Platinum 3776 Century with Music Nib: A Review

(Susan M. Pigott is a fountain pen collector, pen and paperholic, photographer, and professor. You can find more from Susan on her blog Scribalishess.)

The Platinum 3776 Century music nib is a 14K nib with three tines instead of the usual two. Music nibs were originally created for composing music, so the nib creates the fat part of the notes and turned vertically, the stems. See this article on Richard's Pens for an in-depth discussion. Music nibs can also be used for general writing, offering a wide line with some variation.

The four big Japanese companies that make music nibs are Nakaya, Sailor, Pilot, and Platinum. Sailor's music nibs are unusual in that they only have two tines, so some do not consider them authentic music nibs. Nakaya and Platinum's music nibs are almost identical except for branding. If you want to try a music nib, but don't want to pay a premium price, Platinum is the way to go. Pilot also offers a relatively inexpensive music nib on its custom 912 model.

Nakaya Music Nib

The pen I'm reviewing is the plain black Platinum 3776, but now you can get Platinum's music nib on the fancier 3776 Century models in Chartres Blue or Bourgogne. The black pen itself is unremarkable–it is made of plain plastic with gold trim.

The larger band around the cap is engraved "Platinum Made in Japan 3776."

The pen is a cartridge/converter filler. The converter works well, but holds only 0.5 ml of ink, and the music nib puts out a lot of ink.

The nib is, of course, the heart of this pen. It is engraved with the usual 3776 design. The gorgeous fat nib and two tines are what make it stand out.

Unlike other, finer Platinum nibs, the music nib has no spring to it at all, and it definitely has no flex. But, it writes an exceptionally smooth, fat line.

Various Platinum Nibs

There's not much of a difference when you compare writing with the Platinum music nib and Nakaya's music nib.

Platinum Music Nib

But, I had John Mottishaw add flex to my Nakaya music nib, and you can see the extra line variation when I apply pressure to the Nakaya nib. That added flex also makes the Nakaya nib write more softly than the Platinum. Still, the Nakaya doesn't come close to the flex of a vintage music nib (oh, for a Waterman music nib!)

Nakaya Music Nib with Flex

You can purchase the plain black Platinum 3776 with a music nib at Pen Heaven (UK) for $193.23.

Pros

• The Platinum black 3776 Century with a music nib is reasonably priced.
• The 18K nib is essentially the same nib as the much more expensive Nakaya music nib.
• The music nib writes a smooth, broad line with good variation.

Cons

• The pen itself is unremarkable. If I were to purchase a Platinum with a music nib, I would get the more colorful Chartres Blue or Bourgogne.
• The cartridge/converter system is fine, but because the music nib requires a lot of ink, expect to refill more often.
• The Platinum music nib is stiff and offers no flex or spring.

(This pen was provided for review at no charge by Pen Heaven.)

Papa's Got a Brand New Bag

(This is a guest post by Jon Bemis. You can find Jon on Twitter @jtower42.)

Technically, it's not a purse.

But my friends call it a purse, my co-workers call it a purse, and my wife calls it a purse. Thanks to my wife, even my four daughters call it a purse. The two-year-old will ask, "Daddy, you need your purse?", which is adorable but embarrassing.

Let me give you some background:

Long before I had a major pen problem, I had a moderate bag problem. Backpacks. briefcases, camera bags - I was always searching for a bag that carried everything I needed, was comfortable to carry, and maybe even looked cool. So I was already susceptible to the idea of the "perfect" bag.

But I had bought enough bags on that fool's errand to have learned a lesson: When you are shopping for bags, you can never remember everything that you might use it for or carry in it. And because you haven't thought of everything, once you get the bag, you just start chucking random stuff it in, and suddenly it's not so perfect. So this time, I decided to let the stuff lead. I wanted to be able to look at a pile or a list of everything I wished I had in a bag at all times, and then find a bag for that stuff.

Primary on the "stuff" list were the pens I had acquired since getting addicted in early 2014. For the pens, there were cases. There was new, fountain-pen friendly paper, and for the paper, an A5-sized Roterfaden Taschenbegleiter.

I also began to notice certain things that I kept wishing I had with me. I never seemed to have business cards when I needed them, and being in sales, I needed them all the friggin' time. Or I would find myself in need of a cough drop or some ibuprofen, and I'd have to beg, borrow or steal from people around me. The number of times I got caught in the rain when my umbrella was exactly where I wasn't was almost suspiciously frequent.

I was inspired by Pen Addict Podcast guest Tony Scalumbrine of Everyday Commentary and the concept of an every-day carry (EDC). I was already carrying a Field Notes and pen in a Nock Co. Fodderstack XL and a Victorinox Alox Cadet pocketknife. Given that I felt like my inventory was coming together, I felt like I could start looking for a bag I could carry every day that would contain everything. A bag of holding (+2), if you will.

