Is Sailor Realo Worth It?

[davidsuzuki256]

This post is not meant to offend in any way, rather it’s to shed some light on whether it’s possible to appreciate the true essence of a pen, assuming it has any.

 

Having bought a Lamy Safari has been a good decision for me because I discovered that handwriting can be both very pleasurable and rewarding in terms of development of intrinsic creativity. I am currently contemplating on whether I should purchase a more expensive fountain pen – Sailor Realo. I currently use Lamy Safari in F and 1.5 Italic nibs and love cursive writing with them.

 

The biggest challenge I have over this decision is my self-argument. Having been trained in philosophy has thought me many things about life but any knowledge also carries a curse with it. The question I ask myself is why should I spend over 300 dollars on this pen while I can purchase an instrument (ie. dip nibs) that can have the same level of smoothness and line width as the Realo. Some people say why should I purchase a 300k dollar car while I can drive a Corolla and be happy with it – the point being the price of a car doesn’t matter as long as it’s safe, capable of carrying good friends and the engineering to drive within the speed limit. Some public figure said something along the line of this in regards to men who like to wear fancy clothing: “he is rich and wears fancy clothing but underneath those attires, all men are the same.” Is my decision to buy it fueled by potential bragging about having this item? Or rather being pressured by society over the purchase of this item?

 

D. Suzuki

Edited February 11, 2015 by davidsuzuki256

[Hameed]

Hi David,

 

Wouldn't it make sense just to get a bic pen based on what you say?

 

Regards,

Hameed

[senzen]

Well... I haven't tried the Realo but I get the general point, for instance I love the design of the Pelikan M1005 but just cannot see myself spending that amount of money on a pen; that doesn't mean others are wrong to buy it, and I have spent a lot more on lenses for my cameras... I think one can admire the design, the craftsmanship, but pass, and have a nice experence with nice paper, nice ink and a decent pen for much less money.

[Algester]

well the fact the Realo standard carry less ink compared to the converter... but if you like the engineering go get one... else probably its better to get the KoP version... if you like ink capacity

[UDog]

I think you'd be happier with a Sailor 1911L. Holds almost the same volume of ink and is significantly cheaper, not to mention they look quite similar.

[zaddick]

"Society" stopped caring about fountain pens in the 1960s. You are not going to impress the average person with any pen unless it is made of gold and diamonds.

 

People here are unlikely to pressure you or be overly impressed.

 

Buy what makes you happy in the long term whether it cost 3, 30, 300, or 3000. (Please shop responsibly for your budget. )

Edited February 11, 2015 by zaddick

[Algester]

I just say people just prefer piston fillers so it's up to you to really decide is it worth it or not... the realos are basically uhh... smaller in capacity that a standard C/C pen by Sailor that again is really saying something but since you don't live in Japan you barely see the not so ordinary Realos either... they are there in the same price range though except the few limited ed ones

CFP (John Mottishaw) Pro gear Big red style

http://nibs.com/classic-fountain-pens-sailor-pro-gear-realo-red-black-limited-edition.htm

Pen House Japan Realo Tenku Gensou

http://www.pen-house.net/detail/detail27640_004.html

Shumi no Bungu Hako Realo Skeleton with Naginata Togi

http://www.sideriver.com/ec/products/detail.php?product_id=17971

Shumi no Bungu Hako Realo Gentei blue with Naginata Togi

http://www.sideriver.com/ec/products/detail.php?product_id=14883

Edited February 11, 2015 by Algester

[Wolverine1]

I have 2 Sailor 1911 Realo fps. The first pen was a gift. I started using it, was amazed at how well the pen wrote. The nib was smoothh as silk, and it made writing very pleasurable. And I got the pen soon after I came home from the hospital after suffering a series of severe strokes. My right side was almost paralysed, and I had to relearn how to write. It was great to have a wonderful pen to write with. The 1911 Realo was a godsend, because the nib was very smooth, the inkflow was just right, and I could write while applying next to no pressure. Made writing effortless.

