This pen is perfect for me. As another user said, the EF nib does have some feedback. However, I don't like feedback and it isn't enough to bother me, so if you generally prefer EF you might still be happy with it.Also as another user said, it takes some effort to get it going. I filled it using the vacuum bottle though and when I dipped the nib in ink it seemed to "prime" it and it worked fine.It's very smooth and very dry, which is great for me because I write on low quality copy paper most of the time.I was worried I wouldn't like the untapered grip but my middle finger rests just below the threads for the cap and it fits perfectly. The grip is big but not bulky, which is perfect because I tend to hold pretty tightly.The reservoir is truly gigantic and ... MoreThis pen is perfect for me. As another user said, the EF nib does have some feedback. However, I don't like feedback and it isn't enough to bother me, so if you generally prefer EF you might still be happy with it.Also as another user said, it takes some effort to get it going. I filled it using the vacuum bottle though and when I dipped the nib in ink it seemed to "prime" it and it worked fine.It's very smooth and very dry, which is great for me because I write on low quality copy paper most of the time.I was worried I wouldn't like the untapered grip but my middle finger rests just below the threads for the cap and it fits perfectly. The grip is big but not bulky, which is perfect because I tend to hold pretty tightly.The reservoir is truly gigantic and takes on the color of the ink you put in it. It's really as demonstrator-y as you can get. I'm tempted to get several more for my other ink colors so I never have to drain and refill it.My favorite aspect of this pen is the weighting. It feels like I'm not even holding a pen. Each stroke is like the pen already knew where to go and I'm just supporting it on its way. I genuinely can't imagine a nicer experience.

Beautiful pen, BUT...

Despite the beautiful colors & finish of the TWSBI Iris Limited Edition pen, for anyone looking for any stub tip wider than 1.1mm, they're out of luck. Although TWSBI lists a 1.5mm stub tip as available for this pen on their page, trying to select that option will show that unavailable, & confirmed after contacting both TWSBI, & JoWo, the nib manufacturer.Sadly, those wishing for other sizes of replacement nibs than what is shown on TWSBI's page, will be left with scouring the interweb for compatible JoWo #6 compatible replacement nibs.The TWSBI vac700r nib housing assembly may be proprietary, but I quite doubt that the JoWo #6 replacement tips are.Having more options available, or at least, a list of compatible options, with source links, would have made this ... MoreDespite the beautiful colors & finish of the TWSBI Iris Limited Edition pen, for anyone looking for any stub tip wider than 1.1mm, they're out of luck. Although TWSBI lists a 1.5mm stub tip as available for this pen on their page, trying to select that option will show that unavailable, & confirmed after contacting both TWSBI, & JoWo, the nib manufacturer.Sadly, those wishing for other sizes of replacement nibs than what is shown on TWSBI's page, will be left with scouring the interweb for compatible JoWo #6 compatible replacement nibs.The TWSBI vac700r nib housing assembly may be proprietary, but I quite doubt that the JoWo #6 replacement tips are.Having more options available, or at least, a list of compatible options, with source links, would have made this a perfect pen worthy of a 5-star rating.I call them as I see them, & I am less than completely satisfied with this pen.

Beautiful pen; lovely writer, Interesting color

Ok, so if you've ever written with a Vac700, there's not much if anything new for most of this. The pen writes very smoothly from the start (mine is a medium). The vac filler system works flawlessly. The pen is a little longer than average (more like the size of a Pilot 823). The end cap is plastic on metal and I can imagine it wearing out with time. TWSBI filled the box with all the extras again: wrench, silicon grease, and O-rings should you need them.As far as why I needed this pen. The blue nib and accents are amazing. I like this even better than the Vac700 Iris. Because of the color blue, if you want to match the inks you can go a lot of ways here. Although your milage may vary, I find the blue to be deeper and darker than the photography above. I am using ... MoreOk, so if you've ever written with a Vac700, there's not much if anything new for most of this. The pen writes very smoothly from the start (mine is a medium). The vac filler system works flawlessly. The pen is a little longer than average (more like the size of a Pilot 823). The end cap is plastic on metal and I can imagine it wearing out with time. TWSBI filled the box with all the extras again: wrench, silicon grease, and O-rings should you need them.As far as why I needed this pen. The blue nib and accents are amazing. I like this even better than the Vac700 Iris. Because of the color blue, if you want to match the inks you can go a lot of ways here. Although your milage may vary, I find the blue to be deeper and darker than the photography above. I am using Colorverse Ham 65 and it is all kinds of matchy-matchy.Beautiful pen; lovely writer, Interesting color.

