Are Platinum 3776 Nibs Actually *that* Loud?

[Hephaestion]

Hi there,

 

So I've been exploring the world of Japanese gold-nib pens lately and, after two Pilots (a VP and a Custom 74, F and EF respectively) and a Sailor Pro Gear (F), I've been dying to get my paws on a Platinum 3776. Having no physical shop to walk into and *try* an actual one out, I've read and watched probably every major review out there, and I quite like the idea of their soft fine nib (I *am* aware that it's soft and not flex, and don't really need the latter anyway; I just like having a little bounce to my penstrokes and a bit of line variation for when I doodle). The thing is, I've also seen Stephen Brown's review on YouTube and hooooboy the thing sounded like a knife being violently sharpened, yikes. (Actually, I can hear the nib going on every video I've watched, but his was the worst). Microphone sensitivity aside, do Platinum nibs actually make very much noise in real life? And do they *feel* scratchy? I have mild sensory issues where sound and tactile sensation are concerned (I'm an amateur artist, but can't use charcoal pencils without wanting to scream, and colour pencils and blenders are tolerable *if* I have headphones and music). Any pen I get is going to be used extensively for writing (though I should perhaps state that I *print* rather than do cursive writing) and fine-detail drawing on Tomoe River, Stalogy and smooth heavyweight art paper. Can anyone who's used their 3776 on similar paper or who draws please enlighten this relative newbie? (or anybody else who owns a 3776, really; I'd greatly appreciate hearing your opinions and evaluations ).

 

[For the record, I'd heard a bit about Sailor's - what one reviewer called "Hiroshima harsh" - nib feedback and had been slightly worried when I ordered mine; but, going as slowly as I do on paper, my nib handles like a smooth mechanical pencil, which is quite tolerable. (I quite love my Sailor btw). Is Platinum's feedback comparable?]

 

Cheers!

Edited February 26, 2019 by Hephaestion

[mke]

How can someone with "mild sensory issues" rely on experience by barbarians without such issues?

[A Smug Dill]

I quite like the idea of their soft fine nib

So why don't/didn't you narrow the scope of your thread topic and line of inquiry to only be about the Platinum #3776 14K gold Soft Fine nibs, instead of asking a broader question?

 

I have two of the SF nibs and several more of the F nibs, but since your scope is frankly unclear to me, I'm not going to answer the question as-is; nor am I going to expound on everything of which I'm aware and/or have experienced.

 

I have mild sensory issues where sound and tactile sensation are concerned

As do I, being on the ASD spectrum, but so what? Nobody can calibrate to your sensitivity just because you announce that you "have issues". Perhaps stating what the threshold is in terms of decibels will start to bother you would help others judge whether their observations match the criterion.

[minddance]

To answer your topic question, Platinum 3776 nibs have a certain sound. I have the EF, F, SF, M, B nibs in my possession. F, M and B nibs were bought in 2016; EF and SF are bought recently in February.

 

My F and M nibs are BLATANTLY loud, B nib is slightly softer. It depends on how you write and what paper you write, whether the paper has backing or not and what kind of backing that would be. Even then, after changing different variables, they are still loud. The writing sensation is like writing and grating with a sandpaper. Some people call it feedback, some say it is a smooth pen, some claim they love this sensation, some claim many people actually love this sensation.

 

My SF and EF 3776 bought recently sound too, but the sound is less blatant and more 'kept under wraps'. Ironic because these are supposed to be finer nibs and are supposed to have more 'feedback' than my M and B nibs. And in the case of my EF nib, it is much finer than the F, most certainly. Yet the sound it produces is alot softer and 'feedback' less blatant. And they write alot smoother. Yes, there are many different degrees of smoothness. Some people define smoothness as not tearing out paper fibres but that is a rather crass standard and allows for a huge range of writing sensations to be accepted as smooth when in reality, doesn't feel smooth to some people.

