Platinum Pro-Use 171 Mechanical Pencil Review

It's been a while since I really used a mechanical pencil in earnest, but I'm glad I decided to pick up the Platinum Pro-Use 171 recently. The name isn't great, but don't let that turn you away from this otherwise excellent pencil.

The Platinum Pro-Use 171 mechanical pencil is a drafting pencil made with premium materials, but it also sports a couple of neat tricks that make it a little nicer to use than your standard drafting pencil. Of course, it also has that tiny emergency eraser to erase the tiniest of mistakes.

Along with the metal body, knurled grip, and matte black finish, the pencil also features a fairly standard lead-grade indicator, a pocket clip, and a retractable lead pipe. Pretty standard fare in the mechanical pencil realm.

What sets this pencil apart is a couple of features that add some additional customization and adjustments to make this pencil fit your grip, style, or the specific job at hand.

First off, the lead pipe is completely adjustable in length. By rotating the cone back and forth, you can extend or retract the lead pipe from 0 to 4.5mm. At the 0 setting, the pencil is set for storage in a bag or pocket without the risk of poking through fabric. But when you're ready to write, draw, sketch, or use the pencil alongside a straight-edge, you can extend the pipe to the appropriate length to get the job done.

I've found that I enjoy using the pencil with the lead pipe extended all the way (to 4.5mm) because of the way it alters the grip. See, this is the main downside I have with the pencil. When fully extended, the knurled grip blends smoothly into the cone and gives me the grip that I prefer. When the pipe is retracted, that extra space (up to 4.5mm) is transferred to a gap between the grip section and the cone. The pencil still works just fine in this setup, but it does alter the grip feel. My fingers can't get comfortable when this gap is present. The smooth material between the knurled grip and notched cone just confuses my fingers and I end up fidgeting with it too much.

With my personal idiosyncrasies aside, it's still a really cool feature. I have plenty of pencils with retractable lead pipes, but they're either fully extended or fully retracted — no in between. It's nice to have this level of control for certain tasks.

The other feature, which I'm even more excited about, is the pressure-absorbing spring contraption inside the pencil that allows the lead to retract back into the pipe if you exert much pressure on it. This is intended to prevent lead breakage when you apply too much pressure when using the pencil, but it has the added benefit of making the pencil feel softer on the paper when using it. This feature is easy to turn on or off — just rotate the grip one way or the other. You can't tell a big difference at first between the two modes, but after writing for a good minute or two in one mode, it's much easier to feel how it can completely change the way the pencil feels when writing or drawing. I've really enjoyed writing with this pencil with the soft mode turned on. In my mind, it's a similar difference to how a soft gold nib feels as compared to a stiff steel nib of the same size. They both write great, but the gold nib feels a little softer. Depending on what you're doing with the pencil, the ability to switch back and forth is really cool.

As far as other options go, you can grab this pencil in a variety of sizes/colors. If you want the matte black version shown here, you have an option of 0.3mm or 0.5mm lead sizes. There are also 0.3mm, 0.5mm, 0.7mm, and 0.9mm versions, and each is represented by a specific color — gray, navy, black, and white bodies with a silver knurled grip section and cone. The matte black versions both cost $34, while the other ones come in at just $20. From what I can tell, the only difference in price comes down to the materials used. The body of the matte black versions are metal, while the others are just plastic. Functionality-wise, they're the same.

The Matte Black Pro-Use 171 looks killer, and it's worth the extra 14 bucks to match that blacked-out aesthetic if that's your thing. If not, save some money and know that you're getting an equally great pencil!

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

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Platinum Blue 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.)

Over the past several months, I've tried close to a dozen different blue black inks. While they are all incredibly similar in color, it's been interesting to see the more subtle differences appear on the page when using these inks. Just because they share the same name doesn't mean they are the same ink. For as many different versions of this inks that are available, there are an equal number of interpretations for what blue black really means.

The latest in this journey is Platinum Blue Black. Belonging to one of the big Japanese pen manufacturing brands, I'm surprised I didn't try this one sooner. Unexpectedly, the quality of this ink matches up with the quality of Platinum's fountain pens. It's a fantastic ink with plenty of character, and I'm actually surprised by a couple of the characteristics that I missed before trying this ink myself.

The first thing I noticed after testing this ink with a normal nib and letting the ink dry was that there's a slight amount of sheen even with normal use. I got out the swatches and layered the ink on thick to see exactly how much sheen would show up in a pool of dried ink. For an ink that doesn't tout any sheening properties in its marketing, this ink has a spectacular amount of red sheen that sits on top of any puddle. It's beautiful, and I wish I'd discovered this ink earlier. The sheen is even noticeable when writing with smaller nibs if the light hits the page just right.

