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Firstly, I really, really love my two Ecos. I have other pens, but since I have owned one, it is a TWSBI that I usually I pick up. The 1.1 stub is amazing, but that is another thread. I have noticed a few small cracks on the barrel where the nib section fits in. I am a serial flusher - because I like to change colour (don't they just look wonderful in this pen?) - so I wonder if the removing of the nib/section has caused this? I bought the pen in June last year so about seven months old. Anyone else experienced this? What do we think? Ta a lot. David SaveSave

Hello everyone, I am willing to buy a TWSBI ECO fountain pen. But If I do then it will be my most expensive fountain pen. I just need to have some feedback from the TWSBI Eco users here. As the pen is made up of a transparent plastic body, does the portion holding the ink gets stained with the ink colour? And is the body prone to cracks and scratches?

Hi guys, quick question to be 100% sure: TWSBI eco: putting back the friction fit nib and feed: does it fit in every position / angle or is there only one slot where it will fit? After ruining a Lamy I want to be 100% sure this time... I have tried to search the internet and the forum but I couldn't find a satisfying answer. Please excuse me if I have overlooked the obvious...

Dear All, Greetings, I am from India and have newly joined FPN, a goldmine of information regarding fountain pens. I recently got (re-)interested in fountain pens after using a Lamy Safari for past 2-3 years. I needed something with better ink capacity and found TWSBI Eco to start with However, due to my stupidity I lost it's nib, and now cannot find a reasonably priced replacement for it here in India. Please guide as to what are my possible options. Thanks and regards

I think this is my second post here on FPN. I was having some issues with my diplomat magnum and Faber Castell, and with exams looming over my head, I decided to play around with my pens and just try tweaking and swapping some nibs around (a perfect way to destress ). It may not be completely useful or helpful to everyone, but I started when I was having issues with diplomat magnum and FC ambition nibs. Bottom line is if anyone is having issues with FC Ambition nibs and want a cheaper replacement, a diplomat magnum is perfect or if someone has an extra FC nib lying around (like I did) and wants to try it out, switching it onto a magnum is perfect. Although it requires some work to get the nib off of the magnum. The FC nib even performed better on the magnum than it did on the Ambition in my case (less scratchiness, and it was an EF nib, but after the switch to magnum, it writes wonderfully and surprisingly with more of a fine wet line. And writing on Tomoe River paper with a smooth writing nib and a beautiful Pelikan Turquoise ink does not necessarily require a reason

Hi, I was thinking about buying my first TWSBI pen and I'm confused about which one I should buy. I've shortlisted the TWSBI Eco, TWSBI 580 and TWSBI Vac 700. If it were up to you, which pen would you buy and recommend?

