TWSBI Classic ! (?)

[welch]

Not a deal breaker for me, but I'm amazed they didn't design it to allow posting - that's going to cost them a lot of sales I think.

I've pre-ordered a blue one with a fine nib from The Writing Desk (UK Vendor) - can't wait to get my paws on it!

My thought, also. Big reason I never used my original TWSBI much, and also asked Brian to modify my Edison Nouveau...which he did (great guy!).

[Sthsenior]

Sailor_Reglus_marineblue.jpg It reminded me of my blue Sailor Reglus when I first saw the blue one. But, as some have said, being that it won't post takes it off my "gotta have" list. And yes, I am a TWSBI fan too.

[79spitfire]

No posting the cap?? That will make me think twice about this pen. I have some pens that don't post, or the cap will fall off after being posted and it's a source of endless frustration.

[writingrav]

Mine was waiting for me at my office this morning. It came in yesterdays mail, but I wasn't in. Have the blue with a broad nib. Since others have posted pics I'll skip that, but the packaging was a step up for Twsbi and the pen, filled with Noodler's Liberty's Elysium, writes very well. The nib is smooth and wetter than some may want. I love it. That it does not post is not a problem for me; I never post.

[fountainpenkid]

Mine still hasn't come....

[Scrawler]

I don't see the large step from the section to the barrel that everyone is complaining about. It's nowhere near as large as that on the Vac700 and actually looks very similar to what's on the Diamond series.

I agree. The step is not as severe as I have seen, and the section is long enough that the step would not get in the way of my grip.

[fountainpenkid]

Arrived!!!

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[Cookies]

Arrived!!!

It's saying "invalid attachment" for me.

[fountainpenkid]

Arrived!!!

It's saying "invalid attachment" for me.

Hmmm.... I don't know how to fix that. I did what I always do.

[cwent2]

Arrived!!!

It's saying "invalid attachment" for me.

Hmmm.... I don't know how to fix that. I did what I always do.

did you use go advanced?" - repost using go advanced

[dannzeman]

Here's a neat little detail on the end of the piston knob:

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1388776455.556333.jpg

[cwent2]

Here's a neat little detail on the end of the piston knob:

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1388776455.556333.jpg

Nice shot of you taking a picture!

[dannzeman]

Here's a neat little detail on the end of the piston knob:

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1388776455.556333.jpg

Nice shot of you taking a picture!

I know, right?! I couldn't find a position so that I wasn't in the reflection and still get the image with my phone. Oh well.

[Koyote]

I got one today. A disappointment. As noted elsewhere, the cap simply does not post, which leaves a pen barrel that is not quite long enough for comfortable writing - hence the pen will be just for jotting notes, at least for me. The section's girth is a bit thin, too. The piston filler knob is a bit wobbly in action, and it does not draw a full load of ink even with repeated cycles; rather, I had to turn the pen upside down and expel some air, then dip the pen back in the bottle and finish filling. (All other piston fillers I have owned have drawn full loads of ink without this workaround.) The nib (1.1 stub) writes well, with a very slight bit of skipping that may just come from having a small sweet spot.

All in all, it is a $50 pen that is trying to punch above its weight class and failing. If the cap would simply post, that would compensate for a lot of other flaws; with a pen this small, not being able to post the cap is a damn-near fatal flaw.

[Scrawler]

I got one today. A disappointment. As noted elsewhere, the cap simply does not post, which leaves a pen barrel that is not quite long enough for comfortable writing - hence the pen will be just for jotting notes, at least for me. The section's girth is a bit thin, too. The piston filler knob is a bit wobbly in action, and it does not draw a full load of ink even with repeated cycles; rather, I had to turn the pen upside down and expel some air, then dip the pen back in the bottle and finish filling. (All other piston fillers I have owned have drawn full loads of ink without this workaround.) The nib (1.1 stub) writes well, with a very slight bit of skipping that may just come from having a small sweet spot.

All in all, it is a $50 pen that is trying to punch above its weight class and failing. If the cap would simply post, that would compensate for a lot of other flaws; with a pen this small, not being able to post the cap is a damn-near fatal flaw.

It is a funny thing about posting. I no longer post, but I still like my pens to be able to do it. I have pens that do not post, and admit to disappointment over something that for me is really a non-issue, when I found out.

