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Fingers Were Meant to be Inky

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TWSBI Eco Fountain Pen Review

The TWSBI Eco Fountain Pen, with the uncapped pen laying down and the cap standing up behind it

Straight outta Taiwan, check out the chillin’, killin’, piston-fillin’…

TWSBI Eco Fountain Pen

Price: $29.00
Nib: Extra Fine
Filling System: Piston

About the Company

TWSBI is a brand of writing instruments produced by the Ta Shin Precision manufacturing company, headquartered in Taipei City, Taiwan. Ta Shin has been around for several decades, although historically, they served as more of a white-label manufacturer, producing products for other companies to slap their names on and sell (The Korean company LG emerged the same way). Also similar to LG, Ta Shin decided it was in their best interest to develop their own brand, and in 2009, TWSBI was born.

TWSBI is a bit of a different animal in the fountain pen world. Their aim is to create attractive, high-quality, workhorse-level fountain pens that are also

… Read More

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Nemosine Neutrino Fountain Pen Review

The Nemosine Neutrino Fountain Pen laying on top of the writing sample, which uses Pelikan Edlestein Aquamarine ink

The most overachieving fountain pen ever…

Nemosine Neutrino Fountain Pen

Price: $20.00
Nib: Extra Fine
Filling System: Cartridge/Converter (International Standard)

About the Pen:

I can’t say that the Nemosine Neutrino really surprised me, as I had high hopes for it before I even had it in my grubby little hands. It looked nice in all the pictures I had seen, and the one or two reviews I saw for it were favorable. What did surprise me, though, was just how fine and smoothly it writes. The EF nib is touted as “Made in Germany,” so I expected a broader line (I seriously need to stop doing that). But this nib is beautiful! It’s maybe two or three molecule-widths broader than my Sailor 1911 EF & Pelikan M200 EF, and definitely finer than my Lamy 2000 EF.

And in addition to how fine it is, it’s also extremely smooth. The nib just glides across the paper – no catch, no scratch, no real feedback, and barely any noise.

A close shot of the Nemosine Neutrino Fountain Pen nib, showing the design and grade (EF)

This is the second Nemosine pen I’ve used, and I’m very, very happy with both of them. While the Singularity is, by all counts, a “cheap” pen (i.e., not the best materials or build quality), the Neutrino is definitely a pen that looks and feels premium, and it performs far above its modest $20 price tag.

A photo of the Nemosine Neutrino Fountain Pen, uncapped, with the cap laying down and the section of the pen resting on top of it… Read More

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Nemosine Singularity Fountain Pen Review

Nemosine Singularity Fountain Pen, uncapped, with the cap standing up behind the pen, which is laying down

An interesting, little $15 wonder…

Nemosine Singularity Fountain Pen

Price: $15.00
Nib: 0.6mm Stub
Filling System: Cartridge/Converter (Standard International)

About the Pen & the Company:

I really wasn’t sure what to expect from this pen. Opinions around the InnerNets are very mixed. Some love their Nemosine Singularity. Others have found them unusable. I’m definitely in the “love” category, but it does have some potentially large flaws that could be considered deal-breakers for those shopping for an inexpensive fountain pen.

Before I get into the pen too much, though, let’s chat for a spell on the company, Nemosine, as they’re sort of a big mystery…. Read More

/ / Fountain Pens, Reviews / 19 Comments

TWSBI Diamond 580AL Fountain Pen Review

TWSBI Diamond 580AL Fountain Pen in the packaging box

Straight from the “What the heck was I thinking?” files, I present to you the…

TWSBI Diamond 580AL Fountain Pen

Price: $60.00
Nib: Extra Fine
Filling System: Piston

About the Pen:

I was in high school when Guns N’ Roses exploded on the scene. For some reason still unknown to me, I decided that I didn’t like the song Welcome to the Jungle. If I turned on MTV and that video was on, I’d immediately turn it off in disgust. One day I turned on the radio and there was this amazing song playing. I thought, “Wow! This song is great! I wonder who it is?” It turned out to be GNR’s Welcome to the Jungle. I was shocked. I didn’t understand how I could have possibly hated such an awesome song. I decided later that it must have been Axl Rose’s obvious jerkiness that turned me off. But before I digress too far, let’s bring this back around to the fountain pen review I’m supposed to be writing.

I did basically the same thing with TWSBI pens. Somehow, I got it in my head that I didn’t like the way they looked, that they were the ugly troglodytes of the pen world. Then one day, I happened across a random picture of this beautiful demonstrator fountain pen with vibrant orange parts inside. I thought, “Wow! This pen is awesome! I wonder what it is?” It turned out to be a TWSBI Diamond 580AL. I was shocked. I didn’t understand how I could have possibly thought these gorgeous pens were so gruesome. I decided later that Axl Rose must have had something to do with it. Jerk.

So after I got over my shock, I started hitting the pen sites to find out if all TWSBI pens looked this good or if it was just an anomaly. Keep reading to find out if I realized the error of my ways…. Read More