Platinum Preppy Extra Fine 02 Feed Section
The Platinum Preppy Fountain Pen with an Extra Fine Nib (02) (via JetPens) is a great beginner fountain pen for anyone looking to dip their toe into the world of fountain pens. It will only set you back about $5 and still provide an experience to give you the feel of what using a fountain pen is like. This review sample is from our friends at JetPens, provided free of charge as part of their sponsorship of our monthly giveaway.
Platinum Preppy Extra Fine 02 Ink Cartridge Installed
The Platinum Preppy Extra Fine (or any size for that matter) has a refillable and replaceable cartridge that slips into the section, which has color accents to match the color of your ink. Its fairly simple to slip the cartridge into the section, and just takes a small amount of pressure to feel it click into place.
Platinum Preppy Extra Fine 02 Inside the Feed
The above picture is what your cartridge and section look like before you snap the cartridge into place. The metal ball on the left keeps the ink from spilling out of the cartridge and is pushed into the body of the cartridge once you snap it into place.
Platinum Preppy Extra Fine Writing Experience
Platinum Preppy Extra Fine 02 vs the Uniball Signo UM151
The Uniball Signo UM-151 seemed like a good pen to compare the Platinum Preppy to in terms of the tip sizes and the physical dimensions of the pen. The UM-151 is also a fairly commob pen for lots of readers here so I thought it woudl be a good benchmark. In terms of the grip section,the Platinum Preppy is slightly thicker than that of the rubber coated grip of the Uniball Signo UM151. With the caps posted, the two pens actually measure up almost identically in length. All of my writing with the Platinum Preppy Extra Fine was done in a Black n’ Red Casebound notebook which is always a favorite in terms of the quality you get for the price. (still only $2.99 as an add on at Amazon for Prime members)
Platinum Preppy Extra Fine 02 Writing Sample
Writing with the Platinum Preppy Extra Fine in a Black n’ Red Notebook was a fairly enjoyable experience. I say fairly because the nib is a bit on the scratchy side, which is something you should probably expect from a sub $5 steel nib. I would say that it is definitely a bit more scratchy than the Signo .38mm on the same paper. Sometimes a scratchy nib can result in an inconsistent flow of ink hitting your paper, but that doesn’t appear to be the case here with my writing and testing. The Platinum Preppy Extra Fine actually puts down a very consistent line and I didn’t experience any skipping with it.
In terms of the actual ink color and appearance, its got a little more of a pink tone and translucent appearance as compared to the red Uniball Signo UM-151. It does do a particularly good job of not spreading, feathering, or showing through to the other side of the paper.
Platinum Preppy Extra Fine 02 Capped
Overall the Platinum Preppy Extra Fine (02) offers an incredibly inexpensive introduction to the world of fountain pens, and does it with an enjoyable writing experience. If you want to give fountain pens a shot, this isn’t a bad place to start, but keep in mind that it only gets better from here. If you try it out and really like it, or even just think its OK you should know that it mostly only gets better from here. You can take a step up and try out some other beginner fountain pens that will only cost you $15-$25 and provide an even more fun and positive writing experience. Check out our friends at JetPens where they have the Platinum Preppy in plenty of other colors as well as other nib sizes.
©2016, Brian Greene. All rights reserved.
