As another commenter said, there’s a little grease and the tool under the bed in the box! You’re meant to smear a tiny bit of silicone around the edge of the door, I use a toothpick. Once you do that its seal is amazing. I love the long travel on the button, personally! Very satisfying. The Curidas is my go-to daily pen at work (though I’ve left it more than a month before with no hard start!). The medium nib is so good!
@@Doodlebud Strange. I have, under the bed, the plastic half ring that helps to remove the clip but not any grease. I don't have the drying out problem either. I have the same colour as yours and my ink is Diamine Oxblood.
I came through some reviews that said the pen broke after several refills, how about your, how long have you used, and is it still working good? I have intention to buy one and really worry if it broke easily...
I have had mine for about 7 months now and the longest I haven't used it was about 12 days. I never exerienced it to dry up but I use the original ink cartridges with Platinum ink in them. I love this pen even though sometimes the bump at the bottom can cause issues for me but I just have to remind myself to loosen my death-grip and to hold it a little higher. In fact I love it so much I haven't touched any other fountain pen since I've got it and I bought a second one to have another colour at hand.
Lubrication helps; I was able to pull the first 15mm section straight out and access the "fish mouth". The instructions say the silicone is used to clean off the ink stain within it, but I wiped the whole thing with great success. Another thing I found that helped it to seal, was to retract it quickly rather than slowly. It helps the mouth to snap shut. I use the Platinum pigment inks without it drying up.
Thank you Doodlebud. You are by far the best of the best on YT when it comes to pen reviews, followed by Doug. I have been hesitant about getting this pen. Jetpens makes it look bigger than it really is, and I kept hearing bad things about it. I’m disappointed to see it is not much bigger in girth than the VP. I might just go for the VP now. Ty for your videos, you are a gem in the community.
Wedges, picket fences, grease around the fish mouth (per, other comments), sensitive springs--all a bit busy, clunky, inelegant. I can hear the Pilot and even the Moonjohn A1 snickering in the background. Thanks for the close look, DB, especially the ink fungus, great fun!
That is exactly what happened to my Curidas spring. And then I got ham handed and probably ruined the little flappy door. Didn't pay close enough attention while disassembling to re-ink. In its defense, it worked so well that I never spent much time with the inner workings. Did very much enjoy how it wrote. Its bits are now in a ziplock bag as I ponder the future
It might not work, but in the past I have "repaired" a ballpoint spring that was bent by heating it with a flame from a lighter. I believe that the metal had some memory in it and with the heat it returned close to its previous shape
Got one in matte grey (M), writes wonderfully with smoothness, no problems with finger placement and the matte finish feels really smooth to the touch. Haven't had problems with drying out, but never left it untouched for long either
I have the teal medium nib one, inked with Robert Oster River of Fire and has the instruction recommended greasing around the fish mouth. It is in a twelve day/pen rotation and always starts.
I’ve had a clear one in EF for two or three weeks now, threw carbon black in it and haven’t changed or cleaned it, still writes like a dream. I enjoy how large and odd it is.
I’ve got two of these, a clear and a green, a medium and a fine. Can’t say they’re attractive pens, but I use them for taking notes in the field, and they’re great for that. I got them because they take the Carbon Black ink cartridges and I use them when inspecting underground mines where there’s a lot of water. No ballpoints ever! Pretty reliable although the medium dries up after a few days of no use. Probably due to the type of ink.
That pad of Lamy paper brought back good memories. Fred Krinke at the Fountain Pen Shop in Monrovia, California, would have one for people to use to test fountain pens.
WOW!! Finally a reviewer who knows there are other brands out there besides Montblanc. The White Star brand seems to be paying every reviewer huge sums to prop up their fountain pens. I for one am glad to see other brands being fairly treated and reviewed.
I have one I purchased a few weeks ago. I'm not crazy about the hump that accepts the "door" for the nib. It does dig into my fingers a bit and I find I have to constantly move my grip up the barrel which is not how I normally hold a pen.
Yeah I do this too, and it definitely has gone more than a month without use and started up perfectly again when I got back. Phenomenal pen! Platinum nibs are just the best. I love the long travel on the button too.
