Ultra Budget Fountain Pen Comparison Review | Pilot Varsity Platinum Preppy Zebra Fountain Pen
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- Опубликовано: 8 окт 2024
- In this 4K video I review and compare six ultra budget fountain pens: Nakabayashi Artnavi, Pilot Varsity, Zebra Fountain Pen, Zebra V-301, Platinum Preppy, Monami Olika. Please see timestamps below:
Nakabayashi Artnavi - www.jetpens.co...
Pilot Varsity - amzn.to/3wSLf7i
Zebra Fountain Pen - amzn.to/3qMcaAL
Zebra V-301 - amzn.to/320Cpc6
Platinum Preppy - www.jetpens.co...
Monami Olika - www.jetpens.co...
Pen Walkthroughs:
Nakabayashi 0:49
Pilot Varsity 1:37
Zebra Fountain Pen 3:13
Zebra V-301 4:07
Platinum Preppy 5:40
Monami Olika 8:01
High Speed Writing Samples 9:12
Performance reviews:
Nakabayashi 10:35
Pilot Varsity 11:38
Zebra Fountain Pen 12:06
Zebra V-301 12:33
Platinum Preppy 13:18
Monami Olika 14:19
Pros and Cons 15:04
This video is NOT sponsored. Some product links are affiliate links which mean if you buy something I will receive a small commission at no additional cost to you.
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About Blake's Broadcast:
Blake's Broadcast is a channel that reviews fountain pens, paper, and ink.
I enjoyed this interesting comparison of inexpensive or disposable fountain pens. I have a number of Pilot V pens, the Varsity by a different name. It's still top of my list in this category. The collection also includes Zebra Fuente, BIC and Platignum (British company) disposable pens. All of these are useful as sketching pens I can put into my bag without concern over cost. Thanks for the review, Blake.
Thank you for the comment! I will have to try the Bic and the Platignum.
The Olika has a wick feed, like the Pilot Petit. Its functional as long as you never intend to change colours.
Interesting. This is new to me. Thank you for the information!
1. The Varsity is the pen I would recommend for first time users.
2. Another pen in this category is the Pilot Petit1. It is in effect a pocket pen: too short to use unposted, still somewhat short even when posted. $3.30. Eyedropperable. I have 17 of them.
Thanks for the comment! I am not familiar with the Petit1 but it does look like a great option as it is refillable and uses the same nib as the Pilot Varsity.
I have two of the pens in your video: the Preppy and the Monami Olika. I like both but prefer the Monami. I think the rubber grip section feels quite nice for longer writing sessions. I don't like disposable fountain pens because after the ink has run out you are left with a perfectly good empty pen and no way of using it.
Thanks for the comment David! They do come with a lot of ink but I agree that disposable fountain pens are wasteful. The Monami is definitely the most comfortable of the pens I reviewed.
I've never tried it myself, but there are 'hacks' out there to refill the disposable pens like the Varsity.
The green fountain pen actually belongs to the Zensations line of writing and art supplies from Zebra, a popular stationery company in Japan.
Thanks Jerico!
I have variations of three of these pen types and I'm happy with them all. I bought a Zebra V-301 about 4 years ago. It's proven very reliable. I keep it in a cup in the kitchen with the nib pointed up, and it immediately writes first time, every time. I just tried it after it sat for over 6 months. Mine clicks into post securely. It's a little loose, but it doesn't come off unless I pull it off. I have Pilot Varsity pens in several colors and agree they are extremely reliable. I have 5 Platinum Preppies in blue 0.3mm and 0.5mm, red 0.5mm, violet 0.3mm, and green 0.3mm. I also have 3 Crystal Platinum Preppy (clear) 0.5mm pens that I bought cartridge converters for the only label on them is the basic Platinum preppy logo. One of them is among my everyday writers filled with Lamy Turquoise ink. They are the smoothest writing modern pens I own. Thanks for the review. (I just subscribed today)
Thank you for the comment and the sub Paul! I appreciate it. It sounds like I got a bad V-301. I may have to try another one. I am glad to hear that your experience with Varsity and Preppy pens has been positive. I was not aware of the Crystal version. I will have to get a Crystal one next time as that appears to be the nicest looking model.
