The dramatic shots of your barrel cracked me up. (Pun intended) :p I'm glad Twsbi stands by their warranty. I've been wanting to get a different colored Eco but afraid of the barrel issue so I'll just stick with my one Twsbi. I have enough fountain pens anyway. Very cool shark drawing. His legs are so muscular! Your drawing reminded me that I have an unopened bottle of delicious sleep that I need to try soon. I'm one of the lucky few who know your last name. Yay! :D
I'm glad Twsbi replaced the feed barrel but I'm also not surprised. Twsbi does have a great warranty policy. Regarding the drawing, I really like how it turned out as a Shark fan it looks totally cool.
It's good to see such a well produced video from you again Stephen! Idc, i love the running/repeating joke of the tragedy shot of the TWSBI, made me laugh! You seem in such a better mood than before which is fantastic, such great energy in the video shows you really seem to be better & less stressed. Love the shark/dad drawing, what a curse for a man to become only half shark or a shark to live life as half man, losing his simple life (lol). Anyway, God bless as always Stephen, may you get to 1000 subs & beyond very soon! Maybe from this very video!
I really almost did the sad music gag 4 times, and the. I had to talk myself down from that cliff. Might really go overboard someday. Just in the sense of my jokes, of course. I have lots of cool stuff planned for the future! I can’t wait to get the next one out!
Yup low and behold my twsbi eco cracked after 3 months of light usage. It doesn't make it okay that they replace the barrel. It's the fact that they sell inferior plastic to us and every company and reviewer pushes their products stating that the cracking problem is fixed when it clearly isn't. What a disappointing purchase especially in Canada where the pen is 47 dollars and that's before tax.
Wow. That sucks. I agree that three months of light use before cracking is not an inconvenience, it is a straight up defect. Mine didn’t cause problems until 2 years of heavy use. People who watch my channel sometimes comment that I’m not every gentle with my pens… this is on purpose, because I want to know their limits. Also, you make a good point that the price isn’t what it used to be. When I bought mine, it was just over 30 USD, and even stateside, it has gone up to somewhere around 35USD. I feel like now, when I recommend this pen, I have to explain all the problems that MIGHT come up when buying one, because it seems like everyone has a wide variety of things to say regarding the quality. Some people have owned multiple Ecos for 5+ years without ANY of them cracking. I don’t know what to say anymore…
Within the year my barrel and cap cracked. Recently my replacement barrel cracked. The pen writes decently. It's nothing spectacular, like some of my other pens. Whoa, I bought mine when they were only $40. But I was off TWBSI before, and now that it cracked again with the same issue, I won't recommend without the caveat. What pisses me off, is that TWBSI made it a point to mention they cleared up their cracking issues on the Eco.
I’ve heard that a lot of people never had this issue, and that it was resolved back in 2016-ish, and newer barrels shouldn’t have this issue. Of course, I got mine much later than that (in 2020), but since I bought it on Amazon, I really have no way of knowing how old it truly is. I hope I can count this issue as resolved, and that it never comes up for most of their customers!
Both of my Faber-Castell Basics ARRIVED with sections pre-cracked at the nib end, though I didn't notice right away. I moved the superb nibs to other brand pens. And I have become fonder of METAL sections.
The weird thing about that is, it doesn’t really feel like the cost of the pen is a factor in the section cracking. I have really cheap pens that are solid, and while the Eco isn’t a terribly expensive pen, I have seen horrific things happen to $100+ pens. It’s very odd.
