Twsbi Micarta, Pendleton Nib

November 17, 2012

Ok here's my quick review of the TWSBI Micarta, Pendleton version.

A little history: First, I am late to the TWSBI party, as I just became aware of the Micarta versions a few months ago. I was immediately drawn to the micarta, but the reviews seemed to indicate they could be hard starters and troublesome writers. So I passed.... until a couple weeks ago when Pendleton posted one for sale in forums that had been reworked to a Pendleton butterline stub.

I promptly ordered one and have been using it for the last two weeks.

Thoughts so far:

I love the clean lines of the 803 no clip version. The micarta is warm and I appreciate the way it 'feels' different than my pelikan. It is also noticeably lighter than either my Visconti or 800 sized Pelikan.

Size- Here's a little comparison pic with my other daily users, Visconti Homo Sapiens and Pelikan Tiffany(M800 size)

http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r74/eahanley/P1020095.jpg

Unposted, I find this a great fit for my hand. Posted it is waay to long for me and doesn't work at all. I don't generally post pens, so its not a big deal. YMMV.

Filling mechanism-

I have grown happy with the Visconti and Pelikan filling systems so I was a bit apprehensive about the cartrige converter. So far its been a non-issue.

Nib-

This is where the Pendleton version shines. It is a smooth wet writing stubbish italic nib. It writes about a .6 or .7 line that is just fantastic.

http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r74/eahanley/P1020101.jpg

http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r74/eahanley/P1020097.jpg

http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r74/eahanley/041.jpg

Overall, I am very pleased with this one. It has managed to earn a spot in my every day rotation.

Is it worth the premium to have Pendlton rework the nib? My answer is absolutely.

This is one of those pens that should have been an out of the park homerun for TWSBI. The micarta is a fantastic material. But the hard starting dry nib paired with the higher price has kept many away. Pendleton has remedied the nib issue, but it necessarily increases the price.

Still,if you've got the resources to splurge a bit, I would definitely give this pen a try.

Note, I am not affiliated with Pendleton, except as a satisfied customer.

Edited November 17, 2012 by roadrunner

November 18, 2012

Thanks for the great review! I agree completely that having the nib modified is the way to go with this pen. I tried a stock nib back when these first came out and it was a dry and uninspired writer. After trying Pendleton's (no affiliation) heavily modified twsbi nib in one of these at the Ohio Pen Show my opinion of the micarta has changed completely. That nib was a real work of art! The pen material also is unique and has a great feel in one's hand posted or not. I hope to add one of these to my collection in the near future.

November 18, 2012

Ditto... I wrote in my review earlier that the nib was rather dry. Your experiences are very promising!

The work of a good nibmeister can turn an average pen into a daily workable user!

November 18, 2012

Here's a pic. I think this was the first and something he and I both liked and then did one for the Ohio Pen show. My pic isn't so swift, but you will get the idea. It is a frosted so only a little

of the gold plating shows through. It is a exceptionally smooth stub and as you can see it has been significantly altered to add some flex. It is winged and material is removed from the sides.

Pendleton really turns it into something great.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v209/mikefarha/IMG_0318.jpg

November 18, 2012

Here's a pic. I think this was the first and something he and I both liked and then did one for the Ohio Pen show. My pic isn't so swift, but you will get the idea. It is a frosted so only a little
of the gold plating shows through. It is a exceptionally smooth stub and as you can see it has been significantly altered to add some flex. It is winged and material is removed from the sides.
Pendleton really turns it into something great.

That is nearly identical to the one I had a chance to play around with at the Ohio show. The frosted effect looked great with the pen material and it wrote like a dream.

November 18, 2012

Yes it is, I think it is actually a freak idea of mine and PB. I told him to frost it and he did and liked it so much considered it a prototype. I think the one you saw there is this one's baby brother. It is a great little pen and the nib incredible. The only down side is the powerful smell of the pen material.

And I understand people's concern over the nib, But $75 and PB magic is a lot different....

November 24, 2012

What is the frosting material and process? I've never seen any nibs like that before.

I wonder if I just got lucky: I recently got a Micarta EF, and the nib is anything but dry, starts every time, and doesn't even dry out if I leave it uncapped for a few minutes. It seems to me that it writes more like an F.

November 25, 2012

removing plating and material as well as altering the nib to add flex. Makes it appear frosted white with a little gold plate left on this nib, pretty cool.

November 25, 2012

Is it worth the premium to have Pendlton rework the nib? My answer is absolutely.

This is one of those pens that should have been an out of the park homerun for TWSBI. The micarta is a fantastic material. But the hard starting dry nib paired with the higher price has kept many away. Pendleton has remedied the nib issue, but it necessarily increases the price.
Still,if you've got the resources to splurge a bit, I would definitely give this pen a try.

I couldn't agree more. Great pen, nonetheless.