Search the Community

Hello FPN!! I always liked fountain pens; for years I have only written with one. But it was only about a year or two ago I REALLY got the fountain pen fever. As in buying pens that cost as much as a regular day of work, and having no place to put them, and walking around everyday carrying 4 or five of them. lately, my EDC has about 15 pens... But, I digress. So, I wanted to talk about this amazing pen I just got in the mail a couple a days ago. I always read a lot of good things about Sailor, and was really interested in trying one of their specialty nibs, but they were so expensive!! So, one day, browsing ebay I found this seller, Bombare, announcing a auction with the sexiest of the specialty nibs, and made a bid of less than half the retail value for this pen. Needless to say I spent days hardly sleeping, obsessively checking ebay to see if some @@%##$#$# had outbid me...!! then WOW!!! I won it!!! I could hardly believe it!!! Finnally I would own one of those magic nibs!! About one month later ( yep, customs in Brazil can take an incredible amount of time to release items... making my life a lot harder!!) I received a nicely package from Japan, with this outstanding pen!! Now, to the review! First impressions: The box is a lot bigger than regular sailor boxes, and more luxurious. Inside the cardboard box there was another box in a kind of velvet lining, nice. Opening it there was a nice Sailor logo, a converter, two cartdriges a booklet and a nice letter in japanese, probably saying "Thank you for buying our pen, we hope you like blablabla" And the pen. Montblanc?? Nope, but pretty close. it seems Sailor has a bit of a thing for MB... Appearance and design: 9-10 The pen is very beautiful, solid, quality plastic. My wife dropped it uncapped about one hour after I got it ( almost led me to a divorce...) and I could see no damage. Impressive. Three gold bands. nice clip, the big band says "Sailor Japan founded 1911". Very atractive, but nothing exactly new. High quality though, You can feel it. Filling system: 7-10 Sailor proprietary converter. Nice, works well, eazy to clean. But it takes a minuscule amount of ink. Nib : 10-10 This is where Sailor truly shines. My friends, this is the SEXIEST nib I have ever seen. Look at these lines, this pronouced beak, the crisp inprints... I fell in love with it at first sight. It´s actually two nibs fused together, one on top of each other, and the tip has a interesting design, reminds me of a eagle beak. And the tip also has a cross shaped slit, to increase inkflow. But the nib is only as good as how it writes, rigth?? And how does this baby rolls?? In one word: delicious. The downside writes a japanese fine, quite smooth, some feedback, but very pleasant. No flex, as per the design of the nib. When writing upside-down is where this baby shines: it writes a luxurious, thick, brush-like line. Butter smooth, glides across the paper. It´s very pleasant. So much so that I like to just doodle with it. It´s kind of an accountant nib, where the downstrokes are thinner than side strokes. Lovely shading too. Never has this baby skipped on me either. Cost and value.8-10 Aye, that´s the rub. It usually retails for 535 ( nibs.com ) wich is quite expensive for a pen, no matter how you look at it. It does deliver an outstanding experience, but it´s a bit steep. I could never bring myself to pay full price. BUT, as I said in the beginning, I payed half price for it, and I think it´s truly a bargain. Even for full price I would buy it if it wasn´t for the insane amout of taxes and headache I would have here. Conclusion: 34-40 I really love this pen, can you tell?? Lovely body, very sturdy ( as my wife proved it...) and the sexiest, juiciest nib in the house. If you like interesting pens, smooth, and with many aplications, grab it. It costs about as much as a Montblanc but I think its so much better. So, that´s about it. Hope you enjoy it, I welcome any advice. See ya!!

