Quick Review Of Budget Demonstrators Lamy Vista Vs Twsbi Eco

[1C5]

Just received these two pens in the mail so I thought I would quickly give my thoughts in case anyone might be debating between buying one of these.

 

I did get the 1.5 nib on both of them. As you can probably tell from the picture, the Eco writes a touch thinner than the Vista. The Vista also writes a bit wetter but the Eco is not dry by any means.

 

As TWSBI has stopped selling the 1.5 nibs, I wanted to get one while I could. It is tame enough that it will easily work its way into my EDC rotation.

 

Writing

 

Both write great. The Eco 1.5 can be an everyday pen whereas I think the Lamy 1.5 is a little too wide to be used for everyday stuff.

 

Comfort

 

As I said, I just got both of these so I can't say which would be better for long writing sessions. The Lamy obviously has the triangle grip, I don't mind it at all but some people do. I'll call this a tie.

 

Looks

 

You can judge by the pictures what you think is better looking but I think without a doubt the Eco with the massive ink in view is much sexier looking. I'll give Eco the win here.

 

Value

 

Once you buy the converter for the Vista, the prices are quite similar. Again with the piston filler technology you're getting with the Eco, I'll give the win to it. Side note though. Lamy nibs are much cheaper so big edge to Lamy for that. If the 1.5 is too big for EDC, a different nib can easily be bought and viola, now you have an EDC.

 

Bottom Line

 

The Vista is basically a clear Safari. Amazing pens. Been around for decades. The safe choice. Choose this if you want one pen with multiple nibs.

 

The TWSBI Eco Clear is the sexy new kid on the block. If I had to choose just one, I would take the Eco for the looks, piston technology and the fact the 1.5 nib can be used everyday both at work and at home.

Edited March 31, 2017 by 1C5

[amberleadavis]

Thank you for sharing. You did an awesome comparison. Personally, I am a huge fan of Eco and it gets a lot more milage than my Lamy, but they are both great pens.

[1C5]

Thanks.

 

And I forgot to mention a huge point for probably many people. The ink capacity on the Eco is massive compared to the Lamy converter. This is not really an issue for me as my ink bottles are usually close by but for a student or someone who travels, the Eco would be the clear winner if you want huge ink capacity.

Edited March 31, 2017 by 1C5

[Driften]

I have the Lamy Al Star in F, Echo in F and 1.1 stub. The clip is much easier to use on the Lamy then the Eco. I like the Eco section a little better of the two. I also like the larger ink supply in the Eco then the Lamy converter. On looks I think I like the Lamy better. Some have said the cap fails to hold on the Lamy over time, but some TWSBI's have had issue with cracks so that is about equal. I have found my Eco seems to keep the nib wet better then my Lamy if left sitting for days, but the Safari normally has a good rep for keeping nibs from drying out.

[senzen]

Great comparison, wasn't aware of the TWSBI Eco Clear! The nib also looks more interesting, but they should have gone with a clear feed (which the vista doesn't have either).