Sailor Professional Gear

[kaisede]

Hi all:

 

I just recived my Sailor PG last week and I would like to give a little review on it.

 

Measurements:

 

Pen with cap: 5 inches

Pen without cap: 4 1/2 inches

Pen with cap posted: 6 inches

Barrow: 1/2 across.

 

First impression was this pen is alittle bit short. It reminded me of the Mont Blanc Boheme collection. But the resin was very nicely done, much more glossyer then my other pens around the same price point.

 

Body design and balance (4.5/5)

 

This is actually a fairly large pen considering its width. This pen has some weight to it, it is heavier than my Pelikan M605 and Namiki Falcan. It has a really nice balance to it, unlike on the Pelikan M605 the weight distribution without posting the cap is toward the tip of the nib the Sailor PG's balance point is a inch away from the tip of the nib, simply put it, it stays where your finger holds the pen. Now if you post the cap on this pen the balance still stays around the same point, it kind of solved the shortness problem. This weight distrubition system really make this pen a special one in my collection. If you like a pen that has some weight and won't tried you out from writting all day this is a pen for you. The finish is really nice I don't think anyone will complain about it with this price point, I think it is nicer than a typical $240 pen you would get considering the workmanship involve.

 

Nib design and actual usage 5/5

 

Unlike the regular 1911 the Professional Gear has a two tone nib design that reminded me of typical european nib design. When I was serching more information about this pen I came across a describtion " The nib is polish silver with gold trim around it" I don't think the word "polish" is entirly accurate it is more like cromed out. You can see my reflection in one of my picture. The nib is very smooth, smoother than my M605, Falcan and Startwalker. Overall I am very happy with the nib.

 

Overall (4.75/5)

 

This is a really well made pen I think this will be one of my always filled and ready to go pen for years to come. I would have give it a 5/5 but the pen is kind of short to use without posting the cap. Now the question is will I buy it again after handleing this pen? Yes. And will I pay $240 for it? Yes because the material and the workmanship is better than most pen around that price, and if you can find a cheaper price I say go for it, it will not disappoint you. The bottom like is: if you are like me who don't like to post cap when writting I recommand you to try it out in person before buying it, but if you like to post cap than you love this pen. It would make another nice addition to your collection.

Edited April 2, 2006 by kaisede

[kaisede]

Humm... I am having problems loading up my picture, it is in JPEG format

[lordjeebus]

I love this pen, I bought one in Japan last December. I went to the store intending to buy a Profit 21 (aka 1911) w/ Naginata nib but this pen just looked better in person. (The Naginata nib was also not as exciting as I expected) I got it in a box w/ a bottle of Sailor Blue-Black for 20000 Yen (about $175)

 

I use it more than any other. The nib is wonderfully smooth, and the balance is great. I write with a very shallow angle and it accomodates that very well.

 

I did not think that the plastic (PMMA) was that impressive but it's not bad.

[Slush99]

Thanks for the review.

[saintsimon]

Thanks for starting a review of the PG. I was just too lazy to do this myself, allthough I fellt the need to praise this pen. So I add my comments to yours.

 

The brand:

Sailor has no importer in Germany yet, the brand is absolutely unknown here. I bought it from pengallery.com in Malaysia.

 

The size:

This pen is meant to be posted! It has a short barrel and a large cap, which seems a bit out of proportion, but when posted is very comfortable. The cap does not irritate the web between thumb and index finger. Also, the diameter of this pen is quite wide and very comfortable.

 

EDIT: [some data taken from a Japanese site] size 18×129mm　weight: 21.6g

 

The look:

This pen exist in two versions: gold plated trims with a mainly gold coloured nib, and white metal plated trims with a mainly silver coloured nib. I got the last version as my first subdued black&silver fp. The Sailor anchor symbol's metal colour in the cap does not match with the metal colour of the rest of the pen.

The proportions are a bit strange due to the fat cap and the short body with large nib.

The deep black resin looks&feels 'precious', but hopefully is more solid.

 

One of the first contemporary resin pens by Sailor which does NOT look like a Monblanc. That's why I bought this model. I'm living in MB country and do not want a fine Sailor pen to be called a copy.

 

The body:

This is a c/c pen. There is enough space inside the section for a wider diameter converter than the one which came along. The section has a full metall threaded part to screw into the body, which surely adds to the weight. There is also a sealing o-ring present. The body itself is lightweight.

There is a soft plastic lining inside the cap, where you screw the top of the section into for sealing the nib.

Almost everything is well made and precise.

 

The nib:

This is a duo-tone 21K gold nib. There are only F, M and B sizes available, unlike other Sailor models. I have chosen the F-size which writes like a Western EF and has a little bit of tooth, unlike wider Sailor nibs.

 

 

The writing:

The tooth is present but not bad. The nib is absolutely reliable and starts even after weeks without hesitation. It writes a very constant, very fine line with no shading. The only ink I used so far is Noodler's Ottoman Azure and there are no issues at all. I believe this pen is not picky about ink. I haven't used it for longer writing, but do believe that thanks to the ergonomic size and weight distribution, this pen is not tiresome.

