Platinum President Review: A Discontinued Japanese Flagship Worth Hunting Down

Introduction

The Platinum President is one of those fountain pens that rarely gets the attention it deserves. It sits above the well-known #3776 in Platinum’s lineup, and it has now quietly been discontinued, which makes this both a good time and possibly the last good time to consider one.

With a retail price originally around 280 US dollars, the President was never an impulse buy. But with the pen now discontinued and exchange rates favorable, it has been possible to pick one up from Japan for roughly a hundred dollars each, a substantial discount that changes the value picture considerably.

Unboxing and First Impressions

The President arrives in Platinum’s standard packaging: a sleeve over a clamshell box, with the pen nestled in a fitted sleeve and a small tag attached. Inside you also get a Japanese-language instruction manual covering both filling methods, a fountain pen warranty card, and a blue-black Platinum ink cartridge.

The converter is included too, and it is the sensible way to run this pen day to day. Nothing about the package feels like an afterthought, even if it is familiar territory for anyone who has bought a Platinum pen before.

Design and Build

Visually, the President is a classic: black resin with gold trim in a cigar shape, available in black-and-gold and a red or burgundy finish. Those two are the colors still mainly available, though yellow and blue versions have appeared in the past. The clip is a stepped, slightly fancier affair, and the cap band carries “President Platinum Japan” in an ornate script.

Compared to the #3776, the President is slightly longer and slightly wider. That difference looks small on paper, but it is noticeable once the caps are off, and it matters more than you might expect. The section carries an extra gold ring as a touch of added polish, and the cap interior has a plastic insert that appears to be a modified version of Platinum’s Slip and Seal mechanism. There is no spring resistance you can feel, but the seal still works well in practice.

The one construction gripe: the barrel is plastic while the threads are metal. Given how thick the plastic is on this barrel, cracking does not seem like a realistic risk, but it is the only spot where the build feels less than perfect.

The 18k Gold Nib

This is where the President earns its name. The nib is the same size as the #3776 nib, but made from 18k gold instead of 14k, and it has a rounder, more traditional profile than the flatter 3776 nib.

The extra width of the pen genuinely helps with comfort. The 3776 has always felt just a touch too short and narrow for longer sessions, and the President’s small increase in both dimensions adds up to a noticeably more comfortable writing experience.

How It Writes

The black unit tested here carries an ultra extra fine nib, a first for long-term use, and the writing experience is exactly what Platinum fans would hope for: firm, smooth, with a bit of pencil-like feedback. It is not bouncy or flexy in the way some Pilot nibs are, so if you prefer glassy-smooth nibs, this one may not be for you.

Compared to a #3776 of the same nib size, the President lays down a slightly wetter, slightly wider line, and the 18k nib is a touch louder with a bit more feedback. Cross strokes run a little wider than downstrokes on the ultra extra fine, which gives handwriting a subtle architect-like character.

The feed kept up without any skipping or hard starts, and the cap seal performed fine even without the spring-loaded Slip and Seal feel. A second unit with a fine nib produced the same story: slightly wetter and broader than the equivalent 3776, with absolutely no reliability problems over about a week of use.

President or 3776: Which Should You Buy?

If you already like the 3776, prefer firm feedback-oriented Japanese nibs, or simply want more comfort in the hand, the President is a straightforward upgrade. The nib feels related to the 3776 but distinct: rounder, wetter, slightly more feedback, and backed by higher gold content.

There is another angle worth knowing. The nib in the President is the same nib used in Platinum’s Izumo line, their urushi flagship series. That made the President a genuinely smart way to test that nib experience without spending 700 to 1,000 dollars on an urushi pen. With the President discontinued, that affordable entry point into that nib is going away, which is a real shame.

If you cannot find one new, the used market is worth checking, as these do surface there periodically. Given the current pricing window on new old stock, acting sooner rather than later makes sense if this pen is on your list.

Conclusion

The Platinum President is not a pen for everybody. If you want a soft, bouncy, glassy-smooth nib, look elsewhere. But for writers who enjoy firm, slightly feedbacky Japanese nibs and a more comfortable grip than the 3776 offers, it is one of the best value propositions in the gold-nib space right now, especially at the discounted prices available while remaining stock lasts. Platinum discontinuing it is a loss, and if it has been on your radar, now is the time.