Reflections on Some Currently Inked Pens

(Kimberly (she/her) took the express train down the fountain pen/stationery rabbit hole and doesn't want to be rescued. She can be found on Instagram @allthehobbies because there really are many, many hobbies!.)

Despite being in this rabbit hole for 6.5 years, I continue to learn not just about pens, inks and all that, but about my preferences and habits. There isn’t a right or wrong way to be in this hobby and what works for someone may or may not work for you. For some reason during the past few weeks, a few of my currently inked pens were good reminders of lessons I’ve learned along the way.

On the surface, there isn’t much that is similar among these pens, other than they all happen to be blue! (Bottom to top: Pelikan M215 Blue Stripe, TWSBI Classic Blue, Visconti Van Gogh, Platinum Curidas, Pilot Falcon/Elabo.)

Pelikan M215 Blue Stripe

Hard to tell from this picture but there are silver colored stripes on the barrel of this pen.

• Patience (and research), Grasshopper - I have wanted this pen for 3-4 years (maybe longer) and have seen it on eBay for very high/ambitious prices. And I am definitely not one for patience. But I also don’t want to overspend. Doing research ahead of time, including reaching out to folks who have better pulses on the Pelikan secondary market, made it easier for me to pounce on a listing that was finally in the right price range.

• Inks & pen combinations matter - As I mentioned in recent ink reviews, inks behave differently in different pens (and also on different papers too). This M215 is currently inked up with Pelikan Edelstein Tanzanite, which is a lovely blue-black ink. Is it a shocker that this is a good matchup? No, not really, but I haven’t used this ink since I first tried it, gulp, way back in 2017, in a Lamy Safari. I absolutely hated the combination because it felt like writing with sand and I wondered if I should dump the ink out of the pen and get rid of the sample. What I didn’t know then, was that Lamy pens can be on the drier side and that Pelikan inks are also on the drier side (to compensate for their wetter nibs), so that combination was doomed from the start. What’s sad is that I was hesitant to try the ink again, even though I learned more about pens and inks since 2017. I’m glad I decided to try the ink in this pen, because it flows just perfectly from this pen, and it’s a great match colorwise, too. I’ve also since learned that it’s ok to empty out a pen if the ink just isn’t doing it for you. Life’s too short to write with a bad combination.

TWSBI Classic, Blue

• Oldie but goodie - One of my first TWSBIs is the Classic, in Turquoise. I love the non-demonstrator look but I don’t really think about them as much because I usually want a demonstrator when I want to ink up a TWSBI. I needed to ink up a blue pen so I decided on the blue Classic. It had a Fine nib and even though Mediums are my usual jam, I just shrugged and inked it up anyway. Then I wrote with it and was shocked at how much I liked the Classic AND the fine nib. It is so easy to ink up the latest acquisitions and forget about the older pens (and inks). I try to balance that urge by having a mix of old and new pens in the “to-be-inked-next” tray. I do this with inks too. It’s like discovering a lost treasure.

Visconti Van Gogh, Starry Night

• It’s ok if looks are important - As a Van Gogh fan, and more specifically of Starry Night, I love this pen. Not because it is an amazing writer (I mean, it writes fine) but because looking at it makes me happy. It makes me think about my favorite piece of art and that makes me happy. People place different levels of importance on the nib vs the appearance and that’s one of the many wonderful things about this rabbit hole. My personal pen preference emphasizes looks over writing (probably 65:35 as long as the nib doesn’t write poorly). In the end, as long as you’re happy, whether it’s with the looks, the nib (or both), it’s a win in my book.

• Oldie but goodie, this time with ink - I inked this up with an ink that I once loved but sorta put by the wayside (shame on me) - Iroshizuku Tsuki-yo. When everyone was raving about Shin-kai (cough cough, Bossman), I instead fell in love with Tsuki-yo. With all the deluge of inks that currently exist and continue to be released, it’s easy to get caught up in the latest “must-have ink”. I had forgotten how much I liked that ink and I’m glad I decided to use it again.

Platinum Curidas, Matte Blue

• It is not a popularity contest - Not gonna lie, the Platinum Curidas is probably one of the more polarizing pens when it comes to looks, nock length, design, etc. And yet, I still love it. I have the original demonstrator finishes but I love this Matte Blue with black trim. The Medium steel nib gives me the perfect line width. Do I love it more than the Vanishing Points or Decimos? Probably not, but I still love it, even if it’s not for everyone, and that’s what matters.

• Don’t judge an ink before using it - I bought a sample of Taccia Ukiyo-e Hiroshige-Ruri and after swatching it, I thought “yet another dark blue ink” and was glad that I hadn’t bought a bottle. After pairing it up with the Curidas though, I’m loving the richness of this blue ink, along with its subtle sheen that can even been seen on Rhodia, and am now adding it to my “bottles to buy” list. It’s another reminder that I shouldn’t judge an ink too quickly!

