580ALR - What's the Appeal?

[Checklist]

I am considering buying a 580 in Nickel Gray, but I'm not quite sure yet, especially since I'm not keen on demonstrators.  However, all that I hear about TWSBI has me intrigued.  What do y'all like about TWSBI, its best qualities?  Conversely, what are its worst?

[A Smug Dill]

9 minutes ago, Checklist said:

What do y'all like about TWSBI, its best qualities?

 

The piston-filler comes packaged with a wrench and a small container of piston lubricant.

 

10 minutes ago, Checklist said:

Conversely, what are its worst?

 

Owners are tacitly encouraged to needlessly disassemble the pen in the name of maintenance, just because it's made easy.

 

I see nothing that makes the TWSBI 580ALR a particularly good writing instrument as supplied. I don't own one, but I've been asked by a budding hobbyist — who bought one as her first independent purchase, after the fountain pens I've given her over the past few years — to fix hers when she couldn't refill it after leaving it unused for a while; she wasn't keen on the nib as supplied, and so didn't end up using it much at all.

 

But I can understand why someone who is keen to buy basically a pre-assembled collection of components that they can tinker with, swap nibs, etc. may find particular appeal. Having a transparent body allows them to see what they're doing all the better.

 

Ignoring any nuances of the “Western” (consumer, or European language writing hobbyist) perspective, most HongDian piston-filler models also come with a wrench and piston lubricant in their retail packages; and they are well made, cheaper, and not limited to having see-through pen bodies. I'd take a HongDian piston-filler over a TWSBI any day; and there are different nibs available for them, including the “blade” (or sometimes misnamed “long knife”, à la Naginata Togi) type grind. How easy to acquire one of those pens in the full retail package, especially from local-to-oneself stockists on the same continent, has nothing to do with the quality or performance characteristics of the writing instrument.

 

[Checklist]

Thanks for the feedback.  I'm not a tinkerer, but I am open to adjusting the pen if needed.  Definitely not a major selling point.

[Jamerelbe]

I think the appeal of the TWSBIs when they first came out was the novelty of a see-through pen, combined with the piston fill mechanism - plus the capacity to buy replacement nib units to swap in.  It was the purchase of a TWSBI Diamond 580 that rekindled my interest in fountain pens maybe 10 years ago - followed in quick succession by a couple of Diamond Minis, then several more TWSBI models over the years.  I even managed to find a blue Diamond 580 on a trip to Hong Kong, and snapped it up despite the known cracking issues with this model (thankfully it's still intact!). 

 

Different strokes for different folks I guess, but I still have a soft spot for my TWSBIs - even though they're not my most-used pens.  

[Aysedasi]

I currently have 4-5 different TWSBIs.  All write extremely well.  I've had no quality control issues with any of them.  I've never tinkered with any of them either.  

[Jamerelbe]

8 minutes ago, Aysedasi said:

I currently have 4-5 different TWSBIs.  All write extremely well.  I've had no quality control issues with any of them.  I've never tinkered with any of them either.  

 

I have about 11 of them (I think) - including a Vac 70R, 3 Ecos, and a Go.  Plus a number of swap-in nibs, some of which I've had custom ground.  I'm not as fond of the lower-end models - the Ecos write well enough, but just aren't all that attractive.  The Go is even less appealing to the eye, but has the advantage of being cheap - and the spring-loaded plunger filling mechanism is a lot of fun to play with!

 

Edited to add: Some of my older TWBIs had cracking issues, and the offending parts were promptly replaced for me - but none of the pens I've purchased in the past few years.  

Edited November 9, 2022 by Jamerelbe
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[tde44x]

I have 4 of them, 1 with a broad nib, 1 with a 1.5 stub, and the others with 1.1 stubs.

 

They all write very well and have not been a problem for me. I did buy them early in my adventures into the FP world of today - my prior 2 FP's go back to the mid 1990's.

 

To be honest, if I were to start over again, I would have 1 580 with a 1.1 stub. Not that I have any problems with the others, but as my collecting has grown the variety of what I enjoy has changed as well to encompass more styles, types, etc.

[jchch1950]

Twsbi 580 ALR are very good pens, maybe they will be more desirable if they were offer also in solid colours with an ink view collar. After using a Twsbi Swipe with a 1.1 nib for some months now is one of my best writing pens.

