Jump to content

Platinum Preppy


kadymae

Recommended Posts

First Impressions -

 

This is a simple, inexpensive pen in no-frills packaging.

http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h305/tartymae/pens/PreppyPackage.jpg

 

Appearance & Finish -

 

This pen is cheap and mass produced, exactly what one would expect from a $3-4 fountain pen.

 

That said, the cap snaps on securely and has the nice touch of having an inner spring liner, a feature usually found on other, more expensive pens. (It's certainly not found on the Pilot Varsity or Petit 1.)

http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h305/tartymae/pens/PreppyCap.jpg

I gurantee you, though, that that clip will snap off if stressed.

 

However, while expense has been spared, the quality is not shoddy. Everything snaps or screws together as it should.

 

Also I'm not too fond of the writing and logo on the shaft, because they obscure what makes this pen so gosh darn neat -- it's the cheapest demonstrator FP on the market.

 

Design/ Size/Weight-

 

A Pelikan Pelikano this is not. While this pen doesn't feel fragile or delicate, it doesn't have the same "bulletproof" feeling of ruggedness that one gets from the $8 Pelikano jr.

 

Then again, it wasn't engineered to that level.

 

Capped, its just under 5.5 inches/13.5cm

 

Uncapped, it's 4.75 inches/12cm

 

Weight? Blessedly lightweight, but not so much that it feels flimsy. The balence is surpisingly good (I write unposted), only slightly bottom heavy. It's a pen that I can write for hours with before my hand starts feeling fatigued. The section is not too narrow nor too fat. It makes no pretense at having any kind of ergonomic design. I find the girth just right.

 

Nib Design & Performance-

 

The neat-o thing about Preppys is that the nib is the color of the ink in the pen. A gimmick, but fun none the less. This is a Blue Black color nib.

http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h305/tartymae/pens/PreppyNib.jpg

 

Performance wise, this $3 pen is the smooth and effortless performer that I wish my $38 Pilot Prera were. Smooth, with just a hint of tooth due to the fineness of the nib, which is noticibly narrower than my Lamy Safari F. I also get a bit of line weight variation, depending on the angle at which I hold the pen.

 

However, I hear that there is a great deal of variation in Preppy nib quality. I've luckily gotten a good one. YMMV.

 

The Filling System-

 

A very generous sized cartridge is the standard filling system. Some people have converted their Preppys into eyedropper fill. I'll shell out the $1.50 for two nice, big cartridges and/or use my syringe to refill the current cartridge.

 

Oh, a word if I may about Platinum's Blue-Black ink, while not advertised as such, this stuff is extremely water resistant, in fact it performs as well as Lamy Blue-Black (iron-gall) when subjected to 60 seconds of running water. It's faded, but still there.

 

Cost/Value-

 

In some ways, I feel I've gotten a $3 pen. In other ways, I feel I've gotten an $ 36 pen.

 

If you've gotten a good Preppy, you'll think you've gotten a steal. But, from what I hear, when these pens are bad, they are horrid.

 

Overall Opinion/Conclusion-

 

I'm very happy with my Preppy and will certainly invest in buying refills.

 

http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h305/tartymae/pens/PreppyReview.jpg

Edited by kadymae

Katherine Keller

Culture Vultures Editrix

Sequential Tart

(A webzine by women who love comics and pop culture.)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 16
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

  • kadymae

    2

  • Sailor Kenshin

    2

  • countrydirt

    1

  • Finally

    1

Hi,

 

You can get a Platinum converter and bottle of ink from Pendemonium or Ujuku if you'd like, then it would last quite a while. When I was on vacation, I saw the store display of these pens and got to try one out.

 

Dillon

Edited by Dillo

Stolen: Aurora Optima Demonstrator Red ends Medium nib. Serial number 1216 and Aurora 98 Cartridge/Converter Black bark finish (Archivi Storici) with gold cap. Reward if found. Please contact me if you have seen these pens.

Please send vial orders and other messages to fpninkvials funny-round-mark-thing gmail strange-mark-thing com. My shop is open once again if you need help with your pen.

