Twsbi Next Pen "economic Model" 2012/10/04

[Vinni3]

I have a slightly weird idea that I have decided to share anyway.

 

You specify a high school student but I would be interested in buying something like this for my much younger nephews. One thing you could do to make the pen better for that age range is a locking piston. For example, if the center of the end cap had a hole in it and the end of the piston rod had a threaded hole in the end of it, a small screw could be inserted to lock the piston in place. This would prevent accidental (or not so accidental) ink fights.

 

Why not ask for a cartridge version then?

 

Also,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWoYmTAfDbk

 

[P3000]

I like the design. I would be really interested in the 25-30 USD price range. As for the name, what about TWSBI Undergrad?

[savingbirds]

Hey Speedy,

 

I still like the original design, but the new clip is intriguing. I agree with everyone that it would be best to offer it in opaque colours, but I'd probably still buy a demonstrator . Even though a C/C pen would appeal more to younger users, I can speak for high school students that a piston filler not only is easy to fill, but much more useful in that it can hold a lot of ink (though a full 540 EF can last for a week).

 

As a student pen, an all-plastic barrel is more attractive, as well as a lighter design. I don't think posting will be an absolute necessity, as I don't think it makes much of a difference in writing. Also, were the measurements on the original photo of the pen capped or uncapped? 142 mm is quite a large pen ( my 540 is only 140 uncapped).

 

Thanks for the new design! I hope it can be available before the next school year!

 

*Also, if you do go with the "Diamond" look, I think Carbon would be a cool name for this pen!*

[penocd]

Sir, what about the click? Any word on that model?

 

 

Unrelated: any notice on when the Mini will be available?

 

Very soon

[andrew98]

Maybe call it the TWSBI Deco (because of the cap). The white one looks incredible. I will be buying my first TWSBI fountain pen when this one is available!

 

Good luck with this project!

 

-Andy

 

Edit: I forgot to mention that the only thing I would change is the step down from the cap threads to the grip section. It would likely be more comfortable to hold if the grip section were nearly as wide as the threads for the cap.

Edited October 7, 2012 by andrew98

[linux3214]

I agree. The metal rings on the section and piston areas really class up the pen. And an o-ring on the piston end, even for extra grip for posting, doesnt seem that useful. With the o-ring on my early 530, it kept moving each time I opened and closed the cap so I would imagine a student pen going in and out tight jean pockets would do the same. Also, is the clip spring loaded because thicker pockets dont tolerate springs too much. My jeans ruined my Lamy 2000 cap.

 

Great concept all around. Balance is essential for those pop in class essays and great ink capacity is a must. Love the idea of an affordable quality piston fill.

Love TWSBI

[ever onward]

If the pen is designed for beginners, I am not so sure that the piston is a "must be". As a student, c/c seems more convenient...

 

Hm. But can a converter last through an entire school day of notetaking? I would think in that setting a large ink capacity would be more convenient.

 

I know there are some high school students on our boards now....if any of you are reading this, what's your take on ink capacity? Can you make it through a day of notetaking on one converter? or do you have to carry multiple converter-filled pens?

 

?

-eo

[dali3464]

Hm. But can a converter last through an entire school day of notetaking? I would think in that setting a large ink capacity would be more convenient.

 

I know there are some high school students on our boards now....if any of you are reading this, what's your take on ink capacity? Can you make it through a day of notetaking on one converter? or do you have to carry multiple converter-filled pens?

 

?

-eo

 

Although I'm a university student at the moment, I did use a fountain pen in my final year of high school (around about 5 years ago). I distinctly remember having never used more than one converter full of ink (Lamy Safari F) per day given that I never bought ink cartridges as an emergency back-up nor did I have more than one fountain pen.

 

For university students though it's a different matter, I regularly carry 3 c-c pens, and I can generally work through 2 of them.

 

From a student perspective, here's how I ultimately see the situation: whilst piston-fillers indeed have a higher ink capacity, most students aren't going to have enough foresight to check if the pen is low on ink (and refill it) before heading out to class. Most students (I imagine most people) don't carry around bottles or small vials of ink, so if the pen does run out while you're in class you're going to have to ditch the pen for the rest of the day until you come home. With c-c pens, you can just pop in a cartridge.

 

But to be honest I wouldn't be disavow piston-fillers (nor do I see them as particularly advantageous over c-c pens) as most FPN students I'd imagine carry multiple pens and the chance of all of them running empty is quite slim.

[linux3214]

If the pen is designed for beginners, I am not so sure that the piston is a "must be". As a student, c/c seems more convenient...

 

Hm. But can a converter last through an entire school day of notetaking? I would think in that setting a large ink capacity would be more convenient.

 

I know there are some high school students on our boards now....if any of you are reading this, what's your take on ink capacity? Can you make it through a day of notetaking on one converter? or do you have to carry multiple converter-filled pens?

 

?

-eo

On a heavy day a fine nibbed Safari running on Noodlers black in a converter would last nearly a day. And being a high schooler, there are no labs without twisting out a few drops of ink for the heck of it. Piston is the way to go for those who dont like cartridge inks and dont mind inky fingers from bottled inks.

[faustulus]

My worries are about the external O-ring. It will not be protected most of the time and I worry it would be easily torn or damaged.

[AloofObserver]

This looks nicer than the Diamond 540 and since it will probably be $35-40 USD I don't see the point in the 540 anymore! Maybe it's just my preferences but this new design simply looks much nicer.

[gks]

This looks nicer than the Diamond 540 and since it will probably be $35-40 USD I don't see the point in the 540 anymore! Maybe it's just my preferences but this new design simply looks much nicer.

