I like Platinum pens. I have a few, and they've all been great and reliable. Platinum's budget pens all clock in at under 20 USD and the writing experience is phenomenal. If you have money to burn, there's also the Platinum 3776 Century, a pen that retails in the US for around $200.

I never would have considered spending so much on a pen, but I had my eye on the 3776 because of the "soft fine" nib, which has been described as springy by multiple people. I tried one at a local art store and was immediately sold on the springiness of it. I tried a few of its competitors at the same price point as well, but the 3776 was the only pen that offered a significantly different writing experience (which is my main priority when I'm getting a new pen). And it comes in green?!

The 3776 is a resin pen with a screw-on cap. It's a simple cigar-shaped pen. Many brands have pens that look like this. It's not a pen that you buy for looks, but I still like it. The green resin is very dark, but the translucency ensures that it's still readable as green. And it looks great when it catches the light!

It's about 5 and a half inches long with the cap on and just under 4 inches without the cap (not counting the nib). It's lightweight, but it doesn't feel cheap like a plastic pen does. A lot of the weight comes from the metal clip on the cap, so posting the cap helps balance out the weight if it feels too light. I usually use it unposted.

All Platinum pens come with an anti-drying mechanism in the cap. It's pretty much impossible to photograph this in the 3776, so here is the clear cap on the Platinum Preppy as a visual aid. There's a spring-loaded inner cap that connects to the grip section of the pen when it's closed, which creates an airtight seal and keeps the ink from evaporating. A lot of modern pens have similar mechanisms, but Platinum claims that theirs is so good that it can prevent a pen from drying out for up to a year. I have no desire to test this, but my Platinum pens have always started up nicely even after sitting idle for a while.

Onto the nib: It's made of 14k gold, which is the main reason why the pen costs $208. It doesn't have super elaborate embossing on it, but it has a minimalist Mt. Fuji engraving that follows the curve of the edge. (The 3776 is so named because Mt. Fuji is 3776 meters tall.) And it has a fun heart-shaped breather hole, which is cute and fun!

The nib isn't flexible and shouldn't be pressed on too hard, but the tines give just a bit before springing back into place. The line variation is subtle but noticeable even when you're not making a conscious effort. It adds a bit of character and... maybe even... whimsy to your grocery lists, letters to your elected officials, meeting doodles, etc.

Platinum pens tend to run dry, and this nib in particular has some feedback when you write. It's not scratchy, but the feeling is similar to writing with a pencil. I love the tactile experience of writing with it. I usually prefer broader, wetter lines, but the slight flexibility of the soft fine makes it much more pleasant to use than a firmer nib for me. I'm sure it's going to be a great sketching pen for the same reasons.

I wouldn't consider the 3776 to be a replacement for my cheaper Platinum pens — I throw those around without worrying about them too much, whereas the 3776 never leaves my desk. But it adds some additional zest to the writing experience that I haven't experienced in any other pen, and it's one of the only fine nibs I use.

Footnotes

1. Refer to these reviews: Hand Over That Pen, Pen Addict, Fountain Pen Network thread 1, and Fountain Pen Network thread 2... to name a few! ↩