http://kobe-nagasawa.co.jp/system/wp-content/uploads/tcd-w/kobe-1.jpg http://imageshack.com/a/img903/6787/QslPHK.jpg Kobe (神戸市 Kōbe-shi) is the sixth-largest city in Japan and is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture. It is located on the southern side of the main island of Honshū, on the north shore of Osaka Bayand about 30 km (19 mi) west of Osaka. With a population around 1.5 million, the city is part of the Kyoto-Osaka-Kobe metropolitan area along with Osaka and Kyoto. Its name comes from "kanbe" (神戸), an archaic title for supporters of the city's Ikuta Shrine. Kobe became one of Japan's 17 designated cities in 1956. Kobe is famous for its shirines and nioce architecture but among fountain pen and ink afficionados the name Kobe cause increased heart-rate. The city is a home of Nagasawa-Kobe stationery shop that offers incredible lione of more than fifty inks made by Sailor. http://imageshack.com/a/img908/7578/dtzhVS.jpg https://kobe-nagasawa.co.jp/ My master - plan is to prepare comparison of full line of Nagasawa-Kobe inks. Not an easy task as they're not the most obtainable inks on the market, but hopefully I'll manage to do it At the moment Nagasawa-Kobe offers 52 inks: Rokko GreenPier BlueOld Foreigner Ward SepiaKitano Foreigners Residence RedEast Asia BlackKobe BordeauxKaikyo BlueArima AmberSuma PurpleMikage GreyIkuta OrangeOkamoto PinkNunobiki EmeraldMaya LapisMaiko GreenNada BrownShioya BlueSannomiya PanseMinatogawa LimeMotomachi RougeTaisanji YellowShinkaichi GoldNagata BlueNakayamate BlackTarumi ApricotWadamisaki BlueKounan MaroonSuzuran GreenSuma Kaihin BlueOoji CherryKaigan Stone GreyTamon Purple GreyRikyuu Moon YellowSourakuen Tea GreenSuwayama Leaf GreenSakaemachi IndigoMinatojima Island BlueKitanozaka Night BlueKobe BrickSumiyoshi BrownSuma Rikyu RoseRokko Island SkyGakuen Toshi Fresh GreenSumaura Seaside BlueHashibuse Silhouette GreenNagisa Museum GreyAoya Cascade GreenSuidousuji Marchais BlueKitano Olive GreenKyo-machi Legend BlueKano-cho Midnight Shioya Vintage Sepia Haruka337 has sent me samples of four Kobe inks. They were fun to try. Thank you Michelle! Okamoto Pink is pink and automatically I was afraid of trying this ink. Pain in the eyes isn't pleasant, you know? Happily Okamoto PInk isn't one of those crazy intense retina searing pinks. It's rather subtle and well behaved. It's definitely not my range of color but if you happen to enjoy - for wharever bizarre reason - pink inks this one should deliver. Ink Splash http://imageshack.com/a/img907/3434/T4dNKU.jpg Drops of ink on kitchen towel http://imageshack.com/a/img633/2130/faZP1S.jpg Software ID http://imageshack.com/a/img908/1488/fsrthH.jpg Color range http://imageshack.com/a/img910/7404/Yez0BG.jpg Tomoe River, Kaweco Classic Sport, B http://imageshack.com/a/img910/8963/L9DzNx.jpg http://imageshack.com/a/img908/9876/axnvB9.jpg http://imageshack.com/a/img905/7593/e9utUy.jpg Leuchturm 1917, Kaweco Classic Sport, B http://imageshack.com/a/img910/9642/eS7tdG.jpg http://imageshack.com/a/img907/1751/1COzgQ.jpg http://imageshack.com/a/img908/851/yGq2bX.jpg Oxford, Hero 5028, stub 1,9 http://imageshack.com/a/img903/2968/PTegIj.jpg Water resistance (30 seconds under current water) http://imageshack.com/a/img910/4204/azI8ef.jpg

Here's a review of No. 26! Hope you like it! Certain members of this forum have been a big influence in this purchase...with all of those reviews they keep posting http://i1279.photobucket.com/albums/y529/lovementos/Ink/SNKNo26WadamisakiBlue_zps38a513a1.jpg

Hey there! I am looking for inks which can be used in a professional setting but have a tiny bit of fun with them. For me, these inks should be very dark, so that by not taking a closer look you could mistake them for a blue or even black ink, but at a second glance you can see a tiny pop of color. So almost black, but with something extra. Some inks that could be used as examples: - Noodler's red-black - Mont Blanc British Racing Green - maybe Mont Blanc Albert Einstein I am happy to hear your suggestions, as I am not that knowledgable about all the inks yet, and I am sure you have many good ideas.

As a sailors daughter, this gives me a mild fit of the giggles, thinking of "a stinky sailor"....but genuinely am wondering....a bottle of Sailor Jentle, opened it yesterday, and poooooeeee.....it had such an odd smell. (To be clear - I had a stroke a while back, and one of the lasting effects was that it affected my sense of smell, which I lost completely, but has since come back, though with intermittent off days. My taste was also affected, and sometimes things taste completely 'wrong' - or not there at all. So, this may be related to that) Can't remember the colour name - it's not in English. A lovely dark red/brown. Alex

Hi, A supplier in Japan shipped me my Sailor Profit 21k fine rhodium with only its usual cartridges instead of adding in the purchased converter (which is now on its way). What type of ink is usually in these cartridges please - non-water resistant or a water resistant nano-type pigment like their blue-black? Their English wasn't too understandable to me when discussing the converter so I didn't want to ask them in case confusion occurred. I intend to use Iro inks once the converter arrives so didn't want any unusual gunking in the pen if the inks are incompatible and I'd missed cleaning a tiny bit of the cartridge ink out. It's a pen I've wanted for some time so don't want to mess it up. I usually only use water for cleaning, so if there is a home made pen flush that will do the job of cleaning out Sailor's nano ink I'd be keen to know which recipe here on FPN might be best please (I have it in a dedicated Pilot that is coming up for its first clean anyway). Thanks.

