(Susan M. Pigott is a fountain pen collector, pen and paperholic, photographer, and professor. You can find more from Susan on her blog Scribalishess.)
The Platinum #3776 Century Rokka is the third in the Fuji Shinkei series. The word “rokka” refers to a hexagonal snowflake that resembles a flower. Thus, the surface of this pen is textured with snowflake engravings that sparkle when sunlight hits the facets.
The shape of Mt. Fuji appears in the finial, so it is as though the pen represents the ice and snow surrounding the hallowed mountain peak.
The pen arrives in a hinged, cardboard box with a white satin-like interior. Included with the pen are a card that introduces the Rokka, a warranty card, and a Platinum brochure.
Like other #3776 pens, the Rokka is a cigar shape. It’s a medium-sized pen, measuring 140mm/5.5 inches capped, 119mm/4.7 inches uncapped, and 155mm/6.1 inches posted. The grip diameter is 10.3mm and the barrel is 15.4mm at its widest. It weighs 10 grams uncapped and 20 grams posted (empty). This is not a heavy pen, so it should be comfortable for most writers.
All the pen’s accents are rhodium plated--a good choice for a pen meant to evoke ice and snow. The cap has Platinum’s understated clip and a ring engraved with “#3776 Century Platinum Made in Japan.” The limited edition number is quite hard to see. It is engraved on the finial on the side opposite the clip. Mine is #1869 out of 2500.
The main body of the pen is engraved with the snowflake design, but the grip and bottom finial are smooth.
My pen came with a 14K gold rhodium-plated soft-medium nib. The nib design follows the usual #3776 style with basic flourishes, a “P” for Platinum, 14K, and the nib type: SM.
This is a cartridge/converter pen. One blue cartridge and a converter are provided. I filled my Rokka with Bungubox First Love Sapphire. It looks gorgeous through the snowflake facets, and the blue works well with the ice and snow theme.
I’ve been using the Rokka daily for about one month, and it does not disappoint. I absolutely love the soft medium nib. It’s wet, smooth, and bouncy, and it starts up immediately with every use. The soft-medium is such a pleasure to write with because it moves with your finger pressure. Soft-medium nibs don’t flex, but they have a bounce to them that is soothing compared to hard-as-rock nibs. It feels like the nib is a part of your hand, working with you instead of against you.
I own several Platinum pens, and all of them have exceeded my expectations except for one--a Platinum Nice whose rose-gold plating tarnished and the nib assembly came apart. The Rokka joins my other Platinums as a treasured pen that I will reach for often. I highly recommend this limited edition model if you can still find it. JetPens has a few remaining in stock in extra-fine and fine for $325.00.
(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)
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