My Twsbi 580Al Blues

[Cryptos]

<sigh>

 

A short while I go I jumped into the modern pen pool and bought a TWSBI 580AL Blue with an extra fine nib. Loved the look of the pen, and it is the first demonstrator pen that I have ever seen in person. Loved that aspect of it too!

 

Alas, for reasons that elude my understanding, the pen just doesn't sit right in my hand. Whether this is because it doesn't post, or the section is metal, or some other reason... well, anyway, life is too short to get hung up on these things and so I must consider what to do with it.

 

I am tempted to sell it and put the money toward a Pilot Custom Heritage 92, because I think the length of the TWSBI is one of the larger factors in my not liking it as much as I want to. Essentially it will have been filled once, and spent most of its time in a pen wrap or on my desk. There's nothing intrinsically wrong with the pen, and it writes a nice consistent extra fine line (with a bit of feedback). I haven't even unpacked the silicone grease or the wrench!

 

Anyway, has anyone else had a similar experience as this? If so, how did you solve the issue?

[Notgatherox]

Life is too short to be using something you don't fancy.

 

I think your idea of the Pilot is great! I do like my Heritage 92 a lot!

 

I have had pens that didn't agree with me either - I sold them and bought something else, something I fancied more.

 

 

 

~Epic

[welcmhm]

I think the two options are to take it to a nibmeister to see if fixing the nib might help (if it's the scratchiness that's bothering you), or, as Lord Epic said, selling the pen and putting the money towards something you enjoy more. I have bought some micro mesh and lapping paper and other materials to help me smooth out some of my nibs and it has made a noticeable difference in how my pens feel when I use them (I like my nibs very smooth).

 

However, I also have a pen that I purchased that is gorgeous and writes absolutely beautifully without needing any work, but I just don't use it as much as I'd like, so I'm looking to sell it and put the money towards other pens that I'll get more use out of.

[Cryptos]

No, there is nothing wrong with the nib. It writes exactly how I want it to. It's the way the pen sits in the hand. Likely a combination of weight, width, length and balance that just doesn't suit me. There's nothing you could do to the pen to make it better in that respect.

 

I think the sell and look at something else approach is good idea, yet on the other hand it is also a (so far) somewhat limited run pen by TWSBI, and so I may end up just storing it for a bit.

[ac12]

I don't post my TWSBIs. When posted, the pen becomes too tail heavy to comfortably write with.

[sail1942]

You might want to consider a TWSBI classic which posts or a TWSBI mini which posts positively with a thread cap.

[TSherbs]

What pen of your current collection feels best in your hand (nib quality aside)? And what is the difference between the geometry and weight distribution of the pens? I know what you mean: sometimes it is just hard to describe.

[Cryptos]

Good question, and yes it is certainly hard to pin it down.

 

I just received - fresh from the restorer - my one and only 1930s Parker Duofold Senior Streamline. Now that pen is a little shorter than the TWSBI and yet feels more comfortable unposted. This is likely due to the section being thicker I suspect. Neither pen is really a good fit for length (my hands are 21cm - 8 1/4 in from tip to wrist), but the Parker does at least post well.

 

At work right now, what other pens do I have with me? A Pilot CH 912 and an Aurora 88P. Both of these are shorter unposted, but can at least post, and both have thicker sections. Both also feel a little more comfortable if I have to use them unposted. Oh, and a Ranga 4C which is both a little bit longer and thicker too.

 

 

Thanks for nudging me in the right direction. It looks as though it may be the diameter of the section that is causing me the most problem. Funny how 1mm or so can make such a difference, isn't it? And I daresay that being metal doesn't really help either. Perhaps the shape of the section is subtly off for me too.

 

 

So, I need to have a look at the specs of the Pilot Custom Heritage 92 and how they compare to the TWSBI.

 

Other suggestions (based on what I've said here)?

 

 

EDIT: I am actually on the mailing list for a Franklin Christoph 66 Stabilis coke bottle - though haven't heard anything yet, and they are supposed to be available in late March. Will need to check the specs of this too I think, but this will have an EF nib so it could be an alternative to the CH92.

[Ecriveur]

This is why pen stores and pen shows are still important. There's simply no substitute for experiencing exactly how a pen feels in your hand. Pictures and video reviews are certainly useful, but they don't get you all the way there. I always recommend, before making a major pen purchase, to try out the pen at a local pen store (or pen show) if at all possible. Of course, the threshold for "major" varies from one person to another.

[TSherbs]

This is why pen stores and pen shows are still important. There's simply no substitute for experiencing exactly how a pen feels in your hand. Pictures and video reviews are certainly useful, but they don't get you all the way there. I always recommend, before making a major pen purchase, to try out the pen at a local pen store (or pen show) if at all possible. Of course, the threshold for "major" varies from one person to another.

EOC has said elsewhere that he lives far from any pen stores or shows.

