Jump to content

Triple Platinum Century 3776 Review: Uef, Sf And B


alexhondsmerk

Recommended Posts

I know this is a pen that is well-known among enthusiasts and has been reviewed several times before, but I own three in different finishes and very different nibs and thought it would be fun to do a little side-by-side review!

 

The Platinum Century 3776 is a classic cigar shaped pen, of medium size, with a very traditional profile; the rounded caps and gently tapered body make for a pen that sits very pleasantly in the hand, posted and unposted. With a capped length of 13.8cm, an uncapped length of 11.9cm, and a posted length of 15.5cm, this is perhaps best suited to medium hands. The section diameter is approximately 1.05cm, the maximum barrel diameter is 1.3cm, and the cap 1.5cm. This is a fairly light pen, at approximately 24g capped and filled, and 14g uncapped and filled.

 

 

http://i.imgur.com/FUAEeNV.jpg?1

 

 

On the subject of filling, these pens are cartridge converter pens, taking proprietary Platinum cartridges or converters. All of mine came with converters, however this may not be standard across all retailers! The piston converter feels of high quality, with a metal and plastic barrel and smooth piston and plunger. An adapter is also available to allow use of standard international cartridges,

 

 

A thin gold-plated trim ring sits at the base of the section. The section itself is gently tapered, without too big of a step from the barrel to the section, and has a small flare at the end. This contouring guides the hand into a position of holding the pen quite close to the nib; for those who prefer to grip further back, the threads are smooth and not at all uncomfortable to hold.

 

 

http://i.imgur.com/PrkWKsx.jpg?1

 

 

I have three colour variations of the Century; the "standard" black, the Chartres Bleu, and the Bourgogne. All are made from the same resin / plastic, and while the pens are polished to a beautiful shine, the plastic still has a slightly cheap feeling to it? The workmanship is excellent, but it doesn't quite have the heft of a lacquered metal pen or the unique sensation of celluloid or ebonite. What cannot be faulted, however, is the stunning deep colours of the Bourgogne and Chartres pens; a rich wine red and an intense blue respectively. Platinum seems to have run on a French theme, producing pens inspired by Nice, and as here by the wines of the Bourgogne region, and the famous blue stained glass of Chartres cathedral. All these pens have gold plated trim throughout, complementing the rich colours and providing a classic, luxury touch. The blue and black pens are now also available with rhodium trim for those who prefer a silver finish!

 

http://i.imgur.com/NkEO4fN.jpg?1

 

http://i.imgur.com/n7uXpRD.jpg?1

 

 

The caps house Platinum's slip-and-seal mechanism; the inner cap is spring-loaded, as can just be seen in the translucent pens above, meaning that when the pen is screwed closed, the inner cap firmly engages with the section providing an airtight seal around the nib and feed. Platinum claim that these pens can be left for up to a year (!) without drying out; I haven't tested this claim myself, but have never had any problems with hard starts or dried ink in the feed, even if the pens haven't been used in a while.

 

The clip is very functional, plain in design with just a fine border stamped into the metal, and gold plated. The clips are firm but springy, and while easy to clip onto shirt pockets would struggle with thicker material, however they do an excellent job of holding the pens in place! No accidents yet in nearly a year of daily use with these pens.

 

The cap has two trim rings, the wider stamped with "#3776 PLATINUM MADE IN JAPAN".

 

 

http://i.imgur.com/UUDqE0L.jpg?1

 

 

The real star if the show when it comes to the Platinum Century is of course the nib. What you get is a large, brightly polished 14k gold nib, in a huge range of sizes; Platinum offers UEF, EF, F, M, B, BB, SF, and a music nib. I own the UEF, SF and B nibs, and have previously had pens with F and C which I have since sold or traded.

