Goulet Q&A 163: TWSBI Vac700R, Best Pens for Serial Ink Changing, and What Products Wow Me!
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- Опубліковано 9 лют 2025
- For links to the products mentioned and Brian's answers, check out the Q&A 163 blog post: bit.ly/GouletQA163
In this episode, I talk about the new TWSBI Vac700R, the easiest pens to clean if you change inks often, and my biggest WOW moments with new products.
Pens/Writing - (5:37)
1) css279- Instagram - (5:38)
What does the agitator in a converter do? Why do some have them and others don't?
2) papaheppy- Instagram - (10:29)
Here's a question for you, I'm an avid ink changer in my pens but always find it a hassle to clean out a pen when I want to switch a colour. What are the best pen filling types for people who like to clean their pens easily? Thanks
3) Terry R.- Facebook - (18:15)
Looking to buy the TWSBI Vac 700R and on you email list. Just wondering if it will fit the Vac 20 ink well. I see they changed the nib units so did they change the section as well, the part that screws into the ink well. Keep up the great work Brian and whole Goulet Team.
4) michael_pearce2k2- Instagram - (31:23)
What colour would you like to see next years safari and/or al-star be?
5) inkdip- Instagram - (35:35)
I've noticed that on new Visconti Homo Sapiens (specifically on the Bronze Age) that some of them have a new grey-ish ENAMELING on the clip! Could you elaborate on this a little further? Is this the solution to the past few problems with the printed enameling coming off? Thanks and hope you're having a good day!
Personal - (40:33)
6) Stephanie S.- Facebook - (40:36)
What have been some of your biggest "WOW" moments when trying new products? Not just "this is kind of cool" but more "oh my gosh this is awesome!"
7) arachnesthreads- Instagram - (50:15)
How do you keep the work/job aspect of selling fountain pens from tainting your personal passion/enjoyment for the hobby?
QOTW: What has been your biggest WOW moment since getting into fountain pens? - (55:35)
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Just caught this video by accident as I’m contemplating getting a 700R. Although the point of the vid is about cross compatibility of components, it’s also great to explain how the pens work. So now I’m GONNA get one 😎😂👍 ...oh, and well done Brian for the zoomed in explanation!
My one 'Wow' moment with fountain pens, was the discovery of fountain pens. I just ordered my first pen; but haven't received it yet; and yet I've been watching videos about them since my discovery of them back in January. This kind of community and atmosphere is unlike any other I've seen, and I'm even more excited to get my pen and dive headfirst into this world.
That's awesome to hear. What pen did you go with for your first jump in? - Colin
The Goulet Pen Company A Pilot Metro with a fine nib; I've heard those are good for left handed writers.
Yeah, definitely a good option, leaves a very fine line. That was my first pen as well! - Colin
The Goulet Pen Company I'm really excited to get it, and I'm sure my classmates will want to play with it as well
erikmiller11 me too, just actually discovered and bought mine last month
My first WOW moment was when I got the TWISBI Eco and really experienced just how much ink a piston filler pen can carry. I'd only used converters prior and LOVED that I got so much ink and could write for so long with one fill.
My first (but maybe not the biggest) WOW moment with fountain pens was in the mid 1950's when I got my first ever fountain pen - I was in the First Grade. It was a Shaeffer cartridge fountain pen - the body was either red or clear. That got me started and I have been in love with fountain pens ever since. Now at the age of 65 my collection has grown and decreased over the years. My most consistent daily pen over the last few years has been my Lamy 2000 (fine nib) - a great pen. Thanks for your videos - I enjoy them a lot.
Thanks for the satisfying comparison of the TWSBI 700/700R. Great close-up shots
QOTW: Definitely when I discovered how BIG and active the pen community actually is, there's podcasts that's been going for years, so many youtube channels and facebook groups etc. Fountain pens are such a niche hobby but has enough content that you somehow dont run out of things to talk about! While TV shows can have big active communities of fans, they tend to die off once the show aired its final episode. But fountain pens in general really seems to be going on a even pace with little to no reason to end anytime soon.
