Sailor pens have a better seal than others? Some observations.

[PotbellyPig]

I have a few Sailor 1911L pens a a Sailor Pro Gear KOP.  Most of them have nano-pigment ink in them but even if I leave them for a few weeks, they start writing immediately.  On the other hand I have some other pens that don’t fare as well.  I have a Pilot VP with Kiwa-guro ink which hard starts and I have to scribble a lot to get it started if I leave it alone for a long time.   The same with a Platinum Century 3776 UEF with Aurora Black ink.  But I have some others like Pilot Kukunos and Prera and a Lamy Studio with a cursive nib.  I think some of my Kakunos and the Prera have nano-pigment ink in them while others have dye based ink.  They are very difficult to start.  Almost always I have to wetten the Prera nib if I want to get it started after leaving it for a while.  The same with the Lamy Studio with Lamy Black ink.  Is the fact that the Sailor has a sturdy screw down cap that makes the difference?

[A Smug Dill]

29 minutes ago, PotbellyPig said:

Is the fact that the Sailor has a sturdy screw down cap that makes the difference?

 

I don’t know how to answer that question.

 

Sailor Professional Gear and Profit (gold-nibbed) models have very good cap seal effectiveness, despite — with the exception of the Realo variants — not having spring-loaded inner caps. As do Pilot Custom models. As do the Platinum Izumo Tamenuri models (of which we have two), although I cannot speak to the Izumo Tagayasan models; rare, in my experience, is a pen with a wooden cap that seals nearly as effectively as the Sailor Profit and Pilot Custom, which I trust as much in that regard as I do the Platinum #3776 Century models fitted with Slip & Seal. All of those have screw-caps.

 

You cannot just look at a brand as a whole to judge the cap sealing effectiveness. Snap-caps, especially when not fitted with spring-loaded inner caps (which means >99% of them), do not fare nearly as well. That goes for Platinum #3776 Briar models (and most likely extend to the Yakusugi and Higo Zogan models, among others), and those in the Vicoh product line, as well as those in Sailor’s ‘Precious Wood of the World’ series, in spite of those caps being fitted with plastic inner caps (that are not spring-loaded).

 

Platinum #3776 (Century) Celluloid models, in spite of having screw-caps, do not seal as effectively as, say, a humble Pilot Custom Heritage 91, let alone the entry-level Platinum #3776 Century ‘Black in Black’ (which has Slip & Seal). Neither do Sailor Kabazaiku and Koshu-inden models, which (are based on the same underlying pen body design, and) also have screw-caps.

 

The slip-cap on the Pilot Elite 95S can seal quite effectively, provided that the pen is capped properly. On the other hand, Pilot Capless pens would quite commonly have inferior sealing effectiveness, although you would read the very occasional anecdote that a Pilot Capless pen left undisturbed for months managed to write without hard-starting when its nib next emerged.

 

Pilot MR (and therefore Cocoon) pens have mediocre cap sealing, in my experience, The Kaküno seems slightly better. I can’t speak to the Prera, even though I have several here for some years now, because I’ve never inked them; but I heard from trusted fellow hobbyists that the Prera is just as disappointing as the MR. All of those models have snap-caps.

 

Pilot 78G pens, which have screw-caps, also don’t fare so well.

 

Then there are the lowly Platinum Plaisir and Preppy pens, which are fitted with Slip & Seal under their snap-caps. They do pretty well.

 

If you’re extending the scope beyond just Japanese pens, Aurora Ottantotto (i.e. 88) and Optima piston-filler models with screw-caps seal very well. As do Pelikan Souverän and Classic models that fit that description. Also, in my experience, the Lamy 2000 (which has a slip-cap) seals very well, although perhaps not quite enough to rival a Sailor Pro Gear; the Lamy Accent (with screw-cap) slightly less so, but still perform admirably; the Lamy cp1 (with a snap-cap) is slightly less so again, but still OK; the Lamy Studio (with a snap-cap) slightly less so yet again. To my recollection, the Lamy Logo wasn’t so good, and my experience with the Lamy Safari was mixed.

 

So, yes, Sailor has good screw-caps; but “makes the difference” would greatly depend on against what you’re comparing it.

