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The eternal doubt


rogerico

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Hello! Yes, I know that I'm coming with the same old eternal doubt, a question made here several times... but I need your help. I have in mind buying a new pen and I have reduced the options to this couple:

 

  • Sailor Pro Gear EF (Ivory)
  • Platinum President UEF (Rhodium trim)

 

Please, which of them do you think I shoud buy? I'm in a terrible doubt.

 

Thanks in advance for all your opinions!

 

platinum-president-blck-rhodium.jpg

sailor-pro-gear-classic-ivory-feature.jpg

Roger

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Well, the easiest and most obvious answer is to buy them both. They would complement each other nicely: shape, color, and writing characteristics.... The latter being the main thing I guess. Both will write well, but they will write differently. I would chose the Sailor as I happen to find Sailor nibs better/nicer than Platinum nibs. But that is matter of personal preference.

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I’m a fan of flat top pens, but ivory color worries me.  Regardless, I’d go for the Sailor because I know them, but I don’t know Platinum pens.  But that’s just me.  😁

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7 hours ago, rogerico said:

Platinum President UEF (Rhodium trim)

 

I wasn't even aware that it is available as a factory-fitted nib option.

 

734321192_AvailablefactoryniboptionsforPlatinumPresidentwithsilvertrim.jpg.1f350a3bc78b2dbdbe7fe7e4ac2bacc8.jpg

 

I could well have ordered one a fortnight ago, had it been an option.

I endeavour to be frank and truthful in what I write, show or otherwise present, when I relate my first-hand experiences that are not independently verifiable; and link to third-party content where I can, when I make a claim or refute a statement of fact in a thread. If there is something you can verify for yourself, I entreat you to do so, and judge for yourself what is right, correct, and valid. I may be wrong, and my position or say-so is no more authoritative and carries no more weight than anyone else's here.

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1 hour ago, stan said:

 

That's the gold-trim President model, which has a Japanese domestic market MSRP of ¥20,000+tax, instead of ¥25,000+tax for the silver-trim President model. The gold-trim models, in various resin colours, are available with UEF nibs.

I endeavour to be frank and truthful in what I write, show or otherwise present, when I relate my first-hand experiences that are not independently verifiable; and link to third-party content where I can, when I make a claim or refute a statement of fact in a thread. If there is something you can verify for yourself, I entreat you to do so, and judge for yourself what is right, correct, and valid. I may be wrong, and my position or say-so is no more authoritative and carries no more weight than anyone else's here.

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What do you want to use these pens for? That will probably make a big difference. What paper do you plan to use? Assuming that you are okay with the gold trim that @A Smug Dill pointed out, the UEF and EF on Sailors is, I gather, not quite apples to apples. 

 

IMO, the UEF will be uniquely fine, but also uniquely sensitive to pressure and paper, such that only a light hand will produce light, smooth strokes. On other EF nibs, even Japanese, a little pressure on the nib won't suddenly introduce high amounts of feedback, but the UEF is very close to a true needlepoint, which will catch and give much more intense feedback than some people care for. This would be especially true if you want to write Western scripts at high speed. However, if you want to take precise notations in limited space, such as a small diary or journal, or if you want to do precise sketching or drawing, it's hard to think of a finer, pun intended, nib from the factory. 

 

The Sailor is likely to be more generally friendly and easier to use in a wider range of situations with less hassle, but it won't give you that unique UEF feel, IMO. On the other hand, that Ivory combination is exquisite and the pen will stand out well and make, IMO, a good statement. 

 

Among the pens that I have currently inked up, one is a UEF Platinum, and one is a Sailor B nib, if that tells you anything. I can't bring myself to "shelve" either right now. 

 

 

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14 hours ago, Linger said:

Well, the easiest and most obvious answer is to buy them both. They would complement each other nicely: shape, color, and writing characteristics.... The latter being the main thing I guess. Both will write well, but they will write differently. I would chose the Sailor as I happen to find Sailor nibs better/nicer than Platinum nibs. But that is matter of personal preference.

Thanks! Now both it’s not possible, although it’s the best solution, yes!

