter. Check out some Ink comparisons: The Great PPS Comparison 

Don't know where to start?  Look at the Inky Topics O'day.  Then, see inks sorted by color: Blue Purple Brown Red Green Dark Green Orange Black Pinks Yellows Blue-Blacks Grey/Gray UVInks Turquoise/Teal MURKY

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Sorry, but mine is a standard 580.

Brad

"Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind" - Rudyard Kipling
"None of us can have as many virtues as the fountain-pen, or half its cussedness; but we can try." - Mark Twain

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Out of interest, does the cap band have AL etched into it after the 580?

 

 

No

 

TWSBI

 

on the clip side of the band then on the opposite it says:

 

DIAMOND

580

---

TAIWAN

Looking for a cap for a Sheaffer Touchdown Sentinel Deluxe Fat version

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580 580AL

Body 14g / 0.49oz 18g / 0.63oz

Cap 14g / 0.49oz 14g / 0.49oz

Total 28g / 0.99oz 32g / 1.13oz

"The Great Roe is a mythological beast with the head of a lion and the body of a lion, but not the same lion."

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So it's heavier and longer?

Fountain pens are my preferred COLOR DELIVERY SYSTEM (in part because crayons melt in Las Vegas).

Create a Ghostly Avatar and I'll send you a letter. Check out some Ink comparisons: The Great PPS Comparison 

Don't know where to start?  Look at the Inky Topics O'day.  Then, see inks sorted by color: Blue Purple Brown Red Green Dark Green Orange Black Pinks Yellows Blue-Blacks Grey/Gray UVInks Turquoise/Teal MURKY

 

 

 

 

 

 

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So it's heavier and longer?

No, just heavier and cooler looking (imo)

 

I just got mine in the mail, my first one, a 580 AL.

 

I can totally see how they would crack. If anyone with a hamfist or deathgrip or pressuregrip would use this pen, the injection moulded plastic would totally break.

 

This pen writes without any pressure whatsoever. No pressure whatsoever, on a friggin steel nib. That's an accomplishment right there. It puts my steel watermen to shame. TO SHAME I SAY.

 

It's got all these threadings. And I've seen people over-tighten so many things. Had a guy over-tighten the porcelain bucket on the toilet. It cracked, then shattered. I've seen so many overtightened pipes, barrels, bottles, faucets, valves, threaded pen caps, etc. I have one cheap ero pen that requires a good tightening to keep the cap on, but every other threaded pen tightens under its own weight or just a gentle amount of pressure.

 

I'm pretty sure if I were to hand this to a non-FP person they'd break it quickly.

 

I'm probably overreacting but still, it's my precious and I don't want it anywhere near hamfists.

 

 

I got the AL because I heard it may be a bit more durable and because it is heavier. Since it can't be posted without putting awkward pressure on the cap threads, I made the right choice. I like heavy pens. Zero writing pressure, write under their own weight. Awesome.

>8[ This is a grumpy. Get it? Grumpy smiley? Huehue >8[

 

I tend to ramble and write wallotexts. I do that.

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  • 1 month later...

Are we sure the 580AL is more durable? Isn´t aluminum suceptible to corrosion from acids (say as in fountain pen ink)?

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Just have to add I have an orange 580 AL from Pendleton Brown with a cursive italic grind. Feels great in my hand, looks good with the brown inks I favor and makes my handwriting look much better than it really is.

 

I've had no problems with it.

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If you have not already made your choice, consider how many people have spoken of issues/complaint about the piston mechanism in their TWSBI? This may simply be a situation of improving something that works well the way it is AND of course charging and extra $10.00 for the questionable enhancement.

 

I have six TWSBI pens - 2 "580s", 1 700 and 3 540s. Although I have had cracking issues with several 540s, everything else has worked well over the last two years or so.

“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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I can totally see how they would crack. If anyone with a hamfist or deathgrip or pressuregrip would use this pen, the injection moulded plastic would totally break...

 

It's got all these threadings. And I've seen people over-tighten so many things. Had a guy over-tighten the porcelain bucket on the toilet. It cracked, then shattered. I've seen so many overtightened pipes, barrels, bottles, faucets, valves, threaded pen caps, etc. I have one cheap ero pen that requires a good tightening to keep the cap on, but every other threaded pen tightens under its own weight or just a gentle amount of pressure...

 

 

On the flipside, I can see how they would (have) crack(ed) through normal use by people who are accustomed to writing with fountain pens.

Latest pen related post @ flounders-mindthots.blogspot.com : vintage Pilot Elite Pocket Pen review

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If your w

 

This pen writes without any pressure whatsoever. No pressure whatsoever, on a friggin steel nib. That's an accomplishment right there. It puts my steel watermen to shame. TO SHAME I SAY.

 

Yay for your 580AL writing with no pressure. Mine does the same. I was really impressed with how nice this pen is.

 

OTOH, if your Waterman isn't doing it, then your Waterman needs adjusting. It, too, should write that way. It can.

--

Lou Erickson - Handwritten Blog Posts

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I bought the 580 Al Lumi, with a fine butter stub nib from Pendleton.

 

I have small hands (extra small gloves/mittens) and a torn ligament in the thumb which causes writing (or wool spinning) fatigue. I'm a 5'3 smurfette so to speak.

 

I wrote to Pendleton about my small hands and bum thumb and the 580 AL and the mini were the pens he recommended. I bought the full-sized one.

 

Its survived two drops onto carpet (I tend to be somewhat klutzy.) It does write with no pressure and I experience no fatigue after an hour of writing.

 

I am very pleased with the feel and weight of the pen, not too heavy for small hands yet it is solid.

 

I like it so much I am planning to buy another with a med flex nib.

Edited by webgeckos
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