Twsbi Diamond 580 Black Rosegold Fountain Pen

[Drone]

@jcpbkk,

 

"You can wipe..."

 

That is not an acceptable response from TWSBI in my opinion. This pen is too new and the quality of the nib should not be this bad for a TWSBI. I might expect this nib rust/corrosion to happen to a nib in a pen like a $5 Baoer or Hero. But under normal use conditions, this should NOT be happening in your TWSBI 580 which is supposed to have a good quality German nib.

 

Clearly, from your correspondence with TWSBI Customer Service, they know about this problem!

 

I am really surprised about TWSBI's response in this case. I have never used TWSBI Customer Service, but I have followed numerous cases where TWSBI has fixed problems for their new pen owners in a fast and professional way.

 

That does not seem to be happening in your case. I wonder if it is something particular to this Rose Gold 580 pen that is making TWSBI shy away from supporting you with your 580 RG.

 

At this point I think you are within your rights to Demand that TWSBI either fix the pen or replace it. If you feel this way, tell them so in strong terms and ask them for return instructions. It may help to point them to your posts in this FPN thread so they know there will be a record for others to see about how they handle this problem.

 

Next, TWSBI should respond to you and either stand by the product, or provide a reason why they feel they can do nothing more for you.

 

If TWSBI does not help you, then I am afraid your options are limited because this is the Rose Gold TWSBI 580:

 

1. Buy a replacement Rose Gold 580 nib from TWSBI. Unfortunately, due to the Rose Gold color, I think a replacement nib unit from TWSBI is the best option. The 580 nib is a No. 5 nib if I remember correctly. So I do not think you can use a German replacement nib as these are typically No. 6, and may be too big. Plus a "normal" gold color two-tone replacement nib will not match the rose gold color of the rest of the furniture on the TWSBI 580.

 

Perhaps someone more knowledgeable about TWSBI 580 nib options can add more information?

 

I know - you may not trust the nib, but maybe you only got a "bad example". My 580 RG nib here in Jakarta is holding up well so-far seven months after purchase (at post time). Since TWSBI has already said they know about this problem, if you buy a replacement nib unit from them, one would think they will send you a replacement that does NOT have this same problem.

 

2. Buy a TWSBI 580 chrome-tone only replacement nib unit. These are available at many places (e.g., Goulet etc.). But the nibs are chrome-tone only and will not match the rose-gold color of the TWSBI 580 Rose Gold furniture. But a nice option here is that you can put a 1.1mm stub on your 580 RG. TWSBI has made it clear so-far the stub etc. nib options will never be available on the Rose Gold 580 two-tone nibs.

 

Keep us informed about what happens. I'm worried about what may happen to others (like me) if one of our 580 RG nibs starts to turn green.

Edited June 18, 2014 by Drone

[jcpbkk]

I think you misunderstood, Drone...

 

The problem is on the clip and the small upper ring near the clip... Not on the nib.

So, you know, I thought that they could replace the cap, and that was over...

 

Over? Not sure because they admitted they knew about this problem..

 

 

 

Can you see the greenish zone at the bottom of the clip?

It's not obvious in the picture but believe me it's here...

 

And about 2 months ago it was just some spots that, yes, I thought I could wipe... It got worst...

But, anyway, I still like my pen and love the little MINI I have too...

I even think of ordering a 580 RB to offer to someone...

 

I will just now be careful with these "cheap" Rose Gold things...

Thanks Drone.. Hope yours is well...

[fasthall]

Keep in mind, the Vac mini is closer in size to the 580. It's mini compared to the Vac700, but will still be bigger than the regular mini.

When you mentioned Vac mini is closer to the 580, did you mean the capped size or uncapped(unposted) size?

I love the size of 580 and find Vac-700 too large.

I don't like posting mini, so I'm considering if Vac mini is closer to 580 when uncapped, it will be a good choice for me.

Or I will order a Vac-700 now...

[Drone]

@jcpbkk

 

Thanks for clearing that up for me. I missed it. Corrosion on the clip not the nib, hmmm... Either way, TWSBI needs to make this right. Best of luck to you in dealing with TWSBI. As I've said before, their Customer Service has a pretty good record. Keep us up to date on what happens so we can see if TWSBI stands by this one. In the mean time down here in JKT I'll keep an eye out for corrosion on my 580 RG.

 

Regards, David

[Marlon]

So what was TWSBI's reply? I have bought mine around a month ago, maybe a bit more.

 

Spots have started two appear around a week ago. I am trying to wipe but they are not going away. We'll see how things progress.

