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Twsbi -- Torched!


andru

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This is a mini-review of the TWSBI (somehow manage to spell that right, have no idea what it stands for, yes, yes this is ignorance...). [later: I read parts of the other reviews and comments and now know what it means, but it's still delightfully obscure].

 

So, a Diamond 530 (F) with 5.1 piston was heralded by the sweet sound of our pretty postlady's ring this afternoon. In my haste I did not notice the lube in the packaging, but the piston was smooth so no matter. Where some lube was handy is on the cap threads, as it threads rather tightly and the clip is none too sturdy -- so it feels mushy to close and especially to open the pen. Even with the cap threads lubed it can tend to be closed too tight. I put a dab under the clip too, so it doesn't make that squeaky-scratchy sound when twisting. The clip is very tight on mine, and lifting it enough to slip a sheet of paper under it made a distinct cracking sound...

 

Love the instructions; wish they were all so ... Zen, maybe?

 

The pen has a very nice heft capped. Posted it feels top heavy to me. Uncapped it still has a good weight, size similar to Pelikan M800. Like many said before: I'm not normally a demonstrator guy, but this pen is an exception.

 

It is a wet writer (Florida Blue, Moleskine) when writing naturally, but feels more on the dry side for flourishes and sketching. Mine didn't work so well with the nib upside-down but some folks had better luck. Apparently there is a break-in period with these Schmidt steel nibs, so it's way too soon to judge. Just about put Baystate in it ... I have a wee bit saved ... but it was the original formulation, and I just didn't have the heart to try that.

 

Mainly my purpose in addding to the numerous reviews is to share an adventure I had with Mr. Twisabi earlier in the evening:

 

http://www.cs.uwaterloo.ca/~aseniuk/IMG_2108-02.jpg

 

Now this is not specific to the TWSBI, but it was getting this pen that inspired me finally to try this. On my way home, I bought a "clear" LED from Radio Shack (or whatever they're calling themselves these days). The light is actually very white, I am well pleased with it. It appears yellow in the above because of the sticky-tack goop. The tack provides simple mounting for the batteries and LED, as well as a formable aperature to direct the beam. It needed two batteries; it won't light up at all with one alone. So I crazy-glued the batteries together, and then the black clip is snipped out of an empty tomato sauce can and wrapped in gaffer tape (or you will short out your circuit...).

 

The page that the pen is sitting on was written out on the roof in the dark.

 

Isn't life fun!

 

Andrew

 

P.S. I give this pen -- sans my contraption -- a 9.5/10! (I give my contraption a mercy 6/10 as it's not the sort of thing I often attempt.) Everyone should own a Diamond 530, and I hear the customer service is excellent in the event that you get one that's off.

[ moderators: if this seems like it should not be added to the TWSBI reviews, please delete it and I'll post the pen light part separately in Writing Instruments ]

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You know, that is beyond cool. Everything - the sketch, your take on the TWSBI, and last but certainly not least, the concept of integrating lighting and writing!

 

:notworthy1:

"When Men differ in Opinion, both Sides ought equally to have the Advantage of being heard by the Publick; and that when Truth and Error have fair Play, the former is always an overmatch for the latter."

~ Benjamin Franklin

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Loved the look of the pen, the feel of the pen...the nib...a little less, when it arrived, at least. Now, 3/4 of a fill of ink in, the nib has already begun to feel fantastic to write with. I prefer pens with a tiny tiny bit of tooth, so they don't glide right off the page, and writing with my TWSBI now puts a smile on my face, for some reason. It WILL get better. (Still in my first week of owning it). :cloud9:

Edited by Nonsensical
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Wow! Amazing idea with the LED... but what's with the left hand page? Is that bleed-through, or did you close the page wet?

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You know, that is beyond cool.

Thanks jonszanto! Your praise is found to be acceptable. :lol: Really, I am grateful for your kind words. Having pulled this off in no time makes me wonder why I never do anything like this... I bet a vanishing point would make a good candidate if you could mount the LED on the clip!

 

Nonsensical, I'm totally with you on a tiny tiny bit of tooth. Have you tried any Italian pens? They're often in the same camp tooth wise. My TWSBI has a bit of flex, maybe I got lucky, or maybe their nibs changed flexiness since the 2010 reviews? (Would be interested in trying the Ti nib if that comes out.)

 

Wow! Amazing idea with the LED... but what's with the left hand page? Is that bleed-through, or did you close the page wet?

 

I had meant to make the disclaimer, that I had no thought of posting what I wrote in pen until it was written, so it's a bit crude (both in neatness and in style). I preferred to obfuscate some of what I wrote after I looked at the photo, so Gimp to the rescue! Blur effects and such. (Gimp is a free Photoshop-like program.) If anyone uses Gimp and wonders what the effect was, it's under Filters -> Distorts -> iWarp -- interactive swirlies!! It works pleasantly well for cursive text. The other one is the "Cubist" filter.

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  • 1 month later...

I love the iWarp with the cursive. Will be experimenting with that in the future!

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  • 11 months later...

I love that! For Science!

The Highlander was a documentary, and the events happened in real time.

Montblanc|Pelikan|Geha|Senator|Sailor|Pilot

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