Sorry Twsbi,. It's Over.

[max dog]

I've never seen the point of taking my ECO apart even though the wrench was provided with a bottle of silicone grease. 4 years later no cracks and no issues, and piston always remains smooth. Never needed to take apart my other integrated piston filler pens, and the same apply to my TWSBI.

 

Maybe TWSBI should save money and stop providing the wrench and abandon the disassembly nonsense. Allowing the pen to be disassembled is causing them more pain I think than is worth it. I think people have a need to disassemble the TWSBI because they can, not necessarily because it is needed. I don't see in the design of the TWSBI ECO a need to disassemble it to clean it any more than my Montblancs and Pelikans. If I disassembled my Pelikans every other day, I wouldn't be surprised if it started to develop cracks too after a while.

 

Just flush the thing and you are good to go, and stop bashing the brand that offer more value than any other brand on the planet!!!!!!

Edited July 20, 2020 by max dog

[Mongoosey]

I'd prefer TWSBI just use stronger materials.

 

EDIT: Or have they improved upon things? I don't see reports of cracking TWSBI's like I did a year or two ago.

 

I personally still wouldn't mind paying a little extra for a stronger material knowing it will last.

Edited July 21, 2020 by Mongoosey

[bayindirh]

Just flush the thing and you are good to go, and stop bashing the brand that offer more value than any other brand on the planet!!!!!!

There's no need to react this harshly if you ask me. TWSBI is a nice brand and they carved themselves a nice niche. When I look to the value side however they're not the first. For me, and in this country, it's Lamy. For almost half the price I can get a Safari or a Vista which is arguably more resilient and serviceable pen with ~10 interchangeable nibs and a very robust feed.

 

It's not a piston filler but hey, it's built like a tank, can be cleaned in 5, nibs can be changed in 30 seconds max.

 

So value proposition changes. They're nice pens but no manufacturer or pen needs this fanboyism. From Preppy to Namiki Emperor, including everything in between.

[max dog]

There's no need to react this harshly if you ask me. TWSBI is a nice brand and they carved themselves a nice niche. When I look to the value side however they're not the first. For me, and in this country, it's Lamy. For almost half the price I can get a Safari or a Vista which is arguably more resilient and serviceable pen with ~10 interchangeable nibs and a very robust feed.

 

It's not a piston filler but hey, it's built like a tank, can be cleaned in 5, nibs can be changed in 30 seconds max.

 

So value proposition changes. They're nice pens but no manufacturer or pen needs this fanboyism. From Preppy to Namiki Emperor, including everything in between.

I have 3 Lamy Safaris and I gifted many. They are great pens, but you got it, they are not piston fillers. The TWSBI ECO flushes clean far quicker and easier than the Safari. The Lamy converter takes a lot of flushing before it runs clean. The ECO offers far better value than the Safari, and the TWSBI 1.1 mm stub is smoother without the edge of the Lamy stub. If one can get past the Safari fanbouyism, the better value of the ECO is obvious. Dont get me wrong, I love the Safari, but ECO is hands down the better value.

[max dog]

Btw, the Safari nibs are known for having inconsistent ink flow, especially the 1.1 and 1.9 italics tend to run dry.

[bayindirh]

I have 3 Lamy Safaris and I gifted many. They are great pens, but you got it, they are not piston fillers. The TWSBI ECO flushes clean far quicker and easier than the Safari. The Lamy converter takes a lot of flushing before it runs clean. The ECO offers far better value than the Safari, and the TWSBI 1.1 mm stub is smoother without the edge of the Lamy stub. If one can get past the Safari fanbouyism, the better value of the ECO is obvious. Dont get me wrong, I love the Safari, but ECO is hands down the better value.

I prefer to use my piston fillers less, this is just a personal choice. For me, cleaning any C/C pen literally takes 5 minutes at most. Power flush the converter with blunt syringe, power flush the section with a 50cc "Pine Tree" syringe, let dry. That's it. If the ink is too stubborn, optionally soak the section (happens once a year, at most).