I own a TWSBI Diamond Mini and a TWSBI Eco. The barrel of the Mini has cracked twice, and TWSBI replaced twice. However, I haven’t used it since the second incident as I am fairly confident that the second replacement barrel will crack as well if I use it. The Eco has recently started to leak for no discernible reason, as there is no visible cracking on the barrel. However, I will not be reaching out to TWSBI for a replacement. I don’t want to continue having to request parts and troubleshoot issues. It’s a shame because I absolutely loved using these pens. In fact, the Eco has definitely been the pen that I’ve used the most over the past three years. But I prefer pens that have greater longevity. I have a Pilot Metropolitan, Pilot 78G and a Platinum Carbon desk pen that have seen tons of use over the years and, in spite of being 6 to 10 years old, all of these pens continue to write phenomenally without material defects. I will miss the ink capacity of the TWSBI Mini and Eco as well as the smooth writing experience but not the consistent performance issues, and I will not be purchasing another TWSBI pen in the future 😢.
I hate to admit it, but you’re right. I have not even looked at another Twsbi pen since this. I got a Diamond 580 ALR as part of a subscription box last year, and I like it, but it’s like a ticking time bomb. This company should not get the love that it gets without a HUGE asterisk next to it. Geourgeous pens, that you cannot use.
I've had my Diamond 580 since 2013, I've replaced parts on it several times, alwayd an easy process, and my oen is back in perfect shape in a few days. Also, you squeeze the bottle to get the silicone grease out. Just need to push the bottom with the bottle upside down.
I think running cold water over the nib and feed before inserting will help prevent future cracking. I use hot water to clean my pen parts and metal expands with heat faster, so maybe that creates pressure on the section walls if putting it in while the nib is still warm or hot?
hmmmm....I am writing this on 3/11/2024. I'm feeling concerned that I just unboxed a TWSBI Eco....should I keep it or return it now before the excitement? Thanks for the warranty info, and also for the demo of deconstructing the cracked barrel and assembling the piston mechanism in the new barrel.
It’s really hard to say. My experience is more anecdotal, as I have only owned one of these pens. Supposedly, Twsbi has fixed this problem and the issue comes from old stock lying around in the stocks of certain vendors. Since I bought mine from Amazon, that is entirely possible. Bit for a more in-depth picture of how pervasive the problem is, and whether yours is likely to go that way, you might want to look into forum posts on Fountain Pen Network. There’s data and polls and things to give you a better picture. The new barrel is fine, but I mist admit I don’t use this pen as often as I used to. That’s a shame as well, because it used to be one of my favorite pens.
Great customer service for TWSBI, always very responsive and quick to send out parts. Unfortunately, I’ve had to use their part replacement service a little too often over the years. As reasonable as the $5 for shipping is, it does add up. Would be nice if the pens never or very rarely cracked in the first place. I just replaced a barrel on an Eco and noticed my other Eco now has cracks in it 😅😪
@@stepheninks Agree! I really do like their pens, but if they aren’t reliable because of cracking issues… we’ll, then what’s the point? Like you mentioned, too much completion now. What bothers me is they see how many requests for replacement parts they get, they have to know that there is an issue with their pens. And yet they choose to do nothing. That’s honestly unacceptable.
The $5 is for shipping and handling. I agree that sometimes things can happen to our pens because we manhandle them. I've chosen to take care of my pens regardless of cost. I own 12 TWSBI pens-- from 2-5 yrs old with no cracking issues. My pens are kept in a pen case, and when carried in my purse I place them in an inner purse pocket to keep them from banging up against anything which could cause a crack.
Yes,to be fair, the $5 is for shipping and handling, and I was reaching out after having the pen for 2 years. I am glad they had an option for me, and I wouldn’t want to just keep buying cheaper pens that would have the same problem, thereby creating more waste. That is encouraging that you have not had those issues for such a long time. Hopefully there are more people with your experience than mine. Trying o be fair and balanced here, I can’t ignore the fact that there are many pens which cost around the same as the ECO, have excellent customer service and repair, and have (so far) not cracked anywhere on me. For what it’s worth, the under 50USD pen market has changed a lot since the introduction of the ECO. I hope they continue to try and find ways to keep up.
