Twiss Green Lizard Fountain Pen Review
18 July 2016
The Green Lizard is handmade by John Twiss here in the UK. It’s been made especially for United Inkdom and once we’ve all reviewed it we’ll be giving it away! This is a very special pen, for reasons that will soon become clear.
The pen comes with three JoWo steel nibs: fine, medium and 1.1mm stub. Obviously, I’ve been using it with the stub. It’s engraved with the Twiss logo. JoWo nibs are consistently good and this one is no exception. Smooth and with good flow, it’s a pleasure to write with.
The Green Lizard uses standard cartridges or converters and comes with a Schmidt converter. It’s a screw in kind, which threw me for a moment or two.
The cap screws on. It takes a little over four turns, which is… a lot. It posts securely but not deeply, making the pen very long. Although it’s possible, I wouldn’t recommend posting. The clip is simple but functional.
The barrel’s fairly slim but a good length, even unposted. It’s very light in the hand and so would, I’m sure, suit most people. The ebonite section is ever so slightly shaped and feels very comfortable. It’s comfortable pen in the hand.
The Green Lizard is all about the cap and barrel of course. It looks like a reptile all dressed up for a night out at a 70s themed nightclub. All sparkly. It’s different looking and shimmers in the light. The pattern spirals around the pen and you can see the joins.
I always enjoy signs that a pen’s been made, as long as those signs don’t suggest a lack of care or poor finishing. For me, then, these joins add to the appeal of the pen. If you’re blessed with an active imagination, you might even think of this as evidence that the barrel was made from strips of that poor lizard’s sparkly skin. Or jacket, if you would prefer a less gruesome provenance.
The truth, though, is even more exciting. The Green Lizard is made from a vintage cellulose acetate from the 1930s-40s that was discovered in a château in Le Mans. Isn’t that just wonderful?!
The barrel’s subtly stamped with the Twiss logo and month of manufacturer.
It’s no secret that I think John Twiss makes wonderful pens. I’ve interviewed him, visited him and reviewed two of his pens before. I’m the proud owner of two Twiss pens and have an order in for a third. The Green Lizard continues his fine track record of making high quality pens that look a little different and write beautifully.
As I mentioned at the top we’ll be giving this pen away on United Inkdom, so check back soon for further details!
Oh my, that is a beautiful finish!
holy smokes, that is one beautiful pen.
[…] Ian Hedley’s text-and-photos review […]
I would probably look for a green ink to use in this pen….
What a fascinating material.
The fact that it comes with 3 JoWo nibs is awesome
Lean, mean and green.
Wow, what a beautiful pen!
Thanks for the giveaway opportunity, Ian! This is an amazingly beautiful pen!
Tina
Wow what a pen!
Just beautiful! Thanks for your blog, and thanks for the giveaway!
Absolutely gorgeous!
That’s a fascinating pen. I find the stripy ebonite lurking within the iridescent snakeskin exterior rather sinister – like a rattler lurking in the woodpile! The celluloid reminds me of several French pens I have, from Old Chap and Gold Starry – it’s not the same but the marked reticulation and the depth of the colour and iridescence is similar. (I wish I could find a pile of old celluloid at a French car boot sale or in an old barn or chateau near us – I just have to depend on picking up pens one by one!)
I love the scales! A very creative design.
It looks like a dragon! Very cool.
My first impression, honestly, was not very enthusiastic. The nib was nice, but the clip could have been shaped as a snake or lizard tail, and all that green…
But, to tell the truth, I was keeping coming back to have a look. The pic with the cap shows almost a 3D effect, and that was cool.
I’m happy to have a chance to enter in the giveaway 🙂
Thanks!
I really love this pen-the story about where John Twiss got the material to make it is as awesome as the pen itself is! Thanks for the shot at the giveaway! 🙂
Very nice. Reminds me of a green wallet I once owned as a silly teenager.
It does look fascinating, a great idea well executed!
It seems like a very interesting pen. Thanks for the giveaway.
Lovely green shine, would love to win 🙂
Now that’s an interesting pen, the material looks like a fancy version of the one used in the green striped Pelikans. Would be lovely if it could join the vintage Pelikan 400NN that is currently the only cellulose acetate pen in my (for now unfortunately rather limited) collection.
What a beautiful pen!
That’s one pen that isn’t cold blooded for sure!
Beautiful pen. Thanks for the chance to win.
Amazing looking pen. I hope I get lucky. Thanks.
Comments are back!
Would love to have this in my pen case. Hope you ship to the US.
One of the prettiest pens I’ve seen in the last year. It’s on my wanted list for sure. My first encounter with a Twiss, but the name is now etched in my favourites.
Thanks for the giveaway opportunity.
Beautiful pen. Thanks for the review.
An amazing material, must be fun to work with!
The green on that pen is awesome. I bet it matches perfectly with Pelikan Aventurine ink!
Absolutely gorgeous!
What a beautiful pen. Love the texture and the color, look forward to seeing its performance!
Very striking. Thanks to John Twiss and United Inkdom for the giveaway.
Stunningly beautiful. What a great find that material was!
Oh my what a fantastic opportunity to win such a gorgeous pen, Thank you.
Well, this is an absolutely gorgeous pen! It looks practically alive at times!
And would work amazingly in my left hand I reckon! Not to mention adding a certain something to my scruffy sketches as my daughter likes to call them!
What a gorgeous pen!
Amazing pen in an amazing material!
Love the craftsmanship that went into this. It is a work of art.
Lovely pen!
Thank you for doing this!
Such a beauty!
wow , thats stunning .. am sure it will grab attention from all its onlookers
Ooh, the vintage material is very nifty indeed!
There is something incredibly special about vintage celluloids that modern materials are unable to replicate.