Pen Review: TWSBI Eco

The TWSBI Eco may come closest to dethroning the Lamy Safari as the most popular pen you can buy under $30.  With it's super smooth nib, modern design, and excellent piston-filling system, I can recommend the Eco to anyone, not just beginners.  While not all pen people may appreciate its looks, this is a solid writer, and may even supplant the TWSBI 580 in my rotation.    

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Build.  The Eco has two things to offer that distinguish it (in a good way) from other pens in its price range: a comfortable grip section, and a barrel length suitable for both posted and unposted use.  First, the grip section (and the rest of the barrel) is round, and very comfortable to hold.  The Lamy Safari (what I would deem the Eco's main competitor) features a triangular grip, supposedly to help students hold their pen correctly, but at the end of the day this mostly serves to limit the pen's appeal because many people simply can't use this grip comfortably.  Also, by eliminating the faceted barrel, many people have speculated that the Eco will last longer and be less prone to cracking due to reduced stress on the plastic. 

I regularly use the Eco both posted and unposted.  Some people find that posting the cap on the Eco makes the pen unwieldy.  The cap may not be the prettiest thing to look at, but it weighs next to nothing and I don't think that posting it renders the pen unreasonably long or uncomfortable to write with.  Regardless, unlike the Safari, the body of the Eco is long enough to allow me to write comfortably with the pen unposted.   

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It's a bit longer than my personal preference, but I can still use the TWSBI Eco posted. 

Aesthetics/Design.  People either love or hate the Eco's design.  I like it because it's different. True, there's a bit of a mismatch between the round barrel and the chunky, faceted cap and piston knob, but somehow the design works.  The Eco is a modern, minimalist fountain pen, and looks exactly like what one would expect a modern, minimalist fountain pen to look like. To deliver a pen at the $30 price point, you pretty much have to use plastic, so criticism that the pen "looks cheap" is misplaced--the Eco is intended to be an inexpensive pen, and to knock it because it looks "plasticky" or because it has a less expensive clip than the TWSBI 580 strikes me as unfair.  

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The cap and the clip on the TWSBI Eco have generated 

The Nib.  If there's one area where TWSBI has improved by leaps and bounds over the years, it's with their nibs, which I believe are made by JoWo.  Both the Eco and the Vac Mini (which I recently reviewed) feature a #5 stainless steel nib, and both of my pens are excellent writers. Like my Vac Mini, I picked up an Eco with a medium nib,  I'd characterize it as a "true medium," slightly on the wet side.  While the Vac Mini can occasionally hard-start or skip, due to the nature of a vacuum filling system and how ink is delivered to the feed, I have had zero flow issues with the Eco.     

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A shot of the TWSBI Eco nib and round, transparent section.  For some reason, I love the clear section on the Eco.  You can really see how the ink saturates the feed and works its way down to the nib.

Takeaways.  I can recommend the TWSBI Eco for anyone looking for a good daily writer that won't break the bank.  It's certainly not limited to beginners or people looking to buy their "first fountain pen".    That said, there are a couple reasons why the Eco won't dethrone the Pilot Metropolitan and others anytime soon as my recommended first-choice for an entry-level fountain pen.  First of all is price. The Metropolitan is less expensive, and with the new Retro-Pop collection, the colors aren't necessarily limited to black, silver, and gold.  The Eco sits at a slightly higher "next step" price point.  As I've said before, I'm also hesitant to recommend a piston filler as a "first pen," since many fountain pen newbies are uncomfortable starting out filling from a bottle.  

The TWSBI Eco does, however, sit appropriately near the top of my "Top Pens Under $75" list, and I'm considering moving it to the #1 slot.  So far, it's that good, but I want to give myself a few months with it to be sure. 

As of April 2020, you can purchase TWSBI Pens, including the ECO series, directly from The T.G.S. Curated Shop. The ECO starts at $30.99 for standard versions, and a pen with Rose Gold trim will run you $49.99.

Pen Review: Pilot Custom Heritage 92

I'm really mad at Pilot (or maybe I should be mad at the U.S. Distributor, Pilot U.S.A.). Why? Because Pilot makes a pen that is nice-looking, and an exceptional writer, but is only available in the U.S. in one color with an MSRP set twice as high as in Japan.  I'd go so far as to say that this pen could be a flagship offering for Pilot here in the States, yet it gets little love or attention, probably because of the price.

