A pocket-sized, piston-fill fountain pen almost sounds unheard of, doesn't it? When we scale down in pen size, it's often at the sacrifice of ink capacity. Not so with the TWSBI Mini. As we find in the video below, the smaller sibling of the Diamond 580 still packs a punch as an everyday writer.
TWSBI Mini Fountain Pen Overview
The TWSBI Mini takes all the parts you enjoy about the Diamond 580 - the clear, diamond-faceted barrel, the benchmark piston-filling mechanism, the detachable design, and the smooth-flowing stainless steel nib - and scales it down by 17%.
The Mini is a pocket-worthy fountain pen - perfect for smaller hands and those who need an on-the-go pen with high ink capacity. The internal piston mechanism can draw over 1ml of ink into the barrel. The mesmerizing visual of ink sloshing inside the pen is a signature feature of the Diamond 580 passed on to the Mini.
Besides its smaller size, the other key distinction of the Mini is the cap's ability to be screw-posted to the back of the pen.
The cap gently tapers from the wide ring at the opening to the clip and finial at the top. The wedding-ring style band has the TWSBI logo, the words "Mini," and "Taiwan" laser-etched into the polished surface. The round jewel atop the cap displays the red TWSBI insignia. An inner cap sleeve helps the nib stay freshly-inked while capped.
In the MiniAL model, TWSBI upgrades the front grip section and the piston mechanism with aluminum metal for a more substantial look and feel.
Here is the TWSBI Mini compared against the Diamond 580 fountain pen.
To accommodate most handwriting styles, the Mini features number 5 stainless steel nibs available in extra-fine, fine, medium, broad and 1.1mm stub tip sizes. You can swap with a replacement TWSBI Mini nib unit by unscrewing and replacing the section.
Filling the piston mechanism follows the same procedure as any internal piston-fill fountain pen. To take filling to the next level, TWSBI designed the Diamond 50 ink bottle - the perfect companion for easy, mess-free filling.
Removing the cap with one full turn and screwing it on the back with a half-turn, the TWSBI Mini extends to a similar length as writing with the unposted Diamond 580 fountain pen.
Side note - depending on where you start screwing the cap on, the clip might not align with the nib.
The posted length is comfortable and feels well balanced in hand. The grip is slightly smaller than the Diamond 580 but still maintains a comfortable hold. Watching the ink slosh in the barrel is a fun pastime while taking notes or doodling during boring meetings. The steel nib writes smoothly with a hint of feedback.
For those who write cap-in-hand, the Mini has a petite profile with a light weight.
To enhance the style and luxury of this pen, the Mini AL design has an aluminum grip section and piston mechanism. New editions, like the Mini AL Mint Blue, are released periodically throughout the year and are available for a limited time. So, be sure to sign up for the Goldspot e-mail newsletter to get all our updates on special and limited edition pens
When it comes to packaging, the TWSBI Mini is boxed in a clear, plastic rectangular box with rounded corners just like the Diamond 580. It also includes a wrench and bottle of silicone grease with instructions on how to disassemble and reassemble the pen should you need to thoroughly clean or maintenance your pen.
Do you own a TWSBI Mini fountain pen? Looking to get one in the near future? Let us know in the comments below. Thanks for checking out this pen review