PDA

View Full Version : New JoWo nibs for the TWSBI Vac 700



gwgtaylor
December 25th, 2012, 09:56 AM
I love my vac 700 but the original Bock fine nib is just so dry! I tried pinching the nib shoulders to increase the flow like in the TWSBI video but with limited success.

Now that the clear vac is out, TWSBI is moving to JoWo nibs and I saw in a Brian Goulet post that you can get a replacement directly from TWSBI if you had problems with your original nib. Needless to say, I wrote in and yesterday I received my replacement nib in the mail.

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/12/12/26/e3abevar.jpg

I have to say that this really made a big difference on this pen. It moves it from being one of my worst writers to one of my best. I'd say this improvement makes the vac 700 an almost perfect pen. I say almost because nothing is truly perfect.

If you were thinking about getting a vac700, go ahead and treat yourself! Such great nibs--I really don't understand why the Bock nibs were so terrible by comparison. Is that how TWSBI ordered them?

Maja
December 25th, 2012, 01:36 PM
Thanks for the info! I have a Diamond 530 with a Schmidt nib, a TWSBI Mini with a Bock nib JoWo nib, so it will be interesting to see how the JoWo writes....

(late edits: the nib on my particular TWSBI Mini is a JoWo nib....Apparently, Minis were made with both Bock and JoWo nibs, the later pens were made with JoWo nibs on them---see my post from Jan. 2nd below)

fountainpenkid
December 25th, 2012, 02:20 PM
How many times has TWSBI changed nib suppliers?

wayne.robinson
December 25th, 2012, 02:27 PM
I thought the Mini's had JoWo nibs.

gwgtaylor
December 25th, 2012, 03:29 PM
How many times has TWSBI changed nib suppliers?

This will be the second time. Initial supplier was Shmidt, then Bock and now JoWo

fountainpenkid
December 25th, 2012, 04:21 PM
This will be the second time. Initial supplier was Shmidt, then Bock and now JoWo

Thanks! Why do they keep switching? I ought they tune their nibs themselves, so why do they care how it is from the nib factory? Or am I missing something here?

wayne.robinson
December 25th, 2012, 06:29 PM
The number 5 Bock's seemed very good and then the number 6's they used on the Micarta and Vac 700's seemed to be universally crap.

They don't do a huge amount of tuning themselves and it makes a lot more sense for a company producing $50 pens to have a nib that is already very good directly from the manufacturer. Every extra minute spent on QC is money lost for TWSBI.

FP_GaF
December 26th, 2012, 08:14 AM
Me too, I thought the mini is fitted with a JoWo nib. Best nib on any TWSBI I had so far.

KrazyIvan
December 26th, 2012, 10:00 AM
Thanks! Why do they keep switching? I ought they tune their nibs themselves, so why do they care how it is from the nib factory? Or am I missing something here?

Cost, plain and simple. Why pay someone to tune a nib when you can get a good writing nib out of the box?

Maja
January 2nd, 2013, 06:50 AM
I thought the Mini's had JoWo nibs.


Me too, I thought the mini is fitted with a JoWo nib. Best nib on any TWSBI I had so far.

Late edits: Yesterday, I got a reply from Alex at the Goulet Pen Co. who said the Fine nibs are JoWo nibs....but in a more recent reply from Brian Goulet, it appears that the TWSBI pens were made with both types of nibs. Confused yet? :shocked:

Seems like the newer Minis being made are being fitted with JoWo nibs (whose nib width is imprinted below the TWSBI logo) whereas the earlier Minis were fitted with Bock nibs (whose nib width was imprinted to the left of the TWSBI logo).

Sorry for any confusion , but I'm glad I finally figured out which nib is on my particular TWSBI. Whatever it is, it writes very nicely! :D

Maja
January 2nd, 2013, 05:10 PM
Bumping up this thread, as I edited a couple of my posts above...

MrClockWork
January 14th, 2013, 12:38 PM
I just received my Vac700 EF and my Bach is significantly smoother than the Jowo. The problem that I am having is that when I unscrew the blind cap for longer writing my ink gushes out. I have checked the fit of the nib/feed and it seems to be as deep as it needs to be and I am not using a lubricated ink. Any thoughts on what might be going on? I just thought this was really strange especially after the reports of the Bach's being so dry. HELP!

FP_GaF
January 16th, 2013, 11:35 PM
Seems like the newer Minis being made are being fitted with JoWo nibs (whose nib width is imprinted below the TWSBI logo) whereas the earlier Minis were fitted with Bock nibs (whose nib width was imprinted to the left of the TWSBI logo).


Huhhh, so my Mini has a Bock nib! Just goes to show... Nice nib, though, so why is there so much variability in the Bock nibs. The nibs in the Micartas were generally not very good.

Anyway, thanks for the interesting info Maja.

snedwos
January 17th, 2013, 05:27 AM
My brother's Mini has a very lovely Bock nib too...

KrazyIvan
January 17th, 2013, 09:15 AM
I guess they still have stock of those Bock nibs.