One of the September Lost Crates items was this Riviere Fountain Pen by Platinum. It's an interesting pen with lots of pluses and one minus.
On the plus side, it's a thing, stylish design. The plastic body and cap are sturdy, but it's a thinner design that I like. The clip is solid looks like it was modeled on the higher-end Reglus with it's stone age point design.
Another plus is the nib, which is small and a bit on the squat side. This reminds me of my Parker Latitude nib which I love using. The Platinum "P" logo is on the nib, along with an "M" indicating a Japanese medium point. Not too wide, I like Japanese mediums more than their Western counterparts.
Overall, it's a great looking pen. But there is one big minus: the ink pours out of the feed, all over the nib and paper, into the cap, and eventually makes its way onto your fingers and clothes. I don't know if this is because of the cartridge ink, or a flaw in the feed.
As far as purchasing, your best bet outside Japan is on eBay. I don't recall seeing them at Kinokuniya, but they might be there hiding behind other pens. But that's the beauty of inexpensive fountain pens, when you are looking for one type another makes itself know to you.
Daiso stores here in the SF bay area carry these pens for $1.50 each. I haven't had any problems with leaking in either of mine yet. Either I just got lucky or you got a bad one.
ReplyDeleteJan
Yes, I saw from various comments at FPN and a few other places that these are available at Daiso stores, which makes me wish there was one in NYC. I think my leaky pen is just one of those things, the reviews I've read are all highly complimentary. Thanks for posting this, too.
ReplyDeleteI got one from Daiso in Richmond, BC. They are selling for $2.00 each. Mine doesn't leak either.
ReplyDeleteGot mine at Fit in Houston, and I've got the reverse issue - the ink is stubborn about flowing.
ReplyDeleteAs for finding them, I'd suggest checking any Asian shops that specialize in household items, that's where you're more likely to find one.
Question...How do you get the pen to work? I'm not sure if there's something I'm missing since the ink isn't flowing out at all. I don't read japanese so the instructions are simply useless for me :S
ReplyDeleteYours might have a very fine crack in the section. Mine has one, and it causes the ink to go everywhere like you described. Took me a while to figure out why, but cleaning the section off and then dabbing at it with a paper towel revealed where the crack was.
ReplyDeleteI think this is one of the most significant information for me. And i’m glad reading your article. But should remark on some general things, The web site style is perfect, the articles is really great : D. Good job, cheers Riviere
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