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Sailor 1911 Large Stormy Sea Review


cgreenberg19

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Overview:

I recently purchased a Sailor 1911 Standard which was my "entryway" into the Sailor brand. Following my positive experience with that pen I decided that I should pick another Sailor up at the Baltimore Pen Show. I happened to receive a Montblanc Legrand Ballpoint as a present that I didn't use much, so I decided to trade it in at Dromgoole's and I got a very good price for this pen with my trade in. I also got this pen equipped with a music nib because my experience with the Music nib on my 1911 Standard was so positive. Even though the pen is labeled as "Large" I find it more of a standard size than an oversize pen which it is not by any means. That's fine, if I wanted a huge pen I could have gotten a King of Pen (that's also on my list). The color is very pretty and I find it's just vibrant enough to stand out, but not too bright that you start to blind people when you write. Everything on this pen is pretty great except for the converter. Sailor converters hold barley any ink, about half a millimeter. It's not just Sailor, for some reason the big three Japanese pen manufacturers use proprietary, widemouth cartridges and converters which seem to hold barley any ink with the exception of the Pilot CON-70. With an A5 page of writing I can empty the converter and dry the nib out. So, I've been refilling cartridges which boosts the ink capacity up to about a millimeter which is better, but that also only gets me about two pages of writing, so this is mostly a home use pen or one that I would only daily carry with a bottle of ink handy. Despite my issues with Sailor converters the nib is glorious. I'm normally not one for stubs. I like a nice, round, juicy nib, however I really like the Sailor music nibs that I've used, not like the Pilot one on my Custom 912. The trims are quite pretty and I like this pen a lot, so let's get into more details. As always, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy the rest of the review :)!

 

Writing Experience:

The Sailor 1911 Large writes with a tiny hint of Sailor feedback, but still lays down a nice line of ink. The nib, even for having such a large gold content, is relatively stiff. If you really want to you can get some line variation out of it if you really push. The pen offers a good steady ink flow even when flexed. The overall design of the nib mimics that of a Montblanc and it's nice. On the first Sailor I bought it took me a while to find the tip size on the nib, but after a while I realized it was on the right side. Something interesting I've noticed about Sailor feeds is how thick the fins are. I'd say a brand like Pilot has feeds with a "normal" fin width and brands like Montblanc and Pelikan have thinner fins. Sailor comes up on the other end of the spectrum with thicker fins, but the pen has great flow, so I don't have any problems with it. Overall, this is a really great writing pen.

 

Design:

The design of this pen like many other Japanese designed pens this pen is pretty basic. I'd say that the blue color of the pen is the craziest part of the design. On the finial there's nothing but a rounded off piece in the same material as the rest of the pen. Below that there is an upper cap ring that is not attached to the clip. The standard Sailor multilevel clip is present just under the upper cap band. From there, the cap angles up slightly to two center bands, one small and one large. On the larger center brand the words "Sailor -- Japan -- Founded 1911" in a bold font. The barrel angles up and then down very slightly. At the end of the barrel there is another ring and then and rounded off end piece. Now that I've gotten though the boring part I can get into my feelings about the design. Starting out on the positive side, I really like the color of this pen. It's a kind of metallic blue color that really stands out to me. I personally think this pen would have looked cooler with gold trims which I'm normally not a fan of, however I do think that it would work on this pen. The way the section is designed really works for my hand. The one minor actual design complaint that I have with this pen is the slight step down from the barrel to where the cap threads in. It's very slight, but it does bother me a little bit. Overall, this is a pen designed for writing and it is very good at that, so I don't have any concrete complaints.

