If you are still here, recently I was bought a 'Platinum Kanazawa-Haku Fountain Pen Red Mt. Fuji' with a fine nib and I have to say that it is bordering on perfection! You don't really have to read much more to understand that I REALLY like this pen - better still that it was a gift and a pretty generous one at that.
Platinum is a Japanese pen manufacturer that has been making pens since 1919 and believe me they are pretty good at it. I own two other pens by Platinum that I use daily.
The Platinum Kanazawa-Haku Fountain Pen Red Mt. Fuji is a hand decorated pen with gold leaf. A very skilled craftsperson of kamazwa - working with gold leaf - produce some of the finest gold and silver leaf that are in turn hand-applied to these pens.
The iconic Mt. Fuji with its red sunset, golden cloud, shining in the sun are what appears on my pen. The photos really do not do this justice as the colours are brighter and sparkle as light catches the gold and silver leaf at different angles.
The clip, also gold is firm and looks as if it could stand the test of daily use.
The gold and silver leaf is stunning and you seem to see different colours and aspects each time you use the pen.
The centre band has 'Platinum' at the front and 'Japan' on the rear.
The cap and end of the barrel are capped off by a black jewel, banded in gold.
The nib is 18k gold and in the Goldilocks school of pen nibs. It isn't too firm and it isn't to soft, but just right. The ink flow is excellent and produces a consistent line. The other great thing about this particular pen (and seems to be true of my other Platinum pens) is that they just seem to work straight away even when not being used for a while. There is no skipping or soft starts. They just work.
The pen comes with a converter but can be used with Platinum cartridges. I will always use a converter as I sometimes swop ink colours.
The pen comes in a box, the outer wrapper of which is card and looks like handmade paper?
Inside is a simple wooden box containing the pen itself. This is minimalist and elegant.
Inside the lid is satin lined with 'Platinum' in gold writing and the pen sits in a deep red velvet lined tray.
A warranty card, instruction card and information about the pen declaration are also inside the box.
The dimensions of the pen are:
- 137mm long close
- 124mm open
- 152mm posted
- 13mm diameter
- 17.2g in weight
It really is a stunner of a pen to look at but the actual practicalities of using it are not far from my thoughts.
Make no mistake this is a pen you could quite happily use as your daily writer, your workhorse even. It is simply that good. I am a huge fan of Lamy pens but the 18k gold nib really does make all lesser pens wanting.
The pen was a gift so talking about cost is perhaps vulgar, however it can be bought from anywhere between £105 - £149. That is a great deal that someone has spend on me but having used this pen and experienced that incredible nib, I do fell it is worth every penny.
Platinum produce several other pens with different gold / silver leaf designs and some I like and some I do not. It is a case of choosing the one that appeals to you most. (I would have chosen this one given the choice). I would consider another one at some point in the future, perhaps in a medium nib next time?
Below I have a photo showing the line thickness of this fine nib. I would say that like most Japanese pens the nibs tend to be a little finer than a European fine. For me this is perfect.
Below is a size comparison against a Lamy Al Star. It isn't a huge pen but I do have huge hands find it comfortable writing with the cap not posted.
There you have it. At the start of this review I REALLY liked this pen and I have to say I do. If you feel that this is too expensive but want to experience a gold nib, Platinum do a pen called the PTL-5000 which is similar in style, a little smaller, without the gold/silver leaf but sporting a 14k gold nib. I have one of these and it is also excellent value at around £45.
If you are looking for something different the Platinum Kanazawa-Haku Fountain Pen Red Mt. Fuji might just be the pen of you?!
Mr. O,
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the new tool.
Hope you enjoy it a lot.
Your handwriting is nice.
Peace :)