A Review - Platinum 3776 Century Shiun

I’ll admit, I did not pay much attention to the Platinum 3776 Century Shiun when it was first announced. I liked the color and the design, but at $470? Nah. I contented myself with my humble Lamy Safaris and was able to ignore the gushing social media posts eagerly anticipating its release.

But three days ago, not long after the Shiun was finally unleashed into the world, I spied with my little eye a video on Facebook: a woman turning the pen around and around in her fingers and showcasing its refractive beauty in the sunlight, and that was it. In a split second, I decided I had to have this pen. The way the light caught on the smooth, multi-faceted purple body, the beautiful, bright silver trim I had so easily dismissed before...

I hastily did some research, as even I have criteria. My pens cannot be over a certain amount of weight, they must post, they must be able to take cartridges, blah blah blah. The Shiun met all the requirements. It didn’t help that at one point, I had almost pulled the trigger on a Platinum 3776 Century maybe a year or so before. I had obsessed over the Nice Lavande for a time, due to my love of purple and rose gold, and wanting a nice Japanese pen in my collection, but ultimately had not bought it due to worry over an uncomfortable writing experience due to the striated body.

So in between patients at work that day (I saw the video as I was getting ready that morning) I was hastily looking up reviews of the 3776 Century and its writing experience, devouring any new pictures or videos of the Shiun I could find. And during my lunch break, maybe five and a half hours later, I bought it.

This pen retails for a whopping $470, which did give me pause. But eventually I caved and purchased from Cult Pens, a British pen site that for American customers is typically a bit more discounted than if you purchased in the States. So after conversion, I ended up paying about $420 for the Shiun. I was even more pleasantly surprised when the pen arrived to me in just two days, as I had not expected or (knowingly) chosen express shipping.

So here she is, number 3626 out of 3776, and she is drop dead gorgeous! The bright silver trim beautifully compliments the pale, translucent purple. I know the faceting is supposed to represent the clouds which surround Mt. Fuji in Japan, but when exposed to light I think it more resembles running water sparkling in the sun. I am in love with my new Shiun, as it’s so different from all the pens in my current collection. I would describe this pen as dazzling, while the rest of my pens could almost be called boring and sensibly functional.

L to R: Lamy Safari Violet, Platinum 3776 Century Shiun, Lamy Safari Dark Lilac

Though the Shiun is lightweight, it does not feel cheap or fragile. The body weighs in at a comfortable 14g, while the cap is 11g for a total of 25g. It is a pleasure to write either posted or unposted, but due to my paranoia that I will eventually create marks on the body from doing so, I will likely not often post this pen. I am also looking forward to seeing how well the slip and seal mechanism works, as I do have occasional problems with drying out in some of my Lamy Safaris. It will be nice experience picking up a pen if I haven’t written with it in a few days or a week and having it write immediately.

What might turn some off from this series is the filling method. The 3776 Century line fills via converter or cartridge only. While I vastly prefer reusing ink cartridges and refilling with syringes from bottles due to ease of use and cleaning, many might not. I know I’ve seen people remark that they feel these types of filling methods cheapen a pen. So if you don’t like your only two options being converter or cartridge, I wouldn’t consider this pen.

Oberon Design Da Vinci journal cover with Shiun

Now… the nib. The rhodium-plated 14k gold nib is lovely. Though I prefer the appearance of a more heavily decorated nib, like Sailor, this nib isn’t bad to look at. It looks very smooth and precise, and the simplicity of it does lend a sort of clean look to the pen overall. As for the writing experience, it is wonderful. My Shiun has a broad nib, and I would say it lays down a line that falls somewhere between a western fine and western medium, accompanied by a pleasant, pencil-like feedback. I wouldn’t say this nib is wet, which I’d prefer, but it certainly isn’t dry. I might consider getting the nib tuned by a nibmeister to run a little wetter, but as of now there’s no rush and I still enjoy writing with it, especially inked up with De Atramentis Aubergine.

I’ll admit that I was a tad worried about this pen. As I mention in my unboxing video, I’ve owned some Japanese pens in the past, the more expensive ones being the Pilot Vanishing Point and Decimo, and the Sailor Pro Gear Slim. I eventually sold the Vanishing Point and Pro Gear and returned the Decimo, due to either not being comfortable to write with or dislike of the nib. My Sailor nib was especially disappointing, though not in the fact that it was a bad nib. I believe for Sailor, it was just right. The sweet spot, however, was so ridiculously small and any wavering in your hand positioning would produce a scratchy feeling. Because I often rotate my pen while writing, the Pro Gear was a no-go for me and I eventually sold it to somebody who hopefully is enjoying it more than I did. Ultimately, this is why I am so pleased with the Shiun. I can turn this pen in my hand any which way and it writes exceptionally smoothly all the way around, which is an important factor for me when it comes to fountain pens.

Nib comparisons; Platinum broad, Lamy fine, Lamy medium, Delta fine, and Lamy broad

Overall, I am just enamored. The appearance, the packaging (which I didn’t talk about but is exquisite), the writing experience, it’s all so luxurious. Though I do not regret purchasing the Shiun, and likely would do it again, I will admit I do think it is overpriced. I don’t know if the faceting on the body required more production time or effort and that is what warranted such a price jump from the last model, but I do not believe this pen is worth what they are selling it for. That being said, it is a limited edition and once it’s gone, it’s gone.

Whether or not you agree with the hefty price tag, you cannot deny that this pen really is a quality piece of craftsmanship. Since I’ve had it (barely two days) I often pause while writing to simply turn it in my fingers to catch the light. For what is essentially a plastic pen, the construction feels reliably solid and the nib is smooth and skip-free. I could not ask for more in a pen such as this.

Shiun hanging out with my woolly mammoth

Thanks so much for reading, and if you’d like to see more on the Platinum 3776 Century Shiun, please check out my unboxing video!

 

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14h2uI_f-wc

 

--Cass.