Roger

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8 hours ago, GardenWeasel said:

I’m a fan of flat top pens, but ivory color worries me.  Regardless, I’d go for the Sailor because I know them, but I don’t know Platinum pens.  But that’s just me.  😁

May I ask you why the ivory color worries you? Do you think it’s fragile?

Roger

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1 hour ago, arcfide said:

What do you want to use these pens for? That will probably make a big difference. What paper do you plan to use? Assuming that you are okay with the gold trim that @A Smug Dill pointed out, the UEF and EF on Sailors is, I gather, not quite apples to apples. 

 

IMO, the UEF will be uniquely fine, but also uniquely sensitive to pressure and paper, such that only a light hand will produce light, smooth strokes. On other EF nibs, even Japanese, a little pressure on the nib won't suddenly introduce high amounts of feedback, but the UEF is very close to a true needlepoint, which will catch and give much more intense feedback than some people care for. This would be especially true if you want to write Western scripts at high speed. However, if you want to take precise notations in limited space, such as a small diary or journal, or if you want to do precise sketching or drawing, it's hard to think of a finer, pun intended, nib from the factory. 

 

The Sailor is likely to be more generally friendly and easier to use in a wider range of situations with less hassle, but it won't give you that unique UEF feel, IMO. On the other hand, that Ivory combination is exquisite and the pen will stand out well and make, IMO, a good statement. 

 

Among the pens that I have currently inked up, one is a UEF Platinum, and one is a Sailor B nib, if that tells you anything. I can't bring myself to "shelve" either right now. 

 

 

Thanks for your considerations. I see the point. I’ve got a Pilot 912 with the Posting nib, which I like very much, but perhaps this UEF would be something similar.

 

What about if I decided to choose between the Sailor EF and the Platinum EF? What would you do?

Roger

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35 minutes ago, rogerico said:

Thanks for your considerations. I see the point. I’ve got a Pilot 912 with the Posting nib, which I like very much, but perhaps this UEF would be something similar.

 

What about if I decided to choose between the Sailor EF and the Platinum EF? What would you do?

 

The PO and UEF might produce lines that are both very fine, but I suspect they would have totally different writing feels.

 

If it were EF vs. EF, and I were looking for an EDC pen, honestly, the answer would probably be neither, because the vast majority of my EDC pens would either be finer or bolder than that. If I had to pick, it would be a toss-up, literally, because on any given day I would prefer one over the other. One day I would be after the style and 21kt nib of the Sailor coupled with the sheer strength of Seiboku ink, and another I'd be loving the stiffness and unique character of a Platinum and the joy of Platinum's Blue Black ink. For everyday use I just don't think I would find either sufficiently compelling. 

 

However, if I didn't have to make it an EDC, then I would pick the Sailor, simply because I tend to purchase pens based on their level of distinction from the competition. A Platinum in EF is only distinguished by a unique writing feel, whereas almost everything else about it is relatively typical. The Sailor in EF is distinguished by a unique-ish color scheme and looks, unique gold content, and unique nib feel. This would put me in favor of the Sailor. But that doesn't mean I would pick a Sailor over a Platinum, it simply means that the EF Platinum probably isn't unique enough to make me personally want it, whereas the UEF *would* make me want it, or if it were in Chartres Blue or the like, but just black and silver with an EF nib isn't special enough, to me.

 

And when it comes to the Sailor, I would probably pick one of their other nibs because they are more unique. I'd rather take their Music nib, or their Zoom nib, especially. 

 

But, for an EDC situation, picking only between EF and EF, then it might likely come down to which nib I felt I liked better, and that would require that I test the individual pens and see what I got, I don't think I could choose based purely on speculation at that point. I'd be "inclined" towards the Sailor based on looks, but the Platinum feedback is a thing of beauty for me, and they, IMO, make exceptionally good EDC nibs. 

 

ETA: Clarification, I'm currently in a "space" right now where I'm trying to decide whether I think Platinum nibs are more to my liking or Sailor nibs. The jury has been hard at work deliberating, and it's not at all clear who will come out on top, except that I definitely am finding that I'm leaning *away* from Pilot's nibs, just in terms of the pens that draw me in and make me want to keep writing with them. I actually have another set of papers coming in to give me more nib time with the pens to see which I'm a fan of more on a wider variety of papers. I find that paper makes a big difference in relative enjoyment. 

