I Like Twbsi, But...

[jpk]

Hi again,

 

this is my second "but"-review... Just let me repeat that as the title says I really like TWSBI pens. I will not repeat all the well known reasons why I like them, enough reviews are online, so let me focus on the issues I experienced:

 

but #1: both my 580AL and my VAC700R had unusable nibs out of the box. The 580AL I ordered with the stup 1.1 nib, the VAC700R with an F nib. I asked TWSBI for help regarding the 580AL, they sent me a replacement nib and feed for the 580AL (I had to pay the shipping cost). The new nib again was totally dry and scratchy. I managed to tune it resulting in a very nice and sharp but smooth stub nib and got the ink to flow by spreading the tines. The nib of the VAC700R I gave up on and installed a nice Jowo steel nib (#6 BF type), a perfect writer (BTW the 580AL takes Bock type-076 nibs perfectly fine without any modification).

 

but #2: the old feed of the 580AL was so soft that it's hardly possible to pull it without damaging it. The new feed is more robust, so this is sorted. Just wanted to mention that it's worth having it replaced, but I didn't notice any difference regarding ink flow.

 

but #3: the 580AL has ugly grease in the piston system, this should look much cleaner: it's a cosmetic issue mentioned elsewhere, but I don't understand why they don't at least use a transparent grease instead of the white stuff...

 

but #4: the VAC700R was leaking drops out of the nib at the beginning (before I did any changes i.e. nib pulling): I had to completely disassemble the pen, some important areas were totally without grease. I greased them with the included silicon grease and got it to stop dropping ink.

 

but #5: both the 580AL and the VAC700R have sections constructed in a way I find not right: the load of the whole system is carried in an unfavorable way by the thin thread of the screwed in tube. It's strongly not recommended to install a flex nib: this would stress the weak part/thread and sooner or later result in troubles.

 

but #6: screwing the tube out of the VAC700Rs section is fiddly, many disassembly instructions on the net even consider it impossible to take apart. This is important especially in regard to the leak issue.

 

Conclusion: both TWSBI pens are for people who know how to make a pen work. In my view they have too many problems. But once sorted, really nice! As I said: I like them.

 

Edited September 5, 2018 by jpk

[minddance]

The grip on both eco and 580 is too small for my liking.

[jameswatts]

I've must lived a charmed life. Four TWSBI pens and a single problem with any one. They all wrote perfectly out of the box and I keep them inked constantly.

[langere]

I like my TWSBI pens, though they write like nails. I especially like my Micarta - too bad they discontinued them. A unique pen.

 

Erick

[jchch1950]

Never had a problem with the nibs of my Twbis.

[Karmachanic]

My current policy is that pens that do not perform properly out of the box get returned. And so it was with the 580 last week. Misaligned tines. Never had that problem with Jinhao. For ten times the price TWSBI needs to get it right. I'll stick with the Wing Sung 698.

[Mongoosey]

I've found TWSBI's to be dry writers with rigid nibs that compound to create nails.

 

My Eco simply wrote too dry, even with properly adjusted tines.

 

Then I tried a friends TWSBI's, an Eco-T and 580, and they were the same way.

 

I do understand that the dryness is good for cheaper quality paper, and I think Jowo's are very good nibs, and I think that does satisfy a niche, but it's a trade off I don't prefer nor need.

 

I prefer to save $ and at least breach that tier of Karas Kustoms Decographs, Edison and F-C's, L2K, Pelikan m200, and get into that high value, optimal price/performance ratio that really brings out the joy of writing with fountain pens. Heck, you can pick up Pilot and Platinum gold nibbed pens for around $70.

 

I think TWSBI has their niche, and that's not a surprise. When it comes to starter pens there's a lot of B-grade options: They may write well, but are too small (pilot Metro), or too toyish/childish looking (so many), too high maintenance (Noodler's), too dry (even my lamy safari is a bit dry), too heavy (Faber-Castell), have a flawed design (Nemosine Singularity), have to post to use (kaweco sport), or come with poor nibs that need to be swapped out (chinese pens).

 

IMO, TWSBI does offer something descent, but for me the experience of how dry those TWSBI's wrote wasn't worth it beyond being a single starter pen.

 

I always recommend saving and getting that better quality all-rounder pen. It's better to have 1 great pen that suits you than a 100 good pens.

 

But that's my opinion.

[TSherbs]

.....

But that's my opinion.

What design flaw do you see in the Singularity?

[anemography]

I've busted a Eco feed switching nibs in the past, and I had to smooth out one of the two stubs I own, but apart from that I've had no issues with TWSBIs.