I began writing with a fountain pen this year (hoping to improve my handwriting), so please forgive if this isn't the most informative review you've ever read. I've read a few here on FPN, and this will not be as well-rounded as those reviews. I have four fountain pens; a Pentel Tradio that I picked up from Staples, which costs around $15. A Pilot Varsity, which is a disposable fountain pen that costs less than $5. A Speedball calligraphy pen I picked up at Michaels. And finally, a TWSBI Eco, which costs around $30. I wrote the inks I'm using on the image by the pen name. The Pentel Tradio came with a very, in my opinion, dull color of blue. Being winter, I found it kind of depressing to look at. So, I replaced it with Private Reserve "American Blue," which is just what I want a blue pen ink to look like. I don't have the expertise yet to talk about ink performance. The Pentel takes standard international cartridges. Mine are "short," and fit fine, but they also take the long ones. My Pentel skips a lot and the nib catches onto the paper. I'm using a Fabriano paper for this demonstration. I'm looking forward to trying more types of paper over the next year too. I was wondering how much of the skipping was my inexpertise with using a fountain pen (its only been a couple of weeks now). So, I bought the disposable Pilot Varsity. I wouldn't call the ink blue, though that's what its advertised as. It looks purple to me. Maybe indigo. That doesn't really come out much in the image above though. Here's another picture, which might show the inks more clearly. I hate to say it, but for these specific pens at least, the $5 Varsity writes better than the $15 Pentel. It is smoother and skips less. I began carrying around the Varsity to work (I teach part-time at a university). Both are a medium nib. But one part of beginning to use fountain pens for me is being less ecologically destructive (the book I wrote on ecology and music), so the Varsity won't do as a long-term solution. I also wanted to try a Calligraphy pen, so I picked up the Speedball at Michaels. It's a 1.1 nib. I don't really like black ink that much so I got a green (also Speedball) ink, and it looks fine. It is actually smoother than the other two. But I'm not going to use a Calligraphy pen for my everyday work. Still, perhaps something with a slightly broader nib might still work. So, I bought the TWSBI Eco with a broad nib. It actually doesn't feel any broader than the two medium nibs above. But it writes a million times smoother than any of the other pens I own at this point. It was worth the $30. I am using the Diamine Oxblood, which I am using to grade papers. It works surprisingly well even on bad papers. It is smooth and doesn't get caught on any of the student papers I've used it on. My friend Matt has used and repaired fountain pens for years (I went to high school with him, way back in the late 80s-early 90s), but I didn't know it until him liking Lamy Pens came up on my Facebook feed. So, I asked him, and he told me about this website, Goulet Pens. I wish I had bought my Eco there, because its 4 dollars cheaper. If I had it to do over again, I probably wouldn't have bought the Pentel Tradio, because mine doesn't write well enough for me to validate the $15 (its not like part-time lecturers get paid all that well:) I read a lot of reviews prior to choosing the TWSBI Eco, and am grateful that it has a ton of them. Maybe in the future I'll be able to compare the TWSBI Eco to other comparable pens (similar price range), like the Pilot Metropolitan and Lamy Safari. But for now, I'm happy with my choice. Best! Daniel

I need help... I was attempting to smooth out the nib on my TWSBI ECO using the cardboard sleeve included in the packaging. I just drew a couple figure eights at first. I checked on some regular notebook paper and... it was now a lot scratchier! Desperately, I drew more and more figure eights until I realized I had been making it worse and worse. Any advice on how to revive the nib? It was fine at first; I was just a little ambitious with the smoothness.

Hi. I'm planning on buying myself a Twsbi Eco just after Christmas, and I'm torn between which nib to get - A stub or a medium. Typically I write quite quickly, and reasonably small with a medium nib, but I really love the look of writing with a stub. There is a photograph of my handwriting written with a Waterman Gentleman with an 18k gold Medium nib, inked with Waterman Black ink. What do you think? Thanks!

Hello. I recently acquired a twsbi eco in ef, and so I was doing a little after-research about the pen and I found some sites or reviews saying that the nib could offer some line variation ( sbrebrown's serious nibbage episode on the eco), while others (like the eco's review on scribblejot by thomas xavier) saying that it was a "steel nail". I don't want to spring the tines on my eco by overpressing the nib to try and achieve a little line variation, so could someone please tell me whether the nib will offer line variation at a decent pressure? Thanks!

Hi! I received my first TWSBI—an Eco—and I was wondering how resistant it is to staining from "strong" inks. In particular, I am looking at filling it with Noodler's Kung Te-Cheng, which is a great ink but also something that people have described as "apocalypse-proof". I have lent it successfully to people when their ballpoints (ew) would not on the signature space on credit cards so it is that kind of special and stubborn. I don't have high hopes for its compatibility but if it has been tried and tested it would a welcome surprise. nb. I get the whole battle scars argument but I prefer my pens to be on the side of "pristine"

