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Hello FPNners! I have a question regarding Namiki Blue. I am buying a TWSBI 580 and want to make this my everyday ink. However, I was wondering if it would stain it. Also if so, has anyone tried bleach/ammonia solutions on it? I really don't want to permanently stain my pen. Thank you!

Good Morning Everyone, Sorry if this is covered anywhere else... I haven't found it anywhere in my searches. I have a Vac 700 that is getting stiff to plunge for refills. I'm wondering where exactly I should be applying the grease that came with the pen? Do I pull out the plunger, and lubricate the shaft? Do I need to lubricate the o-ring, and if so, how do I go about doing this? Thanks so much in advance, -Portamenti

Hello, I just recently received my TWSBI Vac-700 Demonstrator in Medium, and although I am leaving already (oh bittersweet, to receive a pen and not use it immediately right after) from Japan to California, I'd thought it to answer my own question: Can the TWSBI Vac-700 truly withstand leaks on an airplane, be used on-board, and not leak when landing (or even when in use)? http://i.imgur.com/7n1HaOi.jpg To answer this question I've filled my TWSBI with bottled water (so that should it leak or heaven-forbid, explode) to the brim using the technique shown by Brian Goulet, and will have it in my jacket pocket nib up, then when the airplane reaches a constant altitude, I'll begin scribbling first with the water inside the feed with the blind cap closed until it starts to dry out, then open the cap so that water flows to the feed. Hopefully nothing happens other than continuing to write. After about half of the water has been used, I'll close the blind cap, cutting off the water flow, then place it back in my pocket again nib side up. Once I land, I'll check my pen, if there's no water, then we''ll know this pen is perfectly suitable for Airplane carry and use. I'll let you know the results as soon as I get home, and take pictures if possible.

So i have a metropolitan with a M nib. This nib is great for me, so what would be more like that a fine or x-fine nib, thanks!

I tried to disassemble my TWSBI Diamond 580, which actually went pretty smoothly. I then inserted the entire piston back into the pen. The problem is that the piston knob does not fully unscrew now. I can't fit the TWSBI wrench into the slot because it's too slim. Any thoughts on how to go about fixing this?

Hello! I just purchased my first TWSBI, the Classic EF, My research told me the EF nib would lay a line just slightly more fine than a Lamy Al-Star, but it's more like a European medium and very wet. As I tend to write very small, I had hoped that perhaps a different ink might help compensate. De Atramentis Indigo is the only ink that seems to work well; other De Atramentis inks (Plum most notably) and a few Noodler's inks were a disaster. I didn't have this issue with either my Lamy or Pilot Metropolitan. My paper quality varies, I prefer Rhodia but a lot of my notes are on cheap Staples notebooks so the bleeding and feathering make the writing almost illegible. I'm relatively new to fountain pens so I do apologize if I'm repeating a question or I'm unclear in my terms, but any help or advice would be greatly appreciated! Thank you for your time!

For anyone interested in a fairly comprehensive description of the pen, and what comes in the box with it, Brian Goulet has put up a Q&A-style post on his blog - well worth reading (even if, like me, you've ordered yours from somewhere else!). My one caveat: swapping nibs between the Eco and the Classic or Diamond Mini is NOT a trivial exercise: the nib and feed are fitted so tightly into the 'nib assembly' casing that there's a non-zero risk of bending or breaking fins on the feed. I'm very comfortable disassembling my Diamond 580 nib assemblies - but after a near miss with my Mini (a few slightly bent tines that I was able to re-straighten), I'm no longer game... Anyway, here's the link - happy reading! http://blog.gouletpens.com/2015/07/answering-your-twsbi-eco-questions.html

I have a TWSBI 580 with an EF nib, but even that is not fine enough for me. Does anyone know of a finer nib, like a Japanese EF nib, that can be swapped with a TWSBI 580 nib?

