Nib Comparison: Platinum 3776 F & M vs Pilot Custom 74 F

[@InkquiringMinds]

Three beautiful pens graced by some excellent penmanship. Thanks, Kathy!

[@gadgetstop321]

You're welcome!

[@Matt-dd1zr]

You helped me with deciding what nib to go for on the 3776!! I’m going to get it with a Fine nib!

[@gadgetstop321]

I'm glad I could help!

[@tonibat59]

The Pilot 74 F writes a bit broader than the Platinum 3776 M. Look at the vertical and horizontal short lines. It is also wetter.. The Pilot may be smoother, but the lines on the Platinum look a little bit thinner, crisper, more controlled.

[@cooldude14es]

Thank you so much for all your videos comparing nibs from different brands. I heard that Pilot nibs where closer to western nibs despite being japanese and I think this video is also showing that. I have a Sailor progear slim M which is great and a 3776 also M on the way, but in case I bought a Pilot in the future I think i would go with F nib, since M on Pilot could be too wide. Thank you!

[@gadgetstop321]

I agree. I prefer the medium 14k nibs from Sailor and Platinum because they are more pleasant to use with a wide variety of inks. However, Pilot's 14k fine nib is also a joy to write with, no matter what ink I use.

[@anguswhite8233]

No!: Platinum nibs write one size broader than the equivalent nib by Sailor or Pilot which is why Platinum have their ‘UEF’ nib which puts down a line width equivalent to a Pilot/Sailor EF:)

[@reillyi7607]

I just got a black 3776 with a fine nib, and I think it's great. On rhodia it has a lot of feedback but is not scratchy.. quite enjoyable. But yes, I tried writing with it on some cheap paper and it wasn't the best experience.

[@polksie]

Platinum and Pilot are my favorite brands.

[@gadgetstop321]

I wouldn't argue with that (...well, I would throw Sailor in there and they would be my favorites).

[@SleepingCube]

Very nice comparison video. I have a Platinum 3776 with a Medium nib and am surprised that the fine nib on the Pilot custom 74 is comparable to it. I just bought the Custom 74's big brother, the Custom 742 in a Fine Medium nib.

[@gadgetstop321]

Thank you! I prefer to use certain inks with Pilot nibs and other inks are more enjoyable to use in a Platinum nib...and it's fun to experiment and see which is which. I've never written with a Pilot F-M, but it seems like it would be a sweet spot as far as nib sizes go.

[@korax67]

Nice video Cathy ! I love my Custom 74 (F) too !

[@gadgetstop321]

Thank you! I'm considering getting a Custom Heritage 92 or a Custom 823 later this year but I can't decide between a medium or extra-fine. I do enjoy the the Pilot fine nibs, but I don't like to get multiples of the same nib. I wonder if that is bad reasoning on my part?

[@korax67]

@@gadgetstop321 I was thinking exactly the same, a Custom 912 or 743, in order to try the special nibs that Pilot offers, such as the FA in particular, or even the soft fine/medium. (So many options and I can afford only one. ... )

[@alicesremedy9161]

I agree: Pilot gold nibs can be too smooth. I found myself subconsciously pressing down on them just to get that feedback that lets you know you're writing, and that was on Tomoe River Paper 52 gsm. But, like you say, that smoothness is good for more feedbacky paper or cheap papers. The best nib I've ever tried was a Franklin-Christoph Masuyama Stub nib, because it was a broader nib without toothiness, but still had that Sailor feedback since Masuyama trained and worked with Sailor. I didn't keep it because I still don't prefer stubs, and I need a thinner line that's more like a Japanese Medium (Sailor/Pilot), but it still set a standard for me. Plus, the Franklin-Christoph pen didn't fit right for me.

[@gadgetstop321]

Most stub nibs are too wide for my everyday writing, but I've considered a Franklin Christoph fine SIG nib. But there aren't many reviews or writing samples out there. I don't own any Franklin Christoph pens so I'm reluctant to make the investment if I'm not somewhat sure that I would even like it.

[@geslinam9703]

I always hear people mentioning “smooth, bouncy” when they describe the Custom 74. I find mine to be very stiff, like a steel nib in feel. And not really all that smooth. Not as smooth as the 3776, for sure. When I bought it, I wanted a certain color pen, and the seller only had that pen in medium, so he switched nibs for me from another fine pen. I wonder if that has anything to do with it, the way he might have put the nib in.

[@gadgetstop321]

I'm surprised to hear that about your Custom 74. I had a similar experience with my E95s. Its a smooth writer, but no discernable softness. I can't remove my E95s nib and re-install it, but you could try that with your Custom 74.