 

I tried all of them on Tomoe River and whatever sounds still sounds. And there is always that something in the nibs while writing. Did the EF and SF scrape paper fibres off the page? NO. But would I call them glass smooth? I cannot.

 

Someone told me fountain pens are just 'like that'. I beg to differ. I have tried Montblanc and Pelikan pens and even un-inked, they glide smoothly and rather quietly across the paper. The nib tipping feels cushioned and the sound they make ( I cannot say they are totally silent!) is alot smoother and 'pleasant' - to my ears, at least. Platinum noisiest pens sound tinny and scrape-y and grate-y. My old Waterman Phileas M nib is glass smooth and sounds virtually silent. It simply glides.

 

To be fair, in Platinum's (and Sailor's) defense, the nibs somehow have to be like that. In Asian characters, people want precision and to fit many strokes within a character. And there are certain strokes that have to be ended with a small little tick or have to be slightly broader. These kinds of variations are common - though not always necessary - in Chinese (and Japanese) writing. To be able to have such control and precision, the (Japanese) pens and papers must serve these purposes. The variations are not of the western stub nib variety. When slight pressure is applied to the nib, the nib increases resistance and prepares for whatever stroke comes next. it brakes. But in, say, a Pelikan, the nib does not brake under such circumstances - it is still glidey. Also, Platinum 3776 are not the kind of pens that readily and enthusiastically pool inks. If you are after dramatic shadings and sheen, they are not the best pens around for those purposes.

 

My new and old Plat 3776 are able to pull all the stops in writing Chinese characters. My old Platinum are blatantly loud and srape-y sounding, my newer Plat sound a tad more refined and sound more like expensive pens. Due to the feedback, they are choosey with inks. If you want to use Diamine Umber, Meadow, Sepia, Scabiosa, Alt Goldgrun, Apache Sunset etc, the inks will appear light, unless you have real absorbent papers or write stroke-by-stroke and with some pressure. If you write by gliding the nib across the page, inks in general will turn out rather light. That is why I choose inks with a dark base tint and/or add Kodak Photoflo when I am using these pens.

 

Many reviewers, including Mr. Brown, do not do Japanese pens due justice in my opinion. The way they write and comment on feedback or 'scratchiness' sometimes show how they do not know how to use the pens. And look at the way so many of the reviewers try to show line variations by flexing the poor Japanese pens - complete ignorance. The variations are within the nib itself in the grind, not by outwardly flexed! Many Japanese pens have a mind of their own and created to serve a certain form of writing. Though they can write certain styles of English doesn't mean they enjoy doing it. Microphones can certainly amplify sounds but some pens certainly sound louder than others in reality.

 

If you want a Sailor or Platinum to write like a Lamy or Montblanc or Pelikan, you could forget about it. Have appropriate expectations.

[A Smug Dill]

To be fair, in Platinum's (and Sailor's) defense, the nibs somehow have to be like that. In Asian characters, people want precision and to fit many strokes within a character. And there are certain strokes that have to be ended with a small little tick or have to be slightly broader.

Yes and no. There is also cursive writing in Chinese and Japanese, that most people don't practise or use because it's difficult to read. On the flip side, I also look for precision and mid-stroke line width variation when I write in English; there is no reason why my majuscules and minuscules should not have pointed peaks and sharp turns.

Edited February 26, 2019 by A Smug Dill

[TSherbs]

After reading Minddance's description, I am glad that I have never risked my dough on a Platinum!

Edited February 26, 2019 by TSherbs

[minddance]

After reading Minddance's description, I am glad that I have never risked my dough on a Platinum!

well, you would have to try one out yourself. You might actually like or love it. I am often told and reminded here that Platinum 3776 are soooooo smooth. Guess people have very different definitions of smooth.

 

be sure to buy from shops that have good return/exchange policy, just in case you don't like the pen. I was so shocked and overwhelmed by my first Platinum 3776s, not in a good way.

