Sailor Professional Gear Realo, F Nib

[jde]

As always, a subjective experience:

Appearance & Construction & Design

 

Classic, very business-like style IMHO with gold-plated trim. Favoring the flat-top cap, I picked the Professional Gear version over the torpedo 1911/Profit version. When examining the piston movement, the piston looks like it's behind a thick, clear wall, giving the impression of a tube within the barrel.

 

I picked the burgundy Realo because the black Realo seemed so serious. The pen is pretty serious anyway. Currently the Realo only comes in gold-trim.

 

The pen feels solidly constructed. The acrylic is, well, acrylic resin. It's nice enough for a solid color resin. Not fragile.

 

Weight & Dimensions

 

The pen is light weight. Great for a small hander like me who doesn't get along with heavy pens. I'm using this pen unposted and it's very comfortable.

 

All inked up, the pen weighs 12gr unposted and 22gr with the cap on.

 

The closed pen is 5 1/4" — uncapped the pen is 4 5/8" nib tip to barrel end — posted the pen is 5 7/8".

 

Since I do not post my pens, I can't speak to the balance of the pen posted. See other reviews!

 

Nib & Performance

 

The nib is a two-tone F with the familiar Sailor anchor and 1911 imprint. The left side of the nib has "H-F" imprinted. The nib is an outstanding smooth writer. It was tuned to a "7" on the 1-10 Mottishaw wetness scale.

 

Filling System & Maintenance

 

Piston filler. Now, you'd think I'd jump and down at that fact. However, the capacity is only 1ml. I had expected it to be 1.5ml which turns out to be the capacity for the limited edition Anniversary Realo. Some day I will stop complaining about the 1ml.

 

Last December, some of us had some discussion about the Realo's capacity in the Rising Sun subforum.

 

Cost & Value

 

Well.....

 

A birthday gift for *ahem* myself, last October I bought the Realo from Classic Pens aka Nibs.com to ensure the nib would write as expected out of the box. And so it does.

 

I fault myself for not confirming the ink capacity before purchasing: the 1ml is a major disappointment. .5ml might not mean much to some of you, but it means a lot to me in a day's work. Suggesting a pen's ink capacity is "huge" is something written far too often on FPN without measurements or an understanding of an individual's preferences. Let me say that 1ml is not a huge amount of ink, nor is 1.5ml a huge amount. 3ml is a lot of ink. 5ml is a huge amount.

 

This is the first time ever I've regretted what I paid for a pen. In retrospect, I wish I had bought the Realo as cheaply as possible on eBay. (If the nib needing tweaking beyond what I could do, I would have sent it to MikeItWork.)

 

Conclusion

 

I do love the nib and while I'm undecided about keeping the pen, the superb nib is the reason to do so. Although I've had many piston-filling pens in the past, this is the only piston pen in my small collection and so it provides some minor variety. I''m not a nib chaser: the pen's totality (appearance, weight, capacity and writing style/nib) is what I'm going for in a fountain pen.

 

There's no reason to avoid this pen. The nib is delicious.

 

Any fuzz in the photos below, pls forgive. I'm a dusty person, eh?

 

Best,

Julie

Edited January 8, 2012 by jde

[owenj]

Wow, I'm surprised it only holds 1ml too! Pity, but it's a beautiful pen. Happy B-day to you

[jde]

An update to my impressions of my Realo:

 

I had the F nib exchanged for an EF, and adjusted for a dryer ink flow. After having taken this pen on a road trip (literally), I'm very, very happy with it. The nib is flawless, and the 1ml capacity was not a bother at all. No regrets, after all.

 

 

[jandrese]

Wow, I have the burgundy 1911 REALO, but me thinks I like the Pro Gear looks more.

[langere]

Well, once you get used to the Japanese nib sizes, you realize that the ink is sufficient. That is what I found out with the Pilot Vanishing Point -even that tiny converter is enough for an "F" nib!

 

Erick

[drgoretex]

A great pen. I have the medium nib version in black, and it is one of my absolute favourites. Love the nib, love the smooooth piston, and love the incredibly high quality 'feel' of the pen.

 

You mentioned not being able to talk of the balance posted. I post mine about half the time. The balance is excellent unposted, and superb posted. I have largish hands, but use all sizes of pens.

 

Thanks for the review!

