Platinum Izumo Urushi Fountain Pen Review

[@JoelTurrell]

When first I saw Azizah's piece on this pen, I was reminded of the 2005 Jaguar XJ8-based Super V8 Portfolio (of which only 150 were built and only for North America) whose paint changed color from black to deep cherry red depending upon lighting conditions. The car was a looker: its looks were so outstanding that one expected performance greater than any contemporary European sedan. To this day, I wish that I had bought one, even at its outrageous price. If a pen is stunning, and you can afford it, buy it and don't look back.

[@jmccarty3]

I bought a couple of Izumos a few years ago, one with a fine nib and the other with a medium. Both were dry and rather scratchy, even after alignment. I took the pens to a show intending to sell them, but instead had the good fortune to meet the gentleman who is the Platinum distributor in the US. When I told him about my problem, he offered to exchange the nibs on both pens for broads. All I had to pay was postage. Now I am very happy with both pens, which write smoothly and wetly, with just a touch of feedback. I was quite impressed with this level of customer service. I think it does make a difference if you go to a show, where being able to establish a relationship with people is both helpful and fun.

[@thequickbrownfox1102]

If you buy directly from Asian vendors, you can get them for a little above $400. At that price, the Izumo is a very good value.

[@AntonL122]

It is the other way around “出雲”, meaning (literally) “protruding through the clouds” . It is a reference to the 出雲大社（Izumo shrine) one of the most ancient and important shrine in japan, it worships the deity Kami, the creator of The land of Japan and ruler of Izumo. This deity is believed to grant the worshipper good relationship and good marriages.

[@islaymmm]

That's not accurate. It expresses a view where a cloud(s) is forming or appearing. Also Kami is not the word for the deity worshipped there, kami or 神 is a general word for a god, deity, beings like that. Jesus Christ is a kami, Poseidon is also a kami etc. The deity worshipped in Izumo shrine is called 大国主, O-kuni-nushi.

[@AntonL122]

Thank you for correcting me, and sorry if I mislead anyone!

[@Shub99]

"To improve is to change, so to be perfect is to have changed a lot" - Winston Churchill, appreciate that the "piston filler at high price " opinion is being revised ... On the road to perfection it seems 😉😀👍 ... I have this on my grail list ... Lovely review thanks

[@Taylor510ce]

Your persistent "NO!" reminded me of the Bob Newhart "Stop it!" skit on Saturday Night Live. Made me laugh this morning, thanks SBRE!

[@AnzanHoshinRoshi]

Great sketch. I believe it was on MAD TV.

[@ARF_average]

NNNNNNNO

[@Timoteo3858]

Late good morning Stephen, Excellent review that you have given today, many of your points on valuation are agreed with. For many the inclusion of a piston filler mechanism indicates value in a fountain pen, based in part, I believe, on historical precedence. However your point of easy serviceability is very well taken, and I personally agree. Nib proportion is striking in its small size to the point of appearing pygmy like, or mimicking a "shrunken head". Perhaps it was the look that their designers were aiming for. Wishing Azizah and yourself a very Merry Christmas and Happy NEW YEAR! Tim Florida

[@stevemaass3074]

Flagship can be misleading, of course. One might think flagship means super fancy or super expensive, and of course this pen is neither in the grand scheme of things. But it is elegant. And the urushi is luxurious. And it writes beautifully, based on personal experience. So congrats on the purchase. And thanks for the review! 🙂

[@WaskiSquirrel]

I know I have wanted one. I love my Platinum President. This has the same nib and a gorgeous finish.

[@frankbruno7122]

Best wishes to you both in 2019! I enjoy having been with you from the beginning of your KZbin journey. Your work has been a calming influence over the past seven plus years as I went through 7 spinal surgeries and the loss of my mom and dad.. and two kitties.. kind of a crappy time but that can be life.. you have to roll with it but my point is that your reviews eased the load a bit.. by the way.. I like the Izumo far more than a simple Nakaya that I have.. best regards and here's to a great new year for all of us! Frank from Colorado

[@matthewbeddow3278]

Thanks Stephen for the review. I love the looks and the finish , personally i don't mind converter pens even at this price because of the ease of cleaning but each to their own. I like to take this opportunity to wish you and your family a Happy Christmas.