Just squeeze the silicon bottle. It flexes enough to weep a little grease out the nippily part. Back in my barbaric days, when I cared so little for what I wrote I used Bic pens, I remember they cracked sometimes. Be careful grabbing the fins on your TWSBI's feed. They can be folded over. Grab the nib by the side or the point of the feed in front of the fins. Anyway, cast or molded parts, metallic or plastic, can have internal stresses. I've got four Eco's, four Vac 700-R's, a Go, and a Vac 700 Mini. So far, so good on all of them. I write daily with all of them except the Go, which is sort of an ink test pen. Nice video, except for the heart-wrenching pathos of the cracked section. Fortunately, that seems to have turned out OK.
Yep, I have seen some structural analysis diagrams of the Eco on r/fountainpens, and it seems like they are prone to crack right at the fins. I would be more understanding of more pens had the same problem, to be honest. Also, it’s a shame that the Twsbi Go is t a better pen. At least that one isn’t going to crack, right?
I like the stealthed out watch. Seiko? It doesn't look like a Seiko; I am just assuming from what I think I saw saw on the dial. Keep the o-rings from the other barrel. You never know when they might come in handy.
The watch is by Movement. I’m not sponsored by them, but I got a discount code from a podcast I listen to. This was the only design I liked, and they actually don’t sell it anymore (what’s the opposite of sponsored content?). So, if I could buy from them again, I wouldn’t, even though I really love this watch. I’ve had it for 4 years, and it’s really well made. I’m pretty sure I have never thrown any pen thing away ever. It helps me fix my pens. It does not provide the same effect to my marriage :)
@@stepheninks Movement watches are trash though, their selling point was super minimal design and they would throw massive amounts of cash for all adds and all youtubers would recommend them 24/7 because they get their cut. While in fact it was like 10-20 euro chinese watch with simple quartz movement and it would break very easily, the point is that the quartz movement is ultra cheap and it cost like 1euro while the body is cheap too, there are multiple reviews from actual users, and they charge 100-200 euro for such crap which takes like 10euro to make, thats why they were such a crazy success with stupid profits. For a regular person its hard to judge value if we dont own a full collection so we can throw 100 euro and think that we got a great deal (same thing with fountain pens) Sure their quality must have increased because they been acquired by Movado or sth which is more established brand, but still its like with fountain pens the prices are skyhigh and we cant tell why . For instance Seiko or Citizen you can get sapphire crystal -which u cant scratch with any metal, eco-drive aka solar powered movement and like 10bars water resistance which is good enough for swimming and that would be for 100-200 euro too. While these chinesium designer brands put some basic glass, oversized body and cheapest movement they can get and just spam adds on facebook...
@@Cortesevasive I’ll admit that I don’t know much about watches. This one was on sale. The rest of Movement’s offerings don’t really appeal to me, and I’m not a fan of oversized watches. I don’t know though… selling something for a higher price than it cost you to make it kind of seems like just how a business works, no? Anyway, mine hasn’t broken in 4 years. Just wanted something better than a 20USD Walmart type, and I don’t think I would ever want a smartwatch. This works fine for me.
OK, so after watching this video I got out the box for my TWSBI Eco to look at the container of silicone grease. I also have no idea how the container is supposed to dispense the contents. What I am certain of is that even though the container is clearly labeled GREASE, it definitely contains silicone OIL. I suppose there is a way to get it to dispense, probably by squeezing the hard plastic bottle, but I don't want to try that. (I, too, have a separate container of actual silicone grease that I use...)
When you make pens that have major quality issues, cracking, you better have a good warranty. Personally Id just improve the quality of the pens but I guess this is the cheaper way to go about it.
Yeah, that’s a reasonable point. To be honest, I don’t know how I feel about the whole thing. On one hand, I’m glad they have a warranty. On the other, why does this keep happening? The problem is known in the pen community. And they must know about it too. Are they not embarrassed to continue to put out a product that consistently fails? It seems like no other brand is quite having the same problems as this particular pen. There are a ton of cheaper pens that perform better.
