sometime in December of last year 2011, i found out a good friend was coming home from the US. so, as usual, i had to ask if he can do me a favor and bring home a small item for me. when it comes to pens, it is usually a simple and inexpensive matter to have it shipped directly to me but i could not order this pen myself since the Ebay site of TWSBI won't ship to the Philippines. i usually do not even order from sites like this (i can't help but feel a bit slighted) because i do not think it is particularly problematic to ship to here. i have done it many times with no issues thus far. however, i had to make an exception with this pen. judging from all the reviews and from an earlier version, the TWSBI 530, which i have seen from one of the penmeets here, i KNEW just *had* to have one.
it looked expensive and well-made. (but it costs just US$50.00 before shipping). i also find those 2 clear, plastic "anchors" that latches the pen very securely in its box pretty cool. there was even a wrench and a small bottle of silicone grease underneath that white hood. impressive, eh? and that is because this pen can be completely disassembled for cleaning (and i suppose, for parts replacement if needed) see it on my unboxing video down below or click the link to watch on youtube.
once you get it inked up, you fall even more in love with it because, being a demonstrator pen, it displays a lovely ink color very well. i loaded it up here with one of my most favorite, the Pilot Iroshizuku in Yamabudo color.
you can already probably guess by how gushy and enthusiastic i am about this pen that not only does it look good, it writes smoothly too. my nib here is an F and i am in love with it. i have a feeling it will stay for a long time in my daily pen arsenal.
*** my unboxing video ***