Which Sailor pen?

[Tropicana]

Getting cheaper by the day... 

 

 

[Chimera01]

I'm on a journey with Sailor nibs myself. I can only speak from my own experience and there are many people here whose knowledge is more technical. These are my limited and subjective perceptions

 

I started my experiments with Sailor nibs on discovering the proprietorial Sailor nibs on Cross Peerless 125 fountain pens. Sailor made the nibs for these pens, and they are 18K. I have a number of these, including an F (which I love btw) which writes with some feedback but this is a characteristic I'm looking for and enjoy. I do like the springiness of the larger (but much wetter Fine) Pelikan M1000 nib, so I went looking for a larger Sailor nib which might be slightly less wet. I'm now fiddling about with two new Sailor KOPs - the 1911 Profit in an M nib and a KOP Pro Gear Demonstrator in a B nib (the latter which writes, as some say, like hot butter on glass and is not what you're looking for!). But the Sailor KOP 1911 might come closer... a Montblanc-style body and a very nice large nib, stiffer than the Pelikan M1000 but still with some give. You could always have the nib ground to your specifications by a nibmeister. Or check out the Cross Peerless 125 with the 18K Sailor nib in a Fine, which might prove to be a less costly option but still good for figuring things out!!! Hope that helps it bit. 

[Chimera01]

Here you go  apologies not the best photo, but from left to right... four 18K Sailors, two 21K KOP Sailors... and a Pelikan M1000... quite the nautical theme! 

[hairlame]

On 4/18/2022 at 8:17 AM, Chimera01 said:

Here you go  apologies not the best photo, but from left to right... four 18K Sailors, two 21K KOP Sailors... and a Pelikan M1000... quite the nautical theme! 

 

That's a beautiful collection!! The KOP nibs are impressive, I like the look of the new logo and the less cluttered design on the nib.

[Tropicana]

I just received this today, Sailor Ebonite Sculpture Yogazsumi Night Haze Medium nib. 

 

There's some feedback from the nib but it is smooth. 

The weight and ebonite material feels great in hand. Even with sweaty fingers, it grips well. 

 

This writes much broader than a Jowo fine using Iroshizuku ink. 

The odd thing is the side stroke is as broad or even slightly broader than the downstroke. 

Having said that, the side stroke is just as smooth as the downstroke. 

 

I'm a little two minded about this pen, it is much broader than I expected, but boy is it addictive to write with. 

Will changing to a different ink help?  I wish that the flow is just a little slower/ finer... 

 

Either that or i have to start writing bigger... 

 

[A Smug Dill]

25 minutes ago, Tropicana said:

The odd thing is the side stroke is as broad or even slightly broader than the downstroke.

 

Do you hold your pen at a shallow angle when you write?

[hairlame]

5 hours ago, Tropicana said:

I just received this today, Sailor Ebonite Sculpture Yogazsumi Night Haze Medium nib. 

 

There's some feedback from the nib but it is smooth. 

The weight and ebonite material feels great in hand. Even with sweaty fingers, it grips well. 

 

This writes much broader than a Jowo fine using Iroshizuku ink. 

The odd thing is the side stroke is as broad or even slightly broader than the downstroke. 

Having said that, the side stroke is just as smooth as the downstroke. 

 

I'm a little two minded about this pen, it is much broader than I expected, but boy is it addictive to write with. 

Will changing to a different ink help?  I wish that the flow is just a little slower/ finer... 

 

Either that or i have to start writing bigger... 

 

 

 

Congratulations, that's a lovely looking pen!

 

My experience with a sailor 21k H-M nib is the same as yours - the Sailor medium is definitely broader than the Jowo fine. The shape of the tipping on the Sailor medium nib is unique, and is responsible for the slightly wider cross strokes, I think.  I'm a fan of architect nibs, so I like that quality.

To get a finer line, I'd recommend Sailor kiwa guro or seiboku.  Pelikan Brilliant Black will also work.

[Tropicana]

14 hours ago, A Smug Dill said:

 

Do you hold your pen at a shallow angle when you write?

 

Not really.  I tried holding it slightly steeper and shallower, did not result in much difference. 

There is a clear sweet spot where it is smooth and the ink really flows, going beyond that will start to feel a little scratchy. 

 

It is quite easy to stay on the sweet spot and when doing so it is smooth in every stroke direction, which is nice. 

[A Smug Dill]

2 minutes ago, Tropicana said:

I tried holding it slightly steeper and shallower, did not result in much difference.

 

This is what I get from different incident angles with a Sailor H-M nib:

 

Mind you, that's a ‘medium-sized’ 14K gold H-M nib, and not a ‘large-sized’ 21K gold H-M nib such as found on the ‘classic’ or full-sized Profit and Professional Gear models and the model you have on hand. While I wouldn't say I'd never buy a 21K gold Medium nib — because I did — I gave that Pro Gear away (new and still factory-sealed) to my father-in-law as a birthday gift some years ago, because it isn't a nib size and width I think I'd enjoy using or for which I'd have a practical use. So I don't know whether the ‘large-sized’ H-M nib would do something similar.

[Tropicana]

Thanks, seems like there's a difference between Sailor 14K and 21K, especially Medium onwards. 

