A Wet And Flexy Threesome

[duende]

I bought a Twsbi Vac mini recently, but the stiff steel nib (F) did not quite work for me. So, I decided to purchase a couple of #5.5 flex nibs from Fountain Pen Revolution (FPR). I am aware that these nibs may not be considered true flex, but as the owner of an FPR Indus Demo, I have noticed that its two-tone nib adds a bit of character to my writing. I bought a single- and a two-tone nib, as I was curious to see whether there would be any differences between them.

 

I eagerly waited for their arrival. And waited and waited and waited. Canada Post has been slow lately, and they were taking their sweet time in delivering the goods. After a month of waiting, I decided to go ahead and dismantle my Indus pen to see if its nib would fit the Vac mini. It did fit and wrote wonderfully. The nib does give some feedback when writing but it does not feel scratchy. It lays down a fine wet line that shows variation sometimes. I'm a lefty, so keep this in mind as you read on.

 

Today, six weeks after the happy little Gandharvas and Apsaras from India had shipped them, the nibs finally arrived. They came in a small cardboard envelope that was padded inside. The nibs were placed inside a small plastic baggie, as shown in the following image:

 

 

I decided to test all three nibs. In the following image, samples A and B were written with the Indus flex nib. I wrote Sample A with Liberty's Elysium. I wrote sample B with a diluted (4:1) version of Noodler's Black Swan in Australian Roses (old formulation). The results of the single-tone nib are shown on Sample C. The last sample (D) was written with the two-tone nib.

 

 

My impressions

 

Indus Demo two-tone nib: Wet, flexy, and gives feedback. It writes with a fine line that sometimes borders on the extra fine.

 

Single-tone nib: Stiff and wet. It was much smoother than the Indus nib. I got the impression that it lay down a broader line.

 

Two-tone nib: Flexier than the single tone but slightly less wet. It gave feedback when writing, similar to the Indus pen nib, but it felt more "scratchy". I've been using my Indus pen consistently so perhaps that's why it feels smoother than the new two-tone nib.

 

Summary

 

I would say that there is a difference between the single-tone and the two-tone nibs. The single-tone is smoother and perhaps slightly wetter. The two-tone nib is flexier but it gives feedback, which you may or may not like. Overall, I'm glad that I decided to make the switch. Now I have three beauties to play with. The Twsbi Vac mini has become my favourite pen.

Edited February 28, 2017 by duende

[MilkThistle]

Beautiful samples. I like all of them, and the ink colors are amazing.

 

So, the new nib is an easy swap?

 

I have a TWSBI Diamond 580 on the way and it would be cool to be able to try different nibs so easily.

 

Thanks for the write up - Very interesting.

 

Eric

[duende]

Beautiful samples. I like all of them, and the ink colors are amazing.

 

So, the new nib is an easy swap?

 

I have a TWSBI Diamond 580 on the way and it would be cool to be able to try different nibs so easily.

 

Thanks for the write up - Very interesting.

 

Eric

 

Thanks Eric!

 

The nib swap was fairly straight forward. I followed the instructions from this video:

 

 

The feeder might require a bit of force, so if you go ahead with the swap, heed the warning in the video. Unfortunately, I didn't and ended up bending some of the channels in the feeder. Fortunately, I set them straight with the help of my trusty Leatherman micro tool.

 

I have an extra two-tone nib (lightly used but in good condition), so if you're interested, then PM me your mailing address.

[MilkThistle]

Nice of you to offer the nib, but I am afraid of pulling out the feed. Very generous, and thank you.

 

I got the 580 in the mail a few days ago. Inked it up and wow; I must say that I did not expect this from a stainless steel nib.

 

Thanks again and I really do appreciate the offer.

 

Here is a picture of this amazing pen ~ I'm blown away at what you can get for $53.09 these days (straight from the TWSBI website).

 

http://i1045.photobucket.com/albums/b459/MilkThistle29/Pic1_zpsambxyfbj.jpeg

 

 

Write On!

 

Eric

[duende]

That 580 looks beautiful. Nice broad lines that really bring out the colour. Enjoy!