[OakIris]

The pen does look very nice, but now 3 people in this thread alone have reported a problem with the rose gold starting to show spots...I can imagine there are a lot more people than that who have a TWSBI RG pen also exhibiting this problem.

 

TWSBI thus far is not giving their usual response - immediate replacement. I have read many glowing reports about TWSBI's great customer service so I find this odd. "Brassing," or the equivalent of spots on the trim, does not seem acceptable to me for such a new, current production pen; this is disappointing.

 

I love the two TWSBI pens I already have (a Micarta v.2 and a Mini,) and know that another TWSBI or two is/are in my future, but I might be removing the Rose Gold model from my wish list.

 

Holly

Edited July 16, 2014 by OakIris

[Drone]

Well, my 580RG has also succumbed to "TWSBI Rot".

 

The "rose gold" plating on my nib has started coming off where the tines meet and the slit between the tines seems to have a hint of green crud. It looks like it may be galvanic corrosion.

 

I was hoping my pen would be spared from what others have seen - but alas, no. My problem is that sending the pen back from here in Indonesia is very much like importing it in the first place - a very costly and risky endeavor.

 

Sigh.

[tinysnail]

Thanks to everyone for sharing their experiences with the rose gold 580… I had my eyes on one for my next big purchase, but I don't think I was to deal with "TWSBI Rot" at all! Thanks for saving me (and probably more than a few others) $80.

[Drone]

@tinysnail,

 

I would be suspicious of the quality if I were you. But, I wonder how many 580RG owners are experiencing the corrosion as a percentage of total sold. If we had an explanation from TWSBI about what to expect and what (if anything) is being done about a seemingly real issue, then you could make an informed decision, But it seems TWSBI doesn't want to confront this issue.

 

Tomorrow is seven calendar days since I Emailed TWSBI about my pen's finish coming off - and no reply so far. To be fair, I give a manufacturer a week to reply, then I will resend and consider taking other action as well.

 

Best Regards, David

[OakIris]

Statistically speaking, there may not be many TWSBI Rose Gold pen owners who's pens are experiencing this "TWSBI Rot" but since TWSBI is aware of the problem, having received at least a few emails from FPN members if no one else, it does seem that they are being slow to address it, especially given their stellar customer service reputation. Perhaps they are scrambling to find a solution, but it would be nice if they would let the folks who notified them about it know what is going on. Obviously a very bad plating job if the plating is already corroding on such a newly manufactured pen.

 

Perhaps some of our vendor members will chime in to let us know whether or not their customers are having this corrosion problem with their 589 RG's, so we could get a better idea of how many pens really do have this 'rot.'

 

Holly

[Drone]

I bought my 580RG from Goulet's when I had other things I cannot easily buy outside the U.S. being sent (e.g., Noodler's stuff). I'm in Indonesia. That's why I went direct to TWSBI out here in Asia with this problem instead of Goulet - it makes more sense logistically, and I would much rather deal with a manufacturer directly when it comes to a technical issue like bad plating. A distributor will likely just replace the pen with another that may have the same problem. Then I'll have to pay an arm and a leg to ship the bad pen back to the U.S., pay to ship the replacement pen out to Indonesia and pay tax and and duty again. I hope the factory will just send me replacement parts instead.

 

Usually I wait six months or a year before I buy a new model pen, just to let the bugs get worked out. I should have done this with the 580RG. But hey, the bugs are worked out of the regular TWSBI 580 pen by now, and how hard can it be to properly plate a few small parts?

 

Pretty hard it seems... Sigh.

[tinysnail]

That's a good point, Drone. A couple of bad testimonials were enough to dissuade me from purchasing but I'd be curious to know if this was a problem on a large scale.

[Drone]

Well, I finally got a reply from TWSBI about the plating problem on my 580RG nib. Rebecca Shih at TWSBI claims they never got my 24 July 2014 Email about this problem - OK, fair enough.

 

Ms. Shih asked for a picture of my nib - and told me they will mail me a replacement nib. Here is a picture of my nib (the version sent to TWSBI is much higher resolution)

 

 

It is rather difficult to photograph this problem but if you look closely at the picture, at the end of the nib on the left side you can clearly see where the "Rose Gold" plating has started to come off.

 

Between the tines, you "may" be able to see the beginning of some corrosion where the plating is also starting to come off. Further up the nib it is out of focus due to depth of field (can't seem to control this with my little $45 Canon A800 P&S, maybe time for chdk), but there are spots or blotches where more plating is coming off.