Introduction: The TWSBI Eco fountain pen was a birthday gift from my day. There is quite an interesting story with this pen. I ordered this from The Goulet Pen Company and chose USPS First Class International because it was the cheapest option. But…. the package never reached Abu Dhabi. I informed GPC about this and they took care of me by shipping another one through FedEx- for free. They have great customer service. The pen reached me within a week and when I inked it up for the first time, I was…. disappointed. It wrote way too wet with Waterman Purple. I thought it must be the ink so I changed it to Pelikan 4001 Royal Blue but still no use. So, I thought that is the characteristic of the ECO so I let it be that way and filled it back with the Waterman. One fine day, I sat down to do a project for school and the pen dripped purple ink on the paper and of course, the project was ruined. Fast forward to a few months, the section cracked and the feed stem broke. I never reviewed the pen due to my experience. With some hesitation, I ordered replacement parts (feed and barrel) from TWSBI and now, I am as happy as I could be. Packaging: The TWSBI Eco comes in a frosted plastic box which I just seem to love. It doesn’t take up much place but does what it needs to. It holds a vial of silicone grease, a TWSBI wrench, the pen and two manuals. It does its job perfectly. I wouldn’t be grading packaging from now because it doesn’t impact the usability of the pen in any way. Construction and Looks (9/10): The TWSBI Eco is TWSBI’s most economical pen at around 30 dollars. They minimized costs by reducing the amount of metal in the pen but haven’t cut down on quality. It has a very minimalistic design with a nice geeky elegance. The only metal parts being the nib, clip and cap band are highly polished. The clip reads ‘TWSBI’ and ‘ECO TAIWAN’. The white of the plastic accents the clear smooth barrel well. The cap and piston knob are faceted. The nib is a small nib which is very brightly polished and has the TWSBI logo stamped on it. The only place of dislike for me is the cap insert of the TWSBI logo. It feels really cheap especially after trying the Diamond 580. But for 30, I can’t complain much. Filling and Cleaning (8/10): The TWSBI Eco though economical, comes with a piston filler. It has a nice ink capacity and is really smooth to use with just a bit of resistance that makes you realize you’re turning a knob. Filling is a breeze and so is cleaning. You can take apart the pen completely with the exception of the clear section. But at times, in the small groves just before the section, ink can get stuck and is quite difficult to remove. Other than that, I have no problems. Maintenance (9/10): As I said before, the pen can be taken apart which makes maintenance very easy. TWSBI provides with a wrench made of plastic to take the pen apart and a small vial of silicone grease which can be used to grease and smoothen the piston system. The only problem is that it is a liquid kind of silicone grease which can get into the section if you aren’t careful. Also, it doesn’t resist water as well as the thick one. Writing (10/10): The TWSBI Eco is a workhorse of a pen with a beautiful medium nib and a perfect ink flow (with the new feed). The nib is on the finer side of western medium which writes very smooth with a whisper of feedback. I use the pen with Pelikan Edelstein Smoky Quartz that I received at the Pelikan Hub 2017 Abu Dhabi. This is my favorite nib in my collection with the ASA Nauka nib being a close second. I have no complaints here whatsoever. Conclusion (9/10): The TWSBI Eco fountain pen is a serious pen for any beginner and I would recommend it to anyone. Yes, it can have some problems but TWSBI will take care of you if it does. I would place this pen leagues above the Lamy Al-star/Safari/Vista and Pilot Metropolitan. The pen is really a great value for the money. For something of an interesting nib, the 1.1 stub is awesome. I tried it at the Pelikan hub 2017 Abu Dhabi. I will also use a new way of describing a pen here- Closer to my hand- Writes great, workhorse and comfortable. Closer to my heart- Something special with an emotional story behind it. Closer to my wallet- Economical and nice quality. This pen is both closer to my hand and wallet. I give it a big yes. Thank you for reading my review of the TWSBI Eco and let me know your thoughts below.