[@Snick3927]

Hi Stephen-my Izumo nib (which I too wish were beefier) isn’t too dry and, with almost any De Atramentis ink, plenty wet. Glad I too chose a broad, though-my guess is that a fine or even medium would be inkflow-illiberal.

[@randy-9842]

Thanks a bunch for this review Stephen. I very much like the appearance of the black and red urushi as well as the shape of the pen. I agree that a slightly larger nib and, definitely, a wetter nib would have been preferable. My preferences also run toward cartridge converters since I like to change my inks often and for the convenience of cleaning, but that preference is a minor issue. Merry Christmas to you and your lovely wife!

[@fossilimprint2954]

Thank you for the honest review. Agree, for a high end pen, Platinum should check for ink flow. Also agree, that nib on that body makes me think of Beetlejuice.

[@hemantkothari909]

Steve ,Merry Christmas to you ,n to your family -Hemant Kothari,India

[@michaelyuen3789]

I've owned my Izumo Urushi for several years now. The medium nib on mine was tuned to cursive italic by John Morttishaw of Nibs.com. It's not dry at all, in fact it's wet and smooth - a great writer. The reverse side (extra fine) is also wet and smooth. The interesting thing is that the section thread on mine is metal instead of ebonite. I wish it was ebonite like yours as I need to be careful every time I close the pen to avoid mis-thread.

[@dkaranovic]

Well, now that I finally saw your review of the Izumo, I have to say that I am happy that I bought the Sailor KOP Ebonite for 600$ instead of the Izumo. In fact, the Izumo seems to confirm my view of Platinum pens: rather dry, sometimes even scratchy. Even if this one is not scratchy, it should be considered as an upgrade of the standard line of Platinum, esp. of the 3776. It seems to make sense to recommend this pen to Platinum users, who might already have a 3776 and want to do an upgrade (or anybody else who likes dryer pens). I would not recommend this pen as an upgrade from a Pilot 823 or a Sailor 1911, assuming that you like those pens. This is not meant as a critique, it's actually consistent, you get what you can expect, just a bit better. (The nib size is a real drawback, though). Now, please do a review of the Pilot Custom Urushi. :)

[@DrRWH]

I have this pen and yes you can get it cheaper. This pen has character, I like it too, and use regularly with carbon ink often for sketching. Mine is fine and not particularly dry as someone else commented so maybe you're a bit unlucky. My peeve is the cap and threads and the risk of incorrectly threading the cap on the body although a 1/4 turn back and then on cures that of course. The finish however is very good indeed.

[@peterhofmann8292]

Stephen, thanks for the review really a nice pen, and happy that it has found space in your collection.

[@rztour]

Stephen. Thanks for another well thought out review. It's lacquer finish is quite striking and definitely gives the appearance of an expensive and impressive pen. The location of the threads was quite interesting and a bit of an achievement with the opposing thread in the barrel located further inside the barrel than where it would typically be...on the end. On the down side, I agree, 18K gold doesn't mean they can deliver a disproportionately sized nib. Your point on the converter is an excellent one. I don't want to fall in love with a pen and then have an internal issue with its piston-filler--I'll take the converter any day. I just discarded my my ill-performing CON-50, and instead bought a CON-40. While I believe you've previously mentioned the "big drink" a piston-fill can take, to me it means I can't change ink color as frequently as I like. Not sure you mentioned what ink stalled in your pen before you prepped it for the review, but if it was red, try Schaeffer's Skrip red. EXTREMELY well behaved in a fountain pen. Cheers my friend.....and to you and yours have a great holiday!

[@billinrio]

An excellent review, as always.The metal ring at the junction can indeed be an issue. I have a Caran d'Ache pen that has such a ring, and it corroded terribly. I was able to buff out the corrosion and then applied a waterproof lacquer to it. Your concluding words are interesting. For me, "I kinda like it", for such an expensive pen, is pretty much saying that you "kinda" regret buying it.

[@PuckerFactor10]

Sweet Stephen!!! Love your reviews! Converts are the best! Easy to change inks, and clean! I love to change inks often. Just the best!

[@c.s.johnson7691]

From my artistic foundation, those "arrow marks" are sicencetiffacly referred to as "Cheverons". Please refer to the Cheveron gasoline signs, or look it up. That aside, I enjoy your point of view on fountain pens. The Platinum 3776 nib is a beautiful piece of workmanship, easily beating out any of my Japanese manufactured pens, as it seems to glide under my hand.