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I'll hazard a guess that Sailor EF nib will make for a much more pleasant everyday writing experience than the Platinum UEF nib.

I endeavour to be frank and truthful in what I write, show or otherwise present, when I relate my first-hand experiences that are not independently verifiable; and link to third-party content where I can, when I make a claim or refute a statement of fact in a thread. If there is something you can verify for yourself, I entreat you to do so, and judge for yourself what is right, correct, and valid. I may be wrong, and my position or say-so is no more authoritative and carries no more weight than anyone else's here.

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6 hours ago, arcfide said:

 

ETA: Clarification, I'm currently in a "space" right now where I'm trying to decide whether I think Platinum nibs are more to my liking or Sailor nibs. The jury has been hard at work deliberating, and it's not at all clear who will come out on top, except that I definitely am finding that I'm leaning *away* from Pilot's nibs, just in terms of the pens that draw me in and make me want to keep writing with them. I actually have another set of papers coming in to give me more nib time with the pens to see which I'm a fan of more on a wider variety of papers. I find that paper makes a big difference in relative enjoyment. 

 

Very, very interesting everything you say. Ok, I should have started by saying that I only use pens to write, to write everything I write: at home, at work, notes, long texts, corrections, and so on, and that pretty much all the pens I have are EDC for me, except one (an Aurora 80 th Anniversary). These pens are a Pilot 912 PO, an Aurora 88 EF, a Sailor KOP M, a Delta Dolcevita EF and a Platinum 3776 SF. I don’t draw, I don’t like flexible or fancy nibs. I really like EF nibs and after more than 30 years writing with Fpens I like them even more, unlike those who say that with age they tend to like broad nibs.

 

So now I have to decide between a Sailor ProGear EF and a Platinum President EF without the possibility of trying them before I buy one.

 

Well... We'll see! Thanks!

Roger

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12 minutes ago, rogerico said:

So now I have to decide between a Sailor ProGear EF and a Platinum President EF without the possibility of trying them before I buy one.

 

Again, I don't think the EF nib is an option available for the Platinum President model with silver/rhodium trim. Are you prepared to settle for the gold-trim version?

I endeavour to be frank and truthful in what I write, show or otherwise present, when I relate my first-hand experiences that are not independently verifiable; and link to third-party content where I can, when I make a claim or refute a statement of fact in a thread. If there is something you can verify for yourself, I entreat you to do so, and judge for yourself what is right, correct, and valid. I may be wrong, and my position or say-so is no more authoritative and carries no more weight than anyone else's here.

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2 hours ago, A Smug Dill said:

 

Again, I don't think the EF nib is an option available for the Platinum President model with silver/rhodium trim. Are you prepared to settle for the gold-trim version?

Sorry, I haven't answered your comment. Well, I don't know but in some shops I see I can choose a lot of nib options for the silver/rhodium trim...

Captura de Pantalla 2021-02-09 a les 17.15.06.png

Roger

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12 hours ago, rogerico said:

May I ask you why the ivory color worries you? Do you think it’s fragile?

No, not really.  I’d worry for staining from inks.  I see two stains of blue on my fingers as I type. Some inks will transfer to the pen.  Just a worry for staining on that gorgeous color. 😀

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12 hours ago, rogerico said:

Sorry, I haven't answered your comment. Well, I don't know but in some shops I see I can choose a lot of nib options for the silver/rhodium trim...

Captura de Pantalla 2021-02-09 a les 17.15.06.png

 

Given what I'm reading around, I suspect that's an error in the vendor's website, but I would definitely contact them to verify this, as I don't think I see it reported as available generally. 

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53 minutes ago, arcfide said:

 

Given what I'm reading around, I suspect that's an error in the vendor's website, but I would definitely contact them to verify this, as I don't think I see it reported as available generally. 

But It’s not the only website that offers all these options for the Platinum. Nibs.com, for example, also offers them.

Roger

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