This is my first post and I already read the awesome FAQ looking for answers, but haven't seen much in the way of what I was wanting to know. Small background on me. I'm a writer and I write at least 2-3 pages a day, front and back, in a Miquel Rius notebook with my Pilot Prera in a M nib. I've found a happy spot with the pen, I love the size and feel but I want something a little flashier that might last longer. I have recently tried other a number of other pens, mostly Jinhao, but also a Nemosine Singularity, which wrote very wet and caused a bit of bleedthrough on my notebook. I'm looking for a pen that will write relatively dry, possibly in a Western Fine nib. Current front runners are the TWSBI Eco in F (Giving it a second chance, hated my Mini to the point of returning it) and the Pelikan M200 (Demonstrator). Open to any other suggestions, preferably small and chunky pens for someone with small hands that will write similar to a Pilot Prera in M that is a bit more forgiving with paper. MiquelRius is pretty great for FP, but the real swanky paper is a bit out of my price range, especially since I write so much. Thanks!

It works! and works well! I'm not very good with Flex nibs yet, but my son has been using dip pens and flex nibs for a while. I will have to get him to provide some better writing samples. He's only almost 14 and has been writing with fountain pens since he was 8 and he's a lefty. So there's hope for us all! Enjoy

What are your thoughts on each pen and which would you recommend buying first? They are relatively equally priced so I wanted to know which is better overall. Thanks!

TWSBI "Tweeted" these photos a few days ago which show prototypes of a new inkwell they are developing to replace Inkwell 50. I think they're both very interesting designs. Here's what they said: "R&D drew up some samples of possible bottle looks. What do y'all think?" Moderators...please feel free to move this post if it belongs in a different section. Thanks.

I recently sent my broad Diamond 580AL to TWSBI because it was skipping a lot of would not write unless I laid down quite a bit of pressure. Since it was sent back, the problem persists. Anyone have a recommendation for a good nibmeister to send my pen to? I had also sent in my fine Vac 700, which I now regret because I put quite a bit of work into it to get it to write well. I thought it could be tweaked to write wetter, but it came back drier and scratchier than before. But I'll just swap it out for my Goulet 1.5mm, which writes a lot better.

Hello all, I was thinking of buying a new pen. After researching a bit, I settled on getting either a TWSBI 580 or a Vac700. The problem is deciding which one. I've read a lot of reviews and whatnot, but I want to hear from you guys on the topic. Any info/advice is much appreciated. Thanks!! -CJ

Hello all, I'm thinking of getting a new fountain pen, but I've recently run in to some trouble. I thought I knew what I wanted, but I'm not so sure now. I thought I would post on here and try to get some opinions of those that are in the fountain pen community. The pen I thought I wanted was the TWSBI 580AL http://www.gouletpens.com/tw-580al-silver/p/TW-580AL-Silver I really like the look of this and I enjoy the idea of having a demonstrator style pen as I do not have one. The new-comer to this is the Faber-Castell Ambition http://www.gouletpens.com/faber-castell-ambition-black-resin-fountain-pen/p/FB-Ambition-Black I feel like this style is more of a classy and adult look and seems to be a bit sturdier. I haven't used either of these pens and would love to hear what people have to say about these two. Thanks in advance! Alex

