All about the TWSBI Vac 700R in Iris. Not a stuffy review. This is about the awesome experience of writing with this magnificent pen. Great pens inspire us!
I have one with a fine nib. I t was my first “expensive “ pen. Up to getting it in 2020, my most expensive pen was a $50 Cross Bailey that I found on sale at Staples December of 2016. Classic black with chrome appointments and still one of my cherished pens. It’s not boring to me. Getting back to to the TWSBI Iris:- I refer to it as my 50/30 pen. That was the 50th year since my first child was born. The 30 referred to the number of years since my (late) third husband and I had tied the knot. Had he lived he would have bought that pen for me as an anniversary gift, but I got it for myself on his behalf. 🥰
Hello Helen, that is so special and such a great story! The TWSBI Iris is very special and more so in your case. Cross pens have a history here as graduation gifts in New England. That sounds like a great pen too. Wishing you all the best, Tim
WOW! great video, I never realized you need to vent your pens, really cool. Probably my favorite part about this video was the end, the music and the up-close videos of the pen where amazing.
Wow! I love your intro with the music and beautiful images! I’ve been looking for a fountain pens related channel like yours; relaxed, informative and fun! Thank you! New subbie! P.s. I’m a newbie when it comes to fountain pens but I love Twsbi, I have the Eco, I just find it difficult to clean, it’s a long process. I also love italic nibs. Thank you 🙏
Hi. I have owned an Iris for a while in medium and I have to say, it writes like a three times more expensive pen. It is delightful. I just discovered your channel and I liked it. I started my collection with some colorful pens, but now, I am drifting to more serious, you would say boring, appareances: black, dark blue, etc. I think It Is just a matter of taste; I like the elegance of this kind of colors. Anyway, I liked the way you presented your show. You will have another subscriber.
Thank you very much for the kind comment. I appreciate it. I think that a lot of our choices in regards to pens ebb and flow depending on a lot of things. Right now I am looking for color, but with me moving back to the office I am looking for more business options. Take care.
Hi Hemingway! I’m a new subscriber and super happy to have found another gem on UA-cam in the fountain pen world! Really enjoyed this video and your style. Apparently, I’m lucky that TWSBI made another production of this particular pen. I’m brand new to the beautiful fountain pen world so I missed many boats out there. I quickly found out, I love the Twsbis, and have spent a small fortune building a nice collection of them. They make me happy, what can I say? The IRIS 700-R is en route to my house and I can’t express how anxious I am to get it! I ordered it in fine, which is the nib size I’m currently enjoying. I have branched out from the EF nib. My handwriting is relatively small so this is my comfort zone. Anyway, i just wanted to let you know I appreciate your content and enjoyed your video. I’ll definitely watch all the others.
Hello, My Friend, I am so glad that you enjoyed the video. I am sure you know that I love TWSBI. It’s nice to hear about someone else who shares my love of them.
Hi Hemingway I enjoy your videos very much and appreciate the effort you put into the videography. Nice job. As for TWSBI pens I agree they are a super value. I own 7 of them but haven’t got into the rainbow thing. While I own over 150 pens in total and some that were pretty salty, I still enjoy my TWSBIs.
Thank you so much for this review. All my pens are vintage but I saw the plain version of this come up for sale yesterday on my local buy and sell here in Austria. Used once and with all the accessories and boxes I got it for €40, it should be here on Tuesday and I am very much looking forward to writing with it after yours and other reviews I have seen. I have not had a new pen or steel nib since my last new fountain pen which was a Parker 25 given to me for the start of my senior school years in the south west of England (before that I had a German made school pen but I can´t remember the name of it) and I wrote with that pen well into the eighties before turning to older pens. It will be interesting to see how this steel nib performs and compares to my memores of my old parker which was a very smooth nib and bullet proof as my friend thought it would be fun to use it as a dart in a dart board (something us boys thought was a fun thing to do!!) and the pen never suffered at all. The one I have got is a fine nib. I have always written very small so for every day fine is perfect though i do have some lovely flexible stubs and italics for my more decorative writing. Writing this now makes me want to get an old 25 for the memories!
Hello and thanks for the excellent comment. I loved hearing about fountain pen darts. That’s hilarious. You found a great buy with that new pen as well. Congratulations. Let me know what you think of it when it arrives. Thanks!