 

From what I have heard (here on this forum) the 540 is discontinued and the 580 will replace it. Perhaps there will be a price increase on the 580? This is just conjecture on my part, but that may be part of the reasoning why this new economical pen is being introduced.

[savingbirds]

This looks nicer than the Diamond 540 and since it will probably be $35-40 USD I don't see the point in the 540 anymore! Maybe it's just my preferences but this new design simply looks much nicer.

 

From what I have heard (here on this forum) the 540 is discontinued and the 580 will replace it. Perhaps there will be a price increase on the 580? This is just conjecture on my part, but that may be part of the reasoning why this new economical pen is being introduced.

I thought the 580 was just a concept of a metal-bodied pen. I didn't know it would make it to production, nor would it replace the 540. There is room in the TWSBI fountain pen lineup for a vacumatic, a clear demonstrator piston, a metal-body piston, a micarta C/C, a mini piston, as well as an entry-level pen aimed at students.

[brunico]

I thought the 580 was just a concept of a metal-bodied pen. I didn't know it would make it to production, nor would it replace the 540.

 

The 580 is the upgrade of the 540, apparently, and the 850 is the metal-bodied pen. It is a bit confusing...

[BT-7274]

If the pen is designed for beginners, I am not so sure that the piston is a "must be". As a student, c/c seems more convenient...

 

Hm. But can a converter last through an entire school day of notetaking? I would think in that setting a large ink capacity would be more convenient.

 

I know there are some high school students on our boards now....if any of you are reading this, what's your take on ink capacity? Can you make it through a day of notetaking on one converter? or do you have to carry multiple converter-filled pens?

 

?

-eo

 

Depends on how much notes we need to take. My EF Lamy Logo usually lasts the week before I have to refill the converter. With a medium nib though, I find myself refilling every other day. I bet I could run it dry though if it was a heavy day.

[Namo]

If the pen is designed for beginners, I am not so sure that the piston is a "must be". As a student, c/c seems more convenient...

 

Hm. But can a converter last through an entire school day of notetaking? I would think in that setting a large ink capacity would be more convenient.

 

I know there are some high school students on our boards now....if any of you are reading this, what's your take on ink capacity? Can you make it through a day of notetaking on one converter? or do you have to carry multiple converter-filled pens?

 

?

-eo

 

Depends on how much notes we need to take. My EF Lamy Logo usually lasts the week before I have to refill the converter. With a medium nib though, I find myself refilling every other day. I bet I could run it dry though if it was a heavy day.

 

The idea of the c/c is that you can use cartridges tant aer easy to take with you. If your piston pen, for any reason, goes empty, you cannot put a cartridge in it.

[Jimmy James]

I love this idea, and I am a fan of all the images we've seen so far. I think what makes the black model seem $5 cheaper is that it's a rendering. Renderings just don't typically seem to have as much value due to the "fakeness" of them. I think a real pen that looks like that would jump back up at least that $5.

 

I just hope that the pen comes with a broad nib and can easily be modified by Pendleton Brown. Yes, I know it's weird getting nib mods that are twice the price of the pen but my gosh the idea of one of these with a flexy Pendleton creation would be amazing to me.

 

I think the piston versus c/c debate is moot. In reality, it's no harder to make certain your large capacity piston is full than it is to deal with the c/c situation. If somebody wants a good school pen priced c/c-filler, they have Lamy Safari, Pelikano, and a few other options. This is a pen for the people who want to step up to a more serious design for their school needs. It's a Pelikan Go for the future.

Edited October 7, 2012 by Jimmy James

[Emperor]

Twsbi Crystal due to its crystalline shape from the cap to the barrel ^^

[N2theBreach]

 

I think the piston versus c/c debate is moot. In reality, it's no harder to make certain your large capacity piston is full than it is to deal with the c/c situation. If somebody wants a good school pen priced c/c-filler, they have Lamy Safari, Pelikano, and a few other options. This is a pen for the people who want to step up to a more serious design for their school needs. It's a Pelikan Go for the future.

 

Nicely put.

 

I think I'm a perfect example of why it makes sense. I'm a mid-career grad student. Our classes are held on three-day-weekends, all day. On Saturdays, we start at 8:30 and go 'till 6:00. I prefer a piston-fill, because I would know that I had enough ink to last all day.

 

Building on what you said, Jimmy-- when I was buying my first pen, a guy in a pen shop showed me aTWSBI 540. He said to find another piston-fill in that price range, you would have to pay twice as much. If TWSBI can bring in a piston-fill even less expensive, at $25 - $30, it could change the whole structure of the fountain pen market by putting pressure on other manufacturers to do the same.

[Downcelot]

This is my first post in FPN. Hello everyone!

I just ordered an Amber 540 as a work horse.

I recommend Apprentice as the name for the new model. It sounds classy enough because this can be the first pen for many people (it's MAJOR, many of us youngsters do not use a FP once in our lives). The word signifies a beginning, in this case, of a hobby which many of you fanatics refer to as a bank-damaging disease.

I think the pistol filler is just fine. Being a college student myself, i notice our bookstore does not sell cartridge anymore. Capacity matters. And while converters have been proven to be working for years, they are usually smaller in size.

People, who love FP do not care if they get ink here and there. However, refilling, especially in dire time, could be a hustle for many newbies (I actually learned to write with FP first so I do not care. Plus I know a bit of what I am getting myself into).

You should pay attention to sealing, leaking, and ink burst at the nib section from bumping and jumping. Students are often moving around a lot (between classes, different campuses). Having ink all over books and school bag can be a nightmare. They are $100+ sometime these day!

Lastly, sorry for ranting, i am a bit too excited awaiting for my new pen. This surely brought memory back.

Edited October 7, 2012 by Downcelot