Sailor Yama-Dori - Compact Review

[TheLostOne]

¥1,000 (add 8% domestic consumption tax in Japan) – about US$10 – for 50ml wasn't exactly expensive; ¥1,000 (+tax) for 20ml is a different matter.

 

 

Only if you want sheen from your handwriting on photocopied (or laser-printed) work documents, and then presumably only for personal satisfaction and/or enjoyment, as opposed to wanting your boss to notice and show appreciation. I have from time to time enjoyed marking up draft documents (because final versions are usually stored and distributed electronically anyway) using a $1,000 pen and 'expensive' inks as a personal idiosyncrasy, but then the nuance would be for my benefit only. I also have a stash of 'expensive' paper (by which I don't mean Tomoe River, since I don't have a high regard for it, but just 120gm coated papers from regular stationers), bought at my personal expense, on which to print my desk copies of stuff to which I would refer from time to time.

 

Showing sheen, shading, or any other attribute of the use of fountain pens and inks on somebody else's copy is really not something I'd worry about, but then I don't speak for everyone else, so I sincerely ask: Is that a concern of yours, that you want office documents printed on office-quality paper to allow you to show your handwriting (or 'fountain pen art') flair?

 

I love your "personal idiosyncrasy". I dont have a $1,000 pen, so far my most expensive pens have cost me around $150-225, but I like doing similar things at work. Because of it I found out that my favourite colleague / immediate boss was also into fountain pens, inks and notebooks - she's into all things stationery, actually.

 

Why do you not regard Tomoe River highly? The 120g paper you are talking about, is it similar to the 90g Clairefontaine?

 

 

[A Smug Dill]

Why do you not regard Tomoe River highly?

I find Tomoe River 52gsm paper to be floppy and unwieldy; so, not only is it utterly unsuitable for use -- in my opinion -- as notebook paper, on which I'd expect to write on both sides of each sheet, because the show-through gives me a headache trying to read what I wrote, but I wouldn't want to use it as the medium on which to draw A4-sized artwork either, since it's so damn hard to keep the sheet straight and uncreased.

 

As for it being conducive to eliciting sheen from inks, I already get sheen (yes, even with Sailor yamadori ink) when writing on Rhodia, Maruman, Apica, or even el cheapo Muji and Daiso notebooks/pads with very narrow nibs, so I just don't see what the big deal is with Tomoe River. If I wanted to use a non-absorbent paper just for maximum effect in showing sheen from an ink, I could just use a sheet of (also floppy and unwieldy) waterproof stone paper.

 

It's not that TR is bad paper, but I simply don't see any reason for me to choose it over other papers for my fountain pen use. I have 291 loose sheets of it and two new Taroko Enigma notebooks sitting in a drawer; that's my having used one sheet (and wasn't wowed by it), and given away eight (two each of 52gsm white, 52gsm cream, 68gsm white, and 68gsm cream) to someone who wanted to see whether she wants to use it for her calligraphy practice and/or stock it for her stationery business.

 

The 120g paper you are talking about, is it similar to the 90g Clairefontaine?

Not at all. Actually, that 120gsm paper is terrible for writing on with fountain pen inks. However, for laser-printed documents, it makes the baked-on toner 'pop', and I like the thickness and feel of that printer/copier paper; so, like I said, I use it for my desk copies of reference material.

Edited May 30, 2019 by A Smug Dill