Triple Platinum Century 3776 Review: Uef, Sf And B

[mehandiratta]

greta comparative ...thank you

[alexhondsmerk]

Thanks for very interesting comparison

 

Do you have other japanese fp?

 

I could do a comparison with a Pilot Capless B, and the Pilot 78G B? That's about the limit of my Japanese collection at the moment, unless you include the general "Asian market" Jinhao's and Wing Sungs and TWSBIs and things. I have got a Century in Koi Celluloid on order though, so I'll do a group review once that's here!

 

 

I write in Chinese characters as well... and I understand UEF is good when writing in small font size. But I see M - B just offer what a FP should be, the show of the ink color, the shading, and the shape of the strokes. I cannot see that in EF nibs unless you are talking about flexible nibs.

 

If I want really fine point like a 0.5mm, perhaps I could just go for a gel pen. Unless I am obsessed with a certain ink color, I really don't see the point of buying a FP just to write in EF or UEF.

 

Am I missing something?

 

I get what you mean, the finer nibs don't show off the character and sheen and colour of the inks as much. But I still find the very fine fountain pens more comfortable to write with than even micro-gel pens - and this tip is much smaller than 0.5mm, believe me! It's nice for very small writing like you said, and there's the versatility of all the different inks and the different properties you can have with those too. I use mine for annotating in the margins of books, my diary etc, where tiny writing is important as space is of the essence; the very fine nib also works well on poor paper, as it doesn't feather too much. Just to illustrate that, I can quite happily do the sudoku in the newspaper without even a hint of feathering or bleedthrough on the paper! So for me, the main advantages are that there's no pressure required on the paper (good for my wrists!) which also makes it easier to do tiny writing, plus all the FP ink swapping benefits. It's a limited-use nib, I agree, (unless of course your everyday writing is very fine indeed) but I still like it!

[J_MM]

Very nice review. Is the 3776 large enough to write unposted comfortably ?

[alexhondsmerk]

Very nice review. Is the 3776 large enough to write unposted comfortably ?

 

 

Depends on how big your hands are I suppose! Here's a little illustration:

 

I have biiiig hands. As in, this is an A4 sheet of paper with the pen and my freakishly oversized mitt on it:

 

http://i.imgur.com/ixs3nNX.jpg?1

 

Here's the pen unposted:

 

http://i.imgur.com/TmxvtAM.jpg?1

 

And here it is posted:

 

http://i.imgur.com/p2xdmq1.jpg?2

 

 

As you can see, the pen is usable unposted for someone with giant hands, but I much prefer it posted (which I habitually do with all but my largest pens anyway). It's not uncomfortable to use unposted, and indeed if you have smaller hands would be even better, but the balance is still excellent with the cap posted and it just gives a bit more length and control for me!

[Martini1R]

I get what you mean, the finer nibs don't show off the character and sheen and colour of the inks as much. But I still find the very fine fountain pens more comfortable to write with than even micro-gel pens - and this tip is much smaller than 0.5mm, believe me! It's nice for very small writing like you said, and there's the versatility of all the different inks and the different properties you can have with those too. I use mine for annotating in the margins of books, my diary etc, where tiny writing is important as space is of the essence; the very fine nib also works well on poor paper, as it doesn't feather too much. Just to illustrate that, I can quite happily do the sudoku in the newspaper without even a hint of feathering or bleedthrough on the paper! So for me, the main advantages are that there's no pressure required on the paper (good for my wrists!) which also makes it easier to do tiny writing, plus all the FP ink swapping benefits. It's a limited-use nib, I agree, (unless of course your everyday writing is very fine indeed) but I still like it!

That's a fair assessment I can see if you use EF and be able to write on newspaper without feathering and bleed through it is useful for many.

[FeuBleu]

Thank you for this review! I have had a Bourgogne 3776 Century sitting in my cart on eBay for a little while; I am curious about the UEF nib and love the colour and shape, but am put off by the slightly cheap air of the plastic resin they have used. I do have such a soft spot though for roundy-endy cigar pens, and demonstrators especially, and the jewel tones of these set my heart aflutter... :3

[Forsooth]

Your photo entitled "Here's the pen unposted."

 

Exactly!

 

So many pen users, including myself, much prefer to use pens unposted. That is why I need the tip-to-barrel-end length to be at least 127 mm (5"). I'd love to enjoy using the 3776, but it is too short for me, and so are a lot of other beautiful pens. I wished the 3776 iterations had "oversize" versions.

Edited November 3, 2015 by Forsooth

[alexhondsmerk]

Thank you for this review! I have had a Bourgogne 3776 Century sitting in my cart on eBay for a little while; I am curious about the UEF nib and love the colour and shape, but am put off by the slightly cheap air of the plastic resin they have used. I do have such a soft spot though for roundy-endy cigar pens, and demonstrators especially, and the jewel tones of these set my heart aflutter... :3

 

Just be aware that the Bourgogne isn't exactly a true demonstrator; held to the light you can easily see the ink level etc, but it's not transparent by any stretch of the imagination! I do love mine though, and the Chartres!

 

Your photo entitled "Here's the pen unposted."

 

Exactly!

 

So many pen users, including myself, much prefer to use pens unposted. That is why I need the tip-to-barrel-end length to be at least 127 mm (5"). I'd love to enjoy using the 3776, but it is too short for me, and so are a lot of other beautiful pens. I wished the 3776 iterations had "oversize" versions.

 

That would be nice! I suppose there is the Platinum President, but that sadly doesn't have the same features or range of finishes as the Century. I've had no trouble posting mine though, even the black finish which is my oldest of the three hasn't got much by way of scuffs or rings!

[Forsooth]

That would be nice! I suppose there is the Platinum President, but that sadly doesn't have the same features or range of finishes as the Century. I've had no trouble posting mine though, even the black finish which is my oldest of the three hasn't got much by way of scuffs or rings!

 

Even the Platinum President is short of 5" -- it is only 4.8 inches unposted and uncapped.

[stephanos]

This is a very useful thread, and the photos really bring it to life; thank you.

[MobyDick]

I've had a small issue with my fine platinum century. Nothing too major really, but there is quite a bit of spacing between the tines of the nib. This makes for a bit of a toothy writing experience when moving the pen sideways. Has anyone else experienced this same issue?

[RMH]

Outstanding review! The info presented has enabled me to finalize my purchase.

[Fatestorm]

I love the Platinum #3776 Century. I've got the Chartres Blue, the Nice demonstrator, and the Yamanaka demonstrator in Medium, Fine, and Broad respectively. The fine is very fine for my tastes, and sees the least use. The medium is quite fine as well, gets the most use for general utility. The broad is just about perfect, and I think I'm going to use it more--it writes about the same as my Lamy 2000 Medium..

[ac12]

And here I thought I was settled on ordering a blue one. Now you make me think about the red. decisions....

[stephanos]

For what it's worth, I like both red and blue as colours, but I find I prefer the particular blue of the 3776 chartres to the particular red of the 3776 bourgogne.

 

One other thing: the C nib is super-broad, easily as broad as a Pelikan 2B.