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Sailor King Of Pen Urushi - The Details


jandrese

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It happened during a seemingly innocuous totally normal visit to my pen AD. There were a bunch of pens in front of me for evaluation. Armando Simoni, Danitrio, Wahl Eversharp, AP Limited, Sailor King of Pen in black resin, etc. Then, out of the blue, come three boxes holding none other than the Sailor King of Pen in urushi. Two were in Bordeaux urushi and one was in red. All had medium nibs as I recall. It was like manna from heaven. When I saw the red one it was all over. I did not even dip test the nib or pass go. I’ll take it and ink it up with Pilot Iroshizuku Take-sumi please.

 

**please ignore the fingerprints! There are no imperfections**

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Word on the street is that Sailor won’t be shipping any more new urushi King of Pen until late 2019. These are rare anyway but dang Sailor. The issue is with the nibs. Only one guy does the nibs and he can only do ~50 per day. For the longest time I’ve wanted to see an urushi King of Pen in person and all of a sudden I had a chance to buy one. Umm, yes!

 

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This pen has been reviewed before so what can I add? I want to address the little details that lend support to the lofty name. This pen is about design perfection and flawless execution. There are so many little refinements that add up to something so effortlessly ideal they get individually lost. It also takes a trained eye to spot and appreciate some the finer details. Their perfection sometimes only stands out in comparison to other otherwise fantastic pens that fall short of the King.

 

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Also, at the start I wanted to mention a misstep in delivery of my particular pen. The urushi was (is) not fully cured and it gave me a rash. In the store, in my excitement I did not notice. But when I got home I noticed the unmistakable odor of uncured urushi. I know because I’ve worked with urushi myself lacquering scabbards (saya) for Japanese swords. I’ve gotten urushi rashes before so I’m sensitized to getting them easier in future and the smell of wet or uncured urushi consequently freaks me out. The rashes are bad. Urushi is, in essence, concentrated poison ivy and causes your immune system to attack self. Urushi is nasty. I’m not blaming Sailor, although probably the urushi craftsman should have waited for a full cure, but I wanted to share my one disappointment about the pen. It hurt me. It actually caused me physical injury simply by touching it. That’s not necessarily normal for pens ha ha. It will fully cure in time and become non-reactive but dagnabbit, that kinda sucked.

 

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Packaging: The box is nice heavy wood and the lid (embossed “The King of Pen”!!!) lifts off entirely to reveal the pen and a bottle of Sailor black ink. The pen is sealed in plastic sleeve and unlike some urushi pens it does not come with a bag (bukuro) as I recall. Bag, not kimono folks, although it might be made of similar fabric. The box is nice and substantial but what I expected was a simple paulownia wood box. Lots of fancy Japanese pens come in paulownia wood boxes, for example, almost all Danitrio pens for some time now. I’m not knocking the Sailor KOP box, it’s just different than expected. I’ve got tons of those paulownia boxes around for pens and sword fittings but somehow never get tired of them.

 

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The pen: Clean lines, sleek body, precision, smooth and flawless finish. This is design perfection. This pen looks fresh today and will look fresh forever. That kind of design need not be liked but it does command respect. Take the Porsche 911, it looks very similar today as when it was first hand hammered in a barn in Germany. Clean, sleek, and flowing.

 

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The clip is more or less Sailor standard but it’s length looks right and functions well, the pen sits snugly in a pocket. The threads and section are lacquered red and there is a narrow silver ring separating the threads from the section. The ring is unobtrusive to the appearance and is a functional element of the ink feed system-it forms a buttress for the O-ring.