[minddance]

Yes and no. There is also cursive writing in Chinese and Japanese, that most people don't practise or use because it's difficult to read. On the flip side, I also look for precision and mid-stroke line width variation when I write in English; there is no reason why my majuscules and minuscules should not have pointed peaks and sharp turns.

yes, I am well aware of this style of Chinese writing. It is very well-served and executed by a fude or upturned nib.

[Hephaestion]

How can someone with "mild sensory issues" rely on experience by barbarians without such issues?

 

I figured that if the average fountain pen user, who had no problems with such things, found the 3776 loud/harsh, that it would set off red flags and I should run as fast and far away from the pens as I can? LOL.

 

So why don't/didn't you narrow the scope of your thread topic and line of inquiry to only be about the Platinum #3776 14K gold Soft Fine nibs, instead of asking a broader question?

 

I have two of the SF nibs and several more of the F nibs, but since your scope is frankly unclear to me, I'm not going to answer the question as-is; nor am I going to expound on everything of which I'm aware and/or have experienced.

 

 

As do I, being on the ASD spectrum, but so what? Nobody can calibrate to your sensitivity just because you announce that you "have issues". Perhaps stating what the threshold is in terms of decibels will start to bother you would help others judge whether their observations match the criterion.

 

I apologise for the vagueness. I did state my interest in soft fine nibs, but my observations concerning the sounds was for *all* videos reviewing Platinum 3776 pens regardless of the nib size, so my question was meant to encompass all, to check if they were all like that. I didn't know how to get across the problems I have with the sensation of writing/drawing instruments to other people; I tried to explain my tolerance level in terms that might be understood, by citing the harshness of charcoal pencils and blenders, so that anyone else who also uses these might have some idea, because that's the only yardstick I have; I see that I wasn't being clear enough. [i certainly do not know how to begin measuring how loud they are... is there an app?] I'm sorry, I'm not great at asking questions.

 

[i'm sorry if my usage of sensory terminology concerning writing instruments was appropriative; I didn't know how else to describe it, other than "causes mid-to-high levels of stress", only people tend to react badly when I say that...]

 

To answer your topic question, Platinum 3776 nibs have a certain sound. I have the EF, F, SF, M, B nibs in my possession. F, M and B nibs were bought in 2016; EF and SF are bought recently in February.

 

My F and M nibs are BLATANTLY loud, B nib is slightly softer. It depends on how you write and what paper you write, whether the paper has backing or not and what kind of backing that would be. Even then, after changing different variables, they are still loud. The writing sensation is like writing and grating with a sandpaper. Some people call it feedback, some say it is a smooth pen, some claim they love this sensation, some claim many people actually love this sensation.

 

My SF and EF 3776 bought recently sound too, but the sound is less blatant and more 'kept under wraps'. Ironic because these are supposed to be finer nibs and are supposed to have more 'feedback' than my M and B nibs. And in the case of my EF nib, it is much finer than the F, most certainly. Yet the sound it produces is alot softer and 'feedback' less blatant. And they write alot smoother. Yes, there are many different degrees of smoothness. Some people define smoothness as not tearing out paper fibres but that is a rather crass standard and allows for a huge range of writing sensations to be accepted as smooth when in reality, doesn't feel smooth to some people.

 

I tried all of them on Tomoe River and whatever sounds still sounds. And there is always that something in the nibs while writing. Did the EF and SF scrape paper fibres off the page? NO. But would I call them glass smooth? I cannot.

 

Someone told me fountain pens are just 'like that'. I beg to differ. I have tried Montblanc and Pelikan pens and even un-inked, they glide smoothly and rather quietly across the paper. The nib tipping feels cushioned and the sound they make ( I cannot say they are totally silent!) is alot smoother and 'pleasant' - to my ears, at least. Platinum noisiest pens sound tinny and scrape-y and grate-y. My old Waterman Phileas M nib is glass smooth and sounds virtually silent. It simply glides.