 

Surely this plating problem is only going to get worse with time. I am not seeing plating issues anywhere else on the pen (yet), only on the nib. Mostly I use Pilot/Namiki blue ink with this pen and sometimes Noodler's Eel Turquoise or Apace Sunset,

 

It was good to hear from TWSBI today. They stepped up to the plate and did the right thing by saying they will send me a replacement nib. I'll accept that the delay in reply was due to an Email problem.

 

Let's just hope the new nib doesn't behave like the old one, and the rest of the pen holds up as well...

Edited August 1, 2014 by Drone

[OakIris]

Glad you received a response from TWSBI, Drone, and that they are trying to resolve the problem. Hopefully the new nib will behave for you.

 

And now TWSBI is coming out with a Mini Rose Gold in white! It looks really nice, but, will it be prone to 'TWSBI rot'?!?

 

I am more tempted by this Mini than the 580 in Rose Gold, but if the same plating process was used and the 'rot' will soon occur, that is going to keep me away. (Yes, I want a Mini Vac, too, if that pen they have been teasing us with for over a year ever gets produced!)

 

 

Holly

[Drone]

Hi Holly,

 

That white mini in rose gold is pretty. Thanks for the pics. I think the pinkish "rose gold" goes better with white compared with black. But given my experience with these rose gold parts so far, I'd be reluctant to go for the the new pen.

 

As for TWSBI, there appeared to be progress on my plating issue five days ago. But after I supplied the requested picture of the bad nib along with my shipping information, the channel went dead again. I think tomorrow will be two weeks since my first attempt to contact TWSBI about this. I have again resent my message to the TWSBI factory.. Let's see what happens next.

 

TWSBI really needs to communicate better, not only with me but (more importantly) with their community regarding these rose gold plating issues - that they will stand behind the rose gold products already sold, and what they are doing to prevent these problems from happening in the future.

 

Regards, David

[OakIris]

Hi Holly,

 

That white mini in rose gold is pretty. Thanks for the pics. I think the pinkish "rose gold" goes better with white compared with black. But given my experience with these rose gold parts so far, I'd be reluctant to go for the the new pen.

 

As for TWSBI, there appeared to be progress on my plating issue five days ago. But after I supplied the requested picture of the bad nib along with my shipping information, the channel went dead again. I think tomorrow will be two weeks since my first attempt to contact TWSBI about this. I have again resent my message to the TWSBI factory.. Let's see what happens next.

 

TWSBI really needs to communicate better, not only with me but (more importantly) with their community regarding these rose gold plating issues - that they will stand behind the rose gold products already sold, and what they are doing to prevent these problems from happening in the future.

 

Regards, David

I like the way the Mini RG pen looks, but I too am worried about the plating having a similar problem as you and others have experienced with your 580 RG pens .

 

I left a comment on the TWSBI Facebook page regarding the plating issue, wondering if the plating process for the Mini RG had been changed; this was a couple of days ago, no response from TWSBI or anyone else.

 

I do hope they will respond to you, David. Given their excellent customer service ratings and reputation, it is hard to believe that they are deliberately avoiding discussing this possible "TWSBI rot" problem. Surely they will come clean and fix the problem, whether or not it is widespread.

 

Holly

Edited August 7, 2014 by OakIris

[penandpaperjoy]

Truthfully, if you're wanting to communicate with TWSBI in a timely manner, I strongly recommend using their email address:

 

twsbiinc@gmail.com

 

I had an issue with my Mini, and opted to post on FB, and e-mail them about the issue, the same day.

 

They answered my e-mail within 24 hours. On FB, it took them almost two weeks.

 

They do provide good customer service, just have to use the right avenues.

 

Regards!

[Drone]

I like the way the Mini RG pen looks, but I too am worried about the plating having a similar problem as you and others have experienced with your 580 RG pens .

 

I left a comment on the TWSBI Facebook page regarding the plating issue, wondering if the plating process for the Mini RG had been changed; this was a couple of days ago, no response from TWSBI or anyone else.

 

I do hope they will respond to you, David. Given their excellent customer service ratings and reputation, it is hard to believe that they are deliberately avoiding discussing this possible "TWSBI rot" problem. Surely they will come clean and fix the problem, whether or not it is widespread.

 

Holly

 

Hi Holly,

 

I did hear back from Ms. Shih at TWSBI just after my asking via Email about the status of my nib plating problem. Using the tracking number provided by Ms. Shih in her reply, tracking the shipment shows TWSBI did send my replacement nib the day before my most recent Email inquiry. But I feel I had to send an Email in order to prompt a follow-up from them. But to be fair, I can't be sure they would not have updated me unilaterally at some later date.