3 years later, I called John Mottishaw's company ( www.nibs.com) and ordered another Sailor 1911 Realo fp in burgundy.

[RajAlexander]

Hi, I noticed that when you were comparing the Safari and Realo you focused on the physical characteristics of both i.e line width and smoothness (I'm guessing from this your background is either empiricist or analytic?). There certainly are ways in which the Realo is a better pen physically such as fit and finish, piston filler etc. but there is also a subjective (that's not to say unreal) value that you will give it which should be taken into account. This is the value that marketing tries to cultivate with talk of history, tradition etc. and makes the object greater than the sum of its properties. I can't say in advance whether you will end up attaching such a value to a given item, but it is something that you should consider when making your choice.

[flipper_gv]

I just say people just prefer piston fillers so it's up to you to really decide is it worth it or not... the realos are basically uhh... smaller in capacity that a standard C/C pen by Sailor that again is really saying something but since you don't live in Japan you barely see the not so ordinary Realos either... they are there in the same price range though except the few limited ed ones

CFP (John Mottishaw) Pro gear Big red style

http://nibs.com/classic-fountain-pens-sailor-pro-gear-realo-red-black-limited-edition.htm

Pen House Japan Realo Tenku Gensou

http://www.pen-house.net/detail/detail27640_004.html

Shumi no Bungu Hako Realo Skeleton with Naginata Togi

http://www.sideriver.com/ec/products/detail.php?product_id=17971

Shumi no Bungu Hako Realo Gentei blue with Naginata Togi

http://www.sideriver.com/ec/products/detail.php?product_id=14883

 

I thought it had a 1.5 ml capacity

[ISW_Kaputnik]

I have no experience with any Sailor pens, but in a general way I can understand. A few years ago, my most expensive (and favorite) pen was a Lamy AL Star. Since then, I have acquired a number of more expensive pens, from the high eighty to one hundred and fifty dollar range, and most of them do provide a superior writing experience for me. The question is not whether I regret any one of them, but whether I regret having bought all of them. My Pilot Custom Heritage 92 is much nicer to write with than the AL Star, so is my Lamy 2000. But do I need both of them, and the Custom Heritage 91, the Platinum 3776, and let's just say others?

 

Nobody can guarantee that you will enjoy writing with an expensive pen more than you do with a Safari, but chances are that there is some pen out there, maybe the Realo, maybe something else, that really will improve your writing experience. If the money is not an issue in itself, and if you enjoy writing enough to get better tools for the task, then that seems like a pretty good justification. But if you aren't certain, perhaps you can find a brick and mortar pen shop that will let you dip test a Realo before you make a decision.

[hypnostene]

Welcome to the forum and to the centuries-long debate about the question of (fair?) price. I am afraid we are not going to get far beyond the notion that these pens are worth the money people pay for them... to the people who pay for them.

 

A more expensive pen is not going to foster your innate creativity, but if you like it a lot (be it for how it performs or because of confirmatory bias which often arises when you spend a lot of money on something), it might make you use it more. Moreover, I imagine that the Sailor will write differently enough from your Safari (which, while great, writes like a nail), to be inspiring.

Edited February 11, 2015 by hypnostene

[Mr. Pink]

Reminds me of a philosophy student I knew a long time ago. I gave him a glass of water and he said,

 

"This is a glass of water. Or is it a glass of water? And if it is a glass of water, why is it a glass of water?"

 

Sometime later, he died of thirst.

[Hameed]

I believe one thing to appreciate about pricing of commodity is that it's been like this since the stone age. It's no different in the situation described by David.

[zchen]

well the fact the Realo standard carry less ink compared to the converter... but if you like the engineering go get one... else probably its better to get the KoP version... if you like ink capacity

 

You mean that it holds less than the cartridge, not the converter. The cart holds 1.2ml, Realo 1ml, Converter .7ml.