Another hand written review! Enjoy! http://i57.tinypic.com/21q8uq.jpg http://i60.tinypic.com/33c6uf8.jpg http://i60.tinypic.com/2czue6o.jpg http://i58.tinypic.com/b3lgub.jpg http://i62.tinypic.com/2ryijoy.jpg http://i58.tinypic.com/oucknp.jpg

Sailor makes stunning inks. It's a pity so many of them aren't easily obtainable outside of Japan and they're rather expensive to order. Dandyism was made for Bung Box. I've received Quadrifoglio sample from one of FPNers - thank you . I must say this ink is simply stunning. I love murky greens so the color makes me drool. Apart from that the ink has amazing flow and some water resistance. I need a bottle. Not good. Ink Splash http://imageshack.com/a/img910/9823/bzrC1k.jpg Drops of ink on kitchen towel http://imageshack.com/a/img901/5247/cE5ioh.jpg Software ID http://imageshack.com/a/img905/8772/eJrgbt.jpg COLOR RANGE http://imageshack.com/a/img911/8122/bz0Lh6.jpg Leuchtturm1917, Visconti van Gogh, M http://imageshack.com/a/img908/1526/NJj6vs.jpg http://imageshack.com/a/img907/9792/36ZxQa.jpg Tomoe River, Visconti van Gogh, M http://imageshack.com/a/img633/6328/aFtq3U.jpg http://imageshack.com/a/img903/723/uxJmEj.jpg CIAK, Visconti van Gogh, M http://imageshack.com/a/img905/8057/3fFzAs.jpg http://imageshack.com/a/img905/1033/cjQ5DP.jpg Pigna, Visconti van Gogh, M http://imageshack.com/a/img907/1821/865x9o.jpg http://imageshack.com/a/img909/5103/Hmzybt.jpg Water resistant? http://imageshack.com/a/img910/6356/HymLxc.jpg

The first gold pen I bought was a Sailor 1911S. Because I am interested in matching pen and pencil sets, I went looking for a 1911 pencil. I found one, but for some reason its design was never updated, so it matches the old-style 1911 pen, not the new one. For those who may not know, Sailor at some point-- I’m not sure when—redesigned its popular 1911 line. The 1911 used to have a simpler nib engraving, a gold-plated ring at the bottom of the section instead of the top of the section as the current pens, and only one cap band as opposed to the two of current pens. Also, the color of the gold fittings was paler before the redesign; afterwards, the gold became yellower. I was quite surprised to find that the pencil matched the old pen, with one cap band and pale gold fittings. The ballpoint, which I also bought, was in the same way. Of course, then I had to go hunt down the correct vintage 1911 fountain pen. If my resume says I’m “detail oriented,” you know now it’s true. Anyway, these old pens are not often found in the United States, but I eventually found an old-style 1911L offered by a Japanese seller on a famous auction site, and with a few well-timed clicks my set was complete. I also bought a Sailor three-pen case because, at this point, why not? There are plenty of Sailor 1911 reviews on this Forum, but I don’t think any are for the old-style pen, or the matching pencil and ballpoint. So, here we go. Please excuse my utilitarian photography; I only have a simple point-and-shoot camera (and wouldn’t know how to use a DSLR if one descended from heaven into my lap anyway). Here we see the closed pen case. It’s called the Sailor Imperial Black case or something macho like that, but it strikes me as rather feminine: despite its nylon and leather (?) construction and black metal fittings, it sort of looks like a makeup case. 1 Case Closed by Jacob Marks, on Flickr The case actually closes with magnetic buttons, as you can see. The buckles are purely decorative. 2 Case Open by Jacob Marks, on Flickr 3 Case Open Flap Open by Jacob Marks, on Flickr 4 Decorative Buckles by Jacob Marks, on Flickr The case is mostly of nylon, with piping and details in leather or a leather-like material. For the price, I hope it’s leather. 5 Lining by Jacob Marks, on Flickr 6 Logo detail by Jacob Marks, on Flickr There is a little slot for holding spare cartridges. I use bottled ink, but have some cartridges stowed there for an emergency—though it would be an odd emergency indeed that required them. 7 Cart Storage Detail by Jacob Marks, on Flickr Here is our redoubtable trio of writing instruments. I call them Athos, Porthos, and Steve. 8 Pens Overview by Jacob Marks, on Flickr First, the fountain pen. Capped, it has a classic appearance. Its resemblance to Montblanc’s 146 is often noted. 9 Fountain Pen Capped by Jacob Marks, on Flickr It seems the pen is intended to be posted. It posts securely although the lines are not as clean as I would like. 10 Fountain Pen Posted by Jacob Marks, on Flickr The end of the barrel has a false blind cap. The ring, like the buckles on the case, is purely decorative. 10-2 False Blind Cap by Jacob Marks, on Flickr On to the business end. The nib has a simple design which I much prefer to the current one. The new nibs are quite busy and owe too much to that aforementioned German manufacturer. Unlike the current 1911L nibs, which to my knowledge are all 21k, this is a 14k nib. Some people consider 14k to be the best alloy for nibs because of its elasticity, with higher-karat nibs being too soft. That sort of thing is beyond my expertise. I’m more of liberal arts kind of guy. On the other hand, the redesign eliminates the ring at the bottom of the section, which is said to be a magnet for corrosion. This one seems to be in fine shape, though. 11 Nib Front 1 by Jacob Marks, on Flickr This nib is marked H-M. My guess is that stands for hard medium. The nib is not flexible or semi-flexible or even hemi-demi-semi-flexible, but neither is it rigid. It has some give. I would call it firm. To the disappointment of the spammers who fill my email inbox, I’m perfectly satisfied by how firm my pen is. 12 side nib by Jacob Marks, on Flickr The feed is a typical finned black plastic affair. 13 Feed by Jacob Marks, on Flickr The writing tip is smooth enough, and certainly a medium. Not interesting, but not bad. 14 Writing Surface by Jacob Marks, on Flickr As you can see, the cap only has one band. It screws on with the pleasant soft stop peculiar to Sailor. The clip is attached to the cap below the ring, which keeps it from spinning around but looks weird to me. I prefer Montblanc clips: the clip is attached to the ring, and a tab on the inside keeps it from spinning. Nonetheless, this is an effective clip, not too tight and not too loose. 15 Cap overview by Jacob Marks, on Flickr The cap band says “Sailor Japan Founded 1911,” just like current pens. There seems to be some dried adhesive oozing out from behind the band. 16 Cap Band Detail by Jacob Marks, on Flickr The pen fills with a Sailor cartridge/converter system. Though the ink capacity is modest, the pen writes fairly dry and so does not exhaust its supply too quickly. 18 Filling by Jacob Marks, on Flickr Now for the ballpoint. It’s twist action, and looks a lot like the Montblanc 164 Classique ballpoint. The Sailor is smaller, lighter, and compares unfavorably to the 164 in every way except price. However, since the Montblanc is something like eight or nine times the cost of the Sailor, this is to be expected. It takes, of course, a proprietary Sailor refill, which is not readily available at stores in the States. I prefer the Fine black Sailor refill to the Fine black Parker Quinkflow refill that lives in my Jotter Flighter. Sailor’s is smoother and starts up better. 19 Ballpoint Overview by Jacob Marks, on Flickr 20 Ballpoint nib closeup cropped by Jacob Marks, on Flickr The end cap is not perfectly flush with the rest of the cap. It’s slightly smaller in diameter. Weird. The pencil does not share this defect. 21 Ballpoint ridge by Jacob Marks, on Flickr Speaking of the pencil, here it is. The lead advances when you push the top. It’s the same size and weight as the ballpoint. 22 Pencil Overview by Jacob Marks, on Flickr The top screws off to reveal the eraser. 23 Pencil Open by Jacob Marks, on Flickr It writes, of course, like any mechanical pencil should. 24 Pencil Tip Closeup by Jacob Marks, on Flickr Finally, here’s the goal of the venture, a writing sample of the fountain pen. The pencil and ballpoint are, well, a pencil and a ballpoint. 25 Sailor 1911L Writing Sample by Jacob Marks, on Flickr Final thoughts: I really wanted to love this set because I went to some trouble to assemble it, and because I love actually sailing. Unfortunately, when I handle these writing instruments, the words that come into my mind are not “awesome” and “amazing” but rather “acceptable” and “okay.” They are well-made and hard-working, but I want to be wowed, and these just don’t do that. The firm medium nib is useable not exciting, and I can’t use the pen in public without someone asking “Is that a Montblanc?” Answering “Actually it’s a Sailor, a Japanese pen that just happens to look suspiciously like a Montblanc” gets a bit tiresome quickly. Maybe one day I will get one of Sailor’s crazy specialty nibs and change my mind—although the old nib pattern is one of the coolest things about the pen. I hope this review was helpful to anyone considering a vintage Sailor 1911. Your questions and comments are welcome.