Just bought a slightly used 700r clear, currently waiting for it to arrive by mail. Got to admit that the iris with its beautiful colors, is still lurking in the back of my mind.
Hey Buddy I am from India I have just ordered the Iris in medium nib wanted a broad but it wasn't available, .Super excited to see it waiting for the mail too, It is my most $$$pen but I also have Lamy AION which was a bit less $$$ but the look and feel of TWSBI is on other level especially the IRIS version.
@@akshaysharma2786 I've had it for a few days. Im very happy with it. Much better than my Lamy Safari. Its a EF nib, I might get a medium nib for it later.
I got my TWSBI vac 700r iris yesterday, I went for the italic nib and I love it it's a perfect balance of broad but not too wet. I have an Eco in broad but I find the writing experience to be rather 'clunky' it makes my writing look almost childish. It kind of put me off TWSBI pens, I don't know whether maybe it was due to bad quality control. My vac 700r is just a joy to write with, I am a heavy user and use my pen for more than 7 hours a day, I burn through ink like paper! I find I can go a full day without filling which just ups my productivity. I would love to get another one for more fun inks as I think they go really well with the pen. I can imagine Lamy amazonite going really well with it. Anyway I will stop my rant haha! I really enjoyed this video and can't wait to see the next !
Nice overview of the 700R. I liked it so much, I ordered one, it just arrived today. Now, if I can figure out how to open the vault plastic case I'll be in business 🙂
HJ- after watching this video, I just went ahead and ordered the regular Vac700R, not the Iris like yours, with a Fine nib. Ordered it from JetPens, and hope to have it in my hands by today or tomorrow. Am going to use the fine nib for drawing as well as writing. Have a good day.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts about this pen and the customized nib. I’m intrigued. If I decide to purchase one, I would probably purchase the clear version.
The clear is a great choice. It is much less showy and fits in more places. Also, it will take on the color of whatever ink you put in there. Let me know if you decide to get it.
New to fountain pens I started with Lamy Safari Medium, still love them! Pilot Prera is also a gem all with cartridges since I thought I was too clumsy for other filling systems. But I got the TWSBI Eco RG in rose gold and wow, I love it! It is inked with permanent sketching Lotte. But then I got the TWSBI VAc 700R in Iris and it's the only pen I want to use now. I love it so much. It was my first EF nib and I am so surprised that I do love it especially with the TWSBI Emerald Green Ink. I love the filling mechanism. I am going to fly with it in two days so fingers crossed it does well! Love your review of this wonderful pen!!
2:49 Counterpoint. In every business meeting I've attended people write with biros and gel pens. So long as documents are filled out in their requires colours most employers don't care.
Just ordered one today right after I saw your video I was looking for Aswine V200 Ti but it got out of stock while I was researching what other options I had, Love the vaccum fill mech and rainbow nib and parts are a cherry on top. I have a few pen but my notable favourites are MOONMAN C1 eye dropper , MOONMAN T1 Piston filler, since I got to know about demonstrators, TWSBI vaccum filler was just no brainer step, But I feel I have LAMY a safari and an AION but I wasnt impressed with price I had to pay for the lamys for how boutque they were but they write like nobody's business . As I live in INDIA and being a student its bit expensive for me but over all this is my favourite pen and DEMONSTRATORS just justify their price point easily all you need is a good flashy INK and VOILA!
I absolutely love the Iris color! I wish all models were available in the Iris! The Iris 700 is my first TWSBI. Next I’m going to get it he vac mini broad nib!
@@HemingwayJones I picked up the vac 700r clear this week, and no sooner than I began to write with it I ordered the iris. The vac 700r is a lovely writer, beautiful to look at and hold. Very much looking forward to seeing the iris when it arrives.
@@LovBoat Excellent! I like the clear as well. The clear is great for when you do not want to draw too much attention to yourself. The Iris is so pretty though. Let me know your thoughts when it arrives. I would be curious what you think. All the best.
@@HemingwayJones you made a great point about the iris maybe not being the pen you want to whip out during business/client meeting. I will certainly ping you when it arrives. I just watched your video on signature ink.. that’s it! I need to block your content, I just bought some Oxblood ink as well now 😂😂 I have been moving away from shades of blues to more reds and browns lately. I am in a stage of enjoying the vintage look.
@@LovBoat so sorry! It gets expensive. I love vintage inks too. I really like the Diplomat sepia black. It looks old. Let me know how you like it when it arrives.
