Left Hook Pens

Nib: Stainless Steel Fine

Have you ever wanted a pen that was the color of yellow mustard? Well, the TWSBI special edition yellow Eco that came out this spring might be the pen for you!

This particular edition of the Eco is a very sunny yellow, perfect for spring. It is both the color of lemons and yellow mustard. Below I have the Eco pictured with my other yellow pens for comparison.

The Eco is a wonderful starter fountain pen if you’re willing to take apart your pen and use bottled ink. It has a generous ink capacity and an easy to maintain piston filler mechanism. The packaging comes with a handy plastic wrench to remove the piston, and a tiny container of silicone grease to keep the piston from sticking over time. While there are some instructions in the box for how to take apart the Eco, I’ve found it easier to watch a Video on how to do this correctly. The TWSBI feeds are fragile, and it’s easy to bend the fins. But if you were to break a feed, TWSBI will send you a new one for the cost of shipping. After filling this pen, it’s a good idea to gently twist the piston knob up to get rid of excess air in the feed in order to prevent burping.

The fine nib on the Eco is pleasant to write with. There is a little bit of feedback, but I’ve had no flow issues with varying writing angles. I can write with this pen sitting on the couch with my legs crossed, and I can write while sitting at a desk and the ink still flows. The cap has a three-quarter turn, which makes the Eco good for taking quick notes. The cap can be posted. It feels very satisfying to push the cap over the o-ring below the piston knob. For me, this pen feels balanced both posted and un-posted. Inside the cap there is a plastic inner cap to seal off the nib; it works very well as I have never had one of these pens dry out.

This pen has a round grip section, which makes it easy to get a comfortable grip without having to navigate raised bumps and edges. For those who like a molded grip, there is the Eco-T which has a slightly triangular grip section. The way that I hold a pen, my index finger rests in such a way that I prefer a round grip section.

There are a few different factors that make a fountain pen good for lefties. The nib needs to be able to handle being pushed across the page as opposed to being pulled. For side-writers and over-writers the nib needs to be able to handle writing at a vertical or near vertical angle. The nib also needs to be smooth enough so that the tines don’t catch on the page. While most fountain pens can be good for lefties, there are quite a few pens that offer very different writing experiences based on hand position. I’ve tried a pen and had it write fine and dry, and then my girlfriend who is right handed will try it, and it will write much wetter.

Overall I’ve had better luck with medium and broader nibs, but this TWSBI fine nib is great. Its line width is narrow enough that I can write small with it, and it has never felt scratchy. Some nibs feel better with different inks, but this TWSBI nib always writes well. For $30 USD, the TWSBI Eco is an excellent value. It comes in a whole rainbow of transparent and solid colors. There are five nib sizes to choose from: Extra-Fine, Fine, Medium, Broad and 1.1 mm Stub. My official rating is 5 smudged fingers out of 5. This post has been updated with a higher rating because you get a great pen for the price that will last a long time.