Sailor Pro Gear Slim Shikiori Japanese Fairy Tale Series Fountain Pen in Dragon Palace: A Love Story

(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 latest book, Out of Water, now available where books are sold!)

Once upon a time I was minding my own business, stuck in quarantine and scrolling Instagram, when my eyes landed on the most beautiful pen in the kingdom. It's not exactly an uncommon story. I'd say this happens a few times a week. But this time was different! Because it was almost Mother's Day, and I was supposed to be thinking about what I'd like for a gift. Within the next few days, the Anderson Pens newsletter said they had them and they were offering curbside pickup. With the means, motive, and opportunity secured--reader, I bought the pen.

I admit, this is not my first Pro Gear Slim. It's my favorite mass-produced pen make and model, and this is my 5th one, so I generally know what to expect from them. Still, each one manages to surprise me with how delightful it is, and this one is the most delightful yet.

Part of the allure is definitely the story behind the inspiration for the series. I'm a sucker for a good story! I've bought pens just for their names before, and I regret nothing. I adore fairy tales, frequently immerse myself in them, and they're a big part of my life every day. It wasn't likely I could resist a line of pens inspired by fairy tales, especially not when they make one in my favorite color.

The Dragon Palace pen is inspired by Ryugu-jo—the palace of the dragon spirit Ryujin, which is said to exist three-days swim under the water off the coast of Cape Nagasakibana. It's the setting for numerous tales and legends, and I've been enjoying reading them as I learn more about the stories that inspired this pen.

The color is somewhere between mint and seafoam, with gold flecks that look like sunlight sparkling on the water. The body and cap are resin, with gold-plated accents. The center band reads "Sailor Japan Founded 1911" and it has the signature anchor logo on the finial. The grip section is made in the same green resin, with a gentle taper. The nib is 14k gold, with Sailor's signature scrollwork and logos. This series only comes in the MF nib, which is a great size, though it would not have been my first choice. It's a very practical size, the goldilocks of nibs--not too fine, but fine enough. Like all Sailor nibs I've used, it writes perfectly. It's a wet writer, but it doesn't gush. It's enough to show the shading and characteristics of the ink while maintaining a crisp line. It's wonderfully smooth, but not too smooth, so there's no baby's bottom or feeling like your writing is about to float out of control. The pens fit Sailor's proprietary cartridges or converters, and come with both.

The Fairy Tale series, like the four seasons series before it, is limited, so if you're as besotted as I was, you won't want to wait to grab one. The MSRP for these pens is $225, though online prices are around $180. That puts them in the same price neighborhood as a lot of steel-nib pens. It's still very expensive, but for the quality and materials, it's a great deal.

I'm sure there are more Pro Gears in my future, but this one came along at just the right time, bringing a bit of beauty and a whole new family of stories just when I needed them. This is the part where we live happily ever after.

(I purchased this pen at Anderson Pens at the regular retail price.)

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Sailor Manyo Kuzu Ink Review

(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)

While Sailor recently refreshed their main ink lineup, that doesn't mean they haven't been busy experimenting with other ink colors at the same time. The Sailor Manyo ink series is a collection of eight dye-based inks that represent popular flowers that are frequently mentioned in the Japanese Man'yōshū — an ancient collection of poems.

Kuzu is a subtle dusty purple ink that has some hidden depths that only surface in the right conditions. It's a beautiful color that doesn't immediately offer up all of its secrets, and that's the main reason I've enjoyed using it.

To be honest, I wasn't very impressed with this ink when I first started using it. At first glance, it's just a really bland dark purple that doesn't exhibit any exciting properties. But if you use the right nib and expose the ink to the right light, other colors start to pop up.

Underneath the dusty plum exterior, there are shades of brown, red, and green. And, in the right light, there's even a slight golden sheen! These hidden qualities are really what make this ink interesting. It's just unfortunately that you have to use an incredibly wide and wet nib in order to see them. In most nibs, this ink just looks like a dull brown-purple with a slight tendency to feather.

There's a slight amount of shading, but (again) this only comes out with a fairly wide nib. It changes between black-purple to a medium dark-brown, which is a subtle but elegant change.

Dry time with Kuzu is extremely fast! Most of the time, this ink is dry by 15 seconds, if not quicker. Definitely something to consider if you value quick dry times.

Being a dye-based ink, there isn't any water-resistance to speak of. This definitely isn't an archival-quality ink, so look elsewhere for that.

At 50ml, this is a standard-sized ink bottle that will last for quite a while. And at just under $20, it's also a great deal and very competitive.

I wanted to love this ink, but I'm just not enjoying using it in my day-to-day writing. The dark and dull color isn't interesting, and I'm disappointed that the hidden properties of this ink only come out with ultra-wide nibs and swatching. That isn't how most people use fountain pen inks, so just understand that you won't really see the shading, sheen, and hidden greens, browns, and reds unless you're using a brush.