The pen that I am talking about, is of course, the Custom Heritage 92 demonstrator.  The clear version is sold by U.S. retailers, including PenChalet. Pilot also makes three different colors of the demonstrator in the same transparent plastics as the Custom 74 line:  Blue, Orange, and Smoke.  Unfortunately, as of the time of writing, these versions are Japan-only, but are still easily accessible through Amazon and eBay.     

General Build and Appearance

The Custom Heritage is a solid pen.  Some colored plastic demonstrators feel cheap, but not this one.  The barrel, cap, and especially the piston mechanism (discussed further below) all feel especially solid.  It's a nice mid-sized pen:  big enough to use comfortably posted or unposted, but not so huge that it weighs down the front of a shirt pocket or is otherwise inconvenient for daily carry. 

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As I mentioned, the color scheme on these demonstrators is substantially similar to the color scheme on the Custom 74 demonstrators available here in the US.  One difference is that the end caps are transparent gray, which sets off nicely against the orange. I've always wanted a pen in Pilot's clear orange acrylic--now I just have to pick up a blue version as well, which has a sapphire-like quality and is also stunning.  

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The piston knob on the Custom Heritage is gray, which accents the orange nicely.

The Fine-Medium "FM" Nib

The Custom Heritage sports a 14K gold number 5 nib.  Pilot's standard gold nibs are springy--they're not semi-flex nibs like the "FA" nibs and the nibs on a Pilot/Namiki Falcon, but you can squeeze out a touch of line variation.  What's unique about the nib I have, though, is the width.  Pilot makes a "FM" nib (or a Fine-Medium), which is the perfect width for me to use as a daily writer. On more absorbent paper, the FM nib leans more to the medium side; on Rhodia or Clairefontaine, the nib writes more like a Western fine.  In terms of ink flow, the pen writes perfectly out of the box.  It has just a hint of feedback.    

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Pilot Number 5 "FM" nib in 14K.

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You can definitely squeeze some line variation out of the Pilot FM nib--it's not a nail--but I wouldn't call it "flex" or even "semi-flex."

A Piston Filler that Fills Completely and Is Easy To Clean

I saved what I consider the best aspect of this pen for last.  In my piece on pen cleaning that I published a while back, I lamented how piston fillers had fallen out of my good graces because they were more difficult to clean.  Not so with this pen!  The piston mechanism is smooth and extremely efficient, meaning that the pen will take a full fill of ink, and on the flip side, will take a full fill of water when you are trying to clean it.  Many piston fillers will only fill the ink chamber 3/4 or 2/3 full, which not only fails to maximize the ink capacity of the pen but requires repeated flushing to clean it.  I've been using this pen with red ink (among the most difficult colors to clean), and I've been able to flush this pen completely clean with only 3-4 cycles of the piston. 

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Flushing the Pilot Custom Heritage 92 when I received it for the first time. This pen is full of water. Notice that there is only one slightly visible air bubble in the upper left of the ink chamber.

The Pricing Conundrum

I'm not a huge fan of clear demonstrators, so I didn't have to decide between buying internationally through Amazon or supporting a U.S.-based retailer.  It is, however, unfortunate that Pilot sets the MSRP on the Custom Heritage 92 at $275 in the U.S.  (Retailer "street price" tends to be around $220.) That's too high for this pen, regardless of how nice it is, and I would think this makes it nearly impossible for U.S. retailers (at least those abiding by the distributors' rules) to compete on this pen. The Lamy 2000 typically sells at a price point between $120-140, and I'd pay that for the Custom Heritage in a heartbeat.

Takeaways

I love this pen, and it's jumped to the top of my queue since I received it a few weeks back.  (I do a lot of copy editing, and there's something about writing with red ink in an orange demonstrator that I find incredibly satisfying.)  Moreover, at the $110 price point, this pen is up there with the Lamy 2000 as an option for purchasing a first gold-nibbed pen, especially if you are looking for a piston filler.  I purchased this pen off of Amazon, though they are also readily available on eBay as well, sometimes for under $100.        

Some Extra Credit

A few other people have reviewed the Pilot Custom Heritage.  Mike Dudek over at The Clicky Post reviewed the clear version with a medium nib, and Pete Denison has reviewed the blue version, also in a FM nib. 