I started poking around on the websites of various bag makers; classic brands like Jansport and LL Bean, big companies like North Face and Patagonia, and smaller makers like Timbuk2, Topo, and Tom Bihn. I was a little stymied - not only could I not decide on a bag, I couldn't even decide on a format. Messenger bag? Too hip. Briefcase? Too grown-up. Backpack? Too grade school.

One day, browsing on the Tom Bihn site, I came across the Co-Pilot. It's a different animal. It's shaped kind of a like a briefcase, square and straightforward, but it has a cross-body strap like a messenger bag. What really caught my eye was how small it was. At first glance, it was kind of useless. It wasn't really large enough to hold 8.5 x 11" papers and would never hold my largish laptop. But after thinking about what I wanted to carry around with me every day, and realizing a smaller bag would make it more likely I'd actually carry it, it seemed more and more like the right tool for the job. I ordered it, in a dashing green color called Verde. (PHOTO 1)

When I got the Co-Pilot, I was impressed by the quality of workmanship. There wasn't a stitch out of place and the material felt as rugged as advertised. I was even more impressed with the design. The folks at Tom Bihn really crammed a lot of useful space into a bag that is only 12'' by 10" by 5".

The bag is divided into halves the long way. The front half is then divided into three equally-sized vertical pockets. The center pocket has a centered vertical zipper which goes about halfway down the pocket. (This makes access to this pocket a little limited, my only complaint about the bag.) However, the center pocket has a unique feature - it has a grommet in the very bottom of the pocket, providing drainage. You could stash a water bottle or umbrella in there and know that if there was condensation or water drops, they would work themselves out through the hole. I use it for my sunglasses case, and a pen roll could easily fit there as well.

The left and right pockets zip around the outside perimeter of the bag, and are therefore more accessible. The right pocket has four generous full-depth pen pockets. Each easily holds one fountain pen or two "regular" pens or pencils. I keep a Sakura Pigma Micron, a Muji gel multi-pen, a Uni-ball Signo DX and a Uni-ball Jetstream in the bag at all times. I also have a Kaweco Sport with a sealed cartridge in the barrel. With this group of pens, I feel like I have a color, ink type, and nib size for any situation.

The right-hand pocket also contains my umbrella, the Davek Mini. It was the smallest umbrella I could find that was well-reviewed. It won't protect me in a hurricane, but it works well for a quick run from the car to the house or vice-versa.

The left pocket has a small inner pocket but is otherwise wide open. It also has a keystrap, which has turned out to be the most useful feature in the whole bag. You see, my car has one of those push-button, keyless ignitions. When I first got it, I was constantly losing my keys - not having to physically put them in and take them out of an ignition combined with my terrible short-term memory meant forgetting where I put them at least two or three times a week. Now, the keys are attached to the bag and the bag is attached to me and the problem is solved!

I purchased two of Tom Bihn's accessory pouches to hold more everyday necessities, and these also fit into the left pocket. The Q-Kit contains both a wall and car charger for my iPhone, while the Mini Clear Organizer holds some everyday first aid - Rolaids, cough drops, eye drops, and Band-Aids. Along with a small bottle of Advil (stuffed with a piece of paper towel to reduce rattling), I'm ready for most of the maladies I'll suffer regularly. I'm in sales, not the outback; it's unlikely I'll need anti-venin or a splint.

The back side of the Co-Pilot has a large pocket that runs the full length of the bag. The back wall of the big pocket has two smaller pockets, each about four inches in width. They happen to be the perfect width and depth for a variety of my favorite products, including Field Notes, and several of Nock Co.'s cases.

I use a Nock Co. Sassafras as a miniature tool kit. The two large and three small slots of the Sassafras nicely contain a multi-tool (Leatherman Skeletool and extra driver bits, a pocketknife (Kershaw Leek, and a flashlight (Peak Eiger. That fits perfectly into one of the two pockets. The other holds a Nock Co. Lookout (or two) with whatever fountain pens are in heavy rotation. A small business card holder from Muji nestles next to the Lookouts.

The rest of the rear pocket holds my Roterfaden Taschenbegleiter and my currently active Rhodia 90 Meeting Book, which is my go-to work notebook. (If only the spiral-bound Meeting Book fit in the Taschenbegleiter...) This combo of pens, notebooks and business cards means I am prepared for the kind of on-the-fly work interactions in which I often find myself.

What all this buys me is peace of mind. It might seem strange to some, but I'll admit, I'm not the kind of person who is good at playing life by ear. I have a tendency to over-prepare to put my mind at ease. The Co-Pilot is really a little bit of a coping mechanism. Having a bag stocked with a full complement of everyday items, I feel ready for the twist and turns of the day, which in turn lowers my stress level. Meet a potential customer? Here's a business card. Customer wanted to get chili for lunch? R-O-L-A-I-D-S. Got a great lead and an order for a sample? All jotted down. Get back to the office and have a package to open (probably a new pen)? Flip out the pocketknife. Cut myself with the pocketknife? Band-Aid, boo-yah. And so on.