 

Lamy's Stubs are not proper stubs but Italic calligraphy nibs, so they're edgy by design AFAIK.

 

Honestly, I have many vintage and modern, Piston & C/C pens from many makers to be a Lamy fanboy to be honest and, I don't like to be labeled as such. After rotating this many pens, I prefer to carry a Kaweco Sport, Preppy or a Safari as an EDC and use a Pelikan 120, Lamy CP-1 and Cross Century (the original series) as my desk pens.

 

Personally I've found that I really like Lamy's features after getting massive amount pens and using them. Life is too short to be a fanboy of something and be blind to other stuff around.

 

Value proposition of an item is a personal thing. You may like TWSBI more, and that's OK. I'm personally a minimalist and brutalist person, hence I love Bauhaus as a movement. A Safari (esp. Umbra) or CP-1 is a nice design item with good inherent properties.

 

You may like properties more and I want to re-iterate that it's OK. I'm not trying to counter you head-on but, just to discuss and show you another perspective.

[bayindirh]

Btw, the Safari nibs are known for having inconsistent ink flow, especially the 1.1 and 1.9 italics tend to run dry.

Wouldn't be nice if we don't do the things which we criticize other people for doing? Please?

[MuddyWaters]

Comparing the Eco and Safari is a bit of an apples to oranges. Basically only the price is similar.

 

I would say the current competitors to TWSBI are Fine Writing International and Opus, though the last two don't have pens in the ECO price range yet.

[bayindirh]

Comparing the Eco and Safari is a bit of an apples to oranges. Basically only the price is similar.

 

I would say the current competitors to TWSBI are Fine Writing International and Opus, though the last two don't have pens in the ECO price range yet.

Probably yes, however value proposition is independent of the price in my eyes, so I'm looking for an overall rating, from my point of view.

 

If I change the things I value about a pen in my mind, A CP-1 or Visconti Homo Sapiens can provide more value for me. Or even a limited edition pen with 10 copies only. The thing I wanted to say is, we shouldn't get too upset about the feelings of somebody about something, anything we love.

 

One person had an experience with a brand and, it's bad. I agree. The person's mind has changed about a brand. That's OK. But getting too emotional over it is not OK because, one person won't change that brand however, the person will be happier without that brand possibly.

 

If we're talk about price/performance, this is something completely different and it's not the subject. What I wanted to address was our perception and feeling toward a brand and responses we give in these situations.

Edited July 21, 2020 by bayindirh

[max dog]

Bayindirh. I only have one TWSBI, the ECO that I got out of curiosity and found it to be great value for the money. I am no fanboy of TWSBI, it's just this ridiculous thread that I have a problem with, ie the OP bashing the brand just because of an unsatisfactory experience that had more to do with the vendor than the brand.

 

In this very niche fountain pen market, we can't afford to bash the existing brands, because with every brand that falters and goes under, it's the fountain pen aficionados that suffer with less choice. TWSBI is not perfect, but they do offer a lot of good affordable options in the market, and it seems like they are working to address the cracking issues as best as they can, and they seem to take feedback to heart offering other non demonstrator models that don't have risk of cracking. And people who have had cracking issues, looks like TWSBI took care of them replacing the cracked parts.

 

Didn't mean to offend. You got in the cross fire. My preference is Montblanc, Cross and Pelikans, and I respect what TWSBI offers.

Edited July 22, 2020 by max dog

[Glenn-SC]

Bayindirh. I only have one TWSBI, the ECO that I got out of curiosity and found it to be great value for the money. I am no fanboy of TWSBI, it's just this ridiculous thread that I have a problem with, ie the OP bashing the brand just because of an unsatisfactory experience that had more to do with the vendor than the brand.

 

In this very niche fountain pen market, we can't afford to bash the existing brands, because with every brand that falters and goes under, it's the fountain pen aficionados that suffer with less choice.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion. Even the OP in their own thread. Ridiculous?