[TSherbs]

Gosh, EOC, you obviously know more about pens than I do. But we all learn what works and what doesn't for our hands. I have learned that my hold position and wrist movement really likes inlaid nibs because the nib tip is moved above the center axis pole of the pen's body lengthwise (that wording make sense?). For some reason this has relaxed my hand so much: less fatigue, less pain. So, I have begun to dream of a PFM one day....at least trying one.

[Cryptos]

Hardly! I know very little, and only have experienced a very small sample of pens from which to draw any kind of conclusion. For instance, you talk about the inlaid nibs. I've had a Sheaffer Compact with such a nib and something about the way it looks puts me off my stroke, so to speak. Same with Triumph nibs. Don't know why. It shouldn't make much of a difference, but apparently it does!

 

 

The other thing is that I can write with anything, as I am sure most people can also do, but writing a quick note and writing a long letter are two very different animals. Although I use the TWSBI for marginalia and marking research papers it is sufficiently "off" for me to notice this even then. I could just ignore it and use it anyway... where would be the fun in that when I can get to try something new!

[TSherbs]

Yeah, how I feel about metal/aluminum sections...no way, Jose!

 

By the way, the only thing I don't like about about TWSBI Mini is the threads at the section: I find them quite sharp. My hands are XL (glove) and the section is *just* large enough, but I prefer holding the pen higher and the threads nip my underfinger a bit.

[proton007]

I've been trying to get my 580AL flow consistently, but it just seems to have some design flaw.

 

The nib+feed combination was replaced with a Jowo, and there is some improvement, but I find the vacuum behind the ink is too strong and it outweighs the capillary suction at the feed end.

 

I still keep using it, but I think it's going to be replaced soon...sigh.

[majolo]

I have a TWSBI 580AL and a Pilot CH92 and can measure the sections with calipers if you have any trouble finding that data.

[Cryptos]

Interestingly enough both the 92 and the 580AL have the same minimum section diameter. That leads me back into doubts over why the 580AL doesn't work for me. Bearing in mind that I have a Mabie Todd that narrows to 6 mm, although I tend to hold it higher near the body where it flares to 10 mm.

 

It must be something else then. Balance perhaps, or metal section?

 

Gosh, this is tricky.

[amberleadavis]

@Proton, flush your pen and do a flush or two with a solution of water and Meyers dishwashing liquid, then flush again until the pen runs clear. The TWSBIs have a huge capacity and inks that are prone to surface tension really act out in a TWSBI.

[zwack]

EOC I know exactly what you mean. My wife and I have a large collectiin of pens and I can write with any of them. Some of the seem feel much mor comfortable for writing than others and I really can't say why.

 

I have one pen (a ballpoint) that is physically the largest I have it is longer and wider than any other pen we own and yet it is comfortable enough (but better not posted).

 

Equally a Waterman's 452 1/2 V is probably the shortest and it is also comfortable (although the length is better posted). A Waterman's rip-off is probably the slimmest but it too is comfortable.

 

So specific dimensions are not the (only) issue. I suspect that balance, where you grip the pen and the pen design also have a part in it. Some people complain about specific pens because where they normally grip it is a design element (a thread, a lip,...) and so it just isn't comfortable for them.

 

It is a very complex mix. I personally think it comes down to I like certain pens and others just don't work for me. Accept it, live with it. As for the pens you don't like. You have three options...

1) Keep it as part of your collection.

2) Give it away.

3) Sell it.

 

All three are valid. Personally which of those I would do would vary from pen to pen and depend on specific circumstances.

 

I know I didn't answer any questions, but I hope that this helps.

[QueLaw96]

Interestingly enough both the 92 and the 580AL have the same minimum section diameter. That leads me back into doubts over why the 580AL doesn't work for me. Bearing in mind that I have a Mabie Todd that narrows to 6 mm, although I tend to hold it higher near the body where it flares to 10 mm.

 

It must be something else then. Balance perhaps, or metal section?

 

Gosh, this is tricky.

If you're still of a mind to sell your blue 580AL, I'm interested. I've been hunting for one a while Sir!

[inkeverywhere]

EOC I am lucky enough to own both pens you write of, the CH92 is head and shoulders above the Twsbi 580, although I do enjoy using the 580.

 

For me there are only two types of fountain pens, first the ones I like using and secondly the ones I'm not so keen on. I am spoilt for choice having three B&M stores within about half an hour drive, but in saying that none of them stock all the pen brands I seem to like writing with. Lately I have taken a real fancy to Pilot Namiki pens my 92 and a 74 have been in constant use for some time now, but none of the stores are Pilot stockists.

 

I have bought all my Pilots online from Japan, always a pleasant experience. I have struck your problems in some ways, buying online. For example when I bought my 92 I ordered it with a medium nib, my reasoning being Japanese nibs being on the finer side of western nibs. I now have a fine medium and a soft fine nib for the 92 but luckily they are interchangable with my 74. The trap involved with buyiny online - you can't pick the dam thing up and try it in hand!

 

It may also appear an enjoyment of vintage pens is shared by both of us, mine being vintage Parkers. I have found with vintage pens they all seem to be similar and very rarely do they not feel right in hand.

 

 

Greg