(Sarah Read is an author, editor, yarn artist, and pen/paper/ink addict. You can find more about her at her website and on Twitter. And check out her latest book, Out of Water, now available where books are sold!)
Platinum offers quite a few entry-level pens that lead you all the way from the minimal investment of the Platinum Preppy on up into the stratosphere. You could have a full-spectrum pen collecting career just within the one brand. Perhaps the folks at Platinum noticed a gap between those who love the Preppy and those who took the step up to the Procyon. The Prefounte addresses a lot of the wishes expressed by Preppy fans while still keeping it at a great intro price.
The feed, grip, section, and cap are the same shape and design as the Preppy and Plaisir. The shape, size, and polycarbonate material are the same between the Preppy and Prefounte. The Prefounte also has the special feature of Platinum's spring-loaded inner cap seal that supposedly allows it to be left for over a year without drying out. Obviously I couldn't test that. The nib is also the same. The clip is upgraded to a metal one. The busy branding and info has been removed from the body, with only a minimal bit of text around the edge of the cap. The Prefounte is also available in a variety of fun colors, all demonstrators, and generally has a more elevated look. Where the Preppy looks like a disposable pen, the Prefounte looks like something a little more special.
Are these changes worth the jump from $4 to $10? I think that will depend on the user. For me, yes, because I'm a magpie and I think the Preppy looks awful and I hate the plastic clip. For me, they've taken what didn't work on the Preppy and fixed it, and still kept it at a price point where it makes a great gift.
Maybe it's not fair to only rate this pen in terms of how it compares to its predecessors. It does stand on its own very well. If the Preppy didn't already exist, the Prefounte would be a revelation in the pen world.
The pen takes a proprietary cartridge or converter, but the converter costs $8, or almost as much as the pen itself. The cartridge is hardy, though, and I bet it would last a few refills, if you have a blunt syringe to clean and fill it with. This pen can also, in theory (I have not tested this), be eye-droppered for a massive ink capacity and cool ink-sloshy effect. Personally, I think this plastic feels a bit too brittle to risk filling it entirely with ink. It's more substantial than a throw-away pen for sure, but I could see a drop onto a hard surface ending in an inksplosion.
The Prefounte writes much better than I'd expect for a pen of this price. It isn't perfect. I get some hard starts and skipping, more often with some paper than others, and the .5 medium nib writes a lot more broadly than I'm used to seeing from a Platinum medium. This is more like a western medium, and it's much wetter than my other Platinum pens. That's not a complaint--I like it. But it may not be what people are expecting when they buy it. If you like Platinum nibs because they tend to be dry and fine, size down for this pen. Unfortunately, it looks like it is only available in .3 fine and .5 medium at this time. Hopefully the finer .2 extra-fine that is on the Preppy will also hit this model.
Overall, I think this is a good value, and an exciting new line for Platinum. I've already caught myself thinking, "Do I need a whole set of these for school?" I mean, of course I don't, but I might. If you already love the Preppy, I don't think you need to upgrade to the Prefounte, though. And a lot of people love the Preppy! That could be the Prefounte's doom. But I still think this might be the perfect pen to give to a child or a friend who is interested in fountain pens. It is just enough better to make it special.
(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)
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!
