TWSBI Vac Mini Review
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- Опубліковано 8 сер 2024
- The TWSBI Vac Mini, kindly donated by www.lacouronneducomte.nl.
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The twsbi vac 700 and vac mini have both gotten a subtle redesign. The seal now opens much more decisively when you unscrew the back cap.
I bought a Vac Mini when they first came out because I loved the idea of it for a good travel pen. I had the same issues with the ink flow. Don’t know if the cross threading happened because I almost never post. Then a couple of years later I learned that there was a redesign of the piston thingie, so I ordered another one. No problem at all with ink flow! And I just tested the threads for posting and no problem there either. I am happy!
I too have the Vac Mini with a broad nib and have not experienced any ink flow issues. No issues with cross-threading either. When posting I hold the cap in my left hand with the clip facing me, then with the feed facing towards me I insert the barrel into the cap and give it 1.5 turns and the nib lines up with the clip every time!
"the quick brown fox" thing is alright... This uses every letter of the alphabet: "Amazingly, few discotheques provide jukeboxes".
Stephen,
I have the original TWSBI mini and I thought it was just me that got annoyed with the clip not lining up with the nib. I am glad that I am not alone. Thanks for the review, you have save me some money because after watching your review I am not going to buy one of these pens. One thing to point out TWSBI does have an office in the US and their customer service is excellent. I sent them a Diamond 540 back because the plastic had cracked and they took care of it right away no questions asked.
Best regards,
Eddie
Silicone grease is great stuff to have around. Not only does it work to lube a piston, it is the best stuff to put on brake caliper sliders so they don't stick as it won't dry out like conventional grease. I have a largeish tub i got from a diving store and use it all the time. Also, it may be annoying, but you should get in the habit of screwing the wrong way first to make sure you don't crossthread anything. I learned that trick a long time ago and anytime i have to thread in a bolt, cap, flashlight sections or anything else that has threads I do it every time without fail and without even noticing it. It's a good habit to learn. Great review! I was thinking of picking this pen up but i might get an eco instead.
Thanks for a great and honest review. I have the same problems with my Vac Mini with an M nib - hard starts and running dry. Quite diappointing.
Hm, I have to test my vac mini... It will be interesting to see the performance... thanks a lot for your video!!!
My Vac700 does the same thing with running dry; I find that when it starts to get a little faint after a quarter of a page I have to prime the feed a little bit. I think that the piston end sits close enough to the feed channel that even when you unscrew it ink can't get down to the feed. I love the pen, but it takes a little more micromanagement than I'm willing to put into it to make it work perfectly.
Thanks for the upload!
Great review
Please will you do a shoot out this vac and the regular mini
I had this issue with a VAC700R. the problem was the feed had a flaw in it (it had a little piece of plastic in the molding, I could tell by dipping the tail of the feed in some noodlers white ink and watching it stop halfway up the feed) that I had to sort with a safety razor blade. my broad nib also went from this medium to a proper broad.
Had the same drying out issue with Medium nib sent it back.
Mine has the same issue. I get about an A5 side with 8mm ruled paper but the nib is an F which I'd have thought might go farther than your B. It's also a bugger to restart. I have 4 Ecos with B to EF nibs and all work excellently. Plus a 580RB and Diamond Mini that are both good all round performers. The fly in this ointment remains the Vac Mini... pretty sure mine has a one piece piston/seal so if correct have no O ring to remove.
I've had mine for about a week, it has the 1.1 stub on it, I concur on the threading problem, I have small hands and yes I can use it unposted too, but prefer to post the cap. i can get mine to line up though. I haven't had any hard starting problems, and I didn't notice the larger threads when I write, but now that you mention it I see what you mean. I look forward to your video on the filling trick, this is my first vacuum filler and I was only able to get it filled about half way.
+Katherine Stewart The trick is with the vac half full, turn the pen nib point up, pull out the piston and *carefully* and slowly push the piston back in to expel the excess air until ink just starts to bubble out the filler hole on the feed. Then, while holding that position, put the pen back into the ink and continue the push the piston all the way down.
had running dry the normal mini with b nib, too! at me the best flow has been the on the eco.
Ah. So I'm not the only one. I have the TWSBI Mini (piston filling) in Fine, and with drier inks (i.e. not Pilot Iroshizuku) the damn thing just stops writing at unpredictable junctures. Even with a near full barrel of ink, obliging me to screw in the piston a bit (a pain as I then have to unscrew the posted cap first) or even do the "thermometer shake" to get ink into the feed. It's really shaken my confidence in TWSBI as a product.
