Platinum Curidas Fountain Pen Urban Green Medium Nib

Quality:Good qualityPerformance:EF nib is finer than pilot vanishing point nib, and is more scratchy.I came from a pilot vanishing point so perhaps still getting used to this pen. Three things still make me prefer the vanishing point. (1) The EF nib is more fine than the VP, and is more scratchy. (2) There is a protrusion where the trap door of the pen glides into - it interferes with my grip (3) the pen is quite wide, and hence tiring to hold for long sessions

The pen is beautiful to look at and feels great in the hand. The click mechanism works very satisfyingly. However, actually getting it apart to put in a cartridge is not the the faint-hearted. It took us several goes to get it right. The nib is listed as a Fine, but writes much more like an Extra Fine - a little bit scratchy till it is worn in. The nib does have a nice flex, similar to other Platinum fountain pens.

Decent enough retractable that is cheaper than the other options makes this a good choice for everyday use. The quality is better than I expected and I find the clip/nib design not to be an issue with a comfortable grip. Filling does require quite a bit of disassembly but this isn't really a problem. So far have found this pen to be a pleasant write and fun to use, would buy again.

Disappointing Curidas.

The internal mechanism is very finicky. After filling the converter, the installation of the nib unit is not always aligned. The nib doesn’t always retract if the unit is not adjusted. Be prepared for some inky fingers.Th nib dries out readily - even when retracted.Once you’ve adjusted to the retraction and during issues, it wrote well.

My New Favorite Carry

I love this pen. It took a short amount of time to hold comfortably, so that the nib touched the paper on the sweet spot of the nib.. I find if I put my index finger under the little exterior protrusion that is part of the hinge system for the flap that protects the point, the pen writes effortlessly for hours.

My new favorite workhorse

I am a collector and daily user of fountain pens so I have a lot of options for daily use. This has become my new favorite workhorse. The nib is smooth, and the click mechanism was easier to use than I thought (I was concerned it would be too long). The thickness feels very ergonomic, and I wasn't bothered by the clip placement. This is one of the best pens I've purchased in quite a while.

Platinum Curidas, extra fine nib

Pros: excellent nib, consistent with other Platinum nibs, whether gold or steel. The line produced is needle fine, with steady ink flow. I have not experienced the dryness or hard-starting reported by others regarding the narrower Curidas nibs. The price of the pen is significantly cheaper than other retractable fountain pens I am aware of (the Lamy Dialog 3 and the Pilot Capless line), including the Pilot VP with alloy nib. It is also hard to be unimpressed with the engineering of the retractable system.Cons: The length of the plunger of "knock" when retracted is even longer in-hand than in photos. The length makes the pen wholly unsuited for everyday carry in a breast or suit coat pocket. The pen's girth where the pen can be expected to be gripped is also ... MorePros: excellent nib, consistent with other Platinum nibs, whether gold or steel. The line produced is needle fine, with steady ink flow. I have not experienced the dryness or hard-starting reported by others regarding the narrower Curidas nibs. The price of the pen is significantly cheaper than other retractable fountain pens I am aware of (the Lamy Dialog 3 and the Pilot Capless line), including the Pilot VP with alloy nib. It is also hard to be unimpressed with the engineering of the retractable system.Cons: The length of the plunger of "knock" when retracted is even longer in-hand than in photos. The length makes the pen wholly unsuited for everyday carry in a breast or suit coat pocket. The pen's girth where the pen can be expected to be gripped is also significantly bigger than any other pen I own, which may pose a problem for those with smaller hands.The barrel has several protrusions which are functional (to operate the inner housing for the nib and to hold the clip in place) but further complicate holding the pen to write -- this is especially annoying to me because I will never use the clip for the reasons stated above.Bottom line: the price of the Curidas and the excellent performance with respect to the basic function of a pen, i.e. putting ink of paper, leads me to still recommend the pen but if budget permits, I believe the Pilot Capless line is a better option.

Very nice!

Pen is very nice. Having a larger view of the ink supply would have been nicer, but the writing experience and convenience are especially nice. the EF nib is very smooth. The piston at the end to engage the nib is pretty long, but the pen still fits inncely in a shirt or jacket pocket. Overall experience is really very, very nice.