. And, after I get my working area cleaned up some, which requires some work and dish washing (gotta clean up the dehydrator trays from beef jerky)
www.wonderfair.com
Given a choice between them for a newbie, which one would you choose?
Thank you so much for the suggestion, how about the nib? soft-fine, medium, italic? blue ink?
Good question
Well, as @Rhody noted, they are in very different price brackets. The Prefonte costs $10 and the 3776 retails for around $160 in the US. You can often find it cheaper on the internet, but its still going to be north of $100. So, in that sense, it really kind of depends on how much money someone wants to spend when they're just getting into the hobby. I suspect most people would opt to spend $10 if they don't know how much they're going to like using a fountain pen. I would certainly recommend the Prefonte to that user. On the otherhand, if a new fountain pen user had a $150-$200 to spend and were looking for a nice pen to go "one and done", the 3776 would be a good candidate for that. When I was researching the first tier of Japanese gold nib pens, the 3776 stood out as it has a bigger nib and girthier grip than the Pilot Custom 74 or Sailor 1911 Standard. You have to step up to over $200 to get a bigger Pilot or Sailor. For that reason, it is a tremendous value. The other pen in the discussion for a sub-$200 "one and done" is the Lamy 2000. I think the 2000 has a whole lot going for it - gold nib, piston-filling, German quality, great progeny. If you like Bauhau design and don't mind a hooded nib, its a no-brainer - get the 2000! For me, however, I far prefer the 3776's classic design, gloriously big nib, and ease of cleaning.
Platinum is a great brand. I'm happy with mine, and I've heard nothing but good things about all of their models from lowest end Preppies to four-figure Nakaya's. On the converter situation, yes it is kind of a bummer. So I suppose when I say the Prefonte is a $10 pen, there should be a * next that price quote since its more like a $20 pen when you include the converter. However, it is also the case that all of the Japanese pen companies use proprietary cartridges and converters, and Platinum's are probably the best. Sailor and Pilot piston converters are notoriously small, and Pilot's aerometric and push-button converters are love/hate affairs. In contrast, Platinum piston converters are high quality, hold a good amount of ink, and are easy to use. Also, Platinum does sell an adaptor for international converters, which is a few bucks cheaper than their proprietary converter. So, in theory, you could get that instead of the piston converter. And lastly, Platinum cartridges have nice and thick plastic and a good tight seal on the nib section, making them excellent candidates for syringe filling if you want to skip the converter altogether. I promise Platinum didn't pay me to write all that...just a happy fanboy...er...customer.
This is fantastic advice, thank you so much for taking the time to write such a detail answer. If I may impose on your generosity once more, I would like too ask you if you know anything about the pilot falcon nib. Would you consider that one as also an alternative in the category of one and done along with the lady 2000 and the platinum?. In any case, thank you again
