Twsbi Diamond 580

[vishwaskrishna]

My first review here at FPN. After reading a lot about the TWSBI pens on FPN, I was really tempted to try one of them. So, I purchased the recently released TWSBI Diamond 580 with a medium nib (and later on bought an EF nib too) directly from TWSBI.

 

The pen cost me $80 ($50+$30 for shipping). An aside, noticed today that the TWSBI website has increased the shipping cost by $10, which means, you may have to shell out nearly as much as the pen if you are from India, like me. Edit: as pointed by hari317 below, the shipping rate is still $30 (when not logged in through a mobile)

 

Coming back to the pen, the first time I wrote, I was blown away by the smoothness of the pen. The medium nib is really that smooth. And though I feared that the pen might be huge, looking at the images, but never felt so after actually handling it for a while. Also, I found the grip of the pen very pleasing and now, I am really comfortable with the length, grip as well as the weight of the pen.

 

But my initial pleasure of using such a smooth nib vanished very quickly as the nib skipped a LOT and got dry very soon.

I wrote to TWSBI and Philip Wang was quick to respond, asking me to press the nib using my thumb and index finger to stop the skipping issue. I followed that but didn't find much of a difference, but when I followed what TWSBI has demonstrated on their

, I was surprisingly able to correct the issue and pen never skipped afterwards.

 

With regard to the drying of the pen, unfortunately, the issue still persists, The solution, though not entirely pleased with it, is turning the piston knob to push the ink and then do it again after about a page. Meaning, if you are using the pen for longer periods, this might be bit of an irritation.

 

When it comes to the extra fine nib, I had requested Philip Wang to test it and make sure that the nib doesn't skip, and then ship it. Thanks to TWSBI, my EF nib never skipped, but unfortunately, even that faced the same drying issue. After about a page, the nib/feed started getting very dry. Apart from that, the EF nib is, naturally, not as smooth as Medium and was too dry for my liking. So, followed the same method suggested by TWSBI, mentioned earlier, to make it wet and it worked and now, happy with the ink flow. (I separated the nib from the feed while following their method)

 

Have to mention that I have changed the ink lot of times and it is a very easy and quick process to clean the pen.

 

Overall, my experience with TWSBI, if I have to summarise in just a line, is it gives one of the smoothest writing experiences, except when it gets dry.

 

I like the look of the pen a lot (pardon my photography skills) [original image]

Writing sample of EF nib [original image]

 

Writing sample of Medium nib [original image]

 

Initial skipping of the nib (M) [original image]

 

You can notice the difference between the dry nib (EF) and the wet nib immediately after turning the piston ring [original image]

Edited May 25, 2013 by vishwaskrishna

[mohan]

Thanks for the review. Twsbi pens are available from Pens avenue in India.

http://www.pensavenue.com/TWSBI/TWSBI-Diamond/TWSBI-Diamond-580-Clear-Fountain-Pen/779

[hari317]

Thanks for the review. Twsbi pens are available from Pens avenue in India.

http://www.pensavenue.com/TWSBI/TWSBI-Diamond/TWSBI-Diamond-580-Clear-Fountain-Pen/779

wow, look at their prices. 4900/- for a 2800/- pen and 5500/- for the stub? lol.

[vishwaskrishna]

Thanks for the review. Twsbi pens are available from Pens avenue in India.

http://www.pensavenue.com/TWSBI/TWSBI-Diamond/TWSBI-Diamond-580-Clear-Fountain-Pen/779

Thanks a lot for the info, recent development I guess, had not seen that earlier.

 

wow, look at their prices. 4900/- for a 2800/- pen and 5500/- for the stub? lol.

Yes, definitely very much expensive when you compare the price with other countries, but if you consider shipping costs into account, it is around the quoted price at pens avenue. Correct me if I am wrong.

[hari317]

even with the outrageous 30USD Fedex shipping that TWSBI wants their customers to use, making the total 4500/- it is still 8USD cheaper to buy directly from TWSBI rather than the local reseller pensavenue, their pricing dept must have been sleeping or simply depend on ignorant customers.

 

On the other hand, the writing desk in the UK have the best prices for TWSBI shipped worldwide. just 63USD(3600/-INR) shipped to India for the 580 by standard mail. and TWD have great service.

