Sailor Pro Color 500 Red

[thefsb]

First Impressions - 1/10

 

Shocking! The color is appalling and the feel of quality is entirely absent. 1 point for packaging.

 

 

Appearance & Design - 3/10

 

The color of the pen is repellant. Red is my second favorite color after orange so I was excited to get a red Sailor. But this is not really red -- too pale and not quite red red. I don't know quite how to describe it. It's like pink tending towards blue. Hideous. The shape is classic MB style, which I like so it gets 3 points for that.

 

Ironically, the color looks much, much better in these photos. The background is a photographer's 18% grey card to let you check the color balance, if you like.

 

 

Construction & Quality - 4/10

 

The pen is made form what feels like low grade plastic. Ordinary ballpoints from the office supply cabinet feel as good as or better than this. The Parker Jotter feels like a high end pen in comparison. And It's nothing like my Sailor Sapporo which is a nice quality pen with a good feel and seemingly quite different plastics. Very disappointing.

 

 

Weight & Dimensions - 5/10

 

Dimensions are fine but the light weight and feel of the plastic makes it feel flimsy.

 

 

Nib & Performance - ?

 

Because it's being returned, I haven't inked it so I don't know. But I assume it writes great since it's a Sailor.

 

 

Filling System & Maintenance - ?

 

Same issue of no experience with the pen but my Sailor Sapporo has the same c/c parts and it works perfectly.

 

 

Cost & Value - 3/10

 

The pen was bought for me from Swisher who's prices are fair and you can find out what it costs there. It's not an expensive pen but for a steel nib pen I think you can do a lot better with, say, Bexley or Pellikan.

 

 

Conclusion (Final score, 16/50)

 

Bottom line: it's being returned. This is the first disappointment in all of my pen collecting and it's a big one. I'm very fond of Sailor, generally really like their products, and love my Sapporo, which is my #1 user pen (it has an oblique cursive italic nib from John Mottishaw). I would not recommend the Pro Color 500 or gift it. I'd recommend buying only if you've seen and handled it personally or are willing to return it if buying mail order.

 

 

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4038/4223349034_264227d8bf_o.jpg

 

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4006/4222584329_f6d5f9a3eb_o.jpg

[MYU]

Wow, haven't seen such a negative review in a long while!

 

I like some of the other colors offered, like Wisteria. But I was a little hesitant because of the materials appearance. I thought it might feel too lightweight. And it appears you confirmed my suspicion. Great nibs on these Sailor pens, no doubt. I guess for the price, if you snag one on "that auction site" for about $40, it's not all that bad. But I'd get more pleasure from a pen like the Lamy Vista for less...

[Nikhil]

In my opinion, this is a great pen once you ink it. I really like this pen a lot.

[thefsb]

I've read that apart from the nib, this is the same pen as the colored 1911 Medium Size. Is that true?

[agchristie]

no the pen looks the same but the material of the 1911 is different.

[tarheel1]

I just picked one of these up for a friend as she wanted a red pen with rhodium/silver trim. I dont care for the color. To me it looks like red with a bit of peach mixed in. It is a bit small for my hands but this one does not feel cheap. I tested the nib with some pilot yama-budo and cant describe the feeling. It has a bit of drag but feels smooth just not ice or slick. Not a bad pen and makes me want to get my 1911 in.

[Nikhil]

The color in the photo is accurate.

[Pippin60]

Great review, but sorry to hear that its such a poor pen or that the one you got was so disappointing but I am curious as to the nib. Personlly I don't like any of the colors available.

[Zaarin]

Much as I respect Sailor, it does look a bit like someone took a rolling pin to some chewing gum and slipped their wedding ring over it...

[DAYoung]

It's oddly nice to see a negative review. Thanks, Thefsb.

[dcwaites]

I have two of the ProColors, a Beige Medium and a Green Fine.

I bought the second (Green) one because I was so happy with the first, and wanted a Sailor Fine nibbed pen.

I am happy to carry them when I am out, as they will not be a tragedy if I lose one.

 

While I still had a 1911M, I could not tell the difference between the 1911M in Medium and the Beige in Medium as far as writing feel.

The ProColors are exactly the same dimensions and weight as a 1911M.

The plastic feels identical with my full-size 1911 and my ProGear, just of a different colour.

The nibs are typical Sailor nibs, very smooth and writing flawlessly out of the box. The only quibble I have is that the Fine nib doesn't write on Credit Card receipt paper, the nib is so fine it digs into the paper. So, when I go out shopping, I now take the Beige with me.