[@850911darren]

well, the thing is though, the pen only costs around 55000 yen (500 USD) here in Japan. Every time I watch foreign reviews on Japanese pens I always get shocked at how high the prices are for western customers.

[@zchen358]

I like my izumo, but the metal trim ring at that location just kills me. Platinum's pre-century 3776 balance models used to have those trim rings too and I have yet to see an example on the 2nd hand market that does not have some sort of plating loss, I'd imagine that is why it was removed when the 3776 was redesigned. And yet Platinum continues to have this for their supposed flag ship models (President and Izumo)

[@kulnet]

But can it be posted?

[@ALEXANDER1318]

No.

[@jncg2311]

Thank you for doing this review, a good insight to hear your thoughts. At the full price perhaps a bit hard to swallow but I do think these nibs are better than some might believe from your comments, size aside. Platinum President nibs are very consistent I've found. From a sample of 5 I've had, none were misaligned or excessively dry and the three mediums wrote very much like each other. I have held onto 4 Platinums having had 12+ over the years and 3 are Izumos; biwa, aka and sora tamenuri in fine, medium and broad. Each individual but for me they are up there with the KOP and Custom 845 for writing pleasure and certainly value. In my opinion the wooden one is not as well balanced as the ebonite models. Unposted, of course!

[@AnzanHoshinRoshi]

Thank you, Stephen.

[@andrewtongue7084]

I think, Stephen, the nib is the ultimate point (sic) - agreed, it looks disproportionate - & altho' it would void any warranty - as far as Platinum goes, I'd be inclined to widen those tines with brass sheeting to make it a wetter writer; yes, it is an expensive scribe, but given the barrel/cap treatment, justifiably so. I really like the ergonomics of the pen, & even my large hands would happily accomodate this piece, unposted. The accoutrements - box etc, are a nice touch, tho' not wholly necessary (& each to their own in that regard). As to the section ring, well, that's largely academic - I've never had one corrode on me - but then I'm fastidsious about cleaning my pens. My only real objection - if you can call it that, is the body being ebonite - equally, why does it not come with an ebonite feed at this price point ? Ebonite is the superior material vis-a-vis plastic for nib/feed flow, & that's a failing on Platinum's part as far as I am concerned. Otherwise, it's a lovely writing instrument - Thank you as always - stay safe, both, Best, Andrew :)

[@speedbird8987]

For that price I need more than “a few things to like” - I think I’ll pass on this one and stick with my Pilot 912 😎

[@MechFrankaTLieu]

interesting My Izumo B nib seems to laid down a much thicker line ... but yes its tend be not really west by any mean, and that's OK for me

[@richardsims6016]

Well, your phrase "It's not all that bad" with regard to Platinum's flagship pen does give one pause, Prof Brown. What other Japanese flagships would you recommend without the qualifiers? Thank you & happy holidays! Your humble svt😁

[@sbrebrown]

The King of Pen would win for me

[@yavuzolgun9380]

Dear Anthony Lau, 出雲 in Japanese, has not always the same meaning in, for let’s say Chinese, I presume you have decided to translate from. In my understanding, having lived there for a few years and talked about the area and read about the shrine, I am positive that the meaning of 出雲 as in the name of the place means: the appearance of clouds. When one looks up to the broad sky of the rice field-filled landscape of Izumo, one can imagine and in reality see the many clouds that fill the sky of Izumo. Best wishes.

[@davecharvella4854]

Just one question; can I post this pen? 😁

[@johnhchoe1714]

Thanks for your reviews! For someone interested in an entry level (whatever that means) Urushi pen, would you recommend this over a Wancher? Or another suggestion instead?

[@mohamedalketbi2326]

what is your opinion about the patron of art especially Joseph II blue and red editions ??

[@putteringpenman]

Wow that's a beautiful pen. I don't like the toothiness of Platinum's nibs so it's not for me, but the craftsmanship looks great.

