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Pilot Vanishing Point Vs Platinum #3776 Bourgogne


Aditkamath26

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I need help. There are two pens from which I may buy only one. I am talking about the Pilot Vanishing Point (medium) and the Platinum #3776 bourgogne (medium). I need to know which one writes better. The design of both pens is awesome. I do not care about nib softness as well. Please help.

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It's brains vs beauty.

 

The Platinum 3776 is a rather lovely looking pen, the translucence is subtle which means it needs a well lit room to see it clearly and I think the level of translucence is well thought out. The nib is wet and with much feedback, but mine goes bone dry only a few minutes after being uncapped (I'm not sure just yet if they are all like this or if it's only mine). It's nice to hold in the hand with a comfortable girth and very lightweight for long writing sessions. Excellent flow, no skips or hard starting

 

The Pilot VP is a wet pen too and much heavier, and of course the elephant in the room is whether you're bothered about the clip placement or not. For some it's very bothersome and can spoil the writing experience. I have the lighter and slightly less girth-y Decimo version, and even though the clip placement doesn't affect me much I still don't feel that comfortable about writing with it for long periods (some people find it ok!). Similarly to the 3776, few skips and no hard starting

 

To be honest I'm not sure these pens should even be compared as they're apples to oranges. The VP is better for short quick notes and the Platinum 3776 is better for longer writing sessions.

Edited by Bluey
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It's brains vs beauty.

 

The Platinum 3776 is a rather lovely looking pen, the translucence is subtle which means it needs a well lit room to see it clearly and I think the level of translucence is well thought out. The nib is wet and with much feedback, but mine goes bone dry only a few minutes after being uncapped (I'm not sure just yet if they are all like this or if it's only mine). It's nice to hold in the hand with a comfortable girth and very lightweight for long writing sessions. Excellent flow, no skips or hard starting

 

The Pilot VP is a wet pen too and much heavier, and of course the elephant in the room is whether you're bothered about the clip placement or not. For some it's very bothersome and can spoil the writing experience. I have the lighter and slightly less girth-y Decimo version, and even though the clip placement doesn't affect me much I still don't feel that comfortable about writing with it for long periods (some people find it ok!). Similarly to the 3776, few skips and no hard starting

 

To be honest I'm not sure these pens should even be compared as they're apples to oranges. The VP is better for short quick notes and the Platinum 3776 is better for longer writing sessions.

Thanks a lot for your time. Weight and clip isnt a matter for me. Its all in the nib.

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I have both and love the VP. The Platinum 3776 rarely sees any use, despite being very nice.

 

I prefer the weight of the VP, and the clip works very well for me. Pilot nibs tend to be very, very smooth in my experience. So, if you like smooth, I would say go with the VP.

 

The nib on 3776 has more feedback. Also, the Platinum is a very small pen, and I can only use it posted.

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I've found when I have to struggle over which of two pens like this to buy, I may as well just pick one as it won't be long till I buy the other one anyway!

 

I have both pens but with fine nibs. I think the medium in both will be stellar writers with the Pilot being the wetter writer. The Platinum has more feedback in the nib and the Pilot seems to be the softer nib.

PAKMAN

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Thanks to all for replies. Plus is the bourgogne version limited? If yes I am automatically going for it.

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You buy the Platinum because of the nib. Otherwise the pen design and material is very utilitarian, and not as unique as the VP. It's really a workhorse pen, and rather inexpensive for a pen with such a large gold nib.

 

As others have said, the VP is a completely different pen. The nib, albeit gold, is much smaller and you're paying a lot more for it's complex but very competent mechanism. If you're into pens that have unique designs and unusual mechanisms, the VP is very much your pen. If you really want a big no. 6 gold nib, it's the Platinum for you.

 

No, the Platinum Bourgogne is not limited.

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Thanks. I have decided to go for the platinum. Just had some doubts about it being limited as some reviewers have stated that it is a special edition. (I also thought that special edition and limited edition is the same)

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If the design of the Platinum appeals to you more, then go for it. It's a good pen. Down the road, consider getting a VP. It's an unusual design that doesn't appeal to everyone, but Pilot crafted a great writing instrument that was so popular, it spawned the Decimo variant. Pilot is continuing to make the VP, because of demand. That speaks volumes. The Platinum 3776 is not nearly as well known.

[MYU's Pen Review Corner] | "The Common Ground" -- Jeffrey Small

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I'm not a fan of the VP due to the clip placement, but I do love my Platinum 3776s. They feel very different from Pilot pens. Pilots tend to have a "muffled" feeling of feedback... You can feel the paper but it's almost like there's magic suspension between the surface bumps as you write.