It’s a really common problem with just this brand. It’s a shame because they’re really beloved in the fountain pen community, but they just keep hand-waving away their massive quality control problems. These days I usually recommend other brands first.
Usually, I would agree, but coupled with the fact that I had the pen for 2 years (and didn’t really treat it gently), I’m okay with paying shipping. Opinions on this are really mixed, for good reason.
I think the grease is meant to lubricate the back of the piston. By the way, I am wondering about buying a Twsbi eco or a Platinum balance, I will use it far drawing. Any advice?
Yes, that is what I see from the documentation. However, I can’t figure out how to get the grease out of the little bottle. I don’t know,,‘Aubrey there’s something really obvious, and I’m just being dumb. As far as the Eco vs balance, I only have experience with the Eco. It’s fantastic, and it seems like it might be cheaper than the Balance. I do, however, have experience with Platinum’s Preppy, Plasir, and the 3776. I’m betting that the Platinum will be a finer line, while the Eco will be wider. They will both probably be well built. I think the Balance is cartridge/converter and you will need to add $10USD or so to add a converter to that pen. The Twsbi is a piston filler, so if you have ink, you’re good to go. If none of those tips the scale for you… if I had to choose one of them outright right now… I would pick the Eco again!
So here is the deal: DO NOT PULL the nib and feed out. my story: Within a year my Eco cracked in the cap, and a tiny and a larger crack section. The cracks started from the lip. They sent me a new barrel and cap. Just last month the replacement barrel cracked again in the same area. Great, they have excellent service, but they claimed they had cleared up the cracking issues with the other model on the Eco. One of the reasons I bought the Eco, because I was aware of the cracking issue in the sections of their other models. Looks like they have a problem. Will they deal with it, is the question. As for me, I am out of the TWBSI business. I wouldn't recommend them, because it is now a known issue, and it's happened twice to me. It's a decent pen, but not spectacular. It's not like I feel the 'ode to joy' when writing with it, like some of my other pens.
I’m starting to feel the same way, even though my pen has not cracked a second time yet. I could spend about 1/3 of the price for something that does not crack, and works just as well. I also cannot recommend these pens (though I like them) without explaining EVERYTHING that has happened with mine. This is getting tiring.
@@stepheninks I just remembered that the Eco was designed as one full unit as a remedy to the cracking issues of the other models, which were cracking at those separation points where you could unscrew the nib section from the barrel. The other thing is that the cracking seems to be occurring because people are pulling the feed out to clean the pen. TWSBI is selling the point, that the pen can be taken apart specifically to clean the pen, so this is absolutely ridiculous that cracking has become an issue. TWSBI - Lawyered!
No such thing as a dumb question. I’m sure if it was from an authorized dealer, they will honor it. I know that Goulet pens is an authorized dealer, and I’m pretty sure that Jet Pens is. I ordered mine off of Amazon, and they honored my request without asking where I bought it from or asking to see any receipts or serial numbers, so I think you’re good no matter what.
The dramatic shots of your barrel cracked me up. (Pun intended) :p
I'm glad Twsbi stands by their warranty. I've been wanting to get a different colored Eco but afraid of the barrel issue so I'll just stick with my one Twsbi. I have enough fountain pens anyway.
Very cool shark drawing. His legs are so muscular! Your drawing reminded me that I have an unopened bottle of delicious sleep that I need to try soon.
I'm one of the lucky few who know your last name. Yay! :D
We do get a bit dramatic in this community from time to time, I suppose. Thank you for keeping my secrets 😉
I'm glad Twsbi replaced the feed barrel but I'm also not surprised. Twsbi does have a great warranty policy. Regarding the drawing, I really like how it turned out as a Shark fan it looks totally cool.
I want this shark on a T shirt. I’m glad Twsbi didn’t disappoint. I really like their pens.
It's good to see such a well produced video from you again Stephen!
