Review: Platinum Preppy Fountain Pen 02 EF

Ever since the EF nib was announced by Platinum for their preppy series last year, I have been trying to get my hands on one. Sadly, not many local dealers wanted to carry it, and buying it online meant paying twice the value of the pen for shipping, or more. So when I found out from fellow SFPL members that a local dealer brought in a batch, I rushed down to get it, only to be told that all existing stock was reserved.

Fast forward a few months to today, I happened to chance upon the shop again, while looking for Parker Blue Black cartridges. Trying my luck, I asked if the Preppy 02 was in stock, the same counter staff immediately replied no, while another staff quietly pulled out a box of them. You guys have to teach me that secret handshake to buy things there, or I'll never get anything from them...

Enough ranting back to the review, the pen itself has a slightly different appearance than the 03 and 05 version, but the basic design is the same.

Out-of-the-box, the nib was very scratchy and had too much feedback for me to write comfortably. Some light smoothing with a buffing stick, however, resolved most of that.

Fitted with a standard platinum cartridges, the ink flow was smooth and consistent when writing fast.

A quick run on lesser quality paper suggests that the pen is good for cheap papers, with no feathering or bleed through. With similar dimensions as the rest of the preppy family, the EF nib and section is also interchangeable with the Plasir for a more presentable look.

Overall, I prefer the 02 nib over the 03 and 05 nibs. However, it does take some getting used to, and some knowledge of adjusting nibs is needed to get it working properly. Beginners might want to get comfortable with the 03 and 05 nibs before attempting this nib. Compared to the rivaling pilot penmanship, I prefer the Preppy 02 for its shorter design and better out-of-the-box ink flow.

Review: The Witch, Combine, and Complete.

In my never-ending quest to find inexpensive papers which are fountain pen friendly, I came across the "Combine" brand from Daiso, which is has a impressive good quality for its price.

Another Daiso brand, "Complete", has a similar cover design but does not match up in quality, though the range of their paper products is wider compared to "Combine". Encouraged by a review by a fellow member in SFPL, I decided to try the "Complete" brand again, in hopes that their quality have improved.

The focus of the following test, is the comparison of the bleed through resistance between "Combine" and "Complete", B-line 40 sheets paper product. The main ink used is Sailor Bung Box's Ink of the Witch, and the pen is a Monteverde Invincia Titanium with a Fine nib

Combine Test:

Complete Test:

Conclusion:
Combine is still much more fountain paper friendly paper hands down. With hopes of redeeming the Complete brand, I also tried Parker Blue Black in a Parker 51 Fine nib, as well as a Platinum cartilage in a Plaisir 3.0 nib.

It seems that Complete will still work with dryer inks like Platinum and possibly Pelikan 4001, but I'll personally stick with Combine for now.

Review: Retro 51 Lincoln EXT Copper Tornado Fountain Pen

Quick scores
Appearance: 4.5/5
Nib: 4/5
Comfort: 3/5
Build: 2.5/5
Design: 3/5
                              
Total: 17/25

Appearance

What drew me to the pen was the somewhat steam-punk look, the brushed copper finish, and threaded cap design is almost everything I hoped it would be. Almost. Uncapped, the plain, black plastic section does not carry the look through and disappointed me a little.

Nib
Out of the box, the nib was smooth with a little feedback, which can be easily adjusted with a buffering stick. The stainless steel Schmidt is a little large for my taste but does match with the look of the pen, though the lack of a 14k/18k nib option loses some points with me.

Comfort
This is not the most comfortable pen to write with, the large nib forces my hand to a higher position and adds pressure to my waist and forearm. I can foresee my arm tiring quickly in long writing sessions.

Build
There are bits of contact glue left over between the end of the pen and the body, and the metal body screws directly onto the plastic section, raising concerns about the durability of the plastic threads.

Design
The pen is well balanced when not posted, with a heavy cap, posting will be uncomfortable.

A big part of the problem in this pen's design lays in the section, the overly smooth section lacks grip, and does not have any stoppage to prevent your fingers from gripping onto the nib and feed. A few sentences in and my finger was already inked up from accidentally touching the feed.

Conclusion
The Retro 51 Lincoln EXT Copper Tornado is a good looking pen with a few design flaws. Overall, the pen will still serve as a decent writing instrument, though I will hesitate to recommend it to others.