The Pelikan M405 and the Sailor Sapporo

[encremental]

Thank you for the review, Patrick. I read it several times and sent off for my Sapporo yesterday! Like you, I've gone for the gold trim, but have now started to wonder if the rhodium might have been better.... of course, if I'd gone for the rhodium, I'd now be thinking about the gold.

 

I think I'm shadowing you as most of my collection are Pelikans, and the last pen I got was a Lamy 2000 (I just need the Hero ). My two favourite writers are the M400 & M800, even though my M200 is smoother than either. The way I see it, the difference between particularly luscious nibs is rather like running a finger over velvet, suede or satin - all feel different, and all have interesting textures. I can't wait to try the Sapporo.

 

Oh, did you notice that at Andy's Pens the Standard Sailor 1911s are only £74-£80, because they have 14 carat nibs - it's the 21 carat versions that are twice the Sapporo's price. I quite fancy the yellow one.

 

John

[encremental]

Well, Patrick - my Sapporo M has arrived (thank you The Writing Desk for great service as usual), so I'm now able to comment on your wretchedly credit card depleting review with a certain amount of confidence.

 

Well, you're not wrong, are you? The Sapporo nib is deliciously smooth, but not in that glassily smooth way which can rob handwriting of rhythm and make a pen slither all over the place. The nib does feel very fine. Even though it writes slightly broader than my M400F and a lot broader than my Vista F, it feels far finer while writing than either - a sort of needlier [is that a word?] feeling.

 

I like writing with a European F (i.e.F to M) nib, although objectively, my writing actually looks better when I use a dreary old M. I can't quite decide whether this is a blessing or a curse - whatever, it means that I can never decide which nib to buy and have crises in any sort of pen shop or department store where they only carry an M and an F is a special order . So I can now quite see the appeal of Sailor nibs for someone whose writing demands an F or EF nib, and imagine one could always buy Sailor Fs or EFs with confidence.

 

But, impressed as I am, for me Pelikan still rools. I have bought four Pelikan Fs, and astonishingly they have each been completely different, and as I have to say that although I have had to return one of those because it was not up to scratch (scratching was why I returned it) I can imagine that Sailor might give the more uniform writing experience. Even so, the quality of a Pelikan nib, given a following wind, is amazing. You get feedback and smoothness, individuality and character. Build quality is also exceptional, and I do find the Sailor does not quite match up here, although it's close. Plastic rather than resin, and more M200-like. But then, it is considerably cheaper so Sailor may be excused.

 

Still getting that yellow 1911 standard from Andy's Pens though!

 

John

[Ronin]

Fantastic review Patrick,the trouble is a cheque for a Sailor Sapporo is now in the post because of the review! I read it with great interest and have walked to the sorting office tonight and posted it. I've been looking at one for awhile and the review has convinced me that I must have one!!

 

£69,what a bargain.

 

Many thanks Patrick for a great review. Now,what ink to put in it?

 

Ronin.

[nickyd]

Fascinating report-going to order a Sapporo NOW.

It's not put me off the Pelikan M405, either.

Going to be an expensive hobby,this pen collecting!

Edited August 21, 2008 by nickyd

[utopia]

thanks for your review！ i like sailor 14K very much!

Could you please tell me that the nib of the sailor in the picture is EF or F or M?

i want to buy the sailor 14K, but i dont know what kind of size of nib should i to buy? i am fraid the M is too thick for me.

so the size M of sailor is thicker than the size of F of pellican? and how much thicker?

thans a lot !

[Joe in Seattle]

Great review, quite similar to my own experience with a Sailor Professional Gear - full size, and a Pelikan M400.

 

I'd rate the Pelikan a bit higher than you, but quite agree that the Sailor nibs are a challenge to better in any way.

 

Good job.

[utopia]

Great report！

could you tell me that what the size of the sailor is ? THanks!

 

[HenryLouis]

Nice Comparison, I think i'll pick up the sailor. If i ever get a pelikan it's going to be from a nibmeister.

[WECIII]

What a helpful review! I am looking for a quality Japanese pen to join my very entry level Pilot/Namiki Knight, and I do believe the Sailor Sapporo will be the winner! Thanks again for a great review.

[jasperbob]

New to FPN. Just received Pelikan 150. A bit too light and small but an excellent F nib.

Sapporo Yellow is my next target pen. Birthday in October but may be in Italy.

Any Italian pen, within the under $125USD, comparable to Sapporo?

[chibimie]

Thanks for a thoughtful, informative, and entertaining review! I like the way you lay out your thoughts so that we can in turn note the bases of your evaluations.

[PatientType]

I realize that this is an old review but since it's found it's way back to the front of the thread line, I thought it worthy of comment. First, the review is very detailed and thoughtful. Second, I disagree wholeheartedly with the ratings and the conclusions.

 

It's a good thing that we are different in our tastes and assessments for it allows the availability of such a variety of pens. I've owned a Sapporo and a Pelikan. The Sapporo I no longer own. It was, for me, a too small and somewhat boring pen.

 

The body of the Sapporo had a very light feel. While well finished and giving a nice sheen, it felt as though the body was merely a barrel with which to guide the nib. All the design focus seemed to be in the nib. In contrast, the Pelikan feels like a well-integrated unit in which the more substantial barrel and feed mechanism is one with the nib - with equal care devoted to each element that makes up the whole.

 

The Sapporo converter isn't anywhere near the same league as the Pelikan piston mechanism. It's cheaper, less substantial, and has less capacity.

 

The Sapporo did have a very smooth, very hard nib and wrote very reliably and with almost no feedback. It was this unwavering evenness of line that convinced me to sell the pen. If I wanted a line that looked as if it was laid down by a roller ball pen, I'd buy a roller ball pen. This not a slam on the quality of the Sailor nib. It does just what it's designed to do. It is a statement of my personal preference.

 

The Pelikan nib, in contract, has just a little give to it and, to my hand, is equally smooth with little or no feedback. Mine lays a line that is a tad thinner on the up stroke and thicker on the down stroke. I can't imagine rating the Pelikan nib lower than the Sapporo. They are two different animals but the Pelikan is no less of a nib, just different, by design, in the way it performs.

 

To push heresy just a little further, I'll note that I also own a Platinum 3776 with 18k nib and I consider that to be in the same general class as the Sailor Sapporo but, also, a much preferable pen.

Edited August 12, 2009 by PatientType