TWSBI Eco F

TWSBI has quite a lot of low cost, entry level models now, with different filler options, such as the Swipe and go but back in the day, the original entry level model was the TWSBI Eco.

The TWSBI Eco is a piston filler pen which was the first not to have exchangeable nib units. I think you can still change them around but the units don’t screw on and off like your 580 diamond range and they need to be pulled out (friction fit). I have also read somewhere about it needing the pressure of the pen body to be readjusted after a nib change (?) – I’ve not done this and haven’t really investigated it at all.

The pastel blue edition I have here was originally released for the Chinese Pen market but later became readily available worldwide. The great thing about the TWSBI Eco is that TWSBI like to release it in multiple colours making them extremely collectable. There is likely to be a colour that will suit your preferences, although it does mean that its not so nice for your wallet. I’ve currently got my eye on 3!

In my experience, the nibs on the Eco are a tad bit more inconsistent than the nibs on the 580 Diamond range. I purchased this blue Eco and a pastel pink Eco at the exact same time and the blue is smoother and wetter than the pink. The differences are small, but noticeable and its slight compared to what I’ve seen in Lamy Safari/Al Star nib units.

The only downside to this pen, compared to the TWSBI 580 Diamond range is that with the nib unit friction fitted into the pen, it makes it slightly less easy to disassemble to clean. You still get the tools to disassemble the pen from the piston end of the pen, so its an inconvenience rather than an issue really.

I really like the Eco, more than I expected to, to be honest. The quality is good (I haven’t yet had any parts on this break) and I love that it comes in so many colours!