comparison COMPARISON: Platinum Curidas vs Lanbitou 3088

[donnweinberg]

This is a review and comparison of competing brands of essentially the same fountain pen -- the Platinum Curidas and the Lanbitou 3088.  After Platinum began selling its relatively recent Curidas model in 5 transparent colors, the Chinese pen maker, Lanbitou, came out with it's version of the Curidas, which Lanbitou designated the "3088."  In virtually all respects, except the badging, the two brands offer identical pens.  The biggest difference is the retail pricing; the Curidas sports an SRP of $90, but the 3088 can be purchased within a range, in USD, of around $9 and a bit more.  The question is whether the Curidas is 10-times better than the 3088.  It is not.  In fact, in my estimation, the two pens are so comparable in appearance, build quality, and performance that the 3088 is the much better value.  However, the 3088's resale value, if you try to sell one, will be much less than that of the Curidas, primarily because the Curidas is a Platinum product.

 

I recently purchased all 12 color options of the 3088, but will compare its transparent teal version with the transparent teal version of the Curidas.

 

 

Notwithstanding the color variation in the first two photos, in fact the color of each pen is virtually the same, and I would describe it as a greenish-blue or teal.  Held to the light, it appears that the Curidas' color is a bit more saturated than that of the 3088.  The third photo of the middle-inside of each pen is provided to show one (surprising?) difference between the pens.  Notice that the Curidas has a plastic sleeve over its converter, while the less-expensive 3088 has a metal (brass? copper?) sleeve in the same location.  Perhaps the metal on the 3088 accounts for the 1 g weight difference.  Other than that difference, the pens work exactly the same inside in terms of filling by converter.  Here are some objective comparisons:

 

Weight empty:  Curidas 24 g ; 3088 25 g.

Weight after filling, expelling air and filling twice:  Curidas 28 g ; 3088 26 g ; did the 3088's converter not work as well as the Curidas'?

Length: exactly the same -- approximately 5 7/8 inches. (Sorry to mix metric and English systems)

 

After filling each pen, each with a fine nib, each wrote immediately.  The Curidas writes a bit wetter-thicker than the 3088. There is no question in my mind that the Curidas' fine stainless steel nib has more give (albeit limited) and feels better than that of the 3088, the nib of which is extremely firm and perhaps nail-like.  When clicking the button to hide the nib, the Curidas manifested some hesitation (even after I removed and returned its spring), but did close, whereas the 3088 clicked closed immediately.

 

If price is no object, I prefer the Curidas for its slightly more saturated color, its better-feeling nib, and its higher market value.  However, for those not concerned with market value and slight color saturation difference, the 3088 is a superior value by far.  As I mentioned earlier, I purchased one of each of the 12 colors of the 3088.  In addition to the four transparent colors (whereas the Curidas offers five transparent colors, also including a true blue), the 3088 offers 8 solid colors (not offered at all in the Curidas line).

 

The Curidas transparent colors offered are: clear, grey, red, teal, and blue.

The 3088 transparent colors offered are: clear, grey, red, and teal (why not blue?).

The 3088 solid colors offered are: black, grey, white, blue, red, pink, cocoa, and light green.

 

I purchased my twelve 3088s on Ebay from a seller who shipped for free.  When I checked today on Ebay about pricing, it appeared that the price of the 3088s increased, but that impression may have been mistaken.  I noticed that just about every Ebay seller of the 3088s from China "advertised" a lower price than actually is charged when one "selects" the color and nib (either EF or F), which is disturbing; one cannot actually find the pen with the advertised price.  On the other hand, the real price was so inexpensive for what I got that I didn't quibble.

 

 

 

[Jamerelbe]

Thanks for the review of these two pens - I don't have the Curidas, but I bought a Lanbitou 3088 a little while back.

 

My main problem with the Lanbitou is the poor build quality - the plastic really is pretty cheap - and the fact that the trapdoor that covers the nib when closed doesn't seem to be very airtight.  The nib tends to dry out very quickly overnight!

 

I hope you're wrong about there being little difference between the pens in terms of build quality - that would be a strong argument (for me) to stay away from the Curidas altogether!

[jchch1950]

The Curidas and the Lanbitou use the same converter or cartridge?

[nibtip]

An irrevocable and thorough review of this piece of junk.

[Gloucesterman]

Thanks for the interesting review and comparison.

 

I just visited the bay and only found two postings for the 3088 with all varieties(?) offered. Two were from the U.K. for $14.32 PLUS approx 13.02 for shipping. Guess I will wait until there are more postings. I don't really need another pen at that price.

 

[MuddyWaters]

not sure that it is fair to platinum that we advertise a copy of its pen like this...

