Posts filed under Platinum

Platinum Citrus Black Ink Review

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

When it comes to yellow inks, I can't say I have much experience. It's not a color that I've been attracted to so far in my ink journey, but it doesn't mean I have anything against it, either. So, when I received a bottle of Platinum Citrus Black to try out, I was intrigued. The color of the ink that's visible through the bottle is very light and mostly transparent. I didn't expect this ink to surprise me as much as it did.

Upon inking up a pen and taking it to paper, the light, highlighter yellow ink was barely visible as I wrote. My impression was, "this is a useless color," but that's when things started to change. I hadn't researched the ink before trying it, and I discovered very quickly that Citrus Black is an iron gall ink that Platinum offers. To my surprise and delight, I watched the highlighter yellow ink transform into a deeper yellow with green tones, followed by an even deeper green/yellow that looked closer to olive. Needless to say, my initial impression was blown away.

*Drying characteristics taken over a 30 second timeframe*

If you've never tried an iron gall ink before, you're missing out. They have a unique characteristic (the iron) that causes the color and shade to change drastically as it dries. In every iron gall ink I try, this trait fascinates and delights me. With Citrus Black, it's no different.

Apart from the obvious color-changing trick, this ink also packs a pretty significant shading characteristic that makes it even more fun to use. Once the ink dries (which is a fairly quick process), you're left with a medium yellow/green/brown color on the page. It's technically an off-black, but it's not nearly dark enough in my mind to qualify for that name. Either way, it's an attractive color both wet and fully dry.

Being an iron gall, it's also very water-resistant if that's something you look for in inks. It's also worth pointing out that iron galls can cause some damage to your pens if left inked and unused for extended periods of time, but just make sure you clean it out after a month to ensure your pen keeps functioning as expected.

If there's one downside to this ink, it's the fact that the wet ink is just so darn difficult to see while writing. It really is a shade similar to highlighter, which makes it nearly illegible when wet. After about five seconds, that problem no longer presents, but it can be difficult if you're trying to keep your handwriting steady and legible. It's almost like writing with invisible ink.

Platinum Citrus Black, and all of the Platinum Classic Inks, are available in 60ml bottles for $25 at JetPens. The price is a bit higher than what you might normally expect, but it's a large bottle and a fascinating ink wholly worth the extra couple of dollars.

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

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Posted on August 23, 2017 by Jeff Abbott and filed under Platinum, Ink Reviews.

Platinum 3776 Century Nice Lilas Review

There is something about the Platinum 3776 Century that separates it from other pens. What that ‘something’ is exactly is difficult to put into words. Is it the look and style? Is it the nib? Is it the nearly 100 years the company has been in business? It is easy to say all of the above, but there is no one thing that sets the 3776 apart. It’s all of it together, and it just works. What more can you ask for in a fountain pen?

Well, there is a little more, and in this case, it is the wonderfully pink and rose gold Platinum 3776 Century Nice Lilas. From the moment I saw pictures of this pen I knew it was going to be great, and now that I have it in hand I can confirm: It is awesome.

If you know me at all then you know I love pink pens, so yes, I am biased towards this color. That said, I don’t think there is a translucent color I wouldn’t like in this design. The frosted finish gives it a unique look, and the grooved barrel makes it shine. I’m not normally a fan of rose gold accents, but even I have to admit it is the perfect match for this pen.

Writing with Platinum pens is always a treat, and this one is no different. Perfect out of the box, the nib sings across the page. My loaner was a Medium nib, and it also comes in Fine and Broad. Japanese Medium nibs are the perfect writing size in my opinion, providing excellent line width and laying down enough ink to show off whatever properties your favorite ink has.

If there is any downside to this particular model it is that the barrel ridges are sharp. It didn’t affect me at all when writing, but it is something I noticed while just holding the pen in my hand. Also, don’t buy this pen for the Limited Edition aspect of it. Platinum did a weird thing by not numbering the pen, but rather including a numbered blotter card in the box to denote the first 2000 units. The Nice Lilas looks to be part of Platinum’s regular lineup, at least by how they are offering this pen so far. And I don’t know why they include their silver trim converter instead of the gold, which would of course match the pen better.

This is a beautiful pen and a joy to write with. I said from the get go that I would pass on buying one of these because I have enough pink pens and enough 3776 pens, but I’m more tempted than ever after using it. It’s fantastic all the way around.

(Goulet Pens provided this product on loan to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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Posted on April 10, 2017 by Brad Dowdy and filed under Platinum, Fountain Pens, Pen Reviews.

Platinum Classic Ink Lavender Black Review

January 2017: I need to slow down on buying inks.

March 2017: I bought all six colors of the new Platinum Classic Inks.

Sometimes the planets line up perfectly, and they did for me with Platinum Classic Ink. Unique colors? Check. Iron Gall? Check. Japanese? Check. Overall coolness factor? Check.

This is everything I personally want to see in an ink, so I bought them all. Luckily, that was only six bottles, and my friend Dan Smith from the Nibsmith had them all at the 2017 Arkansas Pen Show. When I told him I wanted one of each he said “Really?” Yes, really.

Let me get this out of the way right up front: Iron gall inks are not for everybody. If you are not able to monitor the ink in your pens and have good pen hygiene, you should not buy iron gall inks. There is a possibility that some damage could occur to your pens, such as staining the barrel or feed.

That said, if you are as particular as I am and pay attention to these types of things, you will be rewarded with unique inks and performance characteristics that you won’t find just anywhere. I trust Platinum to not do anything crazy, but the jury is still out on the long term ramifications of using these inks.

From the Classic Ink lineup, I see two colors getting the most hype: Lavender Black and Citrus Black. The first, because it is a traditionally awesome color that can’t often be found in fountain pen ink, and the second because you rarely see a company try a brighter iron gall ink. KWZ is the only one I can think of offhand.

With Lavender Black, the ink goes down on the page like the skin color of a red grape. There is a brightness to it while still having great depth of color. As it oxidizes, it darkens into more of a dark plum skin color that looks fantastic on the page.

The ink is wet too, not dry like some iron gall inks I use. The flow from my fine nib Platinum PKB-2000 is exceptional. The color transition happens quickly, too. The shade changes as soon as the ink begins to dry, and then is near its final state within minutes. It dries very fast as well, even on Rhodia paper.

I’m enamored, if you couldn’t tell. But again, this is a product that fits me perfectly. Will it fit you and your preferences as well as it does mine? Only you can answer that, but do your homework and don’t rush into it.

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