TWSBI Vac700R Kyanite Fountain Pen Review

[@talcual2138]

I think that the red finial detracts from the beauty of the design. I have a TWSBI, and it's a great writer and lovely filling system and tool complete an excellent package.

[@crouserm]

Nice review for someone considering a vacuum filler. I find the filling system fun to demonstrate to friends, but irksome as a writer where I have to fiddle with the knob.

[@Tokoroegao]

I have the Eco with this stub nib and I love the writing feeling and it makes my handwriting look all fancy. So, if you want that feeling at a lower price, just get the TWSBI Eco with the same stub nib.

[@rozl6178]

I have the same and really enjoy it. Also, I am pretty sure the grip on the ECO is more girthy- hence, comfortable to write with than this one appears to be.

[@tweedelidee]

I have one of those, The 700 Iris variation. Lovely pen, one of my rarer modern pens.

[@javalavva]

I love my TWSBI pens, especially the Diamond 580 (also have an ECO, and the Go), with both round and stub nibs. As you note, they are wonderfully smooth right out of the box. Agree with all of your other positives as well. The one issue I've had is the caps... for some reason I've had several broken / cracked caps, where I've never had this problem with other pens. The great part is that they were easy to replace... I contacted the company and quickly received an email response. Simply paypal'ed $4 and they sent me a replacement. The broken cap happened twice on my 580, and the cap on the Go (it's a snap on cap, appears to be different material) also has cracked, but I haven't replaced it (I don't use that pen very often). I can't quite put my finger on why, but the 580 is a much smoother writer than the others (with both round and stub nibs), when as far as I can tell the nibs are all very similar . The 580 has a screw on 'assembly' which is super easy/nice to swap nibs. The other two have more traditional push-in friction fit nibs. But other than that I can't tell why the 580 just feels smoother. There is quite a price difference, so I wonder if the 580s / Vacs get a bit more refinement when it comes to polishing/tuning the nibs at the factory.

[@theronwolf3296]

Their plastic boxes are nicely finished. They seem to take the same care as they do with the pens.

[@garykarlin1777]

115 CAD at Wonderpens in Toronto

[@danravenna2974]

Price in US is $80, which makes it not that bad. The VAC700s are good pens. I have the 1.1mm nib and it is like butter.

[@gvnady8380]

I got this pen in broad nib, inked with either GVFC Deep Sea Green or Sailor Manyo Haha, great color pairing. This is my first broad nib pen, love it!

[@juliafalling4069]

I have the Vac 700 Iris. Beautiful pen. Writes well. Not uncomfortable in my hand (long skinny fingers). I also have a Vac Mini. It has almost no difference in diameter between body and section, and its length and weight are very comfortable. It comes only in Smoke and Clear. It would be nice to see some of the color highlights on the smaller TWSBI pens. I have quite a few TWSBIs and all of the write very well. Not a single crummy nib. Thanks for your review. I particularly appreciate that you review pens that are under $100 USD (the limit I've set for myself for a single pen).

[@djc8744]

a while back u bought the 1.1mm and 1.5mm twsbi nibs with no additional charge...but now things have changed...strange times we are living in professor...very narrow section...but mine withstood the test of time...i have had the vac700r for a couple of years now and its still standing strong. great workhorse pen.

[@RobertMaguire67]

Unrelated has Hamish done a disassembly video on the Opus 88 pens…..I need to sort out a good cleaning and dont know what all can be done to take it apart to clean it. Thanks in advance for pointing me to a video already done or any advice Dr. Brown.

[@bethg7026]

The upside down writing sample...I doubt it was intentional when you recorded it, but I love the quirkiness of it! In the US this pen is around $80...so kind of the high end of entry level pens. To me that seems appropriate, it's a clear acrylic pen with a steel jowo nib, but the extra touch of being a vac filler elevates it above the Eco.

[@mohammedshoeb4636]

Have two TWSBI Vac 700R Iris: One B and one 1.1 Stub Awesome pens I like heavy pens The step doesn't bother me

[@lizpilgrim1]

I tend to agree with you about it being too expensive, when you can get an Asvine V126 for approx $50 CAD and it's a smooth writer.

