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View Full Version : Twsbi Vac Mini has arrived



writingrav
December 21st, 2015, 09:06 AM
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20151221/c6983671c0fc413a98be533b3a4f659c.jpg

This is a very brief review of the new Twsbi Vac Mini. I hope you can see the writing sample above. Filling the pen was easy. So far it is the nib that is most impressive. It is way smoother than any Twsbi predecessor. I can find no reason to be at all disappointed with the pen. Twsbi issues tend to emerge long term so I'll have to see what happens, but for now it is a heck of a pen.

Jeph
December 21st, 2015, 10:23 AM
And how about the size? The step? Comparison with a 700 maybe???

(And thanks!)

writingrav
December 21st, 2015, 01:24 PM
And how about the size? The step? Comparison with a 700 maybe???

(And thanks!)

Thanks for the direction! To your questions:
It about 1/8 of an inch longer then the regular mini capped and a full 1/4 longer posted. The girth is very close. I don't have calipers but the regular mini might even be a tad wider at the section, though the barrels look the same. I'm not sure how to compare it to the regular Vac except to say that the filling mechanism works just the same. The nib on the Mini is far better than the one on the Vac 700.

Hope that helps

cwent2
December 21st, 2015, 04:14 PM
There is no step to speak of - especially when compared to its big brother. I just received my mini Vac today and agree with writingrav. Its a nice pen........

TerraNoir
December 22nd, 2015, 06:28 AM
I received my pen too and I love it. My first reaction was to go for a broad nib and I regret not doing so. Their Medium is almost a Fine/Medium. Just a heads up for anyone purchasing this pen! My TWSBI's in past were dry but they were pretty standard in being a Medium. Maybe I'll get a grind on it.

top pen
December 22nd, 2015, 07:25 AM
How much does it weight and whats the section diameter if you wouldn't mind? thank you

fountainpenkid
December 22nd, 2015, 08:16 AM
Mine came yesterday!
Some thoughts:

1. It has a nice heft--feels like more than 20g when inked. Definitely more solid than the mini
2. There section is quite thin. I love this, as it means that the thickness is very near that of the Pelikan 400, but for those with larger hands, this might be very uncomfortable.
3. The threads are quite obtrusive. More so than the mini's. If you need to hold the pen at the threads for girth, you might find they dig in to your hand a bit (I do).
4. The feed sucks! Essentially, from my testing, it seems that it can't retain the large amount of ink in the chamber when you open the shutoff valve. Even when it's closed, large droplets of ink are released with even the most minor drop onto a padded surface. So much for it being super reliable.
5. The screw-in section is a HUGE improvement over the mini. While I still don't like the nib assembly threading being into the barrel, not having the section creak all the time from simply being held in place through sandwiching is very nice indeed.
6. The clip is too flimsy, and doesn't stay aligned longitudinally. Well, the great Sheaffer Snorkel has this problem as well, so I can't complain too much.

SIG9
December 22nd, 2015, 03:40 PM
Mine came yesterday!
Some thoughts:


4. The feed sucks! Essentially, from my testing, it seems that it can't retain the large amount of ink in the chamber when you open the shutoff valve. Even when it's closed, large droplets of ink are released with even the most minor drop onto a padded surface. So much for it being super reliable.

This part concerns me. I'll be curious to hear if others have this issue.

writingrav
December 22nd, 2015, 07:48 PM
Mine came yesterday!
Some thoughts:


4. The feed sucks! Essentially, from my testing, it seems that it can't retain the large amount of ink in the chamber when you open the shutoff valve. Even when it's closed, large droplets of ink are released with even the most minor drop onto a padded surface. So much for it being super reliable.


This part concerns me. I'll be curious to hear if others have this issue.

I have experienced nothing like this. Quality control? Never a twsbi strong point. I had to throw away the Classic.

fountainpenkid
December 22nd, 2015, 07:51 PM
Mine came yesterday!
Some thoughts:


4. The feed sucks! Essentially, from my testing, it seems that it can't retain the large amount of ink in the chamber when you open the shutoff valve. Even when it's closed, large droplets of ink are released with even the most minor drop onto a padded surface. So much for it being super reliable.


This part concerns me. I'll be curious to hear if others have this issue.

I have experienced nothing like this. Quality control? Never a twsbi strong point. I had to throw away the Classic.