 

 

http://i.imgur.com/CSr6kjP.jpg?1

 

The imprints on the nib are perhaps polarising; some seem to like the design, some don't. I think it suits the pen well; the unusual heart-shaped breather hole is a quirky touch, and while the 'scrollwork' is perhaps plain, I don't think this detracts from the looks of these pens. The nib is also stamped with the material data and nib size, and the Platinum logo. Prominently, the #3776, the height in metres of Mount Fuji, adorns the nib; surely this must be a poke at Mont Blanc?!

 

http://i.imgur.com/UZISAG8.jpg?1

 

 

What you may notice from the comparison above is that the black and blue pens have a black collar inside the section, and the red has a opal-esque white collar - I assume the reason for tthis is cospetic, as the red is more translucent than the blue and would be muted by black plastic inside.

 

 

Just look at the difference in the tipping! The double broad/ C nib is even broader, with the most enormous glob of iridium I've ever seen on a nib. See the comparison between UEF and C below? Absolute polar opposites of the production line!

 

 

http://i.imgur.com/xqbNeTX.jpg

 

 

The nibs have been universally good out of the box from the 5 I have owned; the fine, broad and double broad have been glassy smooth writers, and the UEF and soft fine have had more tooth, but none has been scratchy; more so a sensation of dragging over the paper? I have been seriously impressed with this, as the fines and certainly the ultra-extra-fine are tiny tips indeed! The standard nibs have a little spring to them, with the UEF being the firmest of the lot. The soft fine is far from a "true flex" nib but adds a pleasant expressive springiness to the writing experience, and one can coax decent swells and hairlines with a little care. The skips in the writing samples below are faults of my very light touch when writing, not of the pens; the feeds keep up admirably with the ink needs, even on the absolute firehose B and BB nibs!

 

 

http://i.imgur.com/N7NLohg.jpg?1

 

 

Finally, and you'll have to excuse the slightly dusty pen chest, how could I not include a picture with a ray of sunlight striking the stunning colours of these pens? The plastics are pretty in themselves, but absolutely glow with a little light behind.

 

 

http://i.imgur.com/3vqmUo3.jpg?1

 

 

I hope you've enjoyed this brief review and comparison; any questions, please ask away!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 34
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

  • alexhondsmerk

    8

  • Dhruv_Sood

    2

  • Forsooth

    2

  • Martini1R

    2

thanks for the pictures.

the 3776 is my favorite modern pen and mine will soon have like company.

how different did you find the Fine to the Soft-Fine?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Wow what a review. I also have the same colors though with B nib . They are very underestimated pens. Thanks very much for the detailed review .

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for the outstanding, in-depth review! I have the black 3776 with a SF nib and the Chartres Bleu with a medium nib. Both are very smooth, reliable writers. Now I am feeling the need to add the burgoyne one...Excellent photography by the way. :yikes:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thank you for a nice review. The UEF that I recently acquired has a bit more spring to i and thus shows slightly more line variation. I also writes with a little "tooth" as well.

 

To your knowledge, has anyone modified the SF or EF nibs to a "falcon" type configuration? I am doing a bit of "copperplate" style writing, sans the flourishes and am curious about getting more flexibility from this nib.

“Don't put off till tomorrow what you can do today, because if you do it today and like it, you can do again tomorrow!”

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have the tortoise celluloid version in F and the chartres blue in EF. Both were quite scratchy and probably the most unpleasant pens I own. After a lot of work with smoothing, they write much better, still how I got them was a huge disapointment.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

thanks for the pictures.

the 3776 is my favorite modern pen and mine will soon have like company.

how different did you find the Fine to the Soft-Fine?

 

The fine was definitely firmer; the standard nibs are by no means nail-hard, but there's a lot more spring in the SF. From memory both write about the same width under normal circumstances.

 

Thanks for the outstanding, in-depth review! I have the black 3776 with a SF nib and the Chartres Bleu with a medium nib. Both are very smooth, reliable writers. Now I am feeling the need to add the burgoyne one...Excellent photography by the way. :yikes:

 

Thank you! The burgundy is lovely, it's such a pretty colour! I've got it inked with Iroshizuku Yama Budo at the moment but I'm waiting for Mont Blanc Burgundy to be back in stock at the local pen shop to complete the theme.

