Sailor Nibs (1911)

[HenryLouis]

Hi,

 

I like the look of the Sailor 1911 and I'm starting to like finer nibs so I want to get a 1911 within the next few months. What are people's experiences with the pen? It's between the 1911 and the Pro gear. Is the only difference the flattened ends compared to the cigar shape on the 1911?

 

How do these pens post?

 

I don't know what nib to get. I like the line width of my Reform 1745 but I don't know how much tipping is on the pen, and it probably varies as well.

 

I've mainly used German pens and the nibs are very wide. A lamy F is useable, but still on the thick side...

 

I have a Vanishing point in Medium and that's a bit wide for me... wider than a Lamy M.

 

From the tip size comparison on John Mottishaw's site, it says a Pilot M is 0.60 mm, while a sailor M is 0.50 mm. A sailor fine is 0.30mm...

 

Does anyone have writing samples of Sailor pens in comparison to other pens?

 

So what size sailor nib do I need? And how smooth are these nibs?

 

Also, should I buy from a nibmeister? It's not too much more than buying from a malaysian seller like pengallery?

 

Thanks

Henry

[Odinraider]

John Mottishaw carries Sailors at http://www.nibs.com/SailorPens.htm. Another option is to contact Engeika on Ebay. Taizo will sell you one with crazy quick shipment (I got one from japan to Ohio in four days) for a great price. I like the look of both the 1911 and the Pro Gear. The Pro Gear is a little larger. The nibs are the same. Either 21k or 14k are fine. Either way, you will have a great writer.

[Tsujigiri]

The only differences between the 1911 and Pro Gear are the shape of the pens, and the fact that the Pro Gear has a 2-tone nib. I'd rather go for the Pro Gear shape, but it wasn't out when I bought my Sailors. The 1911 works very well, though, and the cap posts well. I think the size you're looking for is the Sailor medium-fine nib. It's the perfect size for me, thick enough to make a good line and be incredibly smooth, but slightly thinner than the Lamy 2000 F. It doesn't matter if you buy from a nibmeister or not, because Sailors are pretty much surefire pens out of the box. Are you sure Pengallery is the cheapest, though? Their shipping is pricey... for my 1911 sterling, Swisher pens was the cheapest source I could find.

[dashreeve]

I have Pro Gear slims (7) and 1911 m's (2). I have not tried the full size pro gear or the full size 1911. I prefer the small size for my pens. The only difference I notice is the body shapes, the nibs are ALL amazing. In my opinion, you can't go wrong with either of these pens.

[bardharlock]

MelPens usually beats pengallery on the website. You can likely find one cheaper on eBay brand new if you don't mind waiting a week for the auction. I prefer the Professional Gear over the 1911, but that's just me. You should be able to get a 1911 or Pro Gear from Melpens for the cost of Swisher's pens before shipping.

[HenryLouis]

MelPens usually beats pengallery on the website. You can likely find one cheaper on eBay brand new if you don't mind waiting a week for the auction. I prefer the Professional Gear over the 1911, but that's just me. You should be able to get a 1911 or Pro Gear from Melpens for the cost of Swisher's pens before shipping.

 

I don't know if they take paypal.

We offer few payment options for your shopping convenience. We accept Visa, Master Credit Card and American Express.

 

I'm pretty much accustomed to buying from John Mottishaw so I really do want to buy from him... Fedex has some weird brokerage fees. So it's probably best to order from Mottishaw since they ship via USPS. Also the difference between Mottishaw and Swisher is mainly because of the nib tuning they do.

 

But what nib size do I need? I don't think nibs.com or pengallery or melpens carry the F-M nib.

 

So maybe I'll go for the fine nib.

[AltecGreen]

According to nibs.com the F/M has been discontinued or are unavailable.

Edited August 19, 2009 by AltecGreen

[HenryLouis]

According to nibs.com the F/M has been discontinued or are unavailable.

 

ah that's why. I saw that they were on the tip size chart so I presumed they were available elsewhere.

[Tsujigiri]

Melpens takes Paypal. At least, they have an ebay store that does. Is the medium-fine the same as the fine-medium, or different? On the nibs of mine it says medium-fine, and I think they still make these.

[Saturninus]

if you want an MF, go for the white pink gold Pro Gear. it only comes in MF. It's beautiful. be prepared to spend twice as long writing whatever you intend to write because you will be gazing at the gold.

[kushbaby]

My favorite Sailor is a Professional Gear in Morita Blue that I ordered directly from Japan (ujuku's website -- not the ebay store, the actual website in Japanese - ujuku@mxi.netwave.or.jp), after following a thread here on FPN and deciding I HAD to have that Tiffany-blue and silver color (I also ordered a Mini). I got it in MF, which is a fantastic nib - if you can find one, I think it's the best. The F is a teensy thin (but good if you can't get a MF).