Platinum 3776 Kumpoo UEF Fountain Pen (AKA The Kung Fu Panda)
Oh, Platinum! Why did you name such a beautiful pen with a name that sounds so awful to English speakers? I trie to resist the Platinum 3776 Kumpoo UEF Fountain Pen on the name alone but when everyone kept telling me how stunning the color was, I couldn’t hold out any longer. Then Lisa Vanness said, “You can call it the Kung Fu Panda.” I caved. And christened it the “Kung Fu Panda” and clicked on Buy It Now so fast your head would spin. My previous 3776 is a Soft Fine so I decided to go for the Ultra Extra Fine (UEF) even though many people have said it is too fine even for super fine gel pen enthusiasts. So, I crossed my fingers and hoped for the best.
First, let’s just say that the looks did not disappoint. The Kung Fu Panda is the picture of summery life aquatic perfection. The waves and transparent teal blue is gorgeous. I cannot take my eye off it. And the silver/chrome hardware is perfect. Though, to be honest, this pen would probably have been just as pretty with gold hardware and I almost never say things like that. I am glad its silver though.
In terms of pen specifications, the Platinum 3776 is a fairly lightweight pen. Filled with the converter, it weighs 26gms. Uncapped, its a mere 14gms. It’s about 5.5″ long capped and 4.75″ uncapped and 6.125″ posted.
(Comparison chart is for pens capped and filled.)
Would you look at the wicked stiletto point on this nib? Hoo, boy!
So, I made a point of choosing an ink I knew would be lubricated for a nib this fine and chose Pilot Iroshizuku Ku-Jaku. It was a lovely match as well. I don’t know when I started matching my ink to my pens but I did. Now its just a contest with myself, I think. I love how fine it writes. It has a slight crispness to the line that my other fine pens do not have and I quite enjoy. I did some comparison writing with my 3776 Shungyu with the SF nib (the ink ran out a couple words in so I swapped it out hence the roughness at the beginning. And OMG! I can’t believe I’ve never written a review for this pen!), and two Sailors – one with a stock H-F and one with a custom needlepoint. I would say the my Sailor with the custom Needlepoint is most comparable in terms of line weight but it did require a nibmeister.
So, if you are looking for a UEF, I definitely think the 3776 is a good option and the color series is really stunning. Platinum definitely keeps upping the bar on the look and design of this line. I wonder what color is next?
DISCLAIMER: The items included in this review were provided free of charge by Vanness Pen Shop for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.
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