Back in April 2020 I wrote two posts about (mostly fountain) pens and writing in long hand. I wrote that I don’t write best when I use a fountain pen because of several reasons, one being: ‘writing with a fountain pen feels a bit “ceremonial” or “ritualistic”.’ Over a year ago I also raved on about the Goodnotes app, and how, along with the iPad Pro and Apple Pencil, it has largely replaced pen and paper for my notetaking needs. I still use the app almost daily, and am still a fan. While Goodnotes keeps my (mostly work) life sorted, nothing beats the immediacy of grabbing a pen and a piece of paper to make ideas visible. I have incorporated pen and paper back into my notetaking habits, for I have found my ‘grail pens’ – excuse the Reddit-speak, that’s something along the lines of the ultimate pens that one is searching for. This post is a pen review.
There is a renaissance of fountain pens, even amongst younger generations. There are numerous pen reviews online and r/fountainpens on Reddit is thriving. My cynical side thinks that this might be a passing fad, nothing more than a bunch of people trying to be hipsters (in Cantonese we call these hipsters [偽]文青, [fake] cultured youth), or luddites who hate technology. Just as I thought stationery stores are on the demise, I find more and more specialist pen shops across Hong Kong, one of which is the fantastic Muze Pens in Shamshuipo, where I bought my two Twsbi fountain pens from. The owner is originally from Taiwan, an academic turned pen shop owner. He is infinitely knowledgable and passionate about pens.
Twsbi Eco
This is now my everyday pen which I use for signing documents and jotting notes. Twsbi is a Taiwanese brand, and the parent company had been manufacturing OEM fountain pens for big brands before debuting their own brand in 2009. The brand’s Chinese name is 三文堂 San Wen Tang, with the acroynm written backwords and appending the Chinese word for pen (筆 bi ), the name Twsbi is coined. This is a demonstrator pen, meaning that the barrel is transparent and you can see the mechanics inside. While I don’t care so much for the styling, the Twsbi Eco is extremely smooth to write with. I chose an EF nib, which gives the thinnest lines, and suits the size of my regular handwriting. The greatest thing about this pen is that the ink flow is wet and continuous, and the ink doesn’t dry up inside the pen like most of my other pens do. Lines flow smoothly and never skip. The ink capacity is phenomenal – the piston filling mechanism works extremely well, filling the entire pen barrel with ink. My only qualm is the grip, which is rather thin and smooth, not the most comfortable fit for my hand. Though it is nowhere near as bad as the Lamy Safari, which I can’t use at all. The thick barrel also works for me. The cap and piston knob come in a variety of different colours, and mine is cement grey, which looks quite fine. This is not an expensive pen by any means, just over $200 Hong Kong dollars.
Twsbi Diamond 580AL
I have since bought another Twsbi, this time a more expensive model: the Diamond 580AL. This has all the positive attributes of the Eco, but the material and build is much sturdier. The barrel has a polygonal design, which prevents it from rolling off the desk. It is also a demonstrator with grey trimmings, and again I don’t care so much for the styling. The pen is weightier, with a larger, better nib than the Eco. The F nib I chose seems to make substantially thicker lines than the Eco EF, making it quite good for signing but slightly too thick for my regular handwriting. The ink flow is again fantastic, and writes continuously without skipping. Unlike the Eco, the grip is round and with a screw thread-like texture, which is quite comfortable to hold. This is a better quality pen on all counts than the Eco, and the price reflects that, which is around $600 Hong Kong dollars.
Platinum Prefounte
A much cheaper pen than the two Twsbi at $72 Hong Kong Dollars, the Platinum Prefounte is extremely good quality for its meagre price. It’s easy to mistake its styling for a cheap disposable pen, but it is far from it. The nib writes very smoothly without skipping. It takes a Platinum ink converter with a piston filling mechanism and it works well. The 03F nib writes quite thick. The package shows a graph: after 12 months, the ink would only deplete to around 70%. Conventional fountain pens would dry up completely after 9 months. This is a very good entry-level pen for those who are not used to writing with a fountain pen. The coloured barrels make them good for using with matching ink colours. By the way, Platinum is a Japanese company that is over 100 years old.
If you go for looks and style, or use a fountain pen because you want to project a certain image, then don’t go for these pens. These are high performance, practical pens that work well for everyday use.
