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Sailor 1911 Realo Maroon 21K EF ~ In the area where I work and live, the leading stationery retailer is Eslite Spectrum, located in the Hi-Tech Park district, at the MixC World shopping mall. A bookstore based in Taiwan, their local outlet has a Writer’s Boutique where a wide variety of fountain pens and inks are displayed. Several Japanese fountain pens purchased there have been excellent writers. Their selection of inks offers the variety I’d previously lacked. Among other brands they stock Sailor products which are attractively presented for the consideration of potential buyers. For over half a year within the Sailor display I admired a sleek pen with an ink window. As it happened, the staff was fairly unfamiliar with that particular model. Low-key investigation revealed that it was a 1911 Realo with a 21K F nib. I asked if there was any possibility of ordering the same model with an EF nib, as in 2020 I’m adding EF nibs for detailed sketching, note-taking and writing. The manager indicated that EF nibs were not among those which might be ordered. Despite that information, my interest in the pen persisted. When I mentioned my interest in a Sailor 1911 Realo 21K EF nib to an overseas friend, I learned that one such pen was available in his area. The surprise was that the pen itself was maroon, rather than the black which I had been admiring in Eslite Spectrum. It was an easy decision. The pen was ordered with careful arrangements made to safely ship it to me. After a number of weeks it arrived undamaged, thanks to the sturdy packaging. The pen wrote well from first inking with Herbin Rouge Grenat, an ink I had on hand but had never used. The 21K Extra Fine nib is less stiff than I’d expected. It’s highly responsive to subtle changes in finger motion. I tend to write with a fairly light touch, so the nib is well-suited to my needs. A set of images follows which shows the unboxing and details of the pen. In this case a few comparison images are included showing a Montblanc 146 Special Edition Petit Prince and Planet EF pen. As the two models share certain characteristics, it seemed appropriate to photograph them together. Tom K. As Delivered Grey Wrapping Sturdy Box North America Limited Warranty 1911 Realo MN EF Newly Arrived and Opened Dark Tones Fully Opened Pen Revealed Prior to Handling Soft Grey Maroon 1911 Realo 1911 Realo Maroon EF Uncapped H-EF Side-by-Side Two EF Nibs Both Uncapped Nib Engraving