I have 2 and I absolutely love them but I have 1 that is the newer opaque black. I haven’t had any problems with either but I use them daily for work. I love the size and feel. Aesthetically the new black 1 with the rubbery sleeve on the outside is my favorite though!
I just cycled my Curidas (also translucent red, medium nib) out of rotation, and after using the included cartridge (blue black) AND a converter (of Shin-Kai), I've had the following observations: Platinum's "Blue Black" ink is beautiful. I had to order another pack of cartridges of the stuff. Eventually I'll have to get a whole bottle. Iroshizuku Shin-Kai is a close match. No hard starts or dry outs, but I don't let my pens sit around for more than a few hours once they're inked... ...also, I worked on (sanded) the nib a bit during the tryout phase. I do that with almost every pen I use. Having cycled a Pilot VP recently, yes, the Curidas felt like a long click to deploy, but not a hindrance at all. The clip never got in my way, but it's a weird design to look at. The protrusion at the tip which handles the hinge of the trapdoor didn't bother me too much, and can also act as a roll stop if you take the clip off (with the included tool). My only criticism is it can be difficult to see the ink in situ. I'm one of those guys who likes to check the ink remaining (A LOT), and you have to disassemble a bit to do so. Having used it for about two months before cycling it out to "first ink" other new pen acquisitions, it's probably one of my top 5 favorite pens. Mostly great memories of using the pen, although someone totaled my beloved car while I had the Curidas in my pocket, so... cursed? Obviously can't blame the pen, only the dumbass who somehow "didn't see" a bright red Mustang and launched away from a stop sign hard enough to involve 3 other vehicles. Maybe a little bitter and off-topic. Someone else mentioned some included silicone grease under the pen bed. There was no such inclusion in mine, other than the clip removal tool. Purchased from Amazon for $45 USD in early February, now listed at $41 USD.
Diamine Scarlet/Peach Haze does that in my Meteor Fine nib if laying down on the desk for 3+ days. With Platinum Black I haven't got that issue so might be due to ink/nib combo I would guess.
Price reduction to €45, so I finally bought the matte in the gift box version. The spring kept jumping out across the room and so I bent it picking it up. Decided to clip the spring back to the length of the clutching mechanism and now it works fine.
Ink booger 😳 omg 🤣🤭😂 That was some knarly nastiness on that knock off. Thanks for showing this! I love how masterfully your shots are! Appreciate your info and opinions!! Ty 😊
I have 2 curidas .. a clear and red.. both F nibs… the clear has always written perfectly even after weeks of not using it.. the red seems to dry out almost immediately and has done this since the day I first inked it. But I Love the pen.. the nibs are gloriously fine, I can keep it my pocket for quick note taking when I’m marking dog and horse races that I photograph .. but I reach for the clear one 9 times outta 10’cos I know it will write 😂
Have no problems with mine, didn't dry out after being left for several months (with pilot blue-black ink) in a pocket of a jacket. The clip was a bit messing with my grip though, so I took it off eventually.
I got one of these when they were first available. I still have it - in a plastic bag, because it fell completely apart in my hands when I was getting ready to fill. Maybe I try to put it back together, but I have better retractable options.
The Curidas is not a good-looking pen IMO ... but it's incredibly enjoyable to 'field strip' / re-assemble. I can't remember if there was a tool to remove the clip or if I just used a spudger, but there's a giant nub that removing the clip reveals, so even after removal you don't get a nice, slick body. And, the size / amount of travel of the push-button cannot be overstated -- the VP is so much nicer to extend / retract.
I like my Curidas, no drying issues so far. I wish there were more colors available. It doesn't look as nice as a VP in my opinion. I don't have a VP yet so I can't compare how the two write.
