Twsbi Diamond 540 (Bold Nib)

[tanalasta]

TWSBI 540 review

 

Context:

 

I'm currently going through a phase of 'budget' pens to use fun inks, use them at work and generally have fun without worrying aboutdamaging my nicer pens. In the past 6 months, I've had a colleague crack a MB149 barrel, dropped a telephone on a 60's MB 149 cap, dropped a pen or two…

 

And it's a real pain trying to clean out difficult inks from a piston filler you cannot takeapart. And even if you can … I just spent 15 minutes cleaning out with anultrasonic cleaner J'Herbin 1670 from my noodler's ahab and it is still stained!!!

 

I met a colleague with two of these around her lanyard, had a scribble and thought … I should get one!

 

So enter Goulet pens and the TWSBI 540

 

I usually put in a positive word for Goulet in my newer reviews where I've purchased from them. Personal communication from Brian &Rachel (although with their coming baby, perhaps that'll slow down a little). A large Priority USPS box with allsorts of papers, a Lamy 2000 and the TWSBI 540 accompanied my last order.

 

It took me a good 5 minutes with a Stanley knife … reachingback into the days of surgical terms in medical school to dissect out the cardbox box, bubble wrap, shrink wrap to get into my flawless package. Not adent, crease or mark on any of my products. I love the Goulet Pen Company.

 

Appearance:

 

For $50 … this is very well packaged. An outer cardbox box (sticker says TWSBI 530),instruction leaflet shared with the 540 and then a clear Perspex box (stickered TWSBI 540). All very clear, glossy and pretty.

 

Some of the nicest packaging I've seen.

 

Initial impressions were hey,this is nice! The finish is superb. Glossy, polished cap rings andclip. Clear, shiny pen demonstrator that has obviously been well polished, notlike the dull matte look of the Noodler's Ahab pen. And a nice heft.

 

This does not appear to be a $50 pen!!!

 

It is obvious that TWSBI take pen design seriously and theyalso have a presence (Speedy) on FPN.

 

The pictures below provide a size comparison between somewell known pens: Noodler's Ahab Flex Pen, Lamy 2000, MB 146, Sailor 1911, PilotVP and Visconti Homo Sapiens.

 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v474/Tanalasta/Fountain%20Pens/photo1.jpg

 

 

 

Filling system:

 

Piston. Transparent demo and holds a good deal of ink with acapacity of >1.5mL. Smooth, troble free and now my pen is filled deeply with Iroshizuku Tsuki-yo.

 

The piston works just as well as my best piston pens fromthe Lamy 2000 to the Aurora Optima … MB pistons are not my favourite norsmoothest and do not rate. It holds more ink than the predecessor the TWSBI530.

 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v474/Tanalasta/Fountain%20Pens/photo2.jpg

 

 

Nib:

 

Steel. Broad. Moderate flow (neither wet nor too dry …although if I really had to rate it .. it's on the dryer side of moderate. Very subjective. Very, very smooth ball tip. Reminds me of a Pelikan nib. Slightly soft and springy which gives it a nice feel and the nib is a little smaller thanI am used to … similar in size to a MB 145.

 

I find the grip section a little narrower than I am used towith a slight narrowing taper (almost conical) towards the nib. The gripsection is narrower than my MB 146.

 

I prefer straight sections but that's personal preference.

 

Plastic feed. Nothing much to say there. Nicely aligned.

 

I flushed in JB pen flush and water prior to using and it wrote perfectly out of the box. Iroshizuku inks work well in every and any pen I have!

 

Idiosyncracies:

 

Apparently you can take this pen completely apart to clean.I only have had it a little while and don't see any reason to.

 

It is a transparent demonstrator so use staining inks atyour own risk. E.g. J'Herbin 1670 is a lovely red colour with a gold shimmer but is highly saturated, cruds easily when dry and is a PAIN to clean… andstained my Ahab.

 

The pen does not post well. The cap needs to be able to travel down a little lower and more securely. Oh well… Write unposted.

 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v474/Tanalasta/Fountain%20Pens/photo3.jpg

 

The glossy finish does attract fingerprints.

