Posts filed under Platinum

Platinum 3776 Century in Carnelian: 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 model now comes in a wide variety of colors. The most recent iteration is a North American exclusive called Carnelian, named after the mineral whose color it mimics. In addition to the orange/red translucent color, Platinum imbued the resin with sparkles, making this pen stand out in bright light.

The pen comes in a standard Platinum clamshell box. Included are one blue cartridge and a Platinum converter.

The pen is medium-sized: 5.5 inches/140mm capped, 4.7 inches/120mm uncapped, and 6.1 inches/155mm posted. It is quite light, weighing only 10 grams (body only) and 20 grams posted. The grip diameter is 10.3 mm, so it is comfortable to hold. The pen is accented with rhodium-plated trims and a 14k rhodium-plated nib.

As with all 3776 pens, the cap contains a “slip and seal” mechanism to prevent the nib from drying out. Those of us who keep pens inked for long periods of time (ehem) really appreciate this feature.

The nib on my pen is a regular medium. It is decorated with Platinum’s logo and minimalistic scroll work. Although I prefer Platinum’s soft nibs, the regular medium is smooth and trouble-free. It writes more like a Western fine than a medium.

Platinum converters are . . . adequate. They hold about 0.6ml of ink. Unfortunately, they can become hard to turn, especially if you don’t change out the ink very often. Fortunately, you can take the converter apart, clean it thoroughly, and dab some silicone grease on the stopper. Good as new!

I inked my Platinum Carnelian with Diamine Ho, Ho, Ho from the Inkvent Calendar. I noted in my review that Ho, Ho, Ho was an orangey-red (not exactly my favorite color), but it’s a great match for this pen.

You can purchase the Platinum 3776 Century in Carnelian from JetPens for $192.00. It comes in EF, F, SF, M, B, and Music nibs.

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

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Posted on January 10, 2020 by Susan Pigott and filed under Platinum, Fountain Pens, Pen Reviews.

Platinum Prefounte Fountain Pen Review

(Sarah Read is an author, editor, yarn artist, and pen/paper/ink addict. You can find more about her at her website and on Twitter. And check out her latest book, Out of Water, now available where books are sold!)

Platinum offers quite a few entry-level pens that lead you all the way from the minimal investment of the Platinum Preppy on up into the stratosphere. You could have a full-spectrum pen collecting career just within the one brand. Perhaps the folks at Platinum noticed a gap between those who love the Preppy and those who took the step up to the Procyon. The Prefounte addresses a lot of the wishes expressed by Preppy fans while still keeping it at a great intro price.

The feed, grip, section, and cap are the same shape and design as the Preppy and Plaisir. The shape, size, and polycarbonate material are the same between the Preppy and Prefounte. The Prefounte also has the special feature of Platinum's spring-loaded inner cap seal that supposedly allows it to be left for over a year without drying out. Obviously I couldn't test that. The nib is also the same. The clip is upgraded to a metal one. The busy branding and info has been removed from the body, with only a minimal bit of text around the edge of the cap. The Prefounte is also available in a variety of fun colors, all demonstrators, and generally has a more elevated look. Where the Preppy looks like a disposable pen, the Prefounte looks like something a little more special.

Are these changes worth the jump from $4 to $10? I think that will depend on the user. For me, yes, because I'm a magpie and I think the Preppy looks awful and I hate the plastic clip. For me, they've taken what didn't work on the Preppy and fixed it, and still kept it at a price point where it makes a great gift.

Maybe it's not fair to only rate this pen in terms of how it compares to its predecessors. It does stand on its own very well. If the Preppy didn't already exist, the Prefounte would be a revelation in the pen world.

The pen takes a proprietary cartridge or converter, but the converter costs $8, or almost as much as the pen itself. The cartridge is hardy, though, and I bet it would last a few refills, if you have a blunt syringe to clean and fill it with. This pen can also, in theory (I have not tested this), be eye-droppered for a massive ink capacity and cool ink-sloshy effect. Personally, I think this plastic feels a bit too brittle to risk filling it entirely with ink. It's more substantial than a throw-away pen for sure, but I could see a drop onto a hard surface ending in an inksplosion.