[Aysedasi]

4 minutes ago, jchch1950 said:

Twsbi 580 ALR are very good pens, maybe they will be more desirable if they were offer also in solid colours with an ink view collar. After using a Twsbi Swipe with a 1.1 nib for some months now is one of my best writing pens.

 

Yes, I'd like one in a solid colour.  

[inkstainedruth]

@Checklist -- I have a 580-AL and a 580-ALR.  And honestly, I doubt I'd buy another one (still making up my mind about the 700-Vac -- it takes a really long time for the inside of the barrel to dry after flushing).

The main trouble I found with the piston fill TWSBIs is that *I* think there's a design flaw -- the piston does NOT extend to the back of the feed, so it's easy to get an air bubble as the ink gets low, which blocks flow (I've heard the same thing about the Eco and Eco-T models as well but don't have either of those).  And I've barely used the 580-ALR -- the stub nib on mine is a firehose (writes better upside down!), plus the grooves in the section make it very difficult to wipe excess ink off the section.

Oh, and you have to be careful when flushing/soaking the pen because I had some of the color leach off/bleach out of the the section on the 580-AL.  

YMMV....

Still the pens definitely have their fans.  I'm just not one of them at this point.  I keep looking at some of the cool trim colors on the Eco and Eco-T pens and then remind myself what I don't like about the 580-AL and 580-ALR....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

ETA: Edited for typos

[Aysedasi]

2 hours ago, inkstainedruth said:

@Checklist -- I have a 580-AL and a 580-ALR.  And honestly, I doubt I'd buy another one (still making up my mind about the 700-Vac -- it takes a really long time for the inside of the barrel to dry after flushing).

The main trouble I found with the piston fill TWSBIs is that *I* think there's a design flaw -- the piston does NOT extend to the back of the feed, so it's easy to get an air bubble as the ink gets low, which blocks flow (I've heard the same thing about the Eco and Eco-T models as well but don't have either of those).  And I've barely used the 580-ALR -- the stub nib on mine is a firehose (writes better upside down!), plus the grooves in the section make it very difficult to wipe excess ink off the section.

Oh, and you have to be careful when flushing/soaking the pen because I had some of the color leach off/bleach out of the the section on the 580-AL.  

YMMV....

Still the pens definitely have their fans.  I'm just not one of them at this point.  I keep looking at some of the cool trim colors on the Eco and Eco-T pens and then remind myself what I don't like about the 580-AL and 580-ALR....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

ETA: Edited for typos

 

I particularly like the Ecos.   I have two and bought another for my wife.  I have broad nibs and they really write well with no problems to speak of (for me).  I've never had any ink flow issues.  I'm not exactly 'championing' TWSBIs, but having read a lot of stories of people having problems, maybe I'm just lucky to have had none with any of mine....

[Checklist]

3 hours ago, inkstainedruth said:

@Checklist ...

 

The main trouble I found with the piston fill TWSBIs is that *I* think there's a design flaw -- the piston does NOT extend to the back of the feed, so it's easy to get an air bubble as the ink gets low, which blocks flow (I've heard the same thing about the Eco and Eco-T models as well but don't have either of those).  And I've barely used the 580-ALR -- the stub nib on mine is a firehose (writes better upside down!), plus the grooves in the section make it very difficult to wipe excess ink off the section.

Oh, and you have to be careful when flushing/soaking the pen because I had some of the color leach off/bleach out of the the section on the 580-AL.  

YMMV....

Thanks for the heads-up; if I get one, at least I know what problems or quirks to look for.  I like wet-writing pens, so long as they put down a reasonably fine line; my LAMY 2000 is a wonderful example of this.  Did the color bleaching occur with just water, or were you flushing with something else?

 

5 hours ago, jchch1950 said:

Twsbi 580 ALR are very good pens, maybe they will be more desirable if they were offer also in solid colours with an ink view collar. ...

That would definitely boost the appeal for me, though the faceted barrel is another, smaller hangup.  Definitely won't pull the trigger until I get to try one for myself.

 

Thanks to everyone for the info.  Since it'll be a while before I'll have a chance to get one in hand, you've given me something to think about.