[@geslinam9703]

@@gadgetstop321 next time I change inks, I’m going to try to take it out and reinstall it. Thanks so much for all the work you put into your videos. They’ve made decisions about pen buying much less stressful for me. I don’t really like the idea of buying several of the same pen when there are so many to choose from...but based on your reviews, I bought a 3776 in the faceted Nice Lilas with a broad nib last week - was initially disappointed, as I prefer fine nibs, but the broad nib was all the shop had left. When I got home and inked it up, I just didn’t like it. So, to make myself feel better, I immediately bought a plain barrel one with a fine nib on Amazon. Much less expensive. I love the fine nib, and surprisingly, after playing around with it for a while, the broad nib is growing on me. So, I just ordered a medium, in Nice Lavende...it’s ridiculous, spending the money on the pink and lavender pens, but they are so pretty, and I truly love the way the 3776 feels in my hand and they write so nicely. So thanks for your nib comparisons, I feel confident that the medium will work for me.

[@gadgetstop321]

@@geslinam9703 You're welcome! Whenever I'm considering getting a new pen, I like to watch every video that exists about it. Medium and broad were the most common nib sizes used for writing samples, but I'm starting to see more fine and extra fine nibs in videos. I agree, the 3776 is such a well designed pen and the Lilas and the Lavende are beautiful. Even though I don't own one of those models, they were the ones that got me interested in the 3776. The medium is my favorite Platinum nib. I'm so content with it that I don't know if I'll ever try a broad. I do enjoy playing with the Kaweco BB, but so far I've only used it for playing with ink.

[@geslinam9703]

@@gadgetstop321 I do a lot of research and video watching too, before deciding. I get the feeling, and it looks from your writing samples, that the M 3776 is going to be much more similar to the fine than it is the broad, though I’ve read it’s a finer broad than a lot of other brands. The one I have, the nib is so ultra smooth, it’s completely silent and just feels so pleasant to write with. I don’t mind a little feedback, but I love the silky feel of this broad nib! Which worries me a bit - because up until now, I was secure that I would not be tempted by anything other than fine and extra fine and occasional medium nibbed pens - but in finding that I actually like this broad nib, it occurs to me that I might like all the other nibs that I previously wasn’t interested in - which opens up a lot more buying possibilities. Ugh. I swore when I got my first pen that it would be my only pen, that I wouldn’t need more than one pen, that I would never be like all the crazy people spending a ton of money for a dang pen....

[@fernandochinarro4676]

Gracias desde España

[@gadgetstop321]

Danada! 😀

[@okinawapunter]

very informative. thanks.

[@frenchaccent540]

Nice Review! Would be nice to have added Sailor 1911 which seems to be in same price and nib category. Question off topic, what do you use as camera/tripod and other video materials? I like how you can zoom in and out at a flip of a switch. Thank you

[@gadgetstop321]

Thank you! I have a video that compared the 3776 M and the 1911 M. And my video setup is very primative: I suspend my phone above my desk by attaching it to two dowel rods with rubber bands, then I prop up the ends of the dowel rods using anything (books, boxes, etc...) to get my camera to the correct height.

[@frenchaccent540]

Simple is good. Your solution seems to work very well, visually excellent for message you are trying to convey. I like the ease of zooming in and out! Thank you

[@alexanderoh1847]

So I have bought a custom 74 (F) and I have an issue with nib dryness on up and right strokes, do you have the same issue? Or did you modify the nib? If so what did you do to get it as wet as you show?

[@gadgetstop321]

The up strokes on my Custom 74 are dryer than the down strokes. I haven't modified the nib, but dry inks exacerbate the problem.

[@zainalu]

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you so much! First one to comment. Thanks for fulfilling my request.

[@gadgetstop321]

You're welcome!

[@genaishivatov1737]

F-nib of 3776С does not write well - this is how it is made from M-nib by turning the side faces. It turns out not a smooth, round ball, but with flat faces.

[@gadgetstop321]

When paired with the right ink and paper, the 3776 fine can provide a nice writing experience.

[@Takasnooze]

It's hard to beat a Pilot fine nib.

[@gadgetstop321]

I got the 3776 medium and a sailor 1911 medium because the Platinum and Sailor fine nibs had too much feedback on certain papers and didn't perform well with some inks. But I haven't found a bad paper and ink combination for my Pilot Custom 74 F.

[@someflipswhoguy]

Holy crap make your audio volume higher

[@gadgetstop321]

👍