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I am currently a college student and I love using fountain pens. They just make writing much more enjoyable for me. Currently my everyday pens are Pilot Custom 823(M), Pilot Falcon(SEF), and Lamy All-Star(EF). I have them inked with different colors which is great for me to take clear notes. I love, love, love using the 823 and it is the pen I that use the most. I have a medium-heavy hand and I really enjoy the springy but not-too-soft nature of the 823 nib since it allows me to take notes with very fast hand writing (it is also very smooth!). Harder bibs are not bad writing by any means, but they are certainly not my favorites: Lamy All Star, Pilot Kaküno (F, M). I have them in the pen box simply to have more colors and to use them once in a while to switch the feel a little bit. I am currently looking at Justus 95 and Custom 743 because the size and weight of them are very similar to the 823. I have tried the Justus 95 in store with dipping ink, and I find the hard setting very practical for taking notes on even cheaper paper while the soft setting gives more room to flex since it requires less pressure to spread the tines. I am aware that the 743 probably have a silightly bigger nib than the Justus 95 just like the 823 do, and has a lot more nib to choose from, such as SFM, SF, and of course the regular Fine nib. You might noticed that I am not considering the broader nibs since Japanese M is the broadest nib to be practical for everyday acdemic notes, and I already got it on my amazing 823. Im only considering F-FM. The F nib I tried on Justus 95 is close to what Im looking for. After the long explanation about my situation, let ask some specific questions I wish you could address. I will give a comment for each of the questions I ask to let you know what Im looking for specially. Also, please dont use price as a criteria. 1. Should I just get an 823 in F? (I kinda want to branch out a bit, I dont know whether it would be worth the investment to stay with the same model). 2. Does the nib options of 743 significantly better than the Justus 95? (Comparing the #15 SFM SF of the 743 to the Justus 95 F nib) 3. Is the 743 FA even worth me looking at? (I think it will be a fun nib, but Im concerned about its practiality for my every day use. I am also concerned about the railroading issue it potentially have) 4. I heard Sailor has great nibs. But I am concerting about the size/weight of 1911 L or pro gear L (I am not considering the King of Pen) and their ink capacity. With this in mind, should I shift my focus to Sailor? 5. What are some other pens with very similar size and weight has a springy (but not-too-soft) nib I should consider? (I care nothing about a flourished look, practicality is the most important thing. Its not that I dont enjoy a more colorful look, I just dont think it worth the money for me to just buying the look of the pen for my purpose) Thank you all and I hope to hear from you guys soon!!

Several years ago I was really into trying new fountain pens, ink, etc. and then settled into a routine with my favorite pens and black ink (boring). I used them at work to take notes and sign documents. Last year I started bullet journaling and enjoyed using my FP's on a nice quality notebook. My biggest problem is that the ink does not dry fast enough and it transfers to the adjacent page. It is not bleeding through, it is transferring to the page face that it is touching. There is probably a correct term for this...? Last year I was using: The ink is Noodler's Bulletproof Black in Pilot Vanishing Point and Sailor 1911 Realo pens. The nibs are EF/F and the notebook is from Rhodia. For this year, I have changed to a Dingbats* notebook which has the same problem, but not as bad. My problem is that the ink does not dry quickly and transfers to the next page: The red area is when I added items to the calendar page on the left side and closed the book. The green highlighted area is faint, but it is actually the days of the week (one column is numbers and one is the letter) that transfer over time and make the page look dirty. It is not as obvious in the picture, but in real life it is noticeable. To address this, I purchased some heavy stock "blotting paper" and put it between the most recently inked pages when I close the book. It acts as a placeholder and was not a large problem. The blotting paper gets a lot of ink on it. When I started making my bullet journal this year, I changed to a Dingbats* notebook. I like it a little better because the transfer seems to be less. Since there was a noticeable change in performance, I thought I would post here and see if there is a way to eliminate this all together by changing something. Paper and Ink seem like the most likely places to attack, but perhaps there are others, or perhaps this is just the "cost" of using FP's and I need to keep the blotting paper and move on? I would love any suggestions that you may have. I prefer black, waterproof ink, but would be open to something else if it would help. I need to use a notebook in the A5 size range. I like fine nibs and prefer the writing to not be too smooth. I like the scratch "resistance" as I write. Cheers

Well, I went to use my Sailor 1911 black luster today only to discover that the black ionized plating had mostly eroded from the nib. After a quick google search, I learned that some inks don't play nice with the black ionized bits, and the ink I had in there most definitely didn't (I think it was FPN's own Noodler's "Starry Night"). Because I purchased the pen secondhand, I had no idea that Sailor specifically requests using their own inks for this finish. *sigh* Is there anything I can do to re-plate the nib? Or would such a repair be so utterly expensive as to make the process ridiculously cost prohibitive? Helpful suggestions or advice would be very much appreciated. Thanks!

