Hello,

I'm quite confused about these pens. Many times I see them refered to as among the smoothest writer you can get (in regards to F and XF) and other times, like most of the review in the ReviewForum Database they appears to not be smooth at least when straight out of the factory What gives?!

Also do they tend to be wet or dry writers out of the factory?

Mostly interested to hear about Large 1911 and PG1911.

Thanks you.

Sailor is one of the very best modern nib makers, but no one is perfect 100% of the time. They have very good customer support.

Two of my three (1911 full size with M nib and Pro Gear with M/F) were perfect out of the box. Owned a 1911 medium size for a very short time. It had a F nib and was much too fine for my taste and the pen was too small for my hand. I didn't think it was in the same league with the full size 1911 and the Pro Gear. There is a significant price difference between the mid size and others and that might account for the different feel of the pens. I thought the F nib on the mid size OK but nothing like the other two as far as smoothness.

The only thing that keeps the 1911 from being the perfect pen for me is the tiny ink capacity.

I own several 1911s and one Professional Gear. All have written very smoothly directly out of the box. Sailor seems to have the best quality control of any of the major pen manufacturers.

Sailor UK changed the Naginata Togi nib twice on my full-size 1911, apologised and then gave me some Jentle ink. The pen is now perfect.

In the end, I came to the conclusion that the pen & nib were ink-particular and preferred Jentle, with which it now writes very well.

Two full size 1911s (fine and Music nibs): very smooth and reliable OOTB, no skipping, great balance between wet and dry.

One 1911 PG, albeit modified OOTB with a Minuskin italic nib: absolutely no problems.

Bill

The 1911's I had were smooth but seemed to need to be held at just the right angle or they would catch a little on the edges, especially when I wrote large and fast.
I also tend to hold my pen very high and that may be part of it. I

I also once had a Magellan with a XF 14kt nib and it was the flat out smoothest and most tolerant of how it was held of any XF nib I EVER had. Dang, why did I sell that pen. I guess that XF line was just too thin for my tastes. I might try another Magellan down the road, but the 1911 is not the right pen for me.

I think everyone has to find the pen that feels right for him or her. j

Just to make sure I understand you (English is not my main language) when you say you hold your pen very high you mean that you write with a shallow angle?

A few people in various Sailor thread mentioned that in some position Sailor were very smooth, is it generally when writing with a shallow angle?

Thanks for all the answers. I want to get a first F or XF nib and Sailor is the main contender. I'm used to M nib and would like to get a thinner line without losing smoothness

I dun quite understand...

Does the nib feeling a bit toothy still count as smooth?
Also does having 'feedback' still render by most of you on this board as 'smooth'???

The terminologies are confusing to me....

I've had several 1911M . Medium, Broad, and Music nib. All of them were exceptionally smooth.
The Medium, however, seems to just float across the paper laying down a line of ink. It seems to not actually touch the paper at all. However, I wouldn't say it lays down a wet line, since it doesn't.

It's very sensitive to being held (rotated) to the "sweet" spot. But after that, it's just great. FWIW, I use Sailor ink in it. The Music nib has Noodler's Legal Lapis with NO NIB CREEP. There's no way to predict if a Noodler's color will exhibit nib creep in a pen without trying it out.

Another terminology..What is 'nib creep'?

To answer your questions, corsair: "Toothy" is the opposite of smooth. "Nib creep" is the ink that shows up on the nib when you've inked the pen (and wiped off the nib). It's harmless, but for some it is an aesthetic issue.

BTW, my Sailors - both my 1911 and my 1911M are wonderful writers and very smooth - no toothiness at all! Right out of the box...

Erick

Thanks to all that provided feedback

Now only one dilemna left... Do I get the Sailor first or an M600 with Flex

Decision decision decisions! And yes I know they are different beasts, but I want a Flex AND I want a smooth fine or extra fine nib too.

Really a nasty addiction