So I Bought A Twsbi...

[dnb]

I have one. It worked out of the box. $40. I also have a $500 Italian made LE. Didn't work out of the box.

For the nay sayers - please give Speedy a break.

[saskia_madding]

I have one. It worked out of the box. $40. I also have a $500 Italian made LE. Didn't work out of the box.

For the nay sayers - please give Speedy a break.

 

I fully agree with this. I have a few $500 and $1000 pens that weren't as good out of the box as my TWSBI. For $40, I am seriously impressed with this pen.

 

Also, just a thought: I feel like this pen is perfect for people who really love *all* aspects of fountain pens - the way they work on an internal, nitty gritty level; playing around with different bits to customize it to your preferences perfectly; taking it all apart and putting it back together. You get to do all that fairly risk free, because if you screw it up you can replace it for $40.

 

But perhaps this is not something that appeals to someone who loves the look of a fountain pen, the feel, and how it writes, but doesn't want to be bothered with the occasionally tedious upkeep or internal machinations of a pen.

 

Although I have to say, in my experience, if what you want is a perfect-for-you (which might be different than a perfect-for-someone-else) product out of the box 100% of the time, I'm not sure fountain pens are the best way to go.

Edited November 5, 2010 by simonerodrigue

[trent]

Speedy, thanks for your response. I appreciate it. I'll try your suggestions first. If this lovely and solid-looking pen can be saved, I'll be very happy. It looks darn good. I most certainly was not expecting a Delta or Visconti LE for $40...I don't even like those terribly expensive pens, in fact I prefer the looks of the TWSBI, and yes, I know that they can be as prone to leaks, bad nibs and other problems as cheaper pens.

 

On the subject of cost, though, quite apart from my specific issue with the TWSBI, which I will work out with Speedy's excellent service, I do think that there are inexpensive pens with incredibly consistent quality control. Lower-end Pelikans, for example, with pistons, that go for $40-$50, are amazingly consistent in my experience. In fact, even their $10-$20 school pens have never given me any trouble at all. Esterbrooks, which go for $30-$50 on average, are shockingly dependable, even after 50+ years! In other words, low price isn't a justification for leakage or bad nibs. $40, after all, are $40 and not entirely insignificant. And if a pen leaks, well, it is useless, regardless of what you paid for it.

 

TWSBI is not a large company, like Pelikan or the former Esterbrook, and I want to see it succeed. It takes great courage to attempt such an enterprise in so hostile an economic climate, especially when the product is no longer a part of the mainstream. And I am confident that these QC issues can be cleared up soon.

 

Thanks again, Speedy, and to all FPN members for their suggestions.

[BrandonA]

How far did you dip the pen when you filled it with ink? I've had that happen when I accidentally dipped the past the section in a deep bottle. Did you also make sure that that the section was tighten to the body before filling?

 

Surely if the pen is built to a decent standard it should be airtight and therefore this should not matter. Other than a little wiping of course to remove surface ink.

[BrandonA]

I have one. It worked out of the box. $40. I also have a $500 Italian made LE. Didn't work out of the box.

For the nay sayers - please give Speedy a break.

I fully agree with this. I have a few $500 and $1000 pens that weren't as good out of the box as my TWSBI. For $40, I am seriously impressed with this pen.

 

WOW

 

I'd love to know what these $500-1000 pens are and whether you bought them brand new or second hand. If you bought them second hand then you can't compare any new pen to them.

 

I think of fountain pens like a lot of things in life. You start at the beginning (in pen terms cheap) and then progress. I never see the point in going backwards. Why would they therefore go from a $1000 pen to a TWSBI?

[calhoun tubbs]

Before you send it back, try to get in contact with Speedy. There's a reason why TWSBI is known to have excellent service. Best of luck to you.

 

OK, not bashing here but a couple of comments, sometimes I can't resist one of my many failings.

 

Great customer service is wonderful, but from a sigma point of view how much is it needed? How many returns, replacmensts or nib adjustments have to be done? Also no offense but its a 40$ piston filler. So its a gamble. I may try one someday but not yet.

 

I would also suggest some silicone grease around the threads, that should keep it from leaking but you may see some ink make its way into the threads but not out of the pen and onto your hands..

 

I suggested that the original poster contact the Speedy because he would know best how to help him. Speedy has earned TWSBI a reputation for excellent customer service. It makes sense for a company to stand by their product, replace or repair parts when it is the best course of action, and to offer advice when it is warranted. Whatever the limit of customer service be, it is up to the company to decide. One would have to keep profitability in mind. I would have to say that it is excellent service for only a $40.

Edited November 5, 2010 by calhoun tubbs

[TSWard]

I've had mine for months with no problems. They sent me the replacement seals anticipating a leak, but I haven't needed to install it. I haven't heard of anyone having this kind of thread leak, so I bet it's a crazy fluke.

[Ernst Bitterman]

I've managed to get ink in that area once, when I removed the section to attempt a fill from a mostly-empty Herbin bottle. I'd suspect in this case, in order of likelihood:

 

- Section not quite tightened down, ink gets past the internal threading.

- Someone in the factory missed the o-ring on the feed holder.

- Section cracked, either in assembly or in transit.

 

...all of which are indications of mere human fallibility. I recently got an NOS Sheaffer Legacy II, which cost me three times what the TWSBI did (and that was about half of the new cost), which had misaligned tines-- not a $1000 pen, but definitely a costly one in my world. This sort of thing happens. I honour the TWSBI and Speedy, because the pen is easily put right and he doesn't try to put the blame on the user. I think a lot of the praise for Lamy currently lies in a similar approach to after-sale service.

[dnb]

 

I'd love to know what these $500-1000 pens are and whether you bought them brand new or second hand. If you bought them second hand then you can't compare any new pen to them.

 

I think of fountain pens like a lot of things in life. You start at the beginning (in pen terms cheap) and then progress. I never see the point in going backwards. Why would they therefore go from a $1000 pen to a TWSBI?

 

Brand new.

Because a pen is a tool and different tools are used for different purposes. And, because human being, often like dogs and cats, like to sniff anything they can get their nose into!

[Hellmark]

On my TWSBI, I had some minor leaking at the piston with the 1.3 installed. When I say minor, I really mean it, as it was barely enough to leave a coloring along the path of the piston. The average person would have probably missed it. I dropped in the 1.5, and not had a problem since.

 

If you get leaking at the section, either a seal is missing, it isn't properly assembled or something is cracked. Either way, is plenty easy to tear a TWSBI apart to check. I've had mine fully apart 3 times without problems.

[davidw]

my Twsbi arrive with a fine nib and was a bit scratchy. after slight nib adjustment its now perfect.

 

I use it daily next to my parker 51 and Pelikan 400. I love the pen. No problem what so ever.