Will someone with the name of "Jay" who emailed me through the email system provide me an email address? There was no email address provided, so I can't write back.

Dillon

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Also I'm not too fond of the writing and logo on the shaft, because they obscure what makes this pen so gosh darn neat

 

The writing and logo are easily scraped off with your fingernails or the edge of a credit card.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Spring for an O-ring and some grease and make them ED fillers!!!

 

:)

 

Seriously I like these much better than the Pilot V-pens as well, even though mine are all ED fill converted and came "Free" with Noodler's inks. Great pens, nice review!

 

 

 

RAPT

Pens:Sailor Mini, Pelikan Grand Place, Stipula Ventidue with Ti Stub nib, Pelikan M605 with Binder Cursive Italic, Stipula Ventidue with Ti M nib, Vintage Pilot Semi-flex, Lamy Vista, Pilot Prera

For Sale:

Saving for: Edison Pearl

In my dreams: Nakaya Piccolo, custom colour/pattern

In transit:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi,

 

You can get a Platinum converter and bottle of ink from Pendemonium or Ujuku if you'd like, then it would last quite a while. When I was on vacation, I saw the store display of these pens and got to try one out.

 

Dillon

+1, I did this, and after a bit of tweaking, I had this thing writing as well as some of my more expensive steel nibbed pens. It's never going to write as smooth as a gold nib, but for under five bucks you can't complain. Definitely a solid pen, and an unbeatable value.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi,

 

You can get a Platinum converter and bottle of ink from Pendemonium or Ujuku if you'd like, then it would last quite a while. When I was on vacation, I saw the store display of these pens and got to try one out.

 

Dillon

 

I already have a bottle of Platinum ink and love it. I think I'll get a few cartridges as backups and refill the one I have until it won't seal correctly.

Katherine Keller

Culture Vultures Editrix

Sequential Tart

(A webzine by women who love comics and pop culture.)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

I have a Noodlers freebie ED which is loaded with Baystate Blue and I have to admit that it has supplanted my Safari as my "go to" knock around pen. Heck I've been using it in the office a fair amount as well (and my Safari sits idle most of the time). It really is a nice little pen and a great value to boot - seems to be the best of the inexpensive pens that I've used by a decent margin.

A pen a day keeps the doctor away...

 

Parker "51" flighter; Parker 75 cisele; Conway Stewart Dandy Demonstrator; Aurora 88P chrome; Sailor Sapporo ; Lamy 2000; Lamy 27 double L; Lamy Studio; Pilot Murex; Pilot Sesenta (Red/Grey); Pilot Capless (black carbonesque); Pilot Custom 74 Demonstrator; Pilot Volex; Waterman Expert 2000 (slate blue)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've tried using the converter- and it does fit, but it always gave me problems.

 

The converter always gave me flow issues that the cartridge never game me. I filled both from the converter and the "normal way" of through the nib. I had better success with the filling from the converter method, but never got the flow like a reg cartridge. I never tried refilling and empty cartridge though.

 

I have a couple of the eye droppers- but the marker varieties. I have a golden pig highlighter w/ O-Ring and grease. I also have a marker (non-chiseled highlighter tip- like a fine tip marker) that I made into and eye dropper with just grease and no o-ring that I have Blue Ghost UV ink in! Fun.

Edited by dennisraines
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 years later...

<b>First Impressions -</b>

 

This is a simple, inexpensive pen in no-frills packaging.

<img src="http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h305/tartymae/pens/PreppyPackage.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />

 

<b>Appearance & Finish -</b>

 

This pen is cheap and mass produced, exactly what one would expect from a $3-4 fountain pen.

 

That said, the cap snaps on securely and has the nice touch of having an inner spring liner, a feature usually found on other, more expensive pens. (It's certainly not found on the Pilot Varsity or Petit 1.)

<img src="http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h305/tartymae/pens/PreppyCap.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />

I gurantee you, though, that that clip will snap off if stressed.

 

However, while expense has been spared, the quality is not shoddy. Everything snaps or screws together as it should.

 

Also I'm not too fond of the writing and logo on the shaft, because they obscure what makes this pen so gosh darn neat -- it's the cheapest demonstrator FP on the market.