 

Measurements:

Length (capped): 141.0 mm/5.55″

Length (uncapped): 123.1 mm/4.84″
Length (posted): 153.5 mm/6.05″
Diameter (barrel): 11.2 – 13.3 mm/0.44″ – 0.52″
Diameter (section): 10.5 – 11.7 mm/0.41″ – 0.46″
Weight (all): 26 g
Weight (cap): 9 g
Weight (body): 17 g

 

Presentation:

The pen arrives in the standard box you get with most Sailor pens. The box has the Sailor name and logo foil plated on the blue faux leather box. The box hinges open and in the velvet interior there is a cutout for the pen. You can take out the little pen bed and under it you will find two Sailor Jentle Black ink cartridges as well as a use and care guide which is mostly in Japanese. I have no problem with the way Sailor presents their pens and even though it's basic, it shows that they are more focused about what comes in the box. To me a box is just a transportation method with a pen, so naturally I'm one of those people who would give up the pen box just for a better deal (which I have done). If you're giving the pen as a gift, that's a different story which is why I appreciate brands like Pelikan and Lamy that offer different levels of packaging depending on how much you're willing to pay. For example, Pelikan retailers buy their packaging from Pelikan, it's not included in the price price the pen. I've gotten Pelikans for over $150 cheaper just for giving up the gift box. If you contact them, most Pelikan retailers can cater to you needs with different types of packaging. Anyway, I sort of got off track off there, but my pint is valid, it's the pen that you're paying for not the box unless you're some kind of pen box collector. So, overall I appreciate the basic Sailor packaging.

 

Pros/Cons:

Pros:

-The pen is a great writer with a wet nib that never fails to preform.

-The color is very nice and understated.

-Both a pro and a con depending on what you like: The pen has a very understated design.

-As a cartridge converter pen it is very easy to disassemble and even the converter can be taken apart

Cons:

-The converter holds barley any ink

-The pen might have to be presented differently as the box is pretty small and dinky.

-This is by no means a large pen.

 

 

 

 

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Sailor 1911 Large and Robert Oster Blue Water Ice

 

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Writing Sample

 

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Sailor 1911 Large Nib

 

This happened to be one of my longer reviews which I tend to avoid, but I have quite a few opinions about this pen and I felt like sharing them. I hope you enjoyed reading and that you'll join me again for another pen review another time. If you want to reach me, my name is Charlie and you can always leave a comment. I'll try to reply as quickly as I can. As always thanks for reading and I'll see you next time.

 

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Very nice review!

 

One reason why the Sailor and other Japanese pen companies hold so little ink is that most Japanese write kanji and they need a nib that is as fine as possible. I also like to write with a F nib and even my Pilot Vanishing Point, which must have one of the smallest converters around, writes for a long time because I do not use that much ink.

 

I find the Sailors just about right with their converters; otherwise you can get a Realos, which holds a bit more ink.

 

Erick

Using right now:

Visconti Voyager 30 "M" nib running Birmingham Streetcar

Jinhao 9019 "EF" nib running Birmingham Railroad Spike

Stipula Adagio "F" nib running Birmingham Violet Sea Snail

Sailor Profit "B" nib running Van Dieman's Night - Shooting Star

 

 

 

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Very nice review!

 

One reason why the Sailor and other Japanese pen companies hold so little ink is that most Japanese write kanji and they need a nib that is as fine as possible. I also like to write with a F nib and even my Pilot Vanishing Point, which must have one of the smallest converters around, writes for a long time because I do not use that much ink.

 

I find the Sailors just about right with their converters; otherwise you can get a Realos, which holds a bit more ink.

 

Erick

 

I can chime in about the Realo. Now, I’m not trying to step on any toes, but I found the Realo to be the most disappointing product from Sailor, in memory.

 

It holds less ink than their converter, it’s entirely plastic aside from the clip, cap bands, and nib, and the construction is uncharacteristically shoddy. The weight of the pen is less than its C/C alternative, on account of the all plastic interior (not necessarily a bad thing, just something to keep in mind). The glue used to hold the pen together is sloppily applied and makes disassembling the piston for cleaning a real pain.

 

Overall, I’d say Sailor really missed the mark with this one. Even if it were the same price as its C/C equivalent, I’d still choose the latter; though for some reason it has a €100 markup.

