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Want to try a sailor pen, any advice regarding their budget offerings?


Spatil

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I recently got to know about a few of sailor's bugdet pens. Since sailor pens are considered consistent and reliable writers with good Q/C out of box and for their characteristic feedback, I am tempted to give them a try. I  found two pens interesting, first is sailor profit skeleton (transparent sailor profit junior/ compass) and other being sailor profit casual. As far as I know skeleton comes with plain MF nib, also found in sailor lecoule, and profit casual comes with a decorated steel nib available in large range of point sizes, also found on sailor procolor/shikiori models. How do these two types of steel nibs compare to each other and to sailor's gold nibs which are known for their reliability and feedback? Also, is the body of profit casual same as standard 1911 with difference being only in nib? (Just in case, as of now I own a pilot metropolitan in M, twsbi eco in M and kanwrite desire in F).

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The ProColor/Shikiori and the Casual are very similar to their gold nib (14k), I'd say identical even.

 

The Lecoule was one of my first Sailors and I used it for quite a while, I must've been happy with it.... So those are decent pens as intro, but the plastic (by which I mean the feel of the threading when closing/opening the pen) can feel cheap compared to the ProC/Shikiori/Casual.

 

I don't know if they use different plastics or what it is...

 

The Profit Jr/Compass/ProC/Shikiori and Casual are exactly the same size as the 1911 Profit Standard and 1911 Profit Light.

The Lecoule is exactly the same size as the Pro Gear Slim.

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It's a good time to spend a little more if you can, Amazon currently has new Pro Gear slims with 14k nibs starting at $80.

"The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt."

 

B. Russell

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5 hours ago, Spatil said:

How do these two types of steel nibs compare to each other and to sailor's gold nibs which are known for their reliability and feedback?

 

The steel MF nibs on the Lecoule and Profit Jr models write well enough, but on account on their geometry both look and feel flimsier. They should not be considered representative of the Sailor writing experience, especially with regard to the nib; but one should also be aware that, notwithstanding the Lecoule and Professional Gear Slim models having the same geometry, the Lecoule weighs substantially less and has a different distribution of mass (i.e. balance). The same would apply to comparing the Profit Jr and Profit Standard models.

 

The steel nibs on the Procolor and Profit Casual models have a different geometry from Sailor's 'medium-sized' 14K gold nibs found on the Profit Light, Profit Standard, amd Professional Gear Slim models. The writing experience and product quality of the steel nibs are consistent with Sailor's better nibs, although their narrower width from shoulder to shoulder makes them a little more nail-hard, even compared to the 14K gold 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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7 hours ago, senzen said:

It's a good time to spend a little more if you can, Amazon currently has new Pro Gear slims with 14k nibs starting at $80.

Unfortunately, due to shipping and custom duty imposed on imported FPs the final price most probably won't be cheaper than what I could find at domestic online sellers (which in general is significantly higher than MSRP). So, at the moment I can only afford steel nib sailor pens.

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8 hours ago, A Smug Dill said:

They should not be considered representative of the Sailor writing experience, especially with regard to the nib

What would I be missing? Can I use that plain MF steel nib to figure out which point size nib I would like to buy on a profit casual, if not, something else which could help to narrow down the range?

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I have a Profit junior, specifically this one:

 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07GSWTN27?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

 

I don't know how it compares to the models you are considering, but it has a steel MF nib of different geometry from the medium size nib 1911S and PG slim have, like ASDill said.

 

While by itself it's a decent pen (with a very tight cap, doesn't dry easily), the plastics feel really cheap and the nib is just meh and unremarkable. It writes a decent line without much of the "Sailor feedback" (that is a plus for me!), and had I done some researches, I would have totally pass on this one.

 

I also have a 1911S 21K with MF nib, and it's just a much better pen, better finish, better nib (even if I disliked mine out of the box), better everything. I'd advise you to consider saving a little longer and going straight to a 14K Sailor, instead of wasting ressources on a pen that won't really bring you what you are looking for (the "Sailor experience", if I understood correctly?).