Congrats, Hemingway, and thanks for another high-level review which, no doubt, invites us to get the pen. I’m about to buy it, ‘cos I’ve wanting to add it to my collection for some time. There are people who complain on the networks that it is s short-lasting pen, that breaks easily and that it is not a well-supervised product before it is sold. What can you tell about it according to your experience with TWISBI? Thanks in advanced.
Hello, My Friend, I can only relate my experience. We have two in the house -my wife has one as well. We have not had an issue. I haven’t heard of any issues from my TikTok folks. Still, it’s possible. It certainly feels well crafted. I have had a great experience with it. Certainly with TWSBI in general.
I've had a TWSBI Vac 700R for a while now and I mostly love it. I was pleasantly surprised by the heft of the pen. It really feels like solid piece of kit in your hand. The pen has given me some problems, though, and I'm curious if anyone else see's similar things. The plunger in my first pen didn't seal properly when the plunger was fully closed. I could write forever without opening the plunger and ink kept flowing from the barrel. After writing for a while, the ink flow would really increase and then suddenly there would be ink burping out the filler hole. I sent the pen back to TWSBI and they verified the problem and sent me a new pen. This time the plunger seals better. But, if I write with the plunger open at all, after a few minutes the feed is saturated and ink comes dripping out the filler hole again. At least now the pens works well as long as I keep the plunger closed. I just open a bit when the feed starts getting dry and then close it back up again. Everyone seems to really like these pens, but it seems odd that I'm the only one with two stinkers in a row. But, that said, it's the pen I'm using every day for my work notebook.
Personally, I haven’t had this experience and I am sorry to hear about it. All pens are quirky. It makes them fun and infuriating. I am glad that TWSBI stood behind it even if it didn’t have a completely happy resolution. I’ll be curious to see whether anyone else has. I wish you all the best.
Because of you I bought the TWSBI vac 700R as my very first fountain pen! I got the fine point nib as I was not really too sure what works better for a beginner. I wanted something that I could use every day and still write beautifully and uniquely. I would love to hear your thoughts or advice! Would you consider this an every day kind of pen? And where do you suggest getting ink in the future for this pen?
I love the colour of the Iris! I have a quick question for you: one of the first pens I bought was the TWSBI Diamond 580 AL R with a 1.1 stub. I had quickly tried the retailer’s sample and found it enjoyable. However, I ended up eventually swapping the nib for a medium because the line felt just too thick for handwriting. After watching many of your videos at this point, I know you often favour the stub. You appear to write quite small but your samples look great. I find myself writing really large with my stub! My usual daily writing is on the smaller side so I wondered if that’s just a natural response to the wider nib or do I need to do something differently? I have put the stub back on and am persevering but I’m not a fan of the large size letters I’m producing! Any tips? Also, I’m a lefty. Thanks, Mr. Jones 💎
Hello My Friend! With a stub, I strive, not always successfully, to keep the nib parallel to the bottom line. This way, in theory, it’s the downstroke that is wide and the rest has variation. This is how I do it.
I'm interested in getting this pen, but unsure about nib size. I've only owned one other TWSBI (the Swipe) and had to choose an extra fine nib as the fine nib was too wet. Is this characteristic of all TWSBIs?
They are very smooth and the type of smoothness that delivers ink as a cushion of the nib, so yes, a bit wet. EF will alway put less ink down. Personally I find the fine not wet enough, but everyone has different tastes. I find the nibs I have are consistent.
Why do fp's and typewriters go so well together? The communication obsession, maybe? I started typing as a child in kindergarten in the sixties, put myself through a decade of college in the seventies and eighties typing; I was so fast in production typing, strange for a guy, that I made $30+/hour back then! I've owned up to 50 typewriters at a time, but in my 'golden age' now only have about a half dozen. I always admire those little portables behind you; I still have a 1932 Underwood Noiseless that was restored for me a few years ago, still type well over 100wpm though I left that work 35 years ago. I love TWSBI pens. Why? Because that little Taiwanese company understands that there are still people (like me) who want and expect their fountain pens to be more than play-pretties to drool over. The Jowo nibs used now on these are amazing. I have a couple of TWSBI Go's and as I remember, three Diamond 580's. Between them I've written, as a rough estimate, more than 500 legal-pad-sized pages on them. My favorite nib is the 1.1 stub, though thanks to their philosophy, one can easily buy more than one nib (like the old Esterbrooks and Wearevers) and simply screw a new one in. I prefer the Diamond 580 over the Vac models because of the simplicity of use. I have two Parker Vacumatics restored, made in the distant past, and if I wanted complicated ways to fill the pen I'd default to Sheaffer's brilliant Snorkel mechanism. Another great video!