Edited May 25, 2013 by hari317

[vishwaskrishna]

even with the outrageous 30USD Fedex shipping that TWSBI wants their customers to use, making the total 4500/- it is still 8USD cheaper to buy directly from TWSBI rather than the local reseller pensavenue, their pricing dept must have been sleeping or simply depend on ignorant customers.

 

On the other hand, the writing desk in the UK have the best prices for TWSBI shipped worldwide. just 63USD(3600/-INR) shipped to India for the 580 by standard mail. and TWD have great service.

TWSBI have increased their shipping prices by $10 dollars very recently, now it is $40 for shipping, unfortunately.

 

I guess, you are right about TWD. But I have had bad experience with India Post, lost two packages of TWSBI which I bought from PurePens (though I was refunded by PurePens) Once, I only received the package, without anything inside!

Will have to check if the FedEx charges at TWD is not as high as TWSBI's.

[hari317]

I did a mock checkout before posting, it still showed 30odd for fedex priority and 37odd for fedex economy!

 

I must have bought more than a hundred pens from overseas, most of them shipped into India through the postal system, my experience with India post has been superb. YMMV.

[vishwaskrishna]

Tested again, some problem with the twsbi website I guess. When I logged in through mobile, it is showing as $40 for shipping, but when I logged in through desktop, it is displaying the earlier price of $30. Edited the original post, thanks for the heads up.

 

How I wish India Post's service in my area was as good as yours. Check this http://www.deccanherald.com/content/147012/goods-foreign-parcels-fall-prey.html

Edited May 25, 2013 by vishwaskrishna

[hari317]

How I wish India Post's service in my area was as good as yours. Check this http://www.deccanherald.com/content/147012/goods-foreign-parcels-fall-prey.html

wow! that's really bad.

[msolok]

A lot of others seem to be reporting the same things with new TWSBI nibs and pens. A lot recently seem to be suffering from skipping and hard starts, no matter what you do to try and solve the issue.

 

I have tried to contact TWSBI about the issues, and I received a lot of excuses and abuse for my troubles. Check out the thread in the Chinese Pens section of the forum (the thread is 'If you have troubles with your TWSBI pen).

[alc3261]

I had replacement nibs for my Vac700s which totally corrected the problem (no charge from TWSBI). My 580 is a 1.1 stub and really quite wet - no issues at all.

[vishwaskrishna]

mslook, yes, I have been actively following the thread which you mentioned, not a good feeling for any customer to be left in the lurch by the company. I wish they had treated you and AAN in a dignified manner.

 

To be fair to TWSBI, they were quick in their responses to my mail, but unfortunately, the solution which they provided only solved the part of the problem.

 

alc3261, glad that TWSBI could solve your problem by replacing the nib. I was told by TWSBI that since I do not live in US, the only way to solve my issue was to use the "pressing the nib with thumb and index finger" method. I was told, if I lived in US, they would have asked me to send the pen back to them for repair. I never asked for any replacement, and neither got any.

 

Regarding the dry nib issue, it is not possible to detect the issue unless one writes for longer periods, I had earlier thought that I had solved it, but only when I used the pen for my exams, I could fully realise that I had not solved that particular problem. But with some persistence, ink flow could be increased and even skipping could be reduced. But I would have been happier if the pen wrote without any problems, out of the box. Sadly, it doesn't seem to be the case with few/many of us. Not sure how many or how few are facing this particular issue.

[mhguda]

vishwaskkrishna, I am glad you brought this particular item to the fore:

I was told by TWSBI that since I do not live in US, (emphasis added) the only way to solve my issue was to use the "pressing the nib with thumb and index finger" method. I was told, if I lived in US, they would have asked me to send the pen back to them for repair. I never asked for any replacement, and neither got any.

It now seems to me that TWSBI customers in these two countries, UK and USA, have a fair chance of getting good service in case of problems with their pens. The rest of us, not so lucky. It is a pity that they do not tell people that before they buy the pen...

Now we know. Forewarned is forearmed.

[de_pen_dent]

I've said this before - I like TWSBI pens, they are quite nice looking and good value for the price. I have a 540, a 580 (from Pendleton, with his stubs), 2 ROCs, a 700 and a Micarta. I've had to send my 540 and the 700 back to the US for fixing - and even then, the 540 came back as problematic as before. Philip was kind enough to send me another replacement nib/feed, which seems to have solved the problem.

 

They are a good option for keen pen enthusiasts that live in the US, who dont mind availing of the warranty/excellent service TWSBI offers.

