Sailor King Of Pen Urushi Review

[Fatalpotato]

Hello everyone and thanks for having a look. This will be my first review of a pen so all criticism is more than welcome. As this is my first review I wanted it to be of a pen that is special to me and at the same time not one that is beaten to death(ie. m1000). So that I would have a unique addition to the community and maybe the flaws of my review will be less overt . Anyway, without further ado, here is my review on the fabled kop with a blue urushi:

 

Appearance&Design: 10/10

Marvelous!

This is the part that excited me most when I got ahold of this pen. Urushi is the type of material which one needs to see to appreciate. The depth of the material is simply not carried into any digital medium. My experience on urushi pens are very limited but I can say that this pen looks very high quality, even those that have seen a fountain pen for the first time can appreciate the uniqueness of it. This is a rare finish in the japanese urushi pen world as far as I'm concerned, As blue pens that I saw was usually in the roiro migaki finishes, meaning they are much more bright and blue in the true sense of word. This pen always feels like it's in a dim lighted environment, and could reveal more color if it was held to brighter light. As this pen is fairly new I don't expect to take it outdoors any time soon but in the pictures, one can see the room is fairly well lit.

The ebonite KOP, which became the donor pen to become this beatiful piece of art, is a fairly straightforward pen in terms of design. A torpedo shaped shiny ebonite pen that has a clip coming out of a seamless cap, there are no parts to talk about except the clip itself; which is unique in shape to sailor and is not remarkable per se.

The true value of this pen lies in its urushi finish, which I think pictures will do more justice than my words. For the scaling, I don't know what else deserves a solid 10 if not this pen, with its very well made urushi finish and simple yet elegant design.

It's much shinier than the ebonite KOP, which is easier to see in next image

Construction & Quality: 10/10

 

The build and quality control of japanese pens are excellent, from the vantage point of the batch I've dealt with at least. The nib adjustments, ornament alignments, inlays, and engravings are simply superb in most if not all of them, including the commonplace platinums, pilot and sailors. This pen is no exception to this and I cannot find anything out of place, and nothing squeaks or wiggles, and every part works as intended. As this is a very delicate pen, I have not witnessed it to any harsh environment (including sunlight and pesky humans ) but having used a regular KOP for around a year I can say this pen is built to last. (I've have had some unfortunate accidents with ebonite KOP in which I've dropped it from my pocket once and from my table another time, no visible marks and scratches are visible, and pen is in mint shape although it's been rarely left uninked in the past year). So it gets a top score from this field as well.

 

Weight & Dimensions: 10/10

 

I think this part of the review is the most subjective one as dimensions of a pen is hard to critic objectively. So I'll try to keep this part short and to the point. This is a true oversize pen, similar in size to flagship offerings from other major brands. The nib is very similar in size to flagship nibs as well, slightly shorter than a m1000 nib and around the same length as a bock #8 nib. This pen doesn't tire me for extended periods of writing as the ebonite barrel is very light and the brass section keeps whatever the weight pen has very close to paper. The clip is very good in size and helps keep the pen inside a pocket if you have one in adequate size .

 

Nib & Performance: 10/10

 

I must say this is a fairly subjective part of this review as well. I am in love with the buttery smoothness of sailor nibs, especially in the KOP size. The iridium tipping on this pen seems to be quiet different from other pens, and is actually somewhat position sensitive. This is a broad nib and writes in a nice and juicy line, probably the owners of pens from european brands would call this a medium line. Anyway, this nib wrote perfect out of the box, as did my previous two sailors, and is part of a habit I tend to expect from japanese manufacturers in general. A solid top score from this part as well .

 

Filling System & Maintenance: 6/10

 

This is the first part of the review that I think the pen has some objective shortcomings of some sort. All KOPs and most of the sailor pens in sale right now come with a cartridge and converter system that is proprieatory to sailor. This is the most pathetic system I've seen in a fountain pen and I include pens from the 2-10$ range as well. The opening of the converter is too large so it cannot be used separately from the pen, or at least requires some serious dexterity to do so. The capacity of converter is pathetic as well, in the waters of .7 ml. I manage to write 6-7 pages with this converter before I feel the urge to refill(with broad nib), this can sound OK, but this size of pen at least requires an alternative filling mechanism(like DVOS), or a higher quality & capacity converter, like those offered by platinum and pilot.

Maintenance is fairly simple however, as the converter separates fairly easily and it doesn't take much to clean from there. The nib is friction fit, and can be taken out fairly simply for a major cleaning. The maintenance of body, section and cap should be quite hard if something bad happens(requiring a visit to the penmaker or an urushi master probably) but this sort of pen shouldn't be taken to adventures IMHO. I don't think I'm being harsh with my score here, as I give a good 8/10 for the maintenance and a poor 4/10 for filling system.

 

Cost & Value: 8/10

 

After having so many nice things to say about this beauty it hurts me not being able to give a top score for the value but I think it wouldn't be a fair review if I gave this pen 10 points after spending so much on it. If someone told me I would spend close to $2k for a fountain pen I would just laugh before I started this hobby. I don't know what's the MSRP for this pen but it can be found for $1900 in nibs.com as of the writing of this review. I bought it for a little less thanks to favorable exchange rates. I truly believe this pen deserves its cost but as is the case with most handmade works of art, one must pay dearly for a nice product. It is around the 2x of price of a regular ebonite KOP, and instead of buying two of those, I think stretching out for this one is a good idea. But then one spends the cost of three KOPs, and then four, and then five...