It's 2020, and my fountain pen "WOW" moment was when I first discovered shimmering fountain pen inks. I bought a TWSBI 580 RG II and paired it with the Diamine Caramel Sparkle, and now I am using it to write anywhere and anytime I can, save for occasions requiring my official signatures.
QOTW: Discovering fountain pen friendly paper like Tomoe River, Black n' Red notebooks, Darkstar Collection, Rhoda, etc. Not only did they make the fountain pen experience that much better but they brought the WOW out in inks.
Can't wait to receive my new Lamy Safari Petrol in the next couple of days. I'm also looking forward to when the bottles of ink come in. I've never seen such a cool color with such a fantastic name.
Interesting intro re: the father-daughter banquet. My daughter (now grown) and I did a couple of those at our church when she was a youngster. And I appreciate that it benefited Haiti; I helped build a church near Port-au-Prince when I was a teen in the late 1970s.
QOTW: I've only been using a fountain pen for about a month now (thanks for supplying my one and only). My biggest wow moment so far as been when I tested the Noodler's Black Bulletproof ink. I thought for sure it would run off the paper towel I used to clean off the pen after filling. But surely it did not! Very cool to see.
you mean the way it was bleeding through the towel? i have a bottle of noodler lex grey i might try that with!
My wow moment. I just got into bullet journaling this year. figuring out that I can write all my lists in my Leuchtturm1917 blew my mind.
Then my friend sent me a Waterman Kultur Phileas and a bottle of J. Herbin Perle Noire Ink. That was 3 months ago and I think I am hooked.
I just got into bullet journaling as well this year! Same notebook too! :D
I really want a vac 700r but I can’t get over how how lovely the rose gold 580 looks.
QOTW - Like you I think it was when I first discovered the quality of writing experience. It was so smooth and effortless. I also have had some "Wow!" moments with inks. I haven't gotten into the shimmering inks yet, as I'm hesitant to deal with the post pen cleaning, but there have been some inks that were a "That's the one!" scenario.
Effortless is a good way to describe it. When you have that smooth nib on the right paper, and the ink is flowing... it's just easy. Don't be scared by shimmering inks, it's really not that much of an undertaking when it comes to cleaning. - Colin
QOTW: Discovering all the shading that can happen on nice paper (Rhodia). I had a sample of Apache Sunset and OMG. I was in love. I also remember when I got my Seven Seas Crossfield notebook for my next bullet journal- it was a real WOW moment. I saw sheen in inks that I didn't know had sheen. It was incredible. But the first time I saw sheen was in my lovely little Leuchtturm- it was my first bullet journal and only one ink would sheen and I ran up to my partner to show him and he was 'hmmm honey' (not interested in the slightest), but I was stoked.
Sheen is always a wow moment. Inks in general have given me more than pens have. - Colin
My first fountain pen was a Lamy Joy, I remember that I took it out of the box, put the cartridges in the pen, and wrote on my school grade paper. I remember that I was astonished of how smooth it was. It was with the 1.5 nib and lamy blue ink.
The Petrol is so stunning, I really hope you get good stock of the Extra Fine with your next shipment. I missed out on the Dark Lilac and am still kicking myself, finally had to give in and pay the higher price for it from another seller because I die a little every time I see it and don't have it.
The moment I tried and bought a Lamy Safari on a gloomy New Year's Eve (4 months ago) and began my journey.
Then I tried a Lamy 2000 and, wow.
QOTW: There are so many Wow moments. Makes me wonder how I haven't been using them my whole life since I have a love of stationery products.
My top 3 would be:
1) The way inks shade and sheen on Tomoe River paper. Almost any ink really.
2) Vintage pens with flexy nibs.
3) The way Franklin Christoph Italian Ice pens literally glow, even in shaded areas.
