PLP pens review ( Jumbo and solid Ebonite)

[Harish N V]

I think my fascination for handmade Indian FPs really will never end. I have been recently introduced to PLP and these are my two new pens and I am thrilled by these pens. Both these pens are made from Indian ebonite of different thicknesses as you will see. They both are fantastic. Check out the pictures here 

 

PURCHASE:

 

PLP pens now have their website ( www.plppens.com) through which orders can be placed. Also Mr Satish can be contacted on whatsapp through 09652276914. I ordered through whatsapp and Mr Satish is very prompt in replying. Pens took about 3-4 days to get dispatched as i needed some small modifications. Mr Satish is very kind and accomodative. He is also frank with his communication. He clearly informs what can be done and what not. I also called him to talk to him and he was very patient and he responded to my questions quite elaborately. Thanks a lot for that.

 

THE COMPANY:

 

PLP pens is run by Mr Poona Lakshmipathy ( Mr. PLP) and his son Mr Satish. Mr PLP is a very famous name in the Indian Pen world. He used to turn pens for many shops in India ranging from Deccan, J.K.pens etc. Now he and his son have started manufacturing under their own name. Pens are handturned in machines by Mr PLP which were purchased 30 years ago in the same way with a lot of attention to details. Mr PLP has been turning pens for perhaps more than 50 years now. He started very young ( Around12-13 years) and started working at thefamous MISAK pens in Hyderabad. He has continued this fine craft and I am pleased that Mr Satish has also joined him for the past 4 years after completing his education. Iam happy for Mr Satish for having the best of two worlds. Kudos !!! 

 

THE PENS: 

 

There are two pens. The first pen is a model called the Jumbo. It comes in lovely blue/ black ebonite and with a lot of girth as shown in the pictures. The length of this pen is quite interesting. Unlike big pens like gama supreme, Ranga splendour, Guider zimbo etc this one is shorter in length. It gives this pen a nice comfortable balance that aids in long writing. The grip section is quite uncomplicated with a tiny taper and a lovely lip near the nib that is dine very well. The pen is an eye dropper. But can also be ordered with a converter and a jowo nib. The eye dropper models are available online with a 35 mm Ambitious medium nib. I asked for a 40mm ambitious medium and Mr Satish was happy to customize the pen to take a 40mm nib. Also a 40mm nib unit with feeder is available. But tip size options are only possible with jowo ( ef,f,m,b) . The top and bottom finials are rounded. The ebonite is pretty and the pen is a no nonsense pen. The pen opens in about 2.5 turns and has single start threads. The clip is pretty and has plp etched. Totally uncomplicated and very functional. The feeder is an ebonite feeder that comes with most indian eye droppers from gama, woodex etc. 

 

The second is a plp solid ebonite pen in green. This pen is outright pretty. The cap finial is so good and the length of the pen is so apt. I prefer to post this pen and it is so comfortable. I ordered this with a jowo medium. It looks so unique and is again crafted perfecty. Lovely deep posting of the cap is possible. The grip section is hour glass shaped. Both PLP and woodex have a different hour glass grip sections compared to Ranga pens. . Ranga grip sections are uniform and PLP is shorter at the top and longer at the bottom. The curvature is more towards the top. The grip is very comfortable and this pen suits my hand perfectly. Again same clip as jumbo. No complications and very functional. 

 

THE CRAFTSMANSHIP

 

I don't have anything really say about Mr. PLP. He is a master pen turner who has been for over 50 years in the industry and these pens are testament to his skill and perfection. I will try to throw some details on the finer details which are not noticeable at first glance. First of all there are no tooling marks on both the pens. Or vey very minimal. Perfectly done. The designs are so well balanced. The maker really understands ergonomics of writing! The taper near the bottom of the barrel (for posting), and near top of barrel (to allow for cap fitting) are done perfectly and aesthetically. They are very uniform. The cap does not leave any marks on the barrel after frequent opening and closing. The cap rings fit perfectly. The top finial fits nicely with the rest of the cap. Very smooth and well made. The lip of the jumbo's writing section is so well made. The pens are robust. 

 

On the whole this is really what you would expect from a seasoned master at work. I am really happy with the pens and the quality of work. Thanks Mr PLP and Mr Satish. 

 

THE NIBS. 