 

As always, when it comes to Sailor’s sorry ink capacity, I’d recommend yanking the nib out and putting it in a high capacity pen.

 

Just my honest opinion on a pen that I feel was a bit of a letdown. I love Sailor, and use their nibs nearly exclusively, but the Realo isn’t up to snuff.

Edited by EliH
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Sailor converters hold barley any ink, about half a millimeter.

 

Those converters have to fit into their Pro Gear Slim and 1911 Standard pens. Those are small pens. On the plus side, Sailor’s cartridges have above-average volume and last a long, long time.

 

As always, when it comes to Sailor’s sorry ink capacity, I’d recommend yanking the nib out and putting it in a high capacity pen.

 

 

I disagree with this sweeping, generalized statement. It all depends on the nib and the style of writing. I use F, MF and M nibs in two Pro Gear Slim and one 1911 Standard pen, using inks from Sailor, Iroshizuku and KWZ. Never has a Sailor gone empty on me. Never. With a wet music nib, or a big, fat, juicy B nib, that’s a different ballgame.

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Sailor pro gear large: 0,7ml.

Sailor realo 1.15ml

Sailor KOP 0,95ml.

All measured many times.

Converter + feed.

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I disagree with this sweeping, generalized statement. It all depends on the nib and the style of writing. I use F, MF and M nibs in two Pro Gear Slim and one 1911 Standard pen, using inks from Sailor, Iroshizuku and KWZ. Never has a Sailor gone empty on me. Never. With a wet music nib, or a big, fat, juicy B nib, that’s a different ballgame.

 

Very fair. I suppose after a few years of fiddling with their converters, I may be a bit over zealous. Even with an F nib, I could only ever write for an hour or two before needing to fill. I write too much for this to be palatable, and I do prefer their B nib.

 

It definitely depends on one’s use case, if you don’t write a lot then their converters shouldn’t bug you much. In my case, now that I can blow through my morning writing sessions without ever having to reach for an ink bottle, making the switch to a large capacity pen was worthwhile.

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It's very tempting. I recently had my hands on a music nib. It has a bit of feedback but it's a lovely writer

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Thank you for the excellent review. I have been considering a Sailor 1911 Large for some time. You have answered several questions. Thank you.

"Today will be gone in less than 24 hours. When it is gone, it is gone. Be wise, but enjoy! - anonymous today

 

 

 

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Sailor pro gear large: 0,7ml.

Sailor realo 1.15ml

Sailor KOP 0,95ml.

All measured many times.

Converter + feed.

 

 

I think the first edition Realo held more ink than the current models. I don't remember what Sailor said the difference was though.

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...

 

Those converters have to fit into their Pro Gear Slim and 1911 Standard pens. Those are small pens. On the plus side, Sailor’s cartridges have above-average volume and last a long, long time.

 

 

 

I disagree with this sweeping, generalized statement. It all depends on the nib and the style of writing. I use F, MF and M nibs in two Pro Gear Slim and one 1911 Standard pen, using inks from Sailor, Iroshizuku and KWZ. Never has a Sailor gone empty on me. Never. With a wet music nib, or a big, fat, juicy B nib, that’s a different ballgame.

 

My one criticism about the Sailor also, is the ink capacity. There are no high capacity options and I've snatched up a KOP if it had better capacity. Mind you, technically, I've never ran out of ink in my Sailor pens since I manage the capacity. I cannot get two days of a busy day at work out of one inkup. I therefore have to refill after a day at work and if I'm tired after work and am am running late in the morning, I forget to refill. So I typically just carry two pens.

 

OTOH, my Conid Regular, Pilot Custom 823 are not an issue with ink. I can go for several days without the ink running low. Low ink levels for these pens also means more than a full Sailor converter of ink. I therefore refill them at leisure. It seems like a trivial issue but not having to be concerned about ink levels and constantly checking does get old after a while. Of course, I never really felt this way until I started writing more at work.

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