What do you mean I can't get any more?!! Does Sailor just do one small run of their Bungbox colors, or do they make more every so often? I hope they make more Eel - it's such a fantastic color and it's easier to get your hands on German pharmaceutical heroin right at this moment.

I like Sailor inks a lot. It's a pity they produce so many amazing colors for shops in Japan and limit their distribution to Japan and intenet shops. I believe at the moment there are 50 inks in Kobe series (so the image below is not up to date): http://imageshack.com/a/img901/5809/A5PiW5.jpghttp://imageshack.com/a/img673/7199/lefF5R.jpghttp://imageshack.com/a/img674/4889/rnFMJH.jpg http://imageshack.com/a/img904/9960/ktM7zx.jpg Tamon Purple Grey is interesting ink. I like it. http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/640x480q90/746/7vsdPv.jpg INK SPLASH http://imageshack.com/a/img745/4528/g3Nwhs.jpg DROPS OF INK ON KITCHEN TOWEL http://imageshack.com/a/img907/1518/saTZzY.jpg CHROMATOGRAPHY http://imageshack.com/a/img540/7682/9cJa9h.jpg SOFTWARE IDENTIFICATION / COLOR RANGE http://imageshack.com/a/img674/9038/vUGZgF.jpg COLOR RANGE http://imageshack.com/a/img540/3899/DJ3D14.jpg Review written with Jinhao 599, medium nib http://imageshack.com/a/img904/2686/ATskwf.jpg http://imageshack.com/a/img540/7794/V3sSZy.jpg OXFORD PAPER http://imageshack.com/a/img631/2245/jwiVoO.jpg http://imageshack.com/a/img673/7387/hSt2yK.jpg LYRECO BUDGET 70g http://imageshack.com/a/img913/6405/GcRK6q.jpg http://imageshack.com/a/img633/551/2hldSB.jpg DRY TIME (1s, 5s, 10 s, 15s) http://imageshack.com/a/img673/8406/KOukFS.jpg

