The Pen Addict Podcast: Episode 368 - Pen of Deceit

Myke’s voice this episode

I cheated on Myke. I'm not proud of it, and I confessed to my back channel Sailor purchase in this episode. We also discussed the latest Field Notes National Parks release - of which I had a lot to say - and the new short run Studio Neat Mark One.

Show Notes & Download Links

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Sailor Pro Gear Tequila Sunrise: A Review

(Susan M. Pigott is a fountain pen collector, pen and paperholic, photographer, and professor. You can find more from Susan on her blog Scribalishess.)

I have a love/dislike relationship with Sailor fountain pens. I love the nibs. I dislike the PMMA resin bodies (which can feel kind of cheap) and the stingy converters (holding only .7 ml of ink). Obviously, many fountain pens are made of resin, so that’s not a deal breaker, and Sailor’s PMMA resin is strong and thick. But the converters seem rather flimsy.

But (there’s always a but, isn’t there?) I’ve been lurking on various Japanese pen sites like Wancher and Pensachi and discovered all the color variations Sailor offers to the larger world market. Sailor pens come in some outstanding special and/or limited edition colors. Many of the colors remind me of tropical flavor LifeSavers. Yum!

I fell for a Sailor Pro Gear limited edition called Tequila Sunrise. It was already sold out at both Wancher and Pensachi, but I found an eBay seller who had one with a medium nib, so I bought it. I ordered it July 4 from Japan and it was here on July 12.

Even though the Tequila Sunrise is a limited edition pen, it came in a regular Sailor clamshell box with a couple of cartridges but no converter. I had a spare Sailor converter on hand, so that wasn’t a big deal.

The pen is gorgeous from top to bottom. The finial is clear with a cool red and gold Sailor logo in the center.

The cap is a yellow-orange color with gold-plated trims (clip and cap bands).

The body is a peach-orange color that deepens the closer you get to the base.

And the finial at the base is a translucent red-orange.

The pen looks exactly like the cocktail after which it is named.

From Wikimedia Commons; original photo

The Pro Gear Classic is a small to medium-sized pen. It is 5 inches/128mm capped, 4.6 inches/116mm uncapped, and 5.9 inches/150mm posted. The grip is 11mm, and the barrel at its widest is 13mm. It weighs 25 grams inked and posted and 16.62 grams inked without the cap.

The nib is a beautiful two-tone 21K medium with all the usual Sailor scrollwork and anchor logo. I’m very happy with the medium nib, which writes smoothly and has perfectly-aligned tines.

I inked the pen with Robert Oster Ng Special ’16. The ink is a nice match for the pen, but may be a bit too dry for this nib. I didn’t have any skipping issues, but the ink doesn’t flow as smoothly as I would like. It may be that I need a wetter ink or that I’m just not accustomed to the Sailor nib feedback that people talk about. The last few Sailor pens I bought had custom-ground nibs, so they wrote more smoothly. I’ll try the ink with Sailor Apricot and see if they get along better.

Regardless, this is one Sailor I plan to keep in my collection. I love the unusual, bright colors which are happy and make me smile. Even though I typically prefer larger pens, I really like how the Pro Gear Classic feels n my hand. The grip is wide enough that my hand doesn’t cramp after writing a few pages, and the pen is light and well balanced. The only negative is I crave tropical LifeSavers whenever I use the pen.

If you’re interested in the Sailor Pro Gear (or any Sailor models), I highly recommend the eBay seller from whom I purchased my Tequila Sunrise. I also recommend Pensachi who carries Sailor, Pilot, Platinum, Namiki, and Lamy, and offers limited editions and special versions you can’t find at American retailers.

(I purchased this pen with my own funds.)

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Faber-Castell Grip Fountain Pen Review

(Sarah Read is an author, editor, yarn artist, and pen/paper/ink addict. You can find more about her at her website and on Twitter. And check out her first novel, The Bone Weaver’s Orchard, now available where books are sold!)

There can never be too many entry-level fountain pens. The more variety there is, the more likely new hobbyists will find a pen they love and join us at the Pen Addict table. Faber-Castell's Grip fountain pen has flown under my radar, but it's an excellent contender for a beginner fountain pen--and it's a decent pen even for us wizened collectors.

If this pen hadn't arrived in a fancy presentation box, I'd have assumed it was a generic rollerball from a big box store. I think the grip dots create this impression for me. They remind me of school pens. And this would actually make an excellent school pen! But it certainly isn't putting on any airs when it comes to appearance. The only ornament is the raised logo on the top of the cap and the lovely engraved nib. Otherwise, this is a very plain pen. Or maybe a better word would be 'inconspicuous.'

The body is molded plastic; this one is a pretty dark blue with black raised dots along the body. These are supposed to aid in gripping the pen, though they are conspicuously absent on the grip section itself. The grip section is textured soft plastic. The whole body is very subtly triangular shaped, so the pen doesn't roll too easily, and the grip is comfortable. The shaping guides your grip without forcing you into a specific pen hold.

The cap has the Faber-Castell name on it in white. It snaps to close and posts securely. It's very light even when posted, which makes it great for long writing sessions. The clip is folded stainless steel and works very well. It's springy but still secure, and the shaped tip doesn't damage paper or fabric.

The pen takes standard cartridges (long or short will work) or a standard converter. It comes with one cartridge.

The nib is steel and nicely decorated. This one is an extra fine and it is actually very fine. Other Faber-Castell nibs I've used have felt on the broader side to me, so I was surprised to get such hairline writing with this one. It does have a lot of feedback and feels a bit dry, but it isn't unpleasant at all. In fact, I think that makes it perfect for writing in pocket notebooks, or on office or school paper.

This is an excellent student pen, or work pen--or a pen that you want to carry around without worrying about it too much. It's reliable, writes well, and it's inexpensive. At $20, I think it's the perfect price for gifting to kids or office friends who might be fountain pen curious. It's been my work companion for a few weeks, now, and its plain appearance means I can leave it sitting on the desk while I wander away to work without worrying about it growing legs and walking away. No one looks twice at it, until I explain what makes it special.

(Vanness Pens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)