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View Full Version : Platinum 3776 Shoji



tandaina
December 21st, 2014, 05:02 PM
This review grew out of my review of my Sai (http://fpgeeks.com/forum/showthread.php/9770-Platinum-3776-Sai!) which happened because first I bought a Koi (http://fpgeeks.com/forum/showthread.php/9478-Platinum-Koi-Fountain-Pen?highlight=platinum). The Koi started my love affair with the Platinum 3776 line and from there I've arrived at quite a little collection of these pens.

After Christmas I'll do a review of my whole 3776 line compared to the Montblanc 146, because the pens basically match each other, they are obviously intended to compete. But let's not get ahead of ourselves.

I snapped the Sai up at a ridiculous price on Black Friday from Pen Chalet, and it got me interested in the line of pens commemorating the lakes around Mount Fuji, the "reflecting lakes" they are apparently called because they all allow you to view Mount Fuji's reflection. The first lake, and pen was Motosu, which isn't available from retailers anymore and I have had zero luck finding online. (Yes, I've looked.) Each lake pen is a limited number run. Shoji was next, then Sai.

Sai is clear and utterly unornamented. Shoji is more what I've come to expect from a 3776. With a silver ring at the base of the barrel, and the thick silver cap band engraved with Platinum 3776. *This* is what makes a 3776 to me and I wish the Sai had followed suit, but ah well. The material is as sparkling clear as the Sai, but is distinctly, delicately blue. In strong light the color fades, but in less intense light, and as the light angle gets less the blue becomes more pronounced. But always is silver/light like the sky reflected in a bright lake. Lovely color.

http://tandaina.smugmug.com/photos/i-BHgjbqB/0/L/i-BHgjbqB-L.jpg

I'm not sure why they chose to do this with the Shoji, but they painted the name and image of all the lakes onto the inner cap. (Also the numbers 3776). As you turn the cap a new lake comes into view. I'm assuming they are listed in teh order they ring the mountain but I don't know that. I held off on buying this pen because I really, really didn't like the idea of the lakes on the cap. It seemed... contrived. Like some roadside souvenir pen and I really thought that in pictures it ruined the lines of the pen. I finally gave in to a good deal and the desire to someday have the whole line. And I find that in person the names and images don't bother me. They aren't intrusive, and they're sort of a nice little surprise as you turn the cap.

http://tandaina.smugmug.com/photos/i-rnPgvb8/0/L/i-rnPgvb8-L.jpg

Here's Yaminaka, which doesn't have a pen yet. Poor lake. ;) I've not head if Platinum ever plans to finish this series or if they've moved on to the Nice series. It would be a shame if they didn't. Seems odd to leave out just one lake.

If you look very closely at the section in the previous two images you'll see a common complaint about this pen (and Motosu). There are fine, hairline scratches inside the section, machining marks others have called them. There are a lot of them, not just one or two, but all over the inside of the section. Platinum knows, and basically told people 'tough cookies that's how they are.' I've seen numerous reviews of people returning these pens because of the machining marks and honestly I don't blame them. I mean you'd expect that a company with the quality of Platinum could manage to create a nice clean section. They obviously figured it out eventually because the Sai doesn't have this problem. It is *not* a deal breaker for me. I was interested to see that my pen also suffers from the issue, but it doesn't affect usage, so it will stay.

Outside those marks, it is a beautifully executed pen. The choice of rodium trim is perfect for the icy blue of the body, and now that I've got a number of these clear 3776s I'm really enjoying being able to see the intricate guts of the slip and seal inner caps.

http://tandaina.smugmug.com/photos/i-qkhBcjp/0/L/i-qkhBcjp-L.jpg

I have way too many pens inked at the moment and this is also a boring old M nib, so I'm going to leave it uninked for now. The M nib does absolutely nothing for me. (It is smooth as glass, not its fault at all). So it and its M nibbed cousins will almost certainly make the trek to a nib miester to get tuned into italics. One may also get ground down to an EF like my Koi because it works so, so well as a journaling pen in my Hobonichi.

So there you have it folks. The Shoji!

klpeabody
December 21st, 2014, 06:18 PM
Thanks for the review, Tandaina. I kinda thought the same with respect to the names of the lakes appearing on the cap of the pen. The "roadside souvenir" analogy is a good one; that was my initial impression, as well. Glad to hear that it's not as obtrusive as it might seem. With that aside, the icy blue color of this pen is very appealing to me; I'm pretty sure that I could overlook the stuff on the cap should the day ever come where I find one of these pens in my possession. ;-)

Crazyorange
December 21st, 2014, 07:28 PM
Great review. The subtle blue is beautiful. I have to say the sai looks outstanding...the clear body with the snowflake converter is drop dead gorgeous. It's stuck in my mind as one of the top demonstrators for looks. Which the shoji can't beat. I'm looking forward to seeing all the pens together in a pic.

reprieve
December 21st, 2014, 07:36 PM
This is a great review. Thanks. I'm really looking forward to seeing all of them together next to your MB 146. :)

I really love the clear blue color of this pen. I also love seeing the slip-and-seal mechanism in the cap. My Shoji also has the scratched section, which did bother me initially, but I find that when it's inked and in use I don't notice it. That's my only complaint about the pen. Overall, I think it's gorgeous. It's the color that gets me.

Lady Onogaro
December 23rd, 2014, 10:55 AM
I love the background you chose to use in the review.