So, Has Anyone's Twsbi Not Broken?

[Koyote]

OP here with an update.

 

The Smoke 540 with medium nib arrived a little while ago. Inked it up -- no flushing or other prep -- and it wrote right off the bat. Smooth, good wetness, a nice true medium line. Fit & finish seems better than you would expect for $55, but I won't use superlatives.

 

Time will tell on durability, which is my main concern.

 

Thanks, all, for your input!

[JefferyS]

OP here with an update.

 

The Smoke 540 with medium nib arrived a little while ago. Inked it up -- no flushing or other prep -- and it wrote right off the bat. Smooth, good wetness, a nice true medium line. Fit & finish seems better than you would expect for $55, but I won't use superlatives.

 

Time will tell on durability, which is my main concern.

 

Thanks, all, for your input!

Exactly my experience with the Smoke 540 (M nib) I received last week. It feels and write like a pen costing far more.

 

 

 

[Koyote]

Oh, yes, Jeffery. Sadly, it is so unusual for a pen to write well right out-of-the-box, but this one is nice. I'm testing it now for nib dryout - so far, it's gone six minutes uncapped and started writing immediately on touching the nib to paper. If it goes 15 minutes, it's a winner.

 

Edit: Wow. This thing just sat uncapped for 25 minutes, then started laying down ink the moment it touched paper. And that's from a $20 mass-production nib.

Edited February 25, 2012 by Koyote

[professionaldilettante]

My brother's broke, but that's cause Twsbi is always advancing their product. It was the plastic clear retaining ring that holds the nib unit. Twsbi replaced that piece at no charge, and now it's even better, cause my brother says that that part had been redesigned. I would buy from them, but I don't need another pen. The reason? they will stand behind their product, and even update your pen, after it's come out. How many manufactures are willing to repair your pen, let alone replace the part with a new version so that the same failure wont happen again, at no cost? Diddn't think many did.

[DanielB]

And what about the section? Is the smoke TWSBI less prone to cracks?

[Maximumbob]

And what about the section? Is the smoke TWSBI less prone to cracks?

 

I would assume that since the crack problem was resolved with a change in the injection moulding technique; and that this occurred prior to the manufacture of the coloured pens - that this will not be a problem, but time will tell i suppose.

[krbmsw]

I had a cracked barrel on Thursday and a new one by the following Tuesday. I didn't have to send anything back. I didn't even have to send a photo.

 

I hadn't dropped it or hit it or even compressed it against something...but the service was great. And while I was skeptical at first, the repair was easy and even a little fun to do.

 

I'll eventually be back for another. Probably the Vac.

 

Wow! Cracks in the new barrel, already. I love the pen. And I baby it. I'm not really sure why this would happen. I do know that this is enough to make me think that my Vac money is going to sit tight until I see if it has better quality control. I appreciate that TWSBI will replace the broken parts, but I don't want to opt for a second pen that I'm consistently needing to repair.

 

[professionaldilettante]

I had a cracked barrel on Thursday and a new one by the following Tuesday. I didn't have to send anything back. I didn't even have to send a photo.

 

I hadn't dropped it or hit it or even compressed it against something...but the service was great. And while I was skeptical at first, the repair was easy and even a little fun to do.

 

I'll eventually be back for another. Probably the Vac.

 

Wow! Cracks in the new barrel, already. I love the pen. And I baby it. I'm not really sure why this would happen. I do know that this is enough to make me think that my Vac money is going to sit tight until I see if it has better quality control. I appreciate that TWSBI will replace the broken parts, but I don't want to opt for a second pen that I'm consistently needing to repair.

 

I don't think that it's a quality control. There is quality, and there is more than enough control. What I think is that there are sections out there have an unforseen issue where the sections are under stress from the inserted nib unit. They have redeisgned it, as my brother has confirmed. Just let them know; it's not like they don't stand behind their product.

[krbmsw]

I had a cracked barrel on Thursday and a new one by the following Tuesday. I didn't have to send anything back. I didn't even have to send a photo.

 

I hadn't dropped it or hit it or even compressed it against something...but the service was great. And while I was skeptical at first, the repair was easy and even a little fun to do.

 

I'll eventually be back for another. Probably the Vac.

