As I recently learned, Platinum has decided to revive some of their nibs from the past, and I suspect it will excite a lot of you. Japanese nibs are usually finer than their European counterparts anyway, so they tend to be the choice for anyone who likes fine nibs. Previously, the finest Platinum has regularly offered their nibs in a fine nib width. But, what we have here is something exciting, three new nibs!

These are the three new nibs I test in the video:

  • Platinum 3776 Black Century Soft Fine, a semi-flex nib with a line variation from about fine-broad
  • Platinum 3776 Black Century Extra Fine, which is quite thin be surprisingly smooth
  • Platinum 3776 Ultra Extra Fine, which is the thinnest nib I’ve ever used, and is smooth considering how thin it writes
I don’t know to what degree these nibs will be available ongoing, I know there are limited numbers of them arriving in the US right now. I was fortunate enough to get my hands on some of these pens (especially the UEF!), so I wanted to share my experience with you. Here’s a writing comparison with a Lamy Al-Star extra-fine and TWSBI 540 extra-fine:
Platinum 3776 fine nib writing comparison to TWSBI and Lamy extra-fine nibs, done on Rhodia 80g dot pad paper with Noodler’s Black.
It’s funny that the soft fine nib seems so fat compared to all these others! The dots on the paper are spaced 5mm apart, if that gives you any reference. I can say, the lines we’re looking at here are quite thin, all of them. The Lamy extra-fine was surprisingly close to the Platinum extra-fine, though as some of you have experienced the consistency of the Lamy EF nibs can sometimes waver, I mean it is a $12.50 nib. The end result is close, but the Platinum nib is a whole different writing experience, writing so much smoother. The TWSBI wrote much nicer, similar to the Platinum but just a bit wider on the paper. The Platinum ultra-extra-fine is definitely the thinnest nib, and flows surprisingly consistent for such a fine nib. I honestly enjoy all of these nibs, as much as I can anyway (I’m kind of a stub-junky!).
My conclusion: bravo Platinum! Thank you for offering these nibs again, I hope to see them regularly! I would love to see you expand into the 3776 Bourgogne, that would be amazing. These Black Century models are beautiful though, I really like the improvements made over the old 3776 design, particularly with the cap insert that seals the nib so it won’t dry out for a year. I know the Century 3776’s deserve their own full review, and I’m working on that.
Platinum 3776 Black Century, available in extra-fine, soft fine, fine, medium, and broad.

One thing to note, Platinum has released the next 3776 limited edition pen, the Shoji with a soft-fine nib like you see here. There won’t be an extra-fine on it, unfortunately, but you’ll see it in soft-fine, fine, medium, and broad. This pen is yet another that warrants its own video, but it’s worth mentioning here since it’s the same body style and nibs that I use in the video.

Platinum 3776 Century ‘Shoji’ Limited Edition, available in soft-fine, fine, medium, and broad.

I’m very eager to see what the extra-fine nib aficionados think of these nibs once they get them in their hands, I for one am impressed. I’d love to hear what you think, let me know in the comments!