Thank you very much! I’m glad you enjoyed it. I don’t know why typewriters go well with fountain pens. Maybe it’s the analogue aspect. The hands on craftiness of both. I think they are amazing. I also love TWSBI as you probably know. I wish you all the best.
You should be fine. The plunger seals off the reservoir. There should also be enough in the feed for a few quick notes in flight. I must say that I have flown many times with all sorts of pens and have never had an issue, but this will insure you will not. All the best!
Hey I just feel the TWsbi magic fades as I as I was really concerned about the price conversion. So is it 80$ US coz here in INDIA it cost wayy more, it seems to be 100$ or more with discounts and listed at 130$ US conversion to INR. It think its the government custom duty that makes the markup. Also could you shed some light that is a TWSBI ECO worth at 50 to 70$.
I don't know if I would spend that much for it especially when there are so many wonderful Indian brands of fountain pens. It is a wonderful pen, but perhaps try to get one at a pen show or somewhere for less.
@@HemingwayJones Yeah Indian brands are really doing some good job but they majorly resin based and demonstrator market is majorly dominated by Imported pens only. I have a ton of Ranga pens and resin I was into the VAC filler system as I have one pen of every type eye droper the piston now only vac was the one left explore. Actually this pen checks quite a lot of boxes for me. I generally like big heavy pens and novelty factor also play role But majorly I want 1 twsbi and seems like this shud be the 1 to be.
Don't bother. He was a nice fountain pen reviewer back in the day but now he's turned into a self obsessed pseudo celebrity. He's just a lazy sellout also. Another nice guy like you now is Doodlebud. He's really nice. Very positive videos.
Well done video! TWSBI is definitely legendary, not necessarily for their pedigree but the fact that they make pens like the Diamond 580 or the 700R for under $100, and they do it well. The rainbow wouldn't be my first choice but it still looks sweet, I like solid colors but definitely going away from the black and gold. I ordered a TWSBI Eco from Goulet pens and I can't wait to break it in. (I also ordered a couple of other pens, but don't tell my bank account.)
I bought the vac 700 r clear model with a fine nib and I'm not too happy with the nib, I wish I had gotten it in medium. Where did you get the cursive italic nib? I can't find it anywhere on the internet.
Funny, I currently own three Twsbi pens; (2) minis (one vac and one piston), and a Diamond 580. For some reason, this pen, in any form, never appealed to me. 🙄
I have one with a fine nib. I t was my first “expensive “ pen. Up to getting it in 2020, my most expensive pen was a $50 Cross Bailey that I found on sale at Staples December of 2016. Classic black with chrome appointments and still one of my cherished pens. It’s not boring to me. Getting back to to the TWSBI Iris:- I refer to it as my 50/30 pen. That was the 50th year since my first child was born. The 30 referred to the number of years since my (late) third husband and I had tied the knot. Had he lived he would have bought that pen for me as an anniversary gift, but I got it for myself on his behalf. 🥰
Hello Helen, that is so special and such a great story! The TWSBI Iris is very special and more so in your case.
Cross pens have a history here as graduation gifts in New England. That sounds like a great pen too.
Wishing you all the best, Tim
This was so so special. Im so happy I’ve dived all the way back into our little corner of the internet with you all.
Thank you so much! I appreciate your digging into the back catalogue.
WOW! great video, I never realized you need to vent your pens, really cool. Probably my favorite part about this video was the end, the music and the up-close videos of the pen where amazing.
Thanks very much and thanks for staying to the end. I appreciate it greatly!
Another great day another great video keep up the good work man
Thank you Harrison! I appreciate it very much.
Fantastic review, glad I found your channel. Your style is enjoyable to watch, subscribed !
Thank you so much! Happy to have you!!!
Wow! I love your intro with the music and beautiful images! I’ve been looking for a fountain pens related channel like yours; relaxed, informative and fun! Thank you! New subbie! P.s. I’m a newbie when it comes to fountain pens but I love Twsbi, I have the Eco, I just find it difficult to clean, it’s a long process. I also love italic nibs. Thank you 🙏
Thank you very much! You are very welcome here! I appreciate the kind comment.
