Is the Platinum 3776 a good EDC pen?

[PeregrineFalcon]

I noticed that the fountain pens I’ve experimented with for EDC use tend to dry out. I journal infrequently when I’m out of the house, but still would like to use a fountain pen. 
 

I heard the Platinum 3776 has cap mechanism that prevents it from drying out. Would it be a good pen for EDC? The hottest it gets in my area is usually around the 90 degree F, but I don’t plan on leaving it in a car or anything like that. 

[A Smug Dill]

Well, what qualities in particular are looking for in an “every day carry” fountain pens?

 

Platinum's Slip & Seal is very effective at preventing ink evaporation over long periods, but that wouldn't usually be primary concern for a pen you bring “every day”, or at least often, with you out of the house, or away from your base of operations, with the intent or expectation of writing with it. That, however, is a single quality, and does not really pertain specifically to suitability for “off-site” use cases.

 

A lot of business users of fountain pens would look for ease/speed of deployment of the nib for writing, ruggedness of the pen's construction and/or finish, etc. to suit their “off-site” applications of writing with a fountain pen, and real-world conditions of the “carry” part of the day.

[AmandaW]

My choice for an 'out and about' pen would prioritise resistance to drying out, but also recognise the increased risk of losing or breaking it. With all that in mind, my choices have been Jinhao 992 and TWSBI Eco. Both seal well and won't break the bank if I have get another.

[sandy101]

Yes, the 3776 is an excellent edc pen. It is light and posts nicely, which means you do not get an overbalanced pen and the cap stays nicely out of the way. The medium nib I have gives a little feedback - it is like writing with a 2b pencil - if you want buttery smooth writing go for the broad nib. 

 

The slip & seal works nicely - and keeps the pen ready to write most of the time. Platinum's blue-black ink can cause a problem as it seems to dry up/clog the pen the quickest.  

 

Platinum's black ink is versatile. It works on a wide range of papers and does not bleed through  as much as other inks. I've used Platinum ink in my moleskine journals without complaint for years.

 

If you don't want to spend so much, the Platinum Plasir comes with the same slip & seal mechanism. The nib isn't as nice - but it shares the non-drying up qualities of the #3776. 

[TSherbs]

12 hours ago, PeregrineFalcon said:

I noticed that the fountain pens I’ve experimented with for EDC use tend to dry out....

After what length of time? Do you mean EDC for travel (say, for more than three days), or do you mean EDC for work and/or errands, etc (away from the house for hours, not days)? 

[Lithium466]

I like the slip & seal thing for the tactile springy feel it gives while closing the pen, but I am unable to factually tell if it seals any better than a regular Sailor or Pilot cap.

Actually, the only pens that dried out (capped) on me are some Platinum Preppy (with slip & seal), a Parker 51NG and some very cheap Lamy Safari copies.

 

As for the Platinum 3776 itself, I recommend trying it before buying, as it's a very feedbacky (in my limited experience). I see above a comparison with a 2B pencil, but there are pencils and pencils so that's really hard to compare like that. Maybe a Mexican made Ticonderoga n°2 would be my comparison, or some dry "drawing" pencils like the Conté à Paris 601.

 

[A Smug Dill]

1 hour ago, Lithium466 said:

I am unable to factually tell if it seals any better than a regular Sailor or Pilot cap.

 

That depends on the model of Sailor or Pilot pen. Generalisation by brand, including for Platinum, is misguided.

 

The Slip & Seal mechanism delivers, in my experience with dozens of Platinum fountain pens equipped with it. Whether that makes such a pen better than either some generalised category/collective of pen models, or better than one very specific model, in that regard has no relevance to the objective assessment of the mechanism's effectiveness, or whether the Platinum #3776 Century pen (model fitted with Slip & Seal) makes a good EDC pen.

[Lithium466]

Actually what I meant was more along the lines of "I can't tell within all my pens, excluding the ones I mentioned above", irrelevant of brand, model, etc.
Meaning I am not personally in position to tell if the Platinum 3776 UEF Bourgogne I inked on March 15th with Diamine wild strawberry seals any better than the Sailor 1911L inked with Sailor blue black on March 26th, or even than the Moonman/Majohn A1 inked around these dates, that admittedly saw more use.

 

I see some have tried some more extensive tests, albeit no comparison with other models, here for ex 

 

And I agree that there should be more than focusing on Slip & Seal or not in order to pick "a good EDC pen".

[jchch1950]

I have none Of the Platinum 3776 with the Slip and Seal system, but they are light pens that post securely and do not dry if they are left unused for several days. Their price is good and they come in several colours and a wide range of nib wides including a music one. They are good ERC pens in my experience.

[A Smug Dill]

On 5/20/2023 at 9:24 AM, PeregrineFalcon said:

I heard the Platinum 3776 has cap mechanism that prevents it from drying out.

11 minutes ago, jchch1950 said:

I have none Of the Platinum 3776 with the Slip and Seal system, but they are light pens… 

 

You alluded to a good point that should be flagged for attention. Not all Platinum #3776 models (now all rebranded #3776 Century, on Platinum's own initiative starting circa 2018, irrespective of whether the particular model is equipped with the Slip & Seal mechanism) are so equipped; and, for the avoidance of doubt, the “lowest common denominator” in terms of retail price is not the determinant.

 

The (minority, in the big picture) of entry-level models — including Black in Black, Bourgogne, Chartres Blue, Laurel Green, and Chenonceau White — with gold trim has Slip & Seal; as does the same colourways with silver trim (which have a slightly higher retail price). As does the Nice series. Not the Pure Gold Zo-gan models. It's in the Kaga Maki-e models, but not the models with wooden barrels, such as Yakusugi and the (now-discontinued) various Briar models. It's in the Kanazawa-haku models, but not the Celluloid models. As far as I can remember, it isn't in the (now-discontinued) Marbled Ebonite model; but it is in the 100th anniversary commemorative limited edition ‘The Prime’ models. It's in the Decade and ‘Shape of the Heart’ limited editions.

