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Sailor Nagasawa Proske and Sailor Profit Standard (also known in the West as 1911 Standard) are essentially the same pen model. But there are some differences including price so I thought I will make a quick comparison. The one difference is clear plastic on Nagasawa. It feels cheaper compared to Black plastic on Standard Sailor or clear plastic on King Pro Gear. It may be my judgement is clouded by receiving my Nagasawa Proske with grip section already cracked. I think someone in the factory over tighten the pen. Expensive pens that look cheap or understated are my preference so if it wouldnt be for a crack that would be just fine. Converter in Nagasawa Proske is Rhutenium plated which is great but it is of lesser quality than original Sailor converter. The only other differences are in the nib inscription Kobe and Nagasawa Pen Style Den on the cap band. My Sailor 1911 Standard (or Profit Standard whatever you prefer) costed me £70. Nagasawa Proske £120 (£150 after I was hit with customs charge) so you pay twice the money for lesser quality pen. But it is rarer and I guess in the fountain pen world that matters. I got myself an expensive pen that feels and looks cheap so Im happy with that. I wish I would go for medium fine nib on Nagasawa as fine is a bit too fine for me but I had Sailor In broad, medium, medium fine and Naginata Togi Medium so I wanted to see how fine writes. I would say consider Nagasawa Proske but if you prefer better pen at lower price stick to Standard Profit or 1911 Standard.

http://kobe-nagasawa.co.jp/blog-penstyle-den/blueorient/ Beautiful Tiffany blue-ish, part transparent pen - which also comes with a 21k Zoom nib option. Well, only 70 pieces available, so wasn't surprised that the 300-buck pen sold out in 10 minutes after online orders are accepted.... However, the challenging part of getting this pen is you got to order it online first, and pick up the pen at the expo in person.

http://kobe-nagasawa.co.jp/originalitems/fountainpen/hatobarealo-rouge-2/ I believe this is the 3rd pen released by Nagasawa Pens commemorating the Port of Kobe 150th anniversary. Unlike the previous 2 pens which is basically blue-color based, this one is red and black combination, with the steering wheel mark on top of the cap.

On a recent trip to Japan I visited a Nakaya store demonstration and bought a Platinum converter decorated with sakura maki-e (in lieu of, you know, an actual pen, which my bank manager forbade). Naturally, I wanted to use it in a demonstrator. I thought about buying a Platinum 3776 Century Nice but thought the facets/frosting would have hidden the maki-e. I ended up buying this: a Nagasawa Censke 3776 Century F. I reckon they're a pretty good match. What a nib! Thanks for reading.

This is my first ever ink review, so there might be a bit more to wish for. Especially my handwriting.... The paper I have used is a copy paper, but not the cheapest. Actually it's quite nice to write on. http://i666.photobucket.com/albums/vv27/AndyYNWA/Ink%20reviews/Kobe%20Inks/CCF20092015_00000_zpshzqxdd0w.jpg Water resistance test. Held under running water for about 7-8 seconds. Quite good result, imho. http://i666.photobucket.com/albums/vv27/AndyYNWA/Ink%20reviews/Kobe%20Inks/0745a0ae-a8c5-44c8-9878-971ae3374432_zpsyipu6hcl.jpg By accident I spilled som tea on a note I hade written. So, one extra resistance test. http://i666.photobucket.com/albums/vv27/AndyYNWA/Ink%20reviews/Kobe%20Inks/51d8496f-a8a7-407d-b9b5-b6598e5bcf01_zpsqguonumn.jpg I hope you found the review interesting and helpful. Feedback is welcome.

Thanks to, I've caught the Nagasawa Kobe bug. Here's a short comparison of the Iroshizoku Kujaku ( look at the sample on the folded right sided page for a more accurate image ), the Sourakuen and Nuboniki I initially bought the Nuboniki looking for an alternatve to my Kujaku, which was as we all know pricey. Unfortunately I didn't end up going very far price wise. At 19 USD a bottle for 50 mls, it is only marginally cheaper. Secondly, also as an alternative to the now harder to find Caran d arache Carribean Sea which I do not have...but want! I would say the Kujaku is a predominantly turqoise ink with green shades. The Nuboniki, on the other hand, is predominantly an emerald colored ink. It has a good shading, which probably isn't best demonstrated here. The Ambition has a broad nib but I find it's not great at showing shades in certain colors, but I'm pretty sure it would show up on other pens. I've my other pens packed for moving houses so unfortunately it's all I have for testing now. The Sourakuen, is really as the name described. It truly is tea green in colour, very relaxing colour to write with which doesn't jump out at you, induce seizures or scream for attention. The words green tea and bamboo come to mind when describing this ink, due to the shading. I didn't test water resistance. Both inks are smooth flowing inks. It doesn't have the viscous feel you'd get in Noodler's or the thick saturated feel of Private Reserve inks. I'd say they are as smooth as Iroshizokus when it comes to flow. I shall let the small pictures do the talking...