I have 2 of them, matt black M and Crystal clear F. It's not a pen I would recommend to anyone, but I might get a 3rd one xD The medium nib is maybe the best steel nib I own. Smooth, wet, and writes equally good in reverse, making it an F. having pretty much 2 nib size in your hand is kinda handy. The F is on the finer side of fine and writes excellent. Same good reverse writing, but since it is a finer nib it is less enjoyable than medium. The M one is filled with Diamine Arctic Blast and has occasional hard starts. The F one is filled with Platinum Blue Black and writes first time every time. The pen is too long retracted, due to a long plunger. Seems overly complicated and I don't think you can disassemble it for a thorough cleaning. At one point some small piece of plastic will break and the hole pen will be unusable. But until then I will use it daily
Thanks for the video! These are very interesting pens although mine dries out after a day or so, unfortunately. I do like the mechanism and the nib is terrific, though. In any case, great vid and good luck with your mega-test!
On AliExpress the knockoff had in the comments after the dry out issues they reworked the pen and apparently they solved that issue. But I also noticed the price also increased . I supposed if they really did do all the reworking they now need to recover the cost
I've always heard mixed reviews about these, which is why I've never purchased one. I just wish Pilot would make a Vanishing Point without the clip, it drives me crazy!
I have this pen. It is very difficult to get the spring in properly. I always fight with it. When it works, I love the pen. It isn’t working now so I am very frustrated with it.
Have one for over a year, but it hardly gets any use because it dries out in a day if not hours sometimes - hard starting and sometimes non starting with the only solution to push out some ink to get it going again. Maybe I got a lemon
Hey Doodlebug! Enjoying the video as always. Bought an opus 88 and 149 off your vids! (Well the new origin 149 edition anyway) When you do the remake of the test, could you just say what pens they are? I recognise a couple but others I don’t and they all look interesting! Thanks man, keep up the great work!
It‘s not the prettiest, but I like the removable clip and that it is a „thicker“ pen. What I fear is that there are a lot of breakable parts everytime you open it up just to refill or clean it. But the price point is also pretty good. Thanks for reviewing!
You see a fish in the mechanism -- to me it looked like something out of Alien. The Curidas is an interesting pen, but in terms of looks I still prefer the vanishing point.
There seems to be a big difference between fine and medium. One of the pens I always carry with me. Abrasive substances such as cologne ruin the shine.
hi, I'm sure that Joost Appelboom is too polite to point it out, but the double-o in his first and in his family naam is pronounced approximately like the o-sound in "load".
Regardless whether it writes well or not... I find the design super ugly... the proportions, the clip, the color, it seems that nothing belongs together.
These vanishing point pens never clicked with me (bad pun I know), I just think it's a gimmick that only furtherly complicates the design of a fountain pen without any real advantages.
worst design I have ever seen expecially because of the spring just the worst its not worth much more than the knock off in my opinion I would get a majohn m2 before I would get one of these
As another commenter said, there’s a little grease and the tool under the bed in the box! You’re meant to smear a tiny bit of silicone around the edge of the door, I use a toothpick. Once you do that its seal is amazing. I love the long travel on the button, personally! Very satisfying. The Curidas is my go-to daily pen at work (though I’ve left it more than a month before with no hard start!). The medium nib is so good!
With my pen there was nothing underneath
@@Doodlebud Strange. I have, under the bed, the plastic half ring that helps to remove the clip but not any grease. I don't have the drying out problem either. I have the same colour as yours and my ink is Diamine Oxblood.
I have the same curidas and love the pen, no issues drying out, it's so weird it's beautiful.
What nib do you use?
@@HollywoodColt I bought it with an EF, but being Japanese is too fine. I should get a Fine nib but they cost as much as a new pen.
I came through some reviews that said the pen broke after several refills, how about your, how long have you used, and is it still working good? I have intention to buy one and really worry if it broke easily...
I have had mine for about 7 months now and the longest I haven't used it was about 12 days. I never exerienced it to dry up but I use the original ink cartridges with Platinum ink in them.
I love this pen even though sometimes the bump at the bottom can cause issues for me but I just have to remind myself to loosen my death-grip and to hold it a little higher.
In fact I love it so much I haven't touched any other fountain pen since I've got it and I bought a second one to have another colour at hand.
I’ve had mine for about 3 months, and love it. No problems what so ever!
Lubrication helps; I was able to pull the first 15mm section straight out and access the "fish mouth". The instructions say the silicone is used to clean off the ink stain within it, but I wiped the whole thing with great success. Another thing I found that helped it to seal, was to retract it quickly rather than slowly. It helps the mouth to snap shut. I use the Platinum pigment inks without it drying up.
