Everything You Need to Know About the TWSBI Eco Fountain Pen
If you’ve ever been looking for a beginner-friendly fountain pen that still preforms like a pen worth the investment, you’ve probably come across the TWSBI Eco. The Eco, short for Economical, is one of the least expensive pens that TWSBI makes, but don’t let the price fool you! The pen has so many great features crammed into its small price tag that it writes like a much more expensive pen.
The Eco-T, like the special edition Mint Blue (2020), is more triangular than the regular Eco, like the special edition Transparent Blossom Red (2018).
TWSBI only makes well-designed workhorse pens that are affordable for the fountain pen enthusiast. None of their pen designs so far are over $130 CAD, but they still pack a large punch. Don’t just take our word for it, TWSBI was the winner of the Red Dot Design Award in 2010! The Eco is usually the pen that people start out with as their first TWSBI because of its stellar reputation as a modern, reliable pen that will write perfectly right out of the box. And if you happen to get one of the few pens that isn’t writing perfectly right away, the brand is also known for its incredible customer service, so you can purchase with complete peace of mind, even if you’re very particular.
There are two main varieties of the TWSBI Eco that are readily available: the Eco and the Eco-T. The two pens have virtually the exact same design, are the same size, have the same nibs, and hold the same amount of ink. The main difference between the two is that the Eco-T has a more pronounced grip section to encourage a proper grasp on the pen and a more triangular shape to the cap and filling mechanism. In contrast, the regular Eco has a circular grip section which is less pronounced and a hexagonal cap and filling mechanism.
Both the Eco and the Eco-T have three regular edition colours: white, black, and clear. However, the fun with the Eco and Eco-T comes with their special edition releases! Unlike some other brands, TWSBI doesn’t make special edition colours into the regular line after a popular release. When they’re gone, they’re gone! Though TWSBI authorized retailers like us can get previous special edition colours as long as they are still available from TWSBI’s warehouse, there are only a limited number of these special colours made, meaning that they are only available while quantities last. It will be very difficult to get a special edition colour from a few years back, just like it will be hard to get 2020’s releases in a few years as well. As of June 2020, we are carrying the popular Mint Blue Eco-T, the White and Rose Gold Eco, and Yellow Eco, which are all 2020 special edition colours, as well as some varieties from previous special edition releases.
There’s nothing better than a freshly inked nib! Both the Eco and the Eco-T come in a variety of nib sizes, including the popular 1.1 stub nib to add a little extra flair to your writing. Pictured here from left to right are extra-fine, medium, broad, and the 1.1 stub.
Different special edition colours happen on different models, but so far there have been a few trends with the special edition releases. So far, only the regular Eco line has had the “transparent” coloured editions, whereas both the Eco and the Eco-T have had solid coloured special editions. The special edition colours, combined with its affordable price, makes the Eco very popular with collectors. Though you might not be thinking about that when you’re first getting started, it may become more appealing to you as you become more comfortable with fountain pens! Currently, you can find some special edition colours from past and present on our website.
The Eco comes in a variety of nib sizes: extra-fine, fine, medium, broad, and a 1.1mm stub nib. These nibs write fairly true to what you would expect from their European counterparts, as an extra-fine TWSBI nib writes a similar line width to the Pilot Metropolitan fine nib. Keep in mind that TWSBI’s pens do tend to write quite wet, so this will broaden the line a bit as well if you are writing with a wet-writing ink from brands like Jacques Herbin or Pilot Iroshizuku. Another bonus of the Eco, and TWSBI in general, is that the feeds on the pens are quite generous and easy to clean, making them great for shimmering or sheening inks. Of course, TWSBI does make their own bottled ink as well, and these go very well with the Ecos. You can choose from large bottles in standard, classic colours, like black and blue, or smaller bottles in brighter colours, like purple and pink.
TWSBI as a brand is known for the demonstrator bodies and piston-filling mechanisms at an affordable price. If you don’t know, a demonstrator pen is a pen made with a see-through material, usually some kind of plastic, so you can see both the inner workings of the pen and the ink sloshing around on the inside. The Eco is no different, as the body of the pen is made from durable clear resin.
Pictured here is a TWSBI Eco Transparent Purple special edition (2019) with a swab of TWSBI Royal Purple ink.
Most fountain pens take a cartridge or converter style system, but a piston-filler is basically a large converter that is built right into the pen. That’s what the Eco has! It is a quality that is largely reserved for pens in a higher price range, and TWSBI is an exception. The one downside of this option is that the piston can only take bottled ink and it is not compatible with cartridges. If cartridges are your method of choice for ink filling, you’d be better off with another option.
That said, the benefits certainly outweigh the downsides of the piston mechanism. For instance, the pen can hold up to a whopping 1.75 ml of ink! Compare that to the average converter which usually holds between 0.7-0.9 ml of ink and you’ll see why this pen is so great for an everyday carry—you won’t have to refill it nearly as often. You’ll also be able to tell when you’re getting low on ink, so you’ll never forget a fill before you head out the door. The piston is also great because there is no additional cost for a converter on top of the price of your pen.
The TWSBI Eco is virtually the same size as its cousin the TWSBI Diamond 580 ALR, but it is much larger than the TWSBI Mini. Pictured here from left to right are the special edition TWSBI 580ALR Prussian Blue (2020), special edition TWSBI Eco White and Rose Gold (2020), and the special edition TWSBI Mini AL Mint (2019).
After a while, you might find your piston getting a tiny bit stiff. You should never have to force the twisting mechanism, so if you are finding it isn’t buttery smooth to turn, it is time to add a dab of silicone grease! Never fear, however, because the Eco comes with a small vile of the grease and a wrench to dissemble the pen, which is all that you’ll need for this nifty little hack. It’s as easy as putting a couple of drops on the plunger and reassembling the pen! You also won’t have to do this very often at all, only when needed.
The last tip that we have if you’re getting your first Eco is to do a little trick when you’re filling: release a drop! That’s right, the best way to ensure you get the most ink for your fill is actually to release one drop when you have your pen full. Releasing a single drop back into the bottle releases the air pressure in the feed that builds up from the process of filling. This prevents the pen from “burping” (releasing an unwanted glob of ink when you first start writing) and ensures that none of your precious ink will be wasted. Plus, it’ll save you from inky fingers!
We hope this helped you learn a little more about the TWSBI Eco, but you can always email us if you have more questions. What product would you like to know about next? Let us know in the comments!