looking for a good platform pedal for commuting. have the nashbar pedal below but those things can scratch up my legs something awful and they're much bigger than necessary. A friend of mine recommended that I look for a plastic platform pedal.

https://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product...2_10000_200455

also, its for my girlfriend so pretty would be nice.

If it's for the GF, and leg epidermal integrity is essential, a plastic platform works OK.
I have pedals (like the ones in the link but cheaper out of the LBS take off box) on my bikes so they grab my shoes a bit better in moist conditions.
The downside is that I inadvertently whack myself in nearly the exact same place on my right shin just after it heals.

I DO have a nice set of them in purple on my frankenbike build and they clash so nicely with the ice-blue frame...

Anyhoo...you should be able to score some plastic platforms or rubber coated commuter platforms at a bike shop in their take off bin.

It cracks me up that seven respondents on the Nashbar page cited those pedals for "reliable entry/exit."

My wife and I have MKS Touring pedals on our city/commuter bikes. I first heard about them from the Rivendell site, but I bought them at our LBS (and lots of online retailers carry them). I admit I don't have much experience with other styles of plain pedals, but I love these and see no reason to try anything else. Very grippy with a wide variety of street shoes.

I bought these pedals for my son who didn't want clipless and they were so good I bought another pair for my commuter.
I got them off of eBay for super cheap, light , AND good quality! The rare trifecta!
VP - MTB sealed bearing pedals only $17.99 for buy it now - but I think I bid on them and got them for less.
sealed bearings and they look great I got the red ones

the store:

https://stores.ebay.com/ChaserTech-Co...34Q2ec0Q2em322

the blue ones
https://cgi.ebay.com/New-VP-MTB-Pedal...item53de6cc657

I've used this guy before and he got like 20,000 good feedback on eBay.

In my opinion, bigger is better when it comes to platform commuter pedals. That said, when my pedal of choice was out of stock, I got the MKS sneaker pedals (https://www.rivbike.com/products/show...-pedals/14-047) from Rivendell, and I liked them fine until I got set of the pedals I actually wanted: Grip King/Lambda. The meet none of your criteria: they're large, metal, and will probably ding your shin if you whack it with the pedal, but I really like them.

If a lack of spikes and not to big is a priority, though, look at those sneaker pedals. They're not plastic, but I think that makes them better looking, and they are functional.

My girlfriend Prefers rubber block type pedals, they provide decent grip with leather and other hard soled (read: fancyish) shoes. Shin scraping is definitely not an issue.

https://www.velo-orange.com/mks30rublpe.html

My bike came with platforms like that. I threw them into the junk parts box after the 2nd time my feet slipped off them in the rain while accelerating from stopped at a stoplight. IMO it's a critical safety issue that I not fall off the pedals in traffic.

I went out and bought pedals with toe clips after that.

This is why it's essential to find a good match of pedals and shoes. Some soles are rock-solid with specific pedals; other combinations are disastrous. It's difficult to make generalizations or (therefore) predictions. When the weather's good, I wear Adidas Sambas with my pedals; at all other times I wear no-name plastic clogs. They don't slip.

MKS are always a solid bet, good value and last for ages. They do several styles, the Sylvian Touring and the GR9 are ones to look for.

You can get quite good plastic BMX pedals (in funky colours) but make sure they have the correct thread for normal bikes.

+1 MKS Touring. MKS Stream is a nice peddle as well. Similar to the Touring, but a little smaller. Like them for tooling around town.

Odessey JC pedals. The best.

The MKS touring pedal is a nice choice- work well, fairly light [compared to many platform pedals] and don't cost a lot. A stiff sole shoe makes the more comfortable on a long ride.
However, IMHO, the Shimano MX30 is the best platform pedal - probably have 12000 km on my pair. They are grippy without biting, run smooth and have worn well. They are not the cheapest option.

I have these and I like the way they look and ride. I am female. I value my shins and nice leather shoes, so I use these.

I bought the MKS RMX sneaker pedals, and I love them. If I wanted to, I could ride barefoot with the amount of surface area they have.

/thread

I bought the Nashbar Land Cruiser pedals about a week ago and love them so far! I went from narrow pedals with toe clips and straps to these...and much prefer the new ones. They're obviously going to weigh more than more narrow pedals...but the fact that they're made of indestructible steel that will last decades makes up for the heavier weight. I highly recommend these to anyone who is looking for a pedal with a nice flat surface...but with traction that keeps the shoe from slipping when wet.

I am looking to get these for my Big Dummy.

One nice thing about the MKS Touring pedals is that you can add toeclips later. I'm actually considering doing that to my pair.

Velo-Orange Touring pedals.
I've used a pair for 18 months or so and am just switching to clipless. The VO pedals will be used on a future bike. I like that they have more of a platform than the MKS touring pedals.

I don't have my bike here to check for sure, but those look exactly like the pedals that came on my Felt X City, from memory anyway. Mine are black though.

I like them pretty well. I put a set of Delta half clips on recently, and it seems to be working out alright.

I use Shimano M-324s on my commuter/touring/utility bike, and have had really good experiences with them. I can ride either in street shoes, or with SPD cleats.

Another good choice has been the Bike Friday folding pedals that came with my Tikit. Good, solid platforms that fold out of the way when I need to stash the bike in tight places.

Those look pretty nice, even if they're a tad pricey. I'm amused that the weight reduction over the MKS is touted as a selling point. I wouldn't, as a rule, have pegged people who ride with plain pedals as "weight weenies"!