If you're interested in reading further on the reasons why pens are priced differently in various markets, I recommend to you this piece by Ian at Pens!Paper!Pencils!  You can also check out PIlot's reply to Ian's piece, as well as this reaction by Dr. Deans at Pen Economics.     

Pen Review: The TWSBI Vac Mini

I'm prepared to eat my words on the Vac Mini.  After a less-than-stellar experience with the Vac 700, the idea of a miniature version of TWSBI's vacuum filler didn't excite me in the least, and I dropped one in my Amazon shopping cart as an afterthought when I was stocking up on something else.  I fully expected this to be a "review purchase," after which I'd resell the pen.  I was wrong, and I'm pleasantly surprised by TWSBI's latest "mini" model.  

A Recap of the Vac 700 and "Vacuum Fillers"

In 2012, TWSBI introduced the Vac 700, which at $70 was the most reasonably priced "Vacuum Filler" fountain pen available on the market.  The vacuum filling system is cool. The technical niceties are better explained elsewhere, but in short you stick the nib into an ink bottle, depress a plunger rod, and at the end of the downstroke the negative pressure causes the barrel of the pen to fill with ink. The Vac 700 was admired for bringing a unique filling system to the masses at a favorable price point, but has been criticized over the years for its somewhat clunky aesthetics and early quality control problems with the nibs.  I eventually sold mine after a couple of months, and haven't been tempted by another vacuum filler other than Pilot's higher-end Custom 823 (which is still on "The List"). [2021 Update: TWSBI has released a new version of the Vac 700, dubbed the Vac700R, which adjusted the filling system and valve to increase ink flow and solves many of the early problems I and others had with the pen. It’s definitely worth checking out, though the Vac Mini probably remains my favorite due to the pocketable format.]  

Note:  A "vacuum filling" fountain pen is not the same thing as a "vacumatic" fountain pen. Despite the similar sounding names, a "vacumatic" filling fountain pen uses a pump.  I am working on my own video demonstrating these filling systems, and will supplement this review at some point in the future.  For now, please check out Brian Goulet's video here on how to fill a vacuum-fill fountain pen.

The Build of the Vac Mini

The Vac Mini is not just a slimmed down version of the Vac 700: it's an entirely new design, and a good one at that.  The Vac Mini has none of the clunky, mismatched styling that I disliked so much with its larger sibling (err, cousin?).  It's much smaller, and works well as a pocket carry option for those days when you plan to be on the move and don't want to carry a full bag or pen case, but still have some serious writing to do and need a pen with a large ink capacity.  

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A shot of the Vac Mini's streamlined aesthetics.  Note the slight, yet noticeable, "step" from the barrel to the nib section.  

The design reminds me more of the Diamond Mini than the Vac 700, though the Vac Mini is more streamlined and foregoes the sharp facets of the Diamond 580 line (which probably lowers the risk of the plastic cracking).  There is a noticeable "step" from the barrel to the nib section (see picture above), and depending on how/where on the section you grip your pen, this could range from being a non-issue to a deal-breaker. Similarly, this pen is not one that you can use unposted for long periods of time, though for short jottings I've found that it works fine.  

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The TWSBI Vac Mini unposted.  I've found that it works fine for short notes.

Which brings me to a second commonly heard criticism of the Vac Mini:  to post the pen, you have to screw the cap onto the threaded end of the pen (the "end cap").  Some users have complained that this process takes too long, and makes this "pocket pen" too inconvenient to carry if you're someone who constantly caps/uncaps/posts/unposts the pen to take notes in short bursts. As I noted above, I've not had too much trouble in this regard, since I find the Vac Mini fine to write with unposted for brief periods of note-taking.  

Many people will also have to pay attention to the orientation of the clip when you post the cap.  The end cap is double-threaded, meaning that there's more than one way to screw on the cap, and as a result the clip can end up facing up or down. To some people, this means that the clip will end up "digging into your hand" or "not digging into your hand."  My hands aren't large enough to make this an issue, but I can see how it could be extremely uncomfortable for some people.  I've taken two pictures (below), attempting to demonstrate what people are complaining about:  

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At least on my pen, I've found that if you start threading the cap with the clip facing "down" (away from the top of the nib), you'll end up posting the pen with the clip facing away from your hand, and shouldn't have an issue with the clip bothering you as you write. 