[minddance]

I had 2 ecos that blurped ink from the feed. The nib was so dry.

 

I am not going to buy anymore twsbi.

[langere]

Also interested to know about the Singularity.

 

I wonder if there is such a thing among fountain pens such as with red wine - I find the bottles priced around $15-$25 to be the very best in terms of quality for price. Much higher and the quality does not go up enough to justify the price difference.

 

Are TWSBIs like the $10 wines?

 

Erick

[Honeybadgers]

What design flaw do you see in the Singularity?

 

If you don't tighten the barrel very securely to the section, since the cap threads are on the section, you can unscrew the barrel when you intended to unscrew the cap.

 

I just tighten the barrel securely and never see the issue - but others still complain.

 

I love my TWSBI's. My VAC700R has a massive superflex custom made 14k nib for it, and I use it more than any other of my high end pens.

Edited September 17, 2018 by Honeybadgers

[TSherbs]

 

If you don't tighten the barrel very securely to the section, since the cap threads are on the section, you can unscrew the barrel when you intended to unscrew the cap.

 

I just tighten the barrel securely and never see the issue - but others still complain.

Right you are. I honestly hadn't noticed before cuz it's never unscrewed wrong and I guess cuz I'm a dullard.

[inkandseeds]

I bought a Vac Mini a couple of years ago and was initially disappointed as it was a very dry writer. However, over time my view and experience has changed. Either through use or matching the right ink to the pen, it is no longer a dry writer. It will never lay a river down like some of my pens, but it writes quite well and I have come to appreciate it. It is one of the pens that I keep filled all the time and use a lot. I am thinking of buying a Vac 700.

[Aysedasi]

No problem here with the TWSBI's I own (and have owned - probably 7-8 in all). And one of the reasons I like them is because they have nibs like nails. I can't abide any flex at all.

[Jamerelbe]

I've got several TWSBI pens and am really happy with them all - even though three of them had parts that cracked and needed replacing. TWSBI customer service has been very helpful - and I believe (though I have no evidence!) that their QC has markedly improved in recent years...

[tm3]

My experience has similarities to the OP, except, I DON'T like TWSBIs.

 

My 580 is a dry, hesitant writer. TWSBI asked me to send it in for "service." I did, at my cost, and the pen returned unchanged. I asked about a nib exchange like Pelikan does, and TWSBI suggested sending it back to them. I did, at my cost, and the pen returned unchanged ...... except, while I shipped the pen in a cardboard box, they returned it loose in a padded envelope and as a result the clip is damaged.

 

Useless pen, useless service, unhappy customer here who does not recommend TWSBI.

[Mongoosey]

My experience has similarities to the OP, except, I DON'T like TWSBIs.

 

My 580 is a dry, hesitant writer. TWSBI asked me to send it in for "service." I did, at my cost, and the pen returned unchanged. I asked about a nib exchange like Pelikan does, and TWSBI suggested sending it back to them. I did, at my cost, and the pen returned unchanged ...... except, while I shipped the pen in a cardboard box, they returned it loose in a padded envelope and as a result the clip is damaged.

 

Useless pen, useless service, unhappy customer here who does not recommend TWSBI.

 

I had the same problem.

 

TWSBI was very disrespectful to me when I requested a nib exchange and simply did the exact same thing. I had purchased over 5 TWSBI pens and a few more extra nibs for myself and friends and family, but when any of them had a problem upon first trying out the nib I took the initiative to exchange the nibs of a few of them and after 1 attempt identical to yours and two other simple basic requests they became accusatorial with me and rude saying their pens weren't for me.

 

They declared a high success rate of nibs and QC control and said that if I had problems with 2 or more nibs than it was simply me and that I shouldn't be using fountain pens especially from them.

 

I simply did the same thing I had done with Goulet pens and Franklin Christoph and their #6 Jowo's, but those companies were spectacular to me. I have purchased many Jowo's from both those companies for myself and gifts for others with a very high success rate, but when I had a recalcitrant nib or it was simply too feedbacky for testing out a Finer nib or too broad of one and didn't want to ruin the policy by trying to fix them myself and keep them more than a day's initial dry writing test I simply returned or exchanged the nibs with the best customer service around.

 

I surmise that TWSBI has so many problems with cracks that nib exchanges compound to be too much, and if they had an open policy they may lose even more profit.

Edited September 27, 2018 by Mongoosey

[Aysedasi]

Sounds like you exchange a fair few nibs?

[Pebblestationeryco]

Wow, I've not had a problem with the nibs, only the plastic cracking. My Twsbi's nibs were all fine albeit dry

 

Sorry to hear about your experience!