I am pretty happy feeling like I'm prepared. But do the pros outweigh the cons of the purse comments I get on a near-constant basis? I say yes. I've found that once I explain what's in my Co-Pilot and why I carry it, people usually come around. They'll comment that they have found themselves with a dead phone battery or a growing headache and no way to deal with it. Or, they'll acknowledge that they often have a backpack or briefcase stocked with stuff, but it's too big or bulky to truly keep with them all the time.

Of course, some people still think it's funny or weird that I carry a bag. Some people will call it a purse, but with malice. I could refer to it as a ruck or say it's a satchel. I could call it a carryall or make it a man-bag. I could insist on trying to give it a more "manly" moniker to head off the haters. But they can go ahead and call it a purse. It won't bother me, because one day they'll need a pen or a stamp, and I'll be there, needed item in hand. They'll need a cough drop to get through an important presentation, and I'll save their butt.

With something from my purse.

Massdrop Retro 51 Tornado Fountain Pen Custom Edition

(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)

The Retro 51 Tornado fountain pen isn't new, but this Massdrop Custom Edition features a killer body design that you won't find anywhere else.

Look and feel

The Massdrop Custom Edition Retro 51 Tornado Fountain Pen has a striking aesthetic that I happen to find very attractive. I love the herringbone design. The pattern also gives the pen a textured feel, which is nice. Of course, it also includes the signature Retro 51 Tornado trademarks, like the knurled top, labeled band, and clip. This pen screams Retro 51 Tornado, but it's different enough that you won't mistake it for one — it's obviously a fountain pen.

The weight was surprising to me. When you look at the pen, it looks like a completely metal pen. When you pick it up, it weighs less than you'd expect. And, it feels like a third (or maybe even a half) of the weight is taken up in the cap alone. Once you remove the cap, the pen has a very pleasant weight for writing.

Posting this pen can be problematic. For one, it never really feels completely secure. When writing, it feels as though it might slip off at any moment. The other problem, for me at least, is that the pen is way too long for comfortable writing. If you insist on posting your pens, this one isn't for you. For me, I typically always prefer writing without posting, so it fits right in with my existing habits.

Along with the "Retro 51 Tornado" label on the cap band, there's also a three digit number from the limited Massdrop run. This makes the pen collectible as it was a limited edition and each pen was numbered. I'm not sure if Massdrop will ever run this pen again, so it's nice to know where this one stands in the full run.

The clip is very strong, but is designed with a dramatic slope at the end, which makes it easy to slip onto denim pockets, bag slots, and other thicker fabrics. Given the strength of the clip, I'm not worried about the pen slipping out under normal circumstances.

I'm not entirely satisfied with the grip on this pen, as it's made of a light-weight plastic and tends to get slippery when in use. I wouldn't go so far as to say that the grip needs to be metal, but I would say it could use a heavier-weight plastic. It just doesn't feel great, and it detracts a bit from the overall writing experience.

Another downside for me is the feel of the threads on the pen cap. I've noticed that it's incredibly easy to mis-thread the cap when closing the pen. I'm not sure why this is, but I've found it irritating on several occasions. Once you find the correct thread, it screws on very easily. It's just a matter of finding that thread over the other "wrong" threads. It's not the most intuitive thing.

The nib is a Schmidt nib, and it's one of the bigger ones. Given the size of the rest of the pen, the size of the nib fits perfectly. The pen is a cartridge/converter filler, but only a couple of cartridges are included with the pen. Another perk of the size of the pen is that you can fit two international short cartridges in the pen — one to use now, and another spare.

One of my favorite features of the pen, besides the pattern on the body, is the brushed "jewel" on the top of the pen cap. Like all Tornados, this one has a matching jewel, and I love the way it looks in relation to the high-contrast herringbone pattern on the body.

Writing performance

So how does this Schmidt nib do when writing? It does well in most senses.

The particular nib on my pen needed some adjustment before it was ready to go. One of the tines was misaligned, so that was an easy fix. Still, the nib can be a tad scratchy and the "sweet spot" is relatively small. This isn't a huge deal, and it's something I've come to expect with most fountain pens under the $150 range (that don't have "Pilot" in the name...). Despite the sometimes-scratchy nature of the nib, it's an excellent writer.

The flow from this nib is among the best I've used. There's never an issue with starting or skipping, no matter how long it's been stored. It doesn't matter how quickly you write, or how broad and elaborate your strokes are, this nib and feed can keep up with the demand.

It's a steel nib, so there's not much flex or shading, but it can flex a small amount with enough pressure. Even for a steel nib, it's very stiff. I would attribute this to the sheer size of the nib — that's a lot of steel.

It's a great writer despite the scratchy feel it sometimes exhibits. I've used several Schmidt nibs in the past, and this one doesn't disappoint.

Conclusion

The custom edition Retro 51 Tornado by Massdrop is a visually stunning pen made a respected brand — there's a lot to like. Given the nature of Massdrop, they might not go on sale again, but there's always the used market if you're so inclined. And, the ability to stow an extra cartridge in the body of the pen adds a cool factor to this pen that none of my other pens can claim. If you like herringbone patterns, this is a beautiful pen.

(Massdrop provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)