Platinum Carbon Pen Desk Pen

[mrcharlie]

This is not a well crafted essay as much as bunch of comments and observations of my first couple weeks use of the Platinum Carbon Pen with extra-fine nib using the supplied Carbon Ink cartridge. This was written using the pen on 1/2 sheets of letter size paper (5.5 x 8.5 inch).

 

Platinum Carbon Pen extra-fine nib desk pen

 

How is the multipurpose paper using the Carbon Pen? It seems to be good. It isn't feathering too badly. It looks nice and black on this paper. Sweet. I'm not so sure this pen has conventional "tipping" material. The very end of the nib looks just slightly thicker than the rest. It is a very fine point that works well on most paper, but does snag and become difficult to smoothly write with on some papers; about what you should expect with any extra-fine nib. The Carbon Ink works well. It does not look a deep dark black on all papers, but does on most. It feathers on some paper that most black inks I use can handle. The cartridge is opaque so you can not check how much ink is left easily. The opaque body and the word "Carbon Ink" stamped into the side of the cart help you to not mix up your pigment ink cartridges with the regular dye cartridges. The pen feels comfortable in my hand and has the long tail characteristic of a desk pen. Unlike most old desk pens, this one comes with a cap so you do not need to buy a base. The cap is hexagonal at its widest point which keeps the pen from rolling on flat surfaces. The extra-fine nib and the pigment ink make it suitable for legal signatures, check writing, and bookeeping. Most of the snagging on poor quality non-smooth paper went away after I'd written a couple of letter sized pages with it. Overall, I'm quite happy with it, and would recommend it to anyone looking for a cartridge-fill extra-fine desk pen. FWIW, I know it can use any Platinum cartridges; use of Carbon Ink is not required. I read that it can use the Platinum piston converter, but I have not tried that. Mine was purchased in 2012 from Jet Pens, and unused until now.

 

-- Charles Clark

April 2013 (oops)

 

Stables brand 20lb multipurpose paper

 

 

The photos are of the pen capped, uncapped from the top, and uncapped from the side. Then photos capped and uncapped with a Pilot 78G, Sheaffer Cartridge Pen, and Waterman HD Free Wheel (ie Kultur/Phileas) for size comparison purposes with other pens in the same price class.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 12, 2013 by mrcharlie

[Montblanc owner and lover]

nice pen with a classical desk pen shape

[atypical]

Thank you for the review.

I have been ogling this pen for a long time, but the extra-fine nib has always held me back.

 

Nice, clearly legible handwriting by the way.

[mrcharlie]

Nice, clearly legible handwriting by the way.

Thanks!

 

There is one printer paper I've used that caused some catching of the nib; it was the first paper I used when I inked it. It is some sort of HP recycled laser printer paper; I no longer have the wrapper for the exact name of it or the weight etc, but it was purchased a half dozen years ago. It is not smooth. I just tried it again, and the nib is now not really catching and springing forward on it like it was when it had no break-in, but it doesn't feel good to write on that paper. Everything else has been fine, including cheap legal pad paper up through nice 32 lb paper.

 

Here is a comparison of the line width/quality with some other nibs I have inked. It is on the same Staples 20 lb (75 gsm) "multipurpose paper" (literally; on the back of the review).

 

Edited April 13, 2013 by mrcharlie

[mrcharlie]

The cartridge is opaque so you can not check how much ink is left easily. The opaque body and the word "Carbon Ink" stamped into the side of the cart help you to not mix up your pigment ink cartridges with the regular dye cartridges.

I find now this is not correct. The cartridge is a milky white translucent; the Carbon Ink clings to the inside walls of the cartridge and takes a long time sitting in the same orientation to slide down the cartridge walls. When enough ink is used to make an air gap and enough time passes with the pen sitting in the same orientation (either nib down or up) and if you unscrew the barrel without tipping the pen from the orientation it has been sitting, you can see the ink the level. If you tip the pen back and forth a couple of times the ink coats the walls of the cartridge and you can't tell how much there is again.