Another thing I didn't realize about this ink until after I tried it is that it's an iron gall ink. Iron gall permanent inks aren't something I normally search out, but it's pretty cool that this seemingly standard "base level" ink boasts such a unique attribute. Iron gall inks aren't super common, and they're usually much more obvious about the fact that they're iron gall. In the case of Platinum blue black, they don't make it overly apparent, but I appreciate the extra robustness and permanence that this ink has after it dries on the page. This means it shouldn't fade over time and will even withstand water damage. In my experience with iron gall inks, the ink stays on the paper for as long as the paper is structurally sound. Definitely something to consider if you lean toward permanent inks. As with any iron gall inks, it's important to understand that these inks are more acidic than water-based fountain pen inks. This means your nib could develop some corrosion after a few weeks of this ink being in your pen. Not a big deal, but something to be mindful of. Be sure to clean out your pens if you don't plan on using them.

Along with the surprise iron gall and sheening aspects, I was also excited by how quickly it dries. With the 1.1mm stub nib I used in the writing sample, it takes about 10-15 seconds to fully dry, but it's usually between 5 and 10 seconds in a Platinum medium nib I've also been using. Overall, pretty quick times, especially on the Rhodia's coated paper.

I've really enjoyed using this blue black ink over the past few weeks. It has a classic navy blue hue, a decent amount of shading, and quick dry times. On top of that, it's a permanent ink. Really solid competitor in the blue black market, and definitely worth your attention.

If you're interested in Platinum's blue black offering, you can pick it up in their proprietary cartridge form (which only works in Platinum pens) or a 60ml bottle. The cartridges come in a ten pack and cost $7 a box, while the large bottle costs a flat $20. Both are a pretty good deal, but I lean toward the bottle since the cartridges only work with Platinum pens. This ink is good enough to enjoy in all pens!

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

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Platinum Procyon Deep Sea 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.)

Even though there are so many different kinds of unique pens available, there are some that just make such an impression that you need more than one. For many, the Lamy Safari and AL Star pens create a collecting mentality — and that's fun just due to the dozens of colors and limited editions that come out. For others, it's tough to pass up a gorgeous limited edition Sailor Pro Gear. And while other pens may not be part of the "collect them all" group, you buy more than one anyway because you like it so much.

For me, the Platinum Procyon is the perfect example. I didn't think much of it when I got my first one back in 2019, but it grew on me substantially after using it for a few weeks. The Platinum Preppy has never done much for me, but the Procyon fit that perfect spot between affordable, classy, and durable that I just couldn't resist. At $60, it's a far cry more expensive than the Preppy, but what it lacks in affordability it more than makes up for in quality and durability.

Back in 2019, I felt that the Procyon was a decent pen with some cool features, but I had some reservations about the plain nib and the price. After using that pen fairly regularly since then, I've really come to appreciate it much more. So much more that I picked up a different color/nib combination — the Deep Sea with a medium nib. This latest pen is the perfect combo for the Procyon in my book.

One of my favorite features of this pen is what Platinum calls the "Slip and Seal" system. When you cap the pen, there's an inner cap that makes an airtight seal with the section of the pen, meaning it doesn't dry up when not in use. Platinum claims you can leave this pen inked and unused, come back after a year, uncap it and start writing immediately. I haven't tried the year-long test, but I have let this pen sit for a couple of weeks without being used and can attest to how it starts writing immediately. No skipping, no thin or dry lines — it just works beautifully.

The build materials and quality is my other favorite feature with this particular pen. It's a great medium size and feels great in the hand. The shell of the body is aluminum, and it feels like the cap and body are made of something heavier (like brass) to add to the feel of quality and durability. The chrome-plated trim bits are also made of brass. On top of all this, the Deep Sea finish on this particular pen is beautiful. It's a dark green-blue with a slight amount of reflective materials that make it so pretty but also understated. It's not flashy at all, but when you give it a second look, you see the depth of the paint color and the shimmer from the shiny particles. I really enjoy seeing this pen on my desk.

Writing with the Procyon is equally enjoyable. The medium nib was smooth and free-flowing straight out of the box, and I couldn't be happier with it feels when writing. The medium is a good size for showing off ink properties while also staying small enough to use in any general situations. I love the fine nib on my other Procyon, but it can get a little scratchy depending on the paper and ink combination. If you like fine nibs when using a German nib, for example, this Platinum medium is a fantastic alternative.

Along with the pen, you get a single blue-black cartridge from Platinum. Platinum pens use a proprietary cartridge/converter attachment, so you can only use converters and cartridges that are meant for Platinum pens. Unfortunately, Platinum does not include a converter with this pen. This is one of my biggest gripes with pen manufacturers today. If you make pens and choose to use your own proprietary cartridge mating system, include a converter with the pen. Period. This is especially true for any pens above the $40 mark. The Procyon is $60, but you should purchase a converter along with it so you can enjoy your own inks. This effectively makes the price of the pen $68. Again, not a huge deal, but I'm sure I'm not alone in being so annoyed by this practice.

Gripes about retail practices aside, I heartily recommend the Procyon to anyone looking for something in the $40 to $60 range. The nib is fantastic, the materials are top-notch and durable, and the color options are fun and varied enough to fit many preferences. If you're interested in trying out more premium Platinums, but not quite ready for the plunge into 3776 territory, this is a great place to start.

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

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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!