Platinum Curidas Fountain Pen Review

If there was an award for the most anticipated stationery product of 2020, the Platinum Curidas would be the runaway winner.

In development for years prior to release, the Curidas hype train officially pulled out of the station at the beginning of the year. I mean, who wouldn’t be excited for a reasonably priced, good quality, retractable fountain pen? I know I was.

That hype continued through its early release. Yes, there was pricing confusion brought on by Platinum themselves, pulling back from their standard retail pricing of 20% off MSRP to full MSRP, but I don’t think that snafu lowered anticipation in the least. It just gave us as a community something to talk about.

What we really wanted to discuss was the pen itself, and the initial reviews were positive. The only hang up early on was with the bump located on the back side of the barrel that affected the grip area for some users. A bump that many of us, myself included, never noticed in Platinum’s early marketing photos. Good job by them for hiding it well, I guess?

As these early looks at the pen trickled in, a new issue cropped up with the wide release of the Curidas, as delivery was pushed back from February to April - at least in the US market. There was some early availability, like in the UK at special release events, but most of us were still waiting. Again, not really a big deal, but another “thing” to discuss surrounding this pen.

By the time I received mine in early April, I was nearing Curidas-hype burnout. But as with most new products, once it actually got in my hands I was excited to test it out.

My initial thoughts about it were tempered. I felt it was an ok pen, with a just-too-wide barrel and a bump that gets in they way of my low grip. But I liked the idea of it, and kept using it to see if my thoughts would change with continued use.

Then crack-gate hit.

What started as the discovery of a few cracked feeds where the nib clamps onto it, turned into a widespread, high rate of failure, issue. Once news started to spread I gave mine the once-over. I didn't see anything glaring at first, but upon closer inspection, it stood out like a sore thumb: A crack running nearly the full-length of the right side of the feed.

Platinum responded to the issue quickly, and offered replacements through the original point of purchase. I haven’t gone that route with mine yet because it doesn’t affect the performance of my Curidas. It will eventually, and I’ll have it replaced.

At this point, I began to wonder if the Curidas was cursed. What started as a hype train lead into a derailment. Yet, I couldn’t put it down.

Pilot Vanishing Point, bottom.

The more I used it, the more I enjoyed it. My main holdup, as I mentioned above, is the barrel diameter. This is a wide pen. I have a place for wide pens in my arsenal, but I prefer if they have some sort of taper, or concave area, in the grip section. The retractable Pilot Vanishing Point tapers toward the grip. The retractable Lamy Dialog 3 doesn’t. Having a straight-sided, wide-barrel causes more tension in my grip, leading to shorter writing sessions due to my hand getting tired.

What I have found with the Curidas is that it thrives in shorter writing sessions. This is a note-taking pen for me, not a journaling for page after page pen. And the retractable nature of it is perfect for that - at my desk.

I want the Curidas to be a more portable EDC-type pen, but it is too large for that. The Vanishing Point is better for that use case, and is a better pen overall.

That doesn’t mean there isn’t a place for the Curidas in the market. Platinum invested in this idea for a reason: There is no other retractable fountain pen close to this price point. My gut tells me that this is just the beginning of the Curidas. If they can make a few tweaks here and there, and tighten up the QC, it will no longer be just a curiosity. It will be a solid choice for users wanting a good retractable fountain pen experience.

(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

---

Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, for which I am very grateful.

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!

Benu Grand Scepter Fountain Pen Review

(Sarah Read is an author, editor, yarn artist, and pen/paper/ink addict. You can find more about her at her website and on Twitter. And check out her latest book, Out of Water, now available where books are sold!)

I love browsing my pen box and seeing what pen I'm in the mood for, but some pens are a mood unto themselves. The Benu Grand Scepter is one of those pens. The original Scepter is fancy enough, but slap the word Grand in front of it, and I feel like using it should have a dress code that includes a tiara. I'm game.

The Grand Scepter is the same size and shape as the Scepter--it's only the nib that differs, with the Grand sporting a larger #6 nib instead of the original's #5. It does indeed lend a better balance to the overall appearance, I think, but both are fantastic pens. If you like a bit of bling.

