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Platinum Preppy Fountain Pen Review
Product Review of the Platinum Preppy Fountain Pens
If you are just starting using fountain pens or want to know what all the hype is about, the Platinum Preppy fountain pen is a great option. With a retail price of $3.96 it's hard to beat the price. In this review of the Platinum Preppy fountain pen we will discuss what we like or do not like about the pen.
Packaging and Branding
The Platinum Preppy fountain pen comes in a box of 12 pens with no individual packaging. If you buy a single pen there is no packaging at all. What else would you expect with such a low price tag though.
The Platinum Preppy fountain pen is branded with printing on the barrel of the pen. Some users say you can remove the printed items and are left with a clear transparent barrel. The pen is printed with the Preppy logo and size in one spot. It also has a UPC printed with the color and some Japanese characters. I can't read Japanese so don't know what it says. It just clutters the design of the pen. I would prefer to have a small sleeve, box or piece of cardboard attached with this information rather than on the pen. Personally I think that the plain look would be better and all this informational printing is a big minus for the pen.Pen Design
The Platinum Preppy fountain pen comes with a clear snap on cap and barrel made from a poly carbonate material. The pen comes several different color options. Each color has a color top to the cap and clip with a color coordinated nib and ink cartridge. I like the way the nib is painted to match the ink color and the clip on the pen. I think that is a nice touch. Since the pen is a clear transparent plastic the only color is on these few accents. When the ink is inserted into the pen you can see the color of the cartridge inside the pen.Like all of the Platinum Pens, the Platinum Preppy comes with the patented "Slip & Seal" mechanism inside the cap. Because the cap is transparent you can actually see the mechanism as it works. There is a spring loaded interior cap that seals the nib and keeps the ink from drying out. This is a great feature of Platinum Pens. It allows you to leave the fountain pen for long periods of time without the ink drying out. This is definite plus to this inexpensive pen.
Nib & Performance
The nib used on the Platinum Preppy is the same nib and feed used on the Platinum Plaisir fountain pen. You can actually unscrew the entire grip section and swap them on the two pens. This is good to know if you ever wanted to replace a nib on the Platinum Plasir pen for cheap.The nib is available in either a fine or medium tip. The pen writes well and because of the "Slip & Seal" the pen seems to never dry out and writes with plenty of ink. For a starter pen the Platinum Preppy writes well.
Pros of the Platinum Preppy fountain pen:
- Price - This is a great starter pen and at the price a cheap fountain pen.
- Slip & Seal - Love that the pen does not dry out.
Cons of the Platinum Preppy fountain pen:
- Packaging and Branding - Because there is no packaging they print it on the pen which cheapens the look of the pen.
Conclusion to the Platinum Preppy Fountain Pen Review
Overall a great starter pen for anyone who wants to just try a fountain pen and see what it is like. Not a huge fan of the printing on the pen. I feel it would look better as a plain, clear barrel without all of the extra info on the pen. Despite the few minor items with the look of the pen it writes well and is a reliable pen especially for the low ticket price.Buy the Platinum Preppy Fountain Pens
Specs of the Platinum Preppy Fountain Pens
Length: 5.450 in.Posted Length: 6.125 in.
Diameter: 0.500 in.
Weight: 0.450 oz.
Body/Trim: Plastic
FillType: Cartridge(Converter not included)
Platinum Preppy Reviews from our Customers
See what our customers have to say about the Platinum Preppy Fountain Pens. Don't just take our word for it, read actual customer reviews of the product and see what they think.
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I have about 5 or 7 preppies, and these pens are amazing. they consistently write very well, and come in so many colors. The price point is on the low end almost to be disposable. However, if you treat it well, you can continue to use refills!
overall: 5 out of 5
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While I didn't expect much from such inexpensive pens , I was indeed amazed at how smoothly these pens write. WHile I have additional pens that cost subastantially more, I love using these pens on a dialy basis in my office. I ordered a blue pen for blue ink and a black pen for black ink. I use the blue pen virtually all the time at my desk while I use the black pen to sign documents. I have now been using both pens on a dialy basis for just over a week and remain most impressed. Lightyears ahead of the Pilot Plumix......
overall: 5 out of 5
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I bought 2 of this Preppy pens. One works perfect and really smooth, the other one had the nib unit already felt off. After reinserting the nib, it would not write at all.
overall: 4 out of 5
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An excellent pen - very good value for money.
overall: 5 out of 5
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This is not my first pen, but I've heard so much about the preppy. I've bought many cheap "disposable" fountain pens, just because they are convenient (especially when traveling. I like the preppy for its price and it is an excellent pen for the price. Writes great and you can use cartridges (proprietary, but still...). Haven't converted it to an eyedropper, but I would pick up another if I needed one. Might try the eyedropper technique if I get adventurous--I've done it with a Pilot Varsity and worked great.
overall: 5 out of 5
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Bought these for a cheap pen to play around with eyedropper conversion and some ink samples I had sitting around. Preppys are always a reliable and cheap pen. If you are looking for a starter pen, an everyday carry you won't care too much about misplacing, or to play around with converting a pen these are a great choice.
overall: 5 out of 5
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Switched it to an eyedropper, penabled someone, and it works beautifully.
overall: 5 out of 5
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very high quality for price
overall: 5 out of 5
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Great writing, refillable fountain pen for under $5! I have both the medium and the fine nib sizes and they're both good. Haven't tried the XF yet but given how fine the regular F nib is, I don't think I will need to.
overall: 5 out of 5
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I am using this pen for sketching and I love it. I did have a problem inserting the cartridge and looked online for info. Ultimately I just pushed the cartridge in in and it appears that some ink flowed out and is visible. However, the ink flow is fine from the nib.
overall: 5 out of 5
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Pictures of the Platinum Preppy Fountain Pens
Prices for the Platinum Preppy Fountain Pens start at:
Retail:
$3.96
Sale:
$3.17
