Hello,

Please forgive my bad English. Also, this is my first review.

Right now I have two new Platignum pens:
A number 3 ballpoint and a number 5 fountain pen.

The gun metal ballpoint is nice and weighty. Nothing more to add really.
It comes with a medium ballpoint and two refills, a nice touch from Platignum. The ballpoint goes out with a - smooth - twist of the barrel.

The number 5 fountain pen looks classical. A nice black pen.
The clip, shaped like a pen nib adds a little fun and the weight of the pen confirms the impression of robustness.

The snap-on cap securely stays in place. The semi-hooded medium nib is quite smooth, not as much as the one on my Sailor Sapporo, but better than my Pelikan M215 that costs much more.

I think the nib gives the pen a nice retro look. Medium is the only size available, but it does not bother me at all.
Compared to a Faber-Castell e-Motion medium, the platignum is narrower, comparable in size to the line created by a Pelikano Jr.

I have not tried to use the pen with a convertor, but it takes long cartridges and I prefer that, as it is less messy and more convenient, for me at least.
I'm using long Pelikan cartridges, lovely violet ink.

So, for the price (11,02 £, V.A.T. included), I think it is a very good buy.

The only minor annoyance is the plastic blister packaging.

I got both pens from http://www.cultpens.com (no affiliation).

Maybe the reason why I love the number 5 fountain pen so much is more personnal.

I remember at a young age being forbidden to use ballpoint pens in school. Only pencils were allowed. A few years later, ballpoint were not forbidden, but almost everybody used fountain pens.
Back then, it was some cheap plastic pens. I don't remember the brand.

Then I had a Waterman fountain pen. Still cheap, but with a metallic body.
I kept this pen trough high school, and it is hard to tell why, but it was very important to me.

My family had modest financial resources, and this pen was my first personal object.
I mean yes, I had more expensive shoes and clothes, but it was not as important to me, not as personal.

Had I expressed any interest in pens, I would probably had a more expansive one as a Christmas gift or birthday present, but not telling anybody was also important.
It was like, a little secret.

A few years ago when I tried to buy another cheap Waterman metallic pen, I remember being ridiculed by a store clerk because I had no idea that different nib sizes even existed.

My interest in fountain pens has been recently renewed, and I now have a small but nice collection, and thanks to this board, I know a lot more about pens in general.
Somehow the Platignum number 5 brought back, not memories - I never used that brand before -, but feelings.

A few people know that I like pens,. Not one of them know that this inexpensive mass produced pen is my favorite, just as in school...

I just ordered another number 5, just in case! Along with a number 4.

Sorry, I cannot take pictures, but you can see the pens here:
http://www.platignum.com/

Welcome - and thank you for sharing your story.

You may discover that you are in very good company: that many of us have a special attachment to the simple pens that introduced us to the hobby. Even if we no longer own that first pen, we may find ourselves drawn to pens that evoke memories of it.

My first fountain pen - I'm lucky to own it still - was a simple Sheaffer Cartridge Pen. To this day, I have a great fondness for that model, and for other "school pens" as well. They happily live alongside the more expensive and rare pens I've acquired over the years, and I enjoy them all.

Very sorry to hear about your negative store experience. No-one entering this hobby should be met with ridicule, in person or online. I'm glad you persevered!

Cheers,

Jon

Neat!

Am I missing something, or are they not doing italic nibs?

William

Votre anglais est parfait.

Je suis d'accord avec Tournevis.

Hello,

Thank you.


That Béret wearing smiley is cute

I hope that this small review will bring Platignum pens to the attention of some members of the forum.

Regards,

No, only medium apparently. A disappointment. It doesn't bother me personally, but I think they'd have done better to offer a range. Nice to see Platignum marketing something that looks reasonable. I hope they go on to improve on it.

Yes, I hope so too. Several British companies have risen again from the ashes in recent years (Conway Stewart and Onoto) and there's also Yard-o-led, but all these pens are reasonably to very upmarket. There's also the newish company, Sigma, and one or two smaller upmarket makers. Platignum could provide reasonable-quality, reasonably-priced British pens, though the nibs, at least, are made in Germany. I hope they go on to improve their offer further. I agree that the blister pack is disappointing, but it's practical. Lamy, Sheaffer, and Parker, to name but three, also market pens in this price range in blister packs. It's because they are sold off the shop wall or peg, rather than from the pen cabinet.

And welcome to FPN.

PS. What a fascinating place to live! Saint-Pierre & Miquelon. It's one of those places I've seen on the map and thought, "I wonder what it's like?" I like islands, and I spend most of my holidays on islands. Maybe I'll get to Saint Pierre one day.

Are the new pens compatible w/ the old nib units? Can the nibs be removed / changed at all? Funny that they mention that Platignum was the first company to do this in their history page, then don't do it w/ the new pens.

William