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.)

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.)

Cross Click Star Wars Stormtrooper Gel Pen

I was a huge Star Wars fan growing up. All the movies, all the toys, all the everything! I'm still a big fan of course, and now I get to share the awesomeness with my kids, as evidenced by the cool toys I get to use for these pictures. Or are those my Star Wars toys? I'll never tell!

Regardless of whose toys these really are, the pen is definitely mine. The Cross Click Star Wars Gel Pens were released a couple of months ago as all of the merchandising around the release of The Force Awakens ramps up. I assumed we would see some pens involved, although I was admittedly surprised to see Cross was the chosen brand.

Cross has a long and storied history, but they aren't exactly known for cutting edge amazing pens. The designs for their Star Wars lineup don't break any new ground either. In fact, the Gel is based off the Cross Click, which is based off the Classic Century, which is also known as the graduation gift pen. The fountain pen and rollerball are based off of the Townsend, which is know as the President's pen. So, the barrels are typical Cross fare. The paint jobs though? Cross really stepped their game up here.

The designs for the Star Wars pens are based off of three characters: C-3PO, Darth Vader, and the Stormtroopers. Each one of these designs on each one of these pens is really well done. Like big grin across my face as a Star Wars fan well done. Goldspot loaned me the Stormtrooper model for review, and the Imperial White lacquer barrel with black details and satin black clip are spot on. There is even a Stormtrooper emblem on the clip to boot.

The Darth Vader model looks equally impressive, if not more so with the hint of red in the click, and while the gold of C-3PO is not my personal style, it turned out wonderfully. As great as these designs are, the fountain pen and rollerball models are even nicer and more detailed.

But let's get to the Emperor in the room with the Star Wars pens. They are expensive! The fountain pen prices sent my head spinning, and even the click gel models are steep for what they are. The standard Cross Click, which is a good pen in its own right, is less than half of the price of the Star Wars model. Of course there is a premium to be added with limited edition pens, especially when the designs are as nice as these, but the Star Wars branding blew these up like the original Death Star.

Writing wise, the Cross Click Gel is very nice. This is an 0.7mm refill, so it is wide, but it is dark, smooth, and skip free. Readers have been wanting me to review the Click for a while now, and I can see why. The only slight hangup is there is a bit of clicking when writing from the tip, which happens when the metal refill hits against the metal barrel. It's a common thing, and not too bad in this pen. The Click is probably the best pen Cross has released in years.

So it boils down to how big of a Star Wars fan you are with this release. I've had several readers mention they have bought one of each character, even the fountain pen model, and price doesn't seem to be a real hangup. Star Wars branding trumps everything, even in pens. May the Force be with you, and your wallet!

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