Hi. I have owned an Iris for a while in medium and I have to say, it writes like a three times more expensive pen. It is delightful. I just discovered your channel and I liked it. I started my collection with some colorful pens, but now, I am drifting to more serious, you would say boring, appareances: black, dark blue, etc. I think It Is just a matter of taste; I like the elegance of this kind of colors. Anyway, I liked the way you presented your show. You will have another subscriber.
Thank you very much for the kind comment. I appreciate it. I think that a lot of our choices in regards to pens ebb and flow depending on a lot of things. Right now I am looking for color, but with me moving back to the office I am looking for more business options. Take care.
Hi Hemingway! I’m a new subscriber and super happy to have found another gem on UA-cam in the fountain pen world! Really enjoyed this video and your style.
Apparently, I’m lucky that TWSBI made another production of this particular pen. I’m brand new to the beautiful fountain pen world so I missed many boats out there. I quickly found out, I love the Twsbis, and have spent a small fortune building a nice collection of them. They make me happy, what can I say? The IRIS 700-R is en route to my house and I can’t express how anxious I am to get it! I ordered it in fine, which is the nib size I’m currently enjoying. I have branched out from the EF nib. My handwriting is relatively small so this is my comfort zone. Anyway, i just wanted to let you know I appreciate your content and enjoyed your video. I’ll definitely watch all the others.
Hello, My Friend, I am so glad that you enjoyed the video. I am sure you know that I love TWSBI. It’s nice to hear about someone else who shares my love of them.
You will love it!! I hope you have received it?!
Hi Hemingway
I enjoy your videos very much and appreciate the effort you put into the videography. Nice job. As for TWSBI pens I agree they are a super value. I own 7 of them but haven’t got into the rainbow thing. While I own over 150 pens in total and some that were pretty salty, I still enjoy my TWSBIs.
TWSBI are such great pens. I love them as much as any. All the best, Allen.
This is quality content. You have a new loyal follower
Thank you very much!
Thank you so much for this review. All my pens are vintage but I saw the plain version of this come up for sale yesterday on my local buy and sell here in Austria. Used once and with all the accessories and boxes I got it for €40, it should be here on Tuesday and I am very much looking forward to writing with it after yours and other reviews I have seen.
I have not had a new pen or steel nib since my last new fountain pen which was a Parker 25 given to me for the start of my senior school years in the south west of England (before that I had a German made school pen but I can´t remember the name of it) and I wrote with that pen well into the eighties before turning to older pens. It will be interesting to see how this steel nib performs and compares to my memores of my old parker which was a very smooth nib and bullet proof as my friend thought it would be fun to use it as a dart in a dart board (something us boys thought was a fun thing to do!!) and the pen never suffered at all.
The one I have got is a fine nib. I have always written very small so for every day fine is perfect though i do have some lovely flexible stubs and italics for my more decorative writing.
Writing this now makes me want to get an old 25 for the memories!
Hello and thanks for the excellent comment. I loved hearing about fountain pen darts. That’s hilarious. You found a great buy with that new pen as well. Congratulations. Let me know what you think of it when it arrives. Thanks!
Just bought a slightly used 700r clear, currently waiting for it to arrive by mail. Got to admit that the iris with its beautiful colors, is still lurking in the back of my mind.
You have chosen a wonderful pen!
Hey Buddy I am from India I have just ordered the Iris in medium nib wanted a broad but it wasn't available, .Super excited to see it waiting for the mail too, It is my most $$$pen but I also have Lamy AION which was a bit less $$$ but the look and feel of TWSBI is on other level especially the IRIS version.
@@akshaysharma2786 I've had it for a few days. Im very happy with it. Much better than my Lamy Safari. Its a EF nib, I might get a medium nib for it later.
I got my TWSBI vac 700r iris yesterday, I went for the italic nib and I love it it's a perfect balance of broad but not too wet.
I have an Eco in broad but I find the writing experience to be rather 'clunky' it makes my writing look almost childish. It kind of put me off TWSBI pens, I don't know whether maybe it was due to bad quality control.
My vac 700r is just a joy to write with, I am a heavy user and use my pen for more than 7 hours a day, I burn through ink like paper! I find I can go a full day without filling which just ups my productivity.
