I’ve gone through two different inks in the Platinum Classic Maki-e, and I’m sort of mulling over a third ink. For science, of course.
Actually because I love writing with the pen. It has an 18k broad nib, which writes a line slightly narrower than my modern Pelikan broad nib. It’s a wet writer, which makes ink look great. Normally I don’t love using a broad nib. But I have been having a lot of fun with this one.
And I like the look of the pen, too. First, the Maki-e.
I’ve never imagined getting a Maki-e pen, but using this has changed my mind. It’s just unexpectedly charming. The one I’m using is the Bush Warbler. Here’s that little guy.
This a less expensive Maki-e line — Pen Chalet has it on sale for $144. One of the compromises made to reach that price is how the design is rendered. As Ron explains it, true Maki-e pens are entirely painted from hand, but here the design is screen-printed then finished with hand-painting. You can see some of those details in the photo above.
To me it looks very nice, in photos and in person. More importantly, this is exactly the kind of Maki-e suited for me. It’s the only kind suited for me. A less expensive, less fragile Maki-e pen is a Maki-e pen I can use regularly and without worry. That’s a pen I can carry around, and can let other people use. That’s my kind of pen.
There’s another factor in the less expensive price, and that is size. The Platinum Classic Maki-e is a smaller size pen with a smaller size nib. Honestly, at first I wondered if I’d find it too small, like the Pelikan M200 almost is. But the Platinum’s size works well for me. It’s comfortable in the hand, because the section is both long and also nicely weighted.
And it turns out to be a classic pen size. The Platinum Classic Maki-e reminds me of a number of great fountain pens from the past, which I’ll go into in my review. For now, I’ll just show you one thing. Here’s my Parker 51 vacumatic double jewel next to the Platinum.
So yeah. I knew I liked this pen.
Fountain Pen Follies 
It’s a lovely design. I don’t know anything about maki-e, so how durable is the finish? I mean if a pen like this gets a lot of use does it wear away the artwork?
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I’m not sure myself. I have been putting it into the pen cup with other pens, and pulling it out like normal. I’ve been using it and placing it down on the table, and carrying it around, just like any other pen. I haven’t seen any change in the Maki-e. The photos don’t show anything either.
I don’t think I’d post this pen, though.
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