heath
December 18th, 2013, 06:51 AM
For this full review with a load of additional images click here: http://penpaperinkletter.com/platinum-riviere-ptr-200-review/ (http://penpaperinkletter.com/platinum-riviere-ptr-200-review/)
This is the Platinum Riviere PTR-200 fountain pen. It was made for Daiso, a 100-yen shop, the Japanese equivalent of dollar stores, in a chinese factory. There are also Daiso shops on the US East coast that sell them for around $1.50US. More stores can be found in some parts of Australia, Canada, Malaysia, Singapore and South Korea. There is a much nicer Platinum Riviere pen but this bargain one is labeled PTR-200 indicating a retail price point around 200 yen. I found it on ebay ranging from $3 to $15. I was able to get one new shipped from California for just over $3 including shipping.
7826
They are made in 3 colors that I know of, black, blue and red. I chose the blue version but would have been happy with any of them. The steel nib has the easily recognized “P” that is also on the Preppy and Preppy PN-900 as well as a few other Platinum pens. The nib is more of a traditional fountain pen nib shape than the clear plastic Preppy. They come with a single Platinum cartridge with ink corresponding to the clip and accents of the pen you choose.
7827
The nib indicates it is a medium and after some work it writes as such. At first it was a bit scratchy and wrote a bit more like a fine but after a few flex sessions it opened up a bit. It’s still a bit scratchy but not as bad as it was at first. The pen body is ivory with printing in blue along with the section and a tip at the back end of the pen. The clip is a lighter translucent blue. The clip also seats into the cap through an interesting opening in the top of the cap.
7828
The cap is a snap on variety and the section screws into the body. Once you open the pen you attach the cartridge to section with some force at it will seat flush with the section as opposed to some others that seat into the section.
7829
This is a solid pen at $1.50-$5US all things considered. It is a cartridge convertor and the nib is decent. The pen plastic isn’t perfectly rigid but it seems thick enough and not brittle or prone to cracks or breaking. The body is all plastic but not a single piece. That being said I have seen reports of people making these into eyedroppers. I would try to seal around the end cap and use silicone grease on the threads. I don’t have a Platinum convertor but the cartridges can be refilled with an appropriately sized eyedropper or syringe. I would likely still chose the Platinum Preppy over this one but that’s not a knock on this pen. At about the same price to a bit cheaper it is a good buy worth checking out.
-Heath
@WeThePPIL
Credits: Some information on this pen was found at The Captain’s Cabin, The Web Home of Walter Chang. US store and pricing info thanks to Stephanie Hsieh at Nib/Crease.
This is the Platinum Riviere PTR-200 fountain pen. It was made for Daiso, a 100-yen shop, the Japanese equivalent of dollar stores, in a chinese factory. There are also Daiso shops on the US East coast that sell them for around $1.50US. More stores can be found in some parts of Australia, Canada, Malaysia, Singapore and South Korea. There is a much nicer Platinum Riviere pen but this bargain one is labeled PTR-200 indicating a retail price point around 200 yen. I found it on ebay ranging from $3 to $15. I was able to get one new shipped from California for just over $3 including shipping.
7826
They are made in 3 colors that I know of, black, blue and red. I chose the blue version but would have been happy with any of them. The steel nib has the easily recognized “P” that is also on the Preppy and Preppy PN-900 as well as a few other Platinum pens. The nib is more of a traditional fountain pen nib shape than the clear plastic Preppy. They come with a single Platinum cartridge with ink corresponding to the clip and accents of the pen you choose.
7827
The nib indicates it is a medium and after some work it writes as such. At first it was a bit scratchy and wrote a bit more like a fine but after a few flex sessions it opened up a bit. It’s still a bit scratchy but not as bad as it was at first. The pen body is ivory with printing in blue along with the section and a tip at the back end of the pen. The clip is a lighter translucent blue. The clip also seats into the cap through an interesting opening in the top of the cap.
7828
The cap is a snap on variety and the section screws into the body. Once you open the pen you attach the cartridge to section with some force at it will seat flush with the section as opposed to some others that seat into the section.
7829
This is a solid pen at $1.50-$5US all things considered. It is a cartridge convertor and the nib is decent. The pen plastic isn’t perfectly rigid but it seems thick enough and not brittle or prone to cracks or breaking. The body is all plastic but not a single piece. That being said I have seen reports of people making these into eyedroppers. I would try to seal around the end cap and use silicone grease on the threads. I don’t have a Platinum convertor but the cartridges can be refilled with an appropriately sized eyedropper or syringe. I would likely still chose the Platinum Preppy over this one but that’s not a knock on this pen. At about the same price to a bit cheaper it is a good buy worth checking out.
-Heath
@WeThePPIL
Credits: Some information on this pen was found at The Captain’s Cabin, The Web Home of Walter Chang. US store and pricing info thanks to Stephanie Hsieh at Nib/Crease.