Totally relate with #1. It makes any ink look really great. - Colin
QoTW.... The real wow moment was when I use my first Italic nib after using stubs for a long time.... That was a shock... I've never looked back ... And if I can get an italic I definitely will.... That's why I love the Italix pens... 8 stock nibs from standard to CI and Italics and Obliques... All at very good quality and reasonable prices...
That swallow was so loud! 😂
Collin Bond that's how I roll -Brian
Matte Forest Green Safari with black nib and black clip would sell, sell, sell.
Yeah, that's a good choice. Matte anything will usually look great on the Safari. - Colin
I love the agitators!
Whatever color Lamy does for next year's Safari, it needs to continue the matte with black accents trend. I would like a blue, orange or green matte with black accents.
After seeing the success of the Dark Lilac and now Petrol, I can't imagine them going away from it. I think a matte orange would be awesome. - Colin
A Burnt or Terracotta like matte color Safari would be lovely.
QOTW: First using a vintage pen definitely was a shock. The flex was great, just the responsiveness and ease was amazing, but it really seems like vintage pens have certain type of smoothness you don't see in modern pens. Even finer nibs glide across the page, such a distinctive writing feel.
Hi Brian!!! @48:33, regarding TRP, you mentioned that you would have to design a new notebook format for meetings, etc. Is that something you would seriously consider? A Goulet Journal with TRP in A5 Dot Grid with tons of pages would be awesome. Do you think that is something we could hope for anytime soon?
We're definitely interested in something like that, a Leuchtturm style journal with Tomoe River would be great. We're keeping our eyes open for anything that might work like that. - Colin
The Goulet Pen Company Awesome!!! Thanks.
Im surprised that the eyedroppers were not mentioned in the pens that are easiest to clean. They are way way easier to clean compared to anything mentioned here. Open the pen, put back the remaining ink, rinse it under the tap. Done. And no need to compromise on the quantity of ink either.
A burgundy, a warm brown or a shamrock or forest green (yes) for the safari colors missing (IMHO) Also a red brown or copper for the al-stars
Great video. Appreciate so much the instructional videos like these. But everytime i watch these i want another pen. :)
The bulb holds 2oz of ink? Forget eyedroppers, now you got a Bulb Pen!
That was our idea behind this video (ua-cam.com/video/-HoYtllV52Q/v-deo.html)... Published **April 1st** 2013. ;) - Colin
They need to bring the terracotta color back to the safari, that would sell out so quickly.
Hey Brian! I'm new to the hobby. I use xfeather as my go to black(a little dry/thick imo?) and am looking for a go to blue. Baystate feathers pretty bad on cheaper paper and stains EVERYTHING. Do you know of any blues that maybe don't feather as much? I love the concept and such of the Liberty Elysium and would like to try it but does it have the same drawbacks as Baystate?
No, Liberty's Elysium is a great option if you're wanting a Noodler's blue ink that's vibrant. Much more well-behaved than Baystate, but does have a pretty long dry time. If you're ok with moving away from Noodler's, Pilot Iroshizuku Kon-Peki could be an option as well. - Colin
Thank you!!
QOTW: There are many moment but one was finding out there were other inks other than Parker Quink, that i used for years , i've been using fountain pens since i was at school so thats a long time , so discovering this unknown mass of colours was fantastic to me and still is .
I have a question for Q&A: Recently i've been discussing the future of Fountain Pens with a Reviewer 'Larry Berrones' and a question that came out of that discussion was : Do you have any Metrics to measure the age of people purchasing Pens and Ink , obviously this is very important to know if you're going to project sales over a long period because if the Data suggested that it was mostly older people as a percentage then eventually the sale will decline ,without being morbid,as these older people get too old to write or pass on. I am concerned , as many of us are, that the fountain pen may decline and possibly disappear if the market shrinks. If you could answer that one i love to understand what you currently do measure and what your thoughts are.
I have watched every Q&A and always love them and all the effort your team put into these video and your self of course
Thanks Brian and be safe. Matt
That's definitely an interesting question! I've added it to our spreadsheet that Brian chooses from. I will say, with the popularity of journaling, I think the median age has lowered quite a bit. - Colin
Thank you Colin and please thank Brian for me .