From left to right; DVOS, KOP urushi, KOP ebonite, M1000 in black, W&E Roseweood

 

I like how pelikan nib autocensors itself . Delta's bock nib seems to be wider than others

Final Thoughts & Conclusion : 54/60

 

I did not include any straight measurments for this review, as I'm pretty sure someone interested in this review did some research on this pen as well. I just wanted to show my appreciation of this pen and share the pros and cons of my favourite pen. Topics related to this specific pen is very rare and I've never pictures of this specific finish apart from retailers. It comes with all the shortcomings of a regular KOP, and if someday Sailor decides to release this pen with a much better converter or better yet in a piston or ED build, this pen can easily get much closer to a perfect score. Thanks for your time and have a nice day .

 

 

 

[Caeruleum]

Very elegant pen, I think.

Thank you for the review and photos.

[25_15_3]

 

The opening of the converter is too large so it cannot be used separately from the pen, or at least requires some serious dexterity to do so

 

What does this mean exactly?

[Fatalpotato]

Very elegant pen, I think.

Thank you for the review and photos.

Thanks for the kind words .

What does this mean exactly?

I sometimes use delta or Omas converters separate from pen and suck ink right into them because they have a narrow opening and ink doesn't leak. Sailor converters are like hollow tubes which ink can easily leak if used separate from pen and also because of the brass section of the kop this isn't an option as far as I know.

[jar]

Glad you like the pen.

[Kodiac136]

Without a doubt, these have one of the best nibs ever made. I wish they would produce an ED version... or better yet, I'd love to stick one of these in a Conid.

[senzen]

Great review, way over the top for me but I'm glad you enjoy it. I don't get what's happening to that Pelikan and the censor bit??

[Fatalpotato]

Thanks again for the nice words folks. The Pelikan nib sometimes gets a blob of ink(usually the well lubricated ones) on top of the Pelikan logo, looks like it is censored

[zaddick]

It's a fine review, full of enthusiasm. Keep them coming.

 

As to the pen, I cannot forgive the resin section and the mold lines in the threads at that price point.

 

Using a cartridge and refilling it helps with capacity. Worth the effort.

 

Until recently the availability of specialty KOP nibs was the big selling point, but those are on indefinite hold.

 

Finally, the pen is more robust than you think. Hopefully you will grow comfortable enough to use it outside of a clean room.

[Fatalpotato]

It's a fine review, full of enthusiasm. Keep them coming.

 

As to the pen, I cannot forgive the resin section and the mold lines in the threads at that price point.

 

Using a cartridge and refilling it helps with capacity. Worth the effort.

 

Until recently the availability of specialty KOP nibs was the big selling point, but those are on indefinite hold.

 

Finally, the pen is more robust than you think. Hopefully you will grow comfortable enough to use it outside of a clean room.

Thanks for the kind words, I definitely plan to write some more reviews, hopefully some more in depth than this one.

I totally agree on cartridges being more useful than the petty converters, but it's still not enough to stop me from bashing sailor for at least not copying the desings of pilot or platinum .

It made me sad and a little nervous to hear that the nagahara nibs are put on hold, I wanted to reach for a king eagle some time in the future.

I'm sure someday I'll be more liberal in my use with this pen but for the time being I prefer it sitting on my desk

[Tseg]

Thanks for the review. I am glad to hear your description of the Broad nib on a KoP as I will have one in my hands for the first time tomorrow evening. Sounding positive.

[Fatalpotato]

Thanks for the review. I am glad to hear your description of the Broad nib on a KoP as I will have one in my hands for the first time tomorrow evening. Sounding positive.

Nice, I really enjoyed the broad nib compared to the medium one, its buttery smooth

[25_15_3]

Without a doubt, these have one of the best nibs ever made. I wish they would produce an ED version... or better yet, I'd love to stick one of these in a Conid.

 

I'm planning on getting a KOP nib onto a Conid on the future as well. My plan is to get a custom feed and or housing made by flexible nib company and a Naginata Togi nib.

[Gloucesterman]

Very well written review. Thank you for your contribution. Wish I were in a financial position to afford the investment you made.

 

Keep sharing your insights and experience. It is appreciated...

[Fatalpotato]

 

I'm planning on getting a KOP nib onto a Conid on the future as well. My plan is to get a custom feed and or housing made by flexible nib company and a Naginata Togi nib.

May I ask why wouldn't you consider original feed? The filling of pen is much easier thanks to the feeds airtight mechanism.

 

Very well written review. Thank you for your contribution. Wish I were in a financial position to afford the investment you made.

 

Keep sharing your insights and experience. It is appreciated...

I really appreciate the kind words. I'll try to post a comparison of this pen with a mikado in the near future. I'll try to add some long term experience with both pens as well .

[sdbruder]

wow. beautiful pen.

Really completely outside of my reach right now.

 

Perhaps if I sell all my pens.. I can buy one.

[Mew]

Capacity of Platinum and Sailor convertor is same: 0.6ml.

[Donald2]

The pen looks black colored.

[Fatalpotato]

The pen looks black colored.

Yeah the urushi is a very deep color that is somewhat similar to looking at sea. It is easy to see the unique color in good lighting but in the photos it's pretty hard to distinguish it from ebonite pen

[25_15_3]

May I ask why wouldn't you consider original feed? The filling of pen is much easier thanks to the feeds airtight mechanism.

 

I really appreciate the kind words. I'll try to post a comparison of this pen with a mikado in the near future. I'll try to add some long term experience with both pens as well .

 

I miswrote. A custom housing to fit the original feed would be ideal.