 

Of course that is only my point if view, as I'm not familiar with all the models you are considering, nor what is available to you, so as usual, YMMV (after all I only ever tried one sample of each of these Sailors).

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1 hour ago, Lithium466 said:

even if I disliked mine out of the box

What did you dislike, the "sailor feedback" or something else?

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The "Sailor feedback".

 

I liked it enough /wasn't bothered by it on my 1911L EF and MF, and liked these two enough to want to try the smaller 1911S 21K, thinking I would find the same kind of slight feedback that can be desirable for various reasons.

 

Nope, for some reason the 1911S MF I received had a much more amplified feedback. Returning it wasn't an option, and the feedback seemed (to my limited experience) to be just within normal tolerance for these nibs (it wasn't scratchy in any way, more "noisy" and I just didn't like it) so I chose to polish the tip, and that in the end left me with a satisfying pen (for me), AKA mostly smooth with just a hint of feedback.

Note that I had the same experience (and conclusion) with a Platinum 3776 SF, but I like the Sailor's construction better than the Platinum's.

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 11/26/2022 at 3:24 PM, senzen said:

It's a good time to spend a little more if you can, Amazon currently has new Pro Gear slims with 14k nibs starting at $80.

 

Thanks for the heads up, I have one on the way>

It's hard work to tell which is Old Harry when everybody's got boots on.

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Don't bother with Profit juniors. They are representative of what Sailor offers with their high end pens. Think of them as alternatives to the Platinum Preppy and no one mistakes the Preppy as similar in writing experience to the 3776s. 

If you want to stainless steel nib with a 14k experience, look no further than the Profit Casual. I have a couple of them and find they offer great writing experience. https://sailor.co.jp/product/11-0570/

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31 minutes ago, gerigo said:

They are representative of what Sailor offers with their high end pens.

 

I take it that you meant not representative.

 

31 minutes ago, gerigo said:

Think of them as alternatives to the Platinum Preppy and no one mistakes the Preppy as similar in writing experience to the 3776s. 

 

Maybe, maybe not. I vaguely remember seeing more than once, in my four or so years of being active on FPN, that some members have ventured or asked about getting a Platinum Preppy in order to sample the “Platinum nib” charactertistics and/or writing experience for themselves (at the lowest possible cost of outright and lawful acquisition, as opposed to being in someone's debt borrowing a #3776 pen to try out), such that I felt compelled to counsel against it at the time.

 

Also, I'm more inclined to think that the Sailor Lecoule and Profit Junior models are more akin to writing with a Platinum Balance — which again is not representative of the “Platinum nib”, namely that of nibs fitted on #3776 models — than a Platinum Preppy. Which, by the way, makes the entry-level Profit Junior models quite a bargain in comparison.

 

The Sailor HiAce Neo is probably closer to being the equivalent of a Platinum Preppy, in terms of nib performance and overall product quality.

 

42 minutes ago, gerigo said:

If you want to stainless steel nib with a 14k experience, look no further than the Profit Casual.

 

Or the older (but still in current production) Shikiori Hisakta and Tsukuyo-no-minamo models out of the Procolor mould, which use the same type of 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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On 12/7/2022 at 8:29 AM, gerigo said:

If you want to stainless steel nib with a 14k experience, look no further than the Profit Casual

How would MF or F nib compare to pilot metropolitan M nib. I am looking for a nib on finer side due to small handwriting, a bit finer than the pilot M nib (finest nib I own as of now) for class notes.

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54 minutes ago, Spatil said:

a bit finer than the pilot M nib (finest nib I own as of now) for class notes.

 

So why not just get a Pilot MR (whether it's in the MR Metropolitan collection, or the MR Animal or MR Retro Pop collections), or Prera, 78G, Kaküno with an F nib, then? Worry about getting a Sailor separately, and attend to your need with a ‘known quantity’ first. I'm positive that the Pilot MR's F nib will write finer than the M nib of the same type, with the same high level of product quality.

