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I frequently find myself tempted to get a TWSBI -- they're the cheapest functionally pretty piston-fillers I know of -- and now there's an even more affordable model out. But I'm curious-- where do the cost cuts come from? Even poorer quality control?
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Jul 16, 2015 02:36
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Fall posted:I frequently find myself tempted to get a TWSBI -- they're the cheapest functionally pretty piston-fillers I know of -- and now there's an even more affordable model out. But I'm curious-- where do the cost cuts come from? Even poorer quality control? That and highly modular construction. On the upside, they have a good reputation for immediately sending a replacement part if you let them know.
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Jul 16, 2015 06:18
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That would be comforting if I lived somewhere with decent transit times. ...I live in Australia. Modular construction is cool, though; hopefully the Eco turns out to be a good pen.
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Jul 16, 2015 07:15
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TWSBI's HQ is in Taiwan, they got parts to me in the UK in under a week, you'll be fine.
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Jul 16, 2015 08:43
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I wouldn't really buy the first generation of any new TWSBI product. Just buy in later after they fix the bits and pieces that will inevitably fall off / crack.
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Jul 16, 2015 11:22
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Kessel posted:I wouldn't really buy the first generation of any new TWSBI product. Just buy in later after they fix the bits and pieces that will inevitably fall off / crack. I almost forgot about this too, they do improve designs over time, and they probably use data regarding replacement requests. It doesn't make them horrible, just a little offbeat since when you buy the first-gen product you're basically a beta tester. Like if they built the section-barrel threading a little too thin and it cracks, and a bunch of people get them to send them new sections or barrels, then they'll start building it a little thicker into the inside diameter. Maybe then, the slightly smaller diameter means you get less ink pushing through the feed, so people will request new feeds because it's gunking up with clotted ink and they make a wetter feed in the next run. Then maybe the nib needs tuning to stop creeping, etc. Regardless, their customer service has been broadly hailed as exemplary, and if you don't mind the possibility of having to have them send a replacement part (albeit TWSBI being pretty quick to ship from HK) then they're great pens. I'm strongly considering buying another Vac700 (I think I lost mine at work, maybe some vapist swiped it thinking they could suck on it, who knows) but that's a relatively mature product line.
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Jul 17, 2015 15:37
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I'm not paying to be a beta tester and I find it astonishing that people continually rationalize this with regards to TWSBI and their frankly atrocious QC history.
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Jul 18, 2015 21:27
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the only fp I bother to use on a daily basis is my Vac 700. I'll definitely be ordering an Eco even knowing that there will probably be issues because it's interesting, TWSBI will make it right, and it's $30 so who gives a poo poo? Fountain pens are already a messy, inconvenient hobby for nerds who won't just buy a damned ballpoint. If my cheap pen has an issue then I'm not going to lose my mind over it because I've already committed to a less convenient writing solution. I also don't go into Starbucks and demand a pour over, then get pissed off when it takes five minutes.
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Jul 19, 2015 04:10
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You would get pissed off if you demanded a pour over and then the cup cracked and leaked coffee all over you though
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Jul 19, 2015 06:15
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If anyone is interested in grabbing Sailor Bung Box inks, Massdrop is doing a group buy of them. They're still not cheap, but it's better than figuring out the shipping headache yourself I suppose.
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Jul 19, 2015 16:43
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grack posted:I'm not paying to be a beta tester and I find it astonishing that people continually rationalize this with regards to TWSBI and their frankly atrocious QC history. Loucks posted:the only fp I bother to use on a daily basis is my Vac 700. I'll definitely be ordering an Eco even knowing that there will probably be issues because it's interesting, TWSBI will make it right, and it's $30 so who gives a poo poo? Fountain pens are already a messy, inconvenient hobby for nerds who won't just buy a damned ballpoint. If my cheap pen has an issue then I'm not going to lose my mind over it because I've already committed to a less convenient writing solution. I also don't go into Starbucks and demand a pour over, then get pissed off when it takes five minutes. Thanks for proving my point so eloquently Also what a loving stupid comparison. Nobody is complaining about TWSBI because it doesn't meet some arbitrary standard, they're complaining because TWSBI constantly ships lovely, poorly designed, poorly made products. Any other company on the planet did this as consistently as TWSBI does (have they released a product without serious QC flaws?) they'd be out of business by now. grack fucked around with this message at 22:06 on Jul 19, 2015 |
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Jul 19, 2015 22:02
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grack posted:Thanks for proving my point so eloquently I'd say rather that they ship well designed products suffering from extremely spotty material quality. The products themselves are really well designed in their modularity; that they can replace anything quickly is a testament to that. They don't know poo poo about picking out a plastic to use in manufacturing.
