Platignum Time Review

February 1, 2013

Platignum Time, Black, Fine Nib

Hello everyone. Before I bought this pen, I searched through the review index to see if there were any existing reviews on it to see what exactly I was going to be buying. Sadly, I found nothing on the forums or on google, besides the small reviews on gouletpens.com (no affiliation) where I purchased this pen. So I decided to go ahead and post a review so anyone else interested in this pen will have some sort of reference to go off of before buying.

http://i.imgur.com/0ciVT6N.jpg

The pen came shipped in a plastic case, with a paper sleeve. It seemed sturdy enough to withstand shipping and also included two cartridges, one black and one blue. No instructions were included.

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Appearance & Design (7)

http://i.imgur.com/Gta5iUV.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/OqAd1kH.jpg

As for the pen itself, I opted to go with the glossy black color, as I'm not a big fan of bright colored pens. It has silver accents on the top of the cap as well as the end of the pen body. The clip is also silver and feels quite sturdy. There is a small Platignum logo on the bottom end of the cap which I found to be a nice subtle touch. Uncapped, the grip is also silver, and the nib is steel. Not much else to say about that. Quite a plain looking pen, but I'm into that.

Construction & Quality (7)

http://i.imgur.com/gmQFaZq.jpg

The pen body is made of aluminum and quite light. I only have three other pens (a Lamy Safari,a Pilot Metropolitan, and a Sheaffer 100) and they are all a lot heavier in comparison. The cap itself clicks instead of screws onto the body as well as posts with a satisfying click which I really do like, even though I seldom post my pens. Due to the lightness of the pen, it rests in my hand effortlessly and is quite a pleasure to write with.

Weight & Dimensions (8) - The following was copied from the gouletpens.com page for this pen.

Weights

Overall:

28g (0.99oz)

Body:

18g (0.63oz)

Cap:

10g (0.35oz)

Lengths

Overall, closed:

138mm (5.43in)

Overall, posted:

153mm (6.02in)

Body:

123mm (4.84in)

Cap:

53mm (2.09in)

Nib:

17mm (0.7in)

Diameters

Body:

12.5mm (0.49in)

Cap (no clip):

13mm (0.51in)

Cap (w/ clip):

16.5mm (0.65in)

And some comparison shots with my other pens, capped and posted.

http://i.imgur.com/NSNdZmm.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/02HTVk0.jpg

Nib & Performance (7)

http://i.imgur.com/Wq9c9tu.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/StuKop0.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/qSvdt2d.jpg

The nib is made of stainless steel and is a fine. When I received it, I flushed it out prior to inking it up, and as soon as it was ready to write, write well it did. I wouldn't say its the smoothest pen I've written with (that award goes to my Metro) but its definitely does its intended job; no skipping or scratchiness. The nib isn't decorated at all and doesn't even have a size indicator on it. Not a big deal with me, but I can see it bothering some who like flashy pens. It puts down a nice line which I would group in between a fine and medium, which is again perfect for my style of writing. And it doesn't leak or burp ink like my Metro, which is always a plus. (Ignore the blue writing, that was made by my Metro.)

Filling System & Maintenance (7)

http://i.imgur.com/nl8zbgq.jpg

The pen came packaged with two cartridges, one black and one blue, which I didn't even bother handling. I ordered a Monteverde mini piston converter along with the pen and although it feels cheap, it works. Right now I have it filled with Noodler's 54th Massachusetts, and it writes about 3-4 full pages before needing a refill. I'm not entirely sure if a full sized Monteverde converter will fit in the pen body, but I ordered another pen along with the full sized model converter, so I'll edit this section once it arrives and I test it.

Cost & Value (7) - I purchased this pen at $25 USD + $2.50 for the converter, so it wasn't a huge hole in my wallet. For the value, I think its a decent pen to add to the growing collection and have in a bag just in case. I wouldn't really recommend it as a first fountain pen though, because I prefer my Pilot Metro a bit more. Plus, the Metro is slightly cheaper and comes with an included converter, but enough about that. I wouldn't say my first experience with Platignum was a bad one either; I'll definitely make sure to try out whatever else they have to offer, as long as the price is right.

Conclusion (Final score 7.1/10) - All in all, a decent pen for this price range. You can't expect amazing quality at this point, but for what it was worth, I have no buyer's remorse! I hope this review was somewhat informative and will hopefully help other hopeful buyers as well as entertain everyone else who enjoys reading reviews as much as I do. Thanks for your time and goodbye!

February 1, 2013

Thank you for the review. Except for the metal section, it does look a lot like the Platignum Studio.

September 13, 2013

I have a Platignum Time and whilst not impressed when I used it with cartridges it is much smoother and more free flowing now I have fitted the small Monteverde converter.....it is now my main pen for work.