Posts filed under Platinum

Platinum Balance Fountain Pen: 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.)

The Platinum Balance fountain pen is made of resin with gold-plated accents and a gold-plated steel nib. The pen is a simple cigar shape with a snap on cap.

It comes packaged in a rectangular box with a clear plastic top. One blue-black cartridge is included with the pen.

The pen is quite light (18 grams) and is small to medium-sized at 5.5 inches capped, 5.0 inches uncapped, and 6.0 inches posted. People with larger hands will probably find this pen much too small, but I think it will suit most users well. Posting the pen adds a bit more heft, but it also throws off the balance in my opinion.

I like the pen’s classic styling with gold-plated trim around the cap’s base, around the tip of the grip, and where the grip and barrel meet. These are nice details on a pen at this price point.

The resin is a deep green with beautiful chatoyance.

Although the pen comes with a cartridge, I had an extra Platinum converter, so I loaded it up with Robert Oster Peppermint (review here). For those of us who like matchy ink and pens, the Peppermint is a perfect choice.

I honestly wasn’t expecting much from this medium steel nib, but it is incredibly smooth and juicy.

Although it doesn’t have the springiness of gold Platinum nibs, it does offer a bit of line variation if you press into the nib. Overall, it’s a fantastic writing experience.

This is an elegant pen at a reasonable price (under $40). If you’re looking for a great starter pen for yourself or as a gift, the Platinum should be on your list. It would make an excellent stocking stuffer or gift, especially if you pair it with a bottle of Robert Oster Peppermint ($17.00 at Jet Pens).

The Platinum Balance is available in several colors: green, blue, wine red, black, shine crystal, crystal blue, and crystal rose. It comes with nibs in fine or medium. You can buy it at Jet Pens for $36.50. I suggest picking up a Platinum converter as well for $8.25.

Pros

The Platinum Balance is elegant and beautiful. It reminds me of Visconti Van Gogh pens (which, of course, are much more expensive) with its shiny resin and shape. The Platinum lacks the heft of those Visconti pens, but it’s hard to argue with its price in comparison.
The cap is easy to snap on and off, and it posts securely.
Although the clip is simple, without any adornment, it is quite functional and will clip easily to a shirt pocket or tablet.
The best part of this pen is the stellar steel nib. I can’t get over how nicely this nib performs. It isn’t rigid like the steel nibs on Lamy Safaris and other pens. Rather, it has some give to it and even offers a bit of line variation. It is smoother than many of my very expensive, gold-nibbed pens.

Cons

The Platinum Balance does not come with a converter, and adding a converter to the cart will put this pen over the $40 price.
I wonder how well the gold-plated trim will hold up over time. I’m especially concerned about the trim near the nib, since it will come in contact with ink. Will the trim corrode over time?

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Posted on November 24, 2017 by Susan Pigott and filed under Platinum, Fountain Pens, Pen Reviews.

Platinum 3776 Shungyo Fountain Pen Review

I have done nothing but rave about the Platinum 3776 Shungyo Fountain Pen since receiving it. Not only is the barrel design stunning, and my favorite limited release they have done, but the Soft Fine nib on the model I received was eye-opening. I’ve never used a stock nib that felt like this, and it fit my writing style perfectly. But, there is a but, and I want to cut right to the chase:

I recommend the Platinum 3776 series of fountain pens to anyone. I only recommend the Soft Fine nib to very few, and very particular, users.

This came to light at the San Francisco Pen Show, as I watched other fountain pen users try out my Soft Fine nib. Some got it right away. Others couldn’t make it write at all. The results were consistent, throughout a wide range of fountain pen experience levels.

When I got home and continued to write with my Platinum Soft Fine nib, it hit me. This is the Pilot Hi-Tec-C 0.3 mm gel ink pen of the fountain pen world.

*L to R: Sailor Hard Fine, Platinum Soft Fine, Pilot Hi-Tec-C 0.3 mm*

I rave about the Pilot Hi-Tec-C. It suits me and my style perfectly, especially the 0.3 mm. It is my favorite gel ink pen. I also rarely recommend it because it is so particular. The tip is ultra fine, and sometimes the line can be inconsistent. I’m willing to work through it because when the output is good, it’s the best pen I own. I’m finding the process of using the Soft Fine nib in this Platinum pen almost identical.

I can’t always get a perfect line out of this nib. If my pace is too fast, I outrun the ink. If my writing angle is off the sweet spot at all, my line breaks. When my writing is locked in and consistent, it is amazing and one of my favorite writing experiences. Just like the Pilot Hi-Tec-C.

Because of this, you should be aware of what your needs are if you are considering the Platinum Soft Fine nib. I can wholeheartedly recommend any other stock Platinum nib size without caveats, but not this one. What is perfect for me may not be perfect for you, especially in this case. I got to see this in person in San Francisco many times over.

The stock Platinum Fine nib is far more consistent, as is something like the Sailor Hard Fine nib. You would think the Sailor would be dry, but it has more tipping, which seems to be the reason the line is more consistent. I love them both, but they are very different experiences.

The Shungyo model is limited to 3776 units and is available at JetPens for $216. It’s more expensive than the stock versions of the 3776, but is one of the best looking pens - along with the Nice Lilas - they have released in some time.

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

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Posted on September 5, 2017 by Brad Dowdy and filed under Platinum, Fountain Pens, Pen Reviews.

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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