 

The 3776 has very direct feedback. You feel every grain of the paper. Some say it's similar to writing with a pencil.

 

Someone above described the pen material as "utilitarian." I use the Bourgogne and Chartres as a pair and I consider them to be quite luxurious! In addition to the beautiful translucent plastic - they have giant gold nibs. For comparison, the nibs are just slightly larger (and thicker) than Pilot's #10 nibs found on the Pilot Custom Heritage 912 & Custom 742.

 

I see you already decided on the Platinum. What nib size did you get? I have the F and EF. I would say the F is a slightly better writer. The EF is just a wee bit smaller and isn't as smooth. They're both great, though, and I plan to get a UEF soon as well. (I'm very skeptical about such a fine nib, it will be nice to have.)

 

If you like your Bourgogne definitely consider a Chartres. When held side by side they just look wonderful together.

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I'm not a fan of the VP due to the clip placement, but I do love my Platinum 3776s. They feel very different from Pilot pens. Pilots tend to have a "muffled" feeling of feedback... You can feel the paper but it's almost like there's magic suspension between the surface bumps as you write.

 

The 3776 has very direct feedback. You feel every grain of the paper. Some say it's similar to writing with a pencil.

 

Someone above described the pen material as "utilitarian." I use the Bourgogne and Chartres as a pair and I consider them to be quite luxurious! In addition to the beautiful translucent plastic - they have giant gold nibs. For comparison, the nibs are just slightly larger (and thicker) than Pilot's #10 nibs found on the Pilot Custom Heritage 912 & Custom 742.

 

I see you already decided on the Platinum. What nib size did you get? I have the F and EF. I would say the F is a slightly better writer. The EF is just a wee bit smaller and isn't as smooth. They're both great, though, and I plan to get a UEF soon as well. (I'm very skeptical about such a fine nib, it will be nice to have.)

 

If you like your Bourgogne definitely consider a Chartres. When held side by side they just look wonderful together.

I have decided on it but havent bought it yet. I am definetly going for a medium. I was gonna go for broad but seeing a tipping size comparison on nibs.com I felt it would be more like a western broad. So it is the medium for me. As for the Chartres blue , that is saved for another day in fine.

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Just saw this thread... I have both pens. I'm up to four Vanishing Points (with five nib units ranging from a custom needlepoint to the Pilot 1mm stub) and two 3776s (both with the Ultra Extra Fine nib). As others have said, they're really different models. Still, I can offer the following opinions:

 

1) Form-factor:

 

The 3776 is a classic "cigar shape" design. The resin used for the Chartres Blue and Bourgogne models is light, translucent and beautiful.

 

The Vanishing Point is a unique design with the clip in the middle of the grip. Some folks love the design while others hate it. I have learned to like it. The standard Vanishing Point is surprisingly heavy due to a brass core. Personally, I recommend trying one out to see if the grip and weight work for you. If the grip is okay, but the weight is a bit much, try the Decimo Vanishing Point, which is thinner and much lighter.

 

2) Functionality:

 

The 3776 is a screw cap cartridge/converter design with a nice slip nib protector in the cap that does a good job of keeping the nib functional, even when the pen hasn't been used for a while.

 

The Vanishing Point has a retracting nib unit that is activated by clicking on a post - very similar to a ball-point pen. There's a door to protect the nib and keep it from going dry. This makes the pen excellent for taking notes and for quick use. It is also a cartridge/converter pen which holds an annoyingly small amount of ink in the converter. I run out of ink in my Vanishing Points more often than all of my other pens combined (but, to be fair, I always have at least two Vanishing Points in use). The retractable nib design works very well for my primary use, so the Vanishing Points are my most heavily-used pens. Also, the entire nib unit can be swapped out on the Vanishing Point, which means that a pen can be changed from a needlepoint to a stub in under a minute.

 

3) Nib:

 

The 3776 has a 14k nib that is famously stiff with a good amount of feedback. How much you will enjoy using the nib will depend on how hard you write and on the quality of the paper you use. While I do not own a medium nib for the 3776, I have used one and, while it is smoother than the Ultra-Extra-Fine nibs, it is still very stiff. The 3776 nib is a decent-sized nib (about the same size as the TWSBI 580 nib, if memory serves).

