Posts filed under Platinum

Platinum 3776 Century Carnelian Fountain Pen Review

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

The Platinum 3776 is one of the fountain pens that is recommended wholeheartedly by almost everyone who has used one. You can always find them at pen shows, most retailers carry them, and they have a large following that are more than eager to talk about their Platinum 3776 or let you try one out. It's completely inexplicable how I haven't owned a 3776 until now.

The Platinum 3776 in Carnelian is a stunner. I mostly associate the 3776 with the classic demonstrator acrylic and rhodium trim, but this sparkly red colorway is really exciting to me. Despite the flashy exterior, the pen is the same classic that many people love. It's lightweight, but feels solid and strong in the hand. The nib is springy and soft, but it draws a really crisp and clean line. This pen is so balanced in every way that it's just so easy to love.

The model I have features a 14k gold soft fine nib, which means it's a fine nib with a little extra flex and give when you apply a little pressure to the downstroke. It's a delightful nib, and I've really loved using it so far. If you've used a Platinum nib before, then you know that you can expect a solid, reliable performance that just gets out of your way while you use the pen. The 3776 is no different, but it's just a little more pleasant to use due to the softer 14k gold material.

Like other Platinum nibs, this one is also equipped with the system that keeps the nib from drying out while capped. A lot of pens start to dry out after a few days or weeks, meaning you have to scribble a bit to get the ink flowing again. With the Platinum, you can pick it up after months of storage and expect it to write immediately — no skips, stutters, or blotches. In my experience with a few other Platinum steel nib pens, the performance lines up to the marketing with no problem.

Since I went with the soft fine for this 3776, there's a lovely bit of flex in the nib when writing. It's not really noticeable when writing normally (and I typically use a moderate pressure when writing), which is great because you can only flourish your handwriting with variable line width when you consciously choose to. That said, your mileage will vary — especially if you use more pressure when writing in general. Even if you don't get this nib for the optional flex capabilities, the springy feel is totally worth it. It feels like you're writing on a cloud, but the lines are somehow incredibly crisp (I imagine writing on a real cloud would be a feathery, blotchy, bleeding mess).

This pen has been on my desk since I unboxed it. When I'm not using it and enjoying the great writing experience, I like having it on my desk as an interesting object that catches my sight. I love how the bright rhodium finish of the nib, internal hardware, and external trim contrast with the deep transparent red and shimmery bits inside the acrylic material. I'm a big fan of classic clear demonstrators as well — and I'll probably add one (more likely a few) to the collection — but this pen just looks so darn good. The red tint and sparkly bits mean that you can't see fingerprints that well — something that demonstrators usually have a hard time with.

The pen comes with a cartridge and a cartridge converter. This is a great thing that every pen manufacturer should do — especially when they use a proprietary cartridge fitting. The inking and cleaning experience is on par with every other high quality pen I've used. It just works and doesn't cause a fuss.

In terms of size, it's fairly average. It's about as long as a Lamy Safari/AL Star or a Pilot Custom 74. To me, the Pilot 74 is the direct competitor to the 3776 in a lot of ways. Gold nibs, rhodium trim, fun color options, cigar style barrel shape, and price.

The Platinum 3776 Carnelian version is $200 regardless of which nib option you pick. This is the lowest price point you can probably find for a rhodium trim model. You can save a few bucks if you go with a gold trim model, but not enough to really factor in to the budget decision. If you're looking to get into the 3776 ballpark at the most affordable end, this is the one.

After using this 3776 for a few weeks, I can whole-heartedly add my endorsement and praise to the existing choir that already exists in the pen realm. This is a fantastic pen that really holds its own against pens that cost a lot more. It's a solid workhorse that also looks fantastic and feels great — all without being too expensive. If you're in a position to try one out or add one to your collection, go for it!

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

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Posted on May 4, 2022 by Jeff Abbott and filed under Platinum, Fountain Pens, Pen Reviews.

Platinum Desk Fountain Pen Review

I love the concept of desk pens. Not in the literal Platinum Desk Fountain Pen way, but rather, in the “these are the pens that live on my desk permanently” kind of way.

Desk pens in that latter category usually have specific jobs to do. They may not be in heavy rotation, but they are ready and available at a moments notice to jump into action. Pens that fall into this category are fineliners (like the Kuretake Zig Mangaka,) micro tip ballpoints (like the Jetstream Edge,) wide rollerballs (like the Retro 51,) and highlighters (like the Pentel Fitline.) Pencils are in this category as well, both wooden and mechanical.

Yes, I have 20-30 pens and pencils within arms reach at my desk at all times. Probably more, but who is counting!

While those are my desk pens, the Platinum Desk Pen gets the MF Doom-esque caps treatment of its name. What exactly is a Desk Pen?

As you might imagine, it is a pen originally designed to be used at a desk. Normally in a stand or holder, next to an ink bottle for easy dipping, writing, and then dipping again. Fountain pens weren’t always the portable writing wonders that we now have.

