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Suggestions For An Alternative To Sailor 1911 Fp


PandaPen

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I love how smooth the F and M Sailor 1911 gold nibs are and their classic looks. In my opinion they also have the perfect amount of feedback, wetness, never skips and writes with no pressure at all. Without spending nearly as much, what would you suggest as a good alternative?

Back story:

Many years ago I had Sailor 1911 as my daily writer, and it disappeared. I suspect it dropped out of my pocket when I went to grab my keys or something, I don't know. Looked everywhere, and couldn't find it again. I explained this to a food court staff at the college I was at, at the time, and he hinted that if he ever finds it, he would definitely steal it and so would anyone else. :o Eventually, I gave up looking and replaced it with another 1911. I couldn't afford to lose another expensive pen so it sits at home most of the time and I started carrying a Twsbi mini then a Vac700, but the Twsbi's kept developing cracks and was extremely annoying to deal with. Now, I just carry a humble Jinhao Century that has never failed me, but definitely doesn't write anywhere near how perfectly my Sailor 1911 does nor look as nice. A Jinhao priced 1911 might be a bit of a stretch though. Hopefully, someone has some idea. :happy:

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The Sailor 1911 is an amazing pen and is extremely good value for money to boot... Their F nibs are my favourite - specially in the 1911L. Tragically you are going to pay upwards of US$70 to get that gold nib feeling - the usual suspects would be (and remember, buying from Japan direct saves you $$$)

 

1) Sailor Pro Gear (same nibs you are used to)

2) Pilot Stella (looks like Pilot's answer to the Pro Gear - some colours to choose from)

3) Pilot 74 (Rounded ends like the 1911 but not as tapered)

 

Beyond that, Faber Castell makes a smooth nib, but their F will be in line with the Sailor's M - I am not crazy about their EF nib - it is not a bad nib, but nowhere as smooth. The Basic / Loom / Ambition / E-Motion all have the same nib, so don't feel pressured to buy the more $$ models - the Basic's are a good size and weight at a decebnt price point.

 

And finally, since you said Jinhao - if you have / get a X450 or X750 you can replace the nibs with Jowo units. FP Nibs sells some modded Jowo nib units - they do CI / Stubs / XXF. If you are ordering, pick a couple of flavours, and buy a couple of Jinhao's on Ebay (I think $3) and for around US$ 40 you will have two dynamite pens. All the best!

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The Sailor 1911 is an amazing pen and is extremely good value for money to boot... Their F nibs are my favourite - specially in the 1911L. Tragically you are going to pay upwards of US$70 to get that gold nib feeling - the usual suspects would be (and remember, buying from Japan direct saves you $$$)

 

1) Sailor Pro Gear (same nibs you are used to)

2) Pilot Stella (looks like Pilot's answer to the Pro Gear - some colours to choose from)

3) Pilot 74 (Rounded ends like the 1911 but not as tapered)

 

Beyond that, Faber Castell makes a smooth nib, but their F will be in line with the Sailor's M - I am not crazy about their EF nib - it is not a bad nib, but nowhere as smooth. The Basic / Loom / Ambition / E-Motion all have the same nib, so don't feel pressured to buy the more $$ models - the Basic's are a good size and weight at a decebnt price point.

 

And finally, since you said Jinhao - if you have / get a X450 or X750 you can replace the nibs with Jowo units. FP Nibs sells some modded Jowo nib units - they do CI / Stubs / XXF. If you are ordering, pick a couple of flavours, and buy a couple of Jinhao's on Ebay (I think $3) and for around US$ 40 you will have two dynamite pens. All the best!

 

Used Montblanc 144. It works better.

"Don't hurry, don't worry. It's better to be late at the Golden Gate than to arrive in Hell on time."
--Sign in a bar and grill, Ormond Beach, Florida, 1960.

 

 

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The Sailor 1911 is an amazing pen and is extremely good value for money to boot... Their F nibs are my favourite - specially in the 1911L. Tragically you are going to pay upwards of US$70 to get that gold nib feeling - the usual suspects would be (and remember, buying from Japan direct saves you $$$)

 

1) Sailor Pro Gear (same nibs you are used to)

2) Pilot Stella (looks like Pilot's answer to the Pro Gear - some colours to choose from)

3) Pilot 74 (Rounded ends like the 1911 but not as tapered)

 

Beyond that, Faber Castell makes a smooth nib, but their F will be in line with the Sailor's M - I am not crazy about their EF nib - it is not a bad nib, but nowhere as smooth. The Basic / Loom / Ambition / E-Motion all have the same nib, so don't feel pressured to buy the more $$ models - the Basic's are a good size and weight at a decebnt price point.