 

To be fair, in Platinum's (and Sailor's) defense, the nibs somehow have to be like that. In Asian characters, people want precision and to fit many strokes within a character. And there are certain strokes that have to be ended with a small little tick or have to be slightly broader. These kinds of variations are common - though not always necessary - in Chinese (and Japanese) writing. To be able to have such control and precision, the (Japanese) pens and papers must serve these purposes. The variations are not of the western stub nib variety. When slight pressure is applied to the nib, the nib increases resistance and prepares for whatever stroke comes next. it brakes. But in, say, a Pelikan, the nib does not brake under such circumstances - it is still glidey. Also, Platinum 3776 are not the kind of pens that readily and enthusiastically pool inks. If you are after dramatic shadings and sheen, they are not the best pens around for those purposes.

 

My new and old Plat 3776 are able to pull all the stops in writing Chinese characters. My old Platinum are blatantly loud and srape-y sounding, my newer Plat sound a tad more refined and sound more like expensive pens. Due to the feedback, they are choosey with inks. If you want to use Diamine Umber, Meadow, Sepia, Scabiosa, Alt Goldgrun, Apache Sunset etc, the inks will appear light, unless you have real absorbent papers or write stroke-by-stroke and with some pressure. If you write by gliding the nib across the page, inks in general will turn out rather light. That is why I choose inks with a dark base tint and/or add Kodak Photoflo when I am using these pens.

 

Many reviewers, including Mr. Brown, do not do Japanese pens due justice in my opinion. The way they write and comment on feedback or 'scratchiness' sometimes show how they do not know how to use the pens. And look at the way so many of the reviewers try to show line variations by flexing the poor Japanese pens - complete ignorance. The variations are within the nib itself in the grind, not by outwardly flexed! Many Japanese pens have a mind of their own and created to serve a certain form of writing. Though they can write certain styles of English doesn't mean they enjoy doing it. Microphones can certainly amplify sounds but some pens certainly sound louder than others in reality.

 

If you want a Sailor or Platinum to write like a Lamy or Montblanc or Pelikan, you could forget about it. Have appropriate expectations.

 

Thank you so, so much for your personal evaluation, and for explaining how and why Japanese nibs are that way! I actually have very, *very* little experience with fountain pens, beyond a Conklin and a Monteverde, a nail-hard Lamy and a couple of Jinhaos; I got into gold nibs because I wanted to use iron gall inks and got scared off by reviews about using them with steel nibs, and Japanese pens were far more affordable than anything from Europe... and then I realised how much I enjoyed using both together. (Montblanc and Pelikan cost far more than what I currently can, and am willing to pay for a pen, and nobody here's into pens so I've never had the privilege of trying either... so I have very little in the way of expectations, other than "as long as it doesn't handle like a wretched charcoal pencil"!) TBH I don't really know much more about pens beyond how to maintain and care for the ones I have. If you say that Platinum's finer nibs are very loud ("scrape-y" and "grate-y" are *precisely* what I was afraid of, yikes), I think I should hold off getting any Platinum pens until I can find someone in town who owns one and who's willing to let me try it.

 

Yes and no. There is also cursive writing in Chinese and Japanese, that most people don't practise or use because it's difficult to read. On the flip side, I also look for precision and mid-stroke line width variation when I write in English; there is no reason why my majuscules and minuscules should not have pointed peaks and sharp turns.

 

I do write some - relatively - cursive Chinese (not well, and certainly nothing that anyone would call *calligraphy*... more of "someone who knows how to write in that language and winds up scrawling it rather than making each stroke precise"); until minddance explained, I hadn't known that Japanese pen nibs were built "harsh" specifically for control and precision... But I *did* recently use my Sailor to write something for someone, who demanded to know why my characters looked so good -- and I *did* think they came out oddly nicer than they normally do. Nice to know....

 

After reading Minddance's description, I am glad that I have never risked my dough on a Platinum!

