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MadAsAHatter

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I’m debating between 3 pens all in roughly the same price range. Funding only allows for the purchase of one of them and I’m having a hard time choosing. In no particular order:

 

#1. Edison Menlo Blue Grotto w/ EF nib – I’ve had an Edison pen on my want list for a bit. While I like a lot of the colors none of them have really jumped out at me until I saw the blue grotto. I immediately said to myself, that’s the color I’ve been looking for.

 

#2. Platinum 3776 w/ F or SF nib– I have the gold leaf ascending dragon one w/ a fine nib and I really like it. It’s one of my favorite writing pens. I was able to purchase it for a once in a lifetime deal. Considering the price it would be to replace it if something happened I’m not comfortable bring it to work where it would get the most use. I want to get one of the standard ones in either F or SF that I’d be okay with bringing to the lab/office.

 

#3. Platinum Modern Maki-e w/ 18k F nib – I don’t have much other reason for this pen being on the list other than I really like the designs. I don’t know much about the 18K nib on these but if it writes anything like the nib on my 3776 it would probably end up being one of my more favorite pens to use.

 

With these choices I have 2 questions:

 

1. How does the 18k nib on the Maki-e compare to the 14k nib on a 3776?

 

2. Which pen would you choose/recommend and why?

 

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Notwithstanding that I have both an unopened Platinum #3776 Century 'Black Diamond' with an F nib and an unopened Platinum Kanazawa-Haku Vicoh with an 18K gold F nib in my hoard, I can't tell you how the nibs compare, sorry, because even though I have and have used many Platinum #3776 pens with 14K gold F and SF nibs, I've only used a Vicoh with a 14K gold EF nib.

2. Which pen would you choose/


The Edison Menlo Blue Grotto, as a pen model or more broadly a brand, has never been on my radar.

I didn't choose between the other two. I bought both, because the prices were 'right' at the time; I thought either pen would make a pretty gift, and alternatively I don't mind actually adding one or both to my personal fleet of pens.

recommend and why?


If you're keen to try an SF nib, then get the Platinum #3776 Century 'Black in Black' with that nib option, because you can swap the gripping sections with your Kanazawa-Haku 'Ascending Dragon', if you happen to prefer writing with the SF nib at home and/or with the F nib at work, and the slightly translucent black gripping section won't look too out of place on the gold leaf pen.

Also keep in mind that the Modern Maki-e Vicoh is lighter, more slender, and has a snap-cap (instead of a screw-cap like that on the Platinum #3776 Century) with no Slip & Seal mechanism. The snap-cap on the Vicoh I've been using is pretty good at preventing ink evaporation when unused, but not quite matching the effectiveness of the #3776 Century's cap. Then there's the question of whether you think a slender pen adorned with maki-e depicting a phoenix, bush warbler or cranes is a good fit for your image at work. I personally had no qualms about bringing and using even the most outrageous looking fountain pens at the office and in meetings, but you may or may not feel the same way. A black Platinum #3776 Century would like more sedate, sombre and 'professional' in any work environment.

Last but not least, it looks like the MSRPs of the maki-e models in the Vicoh product line have all jumped ¥5,000+tax since late 2019; that's a 33.3%–38.5% increase. Whereas the MSRP of the gold-trimmed 'basic' #3776 Century models went up early in 2019, so chances are you won't be able to secure one of those at 2018 prices, whereas this may be the last opportunity to buy a new Vicoh at 2019 prices (but you need to check, of course).

I endeavour to be frank and truthful in what I write, show or otherwise present, when I relate my first-hand experiences that are not independently verifiable; and link to third-party content where I can, when I make a claim or refute a statement of fact in a thread. If there is something you can verify for yourself, I entreat you to do so, and judge for yourself what is right, correct, and valid. I may be wrong, and my position or say-so is no more authoritative and carries no more weight than anyone else's here.

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I have used many Platinums and have never found a discernible difference between their 14k and 18k nibs. It's the soft nibs and the regular nibs that for me make more of a difference. Mind you, the soft nibs are wonderful because they have bounce but they aren't the flex nibs that everyone seems so rabid about. In general Platinum is one of my favorite Japanese pen brand because their converters are robust, have decent ink capacity, and their nibs provide a great writing experience with decent pricing.

 

Edison's are a different ball of wax. Cottage industry hand made pen with a generic, albeit well tuned steel nib. Early on, Edison was unique compared with other corporate pen brands. Today, with SO MANY makers, their product is increasingly generic. While there are many here who LOVE small makers, I personally don't connect well with these handmade products because well... they look handmade. Having said that, I LOVE their Collier pens because the bulging body rests so well in the crook of my hand.

Personally I would choose the Platinum myself. Not a fan of maki-e but if pushed, I prefer the maki-e of Pilot. Platinum's maki-e can either be quite cheap looking on the lower end. The nice ones with more original designs are very expensive.

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The Platinum 18K nib is a "springy" nib and is much more delightful to use than the 14K nib on the century.

 

The Modern Make-i pens are slimmer than the Century.

 

I know nothing about Edison pens, but if you have a Century nib already, the Modern Make-i will give you somethig a little different.