Hi guys, I have a TWSBI Eco. It's a good, competent pen, smooth, with a large ink capacity,I like screw caps, and it's inexpensive. On the other hand I'm not in love with the pen. I borrowed a lot of Ecos (probably a dozen or more) from friends before and I was never struck by how good they were. They were nice, and I knew I was going to try one eventually—if a good deal came my way—but it wasn't high on my list. I just felt that it lacked a bit of character, a bit of a quirkiness. From that and from your own experiences, should I get a Wing Sung 698? What does the 698 have that an Eco does not, why do you like one over the other? For additional context I have a 659 I bought last year. Again, a good pen, but I don't find myself reaching for it. There was also a problem with the feed (ink would not come down) that I eventually fixed. From what I understand, the 698 and the 659 have the same writing end (I also have a couple of 78G pens from <F> to <B>). Besides the piston filler capacity, what does the 698 bring to the table that those two don't? Does it feel better in the hand, is it better made? Lastly, I got the 659 because I like demonstrators and I love clear feeds. However, the feed on mine has stained. I don't recall what ink I had in the pen, but I don't think it was any problematic ink because it's only the feed that got stained and not the section or the converter although it is also possible that I had the pen inked much more than usual (didn't reach for it much), but did you get your 698 feed stained? With what ink?

Hello, guys. I am here today to ask you a very serious question and seek your opinions. I have planned to buy an expensive pen during the Diwali and I have started saving for that. I have two pens in mind, the TWSBI Eco and the NOODLER'S AHAB Flex fountain pen. Both are piston filler, I just love piston filler and ED types. I have seen the videos on youtube regarding the Eco and Noodlers.If anyone is here that have either or both of these two pens please share me your opinion on the basis of - 1. Durability 2. Maintenance 3. Performance. I would really like to own these two but I can't afford to buy them both, so I have to pick one between them. Thanks in advance.

Hello all! I am new here but I have been lurking for quite some time trying to gather as much information as I could about pens and ink! I am a nun from the US so I don't have a lot of money to spend on pens, but I do love the art and the beauty that is found in the fountain pen world! I am looking for a workhorse pen, something I am use at work as a nurse, and something for personal writing. I was looking at the lamy safari dark lilac and the twsbi eco... I am a huge fan of anything purple ( you know that lovely shade of blue purple!) What is a good work purple ( dark enough to use at work but rebellious enough to be purple ) and a good journaling purple? ( I have to admit I am intrigued by the diamond shimmertastic lilac satin but I don't want any clogging or pen problems! I am so grateful to this community for the resource and inspiration you are and have been to me! Be back soon!

Hi there! I am Moniek - Aceymo - 25 y/o and I am from Almere (next to Amsterdam) in The Netherlands. I was told about this forum by a Fountain pen retailer from the Netherlands. I have used fountain pens before in primary school at the age of 5. It was a pain really, all the ink all over my hands and clothes. Not even being a lefty! When allowed to use ballpoints in high school I was overjoyed. Thinking about that makes me laugh now. I actually came into contact again with the fountain pen a few months ago via the Bullet Journaling community. A lot of people trying to improve their handwriting using fine liners and a technique called faux calligraphy, but also some using actual fountain pens. I COULD NOT BELIEVE IT! People actually using those awful things from primary school??? I did some research and honestly... fell in love after 2 hours! I dug up my old pen, and after watching some of Brian Goulets' videos on fountain pen maintenance, wrote with it for the first time in 18 years! It was not great... huge let down from all the enthusiasm building inside me. So the next week I bought a Lamy Safari (only one available in the entire city) and started writing in my Bullet Journal. Now after 2/3 months I have found other pens (Parker and one without the brandname visible) from back in the day, cleaned them, added a TWSBI Eco, lots of ink samples (not sure which to get a full bottle of yet) and I have watched numerous youtube videos. Eager to learn more every day. I am also alone in my group of friends and colleagues in using fountain pens. I could really use new insights, more information, other reviews and new friends really to share my passion for this newly discovered world to me. (also never used a forum before, so quite a noobie!) I'd love to chat with all of you! Goodnight!

