Any Platinum Cool/balance Pgb-3000 Owners Out There?

[bokchoy]

This pen interests me because its nib is supposedly soft or springy. I found two threads on it but I'd like some opinions, anecdotes, reviews, writing samples, etc. if possible.

 

Other things I'd like to know (I know I have a lot of questions - sorry!):

 

1. Are all the non-demonstrator pens translucent? If not, which ones are?
2. Are there any differences between the demonstrator (Cool) and non-demonstrator (Balance PGB-3000) pens besides the transparent material (design, springiness, etc.)?
3. How durable are the pens in your experience?
4. Does anyone have pictures of a Platinum Cool (demonstrator) with the converter inside, loaded with ink? Most online pictures show empty pens. I suspect they look prettier that way. Do they?

Thanks!

Edited July 1, 2014 by bokchoy

[savingbirds]

I did have a blue Platinum Cool with a medium nib a while back, but recently sold it. I'll try to answer your questions to the best of my knowledge.

 

1. The definition of a demonstrator is a pen that shows its internals. It would make sense that all demonstrators (not just from Platinum) are transparent/translucent. The demonstrators are the ones in clear, blue, and magenta.

 

2. There are no internal differences between the Cool and Balance, only the trimmings and body colours.

 

3. They are very durable. I would say between a Pilot 78G and Lamy Safari. I've dropped mine many times and have been carrying it in an ordinary pencil case for months.

 

4. No, I sold it already, sorry!

 

The nib is quite springy, but no where near as much as the Noodler's flex pens, Namiki/Pilot Falcons, or the soft nibs from Pilot. It's pleasant to write with, but don't expect too huge of line variation. If that's what you're going for, make sure to get the fine nib version, as the line width differences are more noticeable.

 

I hope that this helps!

[bokchoy]

Thanks savingbirds. That was helpful.

 

As for question 1, I've been staring closely at various pictures and the blue and red non-demonstrators don't look opaque under some lighting conditions. It's hard to tell. That's why I'm wondering if they are very slightly translucent and whether the green and black are the same.

[JeffH1980]

Hi bokchoy,

 

Here are some photos of my Platinum Cool Clear, medium nib, inked up with Iroshizuku Asa-Gao. I haven't written with it a lot yet (just inked it yesterday), but I like how it feels so far.

 

 

Regards,

 

Jeff

[eawtan]

I have 2 Platinum Cools demonstrators, a clear and blue , both with F nibs. I had the clear for >1 year and I just bought the blue a few days ago. I like the Cool as it never dries up even with nib up for weeks, writes immediately all the time. It disassembles easily via a screw mechanism which makes cleaning very convenient. I have sweaty palms thus have difficulty removing friction fit feeds. My current preference is with demonstrators as it looks cheap and doesn't attract attention. Don't use a converter as I reuse the carts via a needle syringe.

[Mister5]

I only have the the Balance in blue and you have to look at it in the glare of a light (like a flashlight) to see into it. Normally it is opaque. From everything this read (and the Goulet video in this) the Balance and Cool are almost identical, and you can interchange parts.

I haven't found the Balance Fine nib to be springy or bouncy but more like a nail. A lot of folks (incl Goulet) say theirs has some spring so maybe mine is an outlier. Mine doesn't get a lot of use but it's a solid though light pen.

[senzen]

I've had two Platinum Cool for a couple of years, the FM has been reliable, the M is particularly smooth but was cursed with starting issues and a bad converter which eventually stopped even going back up, and is possibly related; I just got a new converter and it seems to be behaving. I just tried both, can't feel any springiness. They seem to dry as quickly as Lamy Vistas if left on a table, so it's a double fail for the white inner cap sleeve: breaks the design and doesn't help.

 

It took me a long time to find inks that looked good with them, for some reason to my eye blues look nice but oranges don't, which was unexpected, and is of course completely subjective. The clear feed under the nib is particularly nice to look at.

 

The plastic feels cheaper than in other equivalent pens and if you shake them by the cap for whatever reason they rattle, but they have held up well. The FM has Asa Gao and the M has Souten, they look nicely saturated.

[rollerboy]

I haven't found the Balance Fine nib to be springy or bouncy but more like a nail. A lot of folks (incl Goulet) say theirs has some spring so maybe mine is an outlier. Mine doesn't get a lot of use but it's a solid though light pen.

 

I had a Balance Cool Clear a couple of years ago and as far as I'm concerned it was a rigid nail (not that there's anything wrong with that). I think Goulet is just hamfisted. He's not alone. I see so many pen review videos that make me wince when the reviewer gets to the part where they check out how much line variation they can get from the nib.

Edited November 16, 2017 by rollerboy

[migo984]

I wince too when I see reviewers’ knuckles go white with the pressure they put on nibs. I’ve had people at pen meetings do the same when trying out one or other of my pens.

 

I’m very light handed and careful with my pens and never push for variation. I have 4 Platinum Cool pens (mix of fine and medium) and they all have a nice spring to their nibs. However this is more about a soft feel when writing and only manifests in very minimal actual line variation. None are nails.