I am quite surprised by it as well, especially because the feed seems to work fine otherwise, producing a very consistent flow. I'll contact them about it.
I'd like to clarify and amend what I wrote earlier: while my pen does drip ink at a rapid rate when I open the valve, the pen seems to be relatively reliable when the valve is closed--I think the droplets I experienced before were a result of an overly saturated feed.

writingrav
December 22nd, 2015, 08:26 PM
Mine came yesterday!
Some thoughts:


4. The feed sucks! Essentially, from my testing, it seems that it can't retain the large amount of ink in the chamber when you open the shutoff valve. Even when it's closed, large droplets of ink are released with even the most minor drop onto a padded surface. So much for it being super reliable.


This part concerns me. I'll be curious to hear if others have this issue.

I have experienced nothing like this. Quality control? Never a twsbi strong point. I had to throw away the Classic.

I am quite surprised by it as well, especially because the feed seems to work fine otherwise, producing a very consistent flow. I'll contact them about it.
I'd like to clarify and amend what I wrote earlier: while my pen does drip ink at a rapid rate when I open the valve, the pen seems to be relatively reliable when the valve is closed--I think the droplets I experienced before were a result of an overly saturated feed.
Good luck!

fountainpenkid
December 22nd, 2015, 08:46 PM
Mine came yesterday!
Some thoughts:


4. The feed sucks! Essentially, from my testing, it seems that it can't retain the large amount of ink in the chamber when you open the shutoff valve. Even when it's closed, large droplets of ink are released with even the most minor drop onto a padded surface. So much for it being super reliable.


This part concerns me. I'll be curious to hear if others have this issue.

I have experienced nothing like this. Quality control? Never a twsbi strong point. I had to throw away the Classic.

I am quite surprised by it as well, especially because the feed seems to work fine otherwise, producing a very consistent flow. I'll contact them about it.
I'd like to clarify and amend what I wrote earlier: while my pen does drip ink at a rapid rate when I open the valve, the pen seems to be relatively reliable when the valve is closed--I think the droplets I experienced before were a result of an overly saturated feed.
Good luck!

Here's his paradoxical answer:
"It's supposed to drip ink if you open the valve. Use a tissue and soak up any excess ink on the feeder. Then unscrew the end cap and let it free spin. See if any ink drips out. If not, everything is normal." I'm not sure if the last sentence is a typing error or what, but it seems to contradict what he wrote before.

But I'll leave that aside, as I think I've figured out what was happening. Each time I unscrewed the blind cap, I would accidentally engage the threads that screw the filler unit into the barrel, not knowing what the correct amount of unscrewing was or what it felt like. I was slowly unscrewing the unit out of the barrel, and so the seal was lost and ink dripped out from depresurization. There was no leaking otherwise because I held the pen nib down when doing so, and because the filling knob was sealing everything off when I would screw it back on. At least that's my hypothesis.

writingrav
December 22nd, 2015, 08:51 PM
Mine came yesterday!
Some thoughts:


4. The feed sucks! Essentially, from my testing, it seems that it can't retain the large amount of ink in the chamber when you open the shutoff valve. Even when it's closed, large droplets of ink are released with even the most minor drop onto a padded surface. So much for it being super reliable.


This part concerns me. I'll be curious to hear if others have this issue.

I have experienced nothing like this. Quality control? Never a twsbi strong point. I had to throw away the Classic.

I am quite surprised by it as well, especially because the feed seems to work fine otherwise, producing a very consistent flow. I'll contact them about it.
I'd like to clarify and amend what I wrote earlier: while my pen does drip ink at a rapid rate when I open the valve, the pen seems to be relatively reliable when the valve is closed--I think the droplets I experienced before were a result of an overly saturated feed.
Good luck!

Here's his paradoxical answer:
"It's supposed to drip ink if you open the valve. Use a tissue and soak up any excess ink on the feeder. Then unscrew the end cap and let it free spin. See if any ink drips out. If not, everything is normal." I'm not sure if the last sentence is a typing error or what, but it seems to contradict what he wrote before.