 

After reading it, I think I'm glad that I won't be dropping that kind of money on one either! (at least not yet).

 

well, you would have to try one out yourself. You might actually like or love it. I am often told and reminded here that Platinum 3776 are soooooo smooth. Guess people have very different definitions of smooth.

 

be sure to buy from shops that have good return/exchange policy, just in case you don't like the pen. I was so shocked and overwhelmed by my first Platinum 3776s, not in a good way.

 

Yeah, I've seen one or two reviews calling them smooth too, which was pretty confusing because... if I can hear the nib, surely it can't be so?? I should probably go hunt down some pen shops the next time I visit Kuala Lumpur, and see if they have any soft nibs I can try... Cheers!

 

["shocked and overwhelmed" -- yikes!]

[minddance]

 

I figured that if the average fountain pen user, who had no problems with such things, found the 3776 loud/harsh, that it would set off red flags and I should run as fast and far away from the pens as I can? LOL.

 

 

I apologise for the vagueness. I did state my interest in soft fine nibs, but my observations concerning the sounds was for *all* videos reviewing Platinum 3776 pens regardless of the nib size, so my question was meant to encompass all, to check if they were all like that. I didn't know how to get across the problems I have with the sensation of writing/drawing instruments to other people; I tried to explain my tolerance level in terms that might be understood, by citing the harshness of charcoal pencils and blenders, so that anyone else who also uses these might have some idea, because that's the only yardstick I have; I see that I wasn't being clear enough. [i certainly do not know how to begin measuring how loud they are... is there an app?] I'm sorry, I'm not great at asking questions.

 

[i'm sorry if my usage of sensory terminology concerning writing instruments was appropriative; I didn't know how else to describe it, other than "causes mid-to-high levels of stress", only people tend to react badly when I say that...]

 

 

Thank you so, so much for your personal evaluation, and for explaining how and why Japanese nibs are that way! I actually have very, *very* little experience with fountain pens, beyond a Conklin and a Monteverde, a nail-hard Lamy and a couple of Jinhaos; I got into gold nibs because I wanted to use iron gall inks and got scared off by reviews about using them with steel nibs, and Japanese pens were far more affordable than anything from Europe... and then I realised how much I enjoyed using both together. (Montblanc and Pelikan cost far more than what I currently can, and am willing to pay for a pen, and nobody here's into pens so I've never had the privilege of trying either... so I have very little in the way of expectations, other than "as long as it doesn't handle like a wretched charcoal pencil"!) TBH I don't really know much more about pens beyond how to maintain and care for the ones I have. If you say that Platinum's finer nibs are very loud ("scrape-y" and "grate-y" are *precisely* what I was afraid of, yikes), I think I should hold off getting any Platinum pens until I can find someone in town who owns one and who's willing to let me try it.

 

 

I do write some - relatively - cursive Chinese (not well, and certainly nothing that anyone would call *calligraphy*... more of "someone who knows how to write in that language and winds up scrawling it rather than making each stroke precise"); until minddance explained, I hadn't known that Japanese pen nibs were built "harsh" specifically for control and precision... But I *did* recently use my Sailor to write something for someone, who demanded to know why my characters looked so good -- and I *did* think they came out oddly nicer than they normally do. Nice to know....

 

 

After reading it, I think I'm glad that I won't be dropping that kind of money on one either! (at least not yet).

 

 

Yeah, I've seen one or two reviews calling them smooth too, which was pretty confusing because... if I can hear the nib, surely it can't be so?? I should probably go hunt down some pen shops the next time I visit Kuala Lumpur, and see if they have any soft nibs I can try... Cheers!

 

["shocked and overwhelmed" -- yikes!]

 

Please do not allow my words to discourage you from trying a Platinum 3776 - you might actually like it or even, be addicted to it. Different nib widths can most certainly produce different sounds and have varying levels of 'feedback'. But there will be noises while writing. When my Pelikan m800M, M200F, M, B, BB and Waterman Phileas M and Lamy 2000F, Safari M can write relatively quietly and glide-y and most certainly smoothly, my Platinum F, M, B are certainly a much rougher ride, with the B nib being the lesser of evils.