Idc, i love the running/repeating joke of the tragedy shot of the TWSBI, made me laugh!
You seem in such a better mood than before which is fantastic, such great energy in the video shows you really seem to be better & less stressed.
Love the shark/dad drawing, what a curse for a man to become only half shark or a shark to live life as half man, losing his simple life (lol).
Anyway, God bless as always Stephen, may you get to 1000 subs & beyond very soon! Maybe from this very video!
I really almost did the sad music gag 4 times, and the. I had to talk myself down from that cliff. Might really go overboard someday.
Just in the sense of my jokes, of course.
I have lots of cool stuff planned for the future! I can’t wait to get the next one out!
Yup low and behold my twsbi eco cracked after 3 months of light usage. It doesn't make it okay that they replace the barrel. It's the fact that they sell inferior plastic to us and every company and reviewer pushes their products stating that the cracking problem is fixed when it clearly isn't. What a disappointing purchase especially in Canada where the pen is 47 dollars and that's before tax.
Wow. That sucks. I agree that three months of light use before cracking is not an inconvenience, it is a straight up defect. Mine didn’t cause problems until 2 years of heavy use. People who watch my channel sometimes comment that I’m not every gentle with my pens… this is on purpose, because I want to know their limits.
Also, you make a good point that the price isn’t what it used to be. When I bought mine, it was just over 30 USD, and even stateside, it has gone up to somewhere around 35USD. I feel like now, when I recommend this pen, I have to explain all the problems that MIGHT come up when buying one, because it seems like everyone has a wide variety of things to say regarding the quality. Some people have owned multiple Ecos for 5+ years without ANY of them cracking. I don’t know what to say anymore…
Within the year my barrel and cap cracked. Recently my replacement barrel cracked. The pen writes decently. It's nothing spectacular, like some of my other pens. Whoa, I bought mine when they were only $40. But I was off TWBSI before, and now that it cracked again with the same issue, I won't recommend without the caveat. What pisses me off, is that TWBSI made it a point to mention they cleared up their cracking issues on the Eco.
@@ironmic9244 They need to fix themselves. Agreed.
Glad it went well, and well enough you can have a bit of fun with it. Mine hasn't had this issue, but now I'll go home and give it a good once-over.
I’ve heard that a lot of people never had this issue, and that it was resolved back in 2016-ish, and newer barrels shouldn’t have this issue. Of course, I got mine much later than that (in 2020), but since I bought it on Amazon, I really have no way of knowing how old it truly is.
I hope I can count this issue as resolved, and that it never comes up for most of their customers!
Both of my Faber-Castell Basics ARRIVED with sections pre-cracked at the nib end, though I didn't notice right away. I moved the superb nibs to other brand pens. And I have become fonder of METAL sections.
The weird thing about that is, it doesn’t really feel like the cost of the pen is a factor in the section cracking. I have really cheap pens that are solid, and while the Eco isn’t a terribly expensive pen, I have seen horrific things happen to $100+ pens. It’s very odd.
@@stepheninks I hate it.
@@ichirofakename this hobby really causes as much anxiety as it does joy.
I own a TWSBI Diamond Mini and a TWSBI Eco. The barrel of the Mini has cracked twice, and TWSBI replaced twice. However, I haven’t used it since the second incident as I am fairly confident that the second replacement barrel will crack as well if I use it. The Eco has recently started to leak for no discernible reason, as there is no visible cracking on the barrel. However, I will not be reaching out to TWSBI for a replacement. I don’t want to continue having to request parts and troubleshoot issues. It’s a shame because I absolutely loved using these pens. In fact, the Eco has definitely been the pen that I’ve used the most over the past three years. But I prefer pens that have greater longevity. I have a Pilot Metropolitan, Pilot 78G and a Platinum Carbon desk pen that have seen tons of use over the years and, in spite of being 6 to 10 years old, all of these pens continue to write phenomenally without material defects. I will miss the ink capacity of the TWSBI Mini and Eco as well as the smooth writing experience but not the consistent performance issues, and I will not be purchasing another TWSBI pen in the future 😢.