I would love to get another one for more fun inks as I think they go really well with the pen. I can imagine Lamy amazonite going really well with it.
Anyway I will stop my rant haha! I really enjoyed this video and can't wait to see the next !
Thank you, Caspar, I appreciate your perspective. This was a great comment. I am glad that you like the italic nib. Enjoy!
I just got this pen as an early birthday present! Already my favorite pen and I love the colors.
Wonderful! That is a great gift.
Nice overview of the 700R. I liked it so much, I ordered one, it just arrived today. Now, if I can figure out how to open the vault plastic case I'll be in business 🙂
Good luck with it! I am glad you enjoyed the video!
HJ- after watching this video, I just went ahead and ordered the regular Vac700R, not the Iris like yours, with a Fine nib. Ordered it from JetPens, and hope to have it in my hands by today or tomorrow. Am going to use the fine nib for drawing as well as writing. Have a good day.
Congratulations! Great pen!
Thanks for sharing your thoughts about this pen and the customized nib. I’m intrigued. If I decide to purchase one, I would probably purchase the clear version.
The clear is a great choice. It is much less showy and fits in more places. Also, it will take on the color of whatever ink you put in there. Let me know if you decide to get it.
New to fountain pens I started with Lamy Safari Medium, still love them! Pilot Prera is also a gem all with cartridges since I thought I was too clumsy for other filling systems. But I got the TWSBI Eco RG in rose gold and wow, I love it! It is inked with permanent sketching Lotte. But then I got the TWSBI VAc 700R in Iris and it's the only pen I want to use now. I love it so much. It was my first EF nib and I am so surprised that I do love it especially with the TWSBI Emerald Green Ink. I love the filling mechanism. I am going to fly with it in two days so fingers crossed it does well! Love your review of this wonderful pen!!
Thanks so much! I appreciate the great information and have a great trip!
@@HemingwayJones Thank YOU! I love your work and your channel!
@@kathrynstiles3509 Thanks! I appreciate that immensely.
2:49 Counterpoint. In every business meeting I've attended people write with biros and gel pens. So long as documents are filled out in their requires colours most employers don't care.
Just ordered one today right after I saw your video I was looking for Aswine V200 Ti but it got out of stock while I was researching what other options I had, Love the vaccum fill mech and rainbow nib and parts are a cherry on top.
I have a few pen but my notable favourites are MOONMAN C1 eye dropper , MOONMAN T1 Piston filler, since I got to know about demonstrators,
TWSBI vaccum filler was just no brainer step, But I feel I have LAMY a safari and an AION but I wasnt impressed with price I had to pay for the lamys for how boutque they were but they write like nobody's business . As I live in INDIA and being a student its bit expensive for me but over all this is my favourite pen and DEMONSTRATORS just justify their price point easily all you need is a good flashy INK and VOILA!
Just ordered a Iris. My first Twisbi. Love getting new colors.
Great choice! That is a brilliant pen I’d love to hear what you think about it once it arrives.
I absolutely love the Iris color! I wish all models were available in the Iris! The Iris 700 is my first TWSBI. Next I’m going to get it he vac mini broad nib!
Wonderful! It is a great color, or colors, I should say.
Fantastic review. We share the same tastes in pens. Thank you for your reviews.
Thanks very much!
@@HemingwayJones I picked up the vac 700r clear this week, and no sooner than I began to write with it I ordered the iris.
The vac 700r is a lovely writer, beautiful to look at and hold. Very much looking forward to seeing the iris when it arrives.
@@LovBoat Excellent! I like the clear as well. The clear is great for when you do not want to draw too much attention to yourself. The Iris is so pretty though. Let me know your thoughts when it arrives. I would be curious what you think. All the best.
@@HemingwayJones you made a great point about the iris maybe not being the pen you want to whip out during business/client meeting. I will certainly ping you when it arrives.
I just watched your video on signature ink.. that’s it! I need to block your content, I just bought some Oxblood ink as well now 😂😂
I have been moving away from shades of blues to more reds and browns lately. I am in a stage of enjoying the vintage look.
@@LovBoat so sorry! It gets expensive. I love vintage inks too. I really like the Diplomat sepia black. It looks old. Let me know how you like it when it arrives.
I love my TWSBI 580 and suspect this might be my next TWSBI purchase.
