3776 Century Medium: Little Toothy?

[matteob]

I don't mind this much really, the feedback. It is nothing excessive and nib looks fine. Is this a normal characteristic guys?

[Bluey]

With platinum, yes. They're the toothiest of the big 3 Japanese companies.

[jar]

With Platinum, no. They're the least toothy of the big 3 Japanese companies.

[Bluey]

With Platinum, no. They're the least toothy of the big 3 Japanese companies.

Really? That's the opposite of mine and many other people's experience. Least toothy is Sailor, most toothy is Platinum, and Pilot sits in between.

Compare the SF of the Pilot and Platinum as well as the EF of both, for example. Platinum consistently has the more feedback. That's just how they're meant to be.

Edited January 19, 2017 by Bluey

[jar]

Really? That's the opposite of mine and many other people's experience. Least toothy is Sailor, most toothy is Platinum, and Pilot sits in between.

Compare the SF of the Pilot and Platinum as well as the EF of both, for example. Platinum consistently has the more feedback. That's just how they're meant to be.

I understand that is often asserted however it is also not what I have found. Granted my sampling is relatively small and includes only those pens I own that have never been worked on by a nib technician but it is not a really small sample. For example in the recent comparison of medium pens and of pens from Pilot, Sailor and Platinum the results were as I stated. Platinum nibs were the smoothest, Sailor next and Pilot last but wettest which may mask some tooth.

 

My experience is that this falls into the same category as the myth that Japanese nibs write a finer line than US or European nibs.

[dcwaites]

I have a pair of Platinum 3776 Century pens, one in Soft Fine and one in Medium.

The Medium was a little toothy, but some work has fixed that.

The Soft Fine was really toothy, and has taken quite a lot of work to get it to the point where I can use it.

 

As for width, I can only say that my Pilot, Platinum, Sailor and Jinhao Fine-nibbed pens are all substantially narrower than my Parker and Lamy Fine pens.

[ink-syringe]

Really? That's the opposite of mine and many other people's experience. Least toothy is Sailor, most toothy is Platinum, and Pilot sits in between.

 

 

 

My experience squares with this.

 

 

 

 

 

My experience is that this falls into the same category as the myth that Japanese nibs write a finer line than US or European nibs.

 

I am with the "myth" believers on this.

 

Most of my "Western" nibs are medium. With Sailors (4), Pilots (6), Platinum (6) I try to get B if I can.

[matteob]

It's nothing I can't live with. I got the pen from J-Subculture and I don't mind a little bit of feedback from the paper.. Just feels like I am writing with a smooth HB pencil like a Staedtler Noris. I'm not sending it halfway around the world to Mikeitwork to be sanded lol and I am not going to mess with it myself. I checked and tines look perfectly aligned. I have just seen Goulet's video on the pen and he says a bit of "feel" is designed into these nibs.

[JunkyardSam]

Okay you already checked the alignment... How's the flow? If you drag the pen by its tail does it produce a line under its own weight? If it doesn't I would consider increasing the flow. A pen that doesn't produce ink without pressure can have excessive feedback - particularly on upstrokes. (metal vs. paper with no ink to lubricate)

 

But if it's not that -- it's probably just a characteristic of the pen. I have many Pilots and three 3776 Century pens (UEF, EF, F.) When I first got them I considered the feel to be inferior to my Pilots... but since then I have grown to adore them.

 

In fact - I like the UEF best and it has the most feedback.

 

Are you writing with pressure? Try reducing the pressure and see if that helps. I like to use my 3776s with no pressure.

 

You could also try using a smoother, wetter ink like J. Herbin Perle Noire. I find that ink makes my Japanese pens glide across the page.

Edited January 20, 2017 by JunkyardSam

[matteob]

flow is perfect and yes it flows with no pressure at all. I can live with it and actually quite like it but I use a TWSBI Eco as well and JoWO nibs are known to have very little feedback. I am happy I just heard that pencilly characteristics are quite common with Japanese nibs.

Edited January 20, 2017 by matteob

[jde]

Just feels like I am writing with a smooth HB pencil like a Staedtler Noris.

 

Yes! That is the Platinum experience that I've had over the years. I love that feeling, personally.

[Kataphract]

My platinum Preppy F: super toothy.

My platinum 3776 SF: toothy

My Pilot Metropolitan F: smooth (medium is even smoother)

My Pilot 91 SF: smooth.

My Twsbi EF: (western nib) About the same width as the Pilot F, wider than the Platinum F. Oh, and somewhere in between the other two brands on feedback.

 

Myths confirmed, at least from my experience (yes, I'm leaving out other examples as repetitive).

[Rita_K]

matteob, I just bought a Platinum 3776 with a medium nib and also find it to be a little toothy. It's not bad but a little more than I expected. Also, it's quite fine even for a Japanese M. The nib is aligned and the flow is great. I'm hoping in time I'll get used to it. Right now I much prefer my Pilot Prera.

[Mrpink]

With Platinum, no. They're the least toothy of the big 3 Japanese companies

 

Sorry but that seems like bull...

[cattar]

I think perception of toothiness depends on how you write, what ink you use and what nibs you're used to using regularly.

I have a light hand, so even a preppy filled with sailor ink feels smooth. A preppy with platinum pigment ink has a bit of tooth.

My gold nibbed Sailor and Platinum feel smoother. The Platinum gold nibs don't give me the pencil tooth others write about. And I prefer fine nibs.

Edited January 20, 2017 by cattar

[jar]

 

Sorry but that seems like bull...

You are of course welcome to your opinion; but as I have said, that is my experience based on over a half century of fountain pen use, over twenty years experience with Japanese fountain pens and a personal sample of a dozen or so Pilot pens and just under a dozen or so Sailor pens and a similar number of Platinum pens as well as about a half dozen Nakaya fountain pens.

[stapletron]

I dig the feel of my 3776 soft fine. Also like my Pilot CH91, but just not bonding with it as much as the Platinum. I feel connected to the paper with the 3776. In a good way

[Buzz_130]

I can identify any of my Platinum pens by the feel of the nib on the paper. I don't call the experience "toothy." The drag of the nib is the feedback I enjoy.

 

With a buttery-smooth nib, I lose control of the nib across the smooth paper. With good feedback, I'm in control of the motion, and I can feel the words forming on the paper. I like that feeling.

 

Platinum feels different than Sailor or Pilot.

 

Buzz

[matteob]

Thanks and yes I am getting used to it. I have no experience of Sailor or Pilot at the moment. I have been mainly using German nibs. I need to use it exclusively for a month or two I think. I was just surprized as read all this stuff on forums about gold being smooth and flexible and this is neither. I still like it a lot though!

[jar]

Thanks and yes I am getting used to it. I have no experience of Sailor or Pilot at the moment. I have been mainly using German nibs. I need to use it exclusively for a month or two I think. I was just surprized as read all this stuff on forums about gold being smooth and flexible and this is neither. I still like it a lot though!

Don't believe lots of stuff posted even here. Gold is neither smoother or more flexible than steel and in fact the best flex nibs are still made from steel and often high carbon steel that quickly rusts.

 

Gold is softer, bends easily and stays bent.

 

How smooth a nib is depends on the material, shape and design of the tipping. Even untipped nibs can be super smooth for awhile.