 

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Nib & Feed: The nib is huge (but not gargantuan like a Namiki #50) being long and wide. It’s a medium Japanese nib so pretty squarely a Western fine in size. That makes the nib tip look pointy compared to the overall size of the nib; appears smaller than it actually is. The feed is plastic and it swells to fill the underside of the nib completely. I reckon a lot of ink is trapped inside that thing. Seems like a small thing but the nib and feed are so large and so well mated it reflects intentionality. Sure, it is made to impress but also to function. This pen writes flawlessly with a light touch and a wet but not too wet line. You can tell that there is a large and well-regulated ink reservoir on tap at the ready, always. Any pen, let alone one this expensive, should write unquestionably. This one does with extreme confidence.

 

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Ink reservoir: Ok, yeah, it’s a cartridge converter pen. Call it a piston filler to make yourself happier. Should a pen at this price range have a CC mechanism? If it is the best CC mechanism ever made than, yes, perhaps it should. The whole apparatus is oversize, robust, and precision made with intentionality. It is clearly made to securely hold the ink chamber and ensure the delivery of ink in the best way possible at all times under all conditions. Does it need to be so overbuilt? Not if you don’t mind it ever breaking or not working properly as a unit to supply ink to the nib. So, yeah, if you want it done absolutely right it does need to look like this. Notice the long fine threads, the O-ring, and the ink window. Finely machined threads like these indicate quality. The O-ring, what is that doing there? I reckon it not only secures the section from twisting but also seals the pen body giving a stable environment for the ink chamber. I think those guys at Sailor thought of everything.

 

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Materials: Ebonite body is light and classic. Urushi is traditional, classic, classy, and requires an industry built on quality to deliver results as perfect as these. The finish on this pen exudes quality so effortlessly it seems overlooked. I’ve dozens of urushi pens and only one or two others match the perfection of this finish. The only concession to evidence of human hands is at the opening of the pen body. You can see there some uneven lacquer on the very edge that only stands out in comparison to the edge of the cap, which is smooth and perfect, a delicate detail not lost on me. Lacquering sharp edges isn’t easy to achieve a uniform finish.

 

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Machining: I don’t know if this pen is turned by hand, but it is obviously precision made with no wiggle room, no extra space, and no unnecessary material. The pen body is not just a hollow space. There are at least three diameters of drills used to mate the body as closely as possible to the CC mechanism. Kind of impressive actually. The threads are fine and reminiscent of threads on overengineered quality custom metal machining. If handmade there is a competent and proud machinist working at Sailor. The inside of the cap is a nicely made and furthermore has at least two plastic inserts. One is designed to seal the nib section from the environment so the nib does not dry out or leak. The other is a collar that appears to softly grip the section while the cap is screwed onto the body. This enables stable, predictable, precise, and firm capping of the pen. This cap does not wiggle or catch a thread wrong. It works, perfectly, every time.

 

Fit and finish: Perfect from stem to stern. The parts fit so precisely it all flows together feeling solid without being heavy. IMHO the artist should sign this urushi. Gloss finishes are much more difficult than would otherwise be predicted. There can be no mistakes or deficiencies at any step or else they will show up in the end no question. A steady, patient, and skilled hand lacquered this pen. Maybe easy if you are professional. I’m in wonder.

 

Is the KOP appropriately named? Sure, why not? There is no part of this pen that cannot stand up to challenge. It has no weaknesses. It may or may not do much for you but there is no question it is made to be the best. Sailor nibs tuned by the Master, pleassse. Luxury materials totally expertly finished? Check. As a whole or in part if there are better, more functional, designs that will last longer let me know, I’ll buy it immediately like I did with this pen.

 

I love color of this red urushi. At this point I’ve plain gloss (roiro-migaki) red (shu) pens from Danitrio and Sailor. Gotta find me a Namiki Emperor in red fo’ sho’! FYI pictured against this KOP is a Danitrio Junikaku (12 rectangles) shu-dame tame-nuri painted by Kosetsu (Tatsuya Todo) with medium #8 size nib. The Dani is a colossus of a pen, a good writer, and it has a gorgeous urushi finish. As a pen, however, it is not as totally carefree, consistent, nor a predictable as the KOP. All hail the King!