 

Ken

[djunderw]

As always, a subjective experience:

Appearance & Construction & Design

 

Classic, very business-like style IMHO with gold-plated trim. Favoring the flat-top cap, I picked the Professional Gear version over the torpedo 1911/Profit version. When examining the piston movement, the piston looks like it's behind a thick, clear wall, giving the impression of a tube within the barrel.

 

I picked the burgundy Realo because the black Realo seemed so serious. The pen is pretty serious anyway. Currently the Realo only comes in gold-trim.

 

The pen feels solidly constructed. The acrylic is, well, acrylic resin. It's nice enough for a solid color resin. Not fragile.

 

Weight & Dimensions

 

The pen is light weight. Great for a small hander like me who doesn't get along with heavy pens. I'm using this pen unposted and it's very comfortable.

 

All inked up, the pen weighs 12gr unposted and 22gr with the cap on.

 

The closed pen is 5 1/4" — uncapped the pen is 4 5/8" nib tip to barrel end — posted the pen is 5 7/8".

 

Since I do not post my pens, I can't speak to the balance of the pen posted. See other reviews!

 

Nib & Performance

 

The nib is a two-tone F with the familiar Sailor anchor and 1911 imprint. The left side of the nib has "H-F" imprinted. The nib is an outstanding smooth writer. It was tuned to a "7" on the 1-10 Mottishaw wetness scale.

 

Filling System & Maintenance

 

Piston filler. Now, you'd think I'd jump and down at that fact. However, the capacity is only 1ml. I had expected it to be 1.5ml which turns out to be the capacity for the limited edition Anniversary Realo. Some day I will stop complaining about the 1ml.

 

Last December, some of us had some discussion about the Realo's capacity in the Rising Sun subforum.

 

Cost & Value

 

Well.....

 

A birthday gift for *ahem* myself, last October I bought the Realo from Classic Pens aka Nibs.com to ensure the nib would write as expected out of the box. And so it does.

 

I fault myself for not confirming the ink capacity before purchasing: the 1ml is a major disappointment. .5ml might not mean much to some of you, but it means a lot to me in a day's work. Suggesting a pen's ink capacity is "huge" is something written far too often on FPN without measurements or an understanding of an individual's preferences. Let me say that 1ml is not a huge amount of ink, nor is 1.5ml a huge amount. 3ml is a lot of ink. 5ml is a huge amount.

 

This is the first time ever I've regretted what I paid for a pen. In retrospect, I wish I had bought the Realo as cheaply as possible on eBay. (If the nib needing tweaking beyond what I could do, I would have sent it to MikeItWork.)

 

Conclusion

 

I do love the nib and while I'm undecided about keeping the pen, the superb nib is the reason to do so. Although I've had many piston-filling pens in the past, this is the only piston pen in my small collection and so it provides some minor variety. I''m not a nib chaser: the pen's totality (appearance, weight, capacity and writing style/nib) is what I'm going for in a fountain pen.

 

There's no reason to avoid this pen. The nib is delicious.

 

Any fuzz in the photos below, pls forgive. I'm a dusty person, eh?

 

Best,

Julie

 

How does this nib compare with a Pelikan M400? (I know the stroke width is much smaller, but otherwise?)

[jde]

How does this nib compare with a Pelikan M400? (I know the stroke width is much smaller, but otherwise?)

 

Compare what, specifically? They are not the same type of nibs (european vs japanese), and so I don't know what to tell you. It will be more sensitive in that the sweet spot is smaller. The finer Sailor nibs will feel scratchy to you if you use a heavy touch. My handwriting style is almost pressure-less.

 

It would be closer in feel to a vintage Pelikan nib than a modern one. IMHO.

 

Edited to say:

I see you posted in the main forum re. problems with your Sailor F.

You might want to exchange that nib for a broad or a medium. Talk to the person you bought the pen from. If they are indeed one of the "top nibmeisters" they can help you, and will help you. The fine you have should be smooth. It may be, as others indicated, your grip/pressure on the paper.

Edited March 2, 2012 by jde

[nicholasyeo]

I've got one 1911, two Pro Gears and a Sapporo and all of them look beautiful.

The nicest of my pens is definitely the matte-black 1911 which has a ruthenium

nib section that also provides better balance when writing. How I wish the pen

is actually a Realo.

[jde]

I've got one 1911, two Pro Gears and a Sapporo and all of them look beautiful.