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Jul 19, 2015 22:16
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Fair enough. Nice design, lovely execution.
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Jul 19, 2015 22:38
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Kessel posted:You would get pissed off if you demanded a pour over and then the cup cracked and leaked coffee all over you though Haha agreed. It was a lovely metaphor. But I also don't just jam fountain pens into my pocket with impunity and expect to get away with it. I've had more than one non-TWSBI pen leak all over the place. grack posted:Thanks for proving my point so eloquently Why are you so mad about TWSBI, forums poster grack? You're seriously bitching about a company that has had occasional issues as if they ship pens designed to explode when used. But whatever the reason it's going to be OK because no one is forcing you to use a TWSBI pen! I expect to enjoy mine though. And if there's an issue they'll take care of me. Ultimately it's a pen, not a climbing rope or a combat arm. No one who buys a fountain pen really requires that level of reliability. No one who isn't an idiot, anyway.
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Jul 20, 2015 01:47
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I've owned 2 TWSBI pens, one broke when the threads that held the section to the barrel snapped off, the other is still working. A fifty percent failure rate is pretty bad for a retail item.
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Jul 20, 2015 02:43
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howe_sam posted:A fifty percent failure rate is pretty bad for a retail item.
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Jul 20, 2015 02:48
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Loucks posted:Why are you so mad about TWSBI, forums poster grack? You're seriously bitching about a company that has had occasional issues as if they ship pens designed to explode when used. I'm not angry. I'm just trying to figure out how a living, breathing adult can continue to rationalize something so stupid. grack fucked around with this message at 06:28 on Jul 20, 2015 |
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Jul 20, 2015 04:27
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grack posted:Fair enough. Nice design, lovely execution. To be fair, making the nib unit structural in the diamond series is kind of an iffy design choice.
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Jul 20, 2015 05:29
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grack posted:I'm not angry. I'm just trying to figure out a living, breathing adult can continue to rationalize something so stupid. There isn't much to speak of in the market where TWSBI exists, and great customer service can cover up shoddy quality control pretty well.
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Jul 20, 2015 05:59
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I think he's madder with comments likeLoucks posted:No one who buys a fountain pen really requires that level of reliability. No one who isn't an idiot, anyway. which suggest that anyone not willing to stomach reliability issues on a retail product is an idiot
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Jul 20, 2015 06:12
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Kessel posted:I think he's madder with comments like Maybe Louks should just stop buying lovely fountain pens? 
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Jul 20, 2015 06:23
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Anyone know where I can get a replacement body for a vanishing point 
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Jul 20, 2015 06:53
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I keep getting ink all over my fingers somehow with my pilot metros, am I just bad at writing? I can't seem to find any spot that's leaking ink on the body
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Jul 20, 2015 08:24
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Xun posted:I keep getting ink all over my fingers somehow with my pilot metros, am I just bad at writing? I can't seem to find any spot that's leaking ink on the body Clean the cap
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Jul 20, 2015 08:35
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TWSBI is this thread's skub.
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Jul 20, 2015 10:49
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TWSBI sucks and is awful garbage for stupid idiot babies so if you're in the market for a $50 or less piston filler please only spend your hard-earned bitcoins on top notch Noodler's pens. Annecdotally, I've had a Diamond 540 kicking around in my bag for a few years and it's never had a problem or even so much as dried out. They can be really good pens but they do have a high rate of failure, compensated for by nonpareil customer service. Plenty of people would rather spend more money on a different pen that's less likely to need to be repaired. Both sides are valid so holy poo poo please stop this dumb loving argument. Welsper posted:Anyone know where I can get a replacement body for a vanishing point Ebay? Look for a pen that's non-working being sold for parts, sometimes you get lucky. That or contact Pilot.
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Jul 20, 2015 11:46
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Xun posted:I keep getting ink all over my fingers somehow with my pilot metros, am I just bad at writing? I can't seem to find any spot that's leaking ink on the body My Metro kept leaking into the cap and then a little bit of that transferring to the feed meant constant inky fingers. Not sure if I could have fixed it but I sold it on for a Lamy.