 

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Not much. Urushi cures by reaction with water and oxygen. I reckon the sealed plastic bag did not help in this case. Anyway, the bulk of the lacquer can be hard while the rest cures. Parts are safe to handle from the perspective of damage to the finish. For those sensitive to urushi, however, there is enough unpolymerized lacquer to cause a reaction. If you can smell it for sure there is some cure time left. Even if you can't smell it there could still be some uncured urushi below the surface. Can wash with soap and water, it might help. In my case I've just had it exposed to atmospheric conditions, which in Texas in summer is warm and humid kinda like the muro or humidor where urushi is cured. There is almost no smell left after two plus weeks. I've heard that thick lacquer and/or poor quality lacquer may never cure. This pen will cure hard I'm sure.

How the not fully cured urushi affect the pen in the medium term?

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Thanks! It only took me 23 years of pen collecting ha ha. Only about 5 years if you count when I went nuts over urushi pens.

Nice read! I like your enthousiasm. One day I hope to be able to hold one myself.

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Thanks for your detailed review. I don't own an urushi KOP, but do have one of Andy Lambrou's custom acrylic KOPs, as well as several Namikis--including the #50 Vermilion--and Danitrios. There is nothing like the feel of urushi. In terms of Sailor nibs, the KOP medium nib is the finest one I've experienced. Namiki nibs are just as fine, while Danitrios are less reliable. All of them exhibit superb "fit and finish." I love them all.

Rationalizing pen and ink purchases since 1967.

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Sweet, sorry about the rash. I have a new Namiki Urushi Vermillion No. 20 to be arriving in a week or two after a 3 month wait... I never had poison ivy so hope I have no issues. I have a Broad KoP Pro Gear and it is heaven. I hope you enjoy your nib. I ended up settling on plain old Sailor Jentle Blue to get the smoothest performance. What a great find you have there. Hope you enjoy. In hindsight I could have killed two birds with one stone getting what you got.

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Not much. Urushi cures by reaction with water and oxygen. I reckon the sealed plastic bag did not help in this case. Anyway, the bulk of the lacquer can be hard while the rest cures. Parts are safe to handle from the perspective of damage to the finish. For those sensitive to urushi, however, there is enough unpolymerized lacquer to cause a reaction. If you can smell it for sure there is some cure time left. Even if you can't smell it there could still be some uncured urushi below the surface. Can wash with soap and water, it might help. In my case I've just had it exposed to atmospheric conditions, which in Texas in summer is warm and humid kinda like the muro or humidor where urushi is cured. There is almost no smell left after two plus weeks. I've heard that thick lacquer and/or poor quality lacquer may never cure. This pen will cure hard I'm sure.

Thank you for the answer. Enjoy your pen.
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tahnk you for taking the time to write this enthusiastic review of a lovely pen. While I am a big fan of the KOP form factor and enjoy the nibs (especially the specialty nibs), you must be deep inthe throws or infatuation not to even mention the terribly small converter capacity! :)

 

i hope that never changes and your love remains true.

If you want less blah, blah, blah and more pictures, follow me on Instagram!

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It seems the ink capacity is okay with this medium nib. Some of my Sailor specialty nibs can burn through ink for sure though. I'm just not a hater of CC fillers. I change pens a lot and ink too so the capacity is usually good enough. That said, I blasted through a converter full of Burma Road Brown in just a day using a Delta Planet with broad nib. Could have used some more ink on that one ha ha.

tahnk you for taking the time to write this enthusiastic review of a lovely pen. While I am a big fan of the KOP form factor and enjoy the nibs (especially the specialty nibs), you must be deep inthe throws or infatuation not to even mention the terribly small converter capacity! :)

 

i hope that never changes and your love remains true.

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Cool pen you have coming, hope you enjoy!

