Posts filed under Pen Reviews

Platinum Plaisir Black Mist Fountain Pen Review

(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)

A few weeks ago, I reviewed the Platinum Procyon — a mid-tier fountain pen that had a very similar nib to the Platinum Preppy. At over $50, it can be a tough sell if you include the fact that it doesn't include a converter or any ink cartridges. On the other hand, the Platinum Preppy line is much cheaper, but they also look the part. Fortunately, the Platinum Plaisir is an upgrade to the thin plastic Preppy in the form of a sleek aluminum body and cap.

The Plaisir is a much more affordable alternative to the Procyon (and other higher end Platinums) that combines the best of the Preppy with higher quality materials in the body and cap. In short, it's a Preppy that doesn't look like a disposable pen. It's less than $20 and comes in a variety of colors, so you can probably find one that suits your tastes as long as you can get on board with the general aesthetic.

The outside of the pen features a thin aluminum material that has a nice texture that makes it grippy and fingerprint-resistant. The shape is pleasant and it feels great in the hand due to how light it is. The cap is a snap fit that works beautifully. Platinum call this the "Slip and Seal" system (same system they use on the Preppy), meaning the cap makes a great seal with the grip section so that the nib doesn't dry out between uses. I've let this pen sit for 6 weeks (on purpose) to test this feature out, and I was amazed at how it performed. It started writing immediately with no skips or fuss.

Moving on the cap of the pen, it is made of the same aluminum material and finish, but features a somewhat cheap looking band. I'm really not a fan of the band, and I think Platinum could fix this by subduing the shine a tad. It just screams chrome and detracts from the overall value of the pen. It's also quite tall, which could also be corrected. At first glance, it looks like a part that wasn't quite designed for the pen, but it happened to fit as a kludge. I've toyed with the idea of altering the band, but it's just not worth it for me.

On the plus side, the clip is exceptionally strong, which is a huge improvement over the Preppy's weak, plastic clip. Once you secure this pen to something, it's not going to budge.

Moving to the inside, you'll notice that the grip section looks an awful lot like the Preppy. That's because it's the same component! This is great because you can easily swap out the nib/grip assembly for another nib size. Surprisingly, the plastic section and nib don't look out of place next to the aluminum body. In fact, they dress up quite nicely.

Writing with this pen is exactly as you'd expect coming from a Preppy. The nib is smooth and reliable, and the grip is easy to hold and maneuver. I prefer the feel of the aluminum on my hand instead of the plastic of the Preppy since the plastic tends to get slightly slippery with natural oils over time.

Along with the pen, you get one single black ink cartridge. It's not much, but it's also a $15-$18 pen, so you can't expect much. Of course, you can pick up other cartridges or a converter to customize your writing experience.

The Plaisir is a good value as long as you can get over the aesthetic (I'm still struggling) and you're already a big fan of the Preppy nib and grip assembly. At the sub-$20 price point, any manufacturer has an enormous challenge when selling against the venerable Pilot Metropolitan. It's almost impossible to compete with the level of quality and writing experience for the price. If it's my 20 bucks, I'm going to pick the Metropolitan every time.

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

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Posted on August 28, 2019 by Jeff Abbott and filed under Platinum, Fountain Pens, Pen Reviews.

Marvy Le Pen Flex Brush 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 first novel, The Bone Weaver’s Orchard, now available where books are sold!)

Marvy Le Pen, purveyors of the world's most okay-est fineliner, have released a new Flex Brush Pen that allows for brushstroke-like lines for drawing or writing. And they are, as one might expect, pretty okay!

The body of the brush pen is identical to the marker pen version, with the same colorful plastic and minimalist design. They aren't the most comfortable to hold or write with and the clips are a bit flimsy. It's very helpful that the color of the body matches the ink. The cap snaps in place, but doesn't post very securely.