Thank you Doodlebud. You are by far the best of the best on YT when it comes to pen reviews, followed by Doug. I have been hesitant about getting this pen. Jetpens makes it look bigger than it really is, and I kept hearing bad things about it. I’m disappointed to see it is not much bigger in girth than the VP. I might just go for the VP now. Ty for your videos, you are a gem in the community.
Wedges, picket fences, grease around the fish mouth (per, other comments), sensitive springs--all a bit busy, clunky,
inelegant. I can hear the Pilot and even the Moonjohn A1 snickering in the background. Thanks for the close look, DB,
especially the ink fungus, great fun!
That is exactly what happened to my Curidas spring. And then I got ham handed and probably ruined the little flappy door. Didn't pay close enough attention while disassembling to re-ink. In its defense, it worked so well that I never spent much time with the inner workings. Did very much enjoy how it wrote. Its bits are now in a ziplock bag as I ponder the future
I ordered a replacement spring
From where? @@Doodlebud
It might not work,
but in the past I have "repaired" a ballpoint spring that was bent by heating it with a flame from a lighter.
I believe that the metal had some memory in it and with the heat it returned close to its previous shape
Got one in matte grey (M), writes wonderfully with smoothness, no problems with finger placement and the matte finish feels really smooth to the touch. Haven't had problems with drying out, but never left it untouched for long either
I have the teal medium nib one, inked with Robert Oster River of Fire and has the instruction recommended greasing around the fish mouth. It is in a twelve day/pen rotation and always starts.
I’ve had a clear one in EF for two or three weeks now, threw carbon black in it and haven’t changed or cleaned it, still writes like a dream. I enjoy how large and odd it is.
I’ve got two of these, a clear and a green, a medium and a fine. Can’t say they’re attractive pens, but I use them for taking notes in the field, and they’re great for that. I got them because they take the Carbon Black ink cartridges and I use them when inspecting underground mines where there’s a lot of water. No ballpoints ever! Pretty reliable although the medium dries up after a few days of no use. Probably due to the type of ink.
That pad of Lamy paper brought back good memories. Fred Krinke at the Fountain Pen Shop in Monrovia, California, would have one for people to use to test fountain pens.
Same with the Vancouver Pen Shop
WOW!! Finally a reviewer who knows there are other brands out there besides Montblanc. The White Star brand seems to be paying every reviewer huge sums to prop up their fountain pens. I for one am glad to see other brands being fairly treated and reviewed.
Hi DB! Another victim for the retractable FP dry out test! Better and better! Really a funky looking pen!
I have one I purchased a few weeks ago. I'm not crazy about the hump that accepts the "door" for the nib. It does dig into my fingers a bit and I find I have to constantly move my grip up the barrel which is not how I normally hold a pen.
I heave the teal model. I use it as I work in areas that I dont want to risk my Vanishing Point. So far I really like it.
RIP Ink booger......
A legend that will be remembered
I think I'll have to re-ink the pen and grow another one. It's the only thing the pen is good at
The instructions on mine recommend grease around the fish mouth, that should be done before a dry test (constructively)
Yeah I do this too, and it definitely has gone more than a month without use and started up perfectly again when I got back. Phenomenal pen! Platinum nibs are just the best. I love the long travel on the button too.
I have 2 and I absolutely love them but I have 1 that is the newer opaque black. I haven’t had any problems with either but I use them daily for work. I love the size and feel. Aesthetically the new black 1 with the rubbery sleeve on the outside is my favorite though!
I just cycled my Curidas (also translucent red, medium nib) out of rotation, and after using the included cartridge (blue black) AND a converter (of Shin-Kai), I've had the following observations:
Platinum's "Blue Black" ink is beautiful. I had to order another pack of cartridges of the stuff. Eventually I'll have to get a whole bottle. Iroshizuku Shin-Kai is a close match.
No hard starts or dry outs, but I don't let my pens sit around for more than a few hours once they're inked...
...also, I worked on (sanded) the nib a bit during the tryout phase. I do that with almost every pen I use.