[@jasonochoochoski7442]

Hi there, What was the pen company that you mention in this video that produces an Urushi pen for around $450? Thanks for the great video...beautiful pen...and I love the red accents. Regards, Jason

[@sbrebrown]

Wancher

[@ScriptaSemperManent]

The magic remedy to a dry nib is adding a very tiny dose of dish detergent to the converter. This transformed my rather dry President into a very wet writer. Many thanks for the review!

[@pat412pear]

Hans Gilliams Really? What brand of detergent?

[@ScriptaSemperManent]

www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/199472-in-praise-of-dish-soap/

[@pat412pear]

Hans Gilliams Thank you😃

[@severalwolves]

When you say “Let’s uncap the pleasure” would you be able to maybe dial-down the level of creepiness, just a tiny bit? Like, to a 3 or maybe 4? I think I need to go take a shower, but I haven’t seen the reverse writing test yet! (Disclaimer: I don’t intent this as cynical/mean-spirited/offensive, I’m just joking with ya - - I really appreciate the videos!)

[@Richard_Barnes]

Thx Stephen, I have a question for you, online I am seeing this pen with Gold cap threads on the pen body. Are these later pens or earlier pens? In a UK webstore I can only see this version, I cannot find the version you hold in this video with Ebonite threads. Hmm, interesting......

[@jmccarty3]

The gold threaded pens are older. I prefer the appearance of the newer pens, but others may not.

[@Richard_Barnes]

James, I have to agree, the newer design is better 👍🏻 thx.

[@evanmacdonald240]

Clip matches the shape of the barrel!

[@architecteric]

As an asian, we tend to write smaller compared to westerners so maybe to Stephen it might be a bit dry but could be perfectly fine to Asians. Individual preference and as what he mentioned, nothing that a nibmeister can't do.

[@severalwolves]

Eric Ng I’m American and I write really small. Which is typical, as everyone knows Americans to be reserved, modest, and pusillanimous. So yeah I def fit in :D JK, Help! Get me outta here! The orange guy is gonna get us all killed!

[@bbppchan]

Dry pen and dry ink don't do well. I find montblanc ink quite dry

[@busternineshoes]

I'd post it. Gently, but I'd post it. I hate being told what to do...

[@wuyeah1980]

I dunno, if I were going for an expensive urushi pen, I kinda prefer to see more color.

[@rosemarymoore2531]

Professor, I just got this pen may I post it? Curious, a student who was texting while watching your video.

[@rosemarymoore2531]

btw it was totally an emergency that caused me to have to text

[@adrianhughes5831]

If you want to try the Platinum President nib on a more modestly priced pen you can do so. It is on the Platinum President pen. These nibs differ subtly from the 3776 pen range.

[@krugmeup2162]

Yes but the quality of construction is cheap feeling.

[@kanck7909]

出雲 This way up. You are welcome.

[@GlennCaton]

Has anyone ever told you that you have a flair for ironic cheesiness? If not, please allow me to, both be the first, and a great encourager!

[@cesaregao6519]

Hahahaha. A lacquer pen, whatever the brand it is, always teaches a posted-pen lover to learn "do not post the pen". A sad story is I liked to post the pen BEFORE. Then, the story ended until I bought a Namiki fountain pen.

[@shadowmihaiu]

I have to say a ONE year manufacturer's warranty on something with, well, one moving part...? At that price point (even at the much lower Japanese price) - No, no, no, no, no. Platinum, what is wrong with you?

[@emilhammarstrom8138]

Oh this is unfair for my wallet. I have been eyeing the matte, wooden, version of this pen for a long long time :)

[@sherinzadakhudukhel6342]

Very informative review but I dislike all those pens which cap didn't posted they are just like a car which have no space for Stepney.

[@speedbird8987]

$700 - “it’s really not that bad - I kind of like it” - sounds like damning with faint praise - lol

[@Yootjoob]

That pen is Dyno-mite.

[@chrislj2890]

"Don't post this frigging pen." Unfortunately I was having a cup of hot tea at the time, but luckily only dribbled it down my chin instead of spewing it on my laptop. I hope you're happy.

[@洪坤-q7b]

出云

[@ARF_average]

4:36 because its black

[@FrancoisTHX]

Shame on you! xD

[@krugmeup2162]

lol brilliant

[@RandyJohnsonCoral]

I want to post my pens, sorry its a no go here.

[@michaelsimon4034]

Stephen, I hope you didn't post the pen--you were warned😉