To ensure the cap posts "correctly", with the clip facing away from your hand, start threading the cap with the clip facing the feed, not the top of the nib.  Annoying at first but pretty soon it becomes second nature.  

The Nib

I purchased my pen with a medium nib.   TWSBI's medium nibs are what I would call a "true medium"--not too fine, but also not too broad.  This one is particularly smooth and wet, and one of the better TWSBI nibs that I've owned.  

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I've always liked TWSBI's nibs (now made by JoWo), and their logo engraved on the front. Unfortunately, I don't believe the Vac Mini nib units are interchangeable.  

One thing to be sure to remember on a vacuum filler fountain pen:  If you are writing for a long-ish period of time (as in, more than half a page), unscrew the end cap slightly.  The metal rod that makes up the filler mechanism has a small O-ring at the end, which seals the nib and feed and prevents leaks when the end cap is closed all the way.  It's a handy feature to have on a pen that holds this much ink, and makes this a good option for airplane travel, but you'll need to open the seal before writing to allow the ink to flow freely. 

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On the Vac Mini (and any vacuum-filling pen, for that matter) you should open the end-cap for longer writing sessions, to allow the ink to flow.  

Takeaways

I purchased this pen a few weeks ago, and I love having it as a part of my carry.  It's everything that I want in a pocket pen: it has a large ink capacity and writes reliably. I also prefer the more streamlined look of the Vac Mini to the sharp facets of the TWSBI Diamond 580 and the Diamond Mini. At its price point ($60), this pen will get a lot of use from me. In my opinion, TWSBI generally represents excellent value regardless of your level of experience with fountain pens. As of 2021, you can now purchase the TWSBI Vac Mini directly from T.G.S. via The Curated Shop.  

I am not, however, going to add the Vac Mini to my list of Top Fountain Pens under $75.  Why not?  Risk of new user confusion. I think the filling system and the mechanism for posting the cap are too complex for most users to want to bother with. I'm a pen geek, and things like screw-on caps and vacuum filling systems are fun for me to play with. The average user, or someone looking to buy their first fountain pen, probably should not buy this pen over a cartridge/converter pen or a piston filler. The filling mechanism is more complex, and between having to unscrew the end cap for longer writing sessions, threading the cap to post, and paying attention to how the clip is oriented to prevent discomfort, that's a lot for a new user to have to deal with. If you are just getting into fountain pens, the TWSBI Eco is probably the better buy for a fountain pen newbie, at half the price.     

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AND....it wouldn't be a TWSBI without the famous red logo on the top of the cap!  

Further Reading

On the whole, the reaction to the Vac Mini has been positive.  As I mentioned above, however, some people have found the Vac Mini too difficult to post/unpost quickly, making it less unusable for them as a pocket carry.  Check out Matthew's review over at Nib & Ink for this perspective.  Azizah over at Gourmet Pens liked the pen, on the whole, but wasn't crazy about the aesthetics of the pen and thought her broad nib was on the dry side.     

DISCLAIMER:  I purchased this pen with my own money, for my own collection.  In the years since this post was originally published I have opened the T.G.S. Curated Shop (which is an authorized retailer of TWSBI and certain other select brands) and the T.G.S. Patreon Program, both of which allow me to support the site directly. All levels of support are greatly appreciated (but far from obligatory - my content here is free)! 

Pen Review: Lamy 2000 Stainless Steel

I'll be straight with you up front:  I am an unabashed Lamy 2000 fan and consider it to be one of the greatest pens ever designed.  I have two of the black Makrolon models:  one in an extra-fine nib, and one with a custom .6mm stub.  You could say it was inevitable that I'd eventually get around to adding the Stainless Steel model to my collection.  While I wouldn't grant this pen the same "legendary" status as its cousin, it's close, and this pen has earned a spot in my regular rotation.

First Impressions / Design

Packaging. The packaging on this pen is slightly nicer than the packaging on the original Lamy 2000, but it's still just a cardboard box. A well-crafted and somewhat eye-catching cardboard box, but still.  None of this matters to me because packaging isn't something I take great interest in unless I can repurpose it as a pen or pencil chest, like some of the more ornate wooden boxes that Delta sells with its more expensive limited edition pens.  One thing I do like, however, is that Lamy has included a polishing cloth.  It's a nice touch.  

