Sailor 1911 Or Platinum 3776 Century? Looking For A Wet Writer.

[LamyOne]

Hello Everyone,

 

First off, I want to thank all of you here; you were a big help in helping me to decide on a Sheaffer Prelude and I am really enjoying that pen.

 

However, like all pen buffs, it is time to try another one. I thought I'd give the Asian Scene a try. I am looking for a wet writer with excellent build quality. So, do I want to get a Platinum 3776 Century OR a Sailor 1911?

 

I know both have solid gold nibs, (and I am intrigued by Platinum's "Slip and Seal" cap - but I don't know if that should be a deciding factor or not).

 

One thing I should also mention to help you out, is that I have had numerous Pilot pens through the years, (several 78G's, a Prera and several Metropolitans), and I found ALL of them to be too dry for my writing style and preferences. I should also say that I am satisfied with Lamy's wetness - and I LOVE the flow on my Sheaffer Prelude with a medium nib. So, hopefully this will give you an idea of my wetness preferences.

 

I figure whichever one I choose, (with your help), I will go for the broadest nib I can get; e.g., a Platinum Century with a double broad nib or a Sailor 1911 with a broad nib, (knowing that Asian nibs run fine and I prefer Western mediums).

 

I guess the bottom line is I am looking for a wet writer with a smooth nib and excellent build quality.

 

Any input would be greatly appreciated; thanks in advance for any help you provide.

 

Best regards,

 

Chris

Edited September 19, 2014 by LamyOne

[Brian C]

I vote for Platinum. The build quality on the Century model feels better than the Sailor, the Platinum has the best converter available the nibs give you more tipping material like you're used to with your Lamys, and the slip and seal cap is just awesome. Personally, I feel that Platinum has the best nib/feed/converter setup going...period. I do believe that the double broad is only available with the black Platinum, so that does limit your color choice.

[Namru]

Sailor for me.

 

I've not yet used a dry Sailor pen; the music and zoom nibs I own are very, very wet. The Pro Gear and full size 1911 also have the same type of sprung inner cap as the Platinum. Sailor plastics feel nicer and you get more nib choices. The only issue is the converters are tiny, and when coupled with a wet nib it can become bothersome.

[Brian C]

I vote for Platinum. The build quality on the Century model feels better than the Sailor, the Platinum has the best converter available the nibs give you more tipping material like you're used to with your Lamys, and the slip and seal cap is just awesome. Personally, I feel that Platinum has the best nib/feed/converter setup going...period. I do believe that the double broad is only available with the black Platinum, so that does limit your color choice.

Oops, I lied. Here's an ebay listing from a well respected seller for a BB Chartres:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Platinum-3776-CENTURY-C-Double-Broad-nib-CHARTRES-BLUE-14k-fountain-pen/131277297954?_trksid=p2050601.c100272.m3467&_trkparms=aid%3D111001%26algo%3DREC.SEED%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20140813112422%26meid%3Dea7cc852117d4fb6a31db026c0e8fdd7%26pid%3D100272%26prg%3D20140813112422%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D4%26sd%3D131277297954%26clkid%3D638486392363740985&_qi=RTM1562569

[LamyOne]

Oops, I lied. Here's an ebay listing from a well respected seller for a BB Chartres:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Platinum-3776-CENTURY-C-Double-Broad-nib-CHARTRES-BLUE-14k-fountain-pen/131277297954?_trksid=p2050601.c100272.m3467&_trkparms=aid%3D111001%26algo%3DREC.SEED%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20140813112422%26meid%3Dea7cc852117d4fb6a31db026c0e8fdd7%26pid%3D100272%26prg%3D20140813112422%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D4%26sd%3D131277297954%26clkid%3D638486392363740985&_qi=RTM1562569

 

Yes, this is one of the listings I have bookmarked... just in case.

 

Thanks,

 

Chris

[Kuscer]

Platinum has quite a bit of reputation for being a wet writer. Both are great pens, but I think people say that Platinum has wetter lines than Sailor.

Edited September 19, 2014 by FP189

[lehrer07]

I think you can’t go wrong with either, but I have only tried up to a medium in Platinum #3776 Century (Sai). I love my Sailor 1911 Realo broad.

[JonDoh]

Any pen can be made into a wet writer. I bought a Sailor from nibs dot com and they asked me how I wanted it to write and adjusted it accordingly before shipping it out. I highly recommend buying from them as they can adjust your pen write wet and also smooth the nib if necessary.

[Baric]

I just got a Platinum 3776 Century Chartres Blue with a Music nib. Very nice, wet broad line, slightly less broad on the cross strokes, and smooth even at a high angle, which I really like. I don't have a Sailor to compare it to, but I have heard good things about it, plus the very cool 21K nibs in various types and sizes is tempting, especially in the Sky Edition. I don't think you can go wrong either way.