But I'll leave that aside, as I think I've figured out what was happening. Each time I unscrewed the blind cap, I would accidentally engage the threads that screw the filler unit into the barrel, not knowing what the correct amount of unscrewing was or what it felt like. I was slowly unscrewing the unit out of the barrel, and so the seal was lost and ink dripped out from depresurization. There was no leaking otherwise because I held the pen nib down when doing so, and because the filling knob was sealing everything off when I would screw it back on. At least that's my hypothesis.
I hope you solved it. I couldn't understand what he wrote. I have written with the valve open and closed. No dripping. Sounds like you've figured out what you were doing. Good because I have been writing with it all day and it has been super.

fountainpenkid
December 22nd, 2015, 09:13 PM
Mine came yesterday!
Some thoughts:


4. The feed sucks! Essentially, from my testing, it seems that it can't retain the large amount of ink in the chamber when you open the shutoff valve. Even when it's closed, large droplets of ink are released with even the most minor drop onto a padded surface. So much for it being super reliable.


This part concerns me. I'll be curious to hear if others have this issue.

I have experienced nothing like this. Quality control? Never a twsbi strong point. I had to throw away the Classic.

I am quite surprised by it as well, especially because the feed seems to work fine otherwise, producing a very consistent flow. I'll contact them about it.
I'd like to clarify and amend what I wrote earlier: while my pen does drip ink at a rapid rate when I open the valve, the pen seems to be relatively reliable when the valve is closed--I think the droplets I experienced before were a result of an overly saturated feed.
Good luck!

Here's his paradoxical answer:
"It's supposed to drip ink if you open the valve. Use a tissue and soak up any excess ink on the feeder. Then unscrew the end cap and let it free spin. See if any ink drips out. If not, everything is normal." I'm not sure if the last sentence is a typing error or what, but it seems to contradict what he wrote before.

But I'll leave that aside, as I think I've figured out what was happening. Each time I unscrewed the blind cap, I would accidentally engage the threads that screw the filler unit into the barrel, not knowing what the correct amount of unscrewing was or what it felt like. I was slowly unscrewing the unit out of the barrel, and so the seal was lost and ink dripped out from depresurization. There was no leaking otherwise because I held the pen nib down when doing so, and because the filling knob was sealing everything off when I would screw it back on. At least that's my hypothesis.
I hope you solved it. I couldn't understand what he wrote. I have written with the valve open and closed. No dripping. Sounds like you've figured out what you were doing. Good because I have been writing with it all day and it has been super.

Yes, the leaking has stopped now! I find it a joy to use and to look at.

writingrav
February 25th, 2016, 08:39 PM
The sad, but not totally unexpected moment has arrived. My Vac Mini is leaking around the lower O ring from what looks like a small crack. I have emailed Twsbi to request a replacement pen. Awaiting a reply. Too bad, I really liked this pen and had hoped Twsbi had figured out how to avoid this.

Update. Immediate response from Speedy. New grip section on the way tomorrow.

Update Again - Section didn't help, the crack is in the barrel. New barrel on the way...from Taiwan.

bluesea
March 3rd, 2016, 11:14 AM
Was watching this vid and noticed the feed drip @ 9:41. Not sure of the valve status at the time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNxrQfnYsyE#t=400.413304639


Nice pen--anyone having hassles indexing the clip when capping?

Zeroxevo
March 5th, 2016, 06:04 AM
I just bought one in extra fine and loving it.

writingrav
March 5th, 2016, 12:51 PM
The sad, but not totally unexpected moment has arrived. My Vac Mini is leaking around the lower O ring from what looks like a small crack. I have emailed Twsbi to request a replacement pen. Awaiting a reply. Too bad, I really liked this pen and had hoped Twsbi had figured out how to avoid this.

Update. Immediate response from Speedy. New grip section on the way tomorrow.

Update Again - Section didn't help, the crack is in the barrel. New barrel on the way...from Taiwan.

Reposted

Lovementos
April 17th, 2016, 04:41 PM
Happy to hear there's no step on this one :) The regular VAC700 was my first TWSBI, and the uncomfortable step stopped me from trying this one out.

TSherbs
April 17th, 2016, 07:55 PM
Happy to hear there's no step on this one :) The regular VAC700 was my first TWSBI, and the uncomfortable step stopped me from trying this one out.

Not sure what you mean. There IS a step on this pen. Just not as large as the Vac 700. But larger than the quite minimal one on the Diamond Mini.

Zolt4n
April 18th, 2016, 03:23 PM
Hello

Thanks for the informative thread here. I am planning on buying a Vac Mini for my fiancee, it is nice to collect some opinions on the pen before making a final decision.

turtledad04
April 23rd, 2016, 04:15 PM
Have you bought a TWABI Vac Mini?