 

The problem was with the faulty fountain pen, not the person who sold it. If the FP has worked as required and expected then there would have been no unsatisfactory experiences to be had with anyone.

 

You logic that somehow someone selling a bad product helps, supports, and maintains the wider market escapes me. BTW, there are sufficient manufacturers of good products, and vintage products, that this niche market appears to be doing just fine. And there never seems to be a dearth of new product from both established and new manufacturers for the market to be concerned about the loss.

[markofp]

The results of my issue with the Rose Gold piston assembly that I mentioned on the previous page: Rebecca scrounged one up and sent to me for $12.00 all in, postage included. It got from Taiwan to New Jersey in five days, and the pen is back in rotation. I feel I was well supported on this. So, in spite of my previously stated reservations, I won't write them off for future purchases.

 

Your results may vary.

[max dog]

Everyone is entitled to their opinion. Even the OP in their own thread. Ridiculous?

 

The problem was with the faulty fountain pen, not the person who sold it. If the FP has worked as required and expected then there would have been no unsatisfactory experiences to be had with anyone.

 

You logic that somehow someone selling a bad product helps, supports, and maintains the wider market escapes me. BTW, there are sufficient manufacturers of good products, and vintage products, that this niche market appears to be doing just fine. And there never seems to be a dearth of new product from both established and new manufacturers for the market to be concerned about the loss.

It was never confirmed the product was faulty, just the OP demanding TWSBI replace the nib because she did not like it, and TWSBI offering to send a new nib without question. Any other manufacturer would have required the OP to send the pen in so it can be properly inspected, and cost of shipping and insurance the OP would have incurred would be much more than the nominal amount TWSBI asked her to cover for the shipping of a small nib. Let's keep things in proper perspective here.

Edited July 26, 2020 by max dog

[max dog]

What a beautiful form follows function pen, that costs less than the ink I filled it with, but with a flawless piston filler, and a wonderfully smooth 1.1 stub. Those O Rings give such an awesome positive feeling cap closure and cap posts with a satisfying click that even $500+ pens can't match. Very refined. Love seeing the ink slosh around in the pen, and how the ink gets drawn up into the feed. You would have to spend a whole lot more money for the next nearest demonstrator experience with this kind of quality in another brand. Best $40 I ever spent.

 

BTW, going onto 5 years and no cracking. And if it does, I know TWSBI will stand behind it's product.

Edited July 26, 2020 by max dog

[Glenn-SC]

 

It's also my last, because it came out of the box with a horrible, scratchy nib and it's not going to be fixed.

 

 

It was never confirmed the product was faulty, just the OP demanding TWSBI replace the nib because she did not like it, and TWSBI offering to send a new nib without question.

 

"horrible, scratchy nib"

 

I can see why she "did not like it"!

 

And TWSBI offered to send a nib if the OP paid for shipping, to replace the defective one.

Edited July 27, 2020 by Glenn-SC

[MuddyWaters]

What a beautiful form follows function pen, that costs less than the ink I filled it with, but with a flawless piston filler, and a wonderfully smooth 1.1 stub. Those O Rings give such an awesome positive feeling cap closure and cap posts with a satisfying click that even $500+ pens can't match. Very refined. Love seeing the ink slosh around in the pen, and how the ink gets drawn up into the feed. You would have to spend a whole lot more money for the next nearest demonstrator experience with this kind of quality in another brand. Best $40 I ever spent.

 

BTW, going onto 5 years and no cracking. And if it does, I know TWSBI will stand behind it's product.

Lovely pen, ink colour, handwriting and quote. Thanks for the post!

[gerigo]

I totally agree with mad-dog. Pens should not be disassembled unless they are broken. I have over 10 TWSBIs of different models and vintage, and have never had a problem with any of them. Turns out that of these different models, my favorite is the Classic and it has served me well. Absolutely no problems whatsoever. I am a little embarrased to say that I'd rather not use piston fillers because they are so difficult to clean. I am also currently using a GO, and that's also a great pen.