Having cycled a Pilot VP recently, yes, the Curidas felt like a long click to deploy, but not a hindrance at all.
The clip never got in my way, but it's a weird design to look at.
The protrusion at the tip which handles the hinge of the trapdoor didn't bother me too much, and can also act as a roll stop if you take the clip off (with the included tool).
My only criticism is it can be difficult to see the ink in situ. I'm one of those guys who likes to check the ink remaining (A LOT), and you have to disassemble a bit to do so.
Having used it for about two months before cycling it out to "first ink" other new pen acquisitions, it's probably one of my top 5 favorite pens.
Mostly great memories of using the pen, although someone totaled my beloved car while I had the Curidas in my pocket, so... cursed? Obviously can't blame the pen, only the dumbass who somehow "didn't see" a bright red Mustang and launched away from a stop sign hard enough to involve 3 other vehicles. Maybe a little bitter and off-topic.
Someone else mentioned some included silicone grease under the pen bed. There was no such inclusion in mine, other than the clip removal tool. Purchased from Amazon for $45 USD in early February, now listed at $41 USD.
The weak spring probably destroys the dry out test, it would need to have at least force to lightly compress the seal.
I have a new spring on order
Diamine Scarlet/Peach Haze does that in my Meteor Fine nib if laying down on the desk for 3+ days. With Platinum Black I haven't got that issue so might be due to ink/nib combo I would guess.
Price reduction to €45, so I finally bought the matte in the gift box version. The spring kept jumping out across the room and so I bent it picking it up. Decided to clip the spring back to the length of the clutching mechanism and now it works fine.
Ink booger 😳 omg 🤣🤭😂 That was some knarly nastiness on that knock off.
Thanks for showing this! I love how masterfully your shots are! Appreciate your info and opinions!! Ty 😊
I have 2 curidas .. a clear and red.. both F nibs… the clear has always written perfectly even after weeks of not using it.. the red seems to dry out almost immediately and has done this since the day I first inked it. But I Love the pen.. the nibs are gloriously fine, I can keep it my pocket for quick note taking when I’m marking dog and horse races that I photograph .. but I reach for the clear one 9 times outta 10’cos I know it will write 😂
Oh no with the spring! I wonder how much the spring pressure is critical or not to the sealing of the door? So glad that you picked one up though!
I have a new spring on the way
Have no problems with mine, didn't dry out after being left for several months (with pilot blue-black ink) in a pocket of a jacket. The clip was a bit messing with my grip though, so I took it off eventually.
I got one of these when they were first available. I still have it - in a plastic bag, because it fell completely apart in my hands when I was getting ready to fill. Maybe I try to put it back together, but I have better retractable options.
Under the box bed should have been a clip tool and a small grease vial
I checked.... nada
The Curidas is not a good-looking pen IMO ... but it's incredibly enjoyable to 'field strip' / re-assemble. I can't remember if there was a tool to remove the clip or if I just used a spudger, but there's a giant nub that removing the clip reveals, so even after removal you don't get a nice, slick body. And, the size / amount of travel of the push-button cannot be overstated -- the VP is so much nicer to extend / retract.
Was just watching avgeek vids ... The Curidas reminds me of the A-10 ... it's fugly to look at ... but the engineering makes it pretty.
I like my Curidas, no drying issues so far. I wish there were more colors available. It doesn't look as nice as a VP in my opinion. I don't have a VP yet so I can't compare how the two write.
I have 2 of them, matt black M and Crystal clear F. It's not a pen I would recommend to anyone, but I might get a 3rd one xD
The medium nib is maybe the best steel nib I own. Smooth, wet, and writes equally good in reverse, making it an F. having pretty much 2 nib size in your hand is kinda handy. The F is on the finer side of fine and writes excellent. Same good reverse writing, but since it is a finer nib it is less enjoyable than medium. The M one is filled with Diamine Arctic Blast and has occasional hard starts. The F one is filled with Platinum Blue Black and writes first time every time.
The pen is too long retracted, due to a long plunger. Seems overly complicated and I don't think you can disassemble it for a thorough cleaning. At one point some small piece of plastic will break and the hole pen will be unusable. But until then I will use it daily
Thanks for the video! These are very interesting pens although mine dries out after a day or so, unfortunately. I do like the mechanism and the nib is terrific, though. In any case, great vid and good luck with your mega-test!