 

I cannot say the Japanese, or specifically Platinum 3776, intentionally set out the make rough/feedbacky/noisy nibs BUT to have that kind of control Platinum has over ink flow, line width, to start and stop on demand, to create the little ticks in Asian characters, the nibs somehow had to turn out this way. And when more pressure is applied, greater resistance and feedback is enforced by the nibs upon the paper. It works like a brake. The only way for a nice glide is to lighten the touch - and that certainly makes inks appear much lighter.

 

I know this is all very subjective and can be rather personal.

 

A simple, not so personal little test: if you hold the pen by its tail of a, say, Platinum 3776 F or M, nib to paper, uninked, you can actually move the loose sheet of paper. This shows how much resistance - and feedback - there is. It feels like there are prongs in the nib. If you hold a Pelikan M800 or Lamy 2000 the same way, you cannot move the paper, the nib will just slide across. This is how glidey the nibs are. There is a huge difference.

Edited February 26, 2019 by minddance

[A Smug Dill]

I did state my interest in soft fine nibs, but my observations concerning the sounds was for *all* videos reviewing Platinum 3776 pens regardless of the nib size, so my question was meant to encompass all, to check if they were all like that.

I can almost always hear the nib move across the surface of the page, if and when I intent on detecting sounds as I write; and I say so for well over 150 pens I have. Some are more audible than others, but with a few rare exceptions (which tend to be pens I don't like), none are completely silent. On the other hand, when I'm focused on putting content down on the page, then I'm generally not distracted by the sound.

 

I scribbled just now with the seven Platinum #3776 pens I have inked, and I can hear them all. Then again, some are 'louder' and some are 'softer' – the two Soft Fine nibs are the 'loudest', whereas the hard-as-a-nail regular Fine nibs vary in that regard, but none are as 'loud' as the SF nibs. I also did the same with a Lamy EF nib, an Aurora EF nib, a Leonardo EF nib (which I adjusted on the weekend and is now writes rather smoothly), and a Pilot EF nib; the Lamy was about as 'loud' as the Platinum #3776 SF nibs, the Aurora a little less, and the other two made softer sounds as they wrote.

 

I certainly do not know how to begin measuring how loud they are... is there an app?

I don't know. I don't think in terms of apps, although I'm sure it's possible for an app on a mobile phone handset (or tablet) – as an application program running on a general-purpose computing device – to control connected sensors, process the data collected, and present some sort of report to the human user.

 

If you can pick up the sound with your ears as the sound waves travel through the air, as opposed to 'hearing' through synaesthesia when you feel the tactile sensations through your hand, then so can a microphone at the same distance from the source of the sound. (No, it does not have to be a microphone on your handset, although it could be.) The amplitude and frequency of the sound(s) can be expressed objectively, so it's always possible to say a sound of N decibels or more at at particular frequency would bother you. Obviously, sounds at different pitches may not all have the same effect, and you could be less bothered by low rumbling sounds than even the faintest high-pitched 'screech'.

 

Theoretically, you can tape a small external microphone to the inside of your ear flap close to (but without blocking) the opening of your ear canal, and connect the mic to a machine – which could be your handset, if there is an I/O interface for that – that will be 'recording' everything you hear (but, say, only keep a three-second buffer of data in the memory space of the application program), and every time you hear a sound that bothers you you'll press a connected button (or tap the screen, whatever) so that the machine will capture a data point. With enough data points, you should then be able to identify objectively what the thresholds are, past which you will feel disturbed by sounds.

 

With that set up, you can always do a focused session on writing with various pens and other instruments, to discover specifically what during writing or drawing would bother you and be able to describe those stimuli objectively to others.