Hello all, I am hoping someone more knowledgeable than me can recommend someone for repair of a sailor nib. I unfortunately dropped my progear extra fine nibbled pen. Thanks in advance, Chris

I don’t really like black color. I mostly use red, brown, green and orange inks in my pens. During last few years I’ve tried quite a lot of different inks and came to a conclusion that Sailor inks rock. Sailor offers hundreds of colors, sadly most of them are distributed only in Japan as a private label for Japanese stationery retailers (Pen & Message, Bung Box, Kingdom Note). Of course you can always order them. It’s simple. Just a few clicks and they’re on the way. The price however is rather steep. That’s why I restrain myself from acquiring them. Happily regular Sailor inks are also stunning. I’ve been writing with Sailor inks for approximately two years. Funny thing is that since the beginning of my quest for perfect fountain I haven’t tried any Sailor pen. Not that I dislike them, on the contrary – I find Sailor pens appealing. However every time I was just about to pull a trigger and offer myself one of them, there were more important expenses. Besides as a wet and broad nibs aficionado I was hesitant about Japanese nibs. They are sometime too hard and too dry for my taste. And as Japanese pens aren’t exactly cheap ones I was keeping on refraining myself from takin a shot. For a while. http://imageshack.com/a/img537/3995/G2aOzI.jpg Until the moment I’ve spotted Sailor 1911 Black Luster advert somewhere. I felt instant attraction toward this pen. The pen that is black and classic. Resistance was pointless. Temptation was too overhelming. I’ve contacted my favourite Japanese seller (Cerisier Japonais) and ordered the pen. Of course you can buy it in your country of residence however I don’t like to overpay. That’s why I always order Japanese pens and inks from Japan. Sailor 1911 Black Luster is sold in a plastic box covered with a layer of something mossy. I guess it’s supposed to look elegant and stylish, but to me it looks cheap. On the other hand I don’t collect boxes and I usually throw them away immediately after unpacking the pen. With few exceptions – for example I’ve kept Islander’s box. I like wood as a material. Apart from the pen and free Sailor cartridges I’ve found also interesting note in the box: http://imageshack.com/a/img538/8070/xCIGO4.jpg Good one. It seems they want to follow Montblanc. I’ve wrinkled the note and threi it and then I’ve unpacked the pen. I looked at it. Examined the design and the finish. The nib. And then nodded my head with appreciation. That’s stunning pen. http://imageshack.com/a/img540/8853/bfSf16.jpg http://imageshack.com/a/img901/3195/bESjYO.jpg http://imageshack.com/a/img538/2296/BUY4Cg.jpg http://imageshack.com/a/img540/6595/PsI45j.jpg http://imageshack.com/a/img673/9940/dWMfF0.jpg Sailor 1911 is a very nice pen and the only drawback I see is the fact it’s design is strongly reminiscent of Montblanc pens. Yes, it’s stylish and elegant but I just don’t understand why Sailor - a company with over one hundred years of tradition - has copied pen design from another manufacturer? I suppose it has something to do with the fact that in the eighties Japanese products were building their reputation on the international market and Sailor designers thought it was good idea to try some design that was likely to appeal to foreign (European, American) customers. It’s just a wild guess. If you happen to know Sailor history it would be great if you could share with me. I do not like black. Nevertheless, the Sailor 1911 Black Luster looks simply stunning in my opinion. This model comes with the lovely rounded top seemingly more blending with the entire fountain pen and the weight balance is at its optimum. Black and charcoal hues, give it a unique and modern look. This pen has a sharp-looking black resin finish, gunmetal ion plated trim and a weighted brass grip section. What can I say, every time I look at it my salivary glands are stimulated. Construction http://imageshack.com/a/img673/3162/wq1Vod.jpg http://imageshack.com/a/img913/3700/gBT3YZ.jpg http://imageshack.com/a/img661/3299/Mm5ONc.jpg http://imageshack.com/a/img540/7633/h4Hkky.jpg http://imageshack.com/a/img661/457/ybcEOR.jpg http://imageshack.com/a/img537/6352/b7lulh.jpg The pen looks and feels well balanced and the resin (let’s use the word plastic that pen manufacturers are so afraid of) has pretty good quality. It doesn’t collect dust, you don’t see a lot of fingerprints on the barrel even after long writing session. Metal section is heavier than the body - it adds heft where the thumb and finger meet and leads to greater control and ease of writing. Personally I find it really comfortable. Branding on the pen is rather subtle which I like. Around the bottom you’ll find a thick band of the ion plated black rhodium etched with "Sailor Japan Founded 1911". Because of the color used – black (who would guess?) - it is hard to read without holding the pen close. From a distance it simply looks like a pattern etched into the band. The only other branding is on the nib which is engraved with the Sailor anchor style logo and 1911 just above it. 21K and Sailor are also engraved below the anchor next to the grip of the pen. The cap of the pen is threaded and must be unscrewed in order to be removed from the pen. It suits me well – I enjoy screw caps. The cap can be posted on the end of the barrel but I never write this way. I believe also it could cause some scratches after some time. But I don’t know that for sure and I’m not planning to change my writing habits so you’ll have to ask someone else Nib http://imageshack.com/a/img540/4299/nbyjLB.jpg http://imageshack.com/a/img537/3007/yJC4p7.jpg http://imageshack.com/a/img537/5434/L8ICmq.jpg http://imageshack.com/a/img910/5823/9Ij7gq.jpg http://imageshack.com/a/img913/1760/z22iMd.jpg http://imageshack.com/a/img538/5844/f8UaHT.jpg http://imageshack.com/a/img538/8148/1bOXQo.jpg Not only is the nib pretty, proportionate and elegant, it also writes well and leaves wet line on the paper. Ion-coated black nib on the Sailor 1911 Black Luster is made from 21 K gold and can be bought in few sizes: EF, F, M and B. I wanted B but as it was unavailable at the time I’ve ordered the pen so I went for medium nib. It’s not my perfect size - it could be thicker but on the other hand this nib navigates flawlessly through notebook, copy, parchment paper. Sailor has undoubtedly mastered the art of the nib, it delivers ink to any paper and behaves well on variety of papers. Filling System http://imageshack.com/a/img540/6941/TqqU7N.jpg http://imageshack.com/a/img538/1098/Es6JWf.jpg This is where I have problem with the pen. It’s fuelled with proprietary converter or cartridges. The Sailor converter only holds 0.6 ml of ink which isn’t exactly impressive. Compared to Visconti / Caran d’Ache converters is seems cheap. I wish the pen was piston-filler. Dimensions Closed: 141 mm Open: 132 mm Weight: 22 g Summary It is worth the price? Well, Sailor 1911 Black Luster is expensive pen. In Poland it costs around 1300 PLN (+/- 350 $). I’ve managed to buy it for 220$ but it definitely wasn’t impulse purchase. I wanted to try this pen and after some thought I’ve decided I could afford it. On the other hand, competition in this price segment is strong and diversified. Sailor’s pen is well-made and nice but it’s not innovative, it doesn’t offer funky filling system or even good ink capacity. Honestly I don’t think it’s competitive pen which doesn’t mean I regret the purchase. On the contrary - I am pleased with it. Regardless of the derivative design and boring filling system, Sailor 1911 Black Luster is a pen with character. Pros: qualitydesignwell balanced sectionCons PriceDerivative design (I like it however it’s not innovative, so while it’s elegant it’s also too reminiscent of MB pens)Proprietary filling system