I am relatively new to fountain pens, your earnest reviews have assisted me in choosing which ones to but as a beginner, I've chosen the Jinhao 159, Nemosine Fission and TWSBI eco, .... so far, LOL
I like the look of these clear TWSBI so I own two of the 580 already. One with a broad nib, and one with a medium nib. I don't know why but the medium nib writes better, even smoother than the broad nib. Could it be the ink? In the medium nib I used the Pelikan Edelstein Turmaline and in the other one Diamine Meadow.
Hmm. I got my Vac Mini yesterday and have written with it all day today. It's a F and I'm having no problems with it. In fact I'm lovin' me my Vac Mini. It's not running dry, and I'm having no problem lining up the clip to the nib when posting. Yes, it does twist less than a quarter turn past perfect alignment, but just a minor turn back the other way aligns up the clip to nib and it's fine, staying on securely and not jiggling around. I'm finding a lot of pens, especially those under $100 have issues with the bigger the nib. I'm of the opinion, and it's just an opinion, is that I've read the most popular nib size is F, so keeping costs down, feeds are designed to work best with a F. Again, just an opinion. Still all in all, although I'm lovin' my Vac Mini, a good review from you as always. Keep them up and give Azizah a hug for me.
Excellent evaluation Stephen.
Thank you!
Interesting how folks are having different results with their Vac Minis. I think the feed is intended fro finer nibs, but some folks are reporting problems even with a nib grade of fine. It is starting to sound like a quality control issue to me. Cross threading was an issue the first couple of days but with a little practice (which ideally should not have been needed) the hang of posting the pen was gotten.
(I got lucky and mine works fine and the clip will line up too.)
Can the vac mini's nib be swapped out for a different size?
It's pity about the treaded posting and the smoked inner cap.
I had been waiting a long time for this.| I will wait a while. Hopefully the threading issue is sorted and they come out in colorblocking like the Ecos are coming in (clear barrel only)
How did this old up? Any cracks?
My Twisbi mini (piston filler) 1.1 stub also had problems. Seemed too dry. Sometimes wet and broad on the downstroke, sometimes fine as if it were clogged. But this was in the same minute of writing. Back and forth. Unpleasantly sporadic.
Stephen, I had the same issues with ink starvation. Brian Goulet suggests removing the small o-ring at the end tip of the refilling rod. Did so and the issue was cured! No flow problems at all! Replaced the fine TWSBI nib unit with an Edison medium nib unit. Writes wonderfully! I really am enjoying this pen and your reviews!
I was considering getting the new Vac Mini but now I'm really having second thoughts. Perhaps you got a dud with regards to not writing issue. I've read similar reviews regarding the wiggly clip and cross threading. The old Mini had the same "clip-doesn't-line-up-with-nib" issue (when posted) too.
Sounds like the ideal (air) travel pen. No worries any more if you stored your fountain pen upright in your bag.
I too have problems with ink flow. Love writing with it but out of no where in mid sentence the pen seems to stop flowing. I have to loosen the back, pull back slightly and push to get the pen flowing again. Don't have this problem with the Mini and Diamond 580. Kind of frustrating. Have you find a solution to this yet?
Man, I saw this video, but even tho you warned about the problems, I thought the pros were stronger than the cons and decided to buy a Vac Mini a couple of weeks ago, with a fine nib (with La Coronne Du Comte - excellent service, btw). The nib was dry, scratchy and had plenty of dry starts. I tuned it (following your tutorial btw), and started to write okay-ish, not fantastic, but usable. Also, I experienced the drying after some time writing. I decided i could live with that, and use it only for quick notes. Unfortunately, yesterday it cracked when I was re-assembling it. Yes, this is a case of i-told-you-so heh. Well, you live, you learn, but next time I'll take the warnings more seroiouslys :D Oh yeah, and the cross threading issue is real too!
On the other hand, I love my Twsbi Diamon 580!
Sorry about the bad experience!
Thanks. But yeah - every single problem I encountered on the pen, you warned about or mentioned it, so... eigen schuld heh. I still like the brand, but my next one will be a kaweco sports brass (and I already saw your review on it very.... very carefully hehe. You liked the pen, did mention your Double broad nib on that unit was unusable, but had good experiences with other kaweco's nibs, I'll gamble with a fine. Worst case scenario, I'll buy another nib unit. Wish me luck.).
I have the same issue with my Vac Mini. After one page it wents dry and stops writing. Then it needs a few minutes until it writes again. For me that is a real problem!
My Vac mini has the same origin than yours. Maybe it's a production batch with some issue. I suffered the same flow problems until I removed the shutoff oring.
The running dry problem could also be, that you're not pulling the piston back a tad... possibly the O-ring was still up against the feed? I'm still waiting on my mini, but my vac700 is becoming my favorite pen very quickly. ( I don't own a lot of expensive pens, so can't compare to Visconti or a nice Mont Blanc etc, although have used my dad's mont blancs and a lot of his vintage fountain pens.... but still. I own a Pelikan and prefer my vac700).