 

And finally, since you said Jinhao - if you have / get a X450 or X750 you can replace the nibs with Jowo units. FP Nibs sells some modded Jowo nib units - they do CI / Stubs / XXF. If you are ordering, pick a couple of flavours, and buy a couple of Jinhao's on Ebay (I think $3) and for around US$ 40 you will have two dynamite pens. All the best!

 

Options 1,2,3 are all around the same price as a Sailor 1911. I have been thinking of getting a Pilot 74 or 92 but, no money. :unsure:

I don't really like how the Faber Castell's and Jinhao X450/X750 look. Do you know what nibs would fit the Jinhao Century?

 

 

Used Montblanc 144. It works better.

 

Besides being way outside my budget, I don't really like the 144.

Much rather prefer 145, 146, and 149, especially the 146. But, those are even further outside my budget :glare:

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Panda - how much were you thinking of spending?

 

Probably ~$30, max out at $50

 

I'm not really looking for a specific price though. More like "similar feel to Sailor 1911, but considerably cheaper".

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$30 to 50 will get you a Pilot Prera on Amazon for sure. I got one for $35cdn with a fine nib and it is a nice little pen. Nibs can be pulled from more exotic offerings like a Penmanship (EF) or a Plumix (Medium Italic) if you are so inclined, but the F is pretty good the way it stands. I know the Metro has the same nib but the ergonomics of the pen are not my cup of tea.

 

Cheaper alternatives -

 

1) Maybe try the Sailor HighAce - they are like $15 and put down a nice fine line. I had bought one for a friend and they like it. A light pen that glides well enough.

 

2) Pilot 78g - local pen store here has them for under Cdn$20, so I imagine they aren't expensive online either. Same F nib as the other Pilot - they are reliable and easy to clean.

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Hmmm, I don't see how you're going to get a gold nib at that price point but what about the Parson's Essential? I have one and it's a pretty sweet pen.

 

I looked on Engeika's web site, and the cheapest gold-nibbed Sailor seems to be the Promenade at about $72.

 

There's also the Platinum Century line. About $74 on Engeika's web site (no affiliation by the way...I've used the site and been pleased). Also a 14k nib.

 

Looking on j-subculture's site, I see a couple of Pilots - the C74 and the CH91, at around the $70 mark as well.

 

Hope these help.

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There's also the Sailor Procolor. It's only available with a Fine nib and retails for 5,000 yen in Japan so might be just within budget? It's similar to the 1911 standard, but the nib is stainless steel.

I was once a bottle of ink, Inky Dinky Thinky Inky, Blacky Minky Bottle of Ink!

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These questions on how to get a particular pen at a lower price are always tough to answer. Many here can offer good pen opinions for the $30 price range, but only you will be able to determine if these cheaper pens meet your needs.

 

If you like the pen body you have and are looking to change the feel, how about using your budget for a nibmeister? You can make a pen write extremely well at a good price when you decide to tune your nib.

 

Buzz

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The suggestions are mostly all okay. None of them really make me say "wow" though. They seem pretty much on par with my Jinhao century. About the nibmeister, I usually just tune the nibs myself.

Maybe, there isn't what I'm looking for at $30. Might just end up carrying a Pilot 91.

What are your opinions about the Pilot 91, Platinum Century and Sailor Promenade?

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  • 2 weeks later...

Late response, but I seem to be one of the few people who have thus far jumped on the Promenade [i should do a review] and I unequivocally love it. The nib is of course the same Sailor nib that I know and love on the 1911S and Sapporo [except without 24k gold plating], and the finish is slightly translucent pearlescent [is that the right word?] resin that matches perfectly with Sailor Jentle Oku Yama. The slip and seal feature works like a charm [i've gone half a year without using it, and no ill effects]. The downside is that it only comes in a Medium fine, so if you want any other width you'll have to look at Platinum or Pilot.

 

Platinum Century is okay. It's solid, but the Platinum #3776 century is better in my opinion, and looks better too. The Pilot 91 is a pilot, and thus again a very solid performer. I don't own one, but I've used one before. I prefer the balance and feel of the promenade, and I adore the unique feeling of Sailor nibs, but the 91 remains a very solid choice.

 

 

ALSO if your budget is around $50 or so, why not consider the Sailor Young Profit. It's a steel nib, and doesn't look quite as nice, but the writing performance is comparable to the 14k nibs, just a tad drier and with a touch more feedback [possibly as a result of being drier].

Edited by Aurko
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