(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)
A few weeks ago, I reviewed the Platinum Procyon — a mid-tier fountain pen that had a very similar nib to the Platinum Preppy. At over $50, it can be a tough sell if you include the fact that it doesn't include a converter or any ink cartridges. On the other hand, the Platinum Preppy line is much cheaper, but they also look the part. Fortunately, the Platinum Plaisir is an upgrade to the thin plastic Preppy in the form of a sleek aluminum body and cap.
The Plaisir is a much more affordable alternative to the Procyon (and other higher end Platinums) that combines the best of the Preppy with higher quality materials in the body and cap. In short, it's a Preppy that doesn't look like a disposable pen. It's less than $20 and comes in a variety of colors, so you can probably find one that suits your tastes as long as you can get on board with the general aesthetic.
The outside of the pen features a thin aluminum material that has a nice texture that makes it grippy and fingerprint-resistant. The shape is pleasant and it feels great in the hand due to how light it is. The cap is a snap fit that works beautifully. Platinum call this the "Slip and Seal" system (same system they use on the Preppy), meaning the cap makes a great seal with the grip section so that the nib doesn't dry out between uses. I've let this pen sit for 6 weeks (on purpose) to test this feature out, and I was amazed at how it performed. It started writing immediately with no skips or fuss.
Moving on the cap of the pen, it is made of the same aluminum material and finish, but features a somewhat cheap looking band. I'm really not a fan of the band, and I think Platinum could fix this by subduing the shine a tad. It just screams chrome and detracts from the overall value of the pen. It's also quite tall, which could also be corrected. At first glance, it looks like a part that wasn't quite designed for the pen, but it happened to fit as a kludge. I've toyed with the idea of altering the band, but it's just not worth it for me.
On the plus side, the clip is exceptionally strong, which is a huge improvement over the Preppy's weak, plastic clip. Once you secure this pen to something, it's not going to budge.
Moving to the inside, you'll notice that the grip section looks an awful lot like the Preppy. That's because it's the same component! This is great because you can easily swap out the nib/grip assembly for another nib size. Surprisingly, the plastic section and nib don't look out of place next to the aluminum body. In fact, they dress up quite nicely.
Writing with this pen is exactly as you'd expect coming from a Preppy. The nib is smooth and reliable, and the grip is easy to hold and maneuver. I prefer the feel of the aluminum on my hand instead of the plastic of the Preppy since the plastic tends to get slightly slippery with natural oils over time.
Along with the pen, you get one single black ink cartridge. It's not much, but it's also a $15-$18 pen, so you can't expect much. Of course, you can pick up other cartridges or a converter to customize your writing experience.
The Plaisir is a good value as long as you can get over the aesthetic (I'm still struggling) and you're already a big fan of the Preppy nib and grip assembly. At the sub-$20 price point, any manufacturer has an enormous challenge when selling against the venerable Pilot Metropolitan. It's almost impossible to compete with the level of quality and writing experience for the price. If it's my 20 bucks, I'm going to pick the Metropolitan every time.
(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)
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