TWSBI 'Micarta' and Edison 'Beaumont'

TWSBI '580'

      A pen that has been rated one of the best in it's price range, one that has been made from a unique material, and a gorgeous example of grassroots craftsmanship. Which 3 pens will these be pushing out of the drawer?

    The TWSBI 580 is highly regarded as the best pen for what you pay for in a $50-$100 price range. When I originally bought the TWSBI Classic I did test this pen but didn't like the idea of how it didn't post. I wasn't sure what I would do with the cap and chances are it would fall off my desk. I came to own this pen as a result of purchasing the Micarta, the owner included it for an additional $10, I couldn't say no. Besides it featured a 1.5mm italic nib that I was interested in trying.

    Micarta is a material commonly found in knife handles and is produced in a similar manner as fiberglass is. The result is a hard durable material that I imagine is not conducive to pen fabrication but TWSBI had done it. The Micarta pen is entirely made of this material with the exception of the nib, feed, and converter.

   The Edison Pen Co. founded in the US by Brian Grey. Brian wanted to make his own pens and did so by hand in his workshop. His operation was small but his craftsmanship and design principles caught the attention of many. As a result Edison Pen Co. grew and I would image the rest is a story best told by Brian. The 'Beaumont' model is part of Edison's production line of pens and can be found at many pen boutiques but if you are looking for something special Edison Pen Company will custom make a pen that you will not see on store shelves. The bedrock flake material captivated my attention from the moment I saw it in the display at Wonderpens, it took some saving and patience but finally squirreled away enough money to buy it plus an additional nib to sweeten the experience.

    I will work on reviewing these pens in future posts and update the drawer, hopefully the decision comes easy.