The only difference between these pens and the old, familiar fine markers is the tip. These brush pens have a rubberized felt tip that offers a good deal of line variation. They are quite soft and flexible, and very smooth to write with. The tips are petite, so you can get a very fine line with a light touch, and only a little pressure adds the variation. It feels very much like writing with a springy paint brush--more so than some other brush pens I've used that are either too firm or have too much feedback.

So far the pen is available in magenta, burgundy, red, green, teal, oriental blue, navy, blue, amethyst, brown, dark grey, and black. They may eventually come in the wide variety of other colors Marvy LePen offers, but these are good for starters. The ink colors are vibrant and saturated and show up nicely. The ink does bleed a little, even on coated paper. There are also cautions out there about Marvy LePen ink that it may not age well, with fading and yellowing occurring over time. I don't know if these pens use the same ink formula, but I would guess that they do. If that's the case, I'd suggest that these are fun hobby tools, but not good for artists or scrapbookers who want their work to stand the test of time.

So, are these the world's most okay-est brush pens? I think it's too soon to tell, but the good brush tip on these may edge them into better-than-okay territory. I think the body design and ink formula are holding these back. At $1.95, they're also more expensive than their Marker Pen twins, and also 15c more expensive than the Kuretake Fudebiyori Brush Pen, which is a better quality pen. Still, it's exciting to see an old reliable brand branching out into something new and cool, and I enjoyed these more than I thought I would.

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

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Posted on August 22, 2019 by Sarah Read and filed under Marvy LePen, Brush Pen, Pen Reviews.

Kaweco Student Fountain Pen 70's Soul Review

(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)

The Kaweco Student has been around for a few years, but I've never had the chance to try one out until I received the 70's Soul edition a few weeks ago. The Student is very similar in shape and size to the Kaweco Dia2, but the Student is about 0.2 inches shorter and comes in many color options compared to the monotone Dia2 options. Compared to the much more common Sport and AL Sport, the Student is a full inch longer when capped, and much more comfortable to use uncapped. After using this pen for only a few minutes, I wished I had tried one out sooner!

The standard Student color options all feature silver trim and accents, but the 70's Soul edition has gold accents and a bright gold nib. The nib is still stainless steel (plated in something gold colored), and performs exactly as you'd expect from a well-tuned Kaweco nib. The body of the pen is a pleasant cream color, while the cap is a brighter retro orange that pairs nicely with the body.

The materials used on the pen are incredibly high-quality. The gold accents shine nicely and the large clip matches perfectly to the wide cap. The metal section is smooth but has a contoured shape that makes gripping the pen comfortable. The body and cap are made of a high-quality thick acrylic. This is nothing like the Kaweco Sport materials, as the Student feels heavier and more durable due to the thicker material. In all, it really feels great in the hand due to the premium materials.

Writing with the pen has been surprisingly pleasant. I was expecting something on par with the Kaweco Sport or AL Sport, but I've enjoyed writing with the Student even more than I anticipated. The medium length makes it comfortable and lightweight when using it uncapped, but the overall length when capped is still completely usable. The nib is smooth and required no adjustments, and the ink flow is steady and consistent. It's the gold standard by which all Kaweco nibs should perform out of the box. With the visual flair and unique colors, I'd love to try this pen with a modified nib to further increase the sophistication and personality of the pen's aesthetics.

Another positive for this Kaweco is that the additional length of the body provides room for a proper converter. That's right — you can use a standard converter with this pen. Kaweco sells one, but you can use any international converter that fits inside the pen body.

The Kaweco Student has quickly become one of my favorite pens. The 70's Soul color is a fun and unique combo, and the $60 price tag is fair considering the materials used. If the orange cream combo isn't your thing, you can also pick up the Student in Black, Vintage Blue, Red, Transparent Clear, and White. With each color, you also have the option of EF, F, M, and B nibs. If you choose one of the original colors, there's also a small price break (about $8 less than the 70's Soul version).

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

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