Pelikan M1000 Vs. Sailor King Of Pen

[Kiel]

I own a Pelikan M1000 and am thinking of purchasing a Sailor King of Pen. Does anyone have experience with both these pens? Any preferences?

[Ghost Plane]

Yes & they're apples to oranges. M1000 nibs are very soft, as you know. The KOP are narrower nibs in the same size and more ice cube on hot surface slidy in feel. The Pel holds a lot of ink, while the c/c in the KOP is too little for a pen that size. But the KOP comes in demo and other pretty options while the Pel gives you green and black. Nibs are easier to swap in the Pels. And both are among the largest pens.

 

I love both, but I keep my KOP for precision jobs and the Pels for writing marathons. B in the KOP will feel like a more precise version of a Pel M.

 

I get frustrated with my KOP as I run out of ink too soon. Sailor nibs are incredible, but I've sold all mine except for the KOP as they feel like Ferraris with 5 gallon gas tanks.

[jmccarty3]

I've bought several Sailors of differing sizes, and to my hand, the KOP in Medium, and a large 1911 with a Naginata Togi Medium are the only two worth keeping.

 

As for the M1000s, I love the springy nibs. You don't have to worry about a converter leaking or falling apart. On the secondary market, you can buy M1000 nibs in OM or OB sizes, or you can buy a BB and have it stubbed by a nibmeister (that's what I did).

 

Writing with either of these pens is like riding in a Rolls Royce. If you want a finer line, I'd go with the KOP. If you want a stub or oblique, or if you require a larger ink capacity, go with the M1000.

 

If I were buying a KOP, I'd spring for the ebonite model.

[rogerico]

Two years ago I compared these pens here: https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/245497-pelikan-m1005-silver-black-vs-sailor-kop/

 

Now I know that to each his own; I mean there is nothing written about taste and maybe there is nothing written about pens. Each one has its own preferences referred to appearance/finish/design/size/weight, the filling system, the nib (grind/ink flow/springlyness) and of course about price.

 

I like stiff fine or extrafine nibs. So I prefer my Sailor KOP as I I do not get used to the springlyness of Pelikan nibs. Nevertheless, I must confess that my Sailor is now at the hands of Michael Masuyama to be adjusted as it started to write too much dry. I'm sure that after this adjustment it will write again wonderfully.

 

And if I can introduce just a third option don't hesitate to consider a Delta Dolcevita Oversize. It's an eyedropper pen with a magnificent nib. Here you'll find my impressions about 5 flagship pens: https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/288704-five-flagships-fp-time-to-decide-the-winner/

 

 

[shuuemura]

I very much prefer the balance of the KOP over the M1000 in the hand. The only thing that dings the Sailor pen for me is the gold-plating of the clip - it seems to wear much faster than I would like. Maybe Sailor has resolved this problem, but it affects the two Sailor pens I have.

[Mkim]

I very much prefer the balance of the KOP over the M1000 in the hand. The only thing that dings the Sailor pen for me is the gold-plating of the clip - it seems to wear much faster than I would like. Maybe Sailor has resolved this problem, but it affects the two Sailor pens I have.

 

yikes! Even on your urushi one?

That's a bit concerning...

[shuuemura]

 

yikes! Even on your urushi one?

That's a bit concerning...

 

Yes, that's right! My sample size of three pens purchased over the years might not be statistically significant though. The gold-plating on my other pens that I use often (Pilot, Montblanc, Parker, Pelikan, Nakaya) seem to be doing better. I should emphasize that the portion of gold-plating that wears out on my Sailor pen clips is the area where the clip is attached to the pen cap - the other areas seem to be okay.

[YugiRider2]

I'd go for the Pelikan M1000 unless you're willing to pay extra for the King Eagle/Cross Point/Naginata Togi. The KOP nibs are not great, and have a small sweet spot due to the way they are tipped. The specialty nibs, however, are a different story - they are simply perfect.

[jmccarty3]

My KOP has a medium nib that is much nicer than most of the smaller Sailor nibs I own. It is perfectly smooth, but of course does not have the character of the Naginata Togi medium that I have on a large 1911.

[Kiel]

Thanks for all the information, I ended up ordering a Sailor King of Pens Ebonite with a Naginata Togi Medium Fine nib. Will see how it does when I get it. By the way if anyone here knows where I can get a Sailor 95th anniversary Realo, preferably with a fine nib, I would be very grateful. I don't know if I'll ever find one but I'm pretty persistent. Thanks again for all the suggestions.

[thiagojp]

Great question! I bought this exact same KOP, and I love it dearly. One of the best nibs I ever ever wrote with. The pelikan M1000 is very nice too, but the nib is leagues apart. You won't regret your purchase!

[Precise]

I recently bought a KOP Medium and arranged to return it because I thought it too wet and of uneven wetness. Then I emptied the first ink (Namiki blue) and filled it with Pelikan 4001 blue. This is drier, more to my liking, and more even. Then about a day after filling with the 4001, it seemed too wet and uneven again. But a few days after that, it's working well and likely to be a keeper. It has continue to behave itself now for a week.

