(Please Vote) Has Your Twsbi Cracked?

[bijou3owl]

I've been wondering if people with broken TWSBIs have ever had a pen of another brand break too.

Yes, but that pen rolled off a tall lab bench and smacked on the ground, and nothing like that happened to the TWSBI (and even then the pen that fell only had some weirdness with the nib happen, no outright disintegration).

[thriolith]

I think I need to change my vote.. My mini just cracked..

[mehandiratta]

I think I need to change my vote.. My mini just cracked..

oops

[thriolith]

A few emails and 4 USD later, they'll be sending me a replacement barrel, and a feeder and feeder holder since I noticed a leak at the nib collar when I swapped the section onto my other mini.

[SkeletonPete]

My less than three month old TWSBI 580 cracked at the screw section between the feed and the barrel. I was pretty bummed since not only was it a gift, but it was writing superbly - to my taste - right out of the box.

The screw thread was lodged in the barrel, but I was able to extricate it by backing it out slowly using a selection of jeweler's screwdrivers,

Fortunately I found FPN and followed the suggestions to email the company. I received an almost immediate response from Philip. That was followed by a note less than a day later from Rebecca in Taiwan, assuring me that parts were on their way to New York. They arrived registered mail with my local carrier about a week and a half later. TWSBI supplied a new feed section and a new barrel, clearly assuming that the old feed screws were still stuck in the original barrel.

Though I'm not loving that the pen broke so easily in the first place, I must rate the customer service as top notch.

Thanks to FPN members for being a valuable resource on this issue.

Best,

Pete

[thriolith]

A few emails and 4 USD later, they'll be sending me a replacement barrel, and a feeder and feeder holder since I noticed a leak at the nib collar when I swapped the section onto my other mini.

 

I got the parts and fixed my pen. I even got the piston to sit in the correct position with help from the tutorial video on their website.

[onotopen]

TWSBIs unique selling point is that they can be field-stripped. I wonder if the cracking is due to over-tightening ? Do they really need to be field-stripped ? (Maybe this is mentioned elsewhere, apologies if this is the case)

 

I admit to taking apart my 530 & Vac...it had to be done eh ? It was totally unnecessary because the pens function perfectly adequately. I didn't bother to strip my Mini-Piston or, most recent aquisition, Min-Vac since the mechanisms remain essentially the same as the first 2 pens.

 

Parker 51's go for over 50 yrs without stripping-down. I took apart a pre WW2 Onoto Vac Filler which still worked and still had, I suspect, the original cork seals (which needed replacing since it was beginning to be less efficient...it was only taking up half a tank)

 

Would we still be buying TWSBIs in such numbers if they didn't come with the little spanner (wrench) and all that which it entails ?

[T4TEXAS]

I have had an Eco (fine) for five months with no problems. It is my only TWSBI, but I was a little bit braced for a failure due to the reputation here on FPN. While I use it daily, it is not the only fp I use each day. It is the pen I am most likely to take with me when wearing a pullover shirt; it holds to the placket securely. It is one of my pleasantest pens to write with. Impressive capacity, appearance and nib for the price. May get another with a stub nib.

[tonybelding]

I've been wondering if people with broken TWSBIs have ever had a pen of another brand break too.

 

 

Almost never. I treat my pens gently.

 

The only incident that comes to mind is a Bexley Corona that came apart. No pieces actually broke, but they just disengaged. I sent it to Bexley, and they put it back together and returned it to me. Then it came apart gain. Apparently they expected a friction fit to be sufficient, and it wasn't. So I epoxied it back together and had no more problems.

 

Actual parts breakage? I can't think of any.

 

With my TWSBIs I've had: one broken feed housing, two cracked sections, two broken caps.

[dapprman]

Had my 580 Diamond for ~9-10 months now and it's been a near daily write. No problems for me. (hope I've not cursed it)

[Witsius]

My wife and I both have 580's. My wife's is just fine. Mine developed a leak at the coupling between the nib unit and the barrel. Full disclosure: I dropped the pen on a concrete floor a couple of weeks before the leak occurred. The pen was capped when I dropped it, and suffered no signs of damage. I was initially really impressed with the ruggedness of the pen. I can't say for sure whether or not the leak is the result of the fall it took, but I suspect it was.