[Karmachanic]

On 5/20/2023 at 12:24 AM, PeregrineFalcon said:

the fountain pens I’ve experimented with for EDC use tend to dry out.

 

Because badly made pen. The cap does not seal.  I do not own a 3776 as I am generally step-down averse.  I do not have any pens that dry out when left for several weeks.  Some for several months.

 

So yes.  If you like the the 3776 with "Slip and Seal" it will work as and EDC.

[PeregrineFalcon]

Thanks for the responses everyone

 

On 5/19/2023 at 5:19 PM, A Smug Dill said:

Well, what qualities in particular are looking for in an “every day carry” fountain pens?

 

A fair question, my personal definition for an EDC pen would be a pen that doesn’t break under the rigors of every day work, as one would treat a BIC ball point pen.
 

I shouldn’t have ink spill through the cap on my shirt, the barrel/furnishings don’t crack to pieces because I dropped the pen at human height level, and or at least not get chipped because it’s been jingling in a bag. And the pen shouldn’t dry out if I’ve had it clipped on for a week on my shirt. 

 

I looked at it the Pilot Vanishing Point, but after my experience with the Platinum Curidas I don’t trust it to not dry out. 
 

The 3776 I’m looking at specifically is this one: https://a.co/d/8wuCDPQ

 

I prefer simple, sleek black pens. 

[Lithium466]

For what you are describing (Bic bp), I'd pick a Pilot VP...which is miles ahead of the Curidas!

Or start with a Moonman/Majohn A1 and see how you like it...and how it does or doesn't dry out for you.

(mine has been perfect for me, I live in a cold/temperate climate but with very low humidity rate most of the year, I don't know how it would fare with higher temperatures)

 

Of course all of the above doesn't prevent you to get that 3776, one can always have several pens 😂

[A Smug Dill]

3 hours ago, PeregrineFalcon said:

the barrel/furnishings don’t crack to pieces because I dropped the pen at human height level, and or at least not get chipped because it’s been jingling in a bag. And the pen shouldn’t dry out if I’ve had it clipped on for a week on my shirt.

 

Huh, then you should forget pens with plastic/resin/celluloid bodies, and get a Platinum Procyon (either the glossy white one, or the more expensive sheeny metal models, but not the ones with a matt finish) instead.

[Arkanabar]

The description copy mentions the slip & seal mechanism.  My wife has a Plaisir (another slip & seal model) that she sometimes neglects for months, and it still writes on the first stroke from the original fill of the first cartridge of Platinum Black I put into the pen for her, years ago.  My own Plaisirs see more use, and I refill the cartridges using a bulb pipette rather than use a converter.  Platinum's cartridge is quite possibly better than Parker's.

 

Me, I've had good results from my Jinhao 51A XF pens.  They're absurdly inexpensive and generally reliable, and last for years, even in the high stress /high risk world of nursing.  They weigh so little that falling rarely damages the body of the pen.  I have habitually clipped them to the outside of my scrub breast pocket, and the closure mechanism (cribbed from the Parker "51", a set of six leaf springs inside the cap that engage a clutch ring between hood/section and barrel) has never let them just drop out once capped.  I have had barrels unscrew from the pen, though.  They seem to write more smoothly than the Hero 616, which uses an aerometric filler instead of a piston converter.  I have had a Jinhao 51A burp on me, though.  It's likely advisable to push 5 drops of ink out after filling, and hold it nib up while returning the converter's plunger to its normal position, to get all the ink out from the hood.  Also, I hold the pen at the clutch ring, and I avoid black sections, which make it very hard to see any ink that may have gotten out of the pen.

[PeregrineFalcon]

On 5/21/2023 at 10:30 AM, A Smug Dill said:

Huh, then you should forget pens with plastic/resin/celluloid bodies, and get a Platinum Procyon (either the glossy white one, or the more expensive sheeny metal models, but not the ones with a matt finish) instead.

 

On 6/3/2023 at 11:05 PM, Arkanabar said:

The description copy mentions the slip & seal mechanism.  My wife has a Plaisir (another slip & seal model) that she sometimes neglects for months, and it still writes on the first stroke from the original fill of the first cartridge of Platinum Black I put into the pen for her, years ago.  My own Plaisirs see more use, and I refill the cartridges using a bulb pipette rather than use a converter.  Platinum's cartridge is quite possibly better than Parker's.

Thanks for the info, I upgraded to the Procyon (white) since I wanted something a bit classier looking than the Plasir. 
 

From my experimenting with the Procyon, it seems to work well enough for my purposes, and more heavy duty if I drop it.
 

As an added bonus, I heard the Platinum 3776 grip is swappable with the Procyon barrel - if that’s true, hiding a gold nib in a Procyon sounds like just what I wanted. 

[mke]

On 5/20/2023 at 8:24 AM, PeregrineFalcon said:

Would it be a good pen for EDC

Every pen you WANT to use daily is a good EDC pen for you. If a pen cannot be used daily without problems, then it is just a bad pen. Throw it away. And if you have more problematic pens from the same brand, forget the brand.

There are many pens made for users, ranging from Montblanc 146/149, Sailor, Pilot, to Platinum - many more, I would guess. Also Waldmann Pens are made for users and not for collectors.

 

Do you want to see my EDCs?

https://www.instagram.com/p/CqJqIEJyxE9/

 

 

[georgeb]

A Cross Bailey Light might work for you.