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Is The Platinum Preppy Durable?


NewPenMan

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I just got a couple of Platinum Preppies the other day..they write far better than I thought they would..well enough to be my go-to pens for writing and drawing.

 

Can anyone attest to their durability? I'd like to hang onto these things for a long time. I don't know whether they're meant to have short lives or not. it's just a $4 pen, but it's excellent!

 

thank you!

Franklin-Christoph Stabilis 66 and Pocket 40: both with Matsuyama CI | Karas Kustoms Aluminum, Daniel Smith CI | Italix Parson's Essential and Freshman's Notator | Pilot Prera | Pilot Metropolitan | Lamy Safari, 1.1mm italic | Muji "Round Aluminum Pen" | Waterman Phileas | Noodler's Konrad | Nemosine Singularity 0.6mm stub | ASA Nauka, acrylic and ebonite | Gama Hawk | Wality Airmail | Noodlers Ahab | TWSBI GO | Noodlers Charlie | Pilot Plumix |

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The ones I've had have been durable, with one minor exception; the cap eventually cracks around the rim. Some deal with this by taping the end of the cap.

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So the stress of capping and uncapping cracks it?

Franklin-Christoph Stabilis 66 and Pocket 40: both with Matsuyama CI | Karas Kustoms Aluminum, Daniel Smith CI | Italix Parson's Essential and Freshman's Notator | Pilot Prera | Pilot Metropolitan | Lamy Safari, 1.1mm italic | Muji "Round Aluminum Pen" | Waterman Phileas | Noodler's Konrad | Nemosine Singularity 0.6mm stub | ASA Nauka, acrylic and ebonite | Gama Hawk | Wality Airmail | Noodlers Ahab | TWSBI GO | Noodlers Charlie | Pilot Plumix |

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I've had one about four months. It handles elevation changes without leaking, doesn't dry out when left at home, handles any ink I put in it, and survives being dropped on the ground 2-3 times/week.

 

Last week It developed a crack on the cap rim, but it still snaps closed. I'll buy another when the cap fails.

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So the stress of capping and uncapping cracks it?

 

There's a thread about cap cracking here.

 

Mine has survived six months of moderate use (pocket pen) and a few drops on hard floors without cracking.

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You're right. It is an excellent pen for the price. I always remove and replace the cap on mine, very gently. Mine are filled with different Noodlers colors, and they always write; even after sitting for a week.

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Mine are still alive after spending over a year at work. They can take a beating - not as much as the Varsity can but are more durable than gave them credit for. One is my dedicated Baystate Concord and another for Nikita Red so they are used to fill in reminders and approvals against notes.

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For some,they are not. My preppys cracked after 6 months of use. If you likethe preppy but want something more long term, try to get a plasir, they are the same pen but the plasir is metal and in my experience more durable

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Incredible writers and always ready to start no matter how long they are neglected for. Sadly though their caps are seriously prone to cracking.

 

I would suggest saving up and spending a little more on them instead of the Preppy.

 

Sadly though the 0.2mm Preppy, my favourite, isn't available as a Plaisir so I've taken with slowly replacing the plastic bodies with the far more durable metal Plaisir bodies.

Edited by Tas
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Ok..good to know. .I.suppose taping their caps is in my future. .

Edited by NewPenMan

Franklin-Christoph Stabilis 66 and Pocket 40: both with Matsuyama CI | Karas Kustoms Aluminum, Daniel Smith CI | Italix Parson's Essential and Freshman's Notator | Pilot Prera | Pilot Metropolitan | Lamy Safari, 1.1mm italic | Muji "Round Aluminum Pen" | Waterman Phileas | Noodler's Konrad | Nemosine Singularity 0.6mm stub | ASA Nauka, acrylic and ebonite | Gama Hawk | Wality Airmail | Noodlers Ahab | TWSBI GO | Noodlers Charlie | Pilot Plumix |

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Incredible writers and always ready to start no matter how long they are neglected for. Sadly though their caps are seriously prone to cracking.

How "new" is new enough to have been made with Platinum's possible fix to this? I bought them from Goulet last week..any markings which would identify whether they are in the group that's had this fixed?

