Last month I bought a Platinum Plaisir in Bali Citrus, because I love the color, and the pen cost less than $15.
I’ve shied away from the Plaisir because it’s based upon the Platinum Preppy, the Yugo of fountain pens. But sometimes you just say, “what the heck.”
Actually, I say a different thing. But it’s close.
I’ve been using my Plaisir for over a month now. Did it squirm its chartreuse self into my heart? Not exactly. But into my pen cup. I think it’s a good starter fountain pen.
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Fountain Pen Follies 
NIce review. I’m quite a fan of the Plaisir. It does what it’s supposed to and doesn’t try too hard to be something it’s not. I totally agree with your point about the look of a pen being a determining factor in how much enjoyment you get from it. It’s easy to find pens that are functional. It’s a lot harder to find the ones that are ‘just right’, and that’s often not to do with how much you spent.
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Nailed it again.
Although now you have me worried… I’ve got Platinum Carbon Black in my Century 3776, should I be worried?
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No, don’t be worried!
In my experience, Carbon Black, like most pigment inks, is a higher-maintenance ink. That just means it’s harder to clean out of a pen, and it probably shouldn’t be left unused in a pen for weeks. Also, it’s not a great choice for a pen that’s hard to clean, like a Parker vacumatic. But using it in a modern c/c filler like your Platinum should be fine, especially if you use it regularly. I’d just make sure to give the pen a good flush and clean every two months or so. But don’t feel you have to pull the nib and feed or anything drastic.
I am not a huge user of waterproof inks. I’ve had my cartridge of Carbon Black inked up for over a month, and it’s still not finished. I don’t use it every day, either. That means I want to put that ink in a pen I don’t really need to fuss over. 🙂
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I have not tried Platinum Carbon Black but do use Sailor Kiwa Guru which I think may be similar. I have it in a TWSBI Classic. It cleans up easily.
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Much relieved! Thank you. I’ve been playing with waterproof vs. water-resistant inks for the past few weeks… there is a big difference between the two, and Platinum’s carbon and pigmented inks have stood out as some of the best waterproof inks I’ve used. Even over and above some of Noodler’s so-called bullet-proof inks. I’ve found the carbon black can make the Century 3776’s 14K gold nib look a bit messy if it’s unused for a few days, but you made me panic there for a second, and I had visions of having to soak the nib in white vinegar for a week or something… I panic easily around anything of 14K or above 🙂
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🙂 👍
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A very thorough review – thankyou. I don’t have one of these (yet) although I have Metropolitan which is good apart from the step from barrel to section. A handy pen to have in the armoury, especially for pigment ink as you have in yours.
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Right on the nail! Thank you! I have quite a few because of all of those colors… I tried to take your advice on putting different inks in different colored pens. But my OCD kicked in after about a week, and I bought matching Plaisirs and Metropolitans… I am so pathetic.
I like my Plaisirs, they’re as nice to write with as my Metropolitans, but the Metropolitan feels like it’s better quality – but it should do because it’s about twice the price; but then, although I like my Metropolitans, I prefer my Platinum Balances, because they’re a nicer writing experience, but they should be because they’re about twice the price.
And although I like my Balances, I prefer my TWSBI Diamond 580AL’s because they’re a nicer writing experience, but they should be, because they’re about $100CAD. And although I like those, I prefer my Platinum Century 3776… and so I disappeared down the rabbit-hole that is chasing my favorite fountain pen.
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What you describe is really a path many of us have taken, although the specific pens will vary. 🙂 It’s why I’m not (for myself) a huge fan of the never-ending pursuit of cheap fountain pens. I prefer saving those funds for a better and more long-lasting pen.
And that doesn’t have to be something expensive like a Montblanc. I’d happily go back to a Lamy Safari as my only fountain pen. I’d rather have one Lamy Safari than a Pelikan M800 or M1000, because the latter are too big and heavy for me. But on the other end of the scale, I’d rather have one Lamy Safari than 25 Dollar Pens, or seven Platinum Preppys. Maybe for someone else it’s a TWSBI Eco.
Why don’t I just have one pen, then? I like pens; having interesting pens is a pleasure I enjoy. And there are some practical reasons. I don’t want to put Platinum Carbon Black in a Montblanc 146 — or even a Lamy Safari. If I were a student, I wouldn’t want to bring a nice pen to school. So it’s great to have options that are inexpensive and pretty good. That’s where a pen like the Plaisir really hits it out of the park, I think.
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Also, with only one pen, the blogging might get tougher… 😉
I love the acid green/kiwi color of this one.
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🤣
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Sounds like you have kind of come full circle with your pen preferences. Perhaps it is a journey where we follow where the road leads us. I feel that I went tbrough a similar process with watches but stopped wearing a Rolex and came back to being comfortable in a Citizen.
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How interesting! That may end up happening! But for now, I still like having a variety of pens. And my Kanilea and Brooks pens from the pen show are getting a lot more use than the Safaris right now. 🙂
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Another excellent review with great photos too!
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Rolex??!!?? Oh please! It’s hard enough funding fountain pens… but I wouldn’t say “no” if you wanted to bung it in the airmail… you’ve got your Citizen after all 🙂
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