REVIEW: TWSBI DIAMOND 580 SMOKE ROSE GOLD II FOUNTAIN PEN REVIEW

Courtesy of Appelboom, a TWSBI Diamond 580 Smoke Rose Gold II (or RG II in short) landed on my desk. I have to admit, it's been a hot minute since I last reviewed a TWSBI... heck, it's been a hot minute since I last held a TWSBI in my hand! Not that I don't have a couple TWSBI's laying around, but for some reason, none of them have been in rotation in the past year or so. Maybe being spoiled for choice as a pen blogger is the main 'hindrance' (hey, you won't hear me complain!) that prevents me from picking up the sleek 580Al (review HERE), uber-functional and fun Eco (review HERE), or even the hugely underrated GO (that I probably should review at some point).

In my defense, TWSBI hasn't exactly been churning out new and innovative products in recent years.  Their last pen to really impress me was the Go, but that too was already quite a while ago. So perhaps I was just getting a bit bored. TWSBI's current strategy seems to involve exploring different, sometimes more luxurious, materials and trendy finishes for the existing models in their catalog, and you can hardly argue with the effectiveness of said strategy - every new special edition Eco colorway seems to sell like hotcakes (I too, have to admit being quite tempted by the new Cement Grey Eco)!

So, as I was saying, TWSBI occasionally takes one of their established models and puts them in a  more luxurious, shinier outfit. Seemingly in an effort to bump them up into a slightly more premium category. Yes, the Smoke Rose Gold II is the most expensive version of the Diamond 580 to date, but not so much so that it takes away from the value proposition we've come to expect from the Taiwanese brand.

If you can't see the ink sloshing around in the barrel, is it really a TWSBI?

The name of the TWSBI Diamond 580 Smoke Rose Gold II is about as self-explanatory as it is long: You get the demonstrator 580 you're probably familiar with by now, but with the inclusion of a smokey, translucent grey cap, section, and piston knob that contrasts against the transparent faceted barrel. Ultimately the color of the ink dictates the look of the pen, put a darker ink in it, and the result is an overall darker, sleek-looking pen, 

The darker resin is offset by a bit of bling that is the rose gold trim. Interestingly, the Smoke Rose Gold inherits the 580Al's aluminum piston mechanism - also rose-gold plated for the occasion - but not the 580Al's metal section. I guess too much rose gold would be too much. The plated aluminum of the piston has a slightly different color than the other rose gold plated trim, but it's not too distracting from the overall picture. Everything combined, this is a pretty stylish - and photogenic! - pen. I'm not gonna lie, that's not something I ever expected to say about a TWSBI! 

L to R: Platinum #3776 Century, TWSBI Diamond Mini, TWSBI Eco, TWSBI Diamond 580 RG II, Lamy Safari, Lamy 2000

Picking up the 580 to write instantly feels familiar again. The slight resistance in the first turn of the cap due to the rubber o-ring that seals it airtight, the subtle texture of the faceted barrel, and a reassuring bit of weight you might not immediately expect from a 'plastic' pen... Ah yes, this feels familiar! 

Over the years of me ignoring the Diamond 580, I almost forgot that this is a really comfortable pen to use! It's actually a fairly large pen, at 14.3 cm/ 5.63" capped, and 13 cm/ 5.12" uncapped. The grip is relatively short but has a decent diameter and comfy profile. The transition from section to barrel is only interrupted by a set of threads that are barely noticeable in the hand. Making it a comfortable pen to hold, even if you grip slightly higher up like I do. I find the 580 to be more than long enough to use unposted - Luckily because while the cap can post, it sits quite far back on the barrel and throws off the balance of the pen. 

Maybe the one thing, above everything else, that makes me wonder why I don't use my TWSBI's more often is the nib! All the way from the most inexpensive TWSBI Go, to this most decked-out model, I've never come across one that didn't write flawlessly out of the box. In particular, I have a soft spot for TWSBI's 1.1mm stub nibs (it's a shame they never brought back the excellent 1.5mm stub!). The 1.1mm stub on this 580 RG II - rose gold plated to match the rest of the pen - is no different. It's a consistent and smooth writer that provides a very precise and crisp line variation. The heavier ink flow of the stub nib pairs perfectly with the 580's large ink capacity.

It's impressive to realize that in all those years, the 50$ standard version of the TWSBI Diamond 580 is still... 50$! It never went up in price (at least not as far as I know). If standard versions aren't your cup of tea, the 85$ Smoke Rose Gold II is an easy upgrade to recommend. It's still a lot of pen for relatively little money, and the rose gold trim successfully adds some flair to the utilitarian-looking Diamond 580. 

