Pelikan M200 Or Platinum 3776?

[matteob]

Hi I am interested in perhaps trying one of these at some point. They are under £100 but look like quality pens. Which of them would be the better bet and why?

[Bluey]

For me it's no contest - the Platinum without a doubt simply because it has the much better nib, and the Chartres Blue and Bourgogne are more exotic looking IMO.

 

The nib on the Pelikan nib m200 is akin to a bog standard Bock nib. It has a slight spring to it in the same way as a Bock, and it has some feedback in the same way. It doesn't grip the paper like the Platinum does almost as if it's not making complete contact with the page, giving a feeling of not being totally in control of the pen. I can't really tell the Bock and m200 nib apart.

 

The Platinum nib has a pencil like feedback but less so on the medium and broad. The flow is superb and you know that as soon as the pen hits the paper and however quickly you write, a line will be produced - with the Pelikan, steel or gold, it sometimes fails to keep up here and there(not a major issue, but it's still better to have peace of mind). There's potentially a lot of feedback, so if you press down hard you're better off with the medium/broad or the Pelikan.

 

The Pelikan has a wide variety of colours to suit most people, but I think that translucence in the Platinum knocks it for 6, even in the demonstrator m200 versions. The nib on the Platinum is much more exotic looking too with it's unique flat shape and heart breather hole that many vintage pens have got.

 

If you plan to write away from home the Pelikan may be the slightly better choice because of the slightly larger ink capacity

 

Both have some QC issues - the Pelikan with the mold lines and the issues with the nib not writing properly, and sometimes requires a specific ink to get the best out of it; the Platinum with their dodgy converters and occasional weeping marks on the barrel

Edited December 30, 2016 by Bluey

[amk]

I think it comes down to nibs.

* Pelikan offers calligraphy nibs as well as F M B for the M200, but all are steel nibs.

* Pelikan nibs are easy to buy separately should you wish to.

* You could buy an m400 gold nib for an M200, but that's going to cost about £65-70.

* Platinum offers music nib, soft fine, UEF, and Japanese fines - much thinner lines than a Pelikan fine will give you.

* Platinum in my experience offers a bit of feedback and tends to write dry.

* Platinum doesn't sell spare nibs though.

 

Personally, like Bluey, I like the 3776 Chartres and Bourgogne - really stylish, incredible material - as well as the demonstrators (more expensive).

[Highbinder]

My Platinum 3776 is my favourite writer. Behaves well with every ink, if a touch dry with some. The nib is nice and springy, and really makes the pen. There is feedback, but I'd call it 'resistance' rather than scratchiness. It writes better than almost every other pen I've owned.

 

My only complaint is they don't offer their soft nibs in rhodium trim!

[jar]

I own both and see little difference between the two. Both are really nice pens, super reliable and usually moderately wet.

 

The Pelikan offers the widest choice of nibs and the ease of changing nibs but the standard nibs are steel.

 

The #3776 offers the widest choices of ways to fill; it can use Platinum cartridges or with a $1.00 adapter also use International cartridges. With the Platinum converter you can use any bottled fountain pen ink.

[Manalto]

I used the Platinum 3776 (fine) daily for a couple of years and it was reliable. It never skipped or started hard. I used it with a cartridge (that contained a small metal bead) which I usually refilled with Diamine 'Tanzanite' using a syringe. Being a Japanese fine, it puts down a Western extra-fine line and (as others have said) while it had some feedback, didn't feel scratchy, even on cheap paper. It's a good weight, too. I recommend it.

 

The Platinum is transparent (not translucent, if it makes a difference to you) blue, dark red or black (I don't think the black is transparent, but I could be wrong). I like the way my red pen appears black upon first glance and then catches the light, revealing the wine tones.

 

I don't have the Pelikan, so am unable to make a comparison to that pen.

Edited December 30, 2016 by Manalto

[crescent2]

I don't have a Pelikan, so I can't compare the two, but I have a Century 3776, Chartres Blue, M nib, which I really like. It writes smoothly and consistently and I've never had a problem of any kind with the pen. I wouldn't describe mine as transparent, as I can't really see through it, but perhaps technically it is as light will somewhat shine through it. It's a beautiful pen imo. I would describe the photos of the Pelikan Amethyst and some colored demonstrators as transparent ("see-through"), however. I would say, perhaps inaccurately, the 3776 appears more translucent.

 

Except for a used vintage Parker 51 Demi, it's the only gold nib pen I own. It likes Levenger Cobalt Blue and PR DC Supershow Blue inks just fine; never skips or clogs and lays down a beautiful line. I've probably used a couple of other inks in it, too, but don't recall which ones. I have had problems with the converter refusing to turn at times, and I've ordered a replacement Platinum converter for it--not a big deal unless it happens repeatedly.