 

The price:

This pen is somewhat overpriced (MSRP around $300), with office people as the target audience, I believe. Luckilly I got it from Pengallery during the Boxing Day sales for about $170, which is a fair price for a plain black resin pen.

 

The weaknesses:

The tooth needs to get used to.

The main weakness with my pen is possibly a technical design weakness: when you close the cap by screwing it on, you finally push the top of the section into the soft plastic liner inside the cap. This seems to be a good thing, as the nib is sealed from drying out and the cap is safe from getting loose.

BUT the friction between section and plastic liner in the cap is stronger than the friction between the sealing o-ring at the metal threads inside the pen and the body itself. This results in in some loosening of the section from the body when you unscrew the cap.

Now I check often for a loose section and have to rescrew it before using the pen. You can try to avoid this by not pushing the section into the plastic liner when you feel its resistance while closing the cap.

 

The verdict:

I like it. As I don't mind posting, the size is fine and ergonomic for me. The reliable nib makes it trustworthy, the subdued yet substantial appearance is fine when you don't want to draw attention to a pen, allthough some people may still mistake it for a kind of a new MB.

If you don't experience those weaknesses, you can easily be happy with this fine Japanese Professional Gear.

/:)

Edited April 2, 2006 by saintsimon

[lordjeebus]

In Japan they've also recently released the PG-mini, PG-slim, and PG-slim-mini.

 

The mini has the same nib, the slim and slim-mini have 14K nibs.

 

If you thought the PG was short and stubby, check out the mini: http://www.pen-house.net/pen/sailor/sailor.../sai_112012.jpg

[Hephaestus]

The size:

This pen is meant to be posted!

 

It certainly is, which is the only reason I sold mine- as I do not like posting.

 

Can anyone compare the size of the Pro-Gear to a full size 1911? I am wondering if I could comfortably use a 1911 unposted. I miss my Sailor nib!

 

Thanks,

-Ryan

[kaisede]

Can anyone compare the size of the Pro-Gear to a full size 1911? I am wondering if I could comfortably use a 1911 unposted. I miss my Sailor nib!

 

 

The dealer I got my PG from told me it is about 1/4 inch longer, without posting the cap.

[drifting]

My 1911 is 124mm unposted (roughly 4 7/8?).

 

Ryan.

[Hephaestus]

Thanks very much,

That extra length might be enough! I've been missing my Sailor nib dearly.

 

-Ryan

[saintsimon]

The brand:

Sailor has no importer in Germany yet, the brand is absolutely unknown here. I bought it from pengallery.com in Malaysia.

Sailor does have an importer to Germany now: Rolf Thiel from www.missing-pen.de just announced that he had agreed to distribute Sailor pens in Germany.

http://www.penexchange.de/forum/viewtopic.php?p=5664#5664

 

He is the same guy who announced some days ago to import Noodler's ink to Germany.

Considering that the German pen market is called stagnant and has dominant local brands (do I have to name them? ) , it is quite courageous to introduce completely unknown foreign brands.

Edited April 6, 2006 by saintsimon

[kaisede]

I just got the 1911 Full Size pen, without posting the cap it measures very close to 5 inch and the balance and weight is very close to the PG so Hephaestus if you ever get a chance pick one up it is very nice. I got an F/M nib.

[Hephaestus]

I just got the 1911 Full Size pen, without posting the cap it measures very close to 5 inch and the balance and weight is very close to the PG so Hephaestus if you ever get a chance pick one up it is very nice. I got an F/M nib.

Thanks very much, kaisede! That is excellent news- I will have a sailor nib again.

 

-Ryan

[PinarelloOnly]

These are awesome pens! I got to try one out at the Boston Pen Show last weekend, but I was floored on how short it was. Pictures you see on the web look very deceiving. :ph34r: I call it the Robusto of pens.

 

The Pro Gear pen is definitely a try before you buy pen!!!!

 

It almost seems like the pen was made for the market in Japan only and then they decided to try it over here in the US.

[JRodriguez]

I just wanted to express the same sentiments about the size. I expected based on the pictures that it would pretty much be like the 1911. Nope. Great review by the way!

[marklavar]

The Prof Gear is similar in size to the Aurora Optima, but without the latter's girth. In my opinion, this model should be augmented by an oversize version; if Sailor introduced an oversize Prof Gear I would buy it without hesitation.

 

I only have one Sailor pen: the King of Pen. It's a big, magnificent pen and the only Sailor pen you'll ever need.

[JRodriguez]

I've never held a King of Pen. Is it in the range of the MB 149?

[marklavar]

I've never held a King of Pen. Is it in the range of the MB 149?

The King of Pen is similar in size and appearance to the MB 149, but with a magnificent oversize Sailor 21k gold nib. It's not cheap, but then nothing worthwhile ever is!

[scratchy]

Thanks kaisede for your review. I have just ordered a Sailor PG this morning!

[titrisol]

Never heard of this brand before, but for a small-batch production japanese pen I would not expect less

Their website is quite impressive http://www.sailor.co.jp/EXPORT/index.html in variety and explanations

I thought the 1911 and PG series are really beautiful and read about some of their nibs being unique

 

Just wish they would post a nib-page with photos/examples of each

Edited January 30, 2008 by titrisol