Wonderful! TWSBI pens are so great. Let me know what you think if you pick one up.
Congrats, Hemingway, and thanks for another high-level review which, no doubt, invites us to get the pen. I’m about to buy it, ‘cos I’ve wanting to add it to my collection for some time.
There are people who complain on the networks that it is s short-lasting pen, that breaks easily and that it is not a well-supervised product before it is sold. What can you tell about it according to your experience with TWISBI? Thanks in advanced.
Hello, My Friend, I can only relate my experience. We have two in the house -my wife has one as well. We have not had an issue. I haven’t heard of any issues from my TikTok folks. Still, it’s possible. It certainly feels well crafted. I have had a great experience with it. Certainly with TWSBI in general.
I've had a TWSBI Vac 700R for a while now and I mostly love it. I was pleasantly surprised by the heft of the pen. It really feels like solid piece of kit in your hand.
The pen has given me some problems, though, and I'm curious if anyone else see's similar things. The plunger in my first pen didn't seal properly when the plunger was fully closed. I could write forever without opening the plunger and ink kept flowing from the barrel. After writing for a while, the ink flow would really increase and then suddenly there would be ink burping out the filler hole. I sent the pen back to TWSBI and they verified the problem and sent me a new pen. This time the plunger seals better. But, if I write with the plunger open at all, after a few minutes the feed is saturated and ink comes dripping out the filler hole again. At least now the pens works well as long as I keep the plunger closed. I just open a bit when the feed starts getting dry and then close it back up again.
Everyone seems to really like these pens, but it seems odd that I'm the only one with two stinkers in a row. But, that said, it's the pen I'm using every day for my work notebook.
Personally, I haven’t had this experience and I am sorry to hear about it. All pens are quirky. It makes them fun and infuriating. I am glad that TWSBI stood behind it even if it didn’t have a completely happy resolution. I’ll be curious to see whether anyone else has. I wish you all the best.
Love the Corona flat tops.
*Love* the Vac700r. I've got the Iris in a broad nib. I've got it filled with Pilot Iroshizuku Yama-budo at the moment.
Wonderful! That sound like the perfect combination.
Because of you I bought the TWSBI vac 700R as my very first fountain pen! I got the fine point nib as I was not really too sure what works better for a beginner. I wanted something that I could use every day and still write beautifully and uniquely. I would love to hear your thoughts or advice! Would you consider this an every day kind of pen? And where do you suggest getting ink in the future for this pen?
Hi Rob. Sure, it works as an everyday pen. Why not? As for ink, I am using Diamine Imperial Purple. Yama Budo is nice too.
Can we buy the nibs themselves?
I love the colour of the Iris! I have a quick question for you: one of the first pens I bought was the TWSBI Diamond 580 AL R with a 1.1 stub. I had quickly tried the retailer’s sample and found it enjoyable. However, I ended up eventually swapping the nib for a medium because the line felt just too thick for handwriting. After watching many of your videos at this point, I know you often favour the stub. You appear to write quite small but your samples look great. I find myself writing really large with my stub! My usual daily writing is on the smaller side so I wondered if that’s just a natural response to the wider nib or do I need to do something differently? I have put the stub back on and am persevering but I’m not a fan of the large size letters I’m producing! Any tips? Also, I’m a lefty. Thanks, Mr. Jones 💎
Hello My Friend! With a stub, I strive, not always successfully, to keep the nib parallel to the bottom line. This way, in theory, it’s the downstroke that is wide and the rest has variation. This is how I do it.
I will try that! This is different advice than I’ve read so I appreciate the insight. Thanks so much!
Great video
Thank you!
I'm interested in getting this pen, but unsure about nib size. I've only owned one other TWSBI (the Swipe) and had to choose an extra fine nib as the fine nib was too wet. Is this characteristic of all TWSBIs?
They are very smooth and the type of smoothness that delivers ink as a cushion of the nib, so yes, a bit wet. EF will alway put less ink down. Personally I find the fine not wet enough, but everyone has different tastes. I find the nibs I have are consistent.
