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BEFORE you start throwing things at me for asking a question which has likely been asked many times, I'm new to TWSBI (and fountain pens in general). I'm looking to buy a TWSBI Diamond 580 in "Iris' because it looks great. But it's not cheap so I kinda want this one to be the one I'd use for my day to day writing. Now, I have an older but basic Parker fountain pen, uses a converter, steel nib noted as 'medium'. That's all I know about it. (Aside from it gives a little too much feedback for my liking) Writing on normal 7mm ruled notepaper (nothing fancy) using Parker Quink ink (all I currently have, that'll change). The line width, for what I'd call 'normal' handwriting size sometimes gives me closed loops on the e's. For that reason I thought PERHAPS a fine nib might be a better option? On the other hand, it wouldn't show off a nicer ink as well as a medium nib would. For what it's worth I intend to use Diamine Inks, primarily. And while I'll practice on cheaper notebooks and copy paper I do have a couple of pads of Rhodia and Clarefontaine paper 'for best'. Maybe those with experience of 580s and both M and F nibs using Diamine ink could comment as to whether the TWSBI M writes toward the Fine or Broad side of things (if that makes sense). If anyone is able to give me any guidance as to what else I might do / check / think about to help me decide between a medium or fine nib, I would very much appreciate it.

Hey all. Enjoying my brand-new 580-AL (I'll throw in a photo for happy times), but I'm having an issue that doesn't seem to be unheard-of in the TWSBI universe. My Medium nib writes incredibly smoothly and reasonably wet--it allows for some lovely shading, as you'll see. But after a page or two I start to get skips, nothing crazy, but it requires a re-priming to get them to go away. (The lines also darken considerably after a re-prime.) I'm hesitant to squeeze the tines to get a wetter nib--partially for shading, but also because it writes a relatively fat M line as it stands and I don't want to make it any broader. It seems like either the pen doesn't exchange ink for air very well, or else the feed doesn't quite keep up with the nib. So has anyone actually fixed this issue? If not I'll keep working with it the way it is, but if there's a quick-fix and I missed it in the forums somewhere I'd love to know http://www.samanthawilding.net/penstuff/twsbi2.JPG http://www.samanthawilding.net/penstuff/twsbi1.JPG

I've wanted to try a gold nib in my Rose Gold 580 for a while. Not because there was anything wrong with the stock nib, but, well, just because. Each time I ended up with a nib from an unrecoverable vintage pen, I'd give it a try. Every one was the wrong size - too long, short, broad or narrow. When I ended up with this Skyline nib, it looked about right when compared side by side, so I pulled the nib and feed and it just slid in. I had to do a bit of heat setting to get the feed in contact with it, but it now writes very well. The feed doesn't supply enough ink to allow it to flex to its full extent without railroading, but it's smooth and very pleasant to write with. Mario

A couple of days back TWSBI teased a purple Diamond ALR in their Insta Story and it has got me excited. Is there any word on this anywhere else?

Dear All I have a couple of Diamond 580s, a 1.1. and a 1.5 stub. They worked just fine out of the box and then they went out of the rotation and sat in their boxes waiting for their turn again. Now after a few months when I filled them up and started using them both dry up after the ink in the feed is used up. Jerking them may make them write a word or even a line but they dry up again. Opened them up and cleaned them thoroughly (even though they were cleaned before storage) but no go. They were wonderful writers before 1.1 was a bit drier than 1.5 but never a skipped line by either, and now both behaving the same. Has anybody else had this problem?? Any suggestions??