 

Even though the pen was capped, I wouldn't be surprised if the inertia of a fall could jar the nib unit enough to damage the coupling with the barrel. That connection is clearly one of the structurally weaker places on the pen.

 

I've replaced the feeder sleeve as per a correspondence with TWSBI to see if that will correct the leak. I haven't inked the pen up yet to test it out though.

 

So under normal use, I would say neither of the TWSBI pens in our household has had any problems.

[Inkysloth]

I've been wondering if people with broken TWSBIs have ever had a pen of another brand break too.

One - a Parker Vector from the early 1990's lid split where it clips to the end of the section. It was obviously a wear and tear issue, as this was my school pen.

 

Otherwise, out of 50+ pens, and some of those having 10+ years of my using them, no other spontaneous or general wear & tear cracking.

[lacie]

My 580AL looks like it might have a small crack starting in a similar place to thriolith's mini pictured above. It might just be silicone grease or small fibres stuck between the pieces, it is hard to tell. Next refill I'll need to grease the piston and it will be my first time taking it apart so I'll inspect then.

[Witsius]

Replacing the feeder sleeve seems to have solved the leaking issue. No more leaking thus far.

[Drone]

Replacing the feeder sleeve seems to have solved the leaking issue. No more leaking thus far.

 

What is the "feeder sleeve" as you put it? The nib and the feed are friction-fit directly into the TWSBI Eco's barrel. The barrel and section are all one piece with the TWSBI Eco. Look at the Eco's box, there is a picture of the Eco fully disassembled with all the parts labelled. By the way, if something TWSBI sent you fixed the problem, be sure to send them an Email telling them so they know what is going on with their product.

 

Regards, David

[Jamerelbe]

 

What is the "feeder sleeve" as you put it? The nib and the feed are friction-fit directly into the TWSBI Eco's barrel. The barrel and section are all one piece with the TWSBI Eco. Look at the Eco's box, there is a picture of the Eco fully disassembled with all the parts labelled. By the way, if something TWSBI sent you fixed the problem, be sure to send them an Email telling them so they know what is going on with their product.

 

Regards, David

I think Witsius is referring to a 580, so presumably this is the sleeve that sits around nib and feed, and screws into the barrel.

[Jamerelbe]

Never sure what to call it - feeder tube sounds as good a descriptor as any!

[Drone]

I think Witsius is referring to a 580, so presumably this is the sleeve that sits around nib and feed, and screws into the barrel.

 

Ah, my mistake. I don't know why I thought Witsius was referring to an Eco. Strange...

Edited February 5, 2016 by Drone

[Drone]

Never sure what to call it - feeder tube sounds as good a descriptor as any!

 

If it is the TWSBI 580 then the screw-in part is normally called a "Nib Unit" and consists of three parts, 1) Nib, 2) Feed, & 3) Feed Collar, or Feed Housing (I've heard various names for this part). So Feeder Tube is in-fact as you put it, "as good a descriptor as any".

 

In the 580, what is normally called a Nib Unit TWSBI calls a Nib Assembly. Some other TWSBI parts use some non-standard TWSBI terminology as-well, but that's my own opinion only. I guess it is better to use TWSBI's names when discussing their products with them directly. Here are a couple of scans of the disassembled parts and parts-lists for both the 580 and the Eco. This is excerpted from the documentation that came with my pens (the Eco is from late 2015, the 580 is from late 2013):

 

The TWSBI Eco (800x217, 53.8KB, c.Late 2015):

 

 

The TWSBI 580 (800x463, 48.9KB, c.Late 2013):

 

 

Enjoy, David

[Jamerelbe]

Hi @Drone, thanks for the scans - useful to have them in the thread! I found a crack in the "feeder tube" / feed housing of my Diamond Mini (I think I like the latter term better!!), just before Christmas - sounds like it's a fairly common problem. TWSBI replaced it for me without any fuss, and the pen is now back in use...