 

Thank you for a nice review. The UEF that I recently acquired has a bit more spring to i and thus shows slightly more line variation. I also writes with a little "tooth" as well.

 

To your knowledge, has anyone modified the SF or EF nibs to a "falcon" type configuration? I am doing a bit of "copperplate" style writing, sans the flourishes and am curious about getting more flexibility from this nib.

 

John Mottishaw of nibs.com lists the Century with soft medium and soft fine nibs on his page of candidates for his Spencerian modification, so it seems it can be done!

 

I have the tortoise celluloid version in F and the chartres blue in EF. Both were quite scratchy and probably the most unpleasant pens I own. After a lot of work with smoothing, they write much better, still how I got them was a huge disapointment.

 

That's a shame, I've had great experiences with all of mine out of the box! To get one is bad luck but two is very unfortunate indeed. At least they're writing to your liking now; and I've just looked up the tortoise celluloid, and oh my it's pretty!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for the engaging and detailed review. I've been on the fence for a bourgogne for a while, and this has given me a rather firm nudge...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nice photos! I love my UEF 3776; it is toothy without being scratchy and lays down a great hair line. The build quality is also really good, though probably not fantastic value for money at full retail-- I'm very happy with mine seeing as I got it for $88 including shipping, but I'm not sure if I'd feel the same way if I shelled out $176 for it.

 

Mine's currently inked with Noodler's Bad Black Moccasin and it's one of my go-to pens for drawing.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nice photos! I love my UEF 3776; it is toothy without being scratchy and lays down a great hair line. The build quality is also really good, though probably not fantastic value for money at full retail-- I'm very happy with mine seeing as I got it for $88 including shipping, but I'm not sure if I'd feel the same way if I shelled out $176 for it.

 

Mine's currently inked with Noodler's Bad Black Moccasin and it's one of my go-to pens for drawing.

 

Agreed on the pricing; I bought the black one used, the blue new but hugely reduced from within the UK, and the red directly from Japan. $176 seems very steep though, even in the UK they're only about £100 full retail? Still, I didn't spend more than £65 on any of mine, which I feel is a fair price point. I'd dearly love the Yamanaka demonstrator and the Koi celluloid, but they both come at quite a premium!
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Although my only 3776 Century is an UEF, I also have another 3776, a balance, with SF. The SF feels more pleasant to write with but I prefer the UEF partially because my alleged handwriting benefits from its extremely thin lines (and it is still smoother than many pens I have with much wider lines) and because the century feels like a higher quality pen even though they cost the same.

Слава Україні!

Slava Ukraini!

 

STR:11 DEX: 5 CON:5 INT:17 WIS:11 CHA:3

Wielding: BIC stick of poor judgment (-3,-5) {cursed}

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Although my only 3776 Century is an UEF, I also have another 3776, a balance, with SF. The SF feels more pleasant to write with but I prefer the UEF partially because my alleged handwriting benefits from its extremely thin lines (and it is still smoother than many pens I have with much wider lines) and because the century feels like a higher quality pen even though they cost the same.

 

I haven't tried the Balance. but I completely get what you mean about the different nibs. I'm still amazed at how well the UEF performs, even as pretty much the thinnest production nib!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi

I recently got the Chartres Blue with a medium nib... Very pleased with how smooth it writes on a variety of paper... A nice wet writer too.

The Bourgogne is next on my list and the choice is between a UEF or SF nib... The latter seems to be the more interesting option due to the capacity to flex somewhat...

 

Thanks

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi

I recently got the Chartres Blue with a medium nib... Very pleased with how smooth it writes on a variety of paper... A nice wet writer too.

The Bourgogne is next on my list and the choice is between a UEF or SF nib... The latter seems to be the more interesting option due to the capacity to flex somewhat...