TWSBI ECO - 1.1 Stub Nib This is the first non Indian pen I am going to review and I hope you all like the review and please leave the comments if you like. The same has been reviewed at my blog and you are welcomed to visit my blog to check the reviews : LINK This pen actually took almost 4 months to come into my hand. Even though I have TWSBI 580 Al Orange but I was more excited about the ECO. This pen was bought from Frank of FONTOPLUMO. It was booked as soon as it was launched and Frank was kind enough to hold the pen for more than a month and he was even kind enough to hand over the order to a visiting friend (Kapil Apashankar) in Netherlands and i must also mention this that the pen was on hold despite me not making the payment. And in the end I bought not just Eco but lot more pens for myself which will be reviewed here slowly. Also let me take this opportunity to thank Kapil for taking all the pain of collecting the pens and sending it across to me from Pune. So this is review about TWSBI ECO. TWSBI ECO DESIGN AND BUILT : 04/05 The pen came in a no nonsense plastic box and the pen and the accessories were well packed. I took the white color model. The pen currently comes in two colors: Black and White. However there are certain other colors being proposed by TWSBI on their blog. It’s a well designed elegant pen and even though it looks chunky when capped. It’s a beautiful pen when inked. TWSBI ECO – Beauty Shot The barrel is clear acrylic which is again of good quality and is circular instead of faceted design of TWSBI 580 or VAC. The grip section is also clear acrylic and you can see the ink flowing to the feed from barrel to section and feed. I kind of love the demonstrators. They actually take the color of the ink you put in. Looks lovely. TWSBI ECO – Capped The pen is actually one piece from grip section to barrel, only knob being different. Some people have not like the cap design but for me it’s just okay and carries the design cues from the faceted design of 580 or Vac. The cap and piston knob both have faceted design. All the trims are chrome silver finish and the centre band of the cap has TWSBI and ECO imprinted on the band. TWSBI ECO – Cap View TWSBI ECO – Cap Clip View TWSBI ECO – Cap and Piston Knob – Faceted TWSBI ECO – Cap Inner View The best thing about the pen is the rubberized O ring at the joint of piston knob and barrel which really helps in secure posting of the Cap. One thing to be noticed here is that apart from the nib and cap clip there is no metal part in the pen. Also like the O ring at the bottom there is one more O ring at the front of barrel which ensures the Cap doesn’t slip of and is securely closed. Below image shows the pen capped and uncapped for comparison. The pen is just tad smaller than TWSBI 580 when it is capped. I love the pen and I believe there is no good quality piston filler demonstrator in this price range. Below are the few images showing the comparison of the pen with others. TWSBI ECO vs Parker Sonnet vs Pelikan M200 Cognac – Capped TWSBI ECO vs Parker Sonnet vs Pelikan M200 Cognac – Uncapped and Posted The pen is similarly prized as Lamy Safari and I believe this is better bet. BALANCE : 05/05 The pen is very well balanced whether the cap is posted at back or not. Its a sizable pen and it is just a tad bit longer than 580 when posted.The pen posts really well and securely but for me its amazing when writing with cap not posted at back, but thats my personal preference. The pen is 139 mm when capped and 168 when cap is posted at back. Below are the images showing the comparison of writing with cap posted and cap unposted. TWSBI ECO – Writing Unposted TWSBI ECO – Writing Posted NIB & INK FILLING MECHANISM: 05/05 The pen I am reviewing comes with friction fit 1.1 Stub nib and boy it writes so amazing. Loved the nib and the ink flow. 1.1 Stub gives you a crisp writing with lovely welcome feedback. I love it. Yes the nib is friction fit and is easily removable. Nib is #5 steel nib and option of EF, F, M, B and 1.1 Stub is available on ECO. TWSBI ECO – Nib Unit Side View TWSBI ECO – Nib Unit Top View TWSBI ECO – Nib Unit Bottom View The ink filling mechanism is via Piston which is the best considered ink filling mechanism. The pen holds almost just less than 2 ml of ink. TWSBI ECO – Piston Filling Mechanism The piston knob is easily removable via plastic wrench that is supplied with the pen. There is also silicone grease supplied with the pen. Below are the images of my handwritten review and the writing sample: TWSBI ECO – Handwritten Review – Page 1 TWSBI ECO – Handwritten Review – Page 2 TWSBI ECO – Handwritten Review – Page 3 CONCLUSION: I am totally in love with this pen and the my iroshizuku ink looks stunning with this pen. The pen actually takes any color you want with the ink you put in the pen. Buy it – thats my advice. Beautiful quality product at surprisingly low price (25 Euros) with TWSBI lifetime warranty. The review has been posted simultaneous at my blog. Kindly visit blog for more detailed reviews here : LINK