Why the heck should I pay fifty dollars for a cheap plastic pen?—those were my initial thoughts as I fresh review after review raving about how magnificent a pen the new TWSBI was. This was 2011, when the TWSBI Mini had just flooded the market, generating a parade of followers with size rivaling those of Pelikan’s and Lamy’s. Twenty-eleven was about a year after I had begun my fountain pen collecting journey, a time when I still put my fullest beliefs in solid, heavy brass-barreled cartridge/converter pens, when I believed every-bit that weight represented quality. So I brushed TWSBI aside as a fad, partly because I didn’t believe in lightweight pens, and partly because I was scared away by the numerous pictures and posts about cracking issues, and slowly waited for TWSBI to eventually disappear, bound to the obscure edges of the fountain pen world. But it always stayed, looming so strong in the distance, reviewers raved about the fantastic pens, and TWSBI’s pens showed up on list after list of must buy pens. It would not be until 2014—a good three years later—that I would finally give in. By then, I had warmed to the idea of plastic pens. I had owned a couple plastic pens—namely a Pelikan and a Pilot 823—which I absolutely loved. I had slowly begun to understand the long-term value of a pen that was light and easy to wield, a pen that could beautiful dart between the purple lines of crisp Rhodia paper. It was November 1, 2014—that was the day I ordered my first TWSBI, a clear demonstrator 580. I had $50 in my Amazon account that was burning a hole in my pocket, and my qualms about the cracking issues had finally been set aside slightly by the commensurate posts about TWSBI’s great customer service. I figured there was nothing to lose in purchasing a TWSBI, and I figured if all went to hell, I could just return the pen on Amazon. The pen arrived just two days later, peeking out at me with its yellow envelope. And I was blown away. Reading the reviews, I had always expected the TWSBI to made of cheap Bic pen plastic. I had expected the pen to be something that I would have to replace in about a year—a consumable pen, which I so much abhorred. But the TWSBI 580 was something of a next level pen. It’s plastic bore a sort of familiar heft, and the way the plastic was molded on the barrel—the absolutely striking diamond design—blew me away. I was startled by the creativity behind TWSBI, the idea to cut the barrel a certain way so as to add some depth to the basic cylindrical design that plagued so many other demonstrator pens. In the light, it resembled the crystal bases of whiskey glasses, creating a dance of light and reflections as I slowly turned the pen in the sun. And then I lost my TWSBI 580. Just a week later, it was gone. I set it down somewhere, and that was it. It was the first time I had lost a fountain pen, and the fact that it was a TWSBI, made it that much more heartbreaking. It felt as if I was just beginning to discover a pen that could very well be everything I was looking for—and then, it just disappeared. Later that year, and into 2015, I would order a couple other pens—a Lamy 2K that was way overdue, a Visconti Homo Sapiens, among others—but I always felt my mind coming back to the TWSBI 580. Both the Lamy and the Visconti were absolutely fantastic pens—don’t get me wrong—but I always had this sense that TWSBI could do better—TWSBI could easily make the same pen at a far lower price. But I couldn’t bear—at the time—the thought of owning another TWSBI 580. The wounds of my loss were too fresh, the TWSBI was like a dog that had passed away—I couldn’t just go out and get one that looked just like it. June 3rd, I finally ordered another TWSBI. This time it was a TWSBI Mini with an extra-fine nib. I knew I would love the TWSBI Mini because it had everything I loved about the 580 in a smaller—and postable—form factor. Like last time, the TWSBI Mini came two days later. I can confidently say now that the TWSBI Mini is my favorite fountain pen. Expensive pens like Viscontis and Pelikans are fantastic, but I’ve always been plagued with the fear of losing them, and thus those pens rarely leave the house with me. Chase Jarvis has said that, “The best camera is the one that’s with you”. Similarly, my great Holy Grail pens are fantastic, but—unlike the little TWSBI—they are never with me, and therefore the TWSBI is my best pen. It is pen that is available at a price point where it will always be with me. Furthermore the absolutely stellar customer support at TWSBI means that I don’t need to worry if any problems ever arise. I can’t think of a single other fountain pen brand—not even Pelikan or Omas—where I can personally e-mail the owner and immediately get a problem fixed. If purchases are a union of trust between the seller and buyer, then I have every reason to trust the people at TWSBI. In a way, I feel inspired by TWSBI’s story. TWSBI began as a manufacturer churning out uninspiring, cheap unbranded ballpoint pens for other brands. But then TWSBI decided that it would create its own brand, that it would manufacture absolutely fantastic fountain pens at a low cost. TWSBI to me represents the classic story of trading financial security for passion. The people at TWSBI decided that they wanted to create something that absolutely delights and inspires its customers, instead of basic cheap ballpoint pens. Today, I would purchase a TWSBI fountain pen even if they weren’t good, knowing that I would be supporting a company that seeks passion. But TWSBI pens aren’t just good, they’re fantastic, which makes purchasing that much easier. And every time I pull out my TWSBI, I am reminded of the great quality and writing experience, and I’m reminded that if the desire to pursue a passion can create a fountain pen this great, then I have every bit the reason to pursue what makes me happy. In a way, TWSBI inspires me to ignore the basic securities and pursue—throw myself head-first—into whatever it is I love. And perhaps, just perhaps, I can create something as great as a TWSBI fountain pen.