 

The Vanishing Point nib units come in two different varieties - a stainless steel nib unit (somewhat less common these days) and an 18k nib unit. Having never used one, I can not speak to the stainless steel nib units. The 18k nib units are not as stiff as the 3776 nibs, but don't expect a lot a lot of give in them. Due to the retraction mechanism, these nibs are tiny!

 

4) Usability:

 

For me, the ability to quickly pull the Vanishing Point out of a shirt pocket and start writing immediately trumps the beautiful simplicity of the 3776. This doesn't mean that I don't like the 3776 - I did buy a second one, after all. When I am doing a longer writing project, I would prefer to use the 3776.

 

Either pen will do fine for most users. Enjoy your choice!

Current Daily Carry: Pilot Custom 743 with 14k Posting nib (Sailor Kiwa-Guro), Sailor 1911L Realo Champagne with 21k Extra Fine nib (Sailor Tokiwa-Matsu). Platinum Century 3776 Bourgogne (Diamine Syrah), Nakaya Portable Writer Midori with 14k Extra Extra Fine nib (Lamy Peridot), Pilot Vanishing Point Stealth Black with Extra Fine nib unit (Pilot Blue Black), a dozen Nockco DotDash index cards of various sizes and a Traveler's Notebook.

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Anyone with any opinions of Engeika? Are they good with all the customer service and shipping?

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Just saw this thread... I have both pens. I'm up to four Vanishing Points (with five nib units ranging from a custom needlepoint to the Pilot 1mm stub) and two 3776s (both with the Ultra Extra Fine nib). As others have said, they're really different models. Still, I can offer the following opinions:

 

1) Form-factor:

 

The 3776 is a classic "cigar shape" design. The resin used for the Chartres Blue and Bourgogne models is light, translucent and beautiful.

 

The Vanishing Point is a unique design with the clip in the middle of the grip. Some folks love the design while others hate it. I have learned to like it. The standard Vanishing Point is surprisingly heavy due to a brass core. Personally, I recommend trying one out to see if the grip and weight work for you. If the grip is okay, but the weight is a bit much, try the Decimo Vanishing Point, which is thinner and much lighter.

 

2) Functionality:

 

The 3776 is a screw cap cartridge/converter design with a nice slip nib protector in the cap that does a good job of keeping the nib functional, even when the pen hasn't been used for a while.

 

The Vanishing Point has a retracting nib unit that is activated by clicking on a post - very similar to a ball-point pen. There's a door to protect the nib and keep it from going dry. This makes the pen excellent for taking notes and for quick use. It is also a cartridge/converter pen which holds an annoyingly small amount of ink in the converter. I run out of ink in my Vanishing Points more often than all of my other pens combined (but, to be fair, I always have at least two Vanishing Points in use). The retractable nib design works very well for my primary use, so the Vanishing Points are my most heavily-used pens. Also, the entire nib unit can be swapped out on the Vanishing Point, which means that a pen can be changed from a needlepoint to a stub in under a minute.

 

3) Nib:

 

The 3776 has a 14k nib that is famously stiff with a good amount of feedback. How much you will enjoy using the nib will depend on how hard you write and on the quality of the paper you use. While I do not own a medium nib for the 3776, I have used one and, while it is smoother than the Ultra-Extra-Fine nibs, it is still very stiff. The 3776 nib is a decent-sized nib (about the same size as the TWSBI 580 nib, if memory serves).

 

The Vanishing Point nib units come in two different varieties - a stainless steel nib unit (somewhat less common these days) and an 18k nib unit. Having never used one, I can not speak to the stainless steel nib units. The 18k nib units are not as stiff as the 3776 nibs, but don't expect a lot a lot of give in them. Due to the retraction mechanism, these nibs are tiny!

 

4) Usability:

 

For me, the ability to quickly pull the Vanishing Point out of a shirt pocket and start writing immediately trumps the beautiful simplicity of the 3776. This doesn't mean that I don't like the 3776 - I did buy a second one, after all. When I am doing a longer writing project, I would prefer to use the 3776.

 

Either pen will do fine for most users. Enjoy your choice!

 

Thanks. I am definetly buying the Platinum #3776 mainly due to its performance for the cost. Found it on engeika for just about 82-90 usd with shipping. All I need to do is get back to Abu Dhabi and order it. I need my father's permission though. (IT SUCKS WHEN YOU ARE THE ODD ONE OUT WITH A HOBBY WHICH NO ONE ELSE HAS IN YOUR OWN FAMILY.)

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Anyone with any opinions of Engeika? Are they good with all the customer service and shipping?

He's very well respected. I think you'll be ok.

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