I was debating between TWSBI ECO and LAMY Vista (+ converter) for a while now. Pros and cons of both please?

I originally posted the following review in a discussion thread on the TWSBI Eco. It was meant to be a very short review, but it turned out longer, and I now think it makes more sense to put it here. So I've copied and pasted the text from that post, subject to minor edits. No photos, but there are plenty available of this much-awaited pen. Please note the inclusion of a Bonus category. The TWSBI Eco comes in black and white. I got the white version, with EF nib. Thanks to The Writing Desk in the UK for an excellent service (no affiliation). Design: 8/10 Simple, well thought out. For those, like me, who like to post their pens, the rubber ring at the end makes a lot of sense. Well thought-out. The plastic feels a little cheap, but at this price point, that is no problem at all. Appearance: 6/10 Without the cap, the pen is quite pretty, with a clear demonstrator barrel and solid color at the back (white in my case). Not mad about the cap, though: my wife's blunt comment was that it is very ugly. To me, it seems disproportionately thick/massive, and it clearly marrs an otherwise pleasing appearance. That's why I gave a modest 6/10 score here. Filling system: 10/10 A piston filler at this price point puts the tools you need to maintain it? Couldn't be better. The piston mechanism works beautifully. Nib performanc: 9/10 The EF nib writes smoothly, with a hint of feedback. No scratchiness. Excellent flow. Nib is stiff, with no flexibility to speak of; you could get some line variation if you abuse the nib, but it's a pleasant writing experience without doing so. Wetness is about 6-7/10. It is by no means dry, but could hardly be called a gusher. (I've been using Diamond's Carnival, part of the anniversary collection.) Writing experience: 9/10 I have been pleasantly surprised by this pen. It writes smoothly and pleasantly. The balance is excellent. It is large enough to use unposted, but is even more pleasant a size when posted. The cap is too light to affect the balance. I would have preferred a slightly girthier pen, but that's a small gripe and means it will suit a wider range of hands. WOOTB? Bonus: 5 This pen gets a bonus for Writing Out Of The Box without any modifications or work needed to the nib or any other part of the pen. I have become very annoyed at the number of new pens that need some sort of adjustment before they can be used properly (including some high-end brands), so any review I do from now on will include this question. Note: I have tentatively decided to award 5 bonus points to pens that just WOOTB, and zero to those that need work: this privileges writing experience over aesthetics, which not everyone will agree with. But to me, a pen is a writing instrument first and an item of beauty second, and if it doesn't work from the start then the final score should reflect that. Overall: 42/50 + 5 Bonus = 47 This is an excellent pen and is well worth the money. It knocks the socks off several much more expensive pens in terms of performance (if not beauty). I think it has real potential to knock the Lamy Safari or the Pilot Metropolitan off their pedestal as go-to entry level pens. But it is also a good choice for someone with more experience looking for a good daily carry pen. If you're looking for a thoroughly beautiful pen, look elsewhere. If you're after a decent-looking pen with excellent performance, then you should definitely consider the Eco.