Ongaku, 音楽

Para Kinno-san.

Comparative review of the Platinum 3776 and the Pilot Custom 742, both with music nibs.

In my limited knowledge, only three companies produce nowadays music nibs: Pilot, Platinum, and Sailor. Some sources say that the German company Bock can make these nibs, but I know of no company implementing them.

Of the above mentioned companies, Sailor’s music nib has only two tines and lacks, in my opinion, the visual appeal and the extra flow of the second slit. Sailor’s is more of a smooth stub than a real music nib.

The two nibs under analysis.

Pilot, on its side, makes two versions in sizes 5 and 10 for its Custom 74 and 742 respectively. The pen chosen for this review is the bigger of them.

Platinum, in principle, has only one model for its 3776 pen. Its cousin company Nakaya also has a music nib that I suspect is the same as this one albeit with a different engraving. That Nakaya nib has the possibility of becoming flexible by cutting its sides, according to the Nakaya website on August 2010. The pen chosen for this review is, needless to say, the Platinum 3776.

Both pens were filled with the same ink –Sailor Red Brown— using their converters: the CON-70 provided with the Pilot pen, and the standard Platinum piston filler.


1. Appearance and design. (Pilot: 7.5/10; Platinum: 7.0/10)
Both pens are black torpedos with golden accents. And these are the only possibilities for those nibs—exciting nibs in boring costumes.

Top: Pilot Custom 742. Bottom: Platinum 3776.

Pilot’s pen is bigger and seems more substantial. The plastic looks of better quality that its Platinum rival. This is the reason for the difference in the grades in this department.

The rest, clips and ornamental rings, do not make any real difference.


2. Construction and quality. (Pilot: 9.0/10; Platinum: 9.0/10)
Both pens seem to be solidly made. Caps screw on the barrels. When posted, the attachment between cap and barrel is firm in both cases.

These pens might be boring, but they are not cheap in quality.


3. Weight and dimensions. (Pilot: 7.5/10; Platinum: 7.75/10)
Pilot's is bigger and slightly heavier. It is comfortable and well balanced when unposted. Posted, it certainly feels a bit heavy on the back.

Pilot Custom 742 dimensions:
Diameter: 15 mm
Length capped: 146 mm
Length uncapped: 129 mm
Length posted: 158 mm
Weight: 25 g

The Platinum pen is lighter and shorter, and is easier on the hand. It is well balanced if unposted, and less so posted. Both caps weight 9 grams. The difference in the balance when posted –in favor of Platinum— is therefore related to the actual length of the pen.

Platinum 3776 dimensions:
Diameter: 14 mm
Length capped: 137 mm
Length uncapped: 118 mm
Length posted: 151 mm
Weight: 23 g

All in all, the Platinum pen is slightly better than the Pilot in this department.


4. Nib and writing performance. (Pilot: 7.5/10; Platinum: 9.5/10)
La madre del cordero. In boring-looking pens like these, nibs are their basic argument. and more so when these nibs cannot be obtained in any other model.

Both nibs are made on 14 K gold, and have three tines and two slits. Both are enjoyable and fun to use. However…

On the left, feed and music nib of the Pilot Custom 742. On the right, those for the Platinum 3776.

Pilot’s size 10 nib is a wet writer, slightly flexible—springy. Reasonably smooth, but with some feedback. Occasionally, one of the slits might run out of ink, leaving a thinner line. The reason for this problem might lay in the structure of the feed—this has only one groove leading to the tip.

The tips of the nibs are very different--square and flat that of the Pilot on the lower side. Platinum's tip is smaller and thinner.

The difference between the horizontal and the vertical lines is very clear: 0.40 mm on the horizontal, and 1.10 mm in the vertical. In my normal writing, the effect of this change becomes more evident when pen and writing line are at an angle of 45 degrees.

Platinum’s nib is buttery smooth, and very stiff—a nail. Wet writer with a perfectly controlled flow. Its feed, as can be seen on the picture, has two grooves—one for each slit. And it is significantly longer than that in the Pilot pen.

Feeds of the Platinum, on the left, and of the Pilot on the right. The twin grooves of the Platinum are clearly visible.

The line difference is also very clear: 0.50 mm on the horizontal, 1.20 mm on the vertical.










Handwritten samples with both nibs. Platinum's pen on the left hand side; Pilot's on the right.

5. Filling system and maintenance. (Pilot: 7.5/10; Platinum: 7.0/10)
Both pens use proprietary cartridges and converters. Pilot has some advantages, however, because of its extensive range of converters. And one of them, the CON-70 provided with the pen, really holds a lot of ink—about 1.4 ml.

On its side, Platinum converter is a much smaller piston filler—0.5 ml. It did not come with the pen and had to be bought separately, which is simply cheap on the side of the company.