 

The cap screws on nice and securely and has a slightly dampened feel towards the last ¼ turn or so. Very, very nice.

 

The nibs are interchangeable at $20 … also available from Goulet or TWSBI's online eBay store. I plan to buy an italic with my nextorder.

 

Summary:

 

It's a $50 pen. Make it colourful, put a gold nib on andthey could sell it at the same price as some of the SAILOR pens!

 

Beautiful finish, heft and design with a flawless, capacious piston filler. A smooth nib that's neither spectacular nor flawed. Perhaps just a little dry but well within satisfactory ranges. And at $50 … probably the starter FP for anyonewanting an affordable FP or someone wanting a spare pen.

 

How would I rate? Taking into account the price? 9/10 …the only real flaw is that it does not post well. Add a gold nib (not that it makes that much pragmatic difference … I just like gold) and you could sell this pen for $150 easy. You have a $50 steel nibbed pen that writes just as well as any pen worth double the price.

 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v474/Tanalasta/Fountain%20Pens/photo4.jpg

 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v474/Tanalasta/Fountain%20Pens/photo5.jpg

 

 

Edited December 17, 2011 by tanalasta

[PAKMAN]

Nice review, thanks! I just picked up a 540 and have yet to ink it. Looking forward to trying it out!

[i.like.whiskey]

Very nice review.

 

You might want to consider talking to speedy about your pen cap (or about just sending the whole thing back for a new one). My 540's cap fits on perfectly. It won't move at all when posted (and I don't force it into the back end of the pen).

Edited December 17, 2011 by i.like.whiskey

[Uncle Red]

Nice review. Could we see a writing sample? Is the Broad stubbish at all?

[puqq]

Nice review. Could we see a writing sample? Is the Broad stubbish at all?

 

Hear hear.

[watch_art]

Mine isn't even a little stubbish. Nice and round and SMOOTH. I've adjusted it so it runs quite a bit wetter. Spread the tines and hacked the feed a little. Love this pen.

 

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7022/6402404561_b2c9bd5f63.jpg

a few of my favorite greens! by snennewton, on Flickr

[fabrimedeiros]

Nice review! nice it's about a broad nib pen! There're so few broad pens reviews here. TWSBI 530-540 are outstanding pens!!

 

There are a few drawbacks in my opinion:

 

1) the section has that crack issue, however I suppose Speedy is fixing problem as we can see on facebook.

 

2) Those pens are not designed for use them posted. All pen which can be posted, the caps grab on the end of the barrel. In this case, the cap grabs on the blind cap, what make it too long, uncomfortable, unbalanced, and there is the risk of swing the blind cap, so spill ink.

 

3) LikeTanalasta, I prefer ticker sections. This section is too thin for the pen length. 543-540 have almost the same length of a Montblanc 146 or a Pelikan M800, but the section is proportionally thinner. It's an absolutely personal preference, though.

 

Despite those few issues, this pen is a great project, has much more qualities, is very well made, and is worth every penny!

Edited December 18, 2011 by fabrimedeiros

[tanalasta]

Updated with writing samples below:

 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v474/Tanalasta/Fountain%20Pens/TWSBI540sample.jpg

 

Thank you everyone for your comments

[Orange25]

Bought one of these a few months ago, and I'm finishing off the last dregs of ink from my most recent fill.

 

It's a well made pen and a bargain. Looks nice and writes well. I've had no problems with the piston mechanism. It won't post well as you've seen above, but that doesn't bother me.

 

I've got mine with a broad nib, and the one thing I will criticise it for is that it could have been smoother when new. It feels a lot smoother now, so it's not a real issue.

 

I also notice that the pen runs a little wetter now. When it was new, it was neither a wet nor dry writer - just in between. The wet lines came from exerting some extra pressure on the nib - there's a small degree of flex in the nib. I think over the last few months my writing style has spread the tines out just a tiny bit more.

 

Overall, I'd happily recommend this pen to others who are looking for a bargain piston filler.

Edited December 18, 2011 by Orange25

[1point1mm]

Thank you for the review. I am awaiting delivery sometime this week of the TWSBI Diamond with a "B" nib. Is the nib stiff or is there some flex to it?