If you're looking for a dark, understated purple-black ink, Sailor Manyo Kuzu is a fantastic choice!

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

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Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!

The Pen of Jeopardy

(Diane L. is a renegade physicist, engineer, photographer and writer, and was gracious enough to write this geust post for The Pen Addict.)

I was over a thousand points ahead and each of my two opponents had just provided a wrong answer to the final question. I knew I had given the right answer, so I was poised to win Pen Addict Jeopardy at the Baltimore / Washington International Pen Show 2020. What could possibly go wrong? But just as the show master Brad Dowdy prepared to read out my answer, it dawned on me that I had committed the most egregious mistake a Jeopardy player could make. I covered my head in my hands as Brad announced, “she said ‘shoes!’” and then repeated in horror “wait, she said ‘shoes…’” and turned in consternation to the other judges, Ana Reinert and Corinne Litchfield …

The Thomas Point Lighthouse Pen by Greg Hardy of Hardy Penwrights is a one-of-a-kind custom pen made to be a prize for a competition at the show.

To quote from the pen’s Instagram page, “The barrels of this pen feature a custom pour by McKenzie Penworks in DiamondCast Ocean Blue and Clear resin. It was chosen to fit the theme of the pen which highlights the Thomas Point Lighthouse located on the Chesapeake. The idea for the metal work came up in a brainstorming session with fellow pen maker Tom Gauntt of Chesapeake Pen Co., and is constructed of nickel silver and bronze – a dozen separate pieces in total.”

And that metalwork, forming the roll stop, is a replica of the Chesapeake Bay’s iconic Thomas Point Shoal Light.

What literally sparks joy about this pen at a first glance is the presence of tiny flakes of mica and real diamond dust which recreate both the sparkle of the sun on the waves and the twinkling stars in the night sky behind the lighthouse. The swirls of deep blue in the translucent material move like waves as you rotate the barrel.

The lighthouse theme is also a personal favorite.

The pen came with an easy-going Jowo #6 F nib, which I chose to keep although an exchange was offered. As a lifelong extra-fine enthusiast recently getting into architect and flex nibs, I’m happy to just write with this pen without expending any mental effort on alignment and form - and I can always swap it for another of my Jowo #6’s if I change my mind. In terms of construction, the cap has a slightly conical, nearly flat top and a rounded end. The cap takes just over 2 turns to open or close, and the triple threads on the barrel are barely perceptible to the touch as well as being out of contact when I grip the comfortable, slightly flared section.

The pen came with a name-branded Schmidt converter which fits reliably. Although I often go for a contrast color when inking pens, in this case I decided to go matchy-matchy with Organics Studio Glycine.

As mentioned above, this pen is one of a kind. However, Greg Hardy is a custom pen manufacturer working from a variety of inspirations including Arthurian legend, Celtic knotwork, nature and astronomy. He has a variety of pens available for sale in gorgeous colors with handmade metal clips and roll stops, and invites suggestions for concept pens.

So how did I win Pen Addict Jeopardy? As I was called up to join the game in round 2, I muttered “this won’t go well,” because I have never watched an episode of Jeopardy. As a spectator during the first round, I had learned the importance of stating the answer in the form of a question. I carefully drilled myself to think before I spoke and always speak the question; for example in response to “this pen company makes the Soubriquet?” one would have to reply “What is the Desiderata Pen Company?” rather than just “Desiderata.” Unfortunately, having trained myself to do this when I spoke, I forgot to do so in writing for the last question: instead of turning in something like “what are shoes” in answer to “Jim Rouse was selling this when he met Bert Oser,” I simply wrote “shoes.” So despite being correct, this answer was wrong, and I lost my bet.

However, rather than betting the entire farm on my answer as my two opponents had done, I bet a conservative 600 points, and so even though I lost the question, I still won the game. Winning was such a rush that I completely forgot there were prizes. I was given a gift bag containing a bottle of Pilot Iroshizuku Take-Sumi and a plain black pen box. When I opened it, I was in disbelief that I was the new owner of the beautiful pen within. The next day I was able to meet and thank the maker, Greg Hardy, hear the story of how the pen came to be, and see more of his wonderful creations.

With many thanks to Bert Oser for another fantastic BWI pen show, Brad for being the Pen Addict Jeopardy show master, Ana and Corinne for judging, to the other competitors, especially runner-up Meghan,> and to the spirit of the late Jim Rouse, who would surely have been entertained by the turn of events at the end of the game.

(I didn’t pay for this pen. I won it in a game of Pen Addict Jeopardy!)

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Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, for which I am very grateful.

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!