Franklin-Christoph Stabilis 66 and Pocket 40: both with Matsuyama CI | Karas Kustoms Aluminum, Daniel Smith CI | Italix Parson's Essential and Freshman's Notator | Pilot Prera | Pilot Metropolitan | Lamy Safari, 1.1mm italic | Muji "Round Aluminum Pen" | Waterman Phileas | Noodler's Konrad | Nemosine Singularity 0.6mm stub | ASA Nauka, acrylic and ebonite | Gama Hawk | Wality Airmail | Noodlers Ahab | TWSBI GO | Noodlers Charlie | Pilot Plumix |

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My advice, tape them right now. Three rounds of Scotch tape will prevent the caps from cracking. If you try taping after cracking, the cap will still sit a bit loose.

Edited by deepak23

A lifelong FP user...

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Ok thanks for that. .. taping right now

Franklin-Christoph Stabilis 66 and Pocket 40: both with Matsuyama CI | Karas Kustoms Aluminum, Daniel Smith CI | Italix Parson's Essential and Freshman's Notator | Pilot Prera | Pilot Metropolitan | Lamy Safari, 1.1mm italic | Muji "Round Aluminum Pen" | Waterman Phileas | Noodler's Konrad | Nemosine Singularity 0.6mm stub | ASA Nauka, acrylic and ebonite | Gama Hawk | Wality Airmail | Noodlers Ahab | TWSBI GO | Noodlers Charlie | Pilot Plumix |

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A great alternative to the Preppy is the Pilot Varsity. The plastic used is much tougher. They can be easily refilled by pulling out the friction fit nib and feed and filling like an eyedropper.

Fountain pens forever and forever a hundred years fountain pens, all day long forever, forever a hundred times, over and over Fountain Pen Network Adventures dot com!

 

- Joe

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Well I do have both. I prefer the preppy but I respect the superior durability of the varsity.

 

If the cap is the only weak area of the preppy, I can see it lasting years or decades, which is my plan for keeping them around.

 

Maybe other pens' caps can fit the preppy barrel?

Franklin-Christoph Stabilis 66 and Pocket 40: both with Matsuyama CI | Karas Kustoms Aluminum, Daniel Smith CI | Italix Parson's Essential and Freshman's Notator | Pilot Prera | Pilot Metropolitan | Lamy Safari, 1.1mm italic | Muji "Round Aluminum Pen" | Waterman Phileas | Noodler's Konrad | Nemosine Singularity 0.6mm stub | ASA Nauka, acrylic and ebonite | Gama Hawk | Wality Airmail | Noodlers Ahab | TWSBI GO | Noodlers Charlie | Pilot Plumix |

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A thought or question occurs to me..does the cracking owe to the use of "pretty" plastic which is light and clear and attractive? And if a higher-grade of such pretty plastic were used, the price would jump, as would the durability?

 

So, is this what we're stuck with in the $4 pen arena: a great-writing pen with a tragically-weak physical housing?

Edited by NewPenMan

Franklin-Christoph Stabilis 66 and Pocket 40: both with Matsuyama CI | Karas Kustoms Aluminum, Daniel Smith CI | Italix Parson's Essential and Freshman's Notator | Pilot Prera | Pilot Metropolitan | Lamy Safari, 1.1mm italic | Muji "Round Aluminum Pen" | Waterman Phileas | Noodler's Konrad | Nemosine Singularity 0.6mm stub | ASA Nauka, acrylic and ebonite | Gama Hawk | Wality Airmail | Noodlers Ahab | TWSBI GO | Noodlers Charlie | Pilot Plumix |

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I have had two of these, not abused, and the cap lip cracked after only a short time.

 

Because of the spring loaded inner cap (otherwise a great idea for keeping the nib ready to write) the crack allows the spring pressure to force the cap off the body. So after the crack, the pen is no longer stable, and imo no longer useful.

 

The Plasir fits the Preppy section - a direct replacement. But the metal body on the Plasir is a satin finish, which I find impossible to grip - its actually hard to get the cap off.

 

So... if I want the 0.2mm Preppy nib - very useable for such a fine line, neither of these work for me.

 

I have heard that the Preppy was being re-engineered to solve the problem. Would love to buy the new ones when available.

 

 

.

...

"Bad spelling, like bad grammar, is an offense against society."

- - Good Form Letter Writing, by Arthur Wentworth Eaton, B.A. (Harvard);  © 1890

.

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