The nicest of my pens is definitely the matte-black 1911 which has a ruthenium

nib section that also provides better balance when writing. How I wish the pen

is actually a Realo.

 

Nicholas: don't you also have a Heritage 92? How do you like it? Is there a post you can link me too if you have already talked about it? I believe the Pilot Heritage 92 holds .5 more ink than my Realo.

Edited March 2, 2012 by jde

[djunderw]

Edited to say:

I see you posted in the main forum re. problems with your Sailor F.

You might want to exchange that nib for a broad or a medium. Talk to the person you bought the pen from. If they are indeed one of the "top nibmeisters" they can help you, and will help you. The fine you have should be smooth. It may be, as others indicated, your grip/pressure on the paper.

 

Thanks for the suggestion, jde. As it happens, earlier this week I purchased from Nibs.com (Mottishaw) a Sailor Professional Gear REALO M. I specified that I want it to write as smoothly as possible and that I generally apply light to medium-light pressure. It is scheduled to arrive this coming Tuesday. It goes without saying that I'm burning with excitement!

[jde]

Edited to say:

I see you posted in the main forum re. problems with your Sailor F.

You might want to exchange that nib for a broad or a medium. Talk to the person you bought the pen from. If they are indeed one of the "top nibmeisters" they can help you, and will help you. The fine you have should be smooth. It may be, as others indicated, your grip/pressure on the paper.

 

Thanks for the suggestion, jde. As it happens, earlier this week I purchased from Nibs.com (Mottishaw) a Sailor Professional Gear REALO M. I specified that I want it to write as smoothly as possible and that I generally apply light to medium-light pressure. It is scheduled to arrive this coming Tuesday. It goes without saying that I'm burning with excitement!

 

Excellent! Let us know what you think of it. I bought mine from Nibs, too. If you don't like it, have him adjust it or swap the nib to a bold. Sailor nibs are sweet like vintage nibs are sweet. IMHO.

[nicholasyeo]

I've got one 1911, two Pro Gears and a Sapporo and all of them look beautiful.

The nicest of my pens is definitely the matte-black 1911 which has a ruthenium

nib section that also provides better balance when writing. How I wish the pen

is actually a Realo.

 

Nicholas: don't you also have a Heritage 92? How do you like it? Is there a post you can link me too if you have already talked about it? I believe the Pilot Heritage 92 holds .5 more ink than my Realo.

 

Hi there, I did write about the Heritage 92 before, but I cannot remember which thread it was in.

Nevertheless - this is what I thought about it: I do like the Heritage 92 and I found that the design

of the pen is really quite nice. The build quality and piston is also perfect... I can suck up ink and

have barely a small bubble, in just one try without having to retry. Another good thing is that the

spanner that arrived with my TWSBI can be used to dismantle the pen from the back for cleaning.

I would definitely say that the nib is not very soft... It seems quite stiff and there is little spring

to it. Initially, I thought that the flow was not good, but it doesn't skip and at some parts it is so

wet. So I think it's the feel of the nib or the tuning to it's feed that I somehow am not used to.

 

For me, Sailor fine nibs are so far the smoothest around so I would say that I prefer Sailor. The F

on the Heritage 92 isn't exactly described as scratchy, but it is neither as smooth as Sailor nibs.

Perhaps it needs some tuning so that it writes better with less pressure exerted on it and glides

more effortlessly over the paper. Anyway, I got the Heritage 92 because I love demos and I have

quite a number of them. It wasn't exactly because I intended to use it daily. I've thought of that,

but somehow I just don't get Pilot nibs. So far, the only Pilot nib I liked was a Namiki Maki-e pen

Medium nib. Perhaps I shall be sending my Heritage 92 for some customisation soon!

Edited March 2, 2012 by nicholasyeo

[jde]

I've got one 1911, two Pro Gears and a Sapporo and all of them look beautiful.

The nicest of my pens is definitely the matte-black 1911 which has a ruthenium

nib section that also provides better balance when writing. How I wish the pen

is actually a Realo.

 

Nicholas: don't you also have a Heritage 92? How do you like it? Is there a post you can link me too if you have already talked about it? I believe the Pilot Heritage 92 holds .5 more ink than my Realo.

 

Hi there, I did write about the Heritage 92 before, but I cannot remember which thread it was in.