Hi Stephen just asking who is your assitant
I would find your assessment of the clip alignment a bit picky if TWSBI hadn't already proved it knows how to create an aligned clip as evidenced in my two Diamond Minis. Why would they not do something they already know how to do? I am assuming this may also coincide with the cross threading issue.... is the Vac Mini smaller than the Diamond Mini? Maybe they just didn't have the room for the same threading?
As always, great review!
Like the look and price point of the twsbi
I have had mine for just over a month and I have not experienced any writing issues. In fact it writes rather nice for a fine. I do have issues with cross threading, but if I take my time it threads just fine. As with the clip lining up with the nib, I found my sweet spot so that is not an issue. Only issue for me is that for some reason a crack appeared running across the threads. I am not hard on my pens and I always carry them in a padded case.
I just had a look at my Diamond Mini and Vac 700, and both have cracks along the threads! I think I used the Vac 700 only once.
I really loved these pens at first blush, but I will not buy another. Too many other great pens out there without quality control issues.
You are not crazy. Saying that in itself was a sanity test. I have this pen and three nibs for it. A fine, 1.1 stub, and a 1.5 stub (direct from TWSBI being discontinued soon). I normally hold my pen upside down for 10 seconds before I begin to write unless I just inked the pen using a vac 20 bottle. I concur that the clip does not align when posted all the time and there are thread crossing issues on the occasion. I had a major flaw on my pen where the feed that came with the Vac Mini (1.1 stub) seemed to have been brittle and started to fall apart (TWSBI replaced it $4 shipping) maybe that was me but I don't recall ever abusing the feed. It still wrote fine though.. even with the frills gone.
Coarser threads would make engaging the threads easier, but honestly with a little use it becomes a non-issue. As for the clip and nib aligning, when preparing to post thecap there is one position of the clip relative to the nib (think of a clock dial) where it will thread every time such that the clip and nib will line up. On mine, looking down the pens's barrel from the piston knob to the nib, with the nib facing up, orienting the clip at about the 2 o'clock position allows the clip and nib to line up once the cap is fully posted. Sounds way more complex than it is. Once you know where that is that too becomes a non-issue. I did and do have the same writing issue as you and TWSBI-recommended tweaking has yet to yield any good results. Mine is a B nib. I'm not too happy about that. Writing well is kind of fundamental to a pen's purpose. :-p Thanks for the review.
hey Stephen, what is a good, reasonably priced blue ink for daily use at school with a lamy medium? Shading would be welcome, if possible.
I like Waterman Florida blue, now called Mystery Blue, I believe.
+sbrebrown No, TIFKAF is now called Serenity. Mysterious blue is more of a blue-black
So listen, is there any value at this point that matches the Pilot Metropolitan? I'm adding up three or four major qualities, metal body, interchangeable nibs, comes with a converter...
***** I found a great pen with the features I was looking for, but it cost me a little more, the Sheaffer 444. It's from their Triumph Imperial line, from the 1970's, discontinued of course. I got one, new old stock from Peyton Street Pens, it's a great pen, totally worth the extra money.
When they were produced they were at a similar market price to the Metropolitan.
Sigh... I love the look of twsbi pens, but there are so many issues with them. Sticking to reliable brands like Pilot I guess. Also, I miss seeing the measurements in the video.
8:48 LMAO. Super threading concentration.
same problem with F. bit annoying. ( actually there are 2 ways of posting cap )
It has a higher ink capacity than the regular mini, right?
I think it does, although I haven't measured it.
+José Ignacio Silva Yes, about twice if fully filled by my measurements (1ml vs. 2ml).
Thanks
I own a 1.1mm and it has had zero issues. It is a bummer your's is messing up. I wonder if you just got a defective pen. :/
A bit disappointing to see you have such bad ink flow with your pen. I have been using one (1.1mm nib) for nearly 3 weeks now and I don't experience hard starts unless I leave it uncapped and unused for more than say, 3 minutes.
Regarding the clip lining up, I'm extremely particular about clips always lining up so I found the position where it will always line up when threaded. This is a step up from the Mini which does not have a stop in the threading but a step down in that you can cross thread easier.
Thanks for all your videos.
Absolutely love your reviews. So much so I am looking into getting the Visconti Homo Sapiens as a gift to myself once I complete course work on my PhD this spring. In the meantime would love to win me that mini vac! Hopefully you haven't had your give away as yet.
I wonder how many people do reverse writing ? Not many I think.
+MrPleers I surely do, whenever I need to fit some text in a small amount of space.