 

Thanks!

[tanalasta]

Hello! In my pocket right now...

 

The nib is actually quite soft. And if you press too hard ... it opens up nicely. There is only a mild degree of flex and I wouldn't call it a flex nib. The steel would probably spring if you pushed too hard.

[1point1mm]

Hello! In my pocket right now...

 

The nib is actually quite soft. And if you press too hard ... it opens up nicely. There is only a mild degree of flex and I wouldn't call it a flex nib. The steel would probably spring if you pushed too hard.

Thanks for that information. I believe I'm going to really like the TWSBI Diamond when it does arrive!

[Rubicon]

I have to say this pen looks a lot more expensive than it actually is, and a lot of limited edition demonstrators from higher end brands don't pull of their pens half as well as this.

[MikaLa]

I have this pen and happily agree with all the good things said. I got more pen for my money with the 540 than anything else I have ever had. M.

[tenney]

Someone brought a 540 with Broad nib to yesterday's SF Pen Posse... I was quite pleasantly surprised at how nicely it wrote.

[1point1mm]

Someone brought a 540 with Broad nib to yesterday's SF Pen Posse... I was quite pleasantly surprised at how nicely it wrote.

 

Truly indeed I'd say.

[WriterJP]

Nice review! nice it's about a broad nib pen! There're so few broad pens reviews here. TWSBI 530-540 are outstanding pens!!

 

There are a few drawbacks in my opinion:

 

1) the section has that crack issue, however I suppose Speedy is fixing problem as we can see on facebook.

 

2) Those pens are not designed for use them posted. All pen which can be posted, the caps grab on the end of the barrel. In this case, the cap grabs on the blind cap, what make it too long, uncomfortable, unbalanced, and there is the risk of swing the blind cap, so spill ink.

 

3) LikeTanalasta, I prefer ticker sections. This section is too thin for the pen length. 543-540 have almost the same length of a Montblanc 146 or a Pelikan M800, but the section is proportionally thinner. It's an absolutely personal preference, though.

 

Despite those few issues, this pen is a great project, has much more qualities, is very well made, and is worth every penny!

 

I just picked up a Smoke 540 and I have to say it is a vast improvement in terms of feel over the 530 design. Odd though that section cracking problems were the achilles heel of the 530; the biggest problem I have with my clear 530 demonstrator is that the barrel keeps cracking. I had contacted Speedy once before for a replacement when it cracked near the section, but just a few weeks later (this was months ago) it cracked AGAIN, this time on the opposite end (near the piston knob). I've just lived with it since then, although it kinda bothers me. I do hope this pen turns out to be more durable than the first.

 

Speaking of the nibs, the F nib I have on my 530 is noticably smaller than the 540 F nib. I would guess this must have something to do with a switch in nib designers/suppliers?

 

At any rate, I think the smoke 540 is an absolutely wonderful addition to my collection and look forward to the launch of the Vac700.

[Lyander0012]

First of all, yikes. Having a Montblanc 149 mistreated like that would probably put me off bringing fountain pens to work, or in my case, school. That's not to say I actually have a Montblanc, mind you

 

Anyway, I've actually got a bottle of Rouge Hematite lying around on my desk, but I'm afraid to use it with some of my nicer pens, and I'd really rather not make a habit of buying up disposable FPs. May I just ask whether you've tried using the j. herbin ink with your 540, and whether or not it left any stains in the piston? I'd really appreciate the feedback, since I'm considering buying a B or 1.5mm Diamond 580 to use with my more colourful and exotic inks.

 

Lastly, this was an excellent and informative review! Thanks for sharing

 

 

P.S.

Thanks for the direct size and writing comparison with a Lamy 2000 (fine nib)- that's the exact same pen I have! Greatly adds to perspective, haha. Cheers!

[rizo52]

Thanks for the review. I have a 540 with a Pendleton CI in M and love it. It's an amazing pen for the price!!!

[WDP4BAAZ]

Thanks for a nice review .

 

I have to buy a TWSBI now ..

 

Regards ,

 

'BAAZ'