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Weight.  The first thing that will strike you about this pen is that it is heavy.  Everyone who reviews it comments on the weight, and how it's probably twice as heavy as the standard Lamy 2000 (maybe more).  The weight might be a deal-breaker for many people, especially if you don't like to use a pen unposted.  

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Personally, the weight doesn't bother me.  I find this pen well balanced for how heavy it is, and I've written with it both posted and unposted for significant periods of time.  Sure, the first extended writing session will make your hand a bit tired, but you will get used to it after a couple outings.  (If you have serious RSI issues, you probably won't, but then again, you're probably not scoping out the market for heavy metal pens anyway.)  On the whole, I prefer to use the pen unposted.  

Design.  The Lamy 2000 Stainless Steel is, for all intents and purposes, the same pen as the standard Lamy 2000.  Both are piston-fillers, and can only be filled from an ink bottle.  The key differences are the material (the entire pen is made from brushed stainless steel, whereas the original only has a stainless steel section); the clip, which is polished and not matte; and the lack of an ink window.  The only change here that bothers me somewhat is the lack of an ink window on the Stainless Steel version, though I'm not sure how they could've incorporated it into the design.  (It's not as though the Lamy 2000 ink window is incredibly useful anyway:  it's opaque and narrow, but when you can see some daylight in there you at least know that you have less than a day's worth of ink left and should refill.)  I haven't figured out how to tell when the Stainless Steel model is almost empty--I'll probably have to go by the weight of the pen--but to be safe, if I'm carrying that pen and need to be sure that I have enough ink to get through a long day of writing, I generally refill before I leave the house.  

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I'm a fan of the clip on the Lamy 2000 Stainless Steel.  A brushed or matte clip would be too much here, and the clip wouldn't stand out in any way.

Curiously, I don't find this pen slippery, which was a concern of mine.  Metal pens often pose grip issues, but the brushed stainless steel texture on this pen creates a nice surface that feels good in the hand.  Note:  the original Lamy 2000 has a brushed stainless steel section, so if you have grip issues with that pen, this one isn't going to work for you either.  (Actually, it will probably be worse.)  

The Nib

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The medium nib on a Lamy 2000 is closer to a broad in other brands, especially if you are used to writing with steel nibs. 

I opted for a medium nib.  My two other Lamy 2000s sport an extra fine and a .6mm custom stub.  The latter began life as a medium but later had to be retipped after some failed nibwork.  I missed Lamy's big, wet 14K medium nib on the 2000, and I'm glad to have it back in the arsenal once again.  For those of you who haven't yet experienced this pen, the Lamy 2000 nibs are springy, and for the most part great writers out of the box.  (I've heard reports of quality control issues, but have never experienced any myself.)  As I've said before on this blog, Lamy nibs tend to run wide, so this medium is more of a "medium-broad", probably close to the width of a TWSBI broad nib. 

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Takeaways

I absolutely love this pen, but will be the first to admit that it isn't for everyone.  The weight will turn a lot of people off, and many people just don't like metal pens, period.  It's also expensive, and you have to be a true Lamy fan to invest $300 when--let's face it--you might already own the same pen in the (much) cheaper Makrolon version.  But if you're like me, and love your Lamy 2000s, you won't care.    

As of 2022, we are direct retailers of Lamy Pens through our own Curated Shop, including the Lamy 2000 and Lamy 2000 Stainless Steel models. If you enjoy our content, please consider supporting us directly!   

Further Reading

Mike Dudek at the Clicky Post reviewed this pen (also in a medium nib), and Ed Jelley opted for a broad nib.  Something about the heft of this pen lends itself to a wider point, and a lot of ink!

If you're interested in the black Makrolon version of the Lamy 2000, you can check out my review of that pen here.  It also made my list of "Tier One" pens and best pens for your first purchase over $100. 

Pen Review: Tactile Turn Mover

I’ve gone through multiple machined metal pens over the past three years, including most of the major “Kickstarter” projects. Very few of them have stuck with me. The two that I’ve ended up using the most are the Karas Kustoms Render K, which houses my Hi-Tec-C refill, and the Tactile Turn Mover, which is my “click pen” of choice. 