[@davideselmin8018]

It writes well but it is very heavy and in addition to this, the vac system has stopped working so i fill it up as if it were an eyedropper.

[@AeroDr]

AU$150-160 (USD100-105) inc taxes here in Australia with most retailers that stock it. The standard 700R is about AU$20-30 cheaper. It's a very nice looking pen but TWSBI's longevity is always a sore spot, their pens are prone to cracking in the longer term.

[@misswoodhouse5720]

I agree, there is many other pens that are appearing mostly on the Chinese market that are giving tswbi a run for their money now. Even PenBBS the 456, turned acrylic vac filler about 70aud and it doesn't have the step down. Or, what about Asvine, I'm this week going to order some Asvine's I hear they are brilliant. Twsbi are good and do have good after sales service but their is things I'm not sold on. I like the 580 alr, I enjoy this pen but the price was silly. Chelsea c:

[@Addwrite]

Where would one buy the O-rings when those supplied wore out?

[@theprof_001]

Cool review!!! 👍

[@neemancallender9092]

All the Twsbi 1.1 I have are all very smooth Have they fixed the spontaneous cracking I have two that self destructed

[@samsowden]

I had the cap break at the cap ring, got it replaced, replacement cracked at the exact same place... repaired it with milliput, now it looks really ugly.

[@johnsomers8269]

Has TWSB solved the cracking plastic problem? I agree the price is crazy!

[@danravenna2974]

Only 80USD in the US. Earlier pens cracked a little too easy. Recent ones crack only if you drop them on concrete/asphalt. 😆

[@belphegor_dev]

They haven't.

[@misswoodhouse5720]

hi Stephen, I want to love the Vac 700 R but that step down is rather uncomfortable. I like the Diamond 580, but I wish Twsbi would make a diamond 580 with a larger nib, now there's an idea if your watching twsbi we the people want a 580 with a number #6 nib Chels c:

[@Skinbom]

I’m sitting here with a Vac 700R Iris version that had the section break right where it screws together. #TWSBI sent me the wrong section to replace it. In the meantime, the cap broke right at the cap band. Mine is bad batch of plastic that it doesn’t seem that they want to replace. I HIGHLY don’t recommend #TWSBI pens because you never know if you’ll get a good one or not. I have other TWSBI’s that I have no issue with, but this Iris V700R is total junk.

[@catwhisperer911]

I feel that TWSBI has a lot of missed potential because it hasn't listened to potential buyers, myself included, about aspects of its pens that need to be improved before even considering a purchase. Those improvements are: 1) The vac filler's section is way too thin for even small hands and the dropdown from the barrel is ridiculously large making the pen unusable by many. 2) The nibs on their other models are #5s, making the pens look disproportionately large and bulky compared to the nib which would be addressed by going to the larger #6 nibs. These are of course my own opinions and those of quite a few others as well. I have personally written with numerous TWSBI pens and they have all been good writers at their price level. I just hope TWSBI becomes more responsive to some healthy criticism. Thanks for sharing.

[@Taib89]

Hi

[@ArjanD78]

It has been a while since we've seen Hamish...

[@klockwerklime3706]

Regarding the up-charge for the stubs: it's my experience, and many I have met seem to agree with me, that some sort of modification seems to be done on those feeds to meet the increased ink demand. Multiple tests swapping nibs have demonstrated that, when you put a fine on a TSWBI that originally had a stub, it writes wetter than it does on a TWSBI feed that came with some other sized nib.

[@danielklopp7007]

The only thing preventing me from buying this pen is the rather skinny section (I have large hands).

[@chubbz86]

The writing sample is upside down……lol

[@konradyearwood5845]

It is the second time Stephen has done it but I think it shows the writing action better, plus I can read upside down. The really funny aspect is unless you lock the screen rotating your tablet or phone does not work.

[@george-pj7gi]

Watching you write upside down is. Annoying

[@dennismanning3964]

expensive

[@belphegor_dev]

It really isn't.