Pilot Falcon/Elabo, Metal Blue

• They can’t all be winners - The Pilot Falcon (or Elabo in other markets) is a pen that has a fun, bouncy nib that can give some line variation, which I generally love, but there’s something about this one that isn’t doing it for me. I really like the plastic version of this pen with a Soft Fine nib, but I don’t think it’s the minimally- added weight. The Akkerman Delfts Blauw ink is flowing just fine so it’s not that. Maybe it’s the Soft Medium nib which feels blobby and almost squeaky. I really want to love it, but I don’t, so I think it’s better to part ways, than to have it stay in the collection untouched and unloved.

• It’s hard saying goodbye - Despite everything I just wrote about the pen not being a good fit, it’s still really hard for me to decide to sell a pen. I just have to remember that someone else will enjoy it more than I do and that I can use the proceeds to get something else, like that bottle of Taccia Hiroshige-ruri :-)

None of these things are earth-shattering or new in any way, but I don’t usually have these revelations when I’m writing with my pens. So when they do pop up, it’s worth taking a moment to pay attention to what they’re trying to teach me.

Platinum Chou Kuro Black Ink Review

How committed are you to fountain pen maintenance? That is the question Platinum needs you to answer before picking up a bottle of Chou Kuro, which, according to them, is the blackest black ink ever produced for use with fountain pens. With a catch.

“Careful maintenance is required to ensure that “Chou Kuro” ink stays intensely black. PLEASE USE PURIFIED WATER, DO NOT USE TAP WATER WHEN CLEANING "CHOU-KURO" INK.”

Emphasis theirs.

Many of us dedicated fountain pen users are used to added maintenance and cleaning routines for specialty inks. Shimmer, sheen, pigment, iron gall - any ink in those categories requires you to pay more attention to your usage and cleaning regimen. No inks, at least that I am aware of, suggest to use distilled water over standard tap water. How intense is Chou Kuro?

Ink swabs made with Kakimori Stainless Steel dip nib on Col-o-ring cards.

According to Platinum, it provides “intense blackness” on the page, and I can’t argue with that. I have shockingly few black inks on hand to compare to Chou Kuro, but one look at the pictures and I’m certain you could pick it out of the lineup if I removed the descriptions.

Of the inks I had on hand, Kyo No Oto Nurebairo is the next darkest, with Pilot Black possibly darker than Platinum Carbon Black? They are different types of inks - the Pilot a basic dye ink, and the Platinum a pigmented ink - and dry a bit differently, but are surprisingly close. Sailor Nano Black isn’t even under consideration with the rest of the group.

Cotton swabs on Kokuyo KB paper.

So yes, Chou Kuro is that black. And the flat, matte-like finish when it dries keeps it that way. There is no sheen to reflect light off the ink at any angle.

Ok, so it’s as dark as I have seen from a fountain pen ink, but how does it write from a nib?

I filled two pens with Chou Kuro: a TWSBI GO with an Extra Fine steel nib, and a Nahvalur Original Plus with a Medium steel nib. I wanted to try a couple of different line widths with an ink like this, and the clear winner was the wider nib of the Nahvalur.

Consistently inconsistent with the TWSBI GO EF.

With the TWSBI GO EF, my lines were inconsistent. If I wanted to wipe down the nib more between uses, or really prime it before and during writing, the flow may have been better, but I wanted to keep it an “uncap and go” experience. When I uncapped the Nahvalur, the Medium nib flowed right from the start. There was no dryness, and no skipping, even after letting the pen sit for 20 days between uses.

I could make this Nahvalur pairing permanent.

The delay between uses was purposeful, and I found no difference in either pens performance no matter if I let the pen sit for an hour, or a week. That was a pleasant surprise.

Would cleaning the blackest black ink from these pens surprise me as well? Yes. Total time inked in both was close to 30 days, and they both cleaned flawlessly. I purposefully chose these two pens because of their clear barrels so I could see if there was any staining. Neither showed any inky remnants, and took no more time to clean than any standard ink cleaning. And yes, I used tap water from the sink. I’m probably on a watchlist somewhere now.

Spotless.

The only cleaning issue I saw was with my Kakimori Steel Dip Nib. I would dip it in the ink, write, wipe it off with a wet paper towel, and let it sit for a couple of hours before fully rinsing it. I could see the black ink sitting in the grooves, but I had no problem taking a brush to it to clean it out better. Next time I’ll keep a small cup of water next to me when I use the dip nib.