Maintenance wise, both pens are similar. The nib and the feed can easily be extracted from the section by pulling if a deep cleaning was required.

In conclusion, Pilot scores a bit higher in this department due to the good performance of its CON-70 converter.

The pens with their converters attached. Platinum, on the top with its piston filler. Pilot, on the bottom with the CON-70.

6. Cost and value. (Pilot: 7.0/10; Platinum: 9.0/10)
Both pens offer nowadays unique nibs. Therefore, it is difficult to compare them to anything else in the market.

Comparing them face to face, Pilot is more expensive than Platinum –JPY 20000 and JPY 15000, plus taxes. An alternative could be the less expensive Pilot Custom 74 with a size 5 music nib at a cost of JPY 12000.

Therefore, given the writing qualities of the Platinum, this pen is a better deal than the Pilot.


7. Conclusion. (Pilot: 46/60=77/100; Platinum: 49.25/60=82/100)
The overall score favors Platinum, but the difference is small. Pilot pen wins in appearance and in the use of a good converter. On the other side, Platinum’s wins hands down in nib performance.

My preferences go for the Platinum pen. I tend to value the nib of any pen a lot more than any other issue. But both pens are fun to use.

(Pilot Custom 742, music nib – Sailor Red Brown)

Bruno Taut
(Inagi, August 11-12, 2010)
[labels: Pilot, Platinum, Sailor, plumín]

Post data: Some weeks later, I wrote another review on a similar pen: the Pilot Custom 74 with music nib.

Angle

Some days ago I wrote a review on a Sailor Fude Pen. On that pen, the nib is bended up at an angle of 40 degrees. The result was, as I concluded, a nice and fun pen, although definitely not a daily writer.

Soon after I finished using that pen, I inked its counterpart—a Sailor Fude Pen with the nib making an angle of 55 degrees. This small detail is, in actual terms, very significant in order to write comfortably. Therefore, here I am adding these additional notes to complement the above-mentioned review.

The nibs under analysis face to face: the 50-degree on the left, the 40-degree on the right.

In summary, there are three different cheap Sailor Fude Pens:
—a long pen in blue with a 40-degree nib,


—a long pen in green with a 55-degree nib,


—a torpedo in blue with a 55-degree nib.

The first two of them have exactly the same dimensions and price—JPY1050 (about €10). The third one is shorter and slightly more upscale in appearance. Its price is twice that of the previous two—JPY2100.

Then, how does the angle affect the writing? The answer is, however, very personal because it depends on the way each user holds the pen, and on the preferences regarding the line width. My experience is as follows:

With the 40-degree nib, writing with a thin line is relatively easy—the angle between pen and paper has to be greater than those 40 degrees. In my case, that is not difficult, and the line variation associated to the pen inclination is easy to achieve.

On the contrary, the 55-degree nib requires a higher angle to draw that same thin line. But higher than those 55-60 degrees, the pen is very perpendicular to the paper and that makes the grip uncomfortable.

The torpedo Fude Pen's 55-degree bended nib.

So, my writing style is such that I tend to hold the pen at a nearly 55 deg with respect to the paper, which is the optimal angle for the very wide horizontal lines. But these are not convenient for usual writing. Therefore, I rather use the 40-degree Fude Pen –the one I reviewed— and make a conscious effort in making a thick line at 40 degrees than making that conscious effort in writing my usual thin line.

Those are my personal constraints. People who enjoy writing with thick lines –those B or BB or BBB nib people— might choose the opposite strategy.

(Sailor torpedo Fude Pen 55 – Sailor Red Brown)

Bruno Taut
(Inagi, August 8-9 2010)
[labels: plumín, Sailor, caligrafía, Japón]

Copy

All three big Japanese pen companies have torpedo-like models on their catalogs. Pilot calls them Custom –74, 742, 743, 823,…—; Platinum, either 3776 —the altitude of Mount Fuji— or President; Sailor, Profit in Japan and 1911 overseas. Of course, we all think of Montblanc and it seems that the German brand is not very happy about these copies. Rumors say that there were a number of legal actions against them.

Several torpedo pens, including a French Bayard, and a Japanese Tombow.

The usual explanation goes by saying that Japanese express their admiration by copying. However, I find this explanation hard to swallow.

Some Pilot models. From left to right, Custom Sterling (1976), Custom 743 (2009), Super 100 (late 1950s or early 1960s), Custom 742 (2009), Super 200 (1960).

The Montblanc Meisterstück was created in the late 1940s and early 1950s. During the 1960s and 1970s, Japanese companies did not copy them. Pilot’s Custom models or equivalent (the Super series) could be equally boring in looks, but they were also different.