 

The nibs were tuned very well. Both of them wrote out of the box. Again care for details was shown. And i can certainly tell that 40mm nibs have been mostly notorious in my other pens. Not in PLP pens. I had my demonstrator also with a 40mm from plp and that too was well tuned. The nibs have not been modified from my end. The 40mm is wetter and slightly thicker than jowo. This might also be because of the filling options. The jumbo is an ED and solid ebonite a cartridge converter. 

 

PRICING
 

For the quality I find them very fairly priced.  Please do check the website for their pricing. The Jumbo was priced at 2650 and the solid ebonite with jowo also the same. The eye dropper with 35mm nibs are cheaper still. I find PLP and Woodex to deliver great quality at really fair prices. 

 

VERDICT

 

I would recommend these beauties to anyone without any second thoughts. Great pens and i would definitely try more pens from PLP in future. 

 

 

[K Singh]

Both pens look so good. For 40mm nibs I actually prefer this size of pens only and find them quite comfortable. Can't even imagine using a 40mm nib on Zimbo/Gama Supreme/Kim Jumbo.

 

Given the price hike by so many Indian penmakers, I find myself recommending mostly PLP pens only to most people. Very good pens for the price 👍

[Harish N V]

Thanks for the reply. I tried a 40mm on a gama commander recently. Wrote perfectly fine. But somehow not to my taste and hence changed to the gama 35mm. But the only other pen that takes 40mm well is woodex 39 for me. Something about its length , girth and balance make it truly special. 

 

Pricing is great. And I am happy that OEM makers are starting their companies. I just keep falling in love with my Indian pens. Except for 2-3 pens all my other pens are indian handturned

[K Singh]

27 minutes ago, Harish N V said:

Thanks for the reply. I tried a 40mm on a gama commander recently. Wrote perfectly fine. But somehow not to my taste and hence changed to the gama 35mm. But the only other pen that takes 40mm well is woodex 39 for me. Something about its length , girth and balance make it truly special. 

 

Pricing is great. And I am happy that OEM makers are starting their companies. I just keep falling in love with my Indian pens. Except for 2-3 pens all my other pens are indian handturned

Yes, I too find the Woodex 39 or old Deccan Masterpiece quite comfortable. I have seen some small, but girthier, variants of Kim pens with 40mm nibs, shared by Mr.Hari a long time ago. Those should be comfortable too, and likely even the Ratnamson Supreme if set with 40mm nib.

 

I think you had an Omas and Pelikan too. After seeing them I thought you were moving on to international gold nib pens back then, as many do. What brings you back to Indian made pens 🙂

[Harish N V]

Actual this pen ( Jumbo) reminds me strongly of the ratnamson supreme photos that you had shared. 

 

Your question is interesting. The answer has multiple reasons. 

1) The love for ebonite. 

 

2) I really cherish the craft itself. For eg,  Whenever I meet mr Kandan of Ranga pens, I ask him plenty of questions about the craft itself. I love the way these craftsmen go about making.. Something that takes time and requires a meditative quality to learn. I value that. 

 

3) whenever I buy expensive pens, I don't feel free to use it due to fear of breakage / damage. The omas was great but there were some fragile elements in the pen that made it hard to use. I sold it. However I have my pelikan intact. I haven't fully grown over that fear. 

 

4) I can't say IAM a collector of pens. So I write with all my pens. Over time I retain some and sell many depending on how they suit me. 

 

5) Indian pens are best on the pocket without compromising on robustness and feel in hand. For instance I flip my woodex 4 in my pocket and use it in my classes with school students. No worries. Sometimes my students use it and return it the next day. No worries. Same applies to many pens from other companies. Ranga 4c was the same.

 

 

 

 

[K Singh]

38 minutes ago, Harish N V said:

Actual this pen ( Jumbo) reminds me strongly of the ratnamson supreme photos that you had shared. 

 

Your question is interesting. The answer has multiple reasons. 

1) The love for ebonite. 

 

2) I really cherish the craft itself. For eg,  Whenever I meet mr Kandan of Ranga pens, I ask him plenty of questions about the craft itself. I love the way these craftsmen go about making.. Something that takes time and requires a meditative quality to learn. I value that. 

 

3) whenever I buy expensive pens, I don't feel free to use it due to fear of breakage / damage. The omas was great but there were some fragile elements in the pen that made it hard to use. I sold it. However I have my pelikan intact. I haven't fully grown over that fear. 

 

4) I can't say IAM a collector of pens. So I write with all my pens. Over time I retain some and sell many depending on how they suit me. 

