TWSBI SWIPE Fountain Pen - Prussian Blue
The SWIPE is the newest model from TWSBI. It comes with three different filling mechanisms: a spring loaded piston converter, a traditional twist piston converter, and TWSBI proprietary ink cartridges. One of each is included! You can also fill the entire barrel with ink with an eyedropper.
This pen has an opaque prussian blue body and cap, a clear grip section so you can see your ink flowing, and has a push/snap cap. It is completed with a silver stainless steel nib.
The SWIPE uses the same #4 size nib as the TWSBI ECO and the TWSBI GO. It can also accept standard international ink cartridges.
- Condition
- New
- Brand
- TWSBI
- Type
- Fountain Pens
- Color
- Blue
- Demonstrator
Whether or not the barrel of the pen is translucent, allowing you to see the ink and filling mechanism inside.
- No
- Body Material
- Resin
- Cap Type
How the cap is opened/closed from the barrel of the pen. Some common options include Snap-Cap, Screw-Cap, Magnetic Cap, or Capless (no cap).
- Snap-cap
- Compatible inks & refills
Which ink this pen will accept. Choices include bottled ink and various styles of pre-filled ink cartridges.
- Bottled inks, Standard international short cartridges, Proprietary TWSBI ink cartridges
- Filling Mechanism
How the pen fills with ink. Click here to watch our video tutorial on common filling mechanisms.
- Cartridge, Converter, Eyedropper
- Grip Material
- Resin
- Nib Size
- Extra-Fine, Fine, Medium, 1.1mm Stub
- Nib Color
- Silver
- Nib Material
- Steel
- Postable
Whether or not the cap fits securely onto the back of the barrel when open.
- Yes
- Retractable
Whether or not the nib/tip can retract into the body of the pen (usually for click or twist-open style pens).
- No
- Trim
- Silver
- Diameter - Body
- 13mm (0.51in)
- Diameter - Cap (without clip)
- 13.6mm (0.54in)
- Diameter - Cap (with clip)
- 15.4mm (0.61in)
- Diameter - Grip (mm)
Measured from the place most people choose to rest their fingers, which varies with each pen.
- 9.0mm
- Length - Body
The measurement from the back end of the barrel to the tip of the nib.
- 126.7mm (4.99in)
- Length - Cap
- 58.8mm (2.31in)
- Length - Nib
The measured length of the visible portion of the nib when it is installed in the pen, from grip to tip.
- 17.3mm (0.68in)
- Length - Overall (Closed)
- 138.1mm (5.44in)
- Length - Overall (Posted)
When the cap of the pen is posted onto the back of the pen body, this is the measurement of the entire pen including the nib.
- 164.9mm (6.49in)
- Weight - Body
If a converter is included with the pen, this weight is reflected in the total.
- 10g (0.35oz)
- Weight - Cap
- 6g (0.21oz)
- Weight - Overall (g)
- 15.0g
- Max Ink Capacity - Cartridge
The maximum volume of ink that can fit in the pen when using a cartridge.
- 1.46ml
- Max Ink Capacity - Converter
The maximum volume of ink that can fit in the pen when using a converter.
- 1.65ml
- Max Ink Capacity - Eyedropper
The maximum volume of ink that can fit in the pen when filling the entire barrel of the pen via eyedropper.
- 5.64ml
Customer Reviews
I am a new fountain pen user and had no idea where to start but watched Drew's video on starter pens and decided to try out the Swipe with a medium tip. I'm glad I did! I go back and forth if I like the medium point and will definitely try a fine point with my second pen, whenever that is. I love that this came with a cartridge, converter and spring loaded converter so that I could try all three. I'm not sure I like the spring loaded although I've only used it with the sample tube, maybe it will work better with a larger ink bottle. I do like the converter, I think it's really simple to use. I noticed a few folks commenting on skippage and feel like that is happening if I post the cap. If I write with it unposted, then there is almost no skipping. Bleed through is variable based on the paper of course and is worse after I first clean the pen until the leftover water is gone. Once that happens, then there has been minimal bleed through even on plain old college rule loose leaf filler paper...with the exception of when I used the ink that came with the pen. There was a LOT of bleed thru with that! Like others, I find the clip useless, good thing I don't think I'll need it.
