TWSBI Eco Fountain Pen Review

When I first started into fountain pens, there was one major requirement for what I purchased: It had to be a cartridge filler. For one, I was, and still do, using them to take notes in class and bringing a bottle of ink everywhere with me was not viable. But there was also the fact that I found the prospect a bit intimidating. But eventually, it became obvious that I would need to get into bottled ink because it was a massive and wonderful part of this hobby. But also because I wanted to try out a TWSBI Eco.

The Eco is one of TWSBI’s beginner fountain pens, made to be affordable and easy to use and emphasized by the inclusion of a small maintenance kit with every pen. It weighs in at 13 grams, comparable to other pens of it’s size and material. And that’s only one of the factors that makes this pen comfortable to use. The resin material is nice to hold and the cylindrical pen body is thicker than most pens in this price ranger, which I really like. The pen is lightweight, but I’ve found that I don’t mind it so much because of the thicker barrel. Between that and the resin, I’ve found the Eco to be very comfortable to hold and use.

In terms of looks, I’d have to say that this pen has a great personality. I’m not fond of the aesthetics of the Eco. The pen body is a clear, demonstrator-type, design, which is wonderfully functional but not attractive to me. I like being able to see the ink level inside the pen and being able to gauge how much I have left in an instant. But I can’t get over seeing the feed and the piston-filling mechanism in the barrel. The Eco is available in different colours: black, white and crystal clear, to say nothing of their special editions, but all of them share the clear pen body. The colors apply to the cap and filling knob, but I don’t think it works with the clear pen body, especially if you’re using an ink that doesn’t match the colour. The clear doesn’t run into this issue, but exposes more of the mechanisms, which, again, I’m not keen on. There are some silver-coloured trim pieces and those are a nice touch to this pen.

Moving on to the grip, it’s made of the same resin material as the body and is also transparent. I find it comparable to the grip on the Pilot Metropolitan. It’s a similar design, tapering before flaring out to prevent fingers from slipping off. The TWSBI’s grip is thicker and has a less noticeable ridge on the body, which is more comfortable to me, but loses some size to the threads for the screw cap. While I still prefer the moulded grip that Lamy offers better, I find this grip to be comfortable and functional.

The cap is octagonal, and as previously mentioned, a screw-cap. This functions well and holds the cap to the pen securely and with no worry of it falling off. It also bears the clip, which works well and looks nice on the pen, and it bears TWSBI’s logo in red on the top. The cap is not postable, owing to the filling mechanism, but the balance is such that you don’t need to post the cap for a good writing experience.

Writing with this pen is awesome. It’s nice and smooth, lays down a dark, rich line and while it is a bit thick for my liking, it on par with other German nibs that I have used. The TWSBI starts writing instantly and I had no ink feeding issues through any of my pens. I tested these in my Rhodia Webnotebook with J. Herbin’s Perle Noire, Eclat de Saphir and Lierre Sauvage, and all three worked brilliantly. The ink does determine the dry time, so if you’re left-handed like me, you’ll want to investigate different options before hand.

I’m a bit torn on the filling system. I think that it works great and is easy to use and figure out. I love the versatility that it gives with the ability to use different inks that might not be used in cartridges. I’m not sure if I like the fact that it is the only option with this pen, but that is what it is. My main qualm lies with the mechanism’s knob, which is exposed. While it allows for a greater capacity, I’m uncomfortable with it being so accessible with it’s ability to cause ink spills. While the cap mitigates that, I think I prefer the converters that fit in a pen better.

Overall, I really do love the TWSBI Eco. It’s a versatile, fun, reliable, and easy to use pen. I may rag on it’s appearance, but the functionality is unquestionable and I see why it ranks so highly on best beginner fountain pen lists. As of writing, it certainly has a place in my top five. And I’d happily recommend this to anyone, though I would caution beginners who are like I was and nervous about filling pens to let themselves get comfortable with the idea before going for this. At that point, I think everyone will find this pen really enjoyable. The TWSBI Eco typically can be found for around $30.00, and is certainly worth it.

This pen was purchased at full price with my own funds.