vjreviews PLP Pens

[VijayGS]

 

PLP are the initials of Mr. Poona Lakshmi Pathi, An age old name in the handmade pen business from Hyderabad India. He has been OEM for various pen manufacturers across the Indian subcontinent. Currently him along with his son Mr. Satish Kumar has entered into the Indian pen market with their own brand ‘PLP Pens’.

 

 

My Introduction to the Brand

It was during one of my casual surfing in the “Fountain Pen Club India” group in Facebook, I bumped across this pen and the brand. A few user reviews and the pictures posted in the group were enough to convince me to go for this pen. I contacted Mr. Satish Kumar via WhatsApp and received the pictures. After ogling at the selection of pens made by the father Son duo, I decided on procuring  a couple of eyedropper pens both with size #35 friction fit Ambitious nibs on ebonite feeders. One was a yellow capsule shaped acrylic and the other was a green bi-flat Indian ebonite costing INR 2200/- and INR 1400/- respectively. The pens were shipped on the promised date and the shipping details were shared on WhatsApp. Overall a hassle free buying experience.

 

 

First Impressions

The pens arrived in a couple of PLP plastic boxes. Though I am a die hard fan of the ebonite eye droppers, it was the acrylic pen that won my heart. The pen was solid built and was perfectly balanced with an impeccable finish. Both the pens came with chrome finish clips with “PLP” engraved at the top. During the side by side comparison of the two pens, the acrylic pen was short by few millimetres compared to its ebonite counterpart. On trying to clip both the pens in the shirt pocket the acrylic pen sat sung compared to the ebonite. Both the pens sported a tapered section with the acrylic pen sporting an additional step up at the end of the section. Overall both the pens were well crafted and were ready to be inked.

 

 

First Write

After drooling over these well crafted beauties, it was zero hour. Time to fill the tank and take the first baby steps on the paper. Though both the pens had a slim variation with regards to the dimensions, both had a barrel capacity of 2.5 ML approx. The choice of ink was a concoction of epitome royal blue and aqua blue which I call “Brilliant” (Named after the brilliance in the hue of the final product). A “juicy imprint” is the apt word to describe these pens first letters on the paper. Both the pens were flawless, wet and well-balanced writers. The acrylic pen was the heavier among the two with a marginal yet significant difference in terms of balance. Both the pens fared well on long writing sessions with the cap posted and unposted. Among the two, my pick was the acrylic pen. The pens did not dry up on overnight storage nor burped on long writing sessions.

 

 

Final Word

At this price point both the pens are in my opinion a true VFM. The finish on these pens are in par with the pen offerings from major players in the Indian pen market for half the price. Though both are excellent writers my pick was the acrylic pen over the ebonite pen for its weight, built and the step up at the nib section providing a sturdy and enjoyable writing experience. Though Mr.PLP has been manufacturing pens and served as an OEM for various pen brands across the Indian subcontinent, it is only in recent times he has  started selling his creation under his own banner. We Indians root for the underdog too!

 

The Ebonite pen specifications:

Total pen size is 150mm

Un-Capped: 135mm

Body size: 14mm

Cap size: 15.5mm

Section size: 12.5mm

 

The Acrylic pen specifications:

Total Length: 145mm

Uncapped: 130mm

Section Dia: 12.5mm

Body Dia: 14.5mm

 

Rating 

Ebonite Pen INR 1400/-

Looks - 5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Build - 4/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Nib - 5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Value for Money - 5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

As an EDC - 👍 

 

Acrylic Pen INR 2200/-

Looks - 5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Build - 5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Nib - 5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Value for Money - 5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐️

As an EDC - 👍 

 

PLP pens 

Contact Mr. Satish Kumar +91 96522 76914

[txomsy]

That is very interesting, I had never heard of them and greatly appreciate your report.

[VijayGS]

37 minutes ago, txomsy said:

That is very interesting, I had never heard of them and greatly appreciate your report.

Thank you. I am glad you liked the review. 

[jchch1950]

The yellow pen has a nice colour. It is semi transparent material?

[VijayGS]

2 hours ago, jchch1950 said:

The yellow pen has a nice colour. It is semi transparent material?

Thank you 🙏 Not a perfect translucent barrel but one can know the ink level by holding the barrel against a flash light. 

[K Singh]

23 hours ago, VijayGS said:

Rating 

Ebonite Pen INR 1400/-

Looks - 5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Build - 4/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Nib - 5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Value for Money - 5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

As an EDC - 👍 

 

Acrylic Pen INR 2200/-

Looks - 5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Build - 5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Nib - 5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Value for Money - 5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐️

As an EDC - 👍 

Love your rating system 🙂

[VijayGS]

1 hour ago, K Singh said:

Love your rating system 🙂

Thank you sir🙏

[amberleadavis]

Thank you for sharing!

 

I really love when I can find a manufacturer who does custom work. Does he have a website?

[VijayGS]

13 hours ago, amberleadavis said:

Thank you for sharing!

 

I really love when I can find a manufacturer who does custom work. Does he have a website?

Pleasure is all mine. I am glad you liked the pens, but unfortunately they don’t have a website. It’s texting or calls via WhatsApp for now. 

 

On 11/30/2022 at 6:43 PM, VijayGS said:

Contact Mr. Satish Kumar +91 96522 76914

Good luck and cheers!