 

But I would not recommend them to beginners - someone who is just starting out needs a pen that will work, not a pen that requires a lot of futzing around to get it work (esp when $50 gets you PLENTY of other options that work much more reliably - Faber Castells, Pilots, Lamys). I would also not recommend this them to people living outside the US, for obvious reasons.

 

I do think that the FPN love for the TWSBI brand over-rates them a bit. Not everyone will want to spend the time and effort in shipping the pen back/waiting for a replacement for a $50 pen - I did but that's cos I dig demonstrators and really like the look of TWSBIs, and I knew what I was getting into. I still wish TWSBI would up their QC, charge $10 more for the pens and be done with it.

[de_pen_dent]

Btw, those Pens Avenue guys have decent prices on Faber Castell, and good to see Diamine & Herbin ink locally!

[vishwaskrishna]

mhguda, right now, that seems to be the situation going by various other threads on TWSBI. Unfortunate, because, I really like the smooth nib of TWSBI, I wish that they had worked a bit more on drying issue before releasing 580 Diamond.

 

de_pen_dent, agree with you, I am impressed with the looks of TWSBI Diamond series too. And except for the drying part, I like the pen with regard to all other aspects too. I wish there was a solution for this constant drying of nibs which requires the ink to be primed often, more often than one would like to.

 

I do think that the FPN love for the TWSBI brand over-rates them a bit. Not everyone will want to spend the time and effort in shipping the pen back/waiting for a replacement for a $50 pen - I did but that's cos I dig demonstrators and really like the look of TWSBIs, and I knew what I was getting into. I still wish TWSBI would up their QC, charge $10 more for the pens and be done with it.

 

Could not have said it any better myself. Completely agree, I wouldn't mind shelling extra money for assured writing quality. Just being curious, how are you finding the Pendleton Twsbi? Hope it does not suffer from the drying issue.

 

I am not sure about the prices elsewhere, but with regard to online fountain pen shops in India, as far as I have seen, Pensavenue is the only one to let you choose the nib width, something which is grossly overlooked by other stores. Will have a look at Faber Castell pens there, thanks.

[de_pen_dent]

I havent had a chance to ink up Pendleton's TWSBI 580 - I thought I had brought it with me, but had grabbed a regular 540 instead. I have had a bunch of other nibs customized by him, and I am 100% sure it will work like a dream.

 

I agree re nib widths - I've emailed William Penn a couple of times about putting nib options on their website, but they go M, M, M all the way (sometimes, they are able to dig up B and F nibs, but you have to email then).

 

Faber Castells are, in a word, superb. Nice looking, super-reliable and lovely nibs. IMO, they are the best <$100 pens out there, not TWSBIs or Lamy.

[occham]

I bought My TWSBI Diamond 580 a month ago. Great pen, no issues. HIGHLY recommend this pen.

[josephfabry]

I also bought a 580 from PB and fell in love with the "Butter Line Stub." For a while, it was one of my favorite writers. The honeymoon is over- for the same reasons. The annoying skipping and dry-out with prolonged use.

 

I've tried several high-grade inks, and the problem persists. It's not the ink, it's the pen.

 

I still use the pen, but once it starts skipping, I put it away and use a different pen.

 

Not bad for an 'under a hundred dollars' pen. I'd be furious if it was a $750 pen.

 

Love,

 

Joe

 

 

[mAnuscript69]

I've had my TWSBI 580 with a broad nib for three months now. When it was new I had issues with skipping and ink flow. The pen would start out nice and juicy before gradually drying up within a few sentences. I always flush pens before inking them up. The pen would occasionally skip on the downstrokes. To remedy that I removed the nib and feed and gave it a good scrub, twice.

 

Things had improved but the issues were still there so I flossed the nib slit and feed channel - it finally writes the way I want it to now. However the nib drying is still present, though on a much smaller scale than before. I have a habit of priming the feed with ink prior to writing as I like a really wet line and so far the 580 has been satisfactory.

 

My 540 didn't have problems with skipping, but it did have the issue with the drying gradually. Granted, it was much drier as the nib tines were much closer together. After widening the nib slit it writes with no problems whatsoever now.

 

Looking at the feeds of TWSBI pens, I suspect the feed channel is too narrow to sustain a consistent ink flow - I have a feeling the feed channel gets clogged up easily seeing how narrow it is. This could be why the broader nibs are more prone to skipping and flow issues.