Review: TWSBI Eco Turquoise EF nib

€35 bought at La Couronne du Comte

First Impressions

Since the TWSBI Eco in turquoise was a special edition, I pre-ordered and pre-paid. And while Appelboom and P.W. Akkerman both had the pen in stock for several weeks, La Couronne du Comte did not deliver my pen until August 26. After exchanging several emails in which a shipping date would be promised, but then no pen shipped, I finally received my pen.

While the nonsense dealing with customer service at La Couronne du Comte somewhat soured my experience, I am not at all disappointed by the pen itself. I love my TWSBI Eco with a 1.1 Stub, and the EF nib has proven to be an equally delightful, if opposite, experience.

Body

As with all TWSBI Ecos (TWISBIs Eco?), the limited edition turquoise is a demonstrator pen, with a transparent body allowing one to observe the piston mechanism and ink contained within the body.

The end of the body features a turquoise, hexagonal segment which you twist to raise and lower the piston within the pen. The precise shade of turquoise is more toward green than blue. It could be most closely compared to the turquoise of the Pilot Metropolitan, rather than of the Lamy Turquoise ink I filled it with, which is much bluer.

Besides the colour of the end of the piston mechanism, the body of the limited edition Eco doesn’t vary from the standard Eco. You can see the fascinating inner workings of the piston, watch your ink sloshing around, and, in the grip section, you can see the feed making contact with the ink reservoir on one end and the nib on the other. I could stare at this pen all day!

Cap

The cap is where I find fault with the Eco pen. TWSBI pen caps always have a finial with a red TWSBI logo. This has to be red, apparently. But, the shade of turquoise they have chosen for this special edition pen looks horrible against the red of the logo. I’m not an expert on colour theory, but what TWSBI have done here is undoubtedly in violation of all rules of colour harmony. How did a company which makes such phenomenal pens forget to check if the colour of the pen would look okay against their always-red logo?

Otherwise, I’m happy with the cap. It screws on, which I prefer to a click, and you can also post it — you just have to push harder than you might expect to make it slip into place. Despite the fact that the cap posts on the mechanism for the piston, I’ve not had an issue with inadvertently forcing ink out of the pen while posting or un-posting the cap.

Clip

The cap is equipped with a sturdy clip in stainless steel. The rounded edges make it easy to slide the clip over even a rather thick shirt without snagging, yet the clip is firm enough not to let the pen come loose. Between the screw cap and the secure clip, this is a perfect pen to wear in a shirt pocket without (too much) risk of leaking.

Nib

As with all TWSBI nibs, the stainless steel nib of the Eco is inscribed with the word TWSBI and the TWSBI logo which, to me, resembles the biohazard logo. (Being a biologist, this only makes me love it more.) The breather hole is a small circle leading to the slit. On either side are some decorative swirls.

The EF nib is easily the finest-writing nib I have tested to date, yet it writes wet enough to never give issues with skipping or to feel scratchy. Because of this, the TWSBI Eco has become my first choice for writing in my bullet journal. In addition, I quite enjoy doodling “calligraphy” with this nib.

Ink Containment Unit

The TWSBI Eco is a piston filler. A syringe-like mechanism draws ink up and stores it directly in the body of the pen. I find this to be far less messy than cartridges, and, despite nearly constant use, this pen has yet to run dry on me during the week thanks to the large filling volume.

Writing Experience

The TWSBI Eco with an EF nib is a top writing experience, particularly for the price. The pen is extraordinarily comfortable to hold, with no jaggy step down between the body and the grip section. It is well balanced — not too heavy but also not too flimsy feeling. I can write a several page letter with the TWISBI Eco and be perfectly comfortable.

Lasting Impressions

The TWSBI Eco in turquoise with an EF nib is easily one of my favourite pens, and the pen I reach for automatically. Given the combination of a sturdy build, dependable filling mechanism, and reasonable price, I have no problem tossing it in my purse next to my bullet journal for daily use.