Platinum Preppy Fountain Pen Fine 03 Nib Review

One of the most frequent questions I get asked is what is a good fountain pen for beginners. Being a fountain pen novice myself I have tried out several and always come back to one that I always recommend: the Platinum Preppy.

The reason I like the Preppy so much is that the nib writes very well for such a low cost pen. I of course prefer the Fine nib, but there is a Medium option if you prefer. When you first snap in the ink cartridge it takes a minute or two of scribbling to get the ink flow going, but once you do it is a solid, steady, and smooth performer. I keep this pen within reach at all times for when I want a no nonsense fountain pen experience.

Seriously, for $3.30 from JetPens you cannot go wrong. If you have never used a fountain pen in your life this is a good, inexpensive way to see if you like writing with a nib. If you do like it, then that is where the trouble begins. :)

Platinum OLEeNu Lead Breakage Prevention Mechanical Pencil Review

Aside from the Uni-Ball Kuru Toga, there haven’t been any great strides made in pencil technology over the past several years. That is not a bad thing. Pencils - mechanical included - are some of the most traditional writing instruments around, and it is difficult to change an almost perfect tool.

The Platinum OLEeNu attempts to bring something new to the table with its lead breakage prevention mechanism. This is not a world changing advancement in technology, but I will say it works as intended and is a nice feature.

When I started the written review, I was writing with standard pressure and at a standard pace. If you look closely at the page, you can see the gradient variation when I started pressing down really hard to see if I could get the lead to break, and I couldn’t. Now, I didn’t get violent with it, but you can see how hard I was pressing by how dark the lead is.

That is the major feature of the Platinum OLEeNu, and it works well. What I don’t like about this pencil is the barrel design, specifically the clip. Like most of you, I rotate all non-Kuru Toga pencils in my hand as I write to keep a sharp point on the lead, and the extra large clip gets in the way of my rotation. Not a deal breaker - more of an annoyance. The grip area wasn’t my favorite either - it is best described as funky. I can’t really put my finger on it, but I don’t love it.

In lieu of posting all of the technical details here, check out the specs and photos on the JetPens product page. There are some great photos and descriptions of how this pencil works.

Review: Platinum Japanese Art Pocket Brush Pen

This review is by Kalina Wilson, who can also be found at geminica.com.

The Platinum Pocket Brush Pen is in the family of brush pens that aren't actually brush pens.  Instead of individual bristles, these pens have a single molded tip that mimics the silouette of a brush but doesn't fan out against the paper the way a true brush would.  Something about this design makes for a very diverse assortment of products!  These false brush tips can be wet or dry, sturdy or fragile, floppy or stiff - it's a minefield and a treasure trove out there, with each pen feeling very different from the next when you get it in your hand.  

(A few examples, top to bottom: Copic Multiliner brush, Uniball brush, Pilot brush, Platinum brush)

The Platinum brush stands out visually due to the gold flowers stamped onto the barrel and a sparkly gray clip (that likes to come off in your hand when you try to remove the cap).   It looks and feels a bit cheap - but it is cheap, at $3.  

This pen gives a thick line in comparison to the others. You can get a fine line out of it here or there if you're careful, but it takes some effort and goes against the pen's wishes.  

Among the various brush pen options, the Platinum Carbon does have a unique set of characteristics: it is waterproof,  fairly dark, and has decent flow. The other options are either not waterproof (the Uniball and Pilot brushes), don't provide a large wet line (Tombow), or aren't as dark or smooth (Copic).

The nearest equivalent to this Platinum Pen is the Copic.  If you like Copic brushes in general, I'd say there's not a lot of cause to try the Platinum unless the slightly darker ink is a big advantage to you.  Personally I haven't had a lot of luck with Copic brush lines, and actually prefer the Platinum brush to work with even though it's cheap and kind of stubby-tipped.

 I won't lie to you - I don't love this pen.  I prefer to be able to get a finer line, and if I'm going bold I prefer the feel of the Uniball brush even though it's not waterproof.  However, if you are looking for a moderately wet-writing disposable pen with a waterproof line for the purpose of doing bold sketching, this Platinum brush is certainly worth $3 to try!