Here is a review of one of the rare Sailor inks for the Ishida Bungu shop on Hokkaido, Japan. The ink refers to a famous curry served up at a local curry house of long standing. The coloring of the ink is really great. Reviewed on Mohawk via Linen, Hammermill 28 lb inkjet, and Tomoe River papers. I seem to have lost my waterfastness test sheet, which it must surely be around somewhere, but not available when I want to photograph it. This ink is one of the most washed away by water that I've encountered in my tests. There was some bleed through here, but only where I had hammered the color on the previous side.

http://imageshack.com/a/img903/6787/QslPHK.jpg Kobe (神戸市 Kōbe-shi) is the sixth-largest city in Japan and is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture. It is located on the southern side of the main island of Honshū, on the north shore of Osaka Bayand about 30 km (19 mi) west of Osaka. With a population around 1.5 million, the city is part of the Kyoto-Osaka-Kobe metropolitan area along with Osaka and Kyoto. Its name comes from "kanbe" (神戸), an archaic title for supporters of the city's Ikuta Shrine. Kobe became one of Japan's 17 designated cities in 1956. Kobe is famous for its shirines and nioce architecture but among fountain pen and ink afficionados the name Kobe cause increased heart-rate. The city is a home of Nagasawa-Kobe stationery shop that offers incredible lione of more than fifty inks made by Sailor. http://imageshack.com/a/img908/7578/dtzhVS.jpg https://kobe-nagasawa.co.jp/ My master - plan is to prepare comparison of full line of Nagasawa-Kobe inks. Not an easy task as they're not the most obtainable inks on the market, but hopefully I'll manage to do it At the moment Nagasawa-Kobe offers 52 inks: Rokko GreenPier BlueOld Foreigner Ward SepiaKitano Foreigners Residence RedEast Asia BlackKobe BordeauxKaikyo BlueArima AmberSuma PurpleMikage GreyIkuta OrangeOkamoto PinkNunobiki EmeraldMaya LapisMaiko GreenNada BrownShioya BlueSannomiya PanseMinatogawa LimeMotomachi RougeTaisanji YellowShinkaichi GoldNagata BlueNakayamate BlackTarumi ApricotWadamisaki BlueKounan MaroonSuzuran GreenSuma Kaihin BlueOoji CherryKaigan Stone GreyTamon Purple GreyRikyuu Moon YellowSourakuen Tea GreenSuwayama Leaf GreenSakaemachi IndigoMinatojima Island BlueKitanozaka Night BlueKobe BrickSumiyoshi BrownSuma Rikyu RoseRokko Island SkyGakuen Toshi Fresh GreenSumaura Seaside BlueHashibuse Silhouette GreenNagisa Museum GreyAoya Cascade GreenSuidousuji Marchais BlueKitano Olive GreenKyo-machi Legend BlueKano-cho Midnight Shioya Vintage SepiaAoya Cascade Green is one of few shades of green I sincerily and wholeartedly dislike. Brrr. It behaves well though, so if you're into such hues, you won't be disappointed. Ink Splash http://imageshack.com/a/img909/4378/zWKkfl.jpg Drops of ink on kitchen towel http://imageshack.com/a/img911/3535/vawMUx.jpg Software ID http://imageshack.com/a/img907/8190/JQ0Mh3.jpg http://imageshack.com/a/img905/6562/S3FueZ.jpg Tomoe River, Kaweco Skyline, BB http://imageshack.com/a/img909/1042/RTbdNG.jpg http://imageshack.com/a/img912/8582/XP0KBU.jpg Leuchtturm1917, Kaweco Skyline, BB http://imageshack.com/a/img633/4568/VFXCqo.jpg http://imageshack.com/a/img631/4733/2iHkoa.jpg Oxford, Kaweco Skyline, BB http://imageshack.com/a/img903/4599/Znnhgq.jpg Water resistance? http://imageshack.com/a/img905/9072/7tDrea.jpg