The Prefounte writes much better than I'd expect for a pen of this price. It isn't perfect. I get some hard starts and skipping, more often with some paper than others, and the .5 medium nib writes a lot more broadly than I'm used to seeing from a Platinum medium. This is more like a western medium, and it's much wetter than my other Platinum pens. That's not a complaint--I like it. But it may not be what people are expecting when they buy it. If you like Platinum nibs because they tend to be dry and fine, size down for this pen. Unfortunately, it looks like it is only available in .3 fine and .5 medium at this time. Hopefully the finer .2 extra-fine that is on the Preppy will also hit this model.

Overall, I think this is a good value, and an exciting new line for Platinum. I've already caught myself thinking, "Do I need a whole set of these for school?" I mean, of course I don't, but I might. If you already love the Preppy, I don't think you need to upgrade to the Prefounte, though. And a lot of people love the Preppy! That could be the Prefounte's doom. But I still think this might be the perfect pen to give to a child or a friend who is interested in fountain pens. It is just enough better to make it special.

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

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Posted on January 2, 2020 by Sarah Read and filed under Platinum, Prefounte, Fountain Pens, Pen Reviews.

Platinum Kanazawa Leaf Red Mt. Fuji Fountain Pen Review

We each have a style that is unique to us, and that translates into the stationery we use. For me, it’s extra fine nibs, silver trim, and bright colors - among other things - that I enjoy the most in fountain pens. So adding something like a Platinum Kanazawa Leaf fountain pen to my arsenal takes a bit more consideration on my part.

Let’s get this out of the way right up front: These pens are downright stunning. I chose the Red Mt. Fuji model, but I could have picked any of them and been happy with the artwork. Kanazawa Leaf is named after the city in Japan which is known for their long history of gold leaf production and craftsmanship. For example, this pen depicts the golden sunrise around Mt. Fuji, which is surrounded by silver clouds. It’s difficult to not stop in the middle of writing and just take in the artwork.

That’s a little bit of the hangup in purchasing a pen like this to be honest. Not that you shouldn’t stop and appreciate the artwork as often as possible, but rather, you can’t let the artwork stop you from using the pen at all.

It took me many years of using fountain pens to be comfortable with actually using them in any and all situations. This goes back to my original Nakaya purchase. I wanted one badly, but it took me years to come to grips with being comfortable using a piece of art that cost a lot of money. Once I got comfortable with using the pen for what it is actually made for - writing - did the anxiety lift from my life.

While the Platinum Kanazawa Leaf fountain pen costs a fraction of a Nakaya, I struggled with the same thoughts. Will I damage the artwork on the barrel? Will that keep me from using it? Is this pen made to be looked at and not used?

No, no, and resoundingly no.

Part of falling in love with a pen is making it yours. The more you use an urushi-finish Nakaya, the more it changes color. It becomes more a part of you. The same goes for the Kanazawa Leaf finish. It will wear with use, but that is a positive in my book. The artwork will always be a story the pen has, but the inevitable change in the artwork through use will be your story. What did you create with this pen? Whats words did you write? What art did you make?

Creating new stories is why it is important for me to use the products I buy.

Wow, that was a really big digression to tell you I am thoroughly enjoying using this pen. It features a lightweight black plastic barrel and an 18k gold nib. It is lighter and thinner than the base 3776 models, and the nib is more plain. I think those decisions were made to keep the overall price down and focus on the artwork. I’m a bit surprised that it lands under $200 to be honest - I would have guessed a bit higher.

As I alluded to up top, black and gold pens are not normally my thing. But this is much more than a black and gold pen. I even used an ink color I wouldn’t normally, because I thought it would work well with this pen. Platinum Classic Forest Black flows perfectly from the fine nib, and matches the aesthetic perfectly for me.

In the end, I’ve found the Platinum Kanazawa Leaf fountain pen to fall into the every day carry category of pens for me. One with a bit extra, at that.

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

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!