TWSBI Precision Fountain Pen
This TWSBI Precision fountain pen has an aluminum body and grip with stainless steel trim. It is equipped with a stainless steel nib. Like all TWSBIs, it comes with a benchmark piston ink-filling mechanism and has all detachable parts.
It uses the same nib as the TWSBI Diamond 580; however the 580 nib unit itself is not compatible in the Precision. Only the nib is swappable.
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
- Silver/Grey
- Demonstrator
Whether or not the barrel of the pen is translucent, allowing you to see the ink and filling mechanism inside.
- No
- Body Material
- Aluminum
- Cap Rotations
For pens with a screw-cap closure, how many rotations it takes to uncap/recap the pen.
- 0.75
- 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
- Metal
- Nib Size
- Extra-Fine, Fine, Medium
- 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)
- 12.8mm (0.50in)
- Diameter - Cap (with clip)
- 14.4mm (0.57in)
- 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.
- 128.8mm (5.07in)
- Length - Cap
- 59.4mm (2.34in)
- Length - Nib
The measured length of the visible portion of the nib when it is installed in the pen, from grip to tip.
- 21.3mm (0.84in)
- Length - Overall (Closed)
- 136.9mm (5.39in)
- 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.
- 169.7mm (6.68in)
- Weight - Body
If a converter is included with the pen, this weight is reflected in the total.
- 20g (0.71oz)
- Weight - Cap
- 10g (0.35oz)
- Weight - Overall (g)
- 30.0g
- 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.
- 1.67ml
Customer Reviews
I’m giving it five stars because TWSBI customer service has always been exceptional with responses and making things right. I’ve had this pen for a few years and it has been a daily workhorse for me. As with a few other reviewers, my pen also snapped at the clear window just above the feed. TWSBI immediately responded when I emailed about repairs and sent me a new barrel. I covered the cost of shipping - $8 (which I did not mind), and I received a replacement barrel very quickly.
The little rubber gaskets on the finial eventually stretched and became worn with posting the cap. TWSBI sent me a small supply of replacement gaskets. The new gaskets made it difficult to post, but a very, very tiny dab of silicone grease rubbed into the gaskets allowed the cap to slide on and off with ease.
I use a fine nib in this pen and it writes like a dream for me. I get numerous compliments on the pen and I personally love the look of it. I hope they find a way to rectify the breakage issue. It’s a great pen.
I purchased my Twsbi Precision in November 2021 and it's been my daily work pen for taking notes in meetings, writing in a journal to unwind, and penning cards to friends. I've always capped it and it's never rolled off a table (due to it's faceted barrel); when it comes with me to work or on a trip it's in a padded backpack in a pen loop, so I was rather confused to uncap it at my office last week and the nip unit and part of the barrel to fall off and the ink to drain onto my desk. I looked through reviews here to see if this is common and it appears Bradley F had the same issue recently. I've contacted Twsbi to inquire about the repair cost and process. I think the value is still high as the filling mechanism works great, the pen is thoughtfully designed, and it has a professional look without being formal. Ink capacity is excellent and the pen starts instantly--I've capped it tightly and put it in a drawer and two weeks later it will start up right away. However, the quality issue of the plastic barrel breaking at an area that cannot be user-repaired is a big problem. I'm also critical of the use of the two rubber gaskets to secure the cap for posting and the gasket that seals up the cap to the body (they feel like they need replacement or can get chewed up while posting and capping). If the Precision had a more durable barrel (not sure how this one isn't as their all-resin demonstrators are quite robust) and there was a way around the rubber rings I think it'd be a solid 4 to 4.5 star pen.
I love this pen. When I use it, I use it every day for weeks at a time. Usually with high frequency, but with little writing (maybe about 50-100 words a day on average). This pen holds ink extraordinarily well. I'll sometimes slack on my journaling for months and months at a time, and it never seems to dry out. I can't remember a single time it didn't start for me, but if it occurred it would have taken no more than a single dip in a vial of water. It also just holds so much ink, I hardly ever have to refill it. The piston filling mechanism is nice, and it's nice to know I can take the pen apart and rebuild it pretty easily for any cleaning. It writes beautifully. I have a fine nib on it, and I believe it writes thicker than the Lamy Logo I used to use. I was pleasantly surprised I liked the weight and thickness of the pen, being I'd only ever used small pens. This was meant to be an upgrade from the Logo, as the plastic near the top of the Logo stripped it's metal paint and the cap started to fall apart on me. The Precision can definitely get scratched, but it's well beyond the quality of the Logo. The issue is that I've used this pen for two years, and I've had to get the barrel replaced from TWSBI twice now (Appreciation to Goulet for informing me that TWSBI would likely rectify the issue for me!). The acrylic ink window has cracked in the same way twice, at the end closest to the top (back) of the pen. The crack will start at one end, and begin leaking, then it doesn't take much afterwards for the pen to completely snap in half. I don't think I hold the pen particularly harshly, or write with it with a heavy hand. I am aware that I do hold my pen somewhat oddly, but I don't believe in such a way to put much significant pressure on that part of the pen. The first time I just opened it up one day to find it leaking, and the second time it broke as I was writing in my journal. I was hoping this would be a good, durable pen to last me a very very long time, but it's needed major replacements every year. TWSBI has made it right, with $9 payments for shipping a new barrel each time, but the fact is that I can't really trust the quality anymore. If TWSBI stops selling it, I'm afraid it will eventually break and be irreparable... something I was trying to avoid with the purchase of this pen. It doesn't really matter how maintainable other parts of the pen is if the body will just snap on you at any time.For the record, I keep a diluted Noodler's El Lawrence ink in it most of the time for the beautiful golden-tan like color you can get out of it. I saw another review in here containing the same issue, and they kept Noodler's Baystate blue in their pen. One can never say for sure it has to do with the ink, but I may move to keeping a new, non-noodlers ink in this next barrel when I get it and see how it goes.
I will be honest and say that I am brand new to using fountain pens, but I can say with honestly that ever since I have got this pen that it has been the best pen I have ever wrote with. It has enough resistance when writing to know that you are writing while also being smooth enough to glide across the paper. The piston filling mechanism is very simple which is great for me, a beginner at using fountain pens. And overall the pen is pretty much exactly what other more professional reviewers have said it is. If your worried about buying it I would recommend to do what I did and look at look at other reviews on here and to also simply search up some reviews on Google and YouTube! Overall a great pen, I am happy to have bought it.
This is a beautiful pen, with a very nice weight and feel. However, I have never enjoyed using this pen as much as I hoped I would because the fine (F) nib is not as fine as the F nibs on my other TWSBI pens, so this one writes too heavy for me. Another small annoyance is that the cap and body do not line up perfectly when screwed together. The worst part, however, is that although I have been a light user of this pen, the thin clear plastic part that connects the body to the nib has broken and the pen is now completely unusable. I had purchased this aluminum pen thinking that it would be the most durable pen I own, but it has turned out to be the most fragile and I can no longer even use it.
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.