Diamond Or Vac Mini?

[matteob]

Hello guys just a simple question. Which is the better option the piston of the diamond or the vac system? The price is identical!

[Out0Mind]

It depends on what you're looking for. If filled properly, the Vac Mini has a larger ink capacity and is a little longer (with a slightly longer section) than the Diamond Mini. They both have screw-on caps and both can swap nibs back and forth. They're both terrific pens and both write exceptionally well; it's literally a question of what you want.

 

SNAK did a nice review of the Diamond 580, Vac700, Diamond Mini, and Vac Mini a little over a year ago, linked below. This may help you make your decision.

 

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/301413-vac-mini-compared-to-twsbi-mini-and-others/

[Jamerelbe]

I find my Diamond Minis easier to fill, clean and refill - while the Vac Mini cap is more fiddly when it comes to posting. I like both pens, but have a personal preference for the Diamond Mini.

[amberleadavis]

And I have a preference for the Vac Mini. Loaded with blue ink it looks like Luke Skywalker's lightsaber.

[amberleadavis]

Also, we have a TWSBI loaner program in the UK. If someone there has either pen, you may be able to borrow it and try it.

[1pen2pen]

FWIW I've recently ordered a Vac Mini and found that it is pretty much a Diamond/Vac "Frankenpen": see https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/301413-vac-mini-compared-to-twsbi-mini-and-others/page-3?do=findComment&comment=3762430. The upshot is that there may be almost no difference now between the Vac Mini and the Diamond Mini other than the pump mechanism. In particular it appears that they may be sharing nib guts with the ECO line -- the stainless ECO nib+feeder fits the Vac Mini without difficulty -- which may be great or terrible news depending on your preferences.

 

My personal preference is the Vac's plunger pump over the Diamond screw pump. Partly because the Vacs have such a lovely large ink capacity and partly because they feel wonderfully steampunk-ish to use when refilling. Vac is fiddlier, feels vaguely a bit more fragile during the filling process; Diamond is dead simple and basically foolproof. YMMV, obviously.

Edited January 10, 2017 by 1pen2pen

[1pen2pen]

"there may be almost no difference now between the Vac Mini and the Diamond Mini other than the pump mechanism" : it turns out this ain't so. for details (and proof!) see Jamerelbe's post here: https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/301413-vac-mini-compared-to-twsbi-mini-and-others/page-3?do=findComment&comment=3764551

[matteob]

Interesting stuff all thanks! I am still a bit lairy about spending money on a higher end TWSBI after reading all the issues of cracks. Not a major problem if you are spending £25 but more of one when you are spending £60!

 

I'm interested in the loaner programme in the UK. I saw the US one but did not realize there was one in the UK. I have participated in loaner programmes for razors (my other collection interest) and think they are a great idea if the trust is there. If anyone has a Vac I could briefly try let me know!

Edited January 20, 2017 by matteob

[Pichak]

May be I am too late.

 

I have both VAC Mini and Diamond Mini and I love them all. I like to use VAC Mini for a travel pen because it has a safety end cap which prevent leaking ink even you travel by airplane. However for daily use I preferred Diamond Mini more because of it smaller body and faster operation to write (dont need to screw the end cap before write).

[EricTheRed]

Like Pichak i have had both for years. They are wonderful Demonstrator pens and I have had no problems with cracking with either. At their relatively low price point, I recommend getting both while they are still available for sale.

[Dufffader]

I have both the minis and they are both different, as most posts indicate.

 

I like the VAC Mini's filling system: there's a lot of ink in there, and there's nothing better to do on a boring day than to watch ink sloshing inside. However sometimes I get hard starts (when the piston is closed for too long) and I need to do a series of shakes or light pump to get the feed saturated again. Do too much and you get ink all over the paper or table. Just last week I was on a plane and decided I wanted to write something and made the no. 1 mistake with the vacuum filling system, I opened the shutoff valve and got ink all over the inside of the cap and on my fingers. And I did get a crack on the barrel once and TWSBI replaced it right away. I didn't get another crack afterwards, and it is the only one I've had out of 7-8 TWSBIs so I consider it a rarity.

 

The diamond mini works as expected. Nothing spectacular... ink always flows and there's not a lot of ink inside compared to the VAC mini so no sloshing for me. It just works.

 

I'd say that the VAC is more temperamental, but it does have pluses that the Diamond Mini doesn't give you. Both pens store enough ink to last long enough without refil, so wouldn't think that ink capacity is an issue. IF you just want a pen to write reliably, I think the Diamond Mini will do the job. If you want something extra and ready to accept some extra work to get it to work (like remembering to open the valve, etc) then the VAC might be for you. Or be like me and get both.

[TSherbs]

Diamond all the way. The section is wider toward the barrel, which makes all the difference for my large hands. I waited two years for the release of the Vac Mini, and when I saw pics of the section, I said #@£₹!

[AAAndrew]

Easy. Both.

 

Boom! there you go. My work here is done.

[Honeythief]

I agree. Both

 

I've got reasonably large hands for a woman (size 7.5 in gloves), and find the Diamond Mini just slightly too short to use unposted for more than a word or two. The Vac Mini is a perfect length unposted, but then there is the frequent experience of having it run dry because I forgot to open the top. But those niggles aside, they're both beautiful to write with and to look at (I have demonstrators of both).

 

If I could only have one, it'd be the Vac Mini because of the slight extra length and the inner sloshiness that lets the ink shine.

[AAAndrew]

To show that I follow my own advice, I have an old Diamond Mini in rose gold with a Pendelton Brown XF stub nib that's my literal every-day carry. (seriously, like every day)

 

Today I should be receiving a vac mini with a regular TWSBI xf nib. Both. Boom.

 

That's the way you do it. At least, 'round here.

[AAAndrew]

Loving my Vac mini. I solve the screwing and unscrewing the end cap "problem" by unscrewing it in the morning when I begin work and just giving a small tug to unplug the end of the plunger from the barrel as I post the cap to write, then push in the plunger when I'm finished writing, but I leave the end cap unscrewed. It's quite obvious as you pull and push where the plunger is. There's a swelling of the barrel at that end where the flange at the plunger end is free and not touching any walls. You feel the resistance as it seal the end when you push it in, or if you pull far enough out for it to start to engage the barrel of the pen. There's a sweet spot in the middle that's quite obvious and the movement is small, easy and quick while posting the cap.

 

I carry my pens in my shirt pocket so there's almost no risk of me pulling a pen out and the unscrewed end cap catching on something. Even if it did, I'd have to really jerk my pen out of my pocket to pull the plunger out. There's a bit of resistance there. This should work with a pen case as well. But if I carried the pen in a pants pocket or a purse, I'd most likely screw the end cap in every time I put it away.

 

At the end of the day when I'm putting my pens away, I screw the end cap back fully into the pen.

 

This allows me to write with impunity through the day and not worry about a dry feed. And with the ink carrying capacity of this tiny giant, and my extra-fine nib, I can write for quite a long time.