Gorgeous Pen at a Great Price

I have been using a TWSBI 580 ALR for some months now and really liked it. At the same time, I have been keeping an eye on the stunning looks of the Vac 700R Iris pen with the rainbow Titanium finish. I noticed that based on the popularity of this pen, TWSBI introduced a Diamond 580 in the Iris finish. Somehow, I conflated these two pens and assumed they were the same size. They are not. I wanted the Vac 700R for the vacuum filling system, a feature normally only seen on much more expensive models. When the pen arrived, I was pleasantly surprised to find that it is somewhat bigger than the 580, not only in length, but also in girth. I have big hands, so this was a welcome feature. I was also pleased to see it has the larger Number 6 nib (as opposed to the Number 5 ... MoreI have been using a TWSBI 580 ALR for some months now and really liked it. At the same time, I have been keeping an eye on the stunning looks of the Vac 700R Iris pen with the rainbow Titanium finish. I noticed that based on the popularity of this pen, TWSBI introduced a Diamond 580 in the Iris finish. Somehow, I conflated these two pens and assumed they were the same size. They are not. I wanted the Vac 700R for the vacuum filling system, a feature normally only seen on much more expensive models. When the pen arrived, I was pleasantly surprised to find that it is somewhat bigger than the 580, not only in length, but also in girth. I have big hands, so this was a welcome feature. I was also pleased to see it has the larger Number 6 nib (as opposed to the Number 5 nib on the 580.) The looks are simply gorgeous. As good as the photos on the website look, the real thing is even better. I did face the embarrassment of having the pen run out of ink in the middle of a meeting, but later remembered that the vac mechanism has to be released occasionally to allow ink to flow. While it takes a bit more effort to release that valve every now and then, the benefit will come when I travel, and I can make sure the valve is closed to prevent leakage. Overall, this is an eye-popping pen that writes reliably at an excellent price.

I like it a lot, but it's been a struggle. You NEED the inkwell btw.

I have taken this pen apart and done maintenance more times on it than any other in my small collection. It's rather hard to clean without full disassembly, plus, the feed, section, and nib being one solid piece makes it very hard to fix any issues. It skipped a lot with a medium nib, switching to broad almost mostly fixed that. Theres something about the big pen and fat grip that makes it hard for other people to write with. Whenever I have lent it to show it off, they say it skips without fail.You MUST have a vacuum inkwell to fill it, because it needs to be upside down submerged in ink to fill cleanly. If you are like me, and saw this thing and KNEW you had to have it because it's so cool, it will not disappoint. Unless you have giant hands, you should get the ... MoreI have taken this pen apart and done maintenance more times on it than any other in my small collection. It's rather hard to clean without full disassembly, plus, the feed, section, and nib being one solid piece makes it very hard to fix any issues. It skipped a lot with a medium nib, switching to broad almost mostly fixed that. Theres something about the big pen and fat grip that makes it hard for other people to write with. Whenever I have lent it to show it off, they say it skips without fail.You MUST have a vacuum inkwell to fill it, because it needs to be upside down submerged in ink to fill cleanly. If you are like me, and saw this thing and KNEW you had to have it because it's so cool, it will not disappoint. Unless you have giant hands, you should get the vac mini though.