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Jul 20, 2015 12:06
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Slimchandi posted:My Metro kept leaking into the cap and then a little bit of that transferring to the feed meant constant inky fingers. Not sure if I could have fixed it but I sold it on for a Lamy. Who the gently caress buys a used metro
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Jul 20, 2015 12:23
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FAUXTON posted:Who the gently caress buys a used metro "poo poo, I'd love to get into fountain pens, but $15 for a pen, converter, and ink cartridge is just too hefty an investment this pay period." They probably sold it for parts
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Jul 20, 2015 12:33
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Then jinhao is yer answer.
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Jul 21, 2015 04:00
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I've been using my recently-arrived Eco all day and it's pretty spectacular. It feels cheaper yet somehow more durable than my 580s. The plastics are soft enough that I don't feel that I will crack anything by simply looking at it funny, and the unibody design seems to be a structural improvement over the Diamond series anyway. The (EF) nib is hilariously wet, and has a little bit more feedback than I would like, but feels a lot better than 90% of my cheap chinapens were when they arrived. The piston is smooth and basically identical in function to other TWSBIs. My biggest gripe is that the section feels very, very thin. I haven't measured it yet, but my guess is that it's a smidge thinner than the 580. Overall, though, I don't regret blowing $30 on this thing. Or, at least, I don't regret it in the same way as dropping $30 on what turned out to be a piece of poo poo knockoff Hero 100. Still waiting for another reply from this top-rated seller of fine Chinese writing goods explaining how "Real 14K gold nib" actually means "weird soft electroplated steel that can just sorta pass for gold in a strategically taken listing picture" before I file a paypal thing. I like a $30 TWSBI. Now eat me alive.
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Jul 24, 2015 05:30
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So I inherited a Parker 51 from my great grandmother. It comes with a matching pencil and a cool brass and leather case that looks like its from the 40s. Honestly though, I don't know too much about pens! I got a restored one for my birthday a while back, and because of that I read the OP, but that's about it. But what I do know that its sexy as gently caress and I'd love to do it justice. I'd like to fill it, clean it, and get it fixed if that's necessary. So, uh, any links or advice? Don't want to gently caress it up. And while I'm at it, any resources on the pencil?
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Jul 24, 2015 07:38
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Balqis posted:So I inherited a Parker 51 from my great grandmother. It comes with a matching pencil and a cool brass and leather case that looks like its from the 40s. Head to Richard Binder's page, and learn everything you ever wanted to know about the inner workings and history of vintage fountain pens. Start at the references pages link on the left. You can also click on the red dot in the top title bar to go to his "glossopedia".
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Jul 24, 2015 20:57
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Has anybody tried the Platinum Preppy markers? Considering getting one and making it an eyedropper, but I can't find any examples of how they write. It would be fun to have some nice fountain pen ink in a marker for use where a normal fountain pen isn't appropriate.
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Jul 28, 2015 17:48
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Who recycles their old cartridges?
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Jul 28, 2015 19:13
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CoolCat posted:Who recycles their old cartridges? I've got a Cross Classic Century that only takes their proprietary slim cartridges, so I save those. I prefer to have 2-3 spares so that the one I just rinsed can dry out and I can fill up a different one; it works pretty well. I would imagine that over time they might start to fit poorly from inserting and removing them; I put a new one in every 3 weeks and they're fine so far.
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Jul 28, 2015 19:24
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I save mine and fill 'em back up until it's too much effort and get a clean one. The only pens I put cartridges in are Pilots though so they're easy to come by.
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Jul 28, 2015 19:28
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CoolCat posted:Who recycles their old cartridges? My brother refills cartridges for his Lamy Safari rollerball with a syringe. He says it works pretty well, but after a few uses they get gummed up and stop working.
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Jul 28, 2015 19:42
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CoolCat posted:Who recycles their old cartridges? i recycle the cartridge for my kaweco al sport because last i checked there's no converter that fits the pen i blaze through cartridges in it so its very cost ineffective to keep buying new ones
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Jul 28, 2015 19:50
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When you're getting a custom grind on a nib, what impact does the original tipping have on things? In other words, if I want a stub, will the line be finer if they start with a medium or a broad? My gut says it depends on how much of the nib gets ground off, and not the tipping that's being worked on.
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Jul 28, 2015 19:53
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