 

The nib is coming by regular mail (via Taiwan Chunghwa Post) to Jakarta (via Pos Indonesia) and is tracking OK so far. It should arrive next week.

 

Interesting that there is no reply to your question to TWSBI on their Facebook page. My impression is that TWSBI pays close attention to Social Networking. If you get a reply from them on Facebook, please reflect it here on this FPN thread.

 

If you don't get a Facebook reply from TWSBI, try Emailing them directly. This address is working for me and seems to connect with the factory in Taiwan:

 

info@twsbi.com

 

I will post more info in this thread after my replacement nib arrives.

 

P.S. That Dog in your Avatar photo is adorable :-) Is it some sort of Spaniel? It looks like a kind of Dachsund-Spaniel mix. But I know next to nothing about Man's Best Friend. Sorry.

 

[Drone]

Truthfully, if you're wanting to communicate with TWSBI in a timely manner, I strongly recommend using their email address:

 

twsbiinc@gmail.com

 

I had an issue with my Mini, and opted to post on FB, and e-mail them about the issue, the same day.

 

They answered my e-mail within 24 hours. On FB, it took them almost two weeks.

 

They do provide good customer service, just have to use the right avenues.

 

Regards!

 

@penandpaperjoy

 

Welcome to the FPN :-)

 

In my Post #111 in this thread I stated, "...I went direct to TWSBI out here in Asia with this problem..." The Email address I used is the one (below) provided on TWSBI's Web site:

 

www.twsbi.com/pages/contact

 

The Email I used is shown below:

 

info@twsbi.com

 

This Email address does work OK as I am writing this post. This Email connects with TWSBI in New Taipei, Taiwan where I think they are based. That makes sense for me since I am based in Indonesia. There are also TWSBI Email addresses in Mainland China and the U.S. (see TWSBI's Contact page, link above).

 

The Email address you cited (echoed below) is in the U.S. Since I am in Asia, dealing with TWSBI in the U.S. is an unnecessary abstraction for all involved.

 

twsbiinc@gmail.com

[OakIris]

 

Hi Holly,

 

I did hear back from Ms. Shih at TWSBI just after my asking via Email about the status of my nib plating problem. Using the tracking number provided by Ms. Shih in her reply, tracking the shipment shows TWSBI did send my replacement nib the day before my most recent Email inquiry. But I feel I had to send an Email in order to prompt a follow-up from them. But to be fair, I can't be sure they would not have updated me unilaterally at some later date.

 

The nib is coming by regular mail (via Taiwan Chunghwa Post) to Jakarta (via Pos Indonesia) and is tracking OK so far. It should arrive next week.

 

Interesting that there is no reply to your question to TWSBI on their Facebook page. My impression is that TWSBI pays close attention to Social Networking. If you get a reply from them on Facebook, please reflect it here on this FPN thread.

 

If you don't get a Facebook reply from TWSBI, try Emailing them directly. This address is working for me and seems to connect with the factory in Taiwan:

 

info@twsbi.com

 

I will post more info in this thread after my replacement nib arrives.

 

P.S. That Dog in your Avatar photo is adorable :-) Is it some sort of Spaniel? It looks like a kind of Dachsund-Spaniel mix. But I know next to nothing about Man's Best Friend. Sorry.

 

 

Sounds as if you SHOULD be receiving your new nib soon, David. Yay! And let's hope it doesn't succumb to the 'rot' like the original nib did. Still nothing from TWSBI in response to my comment about the rose gold plating issue; if penandpaperjoy's experience with their response time is typical, it could be another week or so before this happens. I will post here if they respond!

 

This is probably more than you want to know, but I really love that puppy! The dog in my avatar is Sammy (full name Carob Sweet Samson, lol.) He is a long-haired chocolate and tan piebald Mini Dachshund. And for someone that says they know little to nothing about dogs, your speculation about his breed was rather spot on. There doesn't seem to be any definitive proof, at least nothing that I have been able to track down, but it is thought that the long-haired piebald was the result of breeding a piebald Dachshund with a small Spaniel. (Piebald is a coat description - areas of full color on a white background.) He is a real sweetie. With his flowing, curly white chest fur with its chocolate spots, he looks as if he is wearing an ermine coronation robe. We sometimes refer to him as Little Lord Fauntleroy.

 

Holly