I hate to admit it, but you’re right. I have not even looked at another Twsbi pen since this. I got a Diamond 580 ALR as part of a subscription box last year, and I like it, but it’s like a ticking time bomb. This company should not get the love that it gets without a HUGE asterisk next to it. Geourgeous pens, that you cannot use.
I've had my Diamond 580 since 2013, I've replaced parts on it several times, alwayd an easy process, and my oen is back in perfect shape in a few days. Also, you squeeze the bottle to get the silicone grease out. Just need to push the bottom with the bottle upside down.
Every time someone tells me how to use that little bottle, I give it a try. Maybe someday I will actually figure it out.
I think running cold water over the nib and feed before inserting will help prevent future cracking. I use hot water to clean my pen parts and metal expands with heat faster, so maybe that creates pressure on the section walls if putting it in while the nib is still warm or hot?
I had not thought of that, but it checks out. Thanks for the tip! New section is still crack free!
hmmmm....I am writing this on 3/11/2024. I'm feeling concerned that I just unboxed a TWSBI Eco....should I keep it or return it now before the excitement? Thanks for the warranty info, and also for the demo of deconstructing the cracked barrel and assembling the piston mechanism in the new barrel.
It’s really hard to say. My experience is more anecdotal, as I have only owned one of these pens. Supposedly, Twsbi has fixed this problem and the issue comes from old stock lying around in the stocks of certain vendors. Since I bought mine from Amazon, that is entirely possible. Bit for a more in-depth picture of how pervasive the problem is, and whether yours is likely to go that way, you might want to look into forum posts on Fountain Pen Network. There’s data and polls and things to give you a better picture. The new barrel is fine, but I mist admit I don’t use this pen as often as I used to. That’s a shame as well, because it used to be one of my favorite pens.
the same spot is where both of my twsbi's cracked :P
Yep, there is a pattern in the data overall.
Great customer service for TWSBI, always very responsive and quick to send out parts.
Unfortunately, I’ve had to use their part replacement service a little too often over the years. As reasonable as the $5 for shipping is, it does add up. Would be nice if the pens never or very rarely cracked in the first place. I just replaced a barrel on an Eco and noticed my other Eco now has cracks in it 😅😪
I’m falling out of love with Twsbi, to be honest. There is too much great competition for them to not have fixed everything about their pens.
@@stepheninks Agree! I really do like their pens, but if they aren’t reliable because of cracking issues… we’ll, then what’s the point? Like you mentioned, too much completion now. What bothers me is they see how many requests for replacement parts they get, they have to know that there is an issue with their pens. And yet they choose to do nothing. That’s honestly unacceptable.
The $5 is for shipping and handling. I agree that sometimes things can happen to our pens because
we manhandle them. I've chosen to take care of my pens regardless of cost. I own 12 TWSBI pens--
from 2-5 yrs old with no cracking issues. My pens are kept in a pen case, and when carried in my
purse I place them in an inner purse pocket to keep them from banging up against anything which
could cause a crack.
Yes,to be fair, the $5 is for shipping and handling, and I was reaching out after having the pen for 2 years. I am glad they had an option for me, and I wouldn’t want to just keep buying cheaper pens that would have the same problem, thereby creating more waste.
That is encouraging that you have not had those issues for such a long time. Hopefully there are more people with your experience than mine. Trying o be fair and balanced here, I can’t ignore the fact that there are many pens which cost around the same as the ECO, have excellent customer service and repair, and have (so far) not cracked anywhere on me. For what it’s worth, the under 50USD pen market has changed a lot since the introduction of the ECO. I hope they continue to try and find ways to keep up.
Just squeeze the silicon bottle. It flexes enough to weep a little grease out the nippily part.
Back in my barbaric days, when I cared so little for what I wrote I used Bic pens, I remember they cracked sometimes.
