I like Platinum pens. I have a few, and they've all been great and reliable and I use them very frequently. The affordability is a huge plus (Platinum's budget pens all clock in at under 20 USD), but if you're looking to burn a little more money, there's the Platinum 3776 Century, a pen that retails in the US for around $200.

I had my eye on the 3776 because they can come fitted with a soft fine nib, which has been described as "springy" by multiple people. What does a pen have to do to be called springy? I had to know. I was hoping to buy one in person because I loathe online shopping, but my local art store didn't have the green color... and I needed that green. I reluctantly ordered it online, and here we are!

The 3776 is a resin pen with a screw-on cap. It's a generic cigar shape in a solid color with a simple clip and a bit of metal trim. Many brands have pens that look like this. It's not a pen that you buy for looks, but I'm partial to the design. The green resin is nice and dark, but the translucency ensures that it's still readable as green and makes it look really nice in the sun.

The 3776 is a mid-sized pen. 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. For me, it writes comfortably either way.

All Platinum pens come with an anti-drying mechanism in the cap. It's pretty much impossible to photograph this in the 3776, so I'm using the clear cap on the Platinum Preppy as a visual aid. The cap has 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 pattern 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 feels great and, indeed, springy. It's not flexible, 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 to modify your pen pressure. 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 there is a characteristic feedback to their nibs. It's not scratchy, but the feeling is similar to writing with a pencil. It can be an acquired taste if you're used to really smooth writers, but 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. On the art side of things, I anticipate that this pen will be a dream for detailed linework and even just regular sketching.

I wouldn't consider the 3776 to be a replacement for my cheaper Platinum pens — I can throw those around without worrying about them too much, whereas the 3776 never leaves my desk. But it adds some additional luxuriousness to the writing experience that I haven't experienced in any other pen, and I use it almost constantly as a desk pen. It's not sexy, but it's a pen that just works, and I would much rather have solid functionality at this price point.

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! ↩