 

Wow! Cracks in the new barrel, already. I love the pen. And I baby it. I'm not really sure why this would happen. I do know that this is enough to make me think that my Vac money is going to sit tight until I see if it has better quality control. I appreciate that TWSBI will replace the broken parts, but I don't want to opt for a second pen that I'm consistently needing to repair.

 

I don't think that it's a quality control. There is quality, and there is more than enough control. What I think is that there are sections out there have an unforseen issue where the sections are under stress from the inserted nib unit. They have redeisgned it, as my brother has confirmed. Just let them know; it's not like they don't stand behind their product.

 

No problems with my section. It's my barrel that has cracked twice. Don't get me wrong. Philip has been great. And the pen is ridiculously easy to take apart and repair. I think that I'm just a bit disappointed to have the new barrel begin to crack so quickly. At $50 I can live with it--especially with the incredible service. For $70, I'm not so sure. I do think that it's reasonable to expect a pen at these price points to last a bit longer than a few weeks.

[Sagar_C]

Any suggestions on how to prevent such cracks? (Do not tell me "don't drop!" )

[krbmsw]

Philip just e-mailed me that they are changing the design of the barrels (removing the metal ring near the piston) to help prevent future cracks. He believes the new one I'm receiving shouldn't crack, either, even though it still has the ring. I will absolutely give TWSBI credit for working to improve their products, being honest about it and then allowing their customers to upgrade for free. I know of few other companies that would do that. Then again, I've never had a problem with my Pelikans, Parkers, et cetera. But then, maybe I've just been fortunate.

[Fountainpenlover]

Purchased my TWSBI 530 medium nib quite some time ago,in fact as soon as they were available on eBay, and have made regular use (though not exclusive use) of it since, without any problems whatsoever. In fact I am very happy with it and find it so convenient, as it writes smoothly and holds plenty of ink and is quite attractive in my opinion. It so happens that I pick it up quite often to take with me on a day's work in preference to other pens which shows that I really like it.

What I find rather strange is that TWSBI on eBay are not making their pens available for posting to Malta (where I live) so I cannot order directly from their eBay site, if I were to decide to purchase the 540, as I had done with the 530 without any difficulty whatsoever.

Edited February 29, 2012 by Fountainpenlover

[mannyr27]

I bought a Diamond 530 when they first became available. I use the pen frequently and have not had any problems so far. I fill it with Chesterfield Capri, which is made by Diamine and looks like their Florida Blue. Looks really sharp.

[Sagar_C]

Is there any relation between trying to de-assemble TWSBI and cracks? May be if one never tries to take apart the pen never gets a crack...just pondering...

[leofbyrne]

1329533776[/url]' post='2253453']

Not only has my 540 been problem-free, it's convinced me that I want more of them.

 

Ditto!

My TWSBI Diamond 540 has been perfect, straight out of the box. I want a couple more TWSBIs now, the Diamond 540 is that good! One of my favourite writers, it makes me wonder why I spent so much money on some of my other pens...

[leofbyrne]

My 530 has been perfect. I intend to buy another, and I too wonder why I have spent so much on other pens. It is a pleasure to use and very reliable. I would like an italic, though.

[Silvermink]

My first-batch 530 has never broken in any way, though I don't use it all the time either.

[xspect]

Just notice a crack in my 540 ROC. I havent dropped or misused it. just sent off a email to phillip.

[Londo]

I bought a TWSBI Diamond 540 a few months ago, along with every nib size. So far, the clear sections on both the M and B sizes have begun to crack, with the medium nib being the most severe (measured at 1/4").

 

Are the clear sections replaceable? Can I save the nib - push it out and into another section? I've been considering using Krazy glue to stop the crack from growing, but don't want to lock the nib to a bad section if it is replaceable.

Edited March 9, 2012 by Londo

[foxtail1]

I bought a TWSBI Diamond 540 a few months ago, along with every nib size. So far, the clear sections on both the M and B sizes have begun to crack, with the medium nib being the most severe (measured at 1/4").

 

Are the clear sections replaceable? Can I save the nib - push it out and into another section? I've been considering using Krazy glue to stop the crack from growing, but don't want to lock the nib to a bad section if it is replaceable.

 

Just email Phillip. He will have replacement sections off to you today. There won't be any problems with switching the nibs. TWSBI has videos and directions on line explaining how to do everything.

 

Edit: wow, my 1000th post!

Edited March 9, 2012 by foxtail1