Platinum Prefounte Fountain Pen - Vermillion Orange - Fine

The Platinum Prefounte and its cousins, the Preppy and the Plaisir, are among the best low-cost fountain pens of all time.  No other fountain pen under fifteen dollars comes close to the reliability and ease of use of the Prefounte.

Britney calls it the perfect "math class note-taking" pen because its light weight, durable PMMA resin construction, and patented "Slip & Seal" cap all add up to make for a pen you can affordably tuck into a backpack or purse knowing it will reliably just write the moment you open the fast-deploying snap cap and your ink will not have dried out since you last used the pen.

The Prefounte shares a nib, feed, and section in common with the Preppy and the Plaisir.  The fine and Extra-Fine nibs on these pens are a true Japanese F and EF, respectively, and tend to write on the drier side of a median wetness, perfect for printer paper and other such daily paper encounters that are outside of one's control.  The Medium nib version of these pens, on the other hand, has a point more similar to that of a Western M (a Japanese Broad) and tends towards a slightly wetter ink flow.

Comparing the three closely-related pens the Preppy has the lowest price, the lightest weight, flatened ends, a plastic body and cap, and a sculpted plastic clip.  The mid-priced Prefounte also has flattened ends, is a bit heavier than the Preppy due to the plastic body and cap being thicker castings which gives it a more robust feel, has a slimmer profile than the Preppy or the Plaisir, and comes with a sculpted metal clip.  Finally the Plaisir is the heaviest and most expensive of the three pens with an aluminium body and cap with rounded ends, a slim metal clip, and a decorative cap band.