The Scepter pens are shaped acrylic, with swirling facets around the pen that end in twin flared, gem-shaped ends. It's an odd shape, and doesn't look terribly comfortable, but it is surprisingly nice to hold. The flared end balances the section nicely, and the wider part rests against the hand. The grip section, which is plain black, is quite narrow, adding to its somewhat odd silhouette, but it is also a comfortable fit for me. The slightly tapered end of the grip prevents slipping too far, and the step-up to the threads and body is far back enough that it doesn't interfere with the hold at all.

The cap screws on, and ends in a black cap band with the word "Benu" embossed on it. Its shape mirrors the facets of the body, and when closed, all of the facets line up--a feat which impresses me greatly, as I've seen far fancier pens fail to do this. Of course, with the flared ends, this pen does not post at all.

This is my third Benu pen, and so far all have had excellent nib performance. Just the right amount of ink flow, with smooth lines and the perfect amount of feedback. This Grand Scepter has a broad nib, and it lays down a smooth trail of ink like hot butter on glass. It will be perfect for shimmer inks, because why not add even more sparkle?

The glittery look of the Benu Scepter is created by suspending some seriously sparkly flakes in the acrylic itself, which creates a beautiful depth to the look. Some of the acrylics even glow in the dark, lending luminosity to an already bright effect.

These pens are wild and certainly won't appeal to everyone, but they're well-made and write beautifully. The fact that it makes me feel like a queen is an added bonus. I shall use it to write my royal decrees.

(BENU provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

---

Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, for which I am very grateful.

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!

Nakaya Neo Standard Shinobu Blue with Elastic Nib: A Review

(Susan M. Pigott is a fountain pen collector, pen and paperholic, photographer, and professor. You can find more from Susan on her blog Scribalishess.)

Ahhhh. Nakayas. Nobody warned me that buying one Nakaya would lead to buying another and another and another. I honestly thought I might own one or two at most because they are freaking expensive. But then I scroll through the Nakaya listings at Nibs.com, swallow hard, contemplate the beauty, and rationalize why I must have another one.

The Nakaya Shinobu in blue is a pen I've coveted for a long time. I was entranced by the fern pattern carved delicately into the ebonite. One evening, depressed over signing my terminal contract as a professor, I pressed the "buy" button on the Shinobu at Nibs.com. The next day, remorseful, I sent an email, requesting that they cancel my order. But during the pandemic, no one was monitoring emails, and two days later, I received confirmation that my pen with its special elastic nib was ready to ship. What's a girl to do--send it back? Are you kidding???

All Nakayas come in a softwood box lined in red velveteen and wrapped in a pen kimono.

When I removed the Shinobu from its kimono, I gasped, stunned, as always, by the craftsmanship and beauty. I took the pen into our Florida Room to see it in sunlight. It glows as if it were lit from within.

The base color of the pen is black urushi. Nibs.com describes the crafting process:

Many stages go into making the special surface of this pen. First layers of urushi lacquer are applied over the natural hard rubber. Then the pattern is hand engraved into these layers followed by an application of blue pigment, first applied then removed leaving traces in the carved crevices.

Look at the exquisite details:

Even the grip is carved:

I was excited to find the Shinobu in the Neo Standard, a model I did not yet own. The Neo Standard is lightly tapered at both ends, and the barrel has a subtle curve.

This is a medium-sized pen, measuring 5.9 inches/150 mm capped and 5.3 inches/135mm uncapped. You cannot post the cap. Although the barrel at its widest is about 15 mm, the grip is only 10 mm. Ebonite pens are not heavy. The Neo Standard weighs 24 grams capped and 20.5 grams uncapped and inked. The pen is perfectly balanced in the hand.

I chose a medium soft, two-toned nib and requested the elastic modification. An elastic nib is created by cutting out notches on each side of the nib. This customization gives the nib a bounciness similar to a paintbrush. It lends the nib some line variation, but not as much as a flex nib.

Out of all the different nib styles, the elastic nib is my absolute favorite. It is like writing with a paintbrush, but with much more control. The nib makes writing soothing and pleasurable. It's meditation with a pen!

The base price for a Nakaya Neo Standard Shinobu in blue is $1,800. Yup. This baby is expensive. You will pay more for a two-toned vs. single-toned nib, and the elastic modification adds $100 to the total (_so_ worth it!)

I was lucky that Nibs.com had this pen in stock when I decided to click "buy." A pen like this can take twelve or more months to arrive if it is not in stock. I promise that it's worth the wait, though!

(I purchased this Nakaya Neo Standard Shinobu in blue with my own funds.)