Cheers
The hack to remove the second o-ring from the 700 in order to avoid having to unscrew the back every time you go to write (for those not flying often or who just find it cumbersome) - is there a similar hack for the 700R?
Shmuli Shulman you wouldn't need to hack it. TWSBI redesigned it so that people wouldn't have to do that hack...
Shmuli Shulman Got it. Would you still have to unscrew the knob? Or will it flow constantly without doing anything?
You need to unscrew the knob on the 700R, but it should flow easier after doing it. And you only have to do it when writing longer sessions, there will be enough ink sitting in the feed to write a few pages without having to unscrew the knob-Brian
I have just received a Pilot crocodile design fountain pen medium nib. is it metropolitan? Nowhere mentioned so.
Yes, that's a Metropolitan (www.gouletpens.com/search?query=crocodile&facetValueFilter=). They came out with a few animal print designs like that. - Colin
The Goulet Pen Company Thank you.
so does the TWSBI Vac-20 Inkwell fit on the TWSBI Vac700R
Yes, it should still work the same as the older Vac700. - Colin
it seams like a good thing if you sell out of every thing:) at least you know you are doing something right.
that guy sort of, yeah, but selling out so quick means there's a lot of untapped opportunity. Plus people not being able to get what they want is not the best customer experience, so that's always a challenge-Brian
QOTW: The biggest WOW moments come from experimenting with the trifecta - pen/paper/ink - in different combinations to achieve different results.
Yeah, that's been my favorite part getting into the hobby. Finding that magical combination is such a WOW moment. - Colin
Dig that Lego crane on the shelf behind you.
A magenta Al-Star would be epic! Something really punchy. :D
What pen is in 0:16
That's the Pilot Justus 95 (www.gouletpens.com/pilot-justus-95-fountain-pen-black-fine/p/PN60591) that features an adjustable nib. - Colin
If an full converter lets you write for a week ... And If I take 10- 15 minutes to clean the pen pen and change the ink... I can't understand the problem... Theoretically if I'm using just one pen, and if over 7 days I write for 2 hours per day ... That is 840 mins.... In the worst case scenario if I take 30 mins to clean the pen after 7 days .. That time is 3.6% of the total time I've used that pen... Time well spent and definitely not wasted to get a clean pen and refill with another ink... Just saying...
Good math, but easier said than done! I have just learned to enjoy cleaning considering how much I want to change inks. - Colin
absolutely. . agree with you Colin... cleaning for me is part of the TLC I can give my pens... but I felt that there is this angst about cleaning which ... numerically ... is not that much of a chore .. for me it's all about looking after the pen...
A full converter lasts me a day, maybe a day and a half, and that is in my main pen. If I wrote with the same pen, I'd be changing daily. That's a lot of time.
Nooooo ,no, no!!! ;-D Please don't clean your pen after each fill. I used cartridge pens(fountain pens) from fourth grade through university and cleaned out my pen during spring and summer breaks if at all. Even then, it was a quick rinsing of the nib underneath the tap. I did have to periodically wipe the paper smug from the nib. XX-p But other than that, you can go through a box of cartridges before needing a flush. These days, I know more about pen hygiene. So now I use the ear irrigator technique and clean my pens more often. Other than to solve a flow problem, or to accommodate a change of color or ink brand, there is no need to clean your pens before each refill. Cartridge pens or, as they call them today, cartridge/converter fountain pens are a low maintenance writing instrument just as you said.
got mine yesterday....already having drying of my nib. urghhh
I tried to mix my own petrol blue using Lamy inks:
3 blue
1 black
1 green
1 turquoise
Maybe somebody can/want to improve it.
Interesting! I've found Noodler's Squeteague to be a pretty good replacement for the time being. - Colin
Andreas Vesaliuz only problem is the lack of sheen . check out the goulet page, it has a crazy nice sheen!