TWSBI ECO-T Fountain Pen - Saffron
The TWSBI ECO-T fountain pen boasts an incredible value with its piston filling system and affordable price. This special edition features a crystal clear acrylic barrel so you can see your ink level, and a solid saffron orange-yellow colored cap and piston knob. The pen cap has an inner cap to ensure a perfect seal when stored away. It is completed with silver trim and a silver stainless steel nib.
The ECO-T differs from the ECO in that it has a triangular grip section for ease of holding the pen, and triangular shaped cap and piston knob instead of hexagon.
TWSBI's belief is that it is important to allow the user to disassemble and reassemble the pen and completely experience the traditional aspects of owning and using a fountain pen. These pens also come packaged with a wrench and silicone grease. Neither of these accessories are intended to be used immediately, as they are for long-term care and maintenance. Additionally, please use extra care if you choose to disassemble the nib and feed, as the feed is very fragile.
- Condition
- New
- Brand
- TWSBI
- Type
- Fountain Pens
- Color
- Clear, Yellow
- Demonstrator
Whether or not the barrel of the pen is translucent, allowing you to see the ink and filling mechanism inside.
- Yes
- Body Material
- Resin
- Cap Rotations
For pens with a screw-cap closure, how many rotations it takes to uncap/recap the pen.
- 1
- 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).
- Screw-cap
- Compatible inks & refills
Which ink this pen will accept. Choices include bottled ink and various styles of pre-filled ink cartridges.
- Bottled ink
- Filling Mechanism
How the pen fills with ink. Click here to watch our video tutorial on common filling mechanisms.
- Piston
- Grip Material
- Resin
- Nib Size
- Extra-Fine, Fine, Medium, Broad, 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
- Diameter - Body
- 12.8mm (0.50in)
- Diameter - Cap (without clip)
- 14.9mm (0.59in)
- Diameter - Cap (with clip)
- 17.3mm (0.68in)
- Diameter - Grip (mm)
Measured from the place most people choose to rest their fingers, which varies with each pen.
- 9.5mm
- Length - Body
The measurement from the back end of the barrel to the tip of the nib.
- 131.6mm (5.18in)
- Length - Cap
- 60.4mm (2.38in)
- Length - Nib
The measured length of the visible portion of the nib when it is installed in the pen, from grip to tip.
- 18.5mm (0.73in)
- Length - Overall (Closed)
- 138.8mm (5.46in)
- 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.
- 167.5mm (6.59in)
- Weight - Body
If a converter is included with the pen, this weight is reflected in the total.
- 12g (0.42oz)
- Weight - Cap
- 9g (0.32oz)
- Weight - Overall (g)
- 21.0g
- Max Ink Capacity - Piston Vac
The maximum volume of ink that can fit in the pen when using the built-in piston or vacuum filling mechanism.
- 1.76ml
Customer Reviews
TLDR: Amazing pen for beginners who don't want to think about inks too much, but if you're into sampling it may not be the pen for you.
Overall I found this pen to be an exceptional starting point. Its what really got me into the hobby and I continue to use it to this day. However, I'd like to inform new purchasers of some downsides and issues I've encountered, and how to fix them.
One thing to recognize with this pen is that it's piston filler system makes use of small ink bottles more difficult. If you're the kind of person who wants to buy one pen, one big bottle of ink, and then set it and forget it, this is for you. However, I am a tinkerer and love to switch my inks. If you're like me, I would suggest going for a Converter style pen, and investing in some syringes.
What that really means for the average consumer is this: You won't have to get into the guts of this pen much. However when you do, it might be a handful. Getting inks OUT of the pen's feed can be difficult, in order to access the mechanism you must remove the piston assembly, and blow water/cleaner through that way. Or simply suck up and spit out water through the feed many times.
This limitation also means you cannot Eyedropper fill, or syringe fill the pen. Making use of 2ml samples quite difficult. (The nib is not fully submerged in them, meaning getting a good fill the standard way is borderline impossible in my experience.
My second big gripe is that the feed/nib sometimes begin to leak. I'm not sure if I just got a lemon, or if this is a common issue but if your pen often drops blobs of ink onto a page, I have the solution.
If when looking through the grip, the feed appears fully saturated by ink (to the extent no white light gets through) it has likely shifted forward. I personally fix this by gripping the sides of the spear shape on the nib, and apply a gentle pressure into the back of the pen. (A well seated feed is shown in the attached photos) This should cause the ink to stop pooling in the grip and let you hold the pen perfectly vertical without drips.
Lastly, I find the piston filler to be difficult to get back on perfectly, often having a small gap. This is likely a me issue, not being able to get the threads on perfectly.
I'd like to give a shout out to TWSBI for giving me all the tools I need to do the maintenance, its a very gratifying experience. It has been my workhorse pen for a semester and a half now, and has failed me rarely. I write about 15 pages of notes per week, and refill about every week and a half.
When you buy a TWSBI, you're buying a wonderful entry into the world of pens. It requires some minor day to day attention (Highly recommend checking the clearness of the grip before use) but is overall a stupendous piece that will carry you through thick and thin.
right out of the box I filled it with some Diamine Ancient Copper. placed nib to paper and wrote a page. consistent flow. nib glided across the paper. no catch no resistance, no scratch at all. very impressed with the ECO-T. I prefer a little feed back from the nib but its not a complaint.
I love the Eco pens.
Told myself no more TWSBI’s ! … but my evil twin did not listen to me… No regrets ! I love this color and it writes perfectly !
The recent TWSBT purchase met my expectations insofar as her smoothness of writing and flow of ink.
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.