TWSBI Diamond 580 or Mini?

[Doc Dan]

Hi folks,

 

I am debating on which to buy first and I thought I ask you knowledgeable folks. 

 

Which of these would you buy first, the 580 or the Mini?

Which one writes best? I will likely get a stub nib.

 

I have a couple of Goes. I think the Mini uses the same nib. How does this compare with the standard 580? 

 

The 580 is larger, except when the Mini is posted. The 580 has a larger nib, which I want to try. 

 

Thanks. 

[Particular_Song3539]

I only bought a Mini(gold) because the color is a SE/LE, otherwise I wouldn't at all because I don't like small pens.
The difference btw these twos are :
Price - according to Goulet, Mini does indeed cheaper, but not really that much of a difference.
Weight - roughly 4g, which I don't think I would notice
Size - and hence ink capacity, Mini stores 1.17ml, which I think is more than enough
Colors - 580 has a lot more choices than Mini

 

See which of these are important to you and pick from there 
The price difference might not be the same for you in your country, so do check it .

[Doc Dan]

Well, I ended up not being able to resist the Diamond 580 RG II with 1.1 Stub Nib. Awesome and beautiful pen. 

[Horseflesh]

I have a 580 with the TWSBI stub and it's very nice to use. Enjoy!

[Doc Dan]

1 hour ago, Horseflesh said:

I have a 580 with the TWSBI stub and it's very nice to use. Enjoy!

Thanks. Mine is very wet. Is yours?

 

I have a Go with a stub nib, but it isn't as wet. The Go has the same nib as the Diamond/Vac Mini, which is different than the one on the 580. 

[Horseflesh]

My TWSBI stub is not what I would call wet, it's kind of medium. 

[Doc Dan]

Mine is wet enough that I can't pause in my writing, even to be sure of a stroke, or it will dump a lot of ink on the paper. It is beautiful when I don't stop, though. The ink color really shows. This also makes it even smoother, I think. 

[marcelo]

My Mini never worked properly, even with all care and maintenance.

[Misfit]

My first Diamond 580 is wet, and has a 1.1mm stub nib. I think the second 580 is also. It’s a RBT version also with stub nib. 

[Doc Dan]

Both of my TWSBI Diamond 580's have stubs and are on the wet side. They are very smooth.

 

I ultimately ended up buying these when I saw that smoke rose gold II and fell in love with the looks. Now, I also have the white rose gold. Such great writers. I have yet to try a Mini. 

[jchch1950]

The 580 Al is my Twsbi first option when I plan to do a lot of writing. You refilled it at the beginning of your text and it will last for many pages.

[The Elevator]

On 11/16/2023 at 7:48 PM, Doc Dan said:

Hi folks,

 

I am debating on which to buy first and I thought I ask you knowledgeable folks. 

 

Which of these would you buy first, the 580 or the Mini?

Which one writes best? I will likely get a stub nib.

 

I have a couple of Goes. I think the Mini uses the same nib. How does this compare with the standard 580? 

 

The 580 is larger, except when the Mini is posted. The 580 has a larger nib, which I want to try. 

 

Thanks. 

Late to the party, but should add that the Mini has a screw-posting cap, whereas the 580 cap can’t really be said to post. (It kind of does, but really I don’t trust it and it makes the pen like 7 inches long)

[Surlyprof]

On 2/7/2024 at 8:07 PM, Doc Dan said:

Both of my TWSBI Diamond 580's have stubs and are on the wet side. They are very smooth.

 

I ultimately ended up buying these when I saw that smoke rose gold II and fell in love with the looks. Now, I also have the white rose gold. Such great writers. I have yet to try a Mini. 

I wasn’t able to resist the grape mini.  It is my first try with a TWSBI.  I bought it with an extra fine nib for sketching.  I’ve been pleasantly surprised by this pen.  It may be one of the smoothest and most fine extra fine nibs I own.  I found that particularly surprising since it is steel and my others are gold and much more expensive.  It’s nice having a reasonably priced pen that I can just chuck in my pocket or clip in my sketchbook without worrying about losing a $150 or more pen.  And, as @Particular_Song3539 mentioned, it holds plenty of ink.  Much more than other pocket pens that only use an international cartridge.  Although I’m tempted by TWSBI’s sunset yellow 580, I think I prefer my grape mini for it’s compact size and convenience.

[Doc Dan]

3 hours ago, Surlyprof said:

I wasn’t able to resist the grape mini.  It is my first try with a TWSBI.  I bought it with an extra fine nib for sketching.  I’ve been pleasantly surprised by this pen.  It may be one of the smoothest and most fine extra fine nibs I own.  I found that particularly surprising since it is steel and my others are gold and much more expensive.  It’s nice having a reasonably priced pen that I can just chuck in my pocket or clip in my sketchbook without worrying about losing a $150 or more pen.  And, as @Particular_Song3539 mentioned, it holds plenty of ink.  Much more than other pocket pens that only use an international cartridge.  Although I’m tempted by TWSBI’s sunset yellow 580, I think I prefer my grape mini for it’s compact size and convenience.

I have looked and looked at the minis. I bought the 580, which has a larger nib and liked it so much I bought two. Mine have stub nibs, but I have given serious thought to a mini in fine. One thing I do like about the mini, though it has a smaller ink capacity, is that it can be securely posted. 

[Surlyprof]

5 hours ago, Doc Dan said:

I have looked and looked at the minis. I bought the 580, which has a larger nib and liked it so much I bought two. Mine have stub nibs, but I have given serious thought to a mini in fine. One thing I do like about the mini, though it has a smaller ink capacity, is that it can be securely posted. 

I really appreciated you starting this thread.  As much as I love the color and the convenience of my grape mini, it’s peaked my interest in TWSBI’s larger pens such as their Vac700 and this particular 580ALR.  I’m very curious about the vac filling system but I’m not thrilled with the color choices for the 700.  Your glowing review of your full-size 580s may just tempt me to pick up one.  Maybe it’s time I try a stub nib…

[Doc Dan]

7 minutes ago, Surlyprof said:

I really appreciated you starting this thread.  As much as I love the color and the convenience of my grape mini, it’s peaked my interest in TWSBI’s larger pens such as their Vac700 and this particular 580ALR.  I’m very curious about the vac filling system but I’m not thrilled with the color choices for the 700.  Your glowing review of your full-size 580s may just tempt me to pick up one.  Maybe it’s time I try a stub nib…

I'm glad you like the thread. That 580 has tempted me, too. I like blue so one of the blues will probably be mine one day, but that one is a real looker. 

 

I've got three or four TWSBI's with stub nibs. I am addicted, I think. They are all so smooth to write with. Jowo makes a great nib.