Platinum 3776 Vs. Sailor Professional Gear (Again)

[Quixo]

Hi Friends,

 

Buying a new pen to deliver to Mike Masuyama for a cursive italic grind (~ .5 to .7)! I believe I have read most of the FPN threads dedicated to this topic (quite a few) and have arrived at two choice-point issues. Very grateful for any advice!

 

My impression after reading the previous threads: Most posters prefer the Platinum 3776 on the strength of its nibs and lower price; but build quality is an issue. Sailor Pro Gear has the build quality but people are very iffy on the nibs, which are said to be scratchy. I would prefer to save the money with the 3776 but do not wish to get stuck with a tacky feeling pen.

 

Issue #1 - Build quality of the Platinum 3776. Just how bad is it? Very grateful for any specifics. As for me: I dislike waxy finishes and barrels that rattle against the convertor when tapped (two reasons I am looking to replace my current daily writer--a Franklin Christoph Iterum). I sense these could be an issue with the 3776 but less so the Pro Gear.

 

Issue #2 - Nibs on the Sailor Pro Gear (either 14 or 21K). Can an excellent nibmeister (like Mike) work around the major issues associated with these nibs (e.g., scratchiness) or are they indelible aspects of the alloy?

 

Thank you!

 

[Pichak]

I have a Platinum 3776 Soft-Fine nib and a Sailor Standard with 14K nib M Nib but do not have a Pro Gear 21K.

 

For me, building quality of the body of Platinum and Sailor are not much different. But I much more love the nib of Sailor. My Sailor 14K M nib is very smooth, not scratchy at all. My scratchy Sailor nib is made of metal nib not gold.

[Kataphract]

No complaints about the build quality of my 3776. The nib has more feedback than an equivalent Pilot (74/91), which is a matter of opinion on whether that is a better or worse thing. The converter runs almost to the end of the barrel, so is more prone to rapping against the barrel when you tap it (if you hold it by the cap - if you hold it by the barrel, not an issue at all). Inasmuch as I don't hold a pen by the cap and then rap the barrel against something, it's a complete non issue to me. Honestly, I'd write to Mike and ask him if he recommend one over the other for the grind you want.

[amk]

There's nothing wrong with the build quality on the regular 3776s, but if you look at the special editions you'll find they do have a better finish - nicer engraving, for instance, on the cap band, and the rings are flush instead of protruding slightly. I think the bourgogne and Chartres blue are standout value, very nice indeed, though you might also want to look at the demonstrators like Nice / Nice Pur.

[jar]

I have found no quality differences between my Sailor and Platinum pens but have found that in the fine nibs the Sailor and Platinum pens are far nicer than those from Pilot or Namiki. Granted this is based on a relatively small sampling but that has been consistent over a period of at least two decades.

[sharonspens]

I do not have a Sailor, so I have no opinion on that comparison. I am only chiming in to suggest that you ask about the converters on both pens. I have a Platinum 3776 demonstrator (Yamanika), which I like for the money. However, the converter that came with it was not of good quality. I haven't owned that pen a yer and have had to replace the converter. If you are a cartridge person, this may not be an issue.

[tinta]

Quixo, re issue #2:

If you are sending a Sailor nib to a nib technician who has worked at Sailor for quite a while, like Mr. Masuyama, the "scratchiness" you are concerned about shouldn't be a problem. Mike will make the customized nib write the way you want. I've be happy with the edged nibs he has ground for me.

[JonSzanto]

I've got 4 3776 pens (one with a nib Mike ground to my specs) and 2 Pro Gears (one with Mottishaw's work). They are all very fine pens. When you get down to it, you really need to examine, hold, and use these pens yourself to determine. They are all good, but they are different. Only YOU will know which is best for you.

 

Sometimes you just can't get around that fact.

[Bluey]

I prefer the Pro gear out of the 2.

 

I think the decision will depend mostly on how you hold your pen. If you hold your pen at a 45 degree angle then the Sailor will feel very smooth, otherwise it will feel on the scratchy side. The Platinum will feel less smooth, and their fine nibs and below will feel on the scratchy side unless you have a light hand.

Both have a paper gripping quality to them. Whereas Pilot have a certain drag, Sailor and Platinum are more free moving on the paper. Both Sailor and Platinum have near perfect to perfect flow and are unlikely to skip even with the driest of ink and the greasiest of paper.

The Platinum is much more likely to feel toothy because that's the way they're made, but you can use micromesh.

I prefer the Sailor.

 

The Platinum is slightly more towards the wet side, and the Sailor is slightly more towards dry.

 

The converters are much better on the Sailor though as the Platinum ones are prone to seizing up.

 

Both the Sailor and the Platinum have had instances where their build quality is not up to scratch - the Sailor has had instances of gold plating issues and the Platinum has had 'weeping' marks. Neither my Sailors nor my Platinum 3776 have such afflictions though, but my platinum has the rattle (if you tap the end of the pen you can hear it rattle, but I don't see it as being an issue, more a feature).

