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Hi All, I saw this at Pen Boutique Tokyo the other day, they said it's the new Sailor KOP, does anyone have any information on this pen finish? My understanding is it's ebonite, is there any other pen with ebonite like this? Quite unique. Pen_Padawan

Well my Sailor King of Pen arrived today and I thought I would share my thoughts and first impressions between that pen and my Pelikan M1000. First packaging, both pens come with nice packaging Pelikan comes with a rather large round plastic box and Sailor a more traditional square box. The Sailor edges out the Pelikan because it looks cleaner and won't take up as much storage space. Both pens look great, the nib on the Sailor looks looks a little more "custom". The Pelikan is a piston filled pen whereas the Sailor uses an ink converter, Pelikan wins out in this area. Now to the nuts and bolts, writing. Both pens were filled with Montblanc permanent blue ink and I writing on Rhodia paper. Writing in the normal position surprisingly the Pelikan lays out a crisper, fine and darker line then the Sailor. When the ink drys the Sailor looks to be not as deep a blue and slightly broader. The Pelikan is definitely wetter that the Sailor which is my personal preference. I'm a little new at this but I believe I can write with the sailor upside down (plastic side of the nib facing up, please let me know if this is not proper). The sailor lays down a fine line that is unbelievable. Once again very light but very fine line, about one third the width of the Pelikan. The sailor is scratchy in this configuration but what a fine line. The nib on the Pelikan is more flexible and broader lines are possible with the Pelikan, sometime though I noticed the nib seems to flex when a little side pressure is applied. The Pelikan lays down the same line regardless of the writing configuration, it isn't scratchy at all in any writing position. One small factor that I did notice was the Sailor needs to be posted pretty firmly or else the cap will not only come loose but it will fall off, no such problem with my Pelikan. Also the Pelikan only required a 3/4's a turn to remove the cap and the Sailor requires 2-1/2 turns to accomplish the same. I much prefer the Pelikan in that regard. Overall I prefer the Pelikan M1000 over the Sailor KOP for normal letter writing, if I want a pen that gives me some flexibility in my line widths the Sailor wins hands down. As I use these pens more I may update this review. Thanks, Bill Kiel

I've waited some time because I wanted to be sure. I've used them all for hours and hours. I always take care of the them: I clean them well, I use good paper, I use good inks. In exchange, I ask them that they provide me the pleasure of a very satisfactory writing. In this point I am very demanding. If one of my FP disappoints me, it goes straight to the drawer and does not come out for a long time. I speak about five quite impressive FP: Graf von Faber-Castell Classic, Paker Duofold Mosaic, Pelikan M1005 Silver & Black, Sailor King of Pen and Delta Dolcevita Oversize. Here are my updated reviews after having used them for a long time: Graf von Faber-Castell Classic 1. Appearance & Design: 9/10 Harmony, good taste, elegance, simplicity. 2. Construction & Quality: 8/10 Nothing to say. This FP is well done. Every part seems well built, polished, resistant and durable. But I put an 8 because of the plastic piece near the nib. 3. Weight & Dimensions: 6/10 I love big FP and this one is a bit too thin for me. Because of the sterling silver, this FP is not light althoug I don’t feel it very comfortable in my hand. 4. Nib & Performance: 5/10 My pen has a F nib and it writes very well. It does never scratch, It flows on paper very nicely, wet enough. It never fails. So...? Well, this is difficult to say, but in my opinion this nib has no soul. I think it’s too small and it can not transmit the sensations I need to have a good time with the writing experience. 5. Filling System & Maintenance: 6/10 Simple: cartridge or converter. Easy to clean. 6. Cost & Value: 6/10 It is not a cheap FP, but the price might be right. If only it was a little bigger... 7. Conclusion: Final score 5.5/10 As for me the nib is very important, I will put a low score. Maybe it is unfair, I know. Paker Duofold Mosaic 1. Appearance & Design: 8/10 This model is not ostentatious, but I find it very modern and classic at the same time, always beautiful. 2. Construction & Quality: 6/10 It seems well manufactered and with a simple and durable construction. Nevertheless, it has aged a little too fast, specially the plated clip. 3. Weight & Dimensions: 8/10 It could be bigger, but is very confortable to write hours and hours without being tired. 4. Nib & Performance: 8/10 An extra fine nib, very pleasant to write with. When it was new it was a little scratchy, but it has improved a lot. Now it’s one of my favourite nibs. I am very pleased with the fact that it has improved with use. It’s not always like that with all nibs. 5. Filling System & Maintenance: 7/10 Simple: cartridge or converter. 6. Cost & Value: 7/10 Not a cheap pen, as it’s a limited edition. But it’s worth the money I paid, every euro of it. 7. Conclusion: Final score 8/10 The Parker Duofold Black Mosaic is one of my best pens. Pelikan M1005 Silver & Black FP Souveran M1005 is a big one, as I like them. It is well built, solid, perfectly polished. It's really a beauty. The piston works softly. Thew nib is a little flexible. It’s also a singing nib, which I do not like. For me is an unpleasant sensation to notice that the two halves of the nib rub. I’ve tried it, but I don’t enjoy this FP. 1. Appearance & Design: 9/10 2. Construction & Quality: 8/10 3. Weight & Dimensions: 9/10 4. Nib & Performance: 6/10 5. Filling System & Maintenance: 8/10 6. Cost & Value: 7/10 7. Conclusion: Final score 6/10 Sailor King of Pen 1. Appearance, design, construction, quality: 10/10 This big ebonite pen is awesome: all black, perfectly polished, with no trim rings. Only the clip over the blackness. Its design is absolutely clean. 2. Weight & Dimensions: 10/10 I wanted a big pen, and there is no doubt that the KOP is big, with a good diameter. I can use it caped without any problem as it's not too heavy. 3. Nib & Performance: 7/10 When it was new, the nib was wonderful, marvelous, gorgeous, the true heart and spirit of this pen. Now it’s a quite skippy. I’m sure that a good professional could adjust the nib. Perhaps one day I’ll send it to someone for an optimization. It’s a pitty! 4. Filling System & Maintenance: 7/10 Simple: cartridge or converter. 5. Cost & Value: 8/10 Not a cheap one. In fact. it is the more expensive pen I've ever bought. But... 6. Conclusion: Final score 8/10 Delta Dolcevita Oversize 1. Appearance, design, construction, quality: 10/10 Does the perfection exist? Well, my Dolcevita Oversize doesn’t show any fault: it’s solid, well constructed, elegant, with a classical and modern look at the same time. All details are very well integrated; there is not any scratch and it’s perfectly polished, as one can expect, obviously. And I must recognize that the color is awesome. 2. Weight & Dimensions: 10/10 Here I would dare to speak of perfection, if what one searches is a big FP. I have big hands and I love big FP. So this is the one. It has the right size: really thick, with a very reasonable weitht, even full of ink. Uncaped, this FP seems short, compact, but caped it becomes a gorgeus big writing machine! 3. Nib & Performance: 10/10 A real wonder. Sincerely, I believe that I could not expect a better thing: the extrafine nib writes very well and, of course, very fine. The line is the thinest among all my FP. It’s a nib prepared to write hours and hours. 4. Filling System & Maintenance: 10/10 This is one of the main reasons for which I bought this FP: The Dolcevita Oversize can be filled with an eyedropper, so the amount of ink that this pen can hold is huge. I’ve already filled all the body up without any problem. 5. Cost & Value: 10/10 Expensive, yes, but this FP offers me everything I look for: beauty, a right size, a big extrafine good writer nib and a huge ink capacity. And an extra bit of exclusivity... So... For me, the best flagship is: 1. Delta Dolcevita Oversize 10/10 2. Paker Duofold Mosaic 8/10 3. Sailor King of Pen 8/10 4. Pelikan M1005 Silver & Black 6/10 5. Graf von Faber-Castell Classic 5.5/10