Sailor makes stunning inks. Recently Cyber6 has sent me the sample of Jentle Brown ink from 2007-8 (?). Frankly this is one of the most interesting browns I've ever seen. Simply amazing. Does anyone know it's presently obtainable twin? I've tried quite a lot of browns (soon I'll post comparison of around 70-80 of them) and this one remains quite unique to my eyes. Ink splash http://imageshack.com/a/img673/3470/y7rGaE.jpg Drops of ink on kitchen towel http://imageshack.com/a/img540/8876/g1j6pd.jpg Software ID: http://imageshack.com/a/img538/8375/VS5ijM.jpg Color range http://imageshack.com/a/img674/1016/9BzqB7.jpg Calendar - Kaweco Sport Classic, eyedropper mode, broad nib http://imageshack.com/a/img674/5412/VclRCB.jpg http://imageshack.com/a/img537/8094/9GRTfx.jpg http://imageshack.com/a/img633/927/P28KpZ.jpg http://imageshack.com/a/img540/2284/AAx2zw.jpg

This is my first ever ink review, so there might be a bit more to wish for. Especially my handwriting.... The paper I have used is a copy paper, but not the cheapest. Actually it's quite nice to write on. http://i666.photobucket.com/albums/vv27/AndyYNWA/Ink%20reviews/Kobe%20Inks/CCF20092015_00000_zpshzqxdd0w.jpg Water resistance test. Held under running water for about 7-8 seconds. Quite good result, imho. http://i666.photobucket.com/albums/vv27/AndyYNWA/Ink%20reviews/Kobe%20Inks/0745a0ae-a8c5-44c8-9878-971ae3374432_zpsyipu6hcl.jpg By accident I spilled som tea on a note I hade written. So, one extra resistance test. http://i666.photobucket.com/albums/vv27/AndyYNWA/Ink%20reviews/Kobe%20Inks/51d8496f-a8a7-407d-b9b5-b6598e5bcf01_zpsqguonumn.jpg I hope you found the review interesting and helpful. Feedback is welcome.

Hello FPNers, Could not wait to share my happiness on the newly acquired Pro Gear with the NMF nib. Grabbed a pad and wrote a few lines with it Full review to follow soon.. Sorry for the dull pictures, you know mobile phones (promise will fix them in my next review ) http://i1302.photobucket.com/albums/ag127/soniknitr/IMG_3673_zpsccc4nugo.jpg http://i1302.photobucket.com/albums/ag127/soniknitr/IMG_3674_zpslffcgrhe.jpg http://i1302.photobucket.com/albums/ag127/soniknitr/IMG_3675_zpsfjq1wqbw.jpg http://i1302.photobucket.com/albums/ag127/soniknitr/IMG_3676_zpsppbgnrkb.jpg Happiness, Sonik

Sailor Kobe Nagasawa, Cascade Green ink Here is a picture of my Sailor Kobe Nagasawa Cascade Green Ink. I went on a buying spree of Nagasawa inks and Kingdom Note inks a while ago on eBay, including the Mushroom series and Insect series inks. Although the bottles and quirkiness of the Kingdom Note inks are great, I think I actually prefer the serenness of the Sailor Kobe inks. I also find some of the KN Mushroom series to be a bit dry, whereas these Kobe Nagasawa inks are much wetter. I'm tempted to buy all of them... if only storage and funds permitted! http://s30.postimg.org/a2dai5epd/sailor_cascade_green.png Above is a writing sample with the Omas Ogiva Extra fine, Extra Flessibile nib. Cascade Green is actually quite similar to the Kobe Nagasawa Marchais Blue, but Cascade Green has more shading, in my opinion. Sorakuen Green Tea is another favourite- very soothing.