The little ball inside the cartridge is called an agitator. It's to help mix the ink better if you haven't used the pen in a long time. But I have never seem Platinum ink separate so it's not there for that reason. It also helps the ink to flow to the opening when the ink is almost over. I believe that's the reason it's there. It's a good thing to have. Preppy is my all times favorite pen. I have tried Pilot Penmenship, Lamy Safari and random $1~3 Chinese pens and nothing writes as smooth and thin in an EF. Pilot comes close but is soooo scratchy. I also see no point in disposable fountain pens. There are good $1~3 Chinese fountain pens. Get one of those if you feel Preppy is to pricy. It's totally worth it to test it out and if you really like it you can refil. If you don't like it, you can gift someone else. Personally I think the most fun part of having fountain pens is to change ink colors or even mix your own. I also think it saves me money in the long run since I like to write with extra fine tips and those gel pens are almost the same price as a cheap fountain pen.
Thanks for the info Carla!
I have a NOS Zebra V-301 without the hood in the nib and it does post
Yeah I think I just got a bad example.
The Monami Olika fountain pen actually has a fiber wick underneath the stainless steel nib. The fiber wick helps retain the ink and prevent it from drying out, but it does take an excessive amount of time to clean with water. Nevertheless, the Olika is a great budget-friendly fountain pen.
The Monami Olika comes with 3 ink cartridges when you purchase it. However, it can also be used with a Lamy Z27 converter if you wish to refill the Monami Olika with other ink colors.
Thank you for the great comments Jerico! I have never heard of a fiber wick on a nib. Always great to learn something new. I was not aware that a Lamy Z27 would fit this pen. I will have to try that out.
Thanks for this detailed video. I would take preppy wa over others because of the platinum cartridge. 😁 The ink capacity is quite good. I do not recommend monami because their cartridges are hard to get.
Thanks for the comment Dash! I agree that the Platinum cartridge is the best of the bunch.
I had the Zebra. The nib writes very smoothly but the cap cracked after a few weeks (didn't drop the pen or anything)
That is disappointing to hear. Thank you for letting me know.
@@BlakesBroadcast Thank you for making all these great review videos.
Another sidenote: if you wish to use a different ink color for the Monami Olika fountain pen, you can attach a Lamy Z27 converter to the grip section, or use a blunt-tip syringe (16-gauge to 20-gauge)for filling the ink cartridge with ink but it has to be cleaned thoroughly rinsed with tap water before refilling.
Good to know you can use a Z27 converter with the Olika.
I can only find the Zebra V301 in my area. My Zebra does cap. My only complaint is trying to find ink cartridges for it. I'll either have to order more online, or try the converter I have.
Hi Jack, I think I got a bad example. I am glad to hear yours caps properly.
My eye dropper Platinium Preppy is the only fountain pen I use with Noodler’s Bay State Blue.
I think the Platinum Preppy is the perfect pen for Bay State Blue...you can enjoy that amazing ink without worrying too much about damaging the pen.
I dedicated a LAMY Safari Charcoal to BSB a couple years ago. 💙
How are those prices calculated? I checked most of these pens prices and they are higher than stated in the video.
Thank you for the question. I put links in the description that show were these pens can be bought. I got most of the pens from Amazon and JetPens. If you just want to buy one I recommend looking at JetPens. Which pen are you looking for? I just did a quick check and the prices don't seem to have changed.
hey bro, where do you buy this?
Which one are you looking for?
My favorite budget fountain pen is the Pilot Petit1, with the Platinum Preppy a close second. They both take proprietary cartridges.
Like the Varsity, you can toss the Petit1 in a drawer, and it will still write with no problem years later.
The only 'issue' with the Petit1 is that it's cartridges are not the standard Pilot ones, but slightly shorter; a full size cartridge is too long and will not fit. Many people will eye dropper the pen, or refill the cartridges. I bought a lot of their orange and blue cartridges when I bought the orange and blue pens, so I just use those.
The Petit1 has a wick in the feed, but you *can* change ink colors with careful cleaning.
Thanks for the comment Marsha! I will have to try a Pilot Petit1. It is definitely a bummer that they don't take the standard Pilot cartridge though.