 

According to several comments and reviews I've read, this pen is usually available for around $70-75 US, and I think I found mine on amazon (sold by a company in Chattanooga, fulfilled by amazon IIRC) for about $74 a year or so ago. I considered that a good price for a 14k gold nib pen. Comparison shop if you go for the 3776.

[Manalto]

How about this? The plastic on the 3776 (blue and red versions), while dark, is clear, not cloudy or opaque.

[Arkanabar]

My M200 was my first Pen of a Lifetime. It's really lightweight, relatively small, springy, wet, and absolutely rock-solid reliable. Furthermore, every time I've had a problem with it, all I've had to do is email customer service at the US distributor, mail it to them, and wait for it to come back.

 

I don't have the Platinum 3776, though I'd like to, probably in medium or stub. I've heard lots of people complain about the Platinum converter. Frankly, I'd forgotten about the adapter for using international c/c. But I've never needed one for my Platinum c/c pens; the cartridges can be refilled with a standard disposable polypropylene 3ml pipette.

[Highbinder]

(I don't think the black is transparent, but I could be wrong).

 

Can confirm it is, but very dark - darker than the black version of the Pilot 823, even.

 

I've heard lots of people complain about the Platinum converter.

 

Never been an issue for me, tho' I do occasionally get ink trapped behind the piston.

[Water Ouzel]

I've got three Platinum 3776 Centuries (F, F, and SF) and two Pelikan M20x* (EF, F, B, and Binder .9mm Italifine).

 

I like the Binder nib the best, then the Platinum F, then the Pelikan EF, and the SF last. (The Pelikan B is to be ground to another cursive italic.) The 3776 nib is not my favorite Platinum nib, that being the F on the Modern Maki-e, but the total spread between them all is very small.

 

They're all completely reliable, and stay in rotation all the time. For anyone with normalish hands, all of them should be quite satisfactory. I'm planning on getting another M200 in the next year, I'll probably sell off one of the 3776s to make up the cost. Just not the Chatres or Bourgogne.

 

* A black M205 and a Café Crème M200. I've been angling to winkle my wife's white M205 out of her hands, but seem to have done myself in by putting a Binderized XXF Waverly nib on hers. Oh well.

[crescent2]

How about this? The plastic on the 3776 (blue and red versions), while dark, is clear, not cloudy or opaque.

 

Yes, definitely not cloudy or opaque, but dark enough that it's hard for me to actually see through it.

[Bluey]

I've heard lots of people complain about the Platinum converter.

If you grease the converter when you first get it then all will be well. Small issue but most people are unlikely to do so (unless they're aware of it) so they find their converter seizing up a few weeks or months later.

Edited December 31, 2016 by Bluey

[crescent2]

If you grease the converter when you first get it then all will be well. Small issue but most people are unlikely to do so (unless they're aware of it) so they find their converter seizing up a few weeks or months later.

 

How do you take it apart to do so? I've tried to twist the end to open it, but couldn't get it to budge. I decided it probably wasn't designed to be dismantled. I have some silicon grease. Thanks!

[Bluey]

 

How do you take it apart to do so? I've tried to twist the end to open it, but couldn't get it to budge. I decided it probably wasn't designed to be dismantled. I have some silicon grease. Thanks!

I think I hunted around for a video. I've just had a quick look but this does the trick.

 

Judging from the vid it's definitely a common problem.

[crescent2]

Thanks, Bluey! I'm going to try to take it apart, although I've been unable to twist the gold part before. And the piston won't move at all, so I may have a different problem, but the converter is unusable as is so it's worth a try. At least I know it's supposed to come apart. If I can get it apart, I'll go from there.

[Bluey]

No problem. It doesn't take long but I do remember that the gold cap needs quite a bit of force to unscrew, as mentioned in the vid.

[Pichak]

I owned both Platinum 3776 (Soft Fine Nib) and Pelikan M200 (Fine Nib) but also have other Pelikan M-model that use metal nib in Medium and Extra Fine. Overall - writing, looking and working system, I love the Pelikan more.

[deepak23]

Pelikan M writes like a B and the Platinum M like an F.

Broader nibs (M ++) on Pelikans have a pronounced baby-bottom.

Pelikans are wet writers with wet inks while the 3776 writes normally.

The 3776 is a bigger pen than the 200. For me the posted Pelikan is better balanced than a posted 3776. If you have large hands like me, then this can a factor. Smaller hands, the 3776 can be used unposted.

Added oomph factor is that with the 3776 Century you get the (almost) same nib as used in a Nakaya.

[WaskiSquirrel]

I own both.

 

The Platinum is a higher quality pen with a palpable quality feel. It has a gold nib that comes in several sizes as well as the "soft" version. It is also very slow to dry out.

 

The Pelikan is a nice pen with a flexible steel nib. But, it stains more easily, feels lower quality, and is a disappointment overall.

 

I recommend the Platinum.