Twsbi 540 Diamond.

[Penryn87]

Hello all. Just to get this out of the way, I will be comparing this to my existing pen collection when consists of a Lamy -Studio, 2000, Safari and Al-Star. I also own a Pelikan M405; these are pretty much my baseline in measurement.

 

-=- Appearance and Design -=- 10/10

 

As you most likely know already this is a demonstrator pen (i.e. clear and you can see all the internals). Its big. And its very very nice to look at. It looks like a properly good, no nonsense FP. The Presentation is bar non. Its unpretentious and very well thought out. Someone spent some time on this.. It doesn't have some faux-silk lining, nor does it come in a huge box. You can store you pen in this when not in use and not have to worry about taking up so much room.

 

-=- Construction and Quality -=- 9/10

 

The pen, with the exception of my Lamy Studio (to which it is equal), feels the most "solid" in my hand. Its pretty heavy and I would say pretty comparable to the size and weight of the aforementioned Studio. It really does feel excellent. They use some neat tricks like a rubber ring where the cap screws on to give a smooth and consistent feel when you are taking the cap on and off. It gives you a very confident end point when you have screwed the cap completely on as well. You don't feel like you have to worry about it coming off and feels very securely on. It has a much nicer in feel that even my Pelikan m405, but keep in mind that it will take an extra turn to get the cap on and off.

 

-=- Weight and Dimensions -=- 9/10

 

Its about the size and weight of a Lamy Studio. Unlike the Studio, most of its weight is in the cap. Un-posted and you will be surprised how lighter the pen feels. Posted kind of screws up the balance (I almost never write posted except my M405 which is a VERY light pen) unless you enjoy a post heavy pen.

 

-=- Filling System and Maintenance -=- 9/10

 

Its a Piston pen and holds about 30% more ink than the previous 530 design. The piston motion is confident and solid. I put Waterman Florida Blue and it works perfectly**

 

** I did fill the pen and it would not write no matter what I did. I decided it would use a bath so i fill it with water and just did the usually back and forth on the piston. Empty the pen of water and refilled with the ink and it flowed perfectly after this.

 

-=- Nib Performance -=- 8/10

 

The nib does not skip or anything. Flow is excellent and requires no pressure to write. Its not the smoothest writer I have but its nothing unpleasant or anything. The nib has some nice customization with some engraving. I like it.

 

-=- Cost and Value -=- 10/10

 

I got this from Amazon for 55 dollars shipped. For the price, I don't there is a demonstrator piston pen that comes close to what you get

here.

 

-=- Conclusion -=- 55 out of 60

Recommended to anyone looking for a solid and inexpensive demonstrator. I will be using this pen but I doubt it will replace my 2000 and M405 has my more primary pens. Thats mostly because of weight though.. its a big heavier than what I typically like. Note this is my first non-deutscher pen.

 

 

 

Some More Photos

 

 

 

 

Compared to a M405

Edited August 26, 2011 by Penryn87

[rbadger332]

I've just bought one of these today. Everywhere I look nothing but good reviews. Do you have any pictures demoing how it writes?

[RudyR]

You might clarify your opening statement a bit. Twsbis are made in Taiwan, not China.

[professionaldilettante]

You might clarify your opening statement a bit. Twsbis are made in Taiwan, not China.

Which is part of China. or will be. Close enough. >.< (i was going to point that out too, actually)

[Silent Speaker]

You might clarify your opening statement a bit. Twsbis are made in Taiwan, not China.

Which is part of China. or will be. Close enough. >.< (i was going to point that out too, actually)

Don't let any Taiwanese hear you say that!

-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Will you be posting any comparison pics with your other pens?

 

(I suppose the TWSBI is double the size of the m405, right?)

[Penryn87]

It could also be said that the official name of Taiwan is the Republic of China.

 

And sure I'll get a comparo shot up tomorrow.

Edited August 26, 2011 by Penryn87

[Nonsensical]

Don't worry, the nib gets smoother with use! After about 1-2 fills of Waterman Florida Blue, my 530 EF nib was writing even smoother, and is now filled with Noodler's Ink- a tiny touch of feedback, but very, very smooth.

 

Great review, and I am definitely getting all the colours + the ROC. Yes, I'm a big fan. :roflmho:

[Penryn87]

Added some more Photos.

[thecobraeffect]

Gorgeous pictures! I need to pick up some Waterman blue... And a TWSBI 540, too.

[Pen2009]

I regret reading this thread. Now I have to have this one. I am planning to get this with an F nib along with the nib kits for EF and B (for some reasons, I could not select all three in the eBay sales site).

Edited August 27, 2011 by Pen2009

[Sidestreaker]

Arghhh!!! why did I open this thread! Now I want one.

 

Thanks for the review. I'm surprised at the size comparison with the M405, never knew it was that much larger.

[Rhincodon]

Ugh, there goes my willpower! Thanks for the review, now to decide what nib size to get...

[kipwilliams]

I have picked up a few fountain pens I really love (Esterbrook J's, Conklin Nozac, Namiki Knight, Parker 21's & 51's, Pelikan M215) and quit buying, for a while. Just added the Sailor 1911 Standard thinking it was the last pen I would ever need.

 

I talked myself out of the TWSBI 530 when all the excitement started around here and have been reading their praises, ever since.

 

Your excellent review and great pics, were everything it took to convince me to press the PLACE ORDER button on Amazon for the new TWSBI Diamond 540 Medium nib, this morning. Thank you for taking the time to put it together and share the information with us. I don't go anywhere except FPN with questions on fountain pens, paper, and ink. Reviews such as yours are the reason why.

Edited August 28, 2011 by kipwilliams

[Penryn87]

Small Update. On my model the O-Ring that helps give that smooth feel to the cap will occasionally need to have to silicon grease rubbed in to keep the smoothness up.. Otherwise the O-ring will fight you when you unscrew the cab and come off where its suppose to be.

[speedy]

Small Update. On my model the O-Ring that helps give that smooth feel to the cap will occasionally need to have to silicon grease rubbed in to keep the smoothness up.. Otherwise the O-ring will fight you when you unscrew the cab and come off where its suppose to be.

 

in next version of barrel update, we will modify the o-ring area, hopefully that will eliminate the need of silicone the o-ring once a while.

[Giordana]

Hmmm....I think I'll stick to my TWSBI 530. It disappoints me a little to see that the new pen came out with few changes.

[Spector]

Do you have an older 530 model? if so what are the practical differences between the 530 model and the new 540?

[Altairx]

Do you have an older 530 model? if so what are the practical differences between the 530 model and the new 540?

 

 

I have both. the 540s cap is 2 grams heavier also made out of brass and not steel like the 530, the cap twists on smoother, and more ink capacity in the chamber. Other than that its pretty much the same pen.

[Pen2009]

After using this pen for more than a week, I made this one of daily work horse pens, along with my Lamys. I like both its looks and performance as a writing instrument.

 

What I noticed is that you need to angle the nib paralelle to the clip to make the nib lined up just righ with the clip. With my Auroa Demo, the pen does this iteslf without my conscious effort to lining up the nib with the clip.

[ExcaliburZ]

Hmmm....I think I'll stick to my TWSBI 530. It disappoints me a little to see that the new pen came out with few changes.

I am not sure what else could have been done without making it a much more expensive pen. It was an upgrade to fix some issues and larger ink capacity, it was not advertised as more.