 

When I get a new pen, other than testing the nib to ensure that it's well tuned, I also like to see how it's put together, whether it feels fragile or it's build like a tank. I have to say that TWSBIs feel fragile. So I tend to put a little more care in how I manhandle these pens. As such I like to use very safe inks so that when it's time to clean, I wouldn't have staining or clogging issues. Also these pens are all under $100 so the risk of failure or breakage, while I understand would be frustrating to any one, I deal after a few minutes of swearing. I have a few MUCH MORE expensive pens that are either broken or don't work and those are FRUSTRATING with all caps. Especially a specific Italian brand that always breaks at the ink window. I have had 2 pens break one after another when I stare at them wrong. Where this is going I don't know...

I guess pen failures is part of this hobby. We expect pens to work when we buy them but sometimes they don't. Take a deep breathe, see whether the company will be willing to work with you, and get over this bad experience. Hopefully you'd emerge from the other end learning a little more and appreciating this strange hobby we are all in.

[Matlock]

 

I guess pen failures is part of this hobby.

Really? I have been using fountains pens since 1956 and have only had one fail and that was entirely my own fault, I dropped it nib down on a hard floor. My pens are used daily. My particular favourites are Pelikans but I have a couple of TWSBIs and they have been fault free.

[Fermata]

Really? I have been using fountains pens since 1956 and have only had one fail and that was entirely my own fault, I dropped it nib down on a hard floor. My pens are used daily. My particular favourites are Pelikans but I have a couple of TWSBIs and they have been fault free.

 

 

I would agree with that, almost.

 

I have also been using pens for a very long time, I cannot think of many failures.

 

in the early 60s I had an Italian syringe filler that I could not press down and a over the past 20 years I have had a few Parker 61s that cracked and became a mess due to bad plastics, they were not bought new so I am not going to hold that against them.

 

I have had two new Viscontis that needed work, that, I am afraid, is unacceptable in my book, a new pen should perform from the get go.

 

My worst experience was with a Sonnet, the gold ring that retained the feed and nib into the section came loose every time the cap was removed. It went back to Parker several times until they said that it could not be fixed, but neither would they replace the pen or even just the section, Parker were being difficult because they wanted the purchase receipt as it had been a gift I did not want to ask the person for the shop receipt, so we had a stalemate.

 

Despite all this I agree with you, material failure is unacceptable in a modern pen and I have had TWSBI section cracks which I thought were down to my poor refitting of the feed and nib after a clean. In keeping with another poster I thought that it might be possible that cracks were down to user error and especially over enthusiastic dismantling, but some say that they have suffered cracks even when the pen has remained intact.

 

TWSBI will continue to sell well I am sure, bright colours and easy to use, they will appeal to the young. I have heard that teenage best fiends buy TWSBI pens in different colours and swap the caps to prove that they are best friends forever.

Edited July 29, 2020 by Parkette

[max dog]

 

 

"horrible, scratchy nib"

 

I can see why she "did not like it"!

 

And TWSBI offered to send a nib if the OP paid for shipping, to replace the defective one.

Anytime I had a warranty service issue with a pen, I had to send my pen to the manufacturer incurring my own shipping costs. The manufacturer inspects the pen,and confirms if it is a defect or not, and then sends a replacement unit or offers to repair the defect. TWSBI went above and beyond to offer to send a free new nib no questions asked. Asking the OP to pay the nominal shipping fee for the nib is more than fair considering they did not require her to send the faulty unit back. If the OP didn't want to pay any shipping, then she should have pressed the retailer. In any industry standard purchase, if the retailer won't step up to help the customer, then the shipping costs to send the product to the manufacturer is the consumers responsibility. I don't know why the OP thinks in this case it should be any different. I really don't understand that logic. I will leave it there as obviously this is a fruitless exchange.

 

Lovely pen, ink colour, handwriting and quote. Thanks for the post!

Thanks MuddyWaters. The TWSBI is a delight to write with.