So, Has Anyone's Twsbi Not Broken?

[haruka337]

If this topic were about not fountain pens but about airlines or cars and the question was, "Has anyone NOT crashed and died in a ball of fire?" the tone would be a lot different. For one, those who didn't survive wouldn't be here to testify.

 

Cracking/leaky fountain pens are extremely unlikely to cause deaths, but I'm drawing a point on the deal-breaker nature of cracking in a device which contains a potentially very messy fluid and which must NOT crack, as one of its mission-critical attributes. Kinda like, airplane wings really need to stay bolted onto the airplanes, car wheels really need to stay attached to the car.

 

While it's nice that the twsbi company will replace parts or pens, that should not be a feature of a brand: resignation that to use twsbi is to have a shipping box with return label at the ready.

 

the twsbi company ought to sit up straight right now, stop fooling around, get on top of their materials problem, and start earning a reputation as a company that makes reliable pens, and erasing their reputation for making pens that crack, often mysteriously and "by themselves."

 

I hope they succeed for their own sake and for the sake of people who are putting faith in their pens.

 

 

"Has anyone NOT crashed and died in a ball of fire?"

 

I got a good laugh out of that!

 

While I don't disagree with much of what you said, TWSBI is still a relatively young, mass producing company. They're still figuring ::bleep:: out. It's no excuse, but it is a reason.

 

In buying the pen, I knew there'd be a decent chance of it cracking (somewhere) and I think most people who purchased the pen understood the risk as well. It does help that the company's warranty is pretty solid in that respect.

 

The barrel of my pen remains unscathed. The cap is pristine and unbroken. The grip is shinny and intact. The only part of the pen I suspect has a non-visible crack is on the nib unit, where it threads into the body of the pen. This is better (though still annoying, if true) than the issues of past years.

 

Beyond that, this pen, over the past year or so has been good to me and is constantly inked. However, none of my Lamys (most of which are 6 years old), Pilots, Platinums, Kawecos, Pelicans, Edisons nor vintage pens (60 to 80 year old pens) have ever given me such an issue.

 

[haruka337]

You know, part of the problem is that pen users today have gotten monumentally OCD about taking apart pens down to the very last part for cleaning. It has become an absurd epidemic. Think of the decades when pens went for months and years between being serviced. I'm more than willing to bet that a more-than-insignificant amount of the problems reported result from user error, and amateur pen repairpersons. But that's life in the new century, I suppose.

Interesting.

 

You may very well be right, but TWSBI encourages one to disassemble their pen--perhaps they're shooting themselves in the foot? Though, most, if not all, of the issues I've read about did not proceed a dissemble of the pen.

 

Anyways, prior to my incident, I had never taken it apart. After reassembly, it's working well once more. If I find no crack where I think there is one (potentially sealed by the silicone grease I applied), I can only assume that parts of the pen loosen over time. Taking it apart, doing a full clean and silicone application of the pen and securely threading everything together every few months (or once a year) makes a lot of sense then.

[Legal Eagle]

You know, part of the problem is that pen users today have gotten monumentally OCD about taking apart pens down to the very last part for cleaning. It has become an absurd epidemic. Think of the decades when pens went for months and years between being serviced. I'm more than willing to bet that a more-than-insignificant amount of the problems reported result from user error, and amateur pen repairpersons. But that's life in the new century, I suppose.

 

Yeah I think you're probably right.

Another thing I've noticed in some pen review videos is how hard people are on their pens. Just the other day I was watching a pen video, and the manner in which the dude tossed the pen onto his desk was pretty careless. I'm the opposite and tend to baby all my pens. I also use a hard leather pen case for both my 580's. I also wonder if some people aren't tightening things way too much when they reassemble their pen.

[mhosea]

If you go looking with a flashlight (or an infrared camera), you can usually find longitudinal cracks in a Montblanc 146 or 149 around the ink window. The appearance of a crack in a clear resin pen may not imply imminent failure, as the common cracks in the Meisterstuck pens are considered normal, and those pens don't seem to fall apart into pieces unless you drop them (their reaction to which is legendary). OTOH, if you have cracks develop at points that experience extra mechanical stresses during normal handling, I expect things will eventually come apart there. So it just depends, apparently.

 

I'm sounding more and more like Ron Zorn as time goes on, I know, but ever since I brewed some rosin-based thread sealant, I haven't been tempted to use silicone grease as a thread sealant--too slippery, which can lead to over-torquing. I think even for an ED pen, if I were still using ED pens, I might rather just thin a sample of my rosin-based sealant with some additional castor oil than use silicone grease.

[Freddy]

Interesting....Thank you....

 

Fred

Whom do you love more..your spouse or your children. Question*

Spouse or partner. [ ]

Children. [ ]

Both equally. [ ]

Or you love yourself more than spouse..partner or child. [ ]

* Among those who are married/partnered and have children.

Thanks to the Sunday New York Times.............

 

Let's never forget..we're the real story..not them.