 

If you say that Platinum's finer nibs are very loud ("scrape-y" and "grate-y" are *precisely* what I was afraid of, yikes), I think I should hold off getting any Platinum pens until I can find someone in town who owns one and who's willing to let me try it.

If you're intending on using a 'soft' nib specifically because you expect it to give some sort of cushioning sensation as you write... that cushioning sensation only happens when the metal becomes slightly deformed, and it gets deformed because the pressure you apply on the pen against the page increases the friction to stop it from just gliding, but to make a mark the nib has to overcome that friction, and when that happens it's going to make a sound (however faint). A hard broad nib is more likely to glide because the pressure would be spread over a larger contact surface, thus there is less friction to overcome, and therefore it'll be 'quieter'.

 

I do write some - relatively - cursive Chinese (not well, and certainly nothing that anyone would call *calligraphy*... more of "someone who knows how to write in that language and winds up scrawling it rather than making each stroke precise"); until minddance explained, I hadn't known that Japanese pen nibs were built "harsh" specifically for control and precision...

They're not 'harsh'. Kinaesthetic feedback allows the user of the writing instrument to respond with (possibly unconscious 'muscle memory' and make) micro adjustments for precise control, instead of exercising a fixed 'program' of movements without the benefit of external stimuli to check each movement is going. Again, that feedback is essentially some aggregate of analogue signals generated largely by friction of nib against the page (but also partly the reactionary force the pen exerts on the user's hand) caused by hand pressure during writing. The more precise you want your manual control of the writing instrument to be – whether you're writing in Chinese, English or Arabic, or drawing – the more your task would be made easier by rich 'feedback' signals to which your muscle memory can respond.

 

One of my standard 'tests' for pens and inks these days involve trying to draw as many parallel lines as possible inside a 5mm square. That isn't exactly writing in Chinese, but still calls for precise control.

 

There is no reason to think that people writing in English want less control. Some may be trying to produce calligraphic writing, and others just precise writing because they want to fit so many English words inside the narrow margins on documents or pages of books, etc.

[minddance]

One of my standard 'tests' for pens and inks these days involve trying to draw as many parallel lines as possible inside a 5mm square. That isn't exactly writing in Chinese, but still calls for precise control.

 

There is no reason to think that people writing in English want less control. Some may be trying to produce calligraphic writing, and others just precise writing because they want to fit so many English words inside the narrow margins on documents or pages of books, etc.

This I have to agree and is something I have left out. There are people doing Mathematics, Science, technical stuff and what not who need this kind of precision and, I would say, a clean line, without much shading, unless one uses an extremely shady ink, but then, in the finer nib widths, the variations in tone colours will even out and give a resultant light tone due to the nib grind and flow. For these purposes, a EF or finer nib might work.

 

 

 

 

To OP: I enjoy seeing people buy fountain pens but I have to make known what you are/might be getting, to try to provide a fuller picture than what some video (or otherwise) reviewers might offer - and without any agenda. But I must say this: my pen is not what your pen will be.

 

(My new SF and EF nibs have been quite enjoyable and I have no intention of returning them, and so I asked in another thread, "has Platinum improved/changed?". But this doesn't mean they write silently or as quietly, or as smoothly as my Waterman Phileas or Pelikan, or Lamy 2000. )

[ridiculopathy]

In my experience, there's more of a correlation between flow and noise (higher flow = less noise) than between pen brands.

 

I'd also say that Platinum nibs are "smooth" like HB pencils rather than gel pens.

[Darth_Roo]

The pencil thing is a great analogue

 

I bought my first 3776 in M at the start of the year.

It's bizarre how it can be smooth AND toothy at the same time. It's got a lot of character and I loaded it with some KonPeki which I consider very wet. It's just like writing with a nice pencil

[minddance]

In my experience, there's more of a correlation between flow and noise (higher flow = less noise) than between pen brands.

 

I'd also say that Platinum nibs are "smooth" like HB pencils rather than gel pens.

yes, there is a correlation between flow and noise.