Love it

I have a pretty big collection of TWSBI pens. Overall I've been pretty happy with them. I think the most important part is that people need to be very careful about overtightening things. They are made from polycarbonate which is super impact resistant but susceptible to environmental stress cracking. Because of this, they can take a big hit and not get broken, but polycarbonate does not do well with constant stress. If parts are overtightened, the plastic does not split right away and you will only know about it a few weeks later when it does actually split. When I buy a TWSBI, I unscrew the mechanism then gently retighten it until it just stops and does not come loose in normal use. I do the same for the cap when I cap the pens. With these precautions, I've never ... MoreI have a pretty big collection of TWSBI pens. Overall I've been pretty happy with them. I think the most important part is that people need to be very careful about overtightening things. They are made from polycarbonate which is super impact resistant but susceptible to environmental stress cracking. Because of this, they can take a big hit and not get broken, but polycarbonate does not do well with constant stress. If parts are overtightened, the plastic does not split right away and you will only know about it a few weeks later when it does actually split. When I buy a TWSBI, I unscrew the mechanism then gently retighten it until it just stops and does not come loose in normal use. I do the same for the cap when I cap the pens. With these precautions, I've never had any trouble.This is a very interesting pen. It has a vacuum filling mechanism like my Visconti Homo Sapiens pens, the Pilot Custom 823, and the Sheaffer Vac-Fil. All of these pens with the exception of the Sheaffer Vac-Fil have safety mechanisms of some kind to keep the pens from burping or leaking when they're running empty. Back when, it used to be common knowledge, and we used to fill our pens when "the ink starts running too freely" or they would start burping ink everywhere when running empty. This starts to become a problem with any pen that has more than 1.7ml of ink capacity or volume in the ink reservoir. The Visconti Homo Sapiens Demo Stones, Pilot Custom 823, and TWSBI Vac pens all get around this problem in some way. The Homo Sapiens uses a double chamber system like the Pelikan Level with a small front chamber connected to the nib and a large rear chamber to hold extra ink. Both the Pilot Custom 823 and TWSBI Vac deal with this problem like classic Japanese eyedropper pens with the shut off valve. With the Homo Sapiens Demo Stones, you only open the valve when the small front chamber runs out of ink, and the front chamber holds a bit under a cartridge full of ink. With the Pilot 823 and TWSBI Vac you need to open the valve whenever you write. While there is sometimes some residual ink that is in the feed, this is only enough for some sentences or signatures depending on the size of your nib. This process is pretty much exactly what you would do for a regular Japanese eyedropper pen with a shutoff valve. You do get used to it very quickly. It also doesn't feel as involved and monumental as extending a retractable safety pen (which I also have a bunch of and use regularly). Nowadays whether I'm using one of these TWSBI Vac or one of my eyedropper pens, I don't really have to think twice when I pick it up. I take off the cap and open the valve, and I close the valve before putting it back in my pencil case. The sensation of opening the valve is also very different from the feeling of turning a piston knob, so it's difficult to get them mixed up.Nibwise, these use the JoWo 6 nib. Most of my TWSBI pens including my Vac700R Iris have custom nibs. All of mine have come well aligned (be careful if you unscrew nibs, they can become easily misaligned this way if you are not careful). Since my nibs are customized, the flow and other things like smoothness are all the way I like them. There's really quite a bit you can do with the nibs and feeds these pens come with if you go the custom route. The feeds TWSBI provides are different than the ones that usually come with JoWo nibs and do support some very good flow out of the box. Out of the box, I also find that the JoWo nibs in TWSBI pens also have more consistency than the Bock nibs in Kaweco pens. It's a big contrast from my Visconti Homo Sapiens which all needed serious nib work out of the box before they would even write properly. My Viscontis do all write like a dream now, but this pen wrote great out of the box and is even better now after the nib got fully customized. This is pretty much as good as it gets.I've been writing with this pen since I got it, and I've been hugely enjoying it. The nib one mine is customized so it's pretty perfect for me. I've been loving the design and filling mechanism of this pen, and I hope to get more in the future. The pretty rainbow trim really does make it stand out, and I love the faceting on the cap and the blind cap. The filling system is also way smoother than any of my Visconti Homo Sapiens Demo Stones pens. It's silky like on the Pilot Custom 823. If you do get one, make sure nothing is overtightened. Loosen and tighten until it stops. Don't expose it to solvents other than fountain pen ink, harsh chemicals (or citrus detergent), or excessive UV light and it should be good for a long time. All of these degrade pens, but strong solvents, citrus detergent, and overtightening will make polycarbonate more likely to crack or craze. Polycarbonate is super impact resistant, so big hits are less of an issue than with other pens.

