Platignum Vibe fountain pen review
2 December 2013This is a very cheap pen. I bought this from Cult Pens for eight fine British pounds and it came with a matching ballpoint, too. I hear some people like ballpoints.
A cheap pen doesn’t mean a good value pen unless it writes well and is fun to use. Fortunately the Platignum Vibe wins on both counts. It’s a metal pen (aluminium with brass bits) and feels like a quality pen. It’s slim and really needs to be used posted (in my opinion). It does let itself down a little here, as when it posts properly it clicks into place but quite often this takes a few tries. Apart from that, this is a well-made pen. I’ve been able to use my short Monteverde convertor in it without any problems, too, so it’s possible to use every ink you could possibly want.
The nib is as plain as plain can be but I’ve found it to write smoothly and reliably.
Now, you can spend a little over twice as much as get a Kaweco Classic Sport, which has a much better nib and, in my opinion, is a better pen. But the Classic Sport is plastic and not to everyone’s taste. At the kind of price the Vibe sells for, the only other fountain pen I’ve found so far that is as good is the Platignum Studio.
At this price point, Platignum are getting everything right.