I had heard many good things about the Platinum 3776 Century and, as it isn’t very expensive, I bought one to see if I agreed.

It’s the standard cigar-shaped pen.  Where it differs from others is in the plastic (you’re supposed to say resin) which is a deep, rich burgundy and it’s translucent.  Very pretty.  Much prettier, in fact, than most transparent pens, usually sold as “demonstrators”.  It’s a matter of taste I suppose but I find them quite ugly.  The innards of this pen are visible if you hold it up to the light but otherwise it’s just a very shiny red pen.  The gold plated trim is nice, especially the cap band which bears the legend “Platinum 3776 made in Japan”.

It has the “Slip and Seal” closure mechanism which closes the pen so well that the nib does not dry out even during extended periods when it is not in use.  I haven’t had the pen long enough yet to be able to determine whether this innovation works or not, but it’s reasonable to assume that it does.  When the cap is screwed on, there is a slight tightening of the action in the last quarter turn which, I assume, is the additional piece of inner cap plastic closing the pen.

The 14 carat nib is pretty much standard fare, except that it is less curved than most modern nibs.  Quite flat in fact.  I chose the “soft fine” option.  Surprisingly, for an oriental pen, it’s quite a generous fine.  The nib is pleasantly springy and it is possible to force a little line variation, but it isn’t enough to be significant and that isn’t what you would buy this pen for.

The pen is a cartridge/converter filler and the one that I bought (courtesy of Amazon) came without the converter.  The cartridges are, of course, proprietary which possibly explains why a pen of this quality is as inexpensive as it is.  Platinum can make up any losses on the pen in sales of their cartridges, I’m sure.

It’s a light pen at around 20 g, something which meets with my approval.  It isn’t a large pen but I would say that it is more than adequate at 15.5 cm posted.  It posts securely and feels well-balanced.  The nib is smooth and the ink flow is perfect, neither dry nor too wet.

My only complaint about this pen – and it’s a small one – is the step from the widest part of the barrel to the threads.  It doesn’t interfere with gripping the pen to write so it’s a purely aesthetic consideration.  I would prefer an unbroken smooth curve.

This, then, is a modern pen of which I thoroughly approve.  I would approve of it even more if it had a proper filling system but you can’t have everything, I suppose, or at least not at the very economical price at which the Platinum 3776 Century is sold.