The Pilot 65 released on the occasion of the 65th anniversary of the company (1983).

Actually, only in the 1980s modern torpedo pens were marketed. It was on 1983 when Pilot created the limited edition Pilot 65 on the occasion of their 65th anniversary. With some minor variations, that model is nowadays the Custom 74.

Montblanc Meisterstück 147, Pilot Custom 74, Sailor Profit, Platinum 3776.

My conclusion is that this copying strategy obeys to marketing arguments: Give ’em what they want! And the general public still thinks of Montblanc when fountain pens are in the conversation.

From top to bottom, Sailor's Junior 21 K gold nib, Montblanc's 14 K gold nib in a 144, Platinum's music nib, Pilot's falcon nib in size 15. All of them in boring-looking torpedo style pens.

Luckily enough, Japanese nibs are a lot more exciting than their boring Montblanc counterparts of these days.

(Platinum 3776 Music nib – Sailor Red Brown)

Bruno Taut
Inagi, August 6 2010
[labels: Japón, Pilot, Sailor, Platinum, Bayard, Tombow, Montblanc]

Fude 40

Pen review of the Sailor Fude Pen 40.

This is a very special, and very East Asian pen. Fude pens, as they are called in Japan, have their nibs bended up at a certain sharp angle. By doing this, the user has the possibility of choosing the line width by changing the angle between pen and paper. On top of that, at a certain inclination, a horizontal line drawn with this nib is very wide, while the vertical line remains thin.

Only some Chinese companies and Sailor in Japan manufacture this type of nib. The waverly nib Pilot offers does not have these characteristics. Sailor, on its side, makes three cheap pens with these nibs. Two of them have the nibs at an angle of 55 degrees. This one reviewed here has it at 40 deg. This company also produces a golden fude nib for more upscale pens.


1. Appearance and design. (6.5/10)
This pen is made entirely of plastic and does nothing to hide it. It has no clip to attach the pen to a pocket, but a notch on the cap to keep it from rolling. The cap screws to the barrel.


This is a surprisingly long pen. It seems to be made for the purpose of using it on a desk, and not to carry it around.

2. Construction and quality. (8/10)
Despite its cheap price and appearance, this pen seems to be well made. Nothing is loose and everything fits well.


3. Weight and dimensions. (7.5/10)
As I mentioned before, this is a long pen. But made in plastic, it is light and well balanced, especially unposted.

Dimensions:
Diameter: 13.0 mm.
Length capped: 169 mm.
Length uncapped: 150 mm.
Length posted: 191 mm.
Weight: 14 g.


This is a big pen and it might be inconvenient to carry it around. However, this is not a usual pen and few people would use it as a daily writer. For that purpose, Sailor makes a smaller torpedo-like fude pen.


4. Nib and writing performance. (9.0/10)
This pen’s nib is, once again, the raison d’être of this pen. It is bended upwards at an angle of 40 degrees to allow the user to write with different line widths—from extra fine to extra coarse. Its purpose is to write Chinese characters with the line variation a brush provides naturally.


The nib is made of stainless steel. Non-tipped, rigid, very wet. And very smooth.

For those of us who do not write Chinese ideograms, this pen is more suitable for drawing and more creative tasks. It is fun to use.


5. Filling system and maintenance. (8.0/10)
A cheap pen, but accepts Sailor cartridges and converters. Its main problem is the limited capacity of those in a very wet pen. I see no major problem in making it an eyedropper, and then the pen would have a huge ink deposit.

Cleaning this pen is very easy. Nib and feed are easily removed from the section by pulling.


6. Cost and value. (9.0/10)
This is a very specialized pen. So, taken it into consideration, the value is excellent. The cost, less than €10 (JPY 1050, taxes included).


7. Conclusion. (48.0/60=80/100)
This pen is fun to use, although it can hardly become a daily writer. It is inexpensive and performs well. The lower scores come in the department of design and appearance—it could certainly be more attractive.

PS (August 9, 2010): Some additional comments on this pen are available on the entry entitled Angle.

(Sailor Fude Pen 40 – Sailor 100717031)

Bruno Taut
(Inagi, August 2-3, 2010)
[labels: Japón, Sailor, plumín, caligrafía]

90

Pilot Company celebrated its 90th anniversary in 2008. To commemorate this event, many of us know, Pilot created the limited edition M90 fountain pen. Limited but not so limited—9000 units, Pilot says, made it widely available.


Much less known is the fact that Pilot also lunched two other fountain pens. The most exclusive one is a maki-e Emperor size of which only 90 units were crafted.


More widely available was a raden –maki-e with small pieces of shells— pen. There were 900 of them. And during the past Wagner pen clinic I had the opportunity to test and photograph this raden pen.