+MrPleers At university you often have to sign on an attendance list. Usually cheap paper and not much space. In this situation I tend to write reverse.
Now I understand. I use EF nibs.( As my handwriting has a lot of flourish). So reversing it makes not that much difference.
Ah Stephen my friend, I think maybe by opening "all the way" you actually closed it off again. Remember that plunger needs to form fit the cylinder very tightly so that a vacuum is formed. By opening it all the way you if fact closed the larger body of ink off to the feed. I think the trick is to open the valve just a little. Possible? Try again?
I tried, same dry result. Thanks for the input, though.
Sorry you had trouble writing with it. I have a VAC700 with a stub and have never had that problem, so maybe it was just a fluke.
it stopped writing because of the ink. My Pilot pens and some of my other pens like a vintage Pelikan I own give me that problem. My first Vanishing Point (and even recently with another Pilot pen), the writing would start off great till the last few lines of the page where the ink would just stop flowing for some reason. I thought it was the pen, but it was just the ink.
I don't think you got a lemon, I think that this feed might be one of those that's very picky on inks.
That whole "twisting the cap to post" concept bewilders me, though. I got turned off from buying a certain Montblanc pen because of that. It makes the pen far less functional and practical. Especially for a pen at that price point, it should require the least amount of time to uncap and post the pen for faster writing.
Doing it "the wrong way around" is the correct way to thread fine threads.
I have the same issue with the VAC700 : the pen just stops writing after 20-30 lines, no matter what ink I use. Your review just shows that TWSBI still doesn't know to make a working vacumatic system.
+Ovidiu Nemes Its a sealed reservoir.. you have to unscrew the very back and pull it a little .. I know he mentioned it, but the valve will remain closed.. Dunno if its something else.. my Vac700 works fine
+Jacob Kilby Thanks, I think I tried that too, but will try it again. Still, far from an elegant working solution. It's frustrating because I quite like the TWSBI design.
+Ovidiu Nemes Just remember you have to slowly pull it out till it clicks the first time.. then the o-ring is seated off the drain hole... OR alternatively you can remove the feature entirely by disassembling your vaccum system and removing the first cone-shaped o-ring and it will no longer seal the resovouir
Sorry to be pedantic, but that's not cross threading.
Cross threading is where the threads do not engage properly and things get stuck.
In this case TWSBI have two start threads which are offset by 180 degrees and is to give a more secure attachment for a given length of thread, they're a bit annoying for things like pen caps but will cut down on broken damaged threads.
That wink & smile gets me every time :3 Steven, do you even realize how charming you are? I'm quite sure Azizah would agree with me. :)
Thank you :-).
You're quite welcome :)
Non writing sample 12:47
Good one, José
+Dee Dee :)
Hooray for no measurements on the video!
Any suggestions on how to disassemble the clip (to clean the ink out)? There appears to be a hex nut holding the top emblem on, but it looks like a special narrow wrench would be required. TIA!
I have never done that.
Interesting pen, but it seems the good folks at TWSBI seem to rush through this. Rather than a spend a little more time at the designing table.
+Et_Tu_Sahu It was released a few months ago after having been announced in May 2013... so, yeah...
+Feanaaro lol then it is definitely their fault. Still a pen with many takers.
A pen that doesn't write is just a stick.
Simon Barnsley I wanna buy one still. Or find on second hand in good condition
Super critical review of this interesting pen. I somehow feel you were in a hurry to review it. I think I read a few years back that you can actually get your TWSBI serviced for issues likes this, but I am not sure.
I know others have said this, but it is now a couple of weeks and I have been writing regularly with this pen with a broad nib and have had no issues whatsoever. You really should contact Twsbi and get a replacement. I agree that getting the nine to line up with the clip is off-putting, but with a little practice it get close enough every time to not be an impediment.
Yes, I may have to do that. thanks for your input!
is there a free will? are you going to make any non-pen videos related to your work and science?
"La Currant du Conte.."
(oh, "la courronne"...
0:28 not that "affordable"... this was a 70 dollar pen when it came out. Sure, to people who collect Visconti's, Mont Blanc, Pelikan, Pilot, sure 70 dollars isn't a ton, but it's A PEN. Only bringing this up because this is my 3rd TWSBI to break, or the piston filler stops working. That's 200 dollars down the drain from this pen.
Yes, I know what you're saying: I've had similar luck with this brand
@@sbrebrown ya, just happened recently, the only reason I was haunting some old TWSBI reviews. Which really sucks because I love the mini VAC. It's pretty, I really enjoy the size... but ya, not sure if I'm going to replace it or not. Probably not... I have Jinhao's that write better to be honest. Oh well. Thx for all your great reviews over the years!
Ugh