 

1 hour ago, PotbellyPig said:

… I have to scribble a lot to get it started if I leave it alone for a long time.   The same with a Platinum Century 3776 UEF with Aurora Black ink.

 

That’s unusual for a Platinum #3776 Century, since only the models with Slip & Seal have UEF nibs as an option. Have you checked whether the ink level inside the converter has gone down between uses, in spite of having been capped all that time?

 

[PotbellyPig]

15 hours ago, A Smug Dill said:

That’s unusual for a Platinum #3776 Century, since only the models with Slip & Seal have UEF nibs as an option. Have you checked whether the ink level inside the converter has gone down between uses, in spite of having been capped all that time?

I’ll screw ir tightly and test it again.  It’s surprising since I am just using black dye ink in it.  
 

Thanks for all the info.  The most annoying one is the Pilot capless but it is understandable considering how the mechanism works.  I’m using nano-pigment ink in them as well so that doesn’t help matters.

[awa54]

in terms of the most baffling cap design to routinely maintain 6 month plus writing capability, I nominate the Sheaffer Imperial family of slip caps.

most of mine can go past 6 months with one touch writing and minimal ink evaporation and one early production COMP II example has exceeded a year (closer to two) on multiple occasions...

the crazy part is that the inner cap is simply a formed metal piece held on over the section by friction: no snap, no gasket, no polymer inner cap insert.

 

go figure?!?

 

[peroride]

On 6/24/2022 at 7:23 PM, A Smug Dill said:

Snap-caps, especially when not fitted with spring-loaded inner caps (which means >99% of them), do not fare nearly as well. That goes for Platinum #3776 Briar models

I can attest to my snap cap Platinum Briar and less securely screwed celluloid Ishigaki Calico AKA 'cow pen' (named by wife) dry out so quickly compared to their plainer cousins that it is jarring to experience. 🧐I pretty much use them less or when I inked them, don't let them sit for more than a fortnight. Waah!

[Baalberithim]

I've had the opposite experience with some of my Sailors drying out fairly quickly.  It varies from pen to pen amongst them for me, with some staying inked and ready to write for weeks at a time, while others, like a Sapporo that's quite the diva, will hard start after just a few days of no use.  My Realo and my Platinum 3776 Shungyo manage to go months in between the mood striking to pick them up and they pretty much start instantly.

[A Smug Dill]

1 hour ago, peroride said:

I pretty much use them less or when I inked them, don't let them sit for more than a fortnight. Waah!

 

Same here. 😔

 

1 hour ago, Baalberithim said:

while others, like a Sapporo that's quite the diva, will hard start after just a few days of no use.

 

Sapporo as in the same shape and form factor as models in the ‘Precious Wood of the World’ series, or Sapporo as in Professional Gear Slim Mini?

[Baalberithim]

Sapporo as in a Pro Gear Slim, not a mini.

[A Smug Dill]

Just now, Baalberithim said:

Sapporo as in a Pro Gear Slim, not a mini.

 

Hmmm. You're not the first fellow hobbyist from whom I've heard have issues with the Sailor PGS's cap seal effectiveness, although to my recollection mine haven't been jarringly (or noticeably) poor.

 

1 hour ago, Baalberithim said:

My Realo and my Platinum 3776 Shungyo manage to go months in between the mood striking to pick them up and they pretty much start instantly.

 

Well, (as “news to me”, and I only noticed it after reading about it on FPN) the Realo has a spring-loaded inner cap much like the Platinum #3776 Century Shungyo, so that's not surprising. But I have a Sailor Profit Black Luster that was last inked over three years ago, quite rarely uncapped for use since; and when I pulled it out of storage earlier this month, it still wrote without hard-starting at all.

[Karmachanic]

Some Sailor pens have a better seal than some other pens.  Fixed it!

[PotbellyPig]

I’m going to have to check my ink levels just in case, but my Capless Pen hard starts after a few days with the Kiwa-Guro ink.  The Lamy Studio and Pilot Prera with Kiwa-Guro stop working altogether and I have to wet the nib to get them started.  I’m have some Pilot dye ink so I am going to try it.  The Nano-pigment ink isn’t working well hard start wise with my pens other than my Sailor ones.  My Sailor ones are rock solid, knock on wood.  I have some Pilot Iroshizuku ink on order that I will try as well.