 

I would recommend getting the pen through a place like nibs.com where you can get the nib tuned exactly as you want it. That's my first choice of vendor as long as they carry the brand. The only reason I got my 3776 from Goulet Pens instead is nibs.com did not offer the Chartres Blue with a Music nib, which was a combo I was specifically looking for.

[KBeezie]

The Century 3776 with a music nib is going to be very wet and juicy and writable from almost every angle.

 

In regards to the slip and seal, I think that depends upon your ink preference. If the inks you use tend to dry up in the feed easily causing hard starts in a lot of pens, it will likely fare better in a Century 3776.

 

I've only used a 1911 Mid-size with a Zoom nib, it was decent and wet, wasn't too crazy about the Zoom nib's size, but I prefer either the black C3776 with a soft Fine I had, or the bourgogne C3776 with the medium I currently have. Also one of the main deciding factors for me was that I got both my Century 3776s for $90 or less shipped from Japan, not sure I could get a 1911L with either a 14K or 21K MF or so for that price.

[Lyander0012]

Can only speak from owning a Sailor and demoing (extensively) a 3776, but I found that the build quality on the Platinum... well, it was unappealing. The material felt cheap and the trim was a bit coarse to look at. My Sailor isn't perfect either, though, as there are flashing marks on the threading that are fairly obvious to me (then again, I'm very critical of these things). The Sailor, however, feels more substantial and nice in the hand.

 

I have to give Platinum points for their nibs and converters, though. No idea about long term performance but the converters on Platinum's pens seem to work flawlessly, while I've had issues with ink leaking past the piston mech into the knob area on my Sailor. It can be disassembled, thankfully, but who needs the extra work? I enjoy tinkering, so it's a bonus for me that I get to play with the pen's inner workings more often, but not all people are into that. YMMV. As for nibs, Sailor makes perfectly amazing buttery nibs (seriously, no feedback that I can detect), but they're all pretty much nails. Yep, even the 21k ones. I also recall reading something along the lines of people experiencing nib problems OOTB with Sailor, but those may (anyone care to confirm?) be due to mishandling during shipping. Platinum nibs are very smooth, perhaps a touch less so than Sailor's, but they have the advantage of being soft. The nibs can't quite do flex writing, but the springiness on their regular nibs already beat that of the Sailor ones hollow, and that's not even counting their actual line of Soft nibs; those latter ones are a real pleasure to play with!

 

The Platinum pens I've all had the pleasure of using were dip-tested, so I'm in no position to comment on wetness. My Sailor is one heck of a firehose (wet to the point that I have to use it with nice paper, lest it bleed right through), but it's a specialty nib, so I think it wasn't exactly made for extensive note-taking.

 

 

Cheers,

Kevin

Edited September 20, 2014 by Lyander0012

[Matlock]

I have two Sailor 1911s, one with H-MF nib and one with Cross Concorde Emperor (this one a Realo, so piston fill). I also have a Platinum 3776 with M nib. I pretty much agree with Lyander. As regards the flex or otherwise of the nibs, I think we should remember that they are aimed at the Asian market which influences the nib style quite a lot.

[LamyOne]

Hello Everyone,

 

It has been a long, tough decision making process for me, but after reading and pondering each and every response to this post; reading the reviews in the Review Section; watching the pens in action on YouTube and reading "satellite threads" that are germane to my question, (e.g., the metal shavings post on the 3776 Century cap entitled, "Clean Behind the Platinum 3776 Inner Cap"), I have opted to go for a Sailor.

 

It will either be the 1911 Standard or a Pro Gear Sapporo; that I haven't quite decided on yet, (but as nutty as it sounds, I may go with the Sapporo, because I like the flat top cap with the anchor medallion). I also have small/medium sized hands, so I do not think the slightly smaller size will be an issue for me, (if it is, I can always post it).

 

Thanks again everyone - I REALLY appreciate all of your input - and for those of you who recommended the 3776 Century, please do not feel bad; I will probably pick up one of those as soon as Platinum solves that cap spring problem.

 

God bless,

 

Chris

Edited September 20, 2014 by LamyOne

[KBeezie]

 

Thanks again everyone - I REALLY appreciate all of your input - and for those of you who recommended the 3776 Century, please do not feel bad; I will probably pick up one of those as soon as Platinum solves that cap spring problem.

 

God bless,

 

Chris

 

What cap spring problem?

[LamyOne]

 

What cap spring problem?

 

This cap spring problem:

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/262001-clean-behind-platinum-3776-inner-cap/

 

Of course, this wasn't my only consideration, but it was one of them.

 

Best regards,

 

Chris

[KBeezie]

This cap spring problem:

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/262001-clean-behind-platinum-3776-inner-cap/

 

Of course, this wasn't my only consideration, but it was one of them.

 

Best regards,

 

Chris

Though the OP (far as I can tell) Seems to be the only one expressing an issue with shavings etc.