[donnweinberg]

To MuddyWaters:  My review is not an advertisement of anything; it's a review expressing my honest opinion about the comparisons.  At the end of the video review posted by nibtip, that reviewer suggests that one save up for a Curidas if one really wants that type of design, and that one skip the 3088.  That's also not an advertisement, but a review opinion.  But what if one doesn't want to spend $90?  I have all the Curidas pens and all the 3088 pens.

Re the video review by another person posted by nibtip:  That reviewer makes some good points.  However:

  *  The spring problem he discusses concerning the 3088?  I had the exact same spring problem with my Curidas, and was able to fix it.

  *  I had the same internal notch slipping problem once with the Curidas that he had with the 3088.  

  *  The "click sound" issue feels a bit manufactured by him.  By what standard does one click sound become superior or inferior to another click sound?  Is he "picking nits?"  The feeling I get when clicking each pen open or closed is a bit different, but I can't say one is better than another, just different.  Others may feel differently.

  *  The nib door closes fully on each pen, at least so far, in my experience up to this point.

  *  Apples to Apples vs Apples to Oranges:  In my test, I used the converter that came with the 3088, and I used an authentic Platinum converter (from my stock) with the Curidas.  I used Aurora Blue ink in each pen; I filled each pen exactly the same way -- pushing out the air twice and filling twice.  The video reviewer used his own Platinum converter with the Curidas and the cartridge that came with the 3088 in the 3088.  He used a different ink in each pen -- Waterman Mysterious Blue in the Curidas and a generic black ink in the 3088's cartridge -- which might distort his findings.  He had a medium nib Curidas, but a fine nib 3088, which also makes fair comparison a bit more challenging.  As I point out, the Curidas nib is smoother in feel with slight give, and the 3088 nib is virtually a nail, so the 3088's "feedback" sound when writing is a comparative negative.  That reviewer found the nib overall to do a good job of writing, and you'll notice that both pens wrote without a "startup" issue.  I will post again with longer-term findings.

  *  It is relevant to the "value proposition" that the 3088 comes with a converter, but the Curidas (as he points out) doesn't.

  *  The issue of authenticity is a legitimate one, in that the 3088 is a "shameless" copy of an originally engineered Curidas.  That's not an issue I felt was relevant to the comparison in performance and appearance between the two.  The video reviewer felt that the issue was important to him, and I respect that.  It is perhaps the primary reason why the Curidas has a much higher market value than the 3088.

 

No question in my mind that if money were not an issue, I'd rather have a Curidas than a 3088.  I do spend some serious money on quality pens.  But I also enjoy what can be done with a pen that is very inexpensive, whether an original design, a shameless copy (the 3088), or a shameless "mashup" (such as the WingSung 601 and especially the 601A).  One of the many things I value on FPN is the variety of perspectives and opinions about the subject we all seem to have in common -- our enjoyment of and fascination with fountain pens.

 

[donnweinberg]

jchch1950:  The pens use different cartridges and converters.  The Curidas uses Platinum (Japanese company) versions.  The 3088 uses a Chinese version.  I'm not sure whether the 3088 can use the so-called "International Standard" versions.

Jamerelbe: Thus far, having used only one of my twelve 3088s for a few days, your experience is not mine . . . yet.  I will post again after more experience with each pen.  

 

Remember, my comparison deals, in substantial part, with the issue of which pen is the better value.  One expects the Curidas to be a good performer, but at $90 and without an included converter, is it worth around 10-times more than the 3088 (which includes a converter)?  If so, then great for Platinum.  If not, then on a limited budget, one might have reason to consider the 3088.  

[Namo]

Both reviews interessting, although the youtube video does offer some ground to its judgment. Time will tell the true story anyway, and my guess is that the Platinum will outlast the Lanbitou. 

[Jamerelbe]

8 hours ago, donnweinberg said:

Jamerelbe: Thus far, having used only one of my twelve 3088s for a few days, your experience is not mine . . . yet.  I will post again after more experience with each pen.  

 

 

Good to hear you haven't had the ink dryout problems I did - I managed to fix mine (temporarily) by smearing a little silicone grease around the trapdoor of my Lanbitou, but sadly the improvement in the seal wasn't lasting. 

 

Most of the 'early adopters' of the Lanbitou on online forums seem to report similar experiences to mine - I wonder whether Lanbitou have improved their QC over time (that does happen!), or whether you've just gotten lucky with the one pen you've inked up.  Will be interested to hear whether you have similarly good experiences when you ink up others of your 3088's!

 

This, to me, is one of the biggest (potential) deal-breakers when it comes to click-type fountain pens: if the trapdoor doesn't seal tight shut to prevent nib dryout and/or ink evaporation, it's going to be useful to me.  My Pilot Capless / Vanishing Points have been good for this - my Lanbitou 3088, not so much...

[jchch1950]

doonweinberg: Thank for your answer.

[Gloucesterman]

20 hours ago, Gloucesterman said:

Thanks for the interesting review and comparison.

