Posts filed under Pen Reviews

Platinum Prefounte 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.)

One of the easiest pens to recommend to people new to fountain pens is the Platinum Preppy. It's just a few bucks, it performs well, and it's even refillable. While it's great for an entry point or for testing nibs, it does look like a cheap, disposable pen (even though it's refillable). There are plenty of other Platinum fountain pens (and, of course, many other brands) that provide a little more style and durability, but they come at a higher price. The Platinum Plaisir is just over $20 and comes with a metal body, but I just don't like the design. The shiny band on the cap feels too out of place for my taste. Fortunately, there's another option that is closer to the Preppy in price, but with a cleaner and more durable design.

The Platinum Prefounte is a entry-level fountain pen that packs the same great nib and feed system found in the Preppy and Plaisir, but with a trimmed profile and more durable materials. I'm a sucker for anything that uses semi-transparent colored plastics — especially blues, greens, and purples, and this dark emerald variant of the Prefounte is lovely. The color and opaqueness of the material is uniform, but it looks like it shades due to the varying thickness of the material in different areas of the pen. I love looking at this pen while it's on my desk, and I'm still shocked that it costs only $11.

If you've ever used a Preppy or Plaisir, the Prefounte will feel very similar to both of these. The grips are the same, and it's only the balance of the pens that differ due to slightly different weights. The transparent grip provides a great view to the gray feed, and it also has a good feel when writing. The plastic material isn't slippery, and it remains comfortable to use even after a few minutes. It's a straight profile, but I find that there's plenty of tactile grip without a tapered shape or textured surface. The pen is so light that you don't need contouring or texture to provide extra grip control.

The nib is also the same nib that you'll find on any sub-$100 Platinum, which means it will perform well out of the box and provide a smooth writing experience. The Prefounte comes with either a fine (03) or medium (05) nib. The section unscrews from the body so that you can pop in a Platinum cartridge or converter. There's a single black cartridge included with the pen, but I opted for a blue-black cartridge that I already had on hand. You could add a converter to this pen, but at $11, I'm not sure I'd by one specifically for this pen. I'd certainly use a converter if I already had one that wasn't being used in another Platinum pen, so it's nice to have that option.

The cap uses a snap fit for securing it to the pen. Uncapping and capping the pen both have a satisfying feel, and I have no concerns that the cap will come off when in a bag or pocket. There's also a nice click sound and feel when capping the pen so you know for sure that it's secure.

The only branding on the pen is on the base of the cap. There's a small "Prefounte" logo directly under the clip, and a "Platinum" logo on the opposite side. Speaking of the clip, it's really strong. It's metal, so it also makes the pen look slightly more professional. It has no trouble securing the pen to anything it can fit under the clip.

With the Prefounte, this has become my standard recommendation for someone that is interested in getting into fountain pens. It's such a great nib/grip platform, and the nicer build and materials make it easier for people that want something that looks nicer than a Preppy. At $11, it's a fantastic value, but still a low enough price for folks that aren't sure if they'll like fountain pens. This makes a great entry-level "try it out" pen, but also a great low cost gift for that fountain-pen-curious friend, or even a great beater pen to carry yourself. The Prefounte only adds value to the Preppy platform, and I'm so glad it exists.

(Vanness Pens provided this product at a discount 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!

Posted on September 6, 2023 by Jeff Abbott and filed under Platinum, Fountain Pens, Pen Reviews.

Lamy 2000 4-Color Ballpoint Multi Pen Review

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

The Lamy 2000 multi pen has been around for decades, but just like the fountain pen variant, you can buy them new today. I saw a Lamy 2000 multi pen a few years ago at a pen show when I was already in the midst of a multi pen craze, but I didn't jump on it when I had the chance. I regretted that decision. But then the pen became easier to find in the US, and I finally have one. It's a fantastic multi pen that just happens to have the iconic Lamy 2000 style.

I've tried out my fair share of multi pens over the years. From the basic Bic that you can find at most big box retailers, to all the sub-$30 Japanese options and even the more premium German pens that are made from metal and feature unique mechanisms for picking the refill. Each pen has its place and provides loads of value, but there's a lot to be said for style and form. I'm sure a Jetstream multi pen can do everything this Lamy can and survive almost as long, but which one do I enjoy using more? Definitely the Lamy.

When it comes to multi pens, one of the biggest options that will filter people from one side or another is whether or not the pen includes a mechanical pencil refill. Personally, I prefer my multi pens to be 100% ink refills as I don't prefer writing with mechanical pencils. But I also appreciate that there are abundant use cases where a pencil/pen combo is invaluable. In the case of the Lamy 2000, it comes with black, blue, green, and red ballpoint refills. I struggled to find the specifications for the tip size online, but a quick measurement of the line width on paper tells me that these are fairly fine tips at 0.5mm. It's a great width for my writing style, and the refills all produce a clean, crisp line once they start flowing. The ink formula in these ballpoint refills all take a couple of scribbles to get started, but they work flawlessly once they're going. I'm hoping that since these are ballpoint refills (as opposed to gel) that they'll last a bit longer.

