About a month ago, Ron from Pen Chalet contacted me to ask if I’d be interested in receiving a pen for review. I happily accepted, and after a bit of back and forth, he agreed to send me a Monteverde Prima with a 1.1 mm stub nib. I’d heard good things about Monteverde, and my only experience with stub nibs was with the wider 1.9 mm nib on my Lamy Joy pen.
Platinum Carbon is archival-quality ink that I’ve reviewed favorably in the past. I’ve reviewed other permanent inks as well, but Carbon stands out for its ability to completely withstand water once dry, making it very friendly to artists who want to paint with washes or watercolors over inked lines. Most other permanent inks permanently stain the page, but leave a residue that can be smeared or tint the color of the wash.
Let me start by stating that the Visconti Homo Sapiens is the nicest pen I own, hands down. It’s been on my “to covet” list for a while, and I decided to treat myself recently, as a reward for a promotion at work.
The body is constructed from a dense black material that is a combination of basaltic lava and resin. It is slightly hygroscopic, meaning that it will absorb a light amount of moisture, and it’s easy to grip, so it’s a pleasure to hold for longer writing sessions.
Many excellent things have been written about the TWSBI Diamond 530. A clear, piston-fill, steel-nib demonstrator available for US$40, it was one of the best pens in its price range. It was also constructed to be completely user-serviceable – it came with instructions on disassembly and reassembly, along with a tub of silicone grease and a purpose-built wrench for removing the piston.
I used my 530 extensively - it was a workhorse of a pen that I could have easily held onto for years.
After a year or so of doing pen and ink reviews, I decided that I needed to establish a set of reference inks - those inks that I would use to evaluate others against. Once I picked out the colors, I then decided that it would be nice to have pens that I could keep inked wit these reference colors that, presumably, I would be using all of the time. Enter the Platinum Preppy.
