PLATINUM 3776 Century Kawaguchi

[Brilliant Bill]

Has anyone yet preordered (ordered it before ordering it!) the final Lakes edition Platinum 3776?

The PLATINUM 3776 Century Kawaguchi design looks dazzling.


http://www.nibs.com/platinum-3776-century-kawaguchi.htm

[katherine]

I haven't, but it was very tempting! I have a Sai I really like and I'm not sure I'd replace it...

[migo984]

I was going to, as I really like it, but it's only available with F, M or B nibs. I'd prefer o SF to give me a different writing experience. I have a SM on my Yamanaka & it's a great nib. If I did buy it I'd get it from Japan. Nibs.com charges too much.

[Brilliant Bill]

On this pen, Engeika and Mottishaw are same price. I was surprised.

[migo984]

On this pen, Engeika and Mottishaw are same price. I was surprised.

I don't buy from Engeika much anymore. I can get it for $175 from another seller. Also I'm not in the US and nibs.com charge ridiculous rates for international shipping & won't even consider alternative options.

[stub]

I was going to, as I really like it, but it's only available with F, M or B nibs. I'd prefer o SF to give me a different writing experience. I have a SM on my Yamanaka & it's a great nib. If I did buy it I'd get it from Japan. Nibs.com charges too much.

I have a Sai and a, uh, regular, i guess you'd say. Both are outstanding. The Sai has a B nib that is glorious. The regular (ch. blue) was only available in my country in the F, M with no B and no soft nibs. But when I was in Japan I tried them all and for the life of me could not see/feel much difference between the F and SF or the M and the SM nibs. It was pretty subtle. The non-soft nibs seemed to have about the same amount of give as their soft versions. They all seemed a little soft to me, unlike the Pilot nibs where the non soft flavors were quite rigid and the Soft nibs has noticeably more give in them.

I any case the bottom line is I have an M and a B and both are great and, unlike pilot, I don't see/feel a dramatic difference between the soft nibs and the regular ones.

YMMV

As for nibs.com, they don't always have the best prices (though in this case their price is quite good) but occasionally it makes sense to pay more. Again YMMV but each pen I have gotten from them has been 100% perfectly tuned. And I am tired of paying expensive shipping twice because a pen I bought was too dry, misaligned, leaking, etc. and had to be sent back. You might pay more with nibs.com but it is nice to know you are more likely to get a great pen right out of the box & not have to send it to be adjusted or out to a nib tech and pay for that, shipping and bear the usual 6month wait.

[SIR]

The lakes are very nice pens and so are the Nice and other special models; but the price differences can be more than 50% over the standard, which as others have mentioned has more nib options, and my soft fine is possibly the best writer I have on Tomoe River!

P.s.
+1 for Engeika - who, coincidentally, I bought my Century SF from and at slightly more than half the cost (including shipping and taxes) of what I would have paid domestically.

[migo984]

I was going to, as I really like it, but it's only available with F, M or B nibs. I'd prefer o SF to give me a different writing experience. I have a SM on my Yamanaka & it's a great nib. If I did buy it I'd get it from Japan. Nibs.com charges too much.

I have a Sai and a, uh, regular, i guess you'd say. Both are outstanding. The Sai has a B nib that is glorious. The regular (ch. blue) was only available in my country in the F, M with no B and no soft nibs. But when I was in Japan I tried them all and for the life of me could not see/feel much difference between the F and SF or the M and the SM nibs. It was pretty subtle. The non-soft nibs seemed to have about the same amount of give as their soft versions. They all seemed a little soft to me, unlike the Pilot nibs where the non soft flavors were quite rigid and the Soft nibs has noticeably more give in them.

I any case the bottom line is I have an M and a B and both are great and, unlike pilot, I don't see/feel a dramatic difference between the soft nibs and the regular ones.

YMMV

As for nibs.com, they don't always have the best prices (though in this case their price is quite good) but occasionally it makes sense to pay more. Again YMMV but each pen I have gotten from them has been 100% perfectly tuned. And I am tired of paying expensive shipping twice because a pen I bought was too dry, misaligned, leaking, etc. and had to be sent back. You might pay more with nibs.com but it is nice to know you are more likely to get a great pen right out of the box & not have to send it to be adjusted or out to a nib tech and pay for that, shipping and bear the usual 6month wait.

I have several #3776 pens and I honestly find there's a distinct difference between my M and SM, for example. But then I have a very light touch and sensitive feel, so perhaps that accentuates the difference?

I have many (in the hundreds) pens, at various price levels, bought from all over the world; I've honestly never had a problem significant enough on a new pen that couldn't be simply adjusted at home or that required a return (apart from one pen that was bought from a very reputable US seller and arrived shaped like a banana!). So I've never incurred return shipping: lucky me perhaps? Therefore I don't think a simple "tune" is worth his premium. And I can see no reason to justify their shipping costs - nibs.com would charge nearly an extra $50 to ship a pen to me. Yet I've had lots of pens shipped by the alternatives available, including one I got this week, shipped for under $15. Never had a problem there either. So I just take my business elsewhere. As you say YMMV.

[stub]

So in essence the total opposite of everything I said. Your milage varied. heh. I still agree with me.

[Zhivago]

Is the shade of blue of the Kawaguchi the same as the Chartres 3776 line?

[Sammyo]

Is the shade of blue of the Kawaguchi the same as the Chartres 3776 line?

It is lighter and has some more detail in the form of a textured wave pattern around the barrel and cap... but that is really hard to see in most pictures

Edited to add link:
You can see the detail best on the official Platinum site:
http://www.platinum-pen.co.jp/founta...kawaguchi.html

[KKay]

It is lovely alright. No, I haven't preordered. I won't be buying anything for quite some time. I do have the Yamanaka and love it.

[Waski_the_Squirrel]

I was extremely tempted. It's pretty, and there are two Platinum nib sizes I really want.

But, I talked myself out of it. I own a Shoji (M), a Yamanaka (SM) as well as other forms with a SF and a Music nib. What I really want is a broad, and I would enjoy trying a fine, though I don't really feel a driving want for one.

[inquisitor]

I ordered mine from a US seller (Goulet Pens). Broad nib. I have the others in the series and they are a dream come true to use.

[Zhivago]

I just got a Kawaguchi. To me, the color is a blue-black to the Chartres' blue. Big thumbs up; it may turn out to be my favorite 3776 Century.