 

But I've also come to think that these expensive pens are hardly worth their premium cost. For example, my $80 Rosetta Coronado is the same size and writes just as well as my KOP or my MB 149. It even looks as nice.

 

My $8 Jinhao 159 isn't quite as finely finished and perhaps doesn't write quite as sweetly as the pens above. But it comes awfully close. And, of course, it's about the same size as the giants above.

 

With regard to Pelikan, I've never held the 1000. But I've often referred to my M800 as my most perfect pen. I paid about the same price for that as the KOP (about $400) and I've never questioned that purchase.

 

Perhaps the KOP comes close to the M800, but with the lavish praise that it has received and it's place in the line as the best that Sailor offers, I expected it to be the ultimate pen -- which mine is not quite.

 

Alan

Edited October 22, 2015 by Precise

[YugiRider2]

Thanks for all the information, I ended up ordering a Sailor King of Pens Ebonite with a Naginata Togi Medium Fine nib. Will see how it does when I get it. By the way if anyone here knows where I can get a Sailor 95th anniversary Realo, preferably with a fine nib, I would be very grateful. I don't know if I'll ever find one but I'm pretty persistent. Thanks again for all the suggestions.

I know that someone in China is selling it on Taobao.com, but it'll be pretty hard to communicate with him. He does have good feedback, so the item is definitely genuine. Think he was asking for $750.

[YugiRider2]

Thanks for all the information, I ended up ordering a Sailor King of Pens Ebonite with a Naginata Togi Medium Fine nib. Will see how it does when I get it. By the way if anyone here knows where I can get a Sailor 95th anniversary Realo, preferably with a fine nib, I would be very grateful. I don't know if I'll ever find one but I'm pretty persistent. Thanks again for all the suggestions.

Congratulations, you will love it. Sailor's specialty nibs are inspected and treated differently to their normal line of nibs, so you're guaranteed to get a great writer.

[Kiel]

Well it's on it's way. Any thoughts on ink? I like the color of Montblanc permanant blue, and it seems to behave in all my pens. I prefer a permanent ink.

[jmccarty3]

Do try the Sailor inks. There are dozens of them, many very hard to find, but they have beautiful colors. They make two nanoparticle inks that are permanent, in black and blue/black, and they have a series of inks called Storia. These come in different colors and are permanent, although most ink enthusiasts do not like them as much as their non-waterproof colors. If you want to read about Sailor inks, wander over to this thread: https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/272272-sailors-full-ink-lines-including-shop-exclusives-compiled-in-a-post/page-1

[Kiel]

Thanks for the information

[Kiel]

Well the pen is supposed to arrive today. I'll do a side-by-side comparison with my M1000 and post my impressions. Does anyone know where I can get an accurate color sample or see a color sample of different inks. It's kind of a pain buying a bottle online only to find out the color isn't what I thought it would be. I live in San Diego, if anybody knows of a good store to look at different color inks your feedback would be appreciated.

 

Thanks,

 

Bill Kiel

[strelnikoff]

Yes & they're apples to oranges. M1000 nibs are very soft, as you know. The KOP are narrower nibs in the same size and more ice cube on hot surface slidy in feel. The Pel holds a lot of ink, while the c/c in the KOP is too little for a pen that size. But the KOP comes in demo and other pretty options while the Pel gives you green and black. Nibs are easier to swap in the Pels. And both are among the largest pens.

 

I love both, but I keep my KOP for precision jobs and the Pels for writing marathons. B in the KOP will feel like a more precise version of a Pel M.

 

I get frustrated with my KOP as I run out of ink too soon. Sailor nibs are incredible, but I've sold all mine except for the KOP as they feel like Ferraris with 5 gallon gas tanks.

 

 

This is one of the best replies I've read in a long time plus - I agree - my frustration with Sailor - and for that matter any pen with cartridge conv. is/was that larger pens with juicier wetter nibs left me hanging way to many times. I like the pen, and I take it to a meeting or just simple writing - in about 15 minutes I'm out of ink...

 

And more than anything (being an engineer with technical OCD) - there is NO WAY anyone can justify price tag of >150 USD and not having nice eyedropper system (think Namiki Emperor) at minimum - or piston filler mechanism. In fact - unless the pen is some piece of art - for 800 USD the KOP would have to have piston at minimum, and all parts made of brass... or carbon fiber, titanium ... etc.

 

 

with price tag > 150 USD - is/was that larger pens with juicier wetter nibs left me hanging way to many times. And - for that price, it is

[minddance]

I own a Pelikan M1000 fine nib and I have tried a KOP in medium. For the prices Sailor is asking, I would very much gladly purchase another Pelikan M1000, probably in medium or broad this time. I would skip that Sailor KOP.

 

Why Pelikan? I LOVE the luxurious flow and the look of the ink it lays on paper. Nibs are changeable and replaceable and it is a piston filler.

 

Where am I to find another Sailor KOP nib if I should grow tired of the existing one or when it gives me problems? With Pelikans, no such worries