Pilot Plumix And Pluminix Questions

[brunico]

I'm thinking of splurging for a few Pilot Pluminixes because they're cheap and italic - the italic bit is critical for me. I had a full-size Plumix years ago - like this - and can't remember much about it. I think it was a bit scratchy on occasion, but maybe that wasn't helped by the Parker Quink (*spit*). So a few questions.

 

1. I have average-sized hands for a man. Might the Pluminix be a bit short? (I probably won't post the cap, so I'm not worried about the 'fins' digging into my hand.)

 

2. Cosmetically, I like the completely clear Pilot Penmanship the best. But I'm in the UK and I can only see this at JetPens in the US, and then only with an EF nib. I had thought about getting this and swapping the parts for an eyedropper conversion, but I'm looking to buy three pens, and with shipping this effectively turns a £5-£7 pen into a £15-£20 one, some of them taking 'European' cartridges and converters and some Pilot's own. Any thoughts?

 

3. Will any non-proprietary converter fit the Plumix (guessing there's next to nothing for the shorter Pluminix)? Till then, cartridge and syringe.

 

4. I can't find the longer Plumix in the UK, but there's a French site selling fine, medium, large and extra large. Three of these are like the M, B and BB of the calligraphy set - with the addition of a fine, presumably italic. Any experience with them? (I can't remember which I had, but probably M or B.)

[brunico]

Thanks to this picture and this picture:

 

EF 0.32mm

F 0.44mm

M 0.58mm

B 0.7mm

BB 1mm

[cubic archon]

I have several Pluminixes, because they come in such pretty colours and are cheap. They are pretty small - I wouldn't want to use them for writing a novel - but, hmm, not _too_ small for use at all.

 

I've tried bantam convertors in them but while they do fit, they're such a pain in the backside that I don't bother. Instead, I fill them with all the random coloured cartridges I end up with whenever I order from Diamine. They'd make pretty good eyedroppers as well I think, the seal is quite tight; I've tried that once but eyedropper conversions make me a bit nervous and I'll stick with cartridges.

[brunico]

Thanks, cubic archon. I've ordered three and I'll see how I get on. I still might get the longer, clear-barrelled Penmanship to use as an eyedropper.

[Dave the brew guy]

I have a Plumix with a medium nib. It does show a little line variation but it's so scratchy that I barely use it. I've only used it with Pilot/Namiki cartridges, blue and blue-black, but I'm just not impressed. Yesterday I picked up a Lamy Joy with a 1.1mm nib for $35 (including the converter), this makes it seem like $6 was way too much to pay for the Plumix.

EDIT: Posting is irrelevant with the Plumix, the tiny cap weighs less than nothing.

Edited December 8, 2010 by Dave the brew guy

[brunico]

Thanks, Dave. Enjoy the Lamy: I have a whole handful of them, have done for years!

[churl]

My understanding, flawed tho it may be, is that the Pluminix is shorter and takes international carts, while the Plumix and Penmanship are longer and take Pilot carts. The Penmanship is a rounded nib while Plumix/inix is a crisp italic. A Pilot converter should fit the Plumix and Penmanship, but honestly, I've never bothered. The converter costs more than the pen.

 

As far as crisp italics go, it's pretty smooth, and there is a lot of variation in QC. I have 3 Plumix nibs that are so smooth they're daily writers, and 3 so 'crisp' that they would only be useful if I became a monk and devoted my life to copying sacred texts.

 

I don't use ANY of my Plumixes because they lack a clip and the cap sucks. However, the nib is interchangeable with the Prera, 78G, Knight (and others?). As such, I scavenge nibs and switch them all the time.

 

As far as ED conversion, I converted two. Watch out for holes at the base of the barrel. About half of my 6 Plumixes had holes. ED is easy to do with silicone grease, but I've had episodic issues with heavy flow.

[brunico]

Thanks, Churl.

 

Arrived today, so first impressions. Not Lamy 1.1mm smooth, but not scratchy. A touch crisper than the Lamy in terms of line variation (though they're different size nibs). Eyedropper conversion holding up okay so far without grease - but this will take a few weeks to make sure.

 

By the way, if anyone else is thinking of swapping the cap and barrel with that of the clear Penmanship, don't. I've checked the photos at Jetpens and the threads are very different.

[brunico]

After a couple of weeks, the Pluminix eyedropper conversions will need grease. Ink isn't dripping out, but it collects at the join and gets on my fingers. The writing leaves me impressed, but I'd still like a longer barrel and a couple with wider nibs, and I still have a mind to swap nibs (can't swap sections) with the clear Penmanship ("special pure water gel color" on eBay!).

 

Then each of my inks will have a pen

 

As far as I can make out, only the Pluminix is available in the UK, and it isn't even listed on their UK site, and I'm wary of buying outside the UK because HM Customs can effectively double the price. Other options are:

• JetPens - Pilot converters only (UK/EU are international fit)
• Rakuten - less than £3 for a Penmanship, but shipping not calculated
• various French sites - ?older-style Plumix with opaque black barrel, clear section and yellow fins on cap, and the full range of italic nib sizes, but none of the ones I found appears to ship to the UK
• engeika on eBay - but $15 shipping and bids or buy-it-now prices hovering about $30!

Any UK FPNers get any joy?

 

Or any French/EU FPNers know a good stationer that will ship to the UK?

 

And come on, Pilot, get your act together!