This is a screen grab from : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9cX4xa7WsA

 

[Chimera01]

Then there's this very new arrival - my Sailor Professional Gear Realo - a smaller nib than I usually prefer but essential to the collection as the only piston filler that Sailor make. Will ink it and report back.

[Chimera01]

On 4/29/2022 at 10:00 AM, Tropicana said:

I just received this today, Sailor Ebonite Sculpture Yogazsumi Night Haze Medium nib. 

Ooooh I have been eyeing these up. Very difficult to tell from photos and nowhere to go to see one IRL. Thanks so much for reporting back on it, it's the first user review I've been able to find. 

[Chimera01]

On 4/27/2022 at 11:13 PM, hairlame said:

 

That's a beautiful collection!! The KOP nibs are impressive, I like the look of the new logo and the less cluttered design on the nib.

Thank you for your kind words. They are in daily (professional) use and such a joy. 

[Tropicana]

14 hours ago, Chimera01 said:

Ooooh I have been eyeing these up. Very difficult to tell from photos and nowhere to go to see one IRL. Thanks so much for reporting back on it, it's the first user review I've been able to find. 

 

You are welcome.  It is hard to find this pen in real life, especially the Yogazsumi (night haze). I went to a local store, they only had the Yakoh left.   So, I got this pen from Amazon JP.

 

I was looking around for an ebonite pen without urushi and this pen came up.  There are not many options that i could find.  Wancher matt black was the other and maybe some of the Black hairline Nakayas?  I don't always prefer gold trims but it works for me on this pen as it is quite subtle, maybe because it does not have a clip. 

 

Part of barrel and cap is textured and looks resistant to scratches.  It cannot be posted but there is some weight at the end of the pen and due to the length it feels somewhat "posted" when writing.  I have sweaty hands and it is humid where i live, resin grip can get quite slippery but i did not face any issues  with this pen.  I find the girth of the grip to be about right in relation to the nib length such that i can hold it comfortably. 

In comparison, Pilot size 5 nib (Custom 92) is too short and the diameter of the grip is too small, I end up holding the pen where the thread is and it was not comfortable. I even eventually sold it. Pilot size 10 nib (912) works well for me as well, just that the resin grip can get slippery. 

 

The night haze is a large pen, because it is well proportioned it may not appear that big, especially in pictures.

It is heavy for a japanese pen. The material and weight gives it a, lack of a better word, "luxurious" feel and it is certainly beautiful to look at while writing. 

 

As for the nib, I am sure you are already familiar with Sailor nibs.   This pen is only available in F, M, B and there is a big difference between the F and M.  I wish Sailor offered something between. 

 

I used both Iroshizuku and Waterman on this pen and it gives a more feedback while writing with the Iroshizuku, which I prefer.  Waterman feels too slippery, glassy, smooth... 

 

Hope this helps and feel free to reach out if you have any questions. 

 

 

Comparing with Pilot 912

[Chimera01]

8 hours ago, Tropicana said:

You are welcome.  It is hard to find this pen in real life, especially the Yogazsumi (night haze). I went to a local store, they only had the Yakoh left.   So, I got this pen from Amazon JP.

What can I say but thank you once again for the photos and the extended review, which has swung the scales for me. I have just this moment ordered the "Yakoh" (Night Light) in an M nib. I was torn between the elegance of the Yogazsumi and the poetry of the Yakoh. As I've not actually seen it, I'm hoping I will not be disappointed when it arrives. But it is difficult to resist a sensibility that creates a pen for 'night writing'. 

 

[mke]

On 4/10/2022 at 7:43 PM, Tropicana said:

Pilot Custom Urushi (FM) or Sailor 1911 KOP Ebonite (?)

 

You cannot compare "small/medium" nibs with large nibs, even if they have the same grade, e.g. M. My Sailor KoP M is much broader than my 1911L Sailor M. 

If JoWo F is too broad for you than you will not be happy with the nibs of the big pens from Sailor or Pilot as they are often starting with M (Sailor) or FM (Pilot). I guess they produce linewidths similar to Jowo (F-)M.

Yet, there is one possibility, let a nibmeister grind it down to your favorite size.

 

 

[Chimera01]

On 5/1/2022 at 3:17 AM, Tropicana said:

I was looking around for an ebonite pen without urushi and this pen came up. 

Hello again... and look what just arrived. What a beauty, the 'Yakoh' lives up to its name. Many thanks for your review which convinced me to go for it!

[TitoThePencilPimp]

On 4/27/2022 at 3:13 PM, hairlame said:

 

That's a beautiful collection!! The KOP nibs are impressive, I like the look of the new logo and the less cluttered design on the nib.

I personally hate the logo. Looks cheap to me, something that would appear on a Chinese pen. But maybe, I am so use to seeing the original sailor logo.

 

Now, @OP, you mentioned you liked the warmth of ebonite. But neither the Sailor KOP Ebonite nor the Pilot custom 845 use ebonite on the section where one puts fingers to write. It is plastic. Something to consider.

[Tropicana]

On 5/23/2022 at 11:35 PM, Chimera01 said:

Hello again... and look what just arrived. What a beauty, the 'Yakoh' lives up to its name. Many thanks for your review which convinced me to go for it!

 

Congratulations, I am using mine as a daily writer for the past month and it has been great. 

[Tropicana]

Is it a good idea to send a Sailor Black Luster for grinding to a Cursive Italic?  Considering it has a 21K Gold nib and also it is plated.