Sweet, sorry about the rash. I have a new Namiki Urushi Vermillion No. 20 to be arriving in a week or two after a 3 month wait... I never had poison ivy so hope I have no issues. I have a Broad KoP Pro Gear and it is heaven. I hope you enjoy your nib. I ended up settling on plain old Sailor Jentle Blue to get the smoothest performance. What a great find you have there. Hope you enjoy. In hindsight I could have killed two birds with one stone getting what you got.

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Welcome fellow friend :). Your pen is like the opposite of mine :). I am glad you enjoy this pen, as I think it is a largely underappreciated piece of art. Though I have indulged in this fairly long in my review, I think I should share it here as well:the c&c system of kop pens are literally the worst in its class, and probably one of the worst ever period. Other than this one fatal flaw, I can not think of one thing that's bad about this pen. Otoh, that juni Kaku almost stole the light away from kop, as it is a very beautiful pen as well, though it's more like an ornament than a fountain pen, not a lot smaller than the speakers on my desk :). I hope you use your pen in good times, and maybe write a 6 month or 1 year review, which I intend to do, as these pens age beautifully in some time.

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The ebonite KoP's have the single best weight/balance of any pens I've ever tried. It just sits in the hand and writes effortlessly. Enjoy the pen!

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I also have no issue with the converter has I usually swap pens and inks out with frequency. I did create a modified cartridge that holds 1.4 ml and it holds more ink than I actually need with a fill. The picture below shows the increased length vs. the standard Sailor cartridge.

 

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Edited by Tseg
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I also have no issue with the converter has I usually swap pens and inks out with frequency. I did create a modified cartridge that holds 1.4 ml and it holds more ink than I actually need with a fill. The picture below shows the increased length vs. the standard Sailor cartridge.

 

41479984314_c9fa82ff30_z.jpg

 

41479985054_7ec3680a0c_z.jpg

This is heresy
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Sucks about the lacquer allergy. My wife has a mango allergy which is actually the same toxin as lacquer or poison ivy but in lower concentrations. It is not something you can habituate to, each exposure just gets a worse reaction.

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Great review! I enjoyed it very much, and found your pictures super.

I have a pair that are cousins to yours - a King of Pen in black ebonite, and a Danitrio Hakkaku in Shu. I love the feel of the facetted with rounded edges Dani in hand, but I have somehow never quite fully bonded with its writing characteristics. The KoP on the other hand writes even better. Black isn't my favorite color - may have to hunt down something else in that model.

Here are my two that are cousins of yours:

http://www.fototime.com/%7BCC4F493B-F143-4A62-AF91-088DA2B6DFD6%7D/origpict/1.png

 

http://www.fototime.com/%7B38F11BFA-815D-49E0-90BA-493BD89F053F%7D/origpict/2.png

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That's awesome. Only thing better is to use duct tape ha ha.

I also have no issue with the converter has I usually swap pens and inks out with frequency. I did create a modified cartridge that holds 1.4 ml and it holds more ink than I actually need with a fill. The picture below shows the increased length vs. the standard Sailor cartridge.

41479984314_c9fa82ff30_z.jpg

41479985054_7ec3680a0c_z.jpg

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Nice, thanks for sharing. I have a Hakkaku with maki-e dragon theme that is an excellent writer. I also have a Mikado in gloss black like your KOP. It is also an excellent writer and the black gloss urushi is perfect. I really like that pen.

 

Great review! I enjoyed it very much, and found your pictures super.

I have a pair that are cousins to yours - a King of Pen in black ebonite, and a Danitrio Hakkaku in Shu. I love the feel of the facetted with rounded edges Dani in hand, but I have somehow never quite fully bonded with its writing characteristics. The KoP on the other hand writes even better. Black isn't my favorite color - may have to hunt down something else in that model.

Here are my two that are cousins of yours:

http://www.fototime.com/%7BCC4F493B-F143-4A62-AF91-088DA2B6DFD6%7D/origpict/1.png

 

http://www.fototime.com/%7B38F11BFA-815D-49E0-90BA-493BD89F053F%7D/origpict/2.png

 

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