As usual, pricing isn't quite consistent depending on where you are in the world. Pricing from EU-based retailers like Appelboom is unfortunately quite a bit higher across the board, with the RG II retailing for 109€ (105$ without VAT) - that's quite a mark-up! Regardless, in the current market where steel-nibbed pens regularly fetch 300$ or more, even the most expensive TWSBI is still an excellent bargain if you ask me. Now excuse me while I go fill up one of my own TWSBI's again!

Note: This product was sent on loan by our site sponsor Appelboom, so I could write this review. I was in no way influenced in the making of this review, the opinions shared in this review are completely my own! This post does not contain affiliate links.

REVIEW: TWSBI ECO T FOUNTAIN PEN

Believe it or not, but the TWSBI Eco (read my original review HERE) is perhaps one of my favorite everyday fountain pens. Sure, it won't win beauty contests, and it's not the most exciting writer in the world, but it's a powerhouse that simply functions extremely well. On top of that, the low price point makes it easily accessible for a large audience.

With the aptly named Eco T (T for Triangular), TWSBI aims to improve on the original design. Or well, maybe improve is a wrong way to put it. Rather, they are trying to make it more ergonomic for beginner fountain pen users, much like the Lamy Safari.

The design has largely remained the same, but the cap and blind cap now have a triangular profile instead of the hexagonal shape on the regular Eco. The grip section also has a slightly more triangular profile. Unfortunately, it's not an improvement on the rather meh design, but this yellow-green colorway is kind of fun (there's also a pretty neat light blue version available right now, but other than that, the color options aren't as varied as the regular Eco).

Can you see the difference? Left is the regular Eco, right is the Eco T

The more triangular shape of the section is supposedly to improve the ergonomics for beginner fountain pen users, but I found it difficult -if not impossible- to tell the new section on the Eco T apart from the old one (You be the judge in the photo above!). The improvement in ergonomics is equally minimal, but then again I never found the Eco to be uncomfortable in the first place. It guides your grip a bit more than the original, but not so much that it feels restrictive. It's definitely not as polarizing as the pronounced section shape of the Lamy Safari, so I think it should be a comfortable fit for most people.

L to R: Kaweco Brass Sport, TWSBI 580Al, TWSBI Eco, TWSBI Eco T, Lamy Lx, Lamy 2000

In terms of size, the Eco is a full-sized pen at 13,9 cm (5.5") closed and 13.2 cm (5.2") uncapped. The cap posts securely due to the rubber O-ring behind the piston knob, and it remains quite nicely balanced even when posted. However, I personally never felt the need to post the cap on this one. It's a lightweight plastic pen, coming in at 22g total, but it does feel surprisingly solid and sturdy.

The reason why I love the Eco (T) so much for everyday use is two-fold: For starters it's quite a tough pen. Even though it's one of the cheapest TWSBI offerings, it is also one of the most well-built and lacks the cracking issues that the more expensive models suffer(ed?) from. My original Eco is about three years old now, and it still stands strong after a LOT of use. The second reason I love the Eco is the massive ink capacity. The Eco is of course a piston-filler, and holds about 1.8ml of ink: more than twice the capacity of a standard international converter!

Not to forget, another good reason to look into TWSBI pens are the excellent nibs (I think they use JoWo nibs nowadays). I chose a broad nib on this particular pen, but have used pretty much all their nib sizes over the years and the writing experience is consistently reliable across the board. The broad steel nib is polished just enough to be both smooth and consistent. The ink flow is on the wetter side, but it's not a gusher. It's a stiff nib and it lacks character, but makes up for that with reliability. The rubber O-ring behind the threads helps to keep the cap tightly closed, but at the same time it also does an excellent job keeping the nib from drying out (even after multiple weeks of not being used, it starts up right away).

Even at 29$, you get a nicely presented package with wrench and silicon grease to service your pen

Few pens offer the kind of value for money that the TWSBI Eco does. More than 3 years after its release I still love everything about it: it holds up to everyday use, has a large ink capacity and writes reliably out of the box! The Eco T brings very little change to the original design, but why change something that is already quite excellent anyway? At 35€ (29$), it's one of the most affordable piston-filler fountain pens on the market. It's a great option, regardless of whether you are a long-time collector/user like me, or you just got into fountain pens and want to start using bottled ink.

Note: La Couronne Du Comte is a sponsor of this blog. I received this product free of charge. I was in no way influenced in the making of this review, the opinions shared in this review are completely my own! This post does not contain affilate links.