TWSBI – Vac 700 (Goulet M nib, Blue) http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3732/11346039556_ec1b75cfde.jpg Specifications: Length (capped): 145mm Length (uncapped): 134mm Length (posted): 174 (!!) mm Width at grip: 10mm Widest width: 15mm Nib material: Stainless steel (Stock Jowo), gold plated stainless steel (Goulet) Nib length x width: Jowo – 23 x 9mm, Goulet – 24 x 9mm Introduction My personal experience with TWSBI has been interesting. A Taiwanese company that has made impressive and rapid improvements in a somewhat slow moving and increasingly overpriced industry, TWSBI set out to make modern, well writing pens that are good value. My first TWSBI was a Diamond 540. I loved it – it was cheap, looked great and was a large capacity piston filler. But as time wore on, issues began to arise – a bone dry nib that went out of alignment too easily (Two issues that I see far too much with the other Bocks in my collection), a filling mechanism that required far more maintenance than my trusty Pelikan, and small cracks around the grip section. Towards the end of our relationship, the Diamond no longer set my heart aflutter whenever I picked it up like it used to. This all came to a head when the metal ring on the cap abruptly broke off when I twisted the pen too tightly. I guess some romances are doomed from the start. This experience slightly soured my view on TWSBI, so I wasn't exactly eager to try the Vac 700. After all, it was awkward looking, had a similarly dry nib, and was a relatively expensive purchase from a company that I didn't have much faith in. One TWSBI Diamond 580, a Jowo nib change and a price drop later, the Vac 700 was suddenly a much more appetising proposition. How could I say no? I decided on the blue version. Presentation Unabashedly Apple inspired, the the Vac700 shares the same box with the Diamond series and my iPod Nano: http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2894/11346049716_56103e3ea7.jpg Underneath the white plastic insert, you get TWSBIs famous wrench, a bottle of silicon grease and spare O rings. You know, the kind of stuff that more expensive pens should include but never do? http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7455/11346070424_c5b16924fa.jpg The presentation is nice and fits with the overall modern impression of TWSBIs pens. Appearance http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7331/11346047636_2db1bb3ef8.jpg TWSBI set out to make the Vac 700 clash as much as possible, and boy did they succeed. The cap jewel is TWSBIs usual bold red logo. On the business end, the clip clashes nicely with the smooth chrome of the rest of the pen: http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3673/11346069094_75c585d4ca.jpg The body gently tapers down to the end. Having a bulbous middle section means when you unscrew the pen, the barrel width clashes with the grip: http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3784/11346065674_b8a3fabb4d.jpg The faceted turning knob and cap are designed nicely to clash with the body, which is smooth. And finally, if you chose the clear demonstrator version, the dark ends of the pen clash with the clear middle of the body. In case you haven't picked it up, I'm not a fan of the appearance of this pen. Placing the Vac next to the Diamond, it's clear the Vac was intended to be the complement of the Diamond's design, to the detriment of the resulting overall look of the Vac. The plastic itself is a dark blue, much darker than my Pelikan demonstrator is. Build quality While the jury is still out on the long term durability of TWSBIs current generation of pens, I have high hopes for the Vac. Like the Diamond 580 now does, it has metal rings to reinforce the plastic, including a ring in the grip section which was a hot-spot for cracking on my 540. The rest of the pen is thick, sturdy plastic that has no give when twisted or otherwise forced. Then again, Pelikan M2xx series do without the metal rings and do not suffer cracking issues, so perhaps TWSBI is using cheaper plastic? Either way it's difficult and pointless to speculate this early. When closed, the pen is a sleek shape with a bulging midsection (Kinda like a pen version of my father then). When opened, the pen assumes it's awkward pose - The abrupt gradient from the middle of the body to the grip means I have to hold the pen tighter to get a more secure grip - and this means I'm pinching the already sharp threads very tightly. Annoying. And posting the cap just makes the pen look ridiculous: http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3721/11346040006_6874634d3f.jpg One curiosity of this pen, and vacuum fillers in general is that you must unscrew the blind cap a little to allow ink to flow through freely through the feed. While a minor inconvenience, it does mean that the pen is totally safe for flying. And as a bonus, TWSBI said you can remove the rubber seal at the end of the piston rod if you don't like unscrewing the blind cap. Personally, I've found the nib leaks ink into the cap when the ink reservoir isn't sealed, so I'll leave it on for the time being. One issue I should point out is that I'm naughty, and frequently return unused ink to its ink bottle when I wish to change colours (I'll slap myself on the wrist later I promise), this is a very, very messy operation with a vacuum filler, with the feed section literally squirting droplets of ink all over the place, not an issue if you have good fountain pen hygiene, but I don't. Nib I received a predictably good Jowo nib on my unit. What interested me however, was comparing it to the Goulet nib. The Goulet nibs are also made by Jowo and I expected the Goulet nib to be a rebrand of the Jowo nib that shipped with my Vac 700 – but to my surprise they are definitely different nibs. http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5529/11345965045_6acb0990dc.jpg http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7407/11346112203_605c1a327c.jpg Not that the visual differences really matter, but both nibs taper to the same angle. The Goulet nib appears to be the same width Jowo nib, and the flares are cut differently too. The Goulet nib also has a flatter top section where the nib rests against the of the feed – the Jowo nib on the other hand is uniformly round, and fits the native Vac feed better: http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2879/11346110103_d6cdcbb301.jpg Writing with the nibs is different too. After much comparison, nib swapping, and getting a friend to double check to confirm that it wasn't a figment of my imagination, I feel confident to say the Goulet nib is stiffer, and is wetter. Neither nib has any hard start or skipping issues (anyone else find it depressing that in 2013 it's a pleasant surprise to find a pen that never does either of those things?). Overall it's impossible to say if I prefer one to the other – the stiffness of the Goulet nib means you need to be more judicious about how you hold the pen to get its sweet spot, but when you do the pen is smooth, lush and wet (I swear I don't write erotic literature for a living). The Jowo nib, as pretty much everyone who owns a Diamond 580 will tell you, is lightly springy, reliable, and also smooth. So if the Goulet nib doesn't necessarily write any better than the stock nib, why buy the Goulet nib? Well aside from having a spare, very reliable #6 nib, consider the fact that we are living in the fountain pen equivalent of a post apocalyptic world. When was the last time you physically saw another fountain pen out in the wild. Not often? If wearing the Goulet Pens logo on your pen can help raise some awareness of fountain pens and support a fountain pen retailer, then I think that's a fine reason to use this nib. Drag Test/Writing sample: http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5548/11346107933_7e67f2b433.jpg Overall 3.5/5 A vacuum filler for around $65? With a good Jowo nib? Bargain. However, as a flagship for TWSBI I find it lacking – your more expensive pens should not be so thoroughly upstaged by a cheaper model. But with this and TWSBIs speed of innovation in mind, I can confidently say that the next version of the Vac will probably be an extraordinary pen. The Good: + Flushing a vacuum filler beats the hell out of flushing a cartridge converter. + Well made. + Includes extra seals and silicone grease. + With recent price drops, it's great value. + Able to post the pen deeply with the blind cap unscrewed a little. + Can seal up the ink reservoir for flying. + TWSBIs customer service is second to none. The Bad: - Awkward looking, made somewhat embarrassing by the fact the pen is large and noticeable. - I found the pen uncomfortable to hold, but others do not, so be aware this may be a problem. The Ugly: - The TWSBI Diamond looks better, is more comfortable to hold, has a similar ink capacity and is $30 cheaper. Comparison With the TWSBI diamond of course: http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3787/11346067324_7bba01b735.jpg http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7293/11345967275_216fd3751d.jpg http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5525/11346068464_4cab0109bb.jpg