We wrote up an overview of the entire Sailor Storia pigmented inks collection, complete with handwriting scans. I'm glad to report that no pens (vintage or modern) were harmed in the writing of this review. A week or so after the writing samples were written, the pens had run out of their fills and were washed out without any staining or clogging issues encountered. The only extra effort needed was to wipe the nib when rinsing to get a little bit of the "creep" ink off the metal of the nib. Read the full review here : http://goldspotpens.blogspot.com/2015/09/the-story-on-sailor-storia-pigmented.html Pens & Ink match-ups in the review : Visconti Van Gogh Impressionist (F) - Sailor Storia Clown Light Green Kaweco AL-Sport Raw Aluminum (EF) - Sailor Storia Blue Night TWSBI Diamond 530 (1.5mm Stub) - Sailor Storia Fire Red OMAS New Bologna (M 18kt) - Sailor Storia Magic Purple Waterman 352 Stalwart (vintage flex) - Sailor Storia Lion Light Brown Nemosine Singularity (0.6mm Stub) - Sailor Storia Spotlight Yellow Parker Blue Diamond Vacumatic (F) - Sailor Storia Dancer Pink Edison Herald (F) - Sailor Storia Balloon Green

This is a first of four reviews of different Rakuten stores. Like they say: Weak Yen; Strong Dollar means shopping is entertainment! I placed an order for several Pilot Somes Cases (pictured below) at pricing that was almost 40% less than eBay sellers. I love these pen cases. The leather is exquisite and the finishing is professional. Even the zip around case can hold three King of Pens and a Midori Passport sized notebook The order was confirmed by email and then I reconfirmed the shipping charges, which were reasonable considering the package got to the US in a couple of days! Here are the items I purchased and the store links: http://item.rakuten.co.jp/komamono-honpo/sls3-01-b/ http://thumbnail.image.rakuten.co.jp/@0_mall/komamono-honpo/cabinet/34/slpc-01-bn.jpg http://thumbnail.image.rakuten.co.jp/@0_mall/komamono-honpo/cabinet/38/sls3-01-b.jpg http://thumbnail.image.rakuten.co.jp/@0_mall/komamono-honpo/cabinet/38/sls3-01-b-02.jpg http://www.pen-house.net/contents/html/images/pilot/somes/sls3_01_bn/top.jpg

Celebrate with me the arrival of a Nakaya Decapod and a custom pen roll from Chan's Handmade: http://i.imgur.com/8Mpyn2v.jpg http://i.imgur.com/gQqsr0K.jpg http://i.imgur.com/rdoo9Cc.jpg Top: Platinum Izumo Tagayasan (Ironwood) Gloss L-R: Platinum Izumo Suro-tamenuri (Green under Brown), Nakaya Decapod Cigar in Shiro-tamenuri (Cream under Brown), Andreas Lambrou's Classic Pens LB-5 (adapted from Sailor King of Pen) Tairuku (Amethyst) finish, Namiki Yukari Royale Vermilion

Based on some recent discussion regarding Sailor Do-you and Iroshizuku Take-sumi (both of which I happen to have recently purchased), I filled my Edison Beaumont pneumatic with Sailor Do-you. I was not disappointed. This is a wonderful ink. If you like wet inks I feel confident that you will like this ink as well, assuming you like this kind of color, which I very much do.

Hi there! Greetings from Switzerland...I said Switzerland - not Sweden! :-) I am a passionate and avid collector of mainly FP's since many years. In two weeks I'll launch my new website 123stylo.com, and I thought I could share the news to the american continent. This boutique will have around 50-75 exceptional pieces, as we believe quality is essential over quantity. It will be dedicated to highly sought-after vintage & rare collectibles FP's from all around the globe, with the presence of manufacture Fps from renowned Italian, French & Belgian artisans in very very limited editions. I will for sure update TFPN once a week what's in stock, as we are shipping worldwide. Can't wait to have your feedback & thanks for hosting such a nice place!

I’m not sure if this is the best place to ask, but I was wondering if anyone could tell me which black ink cartridges Sailor ships with their new pens. Is it the Sailor Jentle Black, or the Sailor Ultra Black? I recently purchased a Sailor Pro Gear Slim pen in Pearl Red with a Saibi Togi nib, and didn’t realize it wasn’t coming with a converter. I purchased one separately, but while I was waiting for it to arrive, I inked up the pen with one of the included Sailor cartridges to try out. Of course, it turns out that I really like the black in the included cartridge, and I’d like to be able to purchase more of it, but I don’t read Japanese and can’t tell which black ink was included with my pen. Can anyone tell me? I’d be much obliged. If it helps, I can take a picture of the plastic the cartridge came in later tonight and post it. If I recall correctly, it does have writing on it. I have no idea if it tells you what ink it is, but I would assume it does. Thanks!