The long, skinny barrels are a holdover from quills, I’m assuming, giving desk pens their unique look. The length helps when reaching across the desk to grab one for use, and provides a good feel and balance when scratching out dozens of signatures on the day’s proclamations. Huzzah!

Modern desk pens, while still available with matching pen stands, are often designed to use ink cartridges or converters. And, I see them used more frequently in artists hands, not by the lords and ladies of the manor. There is something brush-like about the pen handle that works for a wide range of motions.

Despite its more vintage look, the Platinum Desk Pen is firmly in the modern pen camp. It even sports Platinum’s popular Slip and Seal cap design to keep the nib from drying out for a long period of time without use. Platinum says up to a year, and while I can’t verify that with this pen, I can report it has sat for weeks between uses and fired right up on uncapping.

That’s even more impressive since I choose to use Platinum Carbon Ink cartridges with this pen, and I suggest you do too. This pigmented, water-resistant ink is perfect for artists, but great for the rest of us, too. The lines are pitch-black, and almost glossy on drying, giving a unique look on the page. You can buy it by the bottle as well, if you choose to use a converter.

Why do I like the Platinum Desk Pen so much? Platinum’s steel nibs are great, the barrel is lightweight and comfortable, and the overall design makes me feel cool. That’s right, I like how I feel when I use it. That should matter, and it does to me.

At $11.50 from JetPens, it won’t break the bank by any stretch. It is available with a Red barrel, along with the Black one I use. You can add on the Platinum Desk Pen Stand for $20 if you want to go full powdered wig mode, but you will lose the modern amenity that is the Slip and Seal cap. I’d stick with the standard cap, and add in a 4-pack of Platinum Carbon Black ink cartridges, putting you at $15 all-in.

I enjoy using the Desk Pen as a desk pen. It makes for a great note-taking, doodle-sketching, low-maintenance workhorse. I can’t recommend it highly enough it you want to try something different in your writing arsenal.

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

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Posted on January 17, 2022 by Brad Dowdy and filed under Platinum, Fountain Pens, Desk Pen, Pen Reviews.

Kokuyo X Platinum Preppy Perpanep Fountain Pen Review

The Kokuyo X Platinum Preppy Perpanep Fountain Pen could be the next highly sought after disposable pen. I’ll explain that thought in a moment, but first we have to get one thing out of the way: The name of this product line is atrocious.

From Kokuyo:

“The brand name "PERPANEP" is a combination of the words "pen" and "paper". This stationery series was designed with the best combination of pen and paper in mind.”

They did this on purpose. They sat in a meeting, brainstormed, and decided this was a good idea. Kokuyo, one of the largest stationery brands in the world, with what has to be a sizable marketing budget, chose Perpanep. An anagram of “pen” and “paper.” Again, on purpose.

Le sigh.

The Perpanep paper lineup consists of three notebooks, each with their own paper type - Ultra Smooth, Smooth, and Textured. The Ultra Smooth and Textured papers are recommended for Fineliners and Fountain Pens, while the Smooth is recommended for Gel Pens, Ballpoint Pens, and Pencils. I hope to have a review here soon of all three notebooks, but in the meantime, check out Ana’a breakdown at The Well-Appointed Desk.

At launch, there were no pens or pencils designed to bring you the “best combination of pen and paper.” There were only notebooks. Certainly, if Kokuyo made pens and pencils to match, I would have jumped on those, but at least they collaborated with Platinum for a branded Preppy model.

This pen was an insta-buy the moment I saw it while browsing Yoseka Stationery. Why such an immediate positive reaction to what is ostensibly an overpriced Preppy? For that, I need to share with you the story of the Sailor Ink Bar.

When I posted my Ink Bar review in July, 2009, I had just received it from a friend in Japan. The pen eventually made its way to JetPens, and I acquired a few more. Then they vanished - no longer available for purchase anywhere.

As a nascent fountain pen user, I loved the Ink Bar. It was simple, self-contained (unrefillable,) had a great nib, wrote well, and cost $3. As it turns out, I wasn’t the only one who liked it. Once they became hard to find, the amount of emails I received about the Ink Bar increased. People LOVED this pen, and Sailor did away with it, never to return.

The Perpanep, visually speaking, brought me right back to the Ink Bar, making it an instant purchase.

This pen is 100% Platinum Preppy outside of the logo on the barrel. That means, it is already one of the best inexpensive pens you can buy. The 03 Fine nib is round, smooth, and writes wonderfully. It’s refillable, using Platinum proprietary cartridges, and the cap contains their patented Slip and Seal mechanism to keep the nib from drying out.

The only true difference between the Kokuyo branded model and a traditional Platinum Preppy is price. You will pay $3 more ($7.50 vs. $4.50) for the artwork, and the beauty of the word “PERPANEP” stamped on the side of the barrel.

For me, it was worth it. The basic white plastic aesthetic is something I love, and combined with an already great product in the Preppy there was no doubt it was heading to my house. The only problem now is I am forced to figure out other stationery anagrams to get ahead of Kokuyo’s next branding adventure.

(I purchased this pen from Yoseka Stationery at full retail price.)

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