Be careful grabbing the fins on your TWSBI's feed. They can be folded over. Grab the nib by the side or the point of the feed in front of the fins.
Anyway, cast or molded parts, metallic or plastic, can have internal stresses. I've got four Eco's, four Vac 700-R's, a Go, and a Vac 700 Mini. So far, so good on all of them. I write daily with all of them except the Go, which is sort of an ink test pen.
Nice video, except for the heart-wrenching pathos of the cracked section. Fortunately, that seems to have turned out OK.
Yep, I have seen some structural analysis diagrams of the Eco on r/fountainpens, and it seems like they are prone to crack right at the fins. I would be more understanding of more pens had the same problem, to be honest.
Also, it’s a shame that the Twsbi Go is t a better pen. At least that one isn’t going to crack, right?
I like the stealthed out watch. Seiko? It doesn't look like a Seiko; I am just assuming from what I think I saw saw on the dial. Keep the o-rings from the other barrel. You never know when they might come in handy.
The watch is by Movement. I’m not sponsored by them, but I got a discount code from a podcast I listen to. This was the only design I liked, and they actually don’t sell it anymore (what’s the opposite of sponsored content?). So, if I could buy from them again, I wouldn’t, even though I really love this watch. I’ve had it for 4 years, and it’s really well made.
I’m pretty sure I have never thrown any pen thing away ever. It helps me fix my pens. It does not provide the same effect to my marriage :)
@@stepheninks Movement watches are trash though, their selling point was super minimal design and they would throw massive amounts of cash for all adds and all youtubers would recommend them 24/7 because they get their cut. While in fact it was like 10-20 euro chinese watch with simple quartz movement and it would break very easily, the point is that the quartz movement is ultra cheap and it cost like 1euro while the body is cheap too, there are multiple reviews from actual users, and they charge 100-200 euro for such crap which takes like 10euro to make, thats why they were such a crazy success with stupid profits. For a regular person its hard to judge value if we dont own a full collection so we can throw 100 euro and think that we got a great deal (same thing with fountain pens)
Sure their quality must have increased because they been acquired by Movado or sth which is more established brand, but still its like with fountain pens the prices are skyhigh and we cant tell why . For instance Seiko or Citizen you can get sapphire crystal -which u cant scratch with any metal, eco-drive aka solar powered movement and like 10bars water resistance which is good enough for swimming and that would be for 100-200 euro too. While these chinesium designer brands put some basic glass, oversized body and cheapest movement they can get and just spam adds on facebook...
@@Cortesevasive I’ll admit that I don’t know much about watches. This one was on sale. The rest of Movement’s offerings don’t really appeal to me, and I’m not a fan of oversized watches. I don’t know though… selling something for a higher price than it cost you to make it kind of seems like just how a business works, no? Anyway, mine hasn’t broken in 4 years. Just wanted something better than a 20USD Walmart type, and I don’t think I would ever want a smartwatch. This works fine for me.
OK, so after watching this video I got out the box for my TWSBI Eco to look at the container of silicone grease. I also have no idea how the container is supposed to dispense the contents. What I am certain of is that even though the container is clearly labeled GREASE, it definitely contains silicone OIL. I suppose there is a way to get it to dispense, probably by squeezing the hard plastic bottle, but I don't want to try that. (I, too, have a separate container of actual silicone grease that I use...)
I’ll ask Phillip about it. We’re pretty much best friends now.
@@stepheninks 😁
Gravity works just fine.
@@starr-starr gravity + patience, I suppose. Unfortunately, I only have ample supply of one of these…
I spent over an hour yesterday trying to get grease, even a tiny bit, out of that little bottle. I also ordered some accessible grease from amazon.
When you make pens that have major quality issues, cracking, you better have a good warranty. Personally Id just improve the quality of the pens but I guess this is the cheaper way to go about it.