[Uncle Bud]

Mine arrived this morning from The Writing Desk, no affiliation with the company, the reason I mention the name is they are a great UK based company, and are friendly with great customer service. Anyway, I love this pen already, got it with the 1.1 nib and it's smooooooth! Great size pen too, and quite understated, I may have to get another, but I'll give it a couple of days testing. Cheers

[fountainpenkid]

I got one today. A disappointment. As noted elsewhere, the cap simply does not post, which leaves a pen barrel that is not quite long enough for comfortable writing - hence the pen will be just for jotting notes, at least for me. The section's girth is a bit thin, too. The piston filler knob is a bit wobbly in action, and it does not draw a full load of ink even with repeated cycles; rather, I had to turn the pen upside down and expel some air, then dip the pen back in the bottle and finish filling. (All other piston fillers I have owned have drawn full loads of ink without this workaround.) The nib (1.1 stub) writes well, with a very slight bit of skipping that may just come from having a small sweet spot.

All in all, it is a $50 pen that is trying to punch above its weight class and failing. If the cap would simply post, that would compensate for a lot of other flaws; with a pen this small, not being able to post the cap is a damn-near fatal flaw.

The fact that it doesn't post isa HUGE pitfall of this pen. That said, you make it sound like this is Pelikan m300 or something; like the barrel is short and thin. While it may be too small for you, I think the majority of people will find it perfectly long enough unposted...whether they find it comfortable with the step is another matter.
About the piston, I agree that it isn't up to the standards of the mini or 580...the piston shaft doesn't fit precisely into the other part, and while my knob isn't wobbly while filling, that lack of quality can be seen while greasing the piston head. The ink capacity is not anywhere near where it should be for this type of pen because the piston draw is not as long as it should be. One would think in this day of injection molded plastic parts that they would be able to make a telescoping piston easily...
The metal threads I think will sound squeaky after a while, based on the fact that I hear a little bit of squeak now. My nib is very good for an Extra Fine.

[Koyote]

fountainpenkid, you may be right about the size. And for me, the step in the section is a non-issue.

I didn't mention the ink capacity, though it did indeed seem small - the piston does not move very far. I am waiting to see how far it writes with this 1.1 nib, since I am not into doing any precise ink capacity measurement.

All in all, though, I think I prefer my other recent purchase, which is a Lamy Safari.

[Uncle Bud]

Does anyone know if spare nibs are available for this in the UK, I'd like to try a normal nib too. Thanks.

[dannzeman]

...The piston filler knob is a bit wobbly in action, and it does not draw a full load of ink even with repeated cycles; rather, I had to turn the pen upside down and expel some air, then dip the pen back in the bottle and finish filling. (All other piston fillers I have owned have drawn full loads of ink without this workaround.)...

You can't say that about all other piston fillers because it's not just an issue with the piston itself. The entire design of the pen comes into play. The only way an air bubble can be avoided is if the head of the piston is as close to the back of the feed as possible. Look at the design of the Classic (and the Diamond 500 series pens) and you'll see the piston head doesn't come anywhere near the end of the feed. A full fill with no air bubbles could have been possible on the Classic if TWSBI didn't include the ink window and shorted the section so the feed was closer to the piston, but then you'd hear people complain about not having an ink window.

...
About the piston, I agree that it isn't up to the standards of the mini or 580...the piston shaft doesn't fit precisely into the other part...

I'm not sure I agree with you but I also don't understand exactly what you're talking about. Can you use the parts diagram included in the case to be more specific? I'll attach it below:

TWSBI parts diagram.jpeg

... and while my knob isn't wobbly while filling, that lack of quality can be seen while greasing the piston head. The ink capacity is not anywhere near where it should be for this type of pen because the piston draw is not as long as it should be. One would think in this day of injection molded plastic parts that they would be able to make a telescoping piston easily...

I've inquired about whether this piston is made in house or outsourced but I haven't heard back. The piston in the Classic actually has the capability to travel just as far as the one in the 540 (sorry, I don't have a 580 to test):

Photo Jan 04, 4 18 46 PM.jpg
Photo Jan 04, 4 19 23 PM.jpg

But when the piston is set to max travel the piston knob won't fully seat against the barrel:

Photo Jan 04, 4 28 10 PM.jpg

And just for giggles I measured the capacity of the 540, Mini, and the Classic:

540: 1.7mL
Mini: 1.3mL
Classic: 1.0mL (I was able to get as much as 1.3mL with the piston set to max travel).

The measurements were done with a single fill without expelling the air bubbles. It's the practical capacity one would experience in real use, not theoretical capacity.