I recently sent my broad Diamond 580AL to TWSBI because it was skipping a lot of would not write unless I laid down quite a bit of pressure. Since it was sent back, the problem persists. Anyone have a recommendation for a good nibmeister to send my pen to? I had also sent in my fine Vac 700, which I now regret because I put quite a bit of work into it to get it to write well. I thought it could be tweaked to write wetter, but it came back drier and scratchier than before. But I'll just swap it out for my Goulet 1.5mm, which writes a lot better.

TWSBI Diamond 580 Rose Gold Edition in Fine Writing Performance Review If you have any questions, feel free to ask them here!

Last night, I was dreaming-up unique ideas for TWSBI designs, and I hit upon a concept that merges two of my favorite pen designs into one, while remaining truly TWSBI. I would love to see a skeletonized TWSBI fountain pen. What do I mean? Contemplate for a moment the Montblanc Skeleton 333: http://40.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_kynrh6gLt31qbndmho1_1280.jpg Now contemplate how the TWSBI Diamond 580 or Diamond 580 AL would look with latticework like that, wrapped around perhaps a round (not necessarily Diamond-pattern) barrel, of the same chrome metal as the furniture on other TWSBI pens. http://www.stilografica.it/writable/Penne/TWSBI/TWSBI%20Diamond%20580%20AL%20Clear%20Demo%20Fountain%20Pen%20-%20Penna%20Stilografica.jpg Certainly, it would make the barrel thicker, but perhaps no thicker than a TWSBI Micarta barrel. Thoughts? I would love to see a render, if someone has the technical know-how to put one together.

Ok.... so a couple months ago i was torn between buying a diamond 580 and a vac 700.... so i did what any normal addict would do.... i bought both. Now, although they both have the newer jowo nib i believe, they are different sizes... 6 on vac and 5 on 580 respectfully. My issue has been with the 580. I got them both in medium. It is a veeeery wet writer. Like to the point of almost bleedthrough on rhodia. Im not sure if this is normal... I know that many have said they had flow issues with theirs in the past, but mine is the opposite.... Is this normal for the 580? Is it the medium nib? (Ive ordered a fine for it which should come in soon) I love the look of the pen but the flow makes it difficult to use for practicality reasons. Can i slow it a bit? Or is it just how the medium nib writes? Fyi my 700 is great. And i have tried a few inks and lastly nkw i have apache sunset in it which normally behaves drier, but is stikk gushing. Ti.es are alligned, perfectly touching at the tip of the nib.... i just dont get it. Please, if u have any advice or reassurances let me know. Thanks

So ive decided i want to add a twsbi to my collection. Ive done all the research i can on the models but still undecided... I like the diamond 580 in rose gold and the vac 700, so its between those two... What are your thoughts? They are both the dame price. I havent been able to find a dealer that sells the rose gold nib units though... I dont have any vac fillers and the only piston fillers i have are noodlers.

Black and Gold is a classic look for pens, and has been for a very long time. We see pens every day here at Cult Pens (quite a few of them!), and it's a look that doesn't usually excite us much any more. So we were rather surprised when we finally got to see TWSBI's new Diamond 580 Rose Gold up close - it looks somehow different. http://www.cultpens.com/acatalog/TWSBI-Diamond-580-fp-rose-gold.jpg It's still, essentially, a black and gold pen. But the gold is copper-tinted rose gold - it's a subtle change, but it makes a big difference. It's also both black and transparent - the main barrel is clear, like a demonstrator; but the cap, section and blind cap are all black. TWSBI have done this combination before with the 'classic' version of the Diamond Mini, and it's a popular choice - the ink and piston are visible, but the more messy parts of the mechanism stay out of sight. The reason we're telling you all this, of course, is because we now have them in stock, ready to ship worldwide, so if all that sounds good, you can find them here.