I recently had reason to agree with Paul Stempel that not all Platignums are bad.  Some are particularly nice.

This is a Platignum Regal dating to about 1965.  It’s a very traditional pen – screw cap, lever fill,  “jewels” on each end.  Inside it has Platignum’s equivalent of Parkers pliglass sac – in other words, one that goes on forever.

This is a school pen, built to a low price and yet it has survived all these years in very good condition.  The plastic takes a good shine when rubbed with a cloth.  The metalwork has retained all of its chrome plating.

The steel nib looks at first glance like Platignum’s usual offering but it’s a bit better than that.  It doesn’t have the folded tips; this one has good tipping material.

The result is that it writes very nicely, on the fine side of the medium, a size of nib I particularly like.

If what you appreciate about the pen is its writing ability, then this is as good a pen as any Swan or Onoto.  If, on the other hand, you expect your pen to look and feel like quality, perhaps the Platignum Regal falls a little below their standard.

I think I’ll be hanging onto this one for a while to write with myself.