On AliExpress the knockoff had in the comments after the dry out issues they reworked the pen and apparently they solved that issue. But I also noticed the price also increased . I supposed if they really did do all the reworking they now need to recover the cost
Nib dry out is one thing on the pen, the overall assembly and construction was terrible as well. Janky as frig!
forgot about the lanbitou trash pen...might order one with the F or Hooded?? nib to swap into my A2 (despise the EF on it but love the look)
I've always heard mixed reviews about these, which is why I've never purchased one. I just wish Pilot would make a Vanishing Point without the clip, it drives me crazy!
Get a Majohn A2
I have this pen. It is very difficult to get the spring in properly. I always fight with it. When it works, I love the pen. It isn’t working now so I am very frustrated with it.
Have one for over a year, but it hardly gets any use because it dries out in a day if not hours sometimes - hard starting and sometimes non starting with the only solution to push out some ink to get it going again. Maybe I got a lemon
Newer versions (matte solid color barrels) should have some improvements.
Hey Doodlebug! Enjoying the video as always. Bought an opus 88 and 149 off your vids! (Well the new origin 149 edition anyway)
When you do the remake of the test, could you just say what pens they are? I recognise a couple but others I don’t and they all look interesting! Thanks man, keep up the great work!
Will do
It‘s not the prettiest, but I like the removable clip and that it is a „thicker“ pen. What I fear is that there are a lot of breakable parts everytime you open it up just to refill or clean it. But the price point is also pretty good. Thanks for reviewing!
I have to admit that the Curidas is the only fountain pen that upon seeing it for the first time has ever made me feel like I have to upchuck 😹
😹
Mine dried up within days if I don't use it. I much prefer the Pilot capless.
Good pen
Wow, I hated how the blue one looked, and blue is my favourite colour really turned me of the pen but it actually looks amazing in this red
More of a magenta actually, works well with the silver
Still looks a bit like a bellend though
what is the name of the tool you used to point that has a ball head?
It is part of a nib burnishing tool set
I completely forgot about the curtidas knock off. I wonder why you didn’t include it in the dry-out test… hmmm 🤔
Its so bad it would probably dry out the other pens as well
You see a fish in the mechanism -- to me it looked like something out of Alien. The Curidas is an interesting pen, but in terms of looks I still prefer the vanishing point.
You're not alone in that viewpoint. I prefer the VP design as well. I do like the clarity of the plastic body for the Curidas bodies
7:39 is a minecraft damage sound :D
Could it be that the spring being so flimsy is the reason for the copycat to make such a beatiful ink booger?
Tough to narrow it down to just one bad thing on that pen. Now seeing the two side by side, I get to see how bad the Lambitou version really is!
There seems to be a big difference between fine and medium. One of the pens I always carry with me. Abrasive substances such as cologne ruin the shine.
hi, I'm sure that Joost Appelboom is too polite to point it out, but the double-o in his first and in his family naam is pronounced approximately like the o-sound in "load".
Yes I completely forgot. Joost like toast!
Regardless whether it writes well or not... I find the design super ugly... the proportions, the clip, the color, it seems that nothing belongs together.
These vanishing point pens never clicked with me (bad pun I know), I just think it's a gimmick that only furtherly complicates the design of a fountain pen without any real advantages.
What is the price of this pen?
I'd take a majohn over a curidas any day
Curidas owners, PLEASE reassure me that I not the only one that goes "bloop, bloop, bloop" when playing with the button.
Too expensive in Toronto Ontario, Canada...the Pen shoppe sells these for $150 ..
Amazon is $70
Not worth the price.
I bought mine for $45 USD in February, currently listed at $41 USD.
worst design I have ever seen expecially because of the spring just the worst its not worth much more than the knock off in my opinion I would get a majohn m2 before I would get one of these
Don't think it will win any Pen Of The Year awards
21 views in 5 minutes. Doodlebud has fallen off.
Perhaps the Curidas is just too niche.
At least it's not the wagon....