Not very durable

[arthury]

I own 3 model 540s and 2 of them are now out of commission.

For one, the front nib plastic holder kept popping out.

The other, the end segment where the screwing pump is located, also kept popping out.

 

I have never experienced this kind of issues with Lamy, Pilot and Pelikan.

Not sure if the new model 580 has this kind of issues as well.

 

[welch]

From the beginning, TWSBI has been known for fragility. Early on, it was that the plastic cracked. I bought an original and yes, it cracked.

[Dillo]

I haven't had any issues with my newer pens such as the Eco, Diamond Mini, Vac700R, and Vac Mini.

 

One thing I will say is that you should avoid taking apart the pen in general use. This seems very much related to a lot of the cracking issues. It's also notable that the Pilot Custom 823 suffers from the same problems with cracking when it is disassembled. Part of the problem is that people often overtighten the parts when putting the pen back together because they cannot appropriately judge the force needed. When I get a new TWSBI, I loosen the piston mechanism and gently screw it down until it stops-just enough so it does not unscrew when the pen is being used. I do the same for the grip section and nib unit assembly. I also cap them without overtightening. Screw down the cap until it stops. It will seal quite well this way without any additional force. With this approach, the pens work the way they should, and I have not had any more issues with cracking.

 

The plastic TWSBI is using is acrylic for the Eco which is the same materials used for many of Pilot's Custom series. They are using polycarbonate for the Diamond 580, Diamond Mini, Vac700R, and Vac Mini. Polycarbonate is highly impact resistant (and is often used for bulletproof glass) but does not do well with constant stress, so you can drop or hit the pen on very hard surfaces, and it won't crack, but constant stress, such as overtightened parts can cause the polycarbonate to split after some time. Ultem behaves in a very similar manner, developing splits and cracks with constant stress. Making sure that things are not overtightened is very important for any pen made from Polycarbonate. Even the Lamy 2000 is susceptible to splitting if things are overtightened (that's why the new version has an all metal grip section with a plastic decorative ring on it). The original 2000 has a plastic grip section with a metal front trim piece on it and it tended to split at the threads where it screwed onto the barrel. The Lamy 2000 is made from Polycarbonate as well, but the black parts have fiberglass fill which helps distribute the stress somewhat and reduce the cracking.

[Doc Dan]

I've had no issues with any of my Twisby pens, even after using them every day for the last couple of years.

[Beechwood]

If I could give one piece of advice, I own a couple of early TWSB pens and had a number of problems with them, probably all due to my taking them apart.

 

Treat them as if they were never meant to be taken apart, especially the nib and section.

 

Just because you can doesn't mean you must.

 

 

[inkstainedruth]

I haven't had the cracking issues that were reported early on.  But I've had other issues.... 

The pistons on the 580-AL & 580-ALR don't extend all the way to the back of the feed, and when the pen gets low on ink the air bubble in the ink chamber can block the flow to the feed.   And the 700-Vac?  When I first got it, and went to flush it out for the first time, it took a really long time to dry out.  Much longer than it should have (and that was JUST mostly with water).  Then again, when I finished the fill of ink and went to clean the pen out.  And I was sufficiently nervous about what other people had said over the years on FPN about their TWSBIs that I didn't want to futz around with pulling the nib and feed.

I really like the look of the Indigo Bronze Eco, but fear that the Ecos will have the same issue as the 580s (which I think is a design flaw).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[jchch1950]

On 2/15/2025 at 1:56 AM, Beechwood said:

 

 

Treat them as if they were never meant to be taken apart, especially the nib and section.

 

Just because you can doesn't mean you must.

 

 

Lubricating the piston doesn't require touching the section or the nib. 

[Dillo]

And if you take out the piston unit, screw it down until it stops and no more. If you crank on it, it will make the rear of the barrel split eventually, just like the Pilot Custom 823.

 

It's plastic to plastic and there is a seal (in both the Pilot Custom and in a TWSBI). It's not going to leak. It only needs to be tight enough not to unscrew when you fill the pen and no more.

[Doc Dan]

Sometimes, things people clean their pens with will contain alcohol, unbeknownst to them, and that wrecks havoc with a pen over time.

[1pen2pen]

yup, 8 TWSBIs in as many years and the early ones have not lasted well: cracked barrel on a Diamond 580; threaded section of the cap came off on a VAC 700; failed piston on an ECO. if fiddling with the pens is the cause -- something i've just recently learned about TWSBI -- then i guess these are self-inflicted failures because i have and i do.

 

i'm not really into the fragile and/or "hands off" ethos so i guess i'll be moving on from my TWSBI obsession. TBH i got started with them because of the good prices (at the time) but the Chinese brands on Aliexpress seem to have made than an obsolete decision since i last looked a few years ago. ah well, everything changes and why should inexpensive fountain pens be any different? it's a shame though: if the TWSBIs were a little more robust they'd be nice hobbyist pens.

[Doc Dan]

I find it odd that many other makers that use similar materials also have cracking problems and no one bats an eye. 

[AmandaW]

1 hour ago, Doc Dan said:

I find it odd that many other makers that use similar materials also have cracking problems and no one bats an eye. 

 

Cos a TWSBI is AU$60 or more while the Jinhao is less than $5?

[Doc Dan]

8 hours ago, AmandaW said:

 

Cos a TWSBI is AU$60 or more while the Jinhao is less than $5?

I was thinking more of Japanese and German brands that have had cracking issues in the past. 

 

Personally,  I have yet to have any issues at all. I hope it stays that way. 

[Bill Wood]

I had a clear TWSBI 580 when they were introduced. I had the cracking issue then. It sounds like things have improved and people are adding some cautionary notes. That’s a good thing. I think I’ll pull the trigger again. Everybody likes a plunger filler without breaking the bank. 
The models below the 580 seem to be causing more problems. 
 

[Boston Brian]

Sadly, you get what you pay for! 

[Karmachanic]

On 3/21/2025 at 4:21 PM, Bill Wood said:

Everybody likes a plunger filler

 

Really?

[Boston Brian]

Personally I like the converter/cartridge options, the other is not very practical for traveling.

[jthole]

On 3/3/2025 at 6:14 AM, Doc Dan said:

I find it odd that many other makers that use similar materials also have cracking problems and no one bats an eye. 

I can remember clearly how harshly Montblanc was judged for the fragile 144 pens.