Sailor 21k vs. 14k nibs

[Dan Carmell]

Phil--

 

Great story! It's really neat to hear from folks with your depth of experience--please keep coming around!

 

Dan

[MYU]

Thanks for the insightful information there, Phill, and relaying your story of that #424. Zikes, $12k! I still don't quite understand the vintage pen market and how such values are perceived. But it's fascinating nevertheless.

 

I'm rather ignorant about Waterman prior to the 60's, so most of those models are unfamiliar to me. I do plan to obtain more pen books to expand my knowledge over time. For me, I'm more acquainted with Waterman C/F models. Did Waterman significantly improve in the hands of the French? I wonder. I do find those nibs to be of high quality. True, they are relatively stiff but reliability is there. I've never had to have one tuned, so...

 

But thanks again for sharing and I look forward to your future postings.

~Gary

[Richard]

I had more problems with Waterman nibs holding their settings. That's all.

Honestly, I find that an interesting statement. Your experience is counter to mine. I don't have trouble getting Waterman nibs -- primarily Nº 2s, by the way -- to take a good setting or, once set, to keep it. Once I have a Waterman nib set up right, it just writes and writes and writes. Among the most annoying VINTAGE nibs for getting them to stay where I want them I'd have to place pretty much any French nib at the top of the list. Wahls are good, Parkers are decent, Sheaffers are slightly less easy to set -- but once they're set they stay. Watermans are just plain sweet.

Edited May 5, 2007 by Richard

[Blorgy]

Did Waterman significantly improve in the hands of the French? I wonder. I do find those nibs to be of high quality. True, they are relatively stiff but reliability is there. ~Gary

I am not sure of my facts, but I thought France's contribution was unfortunate. That is, France required a minimum of 18 Karats. If an object contained less than 18 Karats, France said that item could not be described as "gold". I presumed that this ruling was the main reason for the retrograde change from 14 Karat nibs to 18 Karat nibs. Were there any other reasons for the backward step ?

Edited May 6, 2007 by Blorgy

[sjldaniel]

I'm debating whether to pick up a Sailor Sapporo/1911M or a 1911 in fine.

 

I was wondering how the new 14k nibs on the 1911M/Sapporo compared with the old 21k nibs on the 1911.

 

I can't speak from a technical perspective regarding the differences between the nib material. But I have both the 1911M with the 14k nib and a Pro Gear with the 21k nib. Both are incredibly smooth - one of the best writers in my collection. I'm not sure I notice any differences between the nibs when I write with them. Sometimes, I feel that the 21k nib is a little smoother on certain types of paper. But this may be because I know that my Pro Gear has a higher gold content than my 1911M and for no other reason.

 

In any case, I don't think you can go wrong with either Sailor models. I purchased my Sailor Pro Gear after reading about the wonderful Sailor nibs on FPN. I subsequently ordered a 1911M because I enjoyed writing with my Pro Gear and its buttery smooth nib so much. My humble opinion is that you should go with the model that best fits your hand regardless of the gold content of the nib. The 1911M and Sapporo models are shorter pens and may take getting some used to, so I would recommend trying them out in person before making your purchase decision. They are shorter than they look online and may not be for everyone.

[Blorgy]

I feel that the 21k nib is a little smoother on certain types of paper. But this may be because I know that my Pro Gear has a higher gold content than my 1911M and for no other reason.

Are you suggesting that gold makes contact with paper when you write with your pen ?

[sjldaniel]

I feel that the 21k nib is a little smoother on certain types of paper. But this may be because I know that my Pro Gear has a higher gold content than my 1911M and for no other reason.

Are you suggesting that gold makes contact with paper when you write with your pen ?

 

No. I only meant to say that the feeling my Pro Gear writes smoother than my 1911M sometimes may be purely psychological and literally just a "feeling" (i.e., my mind perhaps projecting a slightly greater level of smoothness or equating a smoother feel simply from the higher gold content), as opposed to anything based on scientific reason or sound logic.

 

Bottom line is that I think both Sailor nibs are incredibly smooth, and either the 1911 or 1911M/Sapporo will make great daily writers.

[Herlof]

After all these articles, I just want to buy a new Sailor with a 14k nib and compare it with my 1911 Sailor 21k medium nib. It’s said that 21k nib is smoother. Is it also possible that a 14k nib draws thinner lines ?

 

Regards,