Why do fp's and typewriters go so well together? The communication obsession, maybe? I started typing as a child in kindergarten in the sixties, put myself through a decade of college in the seventies and eighties typing; I was so fast in production typing, strange for a guy, that I made $30+/hour back then! I've owned up to 50 typewriters at a time, but in my 'golden age' now only have about a half dozen. I always admire those little portables behind you; I still have a 1932 Underwood Noiseless that was restored for me a few years ago, still type well over 100wpm though I left that work 35 years ago. I love TWSBI pens. Why? Because that little Taiwanese company understands that there are still people (like me) who want and expect their fountain pens to be more than play-pretties to drool over. The Jowo nibs used now on these are amazing. I have a couple of TWSBI Go's and as I remember, three Diamond 580's. Between them I've written, as a rough estimate, more than 500 legal-pad-sized pages on them. My favorite nib is the 1.1 stub, though thanks to their philosophy, one can easily buy more than one nib (like the old Esterbrooks and Wearevers) and simply screw a new one in. I prefer the Diamond 580 over the Vac models because of the simplicity of use. I have two Parker Vacumatics restored, made in the distant past, and if I wanted complicated ways to fill the pen I'd default to Sheaffer's brilliant Snorkel mechanism. Another great video!
Thank you very much! I’m glad you enjoyed it. I don’t know why typewriters go well with fountain pens. Maybe it’s the analogue aspect. The hands on craftiness of both. I think they are amazing. I also love TWSBI as you probably know. I wish you all the best.
Beautiful pen! Is that Diamine Imperial Purple?
Yes! You have great eyes. It’s Imperial Purple. It’s a great color.
So it is okay to fly with this pen full of ink as long as the vac is properly sealed?
You should be fine. The plunger seals off the reservoir. There should also be enough in the feed for a few quick notes in flight. I must say that I have flown many times with all sorts of pens and have never had an issue, but this will insure you will not. All the best!
So I just ordered this exact pen but now I’m sad I didn’t order it from Pen Realm and get that nib grind on it. 😢 haha
I got mine with the 1.1 stub
Maybe call them? There may be time! The 1.1 is awesome too.
I have this pen. It is very nice.
One of my favorites!
Hey I just feel the TWsbi magic fades as I as I was really concerned about the price conversion. So is it 80$ US coz here in INDIA it cost wayy more,
it seems to be 100$ or more with discounts and listed at 130$ US conversion to INR.
It think its the government custom duty that makes the markup. Also could you shed some light that is a TWSBI ECO worth at 50 to 70$.
I don't know if I would spend that much for it especially when there are so many wonderful Indian brands of fountain pens. It is a wonderful pen, but perhaps try to get one at a pen show or somewhere for less.
@@HemingwayJones Yeah Indian brands are really doing some good job but they majorly resin based and demonstrator market is majorly dominated by Imported pens only. I have a ton of Ranga pens and resin
I was into the VAC filler system as I have one pen of every type eye droper the piston now only vac was the one left explore.
Actually this pen checks quite a lot of boxes for me.
I generally like big heavy pens and novelty factor also play role
But majorly I want 1 twsbi and seems like this shud be the 1 to be.
You're a great guy. It's nice to see someone so positive in this hobby. That guy SBREBrown has become such a prick.
Thanks so much! I appreciate that. I don’t know that person. I’ll have to look them up. Thanks.
Don't bother. He was a nice fountain pen reviewer back in the day but now he's turned into a self obsessed pseudo celebrity. He's just a lazy sellout also. Another nice guy like you now is Doodlebud. He's really nice. Very positive videos.
Well done video! TWSBI is definitely legendary, not necessarily for their pedigree but the fact that they make pens like the Diamond 580 or the 700R for under $100, and they do it well. The rainbow wouldn't be my first choice but it still looks sweet, I like solid colors but definitely going away from the black and gold. I ordered a TWSBI Eco from Goulet pens and I can't wait to break it in. (I also ordered a couple of other pens, but don't tell my bank account.)
Thanks Dylan! Those are great pens you bought. I have so much affection for TWSBI. They offer such great value. All the best!
I bought the vac 700 r clear model with a fine nib and I'm not too happy with the nib, I wish I had gotten it in medium. Where did you get the cursive italic nib? I can't find it anywhere on the internet.
I am not a fine nib guy. I like maximum smoothness. The cursive smooth italic came from Pen Realm. They do custom grinds.
Funny, I currently own three Twsbi pens; (2) minis (one vac and one piston), and a Diamond 580. For some reason, this pen, in any form, never appealed to me. 🙄
All good, My Friend. I love Vac fills and getting one at this price point is outstanding. All the best!
You are very sweet!!
You are so kind