Yeah, that’s a reasonable point. To be honest, I don’t know how I feel about the whole thing. On one hand, I’m glad they have a warranty. On the other, why does this keep happening? The problem is known in the pen community. And they must know about it too. Are they not embarrassed to continue to put out a product that consistently fails? It seems like no other brand is quite having the same problems as this particular pen. There are a ton of cheaper pens that perform better.
I took a closer look at my Eco and there is a crack. I'm shocked!
Unfortunately, it’s a widespread issue :(
This happened to me and the ink leaked onto all my stuff in my briefcase
It’s a really common problem with just this brand. It’s a shame because they’re really beloved in the fountain pen community, but they just keep hand-waving away their massive quality control problems. These days I usually recommend other brands first.
For a manufacturers defect the shipping costs should be on them.
Usually, I would agree, but coupled with the fact that I had the pen for 2 years (and didn’t really treat it gently), I’m okay with paying shipping. Opinions on this are really mixed, for good reason.
I think the grease is meant to lubricate the back of the piston.
By the way, I am wondering about buying a Twsbi eco or a Platinum balance, I will use it far drawing. Any advice?
Yes, that is what I see from the documentation. However, I can’t figure out how to get the grease out of the little bottle. I don’t know,,‘Aubrey there’s something really obvious, and I’m just being dumb.
As far as the Eco vs balance, I only have experience with the Eco. It’s fantastic, and it seems like it might be cheaper than the Balance. I do, however, have experience with Platinum’s Preppy, Plasir, and the 3776. I’m betting that the Platinum will be a finer line, while the Eco will be wider. They will both probably be well built. I think the Balance is cartridge/converter and you will need to add $10USD or so to add a converter to that pen. The Twsbi is a piston filler, so if you have ink, you’re good to go. If none of those tips the scale for you… if I had to choose one of them outright right now… I would pick the Eco again!
So here is the deal: DO NOT PULL the nib and feed out. my story: Within a year my Eco cracked in the cap, and a tiny and a larger crack section. The cracks started from the lip. They sent me a new barrel and cap. Just last month the replacement barrel cracked again in the same area. Great, they have excellent service, but they claimed they had cleared up the cracking issues with the other model on the Eco. One of the reasons I bought the Eco, because I was aware of the cracking issue in the sections of their other models. Looks like they have a problem. Will they deal with it, is the question. As for me, I am out of the TWBSI business. I wouldn't recommend them, because it is now a known issue, and it's happened twice to me. It's a decent pen, but not spectacular. It's not like I feel the 'ode to joy' when writing with it, like some of my other pens.
I’m starting to feel the same way, even though my pen has not cracked a second time yet. I could spend about 1/3 of the price for something that does not crack, and works just as well. I also cannot recommend these pens (though I like them) without explaining EVERYTHING that has happened with mine. This is getting tiring.
@@stepheninks I just remembered that the Eco was designed as one full unit as a remedy to the cracking issues of the other models, which were cracking at those separation points where you could unscrew the nib section from the barrel.
The other thing is that the cracking seems to be occurring because people are pulling the feed out to clean the pen. TWSBI is selling the point, that the pen can be taken apart specifically to clean the pen, so this is absolutely ridiculous that cracking has become an issue. TWSBI - Lawyered!
@@ironmic9244 Twsbi has been “lawyered” quite a few times lately, if memory serves…
Perhaps time to look out for an ultrasonic cleaner next!
Haha. Stop giving me expensive ideas.
does the warranty still apply even if you ordered the twsbi from somewhere like jetpens or goulet pens? sorry if this is a dumb question
No such thing as a dumb question. I’m sure if it was from an authorized dealer, they will honor it. I know that Goulet pens is an authorized dealer, and I’m pretty sure that Jet Pens is. I ordered mine off of Amazon, and they honored my request without asking where I bought it from or asking to see any receipts or serial numbers, so I think you’re good no matter what.
@@stepheninks tysm for the prompt reply