Yes, the barrel is plastic...but this IS a starter pen. You want something heavier, maybe resin? Spend more, but for the price, this is perfect to get started.
I bought a stub nib Eco, and I really liked the pen and the nib. I bought this Swipe also with a stub nib, and it’s great. It might be a little plasticky (?) for some people, but it’s really comfortable to write with. I like the ink fill options, although I’ve only used the spring loaded piston fill so far. This is one of my favorite pens. I smile when I pick it up.
The Twsbi Swipe is an affordable and dependable way to try a new nib. The stub on this one is very generous. Writes beautifully.
This is my 4th pen and I was looking for a stub nib experience. I chose the Swipe over the Eco because it looks more like a pen and less like a hypodermic syringe. Love the ink window though. I chose the plunger type converter and it's nice. The cap is nice and light but I usually don't post it. I took a star away from the review because of the clip not being very useful or sturdy.
The Swipe is currently inked with Diamine Oxblood. The pen has a 1.1 stub nib. It has a bit of feedback, but not too much and writes well.
FAQs about Fountain Pens
How do I fill a fountain pen with ink?
It depends on the pen's filling mechanism, which you can find in the Technical Specs section above.
Here's a quick definition of the most common filling mechanisms:
- Cartridge - A small, disposable, sealed plastic reservoir that holds fountain pen ink. These come pre-filled with ink, and typically you just push to insert them into place and you'll be ready to write! Check out our quick guide here.
- Converter - A detachable and refillable ink reservoir that allows you to use bottled ink in a cartridge-accepting pen. Typically you will install the converter into the grip section, dip the nib/feed into the ink, and twist or pull the converter knob to draw ink into the converter. Here's a video for how to fill a cartridge/converter pen using a LAMY pen as an example.
- Eyedropper - A pen that utilizes the entire barrel as a reservoir for ink. Ink is directly filled into the barrel, allowing for a high ink capacity. Here's a video on how to do it!
- Piston - A type of filling system that uses a retracting plunger inside a sealed tube to draw ink into a pen. They are typically either twist or push-operated. These pens cannot accept cartridges or a converter, and only fill from bottled ink.
- Vacuum - A push-style piston that uses pressure to fill the large pen body with ink. They seal the ink chamber when closed, making it ideal for flying without risk of leaking. Check out our video on how to use a vac filler here.
Check out more info on these filling mechanisms including a video on how to fill each one on our blog.
How do I clean a fountain pen?
It depends on the filling mechanism, but it mostly comes down to flushing it out with water, and sometimes a little bit of Pen Flush if the ink is really stuck.
It's a bit easier to show than to tell, so we've put together a few quick videos showing you the process:
How often do I need to clean my fountain pen?
We recommend a good cleaning every 2 weeks, and any time you change ink colors.
Water will usually do the trick, but we recommend you use our Goulet Pen Flush if the ink has been left in the pen for a while and could have dried up, or when you’re switching ink colors.
My pen won’t write! What do I do?
First things first... make sure you have ink in the pen! Be sure that the ink cartridge or converter is seated properly in the pen, and that you aren't out of ink.
We always recommend you give your pen a good cleaning first, using our Goulet Pen Flush, or a drop of dish soap in some water. New pens often have some machining oil residue left in the feed, so a good cleaning often does the trick first.
If that still doesn't work, try priming the feed. This consists of either dipping your pen nib and feed in ink, or forcing ink from the converter down into the feed.
If it’s still not working after that, please reach out to us so we can help!
What's your return policy?
You can submit a return request within 30 days of your order date. You can read all our Return Policies here.
To initiate a return, please submit a request at the Return Portal. Our Customer Care team might reach out to you for more information.
Please note we are unable to accept a return of any Namiki or Sailor Bespoke fountain pen for any reason once it has been used with ink. Please thoroughly inspect and dry test the pen before use.