Hello! Based on the excellent advice I received on this forum, I purchased a Sailor 1911S and I've been enjoying it immensely. Its nib blew my mind, and the performance right out of the box was unbelievable. However, there is one minor problem that is bothering me, and I was wondering if someone else here has experienced the same and if there's a solution. As the converter is down to its last mL or so of ink, the ink flow reduces and eventually stops. I have to twist the converter and push the remaining ink into the section and that restores the ink flow, as if the pen was freshly inked. This is extremely annoying because I (perhaps foolishly?) expect better of a pen this expensive; I have cheaper pens which can drain their converters of every single drop of ink without skipping even once. On a related note, when I was cleaning my Sailor, the converter just came apart once without the use of excessive force. I was able to reassemble it but again, I was shocked (but the ink flow problem was present pretty much from the beginning, long before the accidental disassembly of the converter happened). I suspect something's wrong with the converter, but truly, what on earth is going on with this pen? Should I swap the converter? Is there another fix? Please advise. Thanks.

Hello FPN, Quite some time ago I bought a used 1911 with 14k "Zoom Nib" without the box or papers. I was told it was a Zoom Nib. But, I cannot seem to get the same line variation out of it that other reviews and photos seem to show. Could you please take a look at the photos of the nib here as well as my writing samples to determine if this is actually a zoom nib or just maybe a Medium or Broad? I've heard that even the other types of nibs do show some variation when the writing angle is changed. Let me know what you think: http://i613.photobucket.com/albums/tt214/jonb55198/Sailor%201911%20Zoom%20Nib/20170302_143402_zpsdug0kq90.jpg http://i613.photobucket.com/albums/tt214/jonb55198/Sailor%201911%20Zoom%20Nib/20170302_143432_zpsd4al09pz.jpg http://i613.photobucket.com/albums/tt214/jonb55198/Sailor%201911%20Zoom%20Nib/20170302_151504_zpsvstz8w7m.jpg http://i613.photobucket.com/albums/tt214/jonb55198/Sailor%201911%20Zoom%20Nib/20170302_151551_zpszy3pkbam.jpg http://i613.photobucket.com/albums/tt214/jonb55198/Sailor%201911%20Zoom%20Nib/20170302_150220_zpss4awx4jn.jpg http://i613.photobucket.com/albums/tt214/jonb55198/Sailor%201911%20Zoom%20Nib/20170302_150019_zpsv5owrb2c.jpg http://i613.photobucket.com/albums/tt214/jonb55198/Sailor%201911%20Zoom%20Nib/20170302_145949_zpsgrs6ezjh.jpg http://i613.photobucket.com/albums/tt214/jonb55198/Sailor%201911%20Zoom%20Nib/20170302_145839_zpsckvlcmqb.jpg http://i613.photobucket.com/albums/tt214/jonb55198/Sailor%201911%20Zoom%20Nib/20170302_144519_zpsj1opets8.jpg http://i613.photobucket.com/albums/tt214/jonb55198/Sailor%201911%20Zoom%20Nib/20170302_144507_zpsn8tjusvi.jpg

I love how smooth the F and M Sailor 1911 gold nibs are and their classic looks. In my opinion they also have the perfect amount of feedback, wetness, never skips and writes with no pressure at all. Without spending nearly as much, what would you suggest as a good alternative? Back story: Many years ago I had Sailor 1911 as my daily writer, and it disappeared. I suspect it dropped out of my pocket when I went to grab my keys or something, I don't know. Looked everywhere, and couldn't find it again. I explained this to a food court staff at the college I was at, at the time, and he hinted that if he ever finds it, he would definitely steal it and so would anyone else. Eventually, I gave up looking and replaced it with another 1911. I couldn't afford to lose another expensive pen so it sits at home most of the time and I started carrying a Twsbi mini then a Vac700, but the Twsbi's kept developing cracks and was extremely annoying to deal with. Now, I just carry a humble Jinhao Century that has never failed me, but definitely doesn't write anywhere near how perfectly my Sailor 1911 does nor look as nice. A Jinhao priced 1911 might be a bit of a stretch though. Hopefully, someone has some idea.

So, I recently sold my brand new 2-month old Mont Blanc 149, EF nib and use that sale to fund 2 Sailor pens - a Sailor 1911 Classic and a Sailor 1911 Professional Gear. Both my Sailors are 21k, F nib. To put things into perspective, I have the following pens: - Pelikan Souveran M605 (EF) - Pelikan Souveran M805 (EF) - Pilot Custom Heritage 912 (Soft-F nib) - TWSBI 580 AL (F) First, the Sailor 1911 Classic . The 21k, F nib on it is magical. It's needle-like fine but super-smooth. The 21k nib is also very soft, giving the needle-like writing experience a luxurious cushion. The ink flow is amazing. No skid, no skip, no hard start. Writing experience is 10/10. I paid SGD$330 for it. I'd have still bought it if it was priced at SGD$800. Now, the Sailor 1911 Professional Gear. Again, the 21k, F nib is excellent. It gives a bit more feedback than the Classic nib but is also soft and smooth. Ink flow is exceptionally consistent, though not as generous as the Classic. No skid, no skip, no hard start. Writing experience is 9/10. I paid SGD$330 for it too. I'd have still bought it if it was priced at SGD$600. I always heard people mentioned how great Pelikan pens are, and how iconic the Mont Blanc 149 is. The truth is, to me, none of them can touch the Sailor 21k nib. First 2 images below show the Sailor 1911 Classic. The last 2 show the Sailor 1911 Professional Gear.