 

 

I've hijacked my own thread! Thank you, Nicholas for sharing your thoughts abou the Heritage 92 and Pilot in general. Nibs are so subjective. The only Pilot nibs I've liked have been an SF nib I tried on a Heritage 91, and the VP/Decimo style pens. I have an opportunity to get a Heritage 92 at a good price and thought I might swap the nib with an SF nib I can get.

 

My favorite modern nibs are Platinum/Nakaya. The Sailor is right up there with those in my personal "nib palate." I would try another Sailor Pen most definitely.

 

 

[georges zaslavsky]

the so caleld piston system is in fact a fixed converter but not a guenine piston filler unlike the realo that was made for sailor's 95th birthday in 2006

[jde]

the so caleld piston system is in fact a fixed converter but not a guenine piston filler unlike the realo that was made for sailor's 95th birthday in 2006

 

Thanks for chiming in, George! Can you point to something that confirms that? I'm not going to take my pen apart to confirm that it is a piston filler, but I seem to recall that someone in Rising Sun forum did indeed take his apart and it was not a captive converter. If I can find that post I will link to it.

 

It's my understanding Sailor had some issues with the piston on the anniversary Realo and took 3 years to improve it for the current production Realo.

Edited March 2, 2012 by jde

[Sidestreaker]

Congratulations and well done! This really look gorgeous and I'm reminded of how much I love my 1911 Realo. Being a serial ink changer, the smaller capacity is not an issue for me. I'll try to have another pen as backup should the capacity is insufficient for the day.

 

IMO, I'm indifferent if it is a captive converter or not, the fact that if I don't have to take apart the barrel to refill just gives me the impression that the pen is whole and well-integrated in design

[djunderw]

What's the difference between the 1911 Realo and the Pro Gear Realo? I looked around a bit and found that they cost the same. But the Realo has the duo-tone nib. Is that the only difference? If so, are they both of essentially equal quality?

[jde]

What's the difference between the 1911 Realo and the Pro Gear Realo? I looked around a bit and found that they cost the same. But the Realo has the duo-tone nib. Is that the only difference? If so, are they both of essentially equal quality?

 

The only difference between these 2 current production Realos: the shape of the pen. Pro Gear has the flat-top look. The 1911 has the classic torpedo shape. So yes they are of equal quality.

 

There was a limited edition Realo that was released around 2006. It is a much larger pen ("King of Pen") and holds .5ml more ink. Those are hard to find these days. And cost a ton more dollars.

Edited March 3, 2012 by jde

[nicholasyeo]

I've got one 1911, two Pro Gears and a Sapporo and all of them look beautiful.

The nicest of my pens is definitely the matte-black 1911 which has a ruthenium

nib section that also provides better balance when writing. How I wish the pen

is actually a Realo.

 

Nicholas: don't you also have a Heritage 92? How do you like it? Is there a post you can link me too if you have already talked about it? I believe the Pilot Heritage 92 holds .5 more ink than my Realo.

 

Hi there, I did write about the Heritage 92 before, but I cannot remember which thread it was in.

 

 

I've hijacked my own thread! Thank you, Nicholas for sharing your thoughts abou the Heritage 92 and Pilot in general. Nibs are so subjective. The only Pilot nibs I've liked have been an SF nib I tried on a Heritage 91, and the VP/Decimo style pens. I have an opportunity to get a Heritage 92 at a good price and thought I might swap the nib with an SF nib I can get.

 

My favorite modern nibs are Platinum/Nakaya. The Sailor is right up there with those in my personal "nib palate." I would try another Sailor Pen most definitely.

 

Nice, perhaps a SF nib will work for me! I shall be on the lookout for one of those on eBay soon!

Indeed there are many Heritage 92s there for a good price - eg. Engeika. I know that the H92

definitely holds more ink than a Realo. Somehow, the body of the Realo seems quite large, unlike

the H92 which is rather hollow. Perhaps this is something to do with what they said - it having

some sort of fixed converter? I don't understand really why Sailor would do that, it seems like

more work... Nevertheless, there is somehow an expectation when it comes to piston fillers that

they hold more ink, so I do hope that the design can be refined! I also really like Platinum and

Nakaya... They provide good value for money and great quality. I have two Platinum 3776 Demos

and I must say that the M nibs are pretty large too and write wonderfully. I was hoping to get a

nice Nakaya or perhaps a Galaxy Maki-e soon... Those would be lovely!