 

<b>Design/ Size/Weight-</b>

 

A Pelikan Pelikano this is not. While this pen doesn't feel fragile or delicate, it doesn't have the same "bulletproof" feeling of ruggedness that one gets from the $8 Pelikano jr.

 

Then again, it wasn't engineered to that level.

 

Capped, its just under 5.5 inches/13.5cm

 

Uncapped, it's 4.75 inches/12cm

 

Weight? Blessedly lightweight, but not so much that it feels flimsy. The balence is surpisingly good (I write unposted), only slightly bottom heavy. It's a pen that I can write for hours with before my hand starts feeling fatigued. The section is not too narrow nor too fat. It makes no pretense at having any kind of ergonomic design. I find the girth just right.

 

<b>Nib Design & Performance-</b>

 

The neat-o thing about Preppys is that the nib is the color of the ink in the pen. A gimmick, but fun none the less. This is a Blue Black color nib.

<img src="http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h305/tartymae/pens/PreppyNib.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />

 

Performance wise, this $3 pen is the smooth and effortless performer that I wish my $38 Pilot Prera were. Smooth, with just a hint of tooth due to the fineness of the nib, which is noticibly narrower than my Lamy Safari F. I also get a bit of line weight variation, depending on the angle at which I hold the pen.

 

However, I hear that there is a great deal of variation in Preppy nib quality. I've luckily gotten a good one. YMMV.

 

<b>The Filling System-</b>

 

A very generous sized cartridge is the standard filling system. Some people have converted their Preppys into eyedropper fill. I'll shell out the $1.50 for two nice, big cartridges and/or use my syringe to refill the current cartridge.

 

Oh, a word if I may about Platinum's Blue-Black ink, while not advertised as such, this stuff is extremely water resistant, in fact it performs as well as Lamy Blue-Black (iron-gall) when subjected to 60 seconds of running water. It's faded, <i>but still there</i>.

 

<b>Cost/Value- </b>

 

In some ways, I feel I've gotten a $3 pen. In other ways, I feel I've gotten an $ 36 pen.

 

If you've gotten a good Preppy, you'll think you've gotten a steal. But, from what I hear, when these pens are bad, they are horrid.

 

<b>Overall Opinion/Conclusion-</b>

 

I'm very happy with my Preppy and will certainly invest in buying refills.

 

<img src="http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h305/tartymae/pens/PreppyReview.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />

 

In the meanwhile i tried something else.

Get a siringe with a needle.....clean the cartridge and you can refill it with whatever fountainpenink you want.

The carts are so solid it is no problem and it holds moer ink then the converter does.

Please visit my blog to read my ink and pen reviews (and more)

http://ladyfangtasia.wordpress.com/

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Or an alternative to the syringe; a plastic pipette is one-handed operation and no worries about purchasing.

 

Great review; thanks. I love the Preppys, always have a number of them loaded and ready to go.

My latest ebook.   And not just for Halloween!
 

My other pen is a Montblanc.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have about 30-40 preppys in different formats

 

1. You dont actually need an O ring with these pens. Silicon grease is enough to keep them ink-tight

2. Dont shake them. The ink can creep up the sides of the feed and seep out the nib end of the pen around where the feed and the outer plastic section meet. Stick some super glue around this part and youll fully seal the pen.

3. The marker, hl, and fountain pen tips are all interchangeable. The pen body is exactly the same so any tip will work with any preppy

4. To get a rollerball, buy some noodlers rollerball tips from GouletPens or elsewhere and pull the marker felt out of a marker tip. Replace with the rollerball tip and youre good to go

5. To date i havent stained the insides of any of my preppys (even with baystate inks). Theyre pretty resilient.

 

Hope these tips help!

Visit my blog Pentorium!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

And they come in 05 as well as 03---kind of translates to either medium and fine.

 

Interesting eyedropper tip, thanks.

 

While I don't personally care to turn my Preppys into eyedroppers, I wonder if an o-ring alone would work?

 

I do own one pen made to specifically as an eyedropper: a Recife Crystal. That model uses an o-ring, no grease, and it hasn't yet leaked.