 

5) Indian pens are best on the pocket without compromising on robustness and feel in hand. For instance I flip my woodex 4 in my pocket and use it in my classes with school students. No worries. Sometimes my students use it and return it the next day. No worries. Same applies to many pens from other companies. Ranga 4c was the same.

 

 

 

 

Thank you for the detailed response 👍 Agree with what you said. Since last one and half years I have sold several pens myself. Right now my collection is very manageable and I use most of my pens. Still most of these have huge eyedropper capacities and as such I still have pens that haven't been inked once. 

 

By the way, did you go to the Chennai Pen Show? Looks like a good success from the images that others shared online. 

[Harish N V]

29 minutes ago, K Singh said:

Thank you for the detailed response 👍 Agree with what you said. Since last one and half years I have sold several pens myself. Right now my collection is very manageable and I use most of my pens. Still most of these have huge eyedropper capacities and as such I still have pens that haven't been inked once. 

 

By the way, did you go to the Chennai Pen Show? Looks like a good success from the images that others shared online. 

Oh. I did. I interacted a long time with the Ranga family. They had some new offerings in metal and resins. So was in their table for a long time.Had a nice chat with people at Kanwrite. Tried their music nib which was awesome and had a look at their expanded colours in the heritage and desire. 

 

As such the crowd was always there. Most of the stalls were full most of the time. Saw some filigree work from gama. Some time at click and v sign was also interesting. 

 

There was a vintage table that had many Sheaffer touchdown, balance and a few Waterman. Interesting again. Lotus was crowded to the brim. So couldn't really spend time there. 

[a.m]

1 hour ago, Harish N V said:

Actual this pen ( Jumbo) reminds me strongly of the ratnamson supreme photos that you had shared. 

 

Your question is interesting. The answer has multiple reasons. 

1) The love for ebonite. 

 

2) I really cherish the craft itself. For eg,  Whenever I meet mr Kandan of Ranga pens, I ask him plenty of questions about the craft itself. I love the way these craftsmen go about making.. Something that takes time and requires a meditative quality to learn. I value that. 

 

3) whenever I buy expensive pens, I don't feel free to use it due to fear of breakage / damage. The omas was great but there were some fragile elements in the pen that made it hard to use. I sold it. However I have my pelikan intact. I haven't fully grown over that fear. 

 

4) I can't say IAM a collector of pens. So I write with all my pens. Over time I retain some and sell many depending on how they suit me. 

 

5) Indian pens are best on the pocket without compromising on robustness and feel in hand. For instance I flip my woodex 4 in my pocket and use it in my classes with school students. No worries. Sometimes my students use it and return it the next day. No worries. Same applies to many pens from other companies. Ranga 4c was the same.

 

 

 

 

 

Interesting to read!

 

[K Singh]

56 minutes ago, Harish N V said:

Oh. I did. I interacted a long time with the Ranga family. They had some new offerings in metal and resins. So was in their table for a long time.Had a nice chat with people at Kanwrite. Tried their music nib which was awesome and had a look at their expanded colours in the heritage and desire. 

 

As such the crowd was always there. Most of the stalls were full most of the time. Saw some filigree work from gama. Some time at click and v sign was also interesting. 

 

There was a vintage table that had many Sheaffer touchdown, balance and a few Waterman. Interesting again. Lotus was crowded to the brim. So couldn't really spend time there. 

Happy to hear about such success of the show. Hopefully it will be conducted every year now. The Kanwrite music nib looks interesting. Let's see when it becomes available for everyone. Gama filigree pen also looks interesting 👍

[Harish N V]

Ya. I also enjoyed it and hope it happens every year. 

[Harish N V]

On 3/17/2024 at 2:09 PM, a.m said:

 

Interesting to read!

 

Thanks

[Prof Drew]

I just wanted to echo @Harish N V's excellent review of PLP Pens. Mr. @K Singh had clued me in to the excellence of this maker. For those outside India I just wanted to be a witness to the quality of the pen and the ease of ordering from the website. I was able to use a credit card on something like PayPal from the website. The pen was sent out a week later or so. It took maybe two weeks then to arrive, but that was only because the delivery company (RocketShip?) sent it via surface rate from the US East Coast, which meant it went to truck or train and then ship before it reached me. I had excellent communication also with the son, Mr Satish on Whats-app. I've been meaning to create a video of the pen, but have just been very busy. The pen is a lovely PLP Scenic Model in ebonite with a Fine nib and chrome clip. It's classic and came with a converter since I'm not an ED guy most of the time. Excellent workmanship at a very fair price. I hope to order again.