~ Aaron Altman

[Icywolfe]

 

 

"Has anyone NOT crashed and died in a ball of fire?"

 

I got a good laugh out of that!

 

While I don't disagree with much of what you said, TWSBI is still a relatively young, mass producing company. They're still figuring ::bleep:: out. It's no excuse, but it is a reason.

 

In buying the pen, I knew there'd be a decent chance of it cracking (somewhere) and I think most people who purchased the pen understood the risk as well. It does help that the company's warranty is pretty solid in that respect.

 

The barrel of my pen remains unscathed. The cap is pristine and unbroken. The grip is shinny and intact. The only part of the pen I suspect has a non-visible crack is on the nib unit, where it threads into the body of the pen. This is better (though still annoying, if true) than the issues of past years.

 

Beyond that, this pen, over the past year or so has been good to me and is constantly inked. However, none of my Lamys (most of which are 6 years old), Pilots, Platinums, Kawecos, Pelicans, Edisons nor vintage pens (60 to 80 year old pens) have ever given me such an issue.

 

There many who didn't died in a ball of fire.

 

Generally warranty is just there as a safety net. Normally used when you drop the pen nib down. But not a common service to replace cracked barrels.

 

Interesting.

 

You may very well be right, but TWSBI encourages one to disassemble their pen--perhaps they're shooting themselves in the foot? Though, most, if not all, of the issues I've read about did not proceed a dissemble of the pen.

 

Anyways, prior to my incident, I had never taken it apart. After reassembly, it's working well once more. If I find no crack where I think there is one (potentially sealed by the silicone grease I applied), I can only assume that parts of the pen loosen over time. Taking it apart, doing a full clean and silicone application of the pen and securely threading everything together every few months (or once a year) makes a lot of sense then.

Well I find it best to fully clean it when it needs full cleaning. Like you see the ink going to the other side of the seal.

 

Also how to tell how tight it tight enough.

 

If you go looking with a flashlight (or an infrared camera), you can usually find longitudinal cracks in a Montblanc 146 or 149 around the ink window. The appearance of a crack in a clear resin pen may not imply imminent failure, as the common cracks in the Meisterstuck pens are considered normal, and those pens don't seem to fall apart into pieces unless you drop them (their reaction to which is legendary). OTOH, if you have cracks develop at points that experience extra mechanical stresses during normal handling, I expect things will eventually come apart there. So it just depends, apparently.

 

I'm sounding more and more like Ron Zorn as time goes on, I know, but ever since I brewed some rosin-based thread sealant, I haven't been tempted to use silicone grease as a thread sealant--too slippery, which can lead to over-torquing. I think even for an ED pen, if I were still using ED pens, I might rather just thin a sample of my rosin-based sealant with some additional castor oil than use silicone grease.

Don't Montblanc advertise their resin as magical? =P

 

Well I think that TWSBI uses something like poly-carbonate for their plastic body. That type of plastic tends to be very impact resistant but very susceptible to pressure. May it be the threads being too tightly done or maybe the ink inside heating up just because of weather or writing condition. Something like the Vac700 holds a good load of ink.

[Freddy]

When you drop the pen down...nib...first.....hmmm. that's when the warranty kicks

in....Well..No....

Damage due to user neglect or abuse is not covered.

 

Fred

[Icywolfe]

When you drop the pen down...nib...first.....hmmm. that's when the warranty kicks

in....Well..No....

Damage due to user neglect or abuse is not covered.

 

Fred

Well warranty can either be free or paid repairs.

[Icywolfe]

 

I swear, my hands were clean and always are. I always wash my hands before doing any prolonged writing or before I sit at my desk. I never eat around pens, paper, inks or my desk. Before and after pen use, I wipe down all pens (once) with glass polishing clothes.

 

When the pen leaked out and onto my hands, I washed it with grease stripping, non-moisturizing dish soap. Dried my hands and proceeded to rinse the cap of the pen. That's when the sticky began. Prior to that, it has never happened before, but I've also never had cause to rinse the entire pen before. Also, I haven't had Scotch whisky in a month or two--stressful times right now, but all should be resolved later this week. I won't drink if I cannot enjoy it.

 

The magnifying glass you recommended is neat (thanks for the images!), but requires that I hook it up to a laptop or computer. At this point, if I'm not at work, I typically do not go beyond using my phone and it's only to check out FPN, and that's roughly it--I can't stand staring at a screen outside of work.

 

I'm happy to report that my leaky and nib drippy 580 Diamond has ceased to be so. It's been working hard today and, for the time being, is doing well. I think, if there are any cracks, the silicon (provided with the pen) has sealed any potential cracks, but I can't be certain until my loupe arrives.

Hmm I wonder if the plastic's bonds on the outer coating was breaking down. I know silicone has that effect.

 

There are ones that has built in monitors. Or you can possibly get a DSLR and add macro lens to it for some crystal clean images.