 

 

I thought it had a 1.5 ml capacity

 

That is the figure for the KOP 2006 special model. The standard Profit/1911 Realo and Pro Gear Realo holds 1ml.

[tinta]

Welcome to FPN!

 

David, only a very few people would notice or know the difference between your Lamy Safari & a Sailor Realo.

Your wallet would certainly know the difference

.

It is only for your own personal satisfaction that a Realo (about 400.00 +CAD) can really be of value.

Sure, some will tell you that piston fillers are the best because they prefer & use them.

Others (including myself) will say that a Sailor 1911-M or 1911 L C/C fountain pens ( around 200.00 to 300.00 CAD) can do an equally good job,...for writing that is.

And, even pens at the above price ranges may not write any better than your lowly Safari.

Edited February 11, 2015 by tinta

[dguyton]

I have the feeling that you are looking for a special nib even more than for a special pen. The look and balance of a pen, the weight and responsiveness of the nib, the ink- all of these factors and others (I forgot the paper) affect the writing experience. When you invest more money in a pen, you want to make sure it is "worth it," meaning that it is an appreciably different experience than that excellently engineered Lamy Safari. I suggest you choose a pen that you think is beautiful and have a nib person turn it into a very special pen for you. John Mottishaw is excellent, as are others. He can give you a smooth italic nib, for example, that will be a different experience. If it isn't quite right, you can send it back to him for adjustments. I have several Sailors that I like, but I am not familiar with the Realo. Most of what I have learned about fountain pens I've learned here on this network, so you've come to the right place.

[LuckyKate]

Driving is something I have to do, even though I dislike it intensely. I also consider driving harmful to the earth I love. So for me the only criteria for a car is rational: does it get me to work? does it use the least amount of gas possible?

 

Writing by hand is one of the most deeply satisfying activities I know. It is useful to me in a variety of ways, both for work and for pleasure, for content and for the intrinsic value of handwriting. Writing is not harmful to the environment. So the criteria for a writing tool are both rational and irrational. In the case of a pen I'm okay with the irrational.

[rwilsonedn]

As you say, attraction to a pen has many sources beyond bare utility. Curiosity, appreciation of beauty or quality, desire for esteem, peer pressure, obsessive tendencies ... all sorts of things. Part of the problem with trying to think through this is that almost all these factors that contribute to perceived value are ephemeral. You may think the pen beautiful today but find it dreadfully commonplace after carrying it for three months. Curiosity tends to end by the time you've run one load of ink through the pen. But for some people, beauty lasts their lifetime.

So my unhelpful suggestion would be to try, through introspection, to sort out just what it is that attracts you to this particular pen, of all the nice pens out there. Was it the circumstances in which you first encountered it? The appearance? The sound of the name (no, really, that matters)? What you imagine it would be like to write with it? The reputation?

Once you have winnowed this list down, there are a few things that in my experience last a long time, and eventually justify the cost of a $300 pen. Ironically, they are all things you experience in the present; they are not abstracts or beliefs. Physical beauty, superb craftsmanship, and writing experience, if those are things you treasure, are all long-enduring. I can pick up a beautiful pen I've used for years and simply enjoy once again the appearance and the feel of it. But I can't pick up a pen that I bought out of curiosity and become curious once again.

In my limited experience, Sailor's high-end pens have all three of these long-lasting rewards. So if those are the things that attracted you to the pen, I would say go for it. If the attraction was more ephemeral things, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that: you will just have a shorter time in which to enjoy your investment before the pen is just a pen. So the question becomes one of whether $300 is worth it for short-term pleasure, or only for a joy that lasts a long time.

ron

[RudyR]

Personal experience shows that a more expensive (300.00 + usd) pen does feel better balanced, writes better and handles better all around than say, a lamy or a charred pointy stick. My recent purchase of a Pilot 823 confirms the superiority of writing experience over my very well liked Pilot Petit 1. The money I spent was worth it to me and really, thats what matters. Nothing else.