I bought myself a little green Christmas present in the form of the TWSBI Diamond 580 in Christmas green color ($50). The body of the pen, where the ink reservoir is, is still transparent but the cap and piston end are a lovely green color. It’s not a kelly green which I thought it might be but rather has just a hint of blue making it very unique color — like tender blue spruce maybe. The color tickles me.
I’ve owned a Diamond 540 and the 580 is pretty much identical in size, shape and weight. Since I gave my 580 away awhile ago, I can’t do a side-by-side, but to the naked eye, there is no distinct design difference. I think they just improved the materials to eliminate the cracking issue in the early 540 line.
The 580 shipped in the same cardboard outer box and clear plastic inner box that my 540 and TWSBI Mini arrived in. I like the packaging. Its pleasing to look at without feeling too over-the-top.
I ordered the 580 with an F nib and it has ended up being smoother than my previous EF nibs. I was pleasantly surprised with how smoothly it wrote and didn’t feel all that much broader than the EF.
The 580 in green is another fine product from TWSBI. If you’ve been considering adding a TWSBI to your collection, the 580 is a great option and is available in a lot of color configurations.
I have had consistently good experiences with TWSBI…I think I have 4-5 580s in Fine (including one in the black/rose gold combo), several 580s with a 1.1, a Mini (Fine) and a Vac 700 or two. Not a dud in the bunch. 🙂
Is it me or does that remind you of a vintage 1950’s kitchen, or an old refrigerator or something? Nice color:)
That’s why I like it so much! It totally looks like it would match an old Kitchenaid mixer!
I thought so too! Lol
It looks surprisingly good in that shade of green. I remember that color from my childhood when I used to play with watercolor, I think I called it emerald green. Anyway, as lovely as this is, I’d still get the 580 AL instead. Don’t wanna risk another cracked TWSBI section.
Just out of curiosity…you said in your review of the TWSBI Mini that the fine nib was too broad for your tastes. Did TWSBI change their nibs since you bought that one so that the fine nib and the extra-fine aren’t that different now?
Very observant. I think my tastes have changed as well as my expectations as to what an EF nib is particularly with a European nib. I should probably go back and do a follow-up review.
I finally caved and bought one of these while they are still available. It arrived today, and is my first TWSBI. I haven’t inked it up yet, as today is busy. I think the 580AL in green is soon to be on sale in the U.S. But Ana used this version in some of her photos, and this shade of green is more pleasing to me than the 580AL.
I chose a broad nib. I wish it had been sold with a 1.1. I might fill it with a sample of Diamine Safari, which tends towards olive green. Maybe not the best match, but I want to see that ink on paper.