 

but when Waterman Phileas and Lamy and Montblanc and Pelikans and even my steel Pilot Medium nibs and even Platinum Preppy in Medium can have alot less noise un-inked, it says a lot about differences in nib manufacture.

 

of course, the type of ink used and paper, writing style all have effects on the noise produced.

 

but I am comparing un-inked nib tipping on paper. without all the ink and paper and writing style in the equation.

 

if ink has to be brought into the equation, my experience tells me the originally quiet nibs get even quieter, and the noisy pens get quieter but still noisier than the quiet pens. what is noisy is still noisy.

 

I apologize if I sound less than polite, perhaps someone could come up with an improved feed with greater flow for Platinum3776? like what some people did with the Pilot 743/823 FA nib. but in Platinum's case, to allow more inks to be used, provide a quieter and smoother writing experience and also have the option to change back to the original feed if one needs it for specific writing tasks.

Edited February 27, 2019 by minddance

[TSherbs]

well, you would have to try one out yourself. You might actually like or love it. I am often told and reminded here that Platinum 3776 are soooooo smooth. Guess people have very different definitions of smooth.

 

be sure to buy from shops that have good return/exchange policy, just in case you don't like the pen. I was so shocked and overwhelmed by my first Platinum 3776s, not in a good way.

 

 

No worries, I won't be risking my money on anything like this soon. I don't meet many actual pens in the wild, and I don't live near a store. I love my Pilot Custom 74 with a SFM nib. The 3776, to me, is just another similar pen in the same category with what looks like a less pleasurable writing experience for my kind of writing, and I don't buy multiple similar pens from a single category once I have one that I like (that is superfluous to me).

[minddance]

 

 

No worries, I won't be risking my money on anything like this soon. I don't meet many actual pens in the wild, and I don't live near a store. I love my Pilot Custom 74 with a SFM nib. The 3776, to me, is just another similar pen in the same category with what looks like a less pleasurable writing experience for my kind of writing, and I don't buy multiple similar pens from a single category once I have one that I like (that is superfluous to me).

I learnt about the Pilot Custom 74 SFM through Sandy1's reviews, the ink was Herbin Lie de The. It is my first Pilot Custom and the one I got is absolutely splendid - enough flow, good line width, sufficient softness for some cushioning while writing. No, a Platinum3776 will never write like that.

 

it is now inked with Mont Blanc Irish Green. It is full of subtle tonal variations, some people call it shading. And legible.

Edited February 27, 2019 by minddance

[Thymen]

I have a Platinum #3776 with an 'M' nib, and one with a 'SF' nib. Also, I have a Sailor 1911 Realo with an 'M' and one with a 'B' nib.

 

All of these Japanese pens are 'noisy' and 'feedbacky', and I wonder why they are. Is it the grind? Well, then re-grinding and smoothing could solve that. But I wonder if the behaviour may be because the rhodium tip is of a more 'grainier' structure. Then smoothing does not change the feel.

 

All my other pens (MontBlanc, Shaeffer, Jinhao with Jowo nibs) significantly change their feel after smoothing, but the Japanese pens don't.

 

I like the feedback of the Japanese pens, maybe also because I am a lefty; although the SF nib is a bit thinner and scratchier then what I hoped for.

[Mech-for-i]

As one who write in both Western and Asian Language I can just state that ... one size do no fit all ... there are nibs that are tailored to do one thing and then there are nibs that are tailored for other .. Can they be used otherwise . of course .. within a reasonable context ... they just would exhibit difference and sometime that difference is in the audible part .. that's it, simple , straight forward .

 

For one I had no trouble using my Monblanc or Pelikan to write Chinese and Japanese ( provided I do not go for the B nib or wider for the typical small text ) and I have no issue using Japanese / Chinese fountain pen to write Cursive either ( I am though not into calligraphy so forge about trying to do all the line variation, I just aim to have legible and good handwriting )