 

Thanks

 

Either would be a nice choice! Just bear in mind that the soft fine isn't a true flex nib, it's just a little softer than usual; a week on, I've found that it doesn't come through hugely in normal everyday writing but can be use for expressive semiflex writing with a bit of focus!

 

I'm more interested in how many pages are you able to write using that Coarse nib with that 0.6ml convertor.

 

About 7 sides of A4+, so reasonable mileage considering the nib was a double-broad firehose! Platinum have released this, showing the different tipping sizes and including an estimate of how far one can write with each fill; from 700m for the super-economical UEF, to just 200m for the wet C!

 

http://engeika.ocnk.biz/data/engeika/product/20130326_585315.gif

 

Nice review! Your camerawork does a great job with color.

 

Thank you! With the untimely demise of my macro lens, I've been limited to iphone photography for the time being, but hey, it seems to work!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

About 7 sides of A4+, so reasonable mileage considering the nib was a double-broad firehose! Platinum have released this, showing the different tipping sizes and including an estimate of how far one can write with each fill; from 700m for the super-economical UEF, to just 200m for the wet C!

 

http://engeika.ocnk.biz/data/engeika/product/20130326_585315.gif

 

 

Thank you. Very interesting. It means I write close to a mile every week. Does the above mileage include only the ink in the convertor or does it also include the ink in the feed?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

I write in Chinese characters as well... and I understand UEF is good when writing in small font size. But I see M - B just offer what a FP should be, the show of the ink color, the shading, and the shape of the strokes. I cannot see that in EF nibs unless you are talking about flexible nibs.

 

If I want really fine point like a 0.5mm, perhaps I could just go for a gel pen. Unless I am obsessed with a certain ink color, I really don't see the point of buying a FP just to write in EF or UEF.

 

Am I missing something? :lol:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now


  • Most Contributions

    1. amberleadavis
      amberleadavis
      43844
    2. PAKMAN
      PAKMAN
      33501
    3. Ghost Plane
      Ghost Plane
      28220
    4. inkstainedruth
      inkstainedruth
      26627
    5. jar
      jar
      26101
  • Upcoming Events

  • Blog Comments

    • Shanghai Knife Dude
      I have the Sailor Naginata and some fancy blade nibs coming after 2022 by a number of new workshop from China.  With all my respect, IMHO, they are all (bleep) in doing chinese characters.  Go use a bush, or at least a bush pen. 
    • A Smug Dill
      It is the reason why I'm so keen on the idea of a personal library — of pens, nibs, inks, paper products, etc. — and spent so much money, as well as time and effort, to “build” it for myself (because I can't simply remember everything, especially as I'm getting older fast) and my wife, so that we can “know”; and, instead of just disposing of what displeased us, or even just not good enough to be “given the time of day” against competition from >500 other pens and >500 other inks for our at
    • adamselene
      Agreed.  And I think it’s good to be aware of this early on and think about at the point of buying rather than rationalizing a purchase..
    • A Smug Dill
      Alas, one cannot know “good” without some idea of “bad” against which to contrast; and, as one of my former bosses (back when I was in my twenties) used to say, “on the scale of good to bad…”, it's a spectrum, not a dichotomy. Whereas subjectively acceptable (or tolerable) and unacceptable may well be a dichotomy to someone, and finding whether the threshold or cusp between them lies takes experiencing many degrees of less-than-ideal, especially if the decision is somehow influenced by factors o
    • adamselene
      I got my first real fountain pen on my 60th birthday and many hundreds of pens later I’ve often thought of what I should’ve known in the beginning. I have many pens, the majority of which have some objectionable feature. If they are too delicate, or can’t be posted, or they are too precious to face losing , still they are users, but only in very limited environments..  I have a big disliking for pens that have the cap jump into the air and fly off. I object to Pens that dry out, or leave blobs o
  • Chatbox

    You don't have permission to chat.
    Load More
  • Files






×
×
  • Create New...