Most likely a defect but it was an amazing pen while it lasted.

I loved this pen. It writes amazingly and I loved using it. Unfortunately I don't get the opportunity to write with them very often so its not uncommon for me to leave ink in them for long periods of time (no more than a month without use). now. I understand that this will dry out the nib and I've gone through cleaning after cleaning on my pens (with just water) as i know I've dried them out. I know that this will also cause the ink well to sometimes change in color slightly depending on the material its made out of as well as the ink material. Unfortunately this pen did not survive the first instance of ink left in its ink well. I specifically pay more for the best material pens so that i can enjoy them longer and have a better writing experience. Unfortunately the ... MoreI loved this pen. It writes amazingly and I loved using it. Unfortunately I don't get the opportunity to write with them very often so its not uncommon for me to leave ink in them for long periods of time (no more than a month without use). now. I understand that this will dry out the nib and I've gone through cleaning after cleaning on my pens (with just water) as i know I've dried them out. I know that this will also cause the ink well to sometimes change in color slightly depending on the material its made out of as well as the ink material. Unfortunately this pen did not survive the first instance of ink left in its ink well. I specifically pay more for the best material pens so that i can enjoy them longer and have a better writing experience. Unfortunately the material of this ink barrel didn't seem to hold up with ink left in it for about a month. The ink left in it was Noodlers Tokyo Gift (an ink i love to use). as you can see in the pictures its a very red ink. This ink has been left in my other TWSBI line pens that are much cheaper and has never stained this badly and this is the first time I've ever seen an ink, what looks like, erode the inside of the internal inkwell of a pen. I bought this pen in October 12th 2021. And in February the following year it became like this. I have tried, since then, several things (keeping in mind what can and can't be used in fountain pens) to try and clean this, and still almost two years later I still have not been able to clean this. Which is a shame because all of the other TWSBI line pens I have received from this website (which is an amazing website and not their fault in the slightest) have never had this problem. I know that its too late to expect a return or be sent another part to replace it and I will purchase a replacement part eventually to be able to use this wonderful pen again, I just wanted to warn anyone, in case this is not a defective product to try not to be like me and leave ink in this pen if you are not using it for a while and I urge you, if you find this has happened, to immediately ask the manufacture or the seller about this and not wait the two years that I did trying to find a solution. But as amazing as this pen is, I can no longer use this pen until I have a replacement part due to the fact I do not feel safe in case this corrosion will affect my nib if I add another ink to it. The five stars is purely for the writing experience that I had with it. And I hope this is just a 1 in a million chance defect and I was unlucky enough to obtain it. If I can not replace the part I will buy this pen again and will simply not put so much ink inside so I'm not put off at emptying it when I know I won't use it for a while. But until then it will be a sad reminder of the nice experience I had with it. Its a beautiful pen. I implore you to experience it for yourself.

Number Three (and counting?)