[mhosea]

Don't Montblanc advertise their resin as magical? =P

 

Not exactly. They describe it as something to be treasured, and by use of the word "precious" implicitly compare its worth to gold, silver, platinum, palladium, diamonds, rubies, sapphires, emeralds, opals, or, taken differently, to the value of ones family or even ones own life. Or maybe they only mean that it's particularly cute and adorable. I really don't know what they think "precious" means, exactly. My theory is that it is made from the cream of the milk from an endangered species of cat that only lives at high altitude and consequently can only be produced in very small quantities at a time. I haven't been able to pin down the species.

 

Seriously, though, I suspect that a more correct, though perhaps less literal, translation from the German would have been "high quality" resin or some such. If it's really "precious" we need to figure out where it comes from and start stockpiling bricks of the stuff.

[Icywolfe]

 

Not exactly. They describe it as something to be treasured, and by use of the word "precious" implicitly compare its worth to gold, silver, platinum, palladium, diamonds, rubies, sapphires, emeralds, opals, or, taken differently, to the value of ones family or even ones own life. Or maybe they only mean that it's particularly cute and adorable. I really don't know what they think "precious" means, exactly. My theory is that it is made from the cream of the milk from an endangered species of cat that only lives at high altitude and consequently can only be produced in very small quantities at a time. I haven't been able to pin down the species.

 

Seriously, though, I suspect that a more correct, though perhaps less literal, translation from the German would have been "high quality" resin or some such. If it's really "precious" we need to figure out where it comes from and start stockpiling bricks of the stuff.

Similar enough.

 

I wouldn't stockpile them though as they seem to shatter like glass when dropped. Gotta bubble wrap those bricks then.

[alc3261]

I have a 530, a 540, 3 Vac 700s, 6 580s, 3 Minis, 2 Classics, 4 Ecos and 2 Vac minis.

My only problem concerned the plating on the nib of my 580 Black/Rose Gold.

Nib replaced PDQ. No cracking ever. I look after my pens but take them apart only if needed.

[fountainflyer]

I own almost all the collection less the Classic. No major issues of cracking or breaking like all these people seem to have had..

[EternalMonsoon]

After 4 years of use, the only signs of cracking on my TWSBI Mini have been from over-tightening the piston after applying silicon grease.

[TXKat]

I've had my 580 Black/RG for almost a year and I've dropped the pen capped. Still has no cracks. My Eco is also hanging in there filled with King Phillip Requiem! Love that ink! So, all is well here.

[NitroCoyote]

I've had my TWSBI Eco for close to a month now, still works just like I took it out of the box on the day it arrived. Works flawlessly.

[NewPenMan]

I recently learned or became aware of something which I wanted to contribute to the discussion..it's not like I alone discovered this; it was simply brought to my attention..

 

..and that is that the TWSBI and many other brands' pens are injection molded...essentially they are pen-shaped balloons blown under pressure and at high speed to increase profit-to-expense.

 

The qualities plastic must have to lend itself to this production type are somewhat opposite the qualities pen material must have. IOW they are brittle and have lots of internal stresses which manifest in what seems to be "mysterious sudden cracking."

 

Contrast this to Edison and Franklin-Christoph pens which are milled out of solid pieces of plastic. That material is more resilient than the injection-molded plastic..the walls tend to be thicker, and a person writing is very unlikely to put their pen through the same kind of punishment those pens experience being lathed, drilled, cut, polished, etc.

 

Someone in another thread commented that Pilot may simply have worked out the problems with injection molding which is why you hear less often of Pilot pens cracking?

 

Maybe if TWSBI had worked it out, the Eco would be closer to $50? Maybe they've mashed the numbers, and x-% returns versus revenue works for them. I'm just speculating.

 

I maintain that TWSBI makes very attractive pens at great prices with compelling features. If it weren't for all the reports of cracking, by now I'd have 2 ecos and maybe a 580.

Edited January 15, 2016 by NewPenMan

[erpe]

An old and overfilled thread but my current TWSBI Classic has indeed not broken yet. The previous one however seemed ok at first but developed a leak in the seam between the body and the inkwindow. They explained how I could fix it myself but that didn't work and I unfortunately killed the nib in the process. So bottom-line, they decided to replace it completely without any further questions. Their customer service is certainly not broken ;-) and this one seems ok so far.

[EBUCKTHORN]

New Pen Man -"..and that is that the TWSBI and many other brands' pens are injection molded...essentially they are pen-shaped balloons blown under pressure and at high speed to increase profit-to-expense." Thank you for providing the information. Your explanation seems plausible, but I believe that what you have described is "blow molding" that is used to create hollow shapes formed solely against the exterior of the cavity, whereas injection molding has a center core in the cavity and is a more precise process. And, of course, both of those processes are very different from machining out of solid stock. That doesn't necessarily detract from your suggestion that polycarbonate is not especially suitable for molding though i suspect the particular grade of polycarbonate might be critical regarding suitability for injection molding.

[dunc3862]

I'll be sending in a broken 580 for repair...