 

Not sure what else there is to mention.

Edited December 20, 2016 by Bluey

[Runnin_Ute]

I only have the Platinum 3776 Century (bourgogne), and have no issues with it thus far. I have only had it for a few weeks however. I find the quality on my 3776 every bit as good as on my Pelikan M200's.

 

I have no experience with any Sailor pens. And the 3776 is only my second Japanese pen.

[Omaslover]

I have both and the Pro Gear is far superior in my opinion.

 

Scratchiness is due to tines' misalignment. If you mean tooth or feedback, yes the Sailor nibs have more of it, but this too, like wetness, can be tuned to your preference.

 

You may be surprised that you will enjoy the slight feedback on Sailor nibs. They are not considered among the best nibs in the world by mistake

[siamackz]

I have both. I am happy with the 3776 build quality, no complaints. No rattling, etc. In fact I find that it feels more robust in my hand than the pro gear (but I have the pro gear slim/Saporro). I have a fine nib on 3776 and broad on the sailor, so it's hard to compare. Both nibs are really great. No scratchiness on the Sailor, but it's a broad so maybe that's why?

Honestly, I've learned with my little experience that each pen writes and feels so different in my hands than I could ever imagine it over the Internet. And, every nib (even the same size and same pen model) writes differently! I almost always bought something different when I saw it in person vs what I went in hoping to buy because of surfing online.

So, I'd suggest you try the pens. If you can't, then really you can't go wrong with either of these excellent pens! And you just never know which one comes to you scratchy or not anyway. Enjoy!

[Pichak]

I prefer the Pro gear out of the 2.

 

I think the decision will depend mostly on how you hold your pen. If you hold your pen at a 45 degree angle then the Sailor will feel very smooth, otherwise it will feel on the scratchy side. The Platinum will feel less smooth, and their fine nibs and below will feel on the scratchy side unless you have a light hand.

Both have a paper gripping quality to them. Whereas Pilot have a certain drag, Sailor and Platinum are more free moving on the paper. Both Sailor and Platinum have near perfect to perfect flow and are unlikely to skip even with the driest of ink and the greasiest of paper.

The Platinum is much more likely to feel toothy because that's the way they're made, but you can use micromesh.

I prefer the Sailor.

 

The Platinum is slightly more towards the wet side, and the Sailor is slightly more towards dry.

 

The converters are much better on the Sailor though as the Platinum ones are prone to seizing up.

 

Both the Sailor and the Platinum have had instances where their build quality is not up to scratch - the Sailor has had instances of gold plating issues and the Platinum has had 'weeping' marks. Neither my Sailors nor my Platinum 3776 have such afflictions though, but my platinum has the rattle (if you tap the end of the pen you can hear it rattle, but I don't see it as being an issue, more a feature).

 

Not sure what else there is to mention.

Wow, thank you for this nice comparison.

[langere]

I have both and I love both, but the Sailor Pro Gear is the classier-looking pen.

 

There is no issue with the nib in either case. and Mr. Masuyama can adjust to your specifications, so really no issue there.

 

Erick

[Quixo]

Warm, holiday-charged thanks to everyone for your comments! I fully agree with all who emphasized importance of trying a pen out in one's own hand. Unfortunately I've no such access at present but I did make some rather exacting simulations based on spec measurements.

 

The decision is in and it's surprise option #c: Pilot Custom Heritage 92. Decided I cannot afford a full size Pro Gear (slim is too small for me)*; was set on the 3776 until I discovered the CH92 is a piston filler** (unending sea of ink and no cheap rattling effects!). I see rather little enthusiasm here for Pilot nibs vs. Platinum & Sailor but am hoping Mr. Masuyama will make things right on that count.

 

Again, thanks!!!!! <3

 

* On such products I struggle to take a size-based price-point strategy seriously. To me, charging an extra $100 for same-design pen + less than a penny's worth of extra resin is too conspicuous a logical tear in the veil of luxury. Dispels the brand; major turnoff.

 

**My gateway pen, years ago, was a TWSBI 580. I was spoiled rotten by it's solid build construction and ergonomic suave.

[siamackz]

Talking about Pilots... While I don't yet have one, I recently tried the smoke black custom 823 medium nib and was very very impressed with the size, balance, and nib! It's on my wish list now!

[TheRealMikeDr]

I have three pilot pens and all the nibs write flawlessly. They don't make the most exciting nibs but from my experience they're on par with platinum.

[jar]

What I have learned about Pilot/Namiki nibs is that they are poetic.

 

There was a little girl
who had a little curl
right in the middle of her forehead.
And when she was good she was very very good
but when she was bad
she was horrid.

[Tomcatkzn]

On 12/20/2016 at 2:50 PM, jar said:

What I have learned about Pilot/Namiki nibs is that they are poetic.

 

There was a little girl
who had a little curl
right in the middle of her forehead.
And when she was good she was very very good
but when she was bad
she was horrid.

ha ha. Very clever.😊