My first one took a high dive from my shirt pocket, and the cap broke on the tiled floor. I didn't think of contacting TWSBI to ask about a cap for this limited edition pen until a few days later.My second one went AWOL.My third one will begin wending its way to me on Monday morning. And I didn't buy three because I like spending money pointlessly. I bought three because it fills a definite need.The medium nib glides across the paper as though on wings of thought. The nib starts imediately upon being bidden to do so. And the shutoff valve incorporated with the vacuum filler renders the pen virtually immune to burping and belching. It also closes off the ink reservoir from ambient air, which is a consideration for one using TWSBI's Blue-Black ink with its iron ... MoreMy first one took a high dive from my shirt pocket, and the cap broke on the tiled floor. I didn't think of contacting TWSBI to ask about a cap for this limited edition pen until a few days later.My second one went AWOL.My third one will begin wending its way to me on Monday morning. And I didn't buy three because I like spending money pointlessly. I bought three because it fills a definite need.The medium nib glides across the paper as though on wings of thought. The nib starts imediately upon being bidden to do so. And the shutoff valve incorporated with the vacuum filler renders the pen virtually immune to burping and belching. It also closes off the ink reservoir from ambient air, which is a consideration for one using TWSBI's Blue-Black ink with its iron gall formulation.Ambrea said, "I would definitely recommend this pen to fellow writers". I will second that recommendation unreservedly.

TWSBI Vac700R - daily writer

The TWSBI Vac700R is my go to pen on a daily basis, and I have several of themClear, Iris, and Kyanite Bluefilled with different inks. The pens are reasonably priced, although you do pay a premium for the Iris and Kyanite Blue. Both of those pens are attractive, and the nibs are elegant. However, its not the appearance of the pens that brings me back to them. I use these pens daily because they always start. I dont have to fiddle with them no matter how long theyve been in my pen caddy. Nor does the type of ink bother them. The vacuum filling system works perfectly, and you can easily put 2 milliliters of ink into the 700R. Before you begin to write, just remember to unscrew the knob at the end of the pen to allow ink to flow into the nib. The nibs, both fine and ... MoreThe TWSBI Vac700R is my go to pen on a daily basis, and I have several of themClear, Iris, and Kyanite Bluefilled with different inks. The pens are reasonably priced, although you do pay a premium for the Iris and Kyanite Blue. Both of those pens are attractive, and the nibs are elegant. However, its not the appearance of the pens that brings me back to them. I use these pens daily because they always start. I dont have to fiddle with them no matter how long theyve been in my pen caddy. Nor does the type of ink bother them. The vacuum filling system works perfectly, and you can easily put 2 milliliters of ink into the 700R. Before you begin to write, just remember to unscrew the knob at the end of the pen to allow ink to flow into the nib. The nibs, both fine and medium, release a good flow of ink, and I would classify them as being wet writers. I havent tried a broad or a stub nib, however, so I cant comment about how they write. In short, I really like these pens: theyre attractive, inexpensive, and dependable.

This isn't the pen I ordered!

The TWSBI Vac700R Clear Fountain Pen initially disappointed me, as I received an Extra Fine nib instead of the Medium nib I ordered. However, my curiosity about TWSBI’s renowned vacuum filler mechanism convinced me to try it. The filling process is remarkably straightforward: retract the plunger, submerge the nib in your ink bottle—I'm using Noodlers Ink—press the plunger, and watch the pen fill effortlessly.Despite my initial frustration, the Vac700R writes beautifully, even with the Extra Fine nib. I still prefer the Medium nib I love on my TWSBI Eco—it’s a dream to write with. I understand that the Vac700R is available in multiple nib sizes, and I hope swapping the nib is as easy as it is with the TWSBI Eco. This pen has potential, but my experience hinges on ... MoreThe TWSBI Vac700R Clear Fountain Pen initially disappointed me, as I received an Extra Fine nib instead of the Medium nib I ordered. However, my curiosity about TWSBI’s renowned vacuum filler mechanism convinced me to try it. The filling process is remarkably straightforward: retract the plunger, submerge the nib in your ink bottle—I'm using Noodlers Ink—press the plunger, and watch the pen fill effortlessly.Despite my initial frustration, the Vac700R writes beautifully, even with the Extra Fine nib. I still prefer the Medium nib I love on my TWSBI Eco—it’s a dream to write with. I understand that the Vac700R is available in multiple nib sizes, and I hope swapping the nib is as easy as it is with the TWSBI Eco. This pen has potential, but my experience hinges on the nib, which leaves me torn between a glowing review and one tinged with disappointment. Finally, the pen is "Five Star." My writing will be the same when I get a Medium nib.