[K Singh]

4 hours ago, Prof Drew said:

I just wanted to echo @Harish N V's excellent review of PLP Pens. Mr. @K Singh had clued me in to the excellence of this maker. For those outside India I just wanted to be a witness to the quality of the pen and the ease of ordering from the website. I was able to use a credit card on something like PayPal from the website. The pen was sent out a week later or so. It took maybe two weeks then to arrive, but that was only because the delivery company (RocketShip?) sent it via surface rate from the US East Coast, which meant it went to truck or train and then ship before it reached me. I had excellent communication also with the son, Mr Satish on Whats-app. I've been meaning to create a video of the pen, but have just been very busy. The pen is a lovely PLP Scenic Model in ebonite with a Fine nib and chrome clip. It's classic and came with a converter since I'm not an ED guy most of the time. Excellent workmanship at a very fair price. I hope to order again.

Pen looks beautiful ❤️ Glad to know you like it. I, too, have very good experience in communicating with Mr.Satish of PLP pens. 

[Harish N V]

11 hours ago, Prof Drew said:

I just wanted to echo @Harish N V's excellent review of PLP Pens. Mr. @K Singh had clued me in to the excellence of this maker. For those outside India I just wanted to be a witness to the quality of the pen and the ease of ordering from the website. I was able to use a credit card on something like PayPal from the website. The pen was sent out a week later or so. It took maybe two weeks then to arrive, but that was only because the delivery company (RocketShip?) sent it via surface rate from the US East Coast, which meant it went to truck or train and then ship before it reached me. I had excellent communication also with the son, Mr Satish on Whats-app. I've been meaning to create a video of the pen, but have just been very busy. The pen is a lovely PLP Scenic Model in ebonite with a Fine nib and chrome clip. It's classic and came with a converter since I'm not an ED guy most of the time. Excellent workmanship at a very fair price. I hope to order again.

Looking forward to your video. I am planning to purchase an aquarelle when it's back in stock. My phone currently has some problem. So unable to open your picture currently. ☹️

 

6 hours ago, K Singh said:

Pen looks beautiful ❤️ Glad to know you like it. I, too, have very good experience in communicating with Mr.Satish of PLP pens. 

Thanks for introducing me to plp. I was a little slow in my purchase however. Now I am so glad that I have their pens. Solid and well thought out designs they have currently.

[Harish N V]

I saw the picture now. It looks great. I love the top finial of senic and solid ebonite. Very unique design

[K Singh]

34 minutes ago, Harish N V said:

Thanks for introducing me to plp. I was a little slow in my purchase however. Now I am so glad that I have their pens. Solid and well thought out designs they have currently.

I myself am slow in making new pen purchases. So many new names have come up in the Indian pen market now(most look just like resellers who have same OEM), but for some reason it's only the old penmakers that appeal to me. Happy to see PLP get some recognition here on FPN. 

[Harish N V]

I too lean towards the old makers. I do have one exception in gama due to the accessibility of the shop when IAM in Chennai. 

[misalignedtines]

Beautiful pens. I wonder about the PLP Jumbo. How do these pens fare for long writing sessions? Do you find them comfortable?

[Harish N V]

16 hours ago, misalignedtines said:

Beautiful pens. I wonder about the PLP Jumbo. How do these pens fare for long writing sessions? Do you find them comfortable?

16 hours ago, misalignedtines said:

Beautiful pens. I wonder about the PLP Jumbo. How do these pens fare for long writing sessions? Do you find them comfortable?

Hi. I am generally comfortable with thicker pens for writing. So I prefer this thickness for long writing. However what really adds to the balance is the short length of this particular pen. 

 

Having said that my most comfortable thickness for me is a step lesser than this. You can find this barrel thickness with woodex 39, Ranga samurai etc, gama kuyil etc. The barrel is 16mm in diameter and I find this to be most comfortable. 

 

Also the plp jumbo comes with an hourglass shaped section. I have heard that many of them find this shape more comfortable. 

[hari317]

16 hours ago, Harish N V said:

gama kuyil etc

the next time you meet Pratap sir, pls ask him who gave such names to his pens like Kuyil, Kambar etc.