My latest ebook.   And not just for Halloween!
 

My other pen is a Montblanc.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Great review! I love my Preppies, but both have developed cracks. The plastic is so darned brittle. Even so, the Varsity doesn't have cartridges, let alone a converter (one of mine has the Preppy converter and the other is eyedropper).

fpn_1451747045__img_1999-2.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I found my eyedropper preppy in a box, half full of HOD. I had not used the pen since last spring, so almost a year. I popped the cap and it wrote immediately! Now it is back in my school desk for use in my lab planning book.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 years later...

I keep reading about how the Preppy fountain pen is a great little inexpensive pen so I got one. I couldn't get it to write so the company sent me another and I got another from Overstock. None of them write. Is there some kind of special handshake I should know about, a secret that makes these fountain pens operational? What am I doing wrong?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I keep reading about how the Preppy fountain pen is a great little inexpensive pen so I got one. I couldn't get it to write so the company sent me another and I got another from Overstock. None of them write. Is there some kind of special handshake I should know about, a secret that makes these fountain pens operational? What am I doing wrong?

The only "special handshake" I can think of is that the ink cartridge needs to be firmly engaged with the back of the feed. If the ball bearing inside the cartridge isn't rattling around freely, it may still be lodged at the mouth of the cartridge, and preventing ink flow.

 

Oh, one other thing: the ink can take a little while to work its way through the feed to the nib. Have you tried leaving the pen upside down for 10-15 minutes after installing the cartridge?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You might try to run some dilute dish soap / water sol'n. through the works (1/4 c. Tepid water plus 2-3 drops liquid soap) then rinse with clear water and dry well with clean paper towel. This is a standard 'first thing to do' for any new pen, helping remove oils that inhibit the flow of ink.

 

Just like a good detective, especially with pens from different sources, I don't believe in coincidence. Three mass produced pens will not all fail, when everyone else in the world has no trouble, it's you, not the pen. Figure it out, you'll be glad you did!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now


  • Most Contributions

    1. amberleadavis
      amberleadavis
      43844
    2. PAKMAN
      PAKMAN
      33501
    3. Ghost Plane
      Ghost Plane
      28220
    4. inkstainedruth
      inkstainedruth
      26627
    5. jar
      jar
      26101
  • Upcoming Events

  • Blog Comments

    • Shanghai Knife Dude
      I have the Sailor Naginata and some fancy blade nibs coming after 2022 by a number of new workshop from China.  With all my respect, IMHO, they are all (bleep) in doing chinese characters.  Go use a bush, or at least a bush pen. 
    • A Smug Dill
      It is the reason why I'm so keen on the idea of a personal library — of pens, nibs, inks, paper products, etc. — and spent so much money, as well as time and effort, to “build” it for myself (because I can't simply remember everything, especially as I'm getting older fast) and my wife, so that we can “know”; and, instead of just disposing of what displeased us, or even just not good enough to be “given the time of day” against competition from >500 other pens and >500 other inks for our at
    • adamselene
      Agreed.  And I think it’s good to be aware of this early on and think about at the point of buying rather than rationalizing a purchase..
    • A Smug Dill
      Alas, one cannot know “good” without some idea of “bad” against which to contrast; and, as one of my former bosses (back when I was in my twenties) used to say, “on the scale of good to bad…”, it's a spectrum, not a dichotomy. Whereas subjectively acceptable (or tolerable) and unacceptable may well be a dichotomy to someone, and finding whether the threshold or cusp between them lies takes experiencing many degrees of less-than-ideal, especially if the decision is somehow influenced by factors o
    • adamselene
      I got my first real fountain pen on my 60th birthday and many hundreds of pens later I’ve often thought of what I should’ve known in the beginning. I have many pens, the majority of which have some objectionable feature. If they are too delicate, or can’t be posted, or they are too precious to face losing , still they are users, but only in very limited environments..  I have a big disliking for pens that have the cap jump into the air and fly off. I object to Pens that dry out, or leave blobs o
  • Chatbox

    You don't have permission to chat.
    Load More
  • Files






×
×
  • Create New...