[Horseflesh]

When I was a brand new fountain pen guy (like, a month ago) I got a TWSBI 580 AL because everything I could find to read suggested it was a perfectly nice pen that should work with no hassles, and be easy to clean. I also liked the screw-in nib units so I could try a couple different nibs without needing to mess with mounting a nib on a feed

 

That may sound stupid, but if you can remember the days when you knew nothing at all about fountain pen maintenance, long before you delved into the obscure threads in places like this, you may find some sympathy for someone who just wanted to buy what most of the internet said was a safe pick. 

 

If you're already a fountain pen expert, maybe they don't look appealing, and that is OK. Now that I have tried many other pens and discovered that there are some perfectly fine cheap pens with similar features, TWSBI is not the first thing on my list either. But I am glad I have my 580 even if I could have spent 57.488% less on a similar pen from a different maker. 

 

[Checklist]

6 minutes ago, Horseflesh said:

...

That may sound stupid, but if you can remember the days when you knew nothing at all about fountain pen maintenance, long before you delved into the obscure threads in places like this, you may find some sympathy for someone who just wanted to buy what most of the internet said was a safe pick. 

 

If you're already a fountain pen expert, maybe they don't look appealing, and that is OK. ...

Sounds pretty reasonable to me; I have no experience tuning pens.  I'm not trashing the pen or anyone who likes it; I just don't want to spend money on one so different from what I have already without having a good idea why it's popular and whether those criteria meet what I'm looking for in a pen.  If there's anything I've learned delving into these obscure threads, it's that any pen or ink is someone's favorite, even if you can't stand it.  As a life-long contrarian, that suits me just fine.  Just want to see if the appeal lines up with my tastes.

[Horseflesh]

Makes sense. 

 

My take is, if you look at the 580 line and think, "YES, I like what I am seeing," then the pen pretty much delivers when you have one. Could it be better in some ways, sure. 

 

If it doesn't seem to do anything for you from afar, I don't think it will win your love if you got one anyway. 

 

[miwishi63]

If my recollection is accurate, the early 580s had some quality control issues. Hopefully, they have been resolved. The ones I briefly owned had problems. I did like the ease with which the nibs could be changed. I find them visually appealing but too large for either my tastes or my hands. If you like the looks of it, give it a go. You can easily resell it if you decide you don't like it.

[inkstainedruth]

On 11/9/2022 at 3:35 PM, Horseflesh said:

If you're already a fountain pen expert, maybe they don't look appealing, and that is OK. Now that I have tried many other pens and discovered that there are some perfectly fine cheap pens with similar features, TWSBI is not the first thing on my list either. But I am glad I have my 580 even if I could have spent 57.488% less on a similar pen from a different maker. 

 

Oh, I got the first one, the pink 580-AL, when I had initially gone into a B&M store that used to be in the area to look at a Pacific al-Star.  Came out with the TWSBI and 3 bottles of De Atramentis ink, and ended up paying about three times as much as the al-Star would have....  And even with the issues I had with it, ended up THEN buying the purple trim 580-ALR.... 

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

[A Smug Dill]

On 11/10/2022 at 7:35 AM, Horseflesh said:

you may find some sympathy for someone who just wanted to buy what most of the internet said was a safe pick. 

 

A Sailor, Platinum, Pilot, Pelikan, Faber-Castell, Diplomat, Aurora, etc. fountain pen above the price of (just plucking a number out of the air) US$75 would all be safe picks, really, assuming that — as someone new to fountain pens who just want a writing instrument that works like a fountain pen should — easy nib interchangeability, and being able to try different things with the pen later on without the cost of buying an entire new/different pen, is not the priority.

[markofp]

I enjoy the 580 line, and have many, but I feel the 580ALR was the ruin of them. The issue for me is the raised ribbing etched into the section. This to me makes the pen uncomfortable to hold for long writing sessions, also the ribs leave an imprint on my thumb and index finger, which I hate. I much prefer the standard 580AL, which comes in silver, rose, rose gold and iris. 

[Misfit]

I have two 580 TWSBI, though neither is an AL or ALR. I was interested in the ALR  in Prussian Blue.  When looking at it, there isn’t a lot of color.  I’m glad I got Prussian Blue in the Swipe. My 580s are plastic instead of aluminum. I like that look more. So far all my TWSBI pens, 580s, Diamond Minis, Ecos and Swipes have all written well. They also write after being neglected. I don’t want to tinker with them. I don’t take them apart to clean.