The TWSBI Eco is a low cost, but high quality demonstrator pen. For those looking for a high capacity pen, but one that doesn’t close a small fortune, the TWSBI Eco is a great choice. Coming in a variety of nibs from EF to a 1.1 Stub nib, the TWSBI Eco is a good choice for those looking for a fountain pen.
I’ve used the TWSBI as my primary pen since I received it, around 2 months ago. Equipped with a medium stainless steel nib, the pen wrote very smoothly out of the box. I did however purchase an aftermarket EF nib, and swap it out, and the pen still wrote well.
What attracted me to the TWSBI Eco was its low price, and the fact that it is a demonstrator pen. This allows me to fill it with enough ink to last me a week of work, and I don’t need to carry around cartridges with the pen.
I was impressed with the quality of the pen when I received it. It comes in a plastic box with silicon gel when you disassemble the pen with the included wrench.
Made out of plastic, the pen feels tough enough to put in a bag. The cap posts on the end of the pen, and securely clicks onto the end of the pen. I found that having the pen posted made it a little heavy for me. However, the pen is perfectly balanced when it is not posted.
There are two variants of the TSWBI Eco, the Eco and the Eco-T. The only notable difference is the grip, with the -T having a more Lamy style, finger sculptured grip. I opted for the standard version as I never had found those types of grips very comfortable.
I really like the TSWBI nibs – they write very well, don’t skip, and have no feedback. In fact, the TSWBI Steel nib in medium that this pen with is one of the smoothest nibs I have used. You may be wondering why I changed it if the nib is so smooth. I like EF pens, as it makes my writing more legible especially in small notebooks like Moleskines. This being said, I ordered it in medium size because I usually write on sheets of paper.
Filling the pen is made easy by the smooth piston filling mechanism, and every so often you may need to re-lubricate this with the included silicon and tool. The case also comes with a guide on how to use this, and how to fill the pen up.
For the writing sample, I’ve borrowed the picture from PenAddict. My writings terrible and you wouldn’t want to look at it.
Regarding ink, I use Parker Quink in black. The quick drying feature is one of my favourites, as I write quickly and it annoys me if words get smudged. In addition to this, it can be found nearly everywhere and is both cheap and reliable.
For someone looking for a reliable full sized pen that can carry a lot of ink, but won’t cost a fortune, I cannot recommend the TWSBI Eco more.
The clear TWSBI Eco is £34.00 on Amazon at the time of writing.