(Platinum WG Tang Dynasty – Platinum Black)

Bruno Taut
(Inagi, August1 2010)
[labels: Pilot, evento]

Black

Pen review of the Sailor 21 black pocket pen.

After having written a review on a black Platinum pocket pen, speaking about its Sailor counterpart is only natural—and boring. But this is my daily pen these days.


1. Appearance and design. (6/10)
Again, a formal black pen for shirt pocket. The accents are more silvery than golden. The nib, however, is golden in color and material.

As mentioned for already reviewed pens (I, II), this is a Japanese product of the 1970s. And, I add now, on the more formal style. But at the same time, it is a handy and convenient design.

2. Construction and quality. (7/10)
This pen had been used when I got it in my hands. It shows some tear and wear on the cap, mostly. The adjustment between cap and barrel and cap and section is perfect despite the years of use. And that is especially important for the writing comfort in a pocket pen.


3. Weight and dimensions. (8.5/10)
Standard size for a pocket pen. Well balanced.

Dimensions:
Diameter: 11.0 mm.
Length capped: 118 mm.
Length uncapped: 99 mm.
Length posted: 146 mm.
Weight: 12 g.


4. Nib and writing performance. (8.5/10)
Very smooth fine nib in 21 K gold. There is no indication of the actual point. The nib engraving only says “Sailor, 21 K, -2-“.


The ink flow is just perfect for this nib. The demands are easy to meet as the nib is very rigid.


5. Filling system and maintenance. (5/10)
A Sailor pocket pen does not give you many options—you must use, or re-use, Sailor-proprietary cartridges of 1.1 ml in capacity. This is, nonetheless, quite enough for a fine nib.

There existed converters for these pens, but they are long out of production.

The adaptation of the current converters to these old pens presents a problem in the bore of the section—it is too narrow for the metallic part of the converter to fit in. There are exceptions to this general rule, but that is not the case of this particular pen.

Regarding maintenance, there is nothing complicated on this pen, as is the case on most cartridge only pens.


6. Cost and value. (8.5/10)
Cheap pen, good writer. Therefore, good value.


7. Conclusion. (43.5/60=72.5/100)
Good pen for daily use. Boring looks and proprietary cartridges with no possibility of converter take many points away. The nib scores very high.

(Sailor 21 black pocket pen – Sailor Brown)

Bruno Taut
(Inagi, July 10, 2010)
[labels: Japón, Sailor]

Stars

Monthly meting of the Wagner association this past Sunday. As in previous occasions, lots of exciting pens, although the attendance was this time lower, maybe due to the heatwave we now suffer in Tokyo—terrible heat and mortifying humidity.

Mr Niikura, this time, came with a beautiful selection of Pilot pens from the 1920s. Their common characteristic was this security system called hoshiawase (星合せ)—star system.

The box with the sixteen hoshiawase pens Mr. Niikura presented. All of them, eyedroppers.

The story goes that Japanese manufacturers were, in the 1910s and 1920s, obsessed about leaking pens that could stain the valuable kimono of their customers. Sounds certainly charming, but I wonder if that is an element unique to Japanese pen manufacturers. I guess American and European brands were also concerned about the ink stains in the more boring suits and shirts. Boring maybe, but equally valuable to their owners.

Anyway, Japanese companies devised a number of systems to seal the ink deposit of the pen when this was not in use. The hoshiawase system is only one of them. It consists of a section composed by two parts that rotate one with respect to the other. Only when the two red dots are aligned the ink can flow from the deposit to the nib. Misaligned, the ink deposit was sealed and, we assume, it was safe to carry the pen with a minimal risk of staining kimono or shirts.

The stars (red dots) are aligned—the pen is ready to write.

The stars are crossed—the ink is sealed in the deposit and the pen is ready for your pocket.

The pens Mr. Niikura presented showed the evolution of this system. But the chronicles say it was never a good enough to fully confine the ink in its reservoir. Apparently, these pens were discontinued in 1926.

This is the back of the section. Note the two concentric cylinders: they rotate between the two ends, limited only by the small stick attached to the inner cylinder.

The barrel of the pen whose hoshiawase system was depicted before. Note the brand name engraved on the metal.

Regarding the nibs, they had a full gamut of possibilities—from hard nails to fairly flexible.

This was another example of the pens on display.

And this is its nib.

A total of sixteen hoshiawase pen were presented. Impeccable, uninked, with the original price tags—few yen could buy them back in their days. And that raises the question of the purpose and goals of pens and of pen collecting. But that demands a chronicle all for itself.

Suffice to say that I would use one of those pens if I had the chance.

(Sailor 21, black pocket pen – Sailor Brown)

Bruno Taut
(Inagi, July 26 2010)
[labels: Japón, Pilot, evento, soluciones técnicas]