There have been many threads here listing the “flagship” pens of various well known brands (see this, this, and this). I’m posting this simply to organize the information a little bit more attractively. To be clear, I define “flagship” as follows: A “flagship” pen is a regular production model (i.e., not a limited or special edition), which is generally the largest, most expensive, and most visibly advertised item in a brand’s inventory. Where no single pen satisfies all the criteria, a judgment call may have to be made on what (if any) product is the “flagship” for a particular brand. Obviously, a brand calling one of its own products its “flagship” trumps other considerations. Any corrections, additions, or suggestions are appreciated. Brand Flagship Entry Level Other Notable Lines Country Aurora Aurora 88 Large Ipsilon De Luxe Talentum, Alpha, Optima Italy Caran D’Ache Léman Ecridor Varius, Madison Switzerland Conway Stewart Churchill None Winston, Wellington, Series 100, Marlborough United Kingdom Cross Townsend Classic Apogee, ATX, Botanica, Sauvage United States Delta Dolce Vita Oversize Unica Many Lines Italy Graf von Faber Castell Intuition Platino Wood (seems to have displaced the Classic) Guilloche Classic, Pen of the Year Germany Franklin Christoph Model 19 “1901” Model 27 “Collegia” Many Individual Models United States Lamy Lamy 2000 Safari Studio, Dialog Germany Montblanc Meisterstück 149 “Diplomat” None Writers Edition, Great Characters Edition, Starwalker, Boheme Germany Omas Paragon None Milord, Bologna, 360, Ogiva Italy Parker Duofold (Centennial) Vector Sonnet, Premier, Ingenuity, Parker 51 (discontinued), P25 (discontinued) United States Pelikan M1000 Souverän M100, M150, M200, M205, M215, M250 Classic Many Lines German Pilot Custom 845 (Some discussion on the point ) Metropolitan Falcon, Vanishing Point, Custom 823, Justus Japan Platinum President Preppy 3776 Series Japan Sailor King of Pen Many Models 1911 Series, Professional Gear Japan Sheaffer Legacy Heritage VFM Taranis, Prelude, Sagaris, 300, 100, Intensity, Ferrari United States TWSBI Diamond Eco Classic, Vac 700, Mini, 580AL Taiwan Visconti None (Possibly the Divina. See this and this) Classic Homo Sapiens, Opera, Van Gogh, Michelangelo Italy Waterman Edson Charleston Carène, Exception France