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Pens from Taiwan: TWSBI, Laban, Opus 88, Penlux and?


MTHALL720

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I have been trying to decide which brands from Taiwan are thought of us as being the best in terms of build quality, and consistent quality control. 

Although there is likely no concensus I want to.know since I'm trying to decide when large pen to get next: Laban Kaiser or Penlux Masterpiece.  

There can only be one

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i guess i like Opus 88 because I bought 3 of them as nib holders.

 

I only wish they were not so large but still supported JoWo 6. My current fav is the cigar classic looking Jazz similar to the Penlux in looks but without the hassle of potential piston maintenance/wear.

 

I heard Penlux glues in their JoWo so harder to swap and not consumer friendly otherwise I would have gave them a try for their classic 149 looks

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I trust the Fine Writing International's build quality and product features (e.g. spring-loaded inner cap à la Platinum's Slip & Seal mechanism), and I like Opus 88 enough to have bought three Picnic and one Koloro pens, and will probably be getting the Picnic in brown as well eventually.

I endeavour to be frank and truthful in what I write, show or otherwise present, when I relate my first-hand experiences that are not independently verifiable; and link to third-party content where I can, when I make a claim or refute a statement of fact in a thread. If there is something you can verify for yourself, I entreat you to do so, and judge for yourself what is right, correct, and valid. I may be wrong, and my position or say-so is no more authoritative and carries no more weight than anyone else's here.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I'm an Opus 88 fan. I like their size, feel, and simple eyedropper filling system with the shutoff valve.

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  • 1 month later...

I have 3 Labans (Sceptre, 325, Antique II) and had 4 TWSBIs (3 580s, Eco).  I haven't had any problems with any of them but the fact that I sold all but one of the 580s should tell you how I feel when comparing the two brands.  Nothing wrong with the TWSB in the $60 range but I didn't pay more than $100 for any of the Laban pens and they just look and feel more premium than the TWSBI pens.  The nib sourcing and sizing for Laban is a little more complicated than TWSBI, though.  Some are 5.5, some are 6, some are Bock, some are JoWo so there is that to consider.

 

I haven't tried the Opus brand because I hate eyedroppers and PenLux hasn't released a pen yet that catches my eye.

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25 minutes ago, smitbret said:

I have 3 Labans (Sceptre, 325, Antique II) and had 4 TWSBIs (3 580s, Eco).  I haven't had any problems with any of them but the fact that I sold all but one of the 580s should tell you how I feel when comparing the two brands.  Nothing wrong with the TWSB in the $60 range but I didn't pay more than $100 for any of the Laban pens and they just look and feel more premium than the TWSBI pens.  The nib sourcing and sizing for Laban is a little more complicated than TWSBI, though.  Some are 5.5, some are 6, some are Bock, some are JoWo so there is that to consider.

 

I haven't tried the Opus brand because I hate eyedroppers and PenLux hasn't released a pen yet that catches my eye.

 

Thanks for writing about Laban. I like that they make full or oversized pens. They look more solid than twsbi as you indicated, though I wonder if their metal ornaments stay in place forever. How do you like the 325? I was thinking of getting one discounted from goldspot... I think they were about 95 usd. 

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So far I have 4xTWSBI 580's and 1xOPUS 88 (Omar demo). All of which I love.

 

Will probably get a couple of more Opus's.

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