For an ink like Chou Kuro, waterproofness is an important feature. They didn’t put in all of this work to not have it be permanent. I swabbed each ink on Kokuyo KB Paper, let it dry, dropped a spot of water in the middle of each swatch, and lifted the paper to have the water run down. The three pigmented inks - Chou Kuro, Sailor Nano, Platinum Carbon - all behaved as expected, as did the two dye-based inks with their large runoff. More testing and time is needed to see the full permanence results, but as an initial look it works as expected.

The main expectation of Chou Kuro is that it is the blackest ink you can use in a fountain pen. I think they succeeded with that, but here are a few tips to keep in mind if you are considering it:

— Use Chou Kuro in a pen you can take apart to clean.

— Lean towards wider nibs for better ink flow.

— Ink it, and use it. Don’t let it sit.

— Clean it often. Commit to distilled water if you will be using it in your regular rotation.

In short, be particular with Chou Kuro. Have a usage and cleaning plan, and stick to it. That’s good practice for any fountain pen and ink combination, but especially this one.

Platinum Chou Kuro runs $60 for a 60 ml bottle, so that is another commitment you will need to make. $1/ml is a price point we have seen before, but not usually in this capacity. In comparison, Platinum Carbon Black is almost half the price. Yes, Chou Kuro is darker, but is it worth the added hassle? In a few cases, yes, I can see a recommendation being made. Otherwise, I’d chose Carbon Black and feel comfortable with that decision.

If you have read this far, be sure to check out more reading from Platinum, as they have broken down the science behind Chou Kuro) to support the claims they are making.

(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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Platinum Prefounte Fountain Pen Review

(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)

One of the easiest pens to recommend to people new to fountain pens is the Platinum Preppy. It's just a few bucks, it performs well, and it's even refillable. While it's great for an entry point or for testing nibs, it does look like a cheap, disposable pen (even though it's refillable). There are plenty of other Platinum fountain pens (and, of course, many other brands) that provide a little more style and durability, but they come at a higher price. The Platinum Plaisir is just over $20 and comes with a metal body, but I just don't like the design. The shiny band on the cap feels too out of place for my taste. Fortunately, there's another option that is closer to the Preppy in price, but with a cleaner and more durable design.

The Platinum Prefounte is a entry-level fountain pen that packs the same great nib and feed system found in the Preppy and Plaisir, but with a trimmed profile and more durable materials. I'm a sucker for anything that uses semi-transparent colored plastics — especially blues, greens, and purples, and this dark emerald variant of the Prefounte is lovely. The color and opaqueness of the material is uniform, but it looks like it shades due to the varying thickness of the material in different areas of the pen. I love looking at this pen while it's on my desk, and I'm still shocked that it costs only $11.

If you've ever used a Preppy or Plaisir, the Prefounte will feel very similar to both of these. The grips are the same, and it's only the balance of the pens that differ due to slightly different weights. The transparent grip provides a great view to the gray feed, and it also has a good feel when writing. The plastic material isn't slippery, and it remains comfortable to use even after a few minutes. It's a straight profile, but I find that there's plenty of tactile grip without a tapered shape or textured surface. The pen is so light that you don't need contouring or texture to provide extra grip control.

The nib is also the same nib that you'll find on any sub-$100 Platinum, which means it will perform well out of the box and provide a smooth writing experience. The Prefounte comes with either a fine (03) or medium (05) nib. The section unscrews from the body so that you can pop in a Platinum cartridge or converter. There's a single black cartridge included with the pen, but I opted for a blue-black cartridge that I already had on hand. You could add a converter to this pen, but at $11, I'm not sure I'd by one specifically for this pen. I'd certainly use a converter if I already had one that wasn't being used in another Platinum pen, so it's nice to have that option.

The cap uses a snap fit for securing it to the pen. Uncapping and capping the pen both have a satisfying feel, and I have no concerns that the cap will come off when in a bag or pocket. There's also a nice click sound and feel when capping the pen so you know for sure that it's secure.

The only branding on the pen is on the base of the cap. There's a small "Prefounte" logo directly under the clip, and a "Platinum" logo on the opposite side. Speaking of the clip, it's really strong. It's metal, so it also makes the pen look slightly more professional. It has no trouble securing the pen to anything it can fit under the clip.

With the Prefounte, this has become my standard recommendation for someone that is interested in getting into fountain pens. It's such a great nib/grip platform, and the nicer build and materials make it easier for people that want something that looks nicer than a Preppy. At $11, it's a fantastic value, but still a low enough price for folks that aren't sure if they'll like fountain pens. This makes a great entry-level "try it out" pen, but also a great low cost gift for that fountain-pen-curious friend, or even a great beater pen to carry yourself. The Prefounte only adds value to the Preppy platform, and I'm so glad it exists.

(Vanness Pens provided this product at a discount to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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