Hi folks, I just ordered a Sailor Profit Standard fountain pen for $99 plus shipping via Amazon and hope it's as good as it appears. The listing is for a Sailor Profit Standard 21 fountain Pen Medium Nib Black 11-1521-420. I asked if it was 21k (not 14k) and was told yes. 21k. In the photo it has 2 cap rings which would point to it being a newer version. I did a lot of researching (both on the forum here and elsewhere) and a lot of watching on the Bay, before purchasing. I also purchased a Sailor converter for $6. All the similar pens I watched on Ebay went for around $150 and up. Now I wait. Fingers-crossed it's exacly what it's claimed to be. Does anyone know why is should be around the same price point as a 1911 Standard with 14k nib? There are many Japanese sellers selling the exact same model on Amazon for a similar price. My second question is for those of you that have both the sailor 14k nibs AND the 21k nibs, which do you prefer. I realize the Japanese nibs generally run narrower than western or european (which I found true with both the Pilot Custom 74 and Platinum 3776.) I don't know if I can post a link to the Amazon sellers, so just cut and paste the topic title to find it yourself, if interested. (I went with a seller with a 100% rating and lots of sales.) Thanks for all the helpful info and input, it's been a treasure trove for me!

For me, receiving this pen is the end of a 3 + month saga with Engeika. I wont go into all the details here, but this is the 3rd pen I've received from them in this saga, but the first time I received the pen I actually ordered. The first 2 pens they sent me had very significant nib problems. Severely misaligned tines and a nib that was so scratchy that I couldn't even get ink to come out. Both of these were new out of the box Sailors. My experience with those 2 pens was so bad I'd nearly sworn off Sailor unless I was to buy from nibs.com at full retail. This pen makes me completely reconsider that. A 1911 Sailor L w / Naginata-Togi nib in medium fine. Black with all rhodium trim. I've wanted this pen for some time. My first nice pen was a Sailor Pro Gear Slim, Sapporo, white and rhodium with a MF nib. Then I bought a 1911 M in burgundy and rhodium with a Naginata-Togi nib in MF. That pen has been my favorite writing nib as long as I've had it, but the pen body was just a tad too small to be comfortable for all my writing needs..... but the nib is perfect... just perfect. Now this 1911 L shows up and blows me away. The packaging this pen came in makes me question whether the other pens I received from this vendor were really new from the factory. This pen was completely sealed in plastic and neither end was open. I opened it via a flap that was sealed with a tacky substance. Anyhow, once I took it out and inspected it, I wrote a couple of quick words on my Rhoda pad with the dry nib...and I could tell immediately it was aligned perfectly and polished to just the right smoothness. The nib on the 1911 L is also larger than the one on the 1911 M. I flushed it, dried it and let it air dry some more, then inked it with Iroshizuku Horsetail and started writing. Really just an amazing writing experience. This nib is amazing, truly. So smooth, so fluid, with just enough feedback to give me great control over the nib.. Not too wet, not too dry, just right for me. Really a fine job by the factory of turning out a perfectly adjusted nib. It's actually better than the one I have that was tuned by John Mottishaw. I think at least part of the improvement in feel is due to the larger nib. It seems to give some additional cushion and spring vs. the smaller one. This nib writes just a hair thicker than my other Naginata-Togi. It's not bad, just a small difference. What makes it even better is the size of the barrel and gripping section. It's the exact same length capped as my 149's, but it seems just slightly narrower in circumference. I'll have to look at the specs. It is definitely lighter. Whatever the differences, it sits in my hand just perfectly. I've always known this was a great nib, one that I loved. I just had no idea it could get better. At between $205 and $230 from a variety of Japanese vendors, this is a pen you owe it to yourself to try if you are looking for another great pen in this price range. The Naginata-Togi nib can give some differences in line width, but I use it at a constant angle and it just adds a touch of flair and elegance to my cursive writing and does equally as well with my printing, which I use at work for list making. It's a really great pen at about $215, but it's even worth it to pay retail and have John tune it.... that way you're guaranteed to get a great writing pen. Check it out if you can. It may be your grail pen too.

I was wondering if anyone out there owned a Sailor 1911 Standard Profit in the "Duke & Federal Blue" edition... I first saw this pen on eBay about 6 months ago and was intrigued to find another translucent blue pen a la Platinum 3776 Chartres blue. I stumbled on it again on Engeika's website, and can't stop wondering about it. The "Duke and Federal Blue" looks to be darker than the Chartres Blue color, and I in both the eBay photos and the ones on engeika.com that I saw, the translucence was only noticeable in the close up photo of the cap, suggesting that perhaps the resin on the Sailor might be thicker. Or maybe it is simply owing to the darker color? Both the 3776 Century Chartres and 1911 Standard are great pens are great pens from the reviews I have read, but if anyone has some insight regarding the 1911 Federal Blue, I would appreciate the help. Thanks in advance.