Just showing off my new VAC700 1.1mm with Apache Sunset. http://imgur.com/FuxG5SR I can't believe how nice this pen is for the cost

Hi all, I am coming of of my first pen (Lamy Safari) and I was wondering which of the two you would recommend and why. The price of the 580 is much more appealing to me ($60 vs $85), and I don't know if the Vac is worth the extra cost. Thanks!

Hi All, I currently have a Sailor Professional EF (aka XF?) in which I use Sailor Black Ink. My writing is very small, so I'm very happy with this pen! Recently I've been doing 'bullet journaling' and I'd like another FP loaded with a contrasting but highly readable ink, so I can add notes etc. Partly due to the price, I'm seriously considering a TWSBI 700VAC, with an EF nib. From reviews, I'm expecting this to write more broadly than the Sailor EF, but I'm hoping it will still go well enough with my handwriting (currently, to write contrast notes, I'm using a Platinum Preppy 02 FP with blue ink - this actually isn't horrible, but it would be nice to step up to something that doesn't feel quite so disposable). I'm wondering if anyone can recommend a rich purple, or perhaps brown, ink that works well with a TWSBI EF nib and suits EF lines? Many thanks! pt

TWSBI Diamond 580 Rose Gold Edition in Fine Writing Performance Review If you have any questions, feel free to ask them here!

Last night, I was dreaming-up unique ideas for TWSBI designs, and I hit upon a concept that merges two of my favorite pen designs into one, while remaining truly TWSBI. I would love to see a skeletonized TWSBI fountain pen. What do I mean? Contemplate for a moment the Montblanc Skeleton 333: http://40.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_kynrh6gLt31qbndmho1_1280.jpg Now contemplate how the TWSBI Diamond 580 or Diamond 580 AL would look with latticework like that, wrapped around perhaps a round (not necessarily Diamond-pattern) barrel, of the same chrome metal as the furniture on other TWSBI pens. http://www.stilografica.it/writable/Penne/TWSBI/TWSBI%20Diamond%20580%20AL%20Clear%20Demo%20Fountain%20Pen%20-%20Penna%20Stilografica.jpg Certainly, it would make the barrel thicker, but perhaps no thicker than a TWSBI Micarta barrel. Thoughts? I would love to see a render, if someone has the technical know-how to put one together.

It's time for a new pen! I'm looking for a pen in ~$200 price range. I'm quite fascinated by the Pelikan Souveran line, Pilot Custom Heritage Line, Omas pens, and the Sailor PG/1911 line, but I'm not sure as to what pen would be the best. However, I'm certainly not limiting myself to just these brands; I'm open to any new ideas too. I'm looking for a nib that, while not labeled as semiflex, will give a little. A nice, springy nib. If any of you have experience with pens in this range, any advice would be greatly Thanks, CJ

All in the title, but a few more details. Tight on budget, but I do want a pen and a 580 is around the ballpark on the maximum I want to spend this moment. I've seen some glowing reviews for the 580 and the Al Star, so I really can't decide myself. I'm leaning more to the Al Star but the major factor is smoothness. I've had a Safari and I know the nib was smooth, but can the 580 bring something different and enjoyable too? Edit: Nib preference would F or M. Also the writing angle would be a bit low, but pretty sure both pens are lax on the angle.

I have read so much about the TWSBI's having problems. Yet there are many people who just love these pens. I have formed the idea that the 580AL is less problem prone since it has an aluminum section. Am I correct in this assumption ? Or is the difference in build quality not worth worrying about ? I actually prefer the looks of the 580 (non-AL version).

Hi everyone, You guys have already helped me buy a Pilot Metropolitan (fine) and a Kaweco Classic (fine), now I need your help again. My older brother is buying me a Twsbi 580 in Rose Gold (for my birthday woo) but i'm not sure what nib size is should get. I do like my fine nibs but this time I want something that is really smooth, so I was just wondering what your opinions are on the fine and medium Twsbi nibs. Thanks