Posts filed under Platinum

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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Posted on April 3, 2017 by Brad Dowdy and filed under Platinum, Ink Reviews.

JetPens Blue Black Pen Sampler Review

One of the reasons I love stationery is that you don’t have to spend much to get something great. Whether it is a $2 pen or a $4 pad of paper, I promise you there are great products out there waiting to be discovered that are 10 times better than the junk found in your office supply cabinet.

If you are unsure how to get started finding your next favorite pen, JetPens offers up many sampler packs, like this Blue Black Pen Sampler. There are many sampler choices actually, but since I’m a blue black ink fan I wanted to see how well they put this one together.

Since this is a general color sampler, not an ink type specific sampler (like only gel ink pens), you get a good variety. Here is the lineup:

Pilot Hi-Tec-C Gel Pen - 0.4 mm - Blue Black

Pilot Hi-Tec-C Maica Gel Pen - 0.4 mm - Blue Black

Uni-ball Signo UM-151 Gel Pen - 0.38 mm - Blue Black

Zebra Sarasa Push Clip Gel Pen - 0.4 mm - Blue Black

Pilot Juice Gel Pen - 0.38 mm - Blue Black

Pilot FriXion Ball Slim Gel Pen - 0.38 mm - Blue Black

Morning Glory Mach 3 Rollerball Pen - 0.38 mm - Blue Black

Sakura Pigma Micron Pen - Size 05 - 0.45 mm - Blue Black

Platinum Preppy Fountain Pen - Blue Black - 03 Fine Nib

Pilot Petit1 Mini Fountain Pen - Blue Black - Fine Nib

For those playing at home, that is six gel ink pens, one liquid ink rollerball, one drawing pen, and two fountain pens. Let’s break these down into two groups for review: Gel and liquid.

The gel ink group has several of my Top 5 favorite pens. The Uni-ball Signo UM-151, aka the DX, is my number one gel ink pen, but not in blue black ink. I think Uni-ball’s blue black ink colors fall behind both Pilot and Zebra. The pen itself needs to be part of this group for its excellence, I just prefer other colors in it.

The two Pilot Hi-Tec-C models use identical refills with different barrels, and I prefer the simplicity of the original. The Maica isn’t bad, it’s more that i am used to and comfortable with the O.G. barrel. The Juice refill is awesome, but the barrel is just ok. The Sarasa Clip may be the best combination of everything in one individual pen. The FriXion model is cool to play with but I would prefer having the Ball Knock model instead of the Slim.

If I’m taking this specific ink color into consideration when ranking these pens, I choose the Zebra Sarasa Clip first, standard Pilot Hi-Tec-C second, Pilot Juice third, then everything else.

On the liquid ink side of the ledger there is much more variance in the style of pen. The Mach 3 Rollerball is awesome, and is perennially underrated. It’s a liquid ink pen, so there are more paper performance considerations than with gel ink pens. That said, it is a wonderful performer and a pen everyone should consider.

The Micron, while a traditional favorite of mine, is done no favors in this lineup. The 05 tip is too wide, and the blue black ink color is odd. Give me an 03 black Micron any day over this model.

The two fountain pens are great choices, with the Platinum Preppy reigning superior over the Pilot Petit. The Preppy is an all around great pen, while the Petit requires some sacrifices due to its size. It is cool though, and I see what it is included in this set.

Overall, I can’t really argue with anything JetPens has done here. If I were to take a stab at this set, I would make a few changes.

Out: Sakura Pigma Micron, In: Sakura Pigma Fine ESDK

Out: Pilot Hi-Tec-C Maica, In: Pilot Fude-Makase Color Brush Pen

Out: Pilot Petit1, In: Uni-ball Vision Elite Rollerball

I think with those changes this set is improved with more styles, more variance, and better pens.

Regardless, this set is excellent as it is currently set up, giving you a wide variety of blue black ink pens for an average cost of $2.60 per pen. It’s hard to beat when you are a fan of trying out new pens and new ink colors.

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

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Posted on February 27, 2017 by Brad Dowdy and filed under Morning Glory, Pilot, Platinum, Sakura, Zebra, Pen Reviews.

Platinum Natural Weasel Hair Brush Pen CF-5000 Review

(This is a guest post by Nick Folz. You can find more of Nick and his work on his blog, Smallberry Drive, Twitter, and Instagram.)

Brush pens are not something I am used to seeing made with flourish and style. They are usually basic looking tools encased in cheap plastic, not the sort of thing that impresses upon first appearance. So much of what makes a brush pen impressive is simply the brush, so once a pen company has mastered the inky tip, they usually decide to rest on their laurels. Not so with Platinum.

The Platinum CF-5000 Brush Pen looks more like a fountain pen when capped, but it does stop with looks. This pens has all the functions you would expect of a mid range fountain pen, minus the nib, of course. The aluminum body decorated with red marble and gold finishes has all the trapping of the fountain pen aesthetic. The overall function of the body is also very pleasing. The cap does not screw on, but glides into place. It also posts in the same manner, giving the pen a nice balance. The tip and body unscrew to give you access to the cartridge. The pen comes with an attached cart with a tiny bit of what seemed like oil to keep the bristles lubricated, and one cart of Platinum’s Carbon black.

I used the Carbon Black cartridge first and got a Platinum Converter after, they both work wonderfully. I got quite a bit of millage out of the cartridge, more than I would have expected. The converter works splendidly, dip the brush and draw up the ink by twisting the end. If you have ever used a Platinum Converter, you know the deal. I’m not a fountain pen guy (don’t shoot), so I can’t talk much about this converter vs other converters, but it is sharp. With a visible ink viewing window and gold detailing, it matches the pen perfectly. I opted for my favorite drawing ink, Liquitex Carbon Black, just to mix it up to see how flow might be affected, and it is just as consistent as Platinum’s own ink.

Speaking of the flow, the ink flow to the brush is perfectly balanced. It is sublime and I can’t overstate how big of deal this is. One of my favorite brush pens is a cheap Pentel Aquash water brush pen, but after using it for thirty minutes the brush gets too wet to do really fine lines. The Pilot Medium Brush Pen has the opposite problem and you have to squeeze the body to get consistent ink flow. The Platinum hits the perfect balance of not running dry and not getting so inky that you can’t do a hair-thin line (all without squeezing a plastic body) and looks damn good while doing it.

Aside from the ink flow, there is the tip itself. The bristles are made of weasel hair, often called kolinsky (from the name of the animal type) in the brush industry. They are the gold standard of brush material. The tip snaps back beautifully after each stroke and bends and flexes as good as my Series 7 Sable Winsor & Newton brush. The tip retention is remarkable, not once has the tip failed to spring back to it’s point.

If it seems like I’m talking sugar, it’s cause I am. This pen has become my main inking tool quicker than I would have predicted. It works splendidly and looks amazing. If it didn’t work as good as it does then the candy coating would be a farce, but it does and it makes the whole package spectacular. If I thought I could easily write notes with it, it would be my pocket carry daily, but I can only imagine the looks I would get in meetings.

Which brings me to the only sticking point. If you are not a brush pen fanatic then the price tag will turn you off. It is a bit pricy for an item you usually use in private. Fountain pens can (and are) used everywhere: taking notes in meetings, addressing letters, crossing off items at the grocery store. Settings both public and private, the right fountain pen can be as practical as it is stunning. But a brush pen? I only draw in public occasionally, usually on break at work. This is a VERY niche item in a community that is already very niche. I am going to cherish this pen, mainly because I DO use brush pens daily and this one out performs all of my other brush pens, but this one is for the brush pen enthusiast's only. But if you are, boy howdy, is it ever for you.

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

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