 

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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On 12/8/2022 at 5:53 PM, A Smug Dill said:

 

So why not just get a Pilot MR (whether it's in the MR Metropolitan collection, or the MR Animal or MR Retro Pop collections), or Prera, 78G, Kaküno with an F nib, then? Worry about getting a Sailor separately, and attend to your need with a ‘known quantity’ first. I'm positive that the Pilot MR's F nib will write finer than the M nib of the same type, with the same high level of product quality.

 

Thanks for reminding. I lost interest in kakuno back then when I found that only M nibs were widely available (which I didn't need) and few options for F nib were present at higher price (not sure if price should be same or not). Now F nib version became cheaper and available in more options so I ordered one. Maybe it will clarify my nib preference and help in future purchases as well.

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My $80 PG Slim arrived, it's quite nice-looking. Was hard to tell the color on Amazon - it's dark grey, no, wait, is it green? Yes, it's dark green, not enough blue for Evergreen, more like a Hunter's Green; black finials. Has sort of a frosted/matte look (but still shiny); cap is overall solid while barrel has faint, light lines running down it, somewhat suggestive of veins on a leaf.

EF line is definitely narrower than the MF and F on my red Slims (but, surprisingly, on a par with my 1954 Sheaffer Cadet F) and quite smooth for an EF, no tooth to speak of. I've inked it with Shirakashi which seems a nice match and dark enough for the line to be distinct.

Will make a nice carry around town pen, I think.

 

eta: Forgot to mention, they cheaped out by not including a converter, just two cartridges. Easy enough to flush a cart and the carts hold a goodly amount more than the converters, looks like twice as much. Still, a converter would help with flushing.

It's hard work to tell which is Old Harry when everybody's got boots on.

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  • 2 months later...
On 12/13/2022 at 10:34 AM, chromantic said:

eta: Forgot to mention, they cheaped out by not including a converter, just two cartridges. Easy enough to flush a cart and the carts hold a goodly amount more than the converters, looks like twice as much. Still, a converter would help with flushing.

Could you elaborate what you meant by that?

like, did you drain the cartridge of the (black/blue-black) ink? I hope you actually did use the pen with the provided cartridges, I did use my PGS with the provided cartridge and it was a very very pleasant feedback. After the cartridge was empty, I put in Conklin/Monteverde Horizon Blue but that feedback was gone.


 

 

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Many of us think they like smooooth nibs that glide across the paper.. I think that is due to the scratchiness of the contemporary pens which probably had poorly QC'd  (forget tuned) nibs OOTB, owing to the economy grade design (as Ball point pens began to take over their business). I always thought I was happy with Pilot's M nib, some Jinhaos and some Heros. This was also due to the poor experience of feedbacky nibs from Platinum (Preppy & Plasir). Then I got a Pilot SFM -cue softness to go with the smoothness and a line width that looks nowhere near the expected fine medium. I still thought I liked smooth nibs, and so got me a Lamy 2k. (By now I was well and truly down the rabbit hole..) I wore my Metro's M nib down almost to a B. 

Then one day I bought the Sailor PGS. Then all my love of glassy smooth nibs vanished, replaced by that of sharp point pencil, which we were taught to write with. I also happen to write rather small, and I find that Sailor's fine steel nib (with an APPROPRIATE ink) gives me the best writing experience. I'd put Sailor black ink as a very appropriate ink for me. The 14k PGS is good too, but I find it too wet for my writing. And being inherently wetter nib, I require a drier ink.

 

All the platinum steel nibs (except a Preppy 02) I have bought have been disappointing. Two of the F/02 -nib Preppys clogged - one with KTC, other with Platinum's own blue-black cart. The M nib Balance and 05 nib Preppy are too wide in line width (considering how fine the 03 and the 02 are) and both skip. I did receive a preppy F as a gift from a good friend which to my surprise was well tuned. I use it for like edelstein Olivine, which give a true F line. The 02 preppy is used for Platinum carbon black.

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After having tried 3 Sailor gold nibs, I still like the smoothest nibs the most :D

The Sailors don't get much love lately...maybe I should ink one of them and revisit...

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