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I have never been tempted by an Edison pen, but if you have been wanting an Edison and finally found the right color, it might make sense to buy the pen while the desired color is available, rather than feel afterward that you had missed your chance. I just bought the new Sailor Wicked Witch of the West pen for that same reason, to wit, I'd been wanting to try a Sailor Medium but decided to wait for the company to offer a pen in a dark purple finish. The other pens on your list are likely to remain available for much longer.

 

I have tried a 3776 soft fine and found it enjoyable to use. I probably would have bought one had I been pleased with any of the available bodies at that time but instead bought a different pen with a soft nib, a Parker Victory from the 1940s. (That pen has my favorite nib of all.) But I don't think a soft fine would work as a replacement for a fine, because the writing experience would be so different. If you bought it, maybe you could put the soft fine in the ascending dragon pen for use at home and swap the hard fine into your new pen for use at the office?

 

I do not own a Vicoh but gave one as a thank-you gift to a woman who showed me around Japan when I was there two years ago to perform in a recital. Have you actually seen and held one or just looked at them in photographs? The maki-e might disappoint you by comparison with your ascending dragon pen.

Edited by ENewton
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I have never been tempted by an Edison pen, but if you have been wanting an Edison and finally found the right color, it might make sense to buy the pen while the desired color is available, rather than feel afterward that you had missed your chance.

+1. And if you decide the Menlo isn’t your thing, there’s enough of a following behind Edison pens that you should be able to recoup most of your cost by selling.

 

I’ve got two Colliers and a Pearlette. I wanted a duplicate Pearlette to give as a gift, but the particular finish I have is discontinued. Once they’re gone, they’re gone!

 

I’d recommend the 18k Edison nib over the steel though. It’s got a nice bit of spring to it.

Edited by bemon
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I have never been tempted by an Edison pen, but if you have been wanting an Edison and finally found the right color, it might make sense to buy the pen while the desired color is available, rather than feel afterward that you had missed your chance. I just bought the new Sailor Wicked Witch of the West pen for that same reason, to wit, I'd been wanting to try a Sailor Medium but decided to wait for the company to offer a pen in a dark purple finish. The other pens on your list are likely to remain available for much longer.

 

+1. And if you decide the Menlo isn’t your thing, there’s enough of a following behind Edison pens that you should be able to recoup most of your cost by selling.

 

I’ve got two Colliers and a Pearlette. I wanted a duplicate Pearlette to give as a gift, but the particular finish I have is discontinued. Once they’re gone, they’re gone!

 

I’d recommend the 18k Edison nib over the steel though. It’s got a nice bit of spring to it.

 

I think I'm going to go for the Edison pen. It makes sense to get it while the color is readily available and if I don't like it I could sell & should be able to recoup most of my money. For the Platinums something should always be available that I'd want since I'm not looking to get a special edition color or anything. I can get one at a later date and maybe get a decent deal on the used marked if I'm patient.

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I think I'm going to go for the Edison pen. It makes sense to get it while the color is readily available and if I don't like it I could sell & should be able to recoup most of my money. For the Platinums something should always be available that I'd want since I'm not looking to get a special edition color or anything. I can get one at a later date and maybe get a decent deal on the used marked if I'm patient.

Let us know what you think of it when it arrives! I did have to give one of my gold Edison nibs an inexpensive $30 tune to get rid of a babies bottom, but I also know that with Edison's customer service Brian Gray would have kindly dealt with it had I sent the pen to him.

 

I just didn't want to wait to ship the pen from Canada to the US when my nib guy is literally an 8 minute detour along my way home from work.

Edited by bemon
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Hi Mad,

 

I have several 14k Centuries and an 18k President (no fines; mediums & broads), and frankly, I cannot perceive a difference between them... they're both nails.

 

I don't have any gold-nibbed Edison's, but I think they're made by JoWo now, so they should be pretty smooth and wet. IIRC, Edison used to use Schmidt or Bock nibs, which tend to be a little dryer & toothier than JoWo. My Edison, a ten y.o. Nouveau is a bit dry and toothy for my tastes.

 

Like Bemon said, please luk how you like it. 👍

 

Enjoy,

 

Sean :)

https://www.catholicscomehome.org/

 

"Every one therefore that shall confess Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father Who is in Heaven." - MT. 10:32

"Any society that will give up liberty to gain security deserves neither and will lose both." - Ben Franklin

Thank you Our Lady of Prompt Succor & St. Jude.

 

 

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  • 3 weeks later...

I needed a new nib for one of my Moonman pens so I bought an Edison nib to spend a few weeks with that before taking the full plunge and buying the pen. Since I had't been able to try an Edison in person I wanted to make sure I'd like the nib. I likes the smoothness and bit of feedback from the Edison nib so I went ahead and ordered the Menlo. It came in this past Saturday. I have to as far as looks this is my #2 favorite only slightly behind my Ascending Dragon Maki-e. This pen is beautiful; blue with black seems to be my favorite color combo and the chatoyance only adds to how wonderful it looks. Writing experience with Edison's nibs has been excellent also. I like that smoothness with just enough feedback to feel like I have better control. Thank you everyone for your advice and feedback.

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