The Lamy 2000 multi pen uses gravity to determine which refill to extend. I love this particular method because it always feels like magic when compared to the more common method of using one button per refill. How does the gravity system work? There are 4 refills inside the pen, and there are corresponding color indicators at the top of the pen barrel next to the nock (with the Lamy, the clip acts as the indicator for the black refill). Simply orient the pen so that the color indicator for the refill you want to use is on the top, press the nock down, and the corresponding refill extends. When you're ready to retract the refill, it works just like any other retractable pen — simply press the nock down again and it releases.

Pens that use this system can be a little finicky. For example, I have an old Staedtler multi pen that needs the orientation of the pen to be exact before extending the refill will work properly. Otherwise, it jams because two refills are trying to extend at the same time. In the case of the Lamy 2000, it works flawlessly. I noticed on the first few dozen operations that it felt a little scratchy, but that went away over time. I imagine there was some roughness or burs on the inside of the nose cone that were knocked down after some normal use. At this point, it's a smooth and satisfying experience.

Writing with the Lamy 2000 multi pen is a fantastic thing. I love the feeling of the Makrolon after it's been in my hand for a minute. It has superb grip while also being smooth. It's a magical material that I never get tired of using. The multi pen has a smaller diameter body than the fountain pen version, but it's still comfortable to use. The balance is great despite the length as most of the weight is toward the writing end. It's also pretty quiet while writing. multi pens can sometimes be a little noisy due to the unused refills rattling inside the body as you write, but that's not a problem for the 2000.

The included ballpoint refills feel smooth and make crisp, satisfying lines. Like I mentioned before, they usually need a couple of scribbles if you haven't used it in a while, but they work really well once they're "warmed up." As fair as ballpoint refills go, I really can't complain. The colors are nice and vibrant, and there isn't any skipping or thinning as I write or scribble.

One of the perks of the Lamy 2000 multi pen is that it uses a standard D1 refill size. This means you have lots of options for refills outside of the included ballpoints. There are lots of gel, hybrid ballpoint, and ballpoint refills to choose from, as well as plenty of colors. In the future, I'll probably swap in some gel refills in this pen to change things up. Sure, they don't last as long as ballpoint ink, but I like having the option of using different tip sizes and colors.

The Lamy 2000 is such a good design, and it's no wonder that Lamy translates the design to so many other types of pens in their lineup. I have several other non-fountain-pen versions of the 2000, but I think the multi pen might be my favorite of them all (except for the fountain pen, of course). At $79, it's also more affordable than the fountain pen and offers a lot of versatility with the instant color changing ability. If you're either a fan of the 2000 design or a fan of great multi pens, this is worth checking out. If you're a fan of both, this is a no-brainer!

(Vanness Pens provided this product at a discount to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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

Posted on August 30, 2023 by Jeff Abbott and filed under Lamy, Multi Pen, Pen Reviews.

Uni-Ball Signo 207 Gel 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! This post contains affiliate links.)

Okay, look. Most of you probably already know the Uni-ball Signo 207, and if you don't know this pen, you should get to know this pen, and here's why.

Sometimes you just need to write something down.

I love all my fancy pens, but I love my basics, too. Gel pens were my gateway stationery to Pen Addict joy, and the Uni-Ball Signo is my favorite gel pen. Which is why, one morn a few weeks ago, I jokingly entered Brad's Twitch stream giveaway for this rainbow set of Signo 207’s. I rarely enter his giveaways, as I'm already spoiled, but I really do love these pens. He did say, upon seeing that I'd won them, that I would have to review them, but the joke's on him, because I already wanted to!

I'll start with my favorite thing about them. The ink. The Signo ink is archival--it's fade-proof, water-proof, and pigment-based, so it shows up bold even in light colors. And there are colors! This set comes in black, blue, light blue, green, orange, red, pink, and violet. Plenty of shades for practical use and for fun color-coded projects. You can even buy the ink refills (available in several tip sizes) to replace those you've inevitably used up, and the pen bodies are well-constructed enough to be refilled and reused.

The pen body is made from a sturdy, transparent plastic in the color of the ink it contains. That makes it easy to grab the color you want from a pen case. The clip is sturdy, but flexible enough to be useful. The click mechanism, which is charmingly in a bubble of colorful plastic, is substantial and satisfyingly fidgety. The white plastic (some models come in other colors) nose cone unscrews to access the refill.

The only pet peeve I have about this particular pen model is the grip. The textured rubber grip is, itself, great. But there's one section of it that's smooth, aligned with the clip. Sensory-wise, that lack of consistency drives me a bit crazy. The texture doesn't match, which is a distraction. Is that a nitpick? You betcha! But it's all I've got.

These pens are also on the more expensive side for gel pens, coming in at about $2 per pen, though price varies depending on where you look. That's not a lot compared to the snazzy pens that share my pen case, but it's more than many other gel pens out there. And worth it, in my opinion.

This is the pen I reach for when I need to write a check, sign a receipt, add some color to my planner, jot a super fast note, lend to a bystander, or do pretty much anything that I wouldn't do with a fountain pen. I particularly love the saturated color variety in this set, which ranges from business to neon--just like I do.

(Uni-ball North America provided these pens at no charge to The Pen Addict.)

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