Tactile Turn: The Company 

Tactile Turn is the brainchild of Will Hodges, a designer and machinist based in Richardson, Texas.  In approximately three years, Will has created and brought to market two excellent machined pens (the Mover and its companion, the Shaker), as well as a series of gorgeous razor handles (the “Parer” and the “Pruner).  He recently concluded another Kickstarter for his “Gist” fountain pen, which fully funded and should ship this month or next.  Starting with the Mover, every Tactile Turn product I have tested has been of exceptional quality.

The Mover

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Tactile Turn Mover machined pen in hand

The Mover strikes a perfect balance with respect to weight.  Many machined pens that I’ve tried are simply too heavy for longer writing sessions.  The Mover, which is made out of anodized aluminum, has good heft but won’t wear your hand out when you’re drafting multiple pages of notes.  (For comparison purposes, it’s probably closest to the Karas Kustoms Retrakt, another favorite which some jack*&ss stole off my desk at work.)  This pen might be too long for some people.  Those who want a shorter pen should go for the Mover’s sibling, the Shaker.

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The Tactile Turn Nock Mechanism is sturdy, but it probably won't withstand abuse (i.e. clicking the pen repeatedly as a desk toy).

The nock mechanism (i.e., “the clicker”) on the pen is well-made and reliable.  It’s the same one that Karas Kustoms uses on the Retrakt. The stainless steel clip holds well to a shirt pocket, though some may find it a bit tight.  All of the other aspects of fit and finish on my pen are pretty much flawless.  This is a great machined pen, and to me sets the standard by which I typically judge all other entries into this market segment.   

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Tactile Turn Mover ribbed grip section

My favorite aspect of the Mover is the textured (ribbed) grip section.  I don’t know whether or not it’s properly referred to as “knurling,” because it’s not the same as the grip on something like the Rotring 600 mechanical pencil—it’s more comfortable to hold and doesn’t dig into your fingers, even if you write with a heavy hand.    

The Color

I’m a sucker for red pens, and my mover is a beautiful deep burgundy-red color.  Tactile Turn offers some of the best anodized colors around, and it’s concerning that most of the anodized pens appear to be out of stock on their website.  I hope it’s just a production backlog since all of Will’s attention is now (understandably) focused on the Gist Kickstarter fulfillment.   

Compatible Refills

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The Tactile Turn Mover disassembled:  There's no real art to "hacking" the Jetstream refill.  You'll need to cut it down, and apply some tape to the end to give the Nock mechanism something to latch onto.

The Mover accepts a broad range of refills (some of which require "hacking").  Tactile Turn ships the pen with a .38mm Pilot G2 refill, a personal favorite and, IMHO, one of the best ultra fine gel pen refills that is relatively easy to find at your local office supply store.  With slight modification, the Mover also accepts the hybrid ballpoint Uniball Jetstream refill.  The .38mm blue/blue-black Jetstream refill is superb, and is what I have been using in the pen recently.  Unfortunately, it's not sold separately, so you'll have to buy some disposable .38mm Jetstreams and scavenge the refills.  If you’re a fan of Parker-style refills, then you’ll need to go with the Shaker. 

Uniball Jetstream .38mm Writing Sample.  The refill is labelled blue, but the color ends up being more of a blue-black.  I'm increasingly becoming a fan of hybrid ballpoint inks.  You get the "write anywhere" qualities of a ballpoint with the smooth, dark line of a gel pen.

A complete guide to Mover-compatible refills can be found here, and Shaker-compatible refills can be found here.   

Takeaways

I’ve owned this pen for well over a year, and it’s been part of my EDC since it arrived.  I write primarily with fountain pens, but I’m practical (most of the time), so I always carry at least one ballpoint on me, which gets daily use. More often than not, that pen is the Tactile Turn Mover. This one receives a “highly recommended” rating.    

Further Reading

For some other takes on the Tactile Turn Mover, check out the PurlBug's review, which is extremely detailed, as well as Mary's review at From the Pen Cup.  If you're interested in the Titanium/Brass/Bronze/Copper versions of the Mover and the Shaker, Ed Jelley has a good writeup.  

DISCLAIMER:  I purchased the pen featured in this review with my own funds, for my own collection.  I was not compensated for this review by the manufacturer in any way.  This post does contain some affiliate links, through which I may be compensated a small amount if you purchase something from certain sites linked to in this article.  While I'd greatly appreciate it if you use these links to purchase an item you are interested in, you are, of course, under no obligation to do so.  Many thanks!