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View Full Version : TWSBI Pens 50+ years from now?



heraclitus682
May 28th, 2013, 09:20 AM
I would like to hear some opinions on what the chances are that today's crop of TWSBIs will stlll be functional for my kids and my kid's kids. For me, one of the draws of fountain pens is that if well maintained they will just keep on going. Has TWSBI solved their cracking issues? Will my beloved 580 crack in the future?

I like mango pudding
May 28th, 2013, 09:38 AM
I don't see my TWSBI as an heirloom piece I'd hand down to my kids and beyond. That it solely a one user pen. Now, if it were Mont Blanc, then yeah, I expect to hand those down. We have the same conversations in my watch discussion forum. Swatch or Rolex?

heraclitus682
May 28th, 2013, 09:41 AM
You don't think the quality will last or is it a name thing?

writingrav
May 28th, 2013, 10:00 AM
Interesting question. I see no apparent reason for the 580, Mini or Micarta to be heirloom potential. Especially the Micarta.

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heraclitus682
May 28th, 2013, 10:03 AM
Why do you see no apparent reason for these pens to have heirloom potential?

I like mango pudding
May 28th, 2013, 10:24 AM
For something that is about 50 bucks versus something that is 800 bucks. That might be the reason.

Same reason I don't plan on passing down my Timex or Swatch.

heraclitus682
May 28th, 2013, 11:02 AM
So it is based on price and not quality?

writingrav
May 28th, 2013, 11:07 AM
Why do you see no apparent reason for these pens to have heirloom potential?

Because they are all reasonably reliable. They are Representatives of their time and place. Parker 51's were not considered beyond the reach of average folks to become cherished heirlooms or Esterbrooks for that matter.

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heraclitus682
May 28th, 2013, 11:09 AM
Gotcha, so you think they may still be functional years from now.

manoeuver
May 28th, 2013, 11:11 AM
I would like to hear some opinions on what the chances are that today's crop of TWSBIs will stlll be functional for my kids and my kid's kids. For me, one of the draws of fountain pens is that if well maintained they will just keep on going. Has TWSBI solved their cracking issues? Will my beloved 580 crack in the future?
If most of them crack, the working ones may well be more desirable years down the road. the TWSBIs have a cult cachet now. You may seee a market emerge for 1st generation TWSBIS even though they're functionally inferior to their successors. Stranger things have happened. Repeatedly.

Time will tell, we don't know enough to rule it out.

Laura N
May 28th, 2013, 11:31 AM
I interpret your question as whether they'll keep working. I say sure. The build quality itself seems robust if the plastics survive. My early Vac 700 had a terrible nib/feed, but my 540s were all great.

As to the related issue about whether they'll become heirlooms with special value, I don't see it, personally. JMHO.

heraclitus682
May 28th, 2013, 11:37 AM
You are correct. My original question was as to if they would keep working.

I like mango pudding
May 28th, 2013, 11:58 AM
I'm not sure if it boils right down to price. Some really inexpensive items last a long time, even moreso than their expensive counterparts.

I'm sure the TWSBI will continue to function as day one, if the maintenance on it is done right and the care of it is done properly. Mine is still in transit so I cannot speak directly about it, but I do have several MB's and my oldest one is running on 30+ years and still as good as day one.

writingrav
May 28th, 2013, 12:11 PM
Gotcha, so you think they may still be functional years from now.

There are no guarantees. but I see no reason to think otherwise. Especially, as I've said in the Micarta, but who can forget the Vac 700 too

Flounder
May 28th, 2013, 01:03 PM
Hi it's me from the future. Haha - loving the oldschool alphanumeric communications! The only TWSBI pens that have survived are preserved in Boing, so they're sort of collectable but only as display pieces. The others either have snapped feed sleeves, or are cheap Oceanic counterfeits (you can tell by the feeds - synaptically regulating feeds weren't available back in the day, TWSBI used simple plastic feeds, which are no longer available).

klpeabody
May 28th, 2013, 01:06 PM
I interpret your question as whether they'll keep working. I say sure. The build quality itself seems robust if the plastics survive. My early Vac 700 had a terrible nib/feed, but my 540s were all great.

As to the related issue about whether they'll become heirlooms with special value, I don't see it, personally. JMHO.

+1 to that
My micarta needed a nib/feed switch, but since then has been fabulous and has become a favorite. I'm also one for sentimental value, though. Along the lines of what writingrav was saying earlier, many people used Parker 51's and Esterbrooks, which had their special time and place in history, and yet remain collectible to some degree. Frankly, since I've become interested in fountain pens, I have been poking and prodding my family members about whether my grandparents might have held onto a few and if they might be still tucked away somewhere. In their day, my grandparents used Parker 51's and Esterbrooks. My father distinctly remembers those pens from his childhood, and distinctly remembers giving my grandmother a brand new Parker for her birthday one year. How cute, right? Again, my purpose in inquiring has more to do with sentimental value than anything else, but it's interesting how these small objects become part of the tapestry of our lives and have value for reasons other than collectibility.

fountainpenkid
May 28th, 2013, 01:50 PM
I think the plastics will survive millions of years, but they may crack. The pens are easy to disassemble. I think they will survive many many years.