Platinum Double R3 Action Sarabo MWB-1000F 2 Color 0.5 mm Ballpoint Multi Pen + 0.5 mm Pencil - Chartres Blue Review

Longest. Pen. Name. Ever.

I’ve seen some long, winding, nonsensical pen names before but this Platinum may take the cake. Good thing it is a decent pen or I’m not sure my brain could have handled it.

The Platinum Double R3 fills a spot in Platinum’s lineup for those wanting a complimentary pen to go along with their popular #3776 Century Fountain Pen. The barrel colors are a perfect match - Black, Bourgogne, and Chartres Blue - although the multi pen has silver furniture, while the fountain pens use gold.

The Double R3 features a lightweight, translucent, plastic barrel that is very sharp looking - especially the Chartres Blue. It is very light though, but feels sturdy enough to handle any normal carry situation.

Where this pen seperates itself from its competitors is the use of Platinum’s low-viscosity Sarabo ink in the 0.5 mm ballpoint refills. They are very fine, clean, and impressively smooth. I have never used a Sarabo refill before but it is so nice I would love to see it used in other single cartridge pens.

I don’t use pencils in multi pens very often so I don’t have much to say about it besides it works. What is cool is that it has possibly the largest eraser I have seen in a multi pen before. That’s a nice bonus for my fully leaded friends.

The only hangup I have with the Double R3 is a common multi pen design problem. To switch refills you twist the top part of the barrel from station to station, but if you take it past the far right station you start to unscrew the barrel. This is the nature of the beast until you get into more expensive barrels that feature constant 360 degree rotation.

At $16.50 it isn’t exactly cheap, but it is a fair price for a complementary pen. It’s great looking, feels nice, and the ballpoint refills are excellent. Well done Platinum.

(JetPens is an advertiser on The Pen Addict and I received this product at no charge.)

Platinum Blue Black Ink Review

Platinum Blue Black is an ink I should have loved right out the gate, but it has taken me some time to come to grips with it. There is nothing inherently wrong with the ink. It flows well, dries fast, has some shading, and is a nice color. But it's not a blue black, and that bothered me more than it should.

Do you ever get hung up on something silly like that? I'm my own worst enemy when it comes down to the minutia of things. I've talked about my eye-opening experience with tip sizes recently and the enjoyment I am getting from branching out. I need to apply that type of thinking more often.

Like in the case of Platinum Blue Black. Despite high recommendations, I have barked about it in the past about not being a blue black ink, but almost a traditional blue or even royal blue instead. I don't even consider it a dark blue. But does it matter? If you ask me for a blue black ink recommendation I'll never mention this one but if you ask me for a good blue ink it ranks pretty highly for all of those reasons I stated in the first paragraph.

In fact, once I got over being a dummy about this ink I have committed to using it full time. In cartridge form. In my Kikyo Blue Nakaya Piccolo. Call me insane, but it seems like a perfect fit and I have been enjoying this combo for a month now, with no end in sight.

(JetPens is an advertiser on The Pen Addict and I received this product at no charge.)

Platinum 3776 Century UEF Nib Fountain Pen Review

There is wow and there is WOW. The Platinum 3776 Century UEF nib fountain pen that Thomas loaned me late last year falls clearly into the latter category. This nib is something to behold.

Thomas knows my preference for super-fine pens and this one takes the cake. And the thing is, I was wrong in my handwritten review below. Mike Masuyama did not grind down the pen to this size. This is the stock UEF nib from Platinum! According to Thomas, Masuyama only tuned the nib so it was perfectly aligned, wet, and smooth. I can't fathom how steady Mr. Mauyama's hands are to be able to work on pens this fine. I would end up with some wonky half-stub nib if I even thought about trying this.

The 3776 in itself is one of Platinum's cornerstone pens, similar in style and price to Sailor's Sapporo line and Pilot's Custom Heritage line. Basic, but classically designed barrels and 14k gold nibs at a fair price. The 3776 was a glaring omission on my 2014 wish list from yesterday's podcast and I can assure you I will own one by the end of the year.

Will it be the UEF nib? I'm not sure, but probably so. I own several Japanese EF nib pens so why not go one step further. This one was an amazing writer. The line was as advertised - consistent and smooth - and required only a very light touch to move it across the page. My only hesitancy is if I could use the UEF nib all day or would it actually be too fine? Only time will tell I guess.

For your reading pleasure, Thomas passed along this Tipping Sizes Comparison Chart from Nibs.com where you can compare different nib sizes from company to company. Notice that only Platinum/Nakaya and Sailor dare to dip their toes in the 0.1 mm range. Also be sure to read up on the history of the 3776 from Platinum and watch the nib size comparison video from Brian Goulet. Awesome stuff!