 

I just visited the bay and only found two postings for the 3088 with all varieties(?) offered. Two were from the U.K. for $14.32 PLUS approx 13.02 for shipping. Guess I will wait until there are more postings. I don't really need another pen at that price.

 

I went back to the Bay and found another listing. This time it was an auction for a black 3088 with a starting bid of $0.01. Then there was the shipping cost from China of $8.69.

 

Well, I won the auction for $0.01 and a total cost of $8.70. I guess I will know more about my "investment" early in January when the pen, hopefully, arrives. The review here really piqued my interest in the pen enough to spend up to about $10.00 Not enough for $90.00 though.

[alfredop]

I have a Lambitou from about a month, and up to now I have not had any problem of ink drying, the pen writes perfectly every time I take it.

 

Alfredo

[donnweinberg]

Update on December 12, 2021:  Two days after my initial findings, there is a difference that heavily favors the Curidas over the 3088.  The Curidas started immediately today as on the first day.  The 3088 didn't write after several strokes, as the nib-feed dried out, and I had to dip the nib-feed in Fountain Pen Flush and try to write several more strokes before it wrote smoothly again.  This difference is consistent with what a number of you reported above.  This difference is found even though, on close visual inspection, the click-door of each pen appears to be completely closed when in the closed position.  Stay tuned.

[Aysedasi]

Of all the pens I've bought over the last 5 years, the Lanbitou is the biggest piece of junk that's come through my letterbox.....

[donnweinberg]

Update on December 13, 2021:  Once again, the Curidas wrote immediately and well, and the Lanbitou 3088 required several strokes before it would write well (and that after yesterday's dipping of the pen's nib in Fountain Pen Flush).  As to Aysedasi's comment just above (which we can assume is true for Aysedasi), I wouldn't say that this 3088 is the "biggest piece of junk" that I've ever had in a pen.  The 3088's inadequacy as a reliable writer (i.e., a pen that writes without substantial hard-starting and continues to write during a session) has become clear over the past two days.  This is so, even though its nib appears to sit correctly in its feed, lining up properly with the tiny plastic tabs (as described in the video review posted by nibtip above).   For a $9 pen, I'm not shocked.  But my experience, and that of others, is consistent with the pricing of the pen.  So, I must amend my first impression that the 3088 is a better value than the Curidas.  I got what I paid for.  My bad.

[Aysedasi]

Fair enough.  I wouldn't give 50 cents for it, to be honest.  Being here in the UK, I think I paid a fair bit more for mine.  

[Jamerelbe]

3 hours ago, donnweinberg said:

Update on December 13, 2021:  Once again, the Curidas wrote immediately and well, and the Lanbitou 3088 required several strokes before it would write well (and that after yesterday's dipping of the pen's nib in Fountain Pen Flush).  As to Aysedasi's comment just above (which we can assume is true for Aysedasi), I wouldn't say that this 3088 is the "biggest piece of junk" that I've ever had in a pen.  The 3088's inadequacy as a reliable writer (i.e., a pen that writes without substantial hard-starting and continues to write during a session) has become clear over the past two days.  This is so, even though its nib appears to sit correctly in its feed, lining up properly with the tiny plastic tabs (as described in the video review posted by nibtip above).   For a $9 pen, I'm not shocked.  But my experience, and that of others, is consistent with the pricing of the pen.  So, I must amend my first impression that the 3088 is a better value than the Curidas.  I got what I paid for.  My bad.

 

I don't regret buying my 3088 - it's a very interesting pen, and mine also writes really nicely (when it's not dried out!).  But yes, the failure of the trapdoor to provide a secure airtight seal (I'm assuming that's the problem) makes it a non-starter if you're not writing with it every day.  And I *suspect* the parts will prove to be less durable, though I won't find that out unless I buy a Curidas for comparison!

[donnweinberg]

My testing is done on the Lanbitou 3088.  This morning, the 3088 was worse than ever, in that I couldn't get it to write even after several strokes.  Only after dipping the nib-feed in Fountain Pen Flush (once again) did it eventually begin to write.  I had lent a light-green 3088 to my 36 y/o daughter the same day that I first filled the one reviewed here, and she experienced the same difficulty.  She added, on a different note, that the pen was awkward to hold, which is a complaint some have.  I have "retired" both 3088s, cleaning them out and now drying the wet parts on a towel.  I don't believe I'll be trying to use the 3088 again.  What good is the low price if the pen's core mission -- to write well -- fails miserably?

[stephanos]

I have a question about these two pens: to what extent are the parts exchangeable?

I ask, because I have a Curidas with a Fine nib that just does not write. It isn't posible to get a nib replacement unit for the Curidas.

I am therefore considering buying a Lanbitou 3088 and fitting the nib to the Platinum so that I can perhaps have a functional pen.

 

(Yes, I could have returned the pen; no I can no longer do so.)