The Sailor Pro Gear With A Naginata Togi Nib

[sannidh]

PRELUDE

 

What would be the one Sailor pen within my budget, which I could keep even if I would let go of all the other Sailors? Having not quite a smooth experience with a few Sailor nibs, I decided upon the exciting & costlier option of a Nagahara tuned speciality nib, instead of taking another pen with the stock 14k or 21k nib.

 

Below is a link to the review on my blog:

 

Sailor Pro Gear with Naginata Togi Nib Review

 

My last Sailor was a Pro Gear Sigma Slim which is reviewed here.

 

However, for these speciality nibs, you can have a long waiting period of not less than 5-6 months. I asked my Japanese dealer Raul (Engeika) to arrange for one as quickly as possible. Two things came out of it: he gave me a superb deal on the pen itself (not supposed to discuss the price) and told me to wait while he can add another to their current speciality shipment order to Sailor company. Within a month and a half, my pen was sent from Japan, customs paid off and it finally arrived at my address. Immediately I opened the package with immense excitement and flushed the pen/converter with plain water before plugging in one of the complementary black cartridges. The pen of course wrote like a dream !

 

PRESENTATION

 

The pen comes in a blue gift box, packed with two black cartridges, a converter and papers.

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DESIGN - THE TAPERED CIGAR (5/6)

 

The Pro Gears with Speciality Nibs come in two standard designs - Gold and Silver Accents. I opted for the Gold Accented Pro Gear with the Naginata Togi nib, one out of the 19 or 20 Sailor speciality nib variants. The name Naginata is an anecdotal allusion the shape of the nib which resembles a Naginata Long Sword originally used by the Samurai Class in Feudal Japan.

The body is light and sturdy. It is made up of PMMA resin or Polymethyl Methacrylate which was developed by a group of scientists way back in 1928, which is easier to mould with heat. However PMMA is initially transparent when synthesised from petroleum, later dyes are added to impart various colours. Besides, it’s resistant to normal scratches with a hardness of around 4 in Mohs scale. So, technically you would probably need some iron or steel to make a good scratch on it. A keychain might work just fine in case you plan to test!

The lustre of the pen is chiefly manifested by the gold plated accents, though the resin does have an alluring gleam itself. The rings at either ends along with the clip and concentric cap bands deliver the golden convergence to the black beauty. I do feel that the pen has an understated look.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Zc7Yy1mBlXY/VjC6J1qAShI/AAAAAAAAFkw/vkRa9JOJQc8/s1600/DSC_6479.jpg

The cap is light and unscrews with two complete turns, revealing the dazzling nib gleaming in gold. A loop of glitter does mark the start of its grip section.

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The cap band carries an imprint of SAILOR JAPAN FOUNDED 1911 and has a thin loop just above it for the pure aesthetics part. The finial carries a distinct raised anchor logo, painted in gold. The tension-fit clip elegantly rests on the cap, carrying their classical design. I like the classical clip compared to the newer Pro Gear 2 clips.

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FILLING SYSTEM (4/6)

 

As a CC filler, the supplied convertor is limited by a volume of 0.6 mL. As of now, I am using ink cartridges which have around 1 mL of capacity. It does give an advantage to frequent ink-swappers or cartridge users. But the nib sprays ink like a water jet and it does not last long. The barrel unscrews from the grip section with four turns and reveals an usual metallic thread section on the grip and a threaded resin barrel. The nib and the front part of the grip have to be completely immersed inside ink to have proper converter suction.

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NIB - ALL THAT MATTERS (6/6)

 

The Naginata Togi nib section is also friction-fit like others and it comes in a 21k monotone - silver & gold (and stunning!) finish across three speciality widths - NMF, NM & NB. Sailor does make absolute stunners here. The silver accented one sports a rhodium coated nib.

 

The tail end specifies carries the brand imprint of Sailor with the traditional elongated S and and the nib-composition (21 K, 87.5% Au) rests above it. 1911 and the Anchor logo are embossed near the circular breather hole. The scrollwork runs in between the body and the shoulders which well enhances the decor. And the tines elongate themselves to form the famous Naginata sword.

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These nibs are tuned by Yukio Nagahara personally and you can also observe that some gold plating has come of the tip. All I can say is the pen is phenomenally well tuned with a wet flow. The tip has been designed with a semicircular cross section, to write two relatively varying withs - thinner verticals & thicker horizontals. And the overall thickness can vary with the holding angles from 0.4 mm to 0.6 mm. You can see the nib size NMF (Naginata Medium Fine) imprinted on one of the faceted shoulders.

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A tight black plastic feed with closely spaced fins allows to maintain balance against air-pressure with a good buffer capacity of ink and even with the cap open for quite a while, it does not take any effort to lay a nice wet line. The feeder hole provides the ink suction for the converter.

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The nib lays a smooth and wet line writing super smooth across multiple angles and widths, once it touches the paper.

 

PHYSICS OF IT (6/6) – RELATIVELY SPEAKING

 

The cap needs to be posted else it seems to lack both length and weight. The grip section is about 1.2 cm thick and is quite comfortable for extended writing. I like posting the Pro Gear like some of my pelikans. The pen feels very comfortable and posts securely.

• Capped Length ~ 12.9 cm
• Uncapped Length ~ 11.6 cm
• Posted Length ~ 15.1 cm
• Nib Leverage ~ 2.3 cm
• Overall Weight ~ 22 g

Capped, uncapped and posted comparisons with a MB146 run below for your reference.

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http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-s37TZai7qrk/VjC6Z-RnGgI/AAAAAAAAFlw/4Ob2e3BtP8U/s1600/DSC_6537.jpghttp://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5h77PSDOfH8/VjC6a6z2ACI/AAAAAAAAFl4/wOv8ip7ORlw/s1600/DSC_6541.jpg

 

ECONOMIC VALUE (6/6)

 

The Pro Gear with Naginata Togi speciality nib retails round US$ 298 and it is available at much lower prices if you source it directly from Japan. The only problem with these speciality nibs is the lead time of six months or so. I was lucky to have this pen in 45 days. I feel that it’s a value for money pen with an added advantage of having a nib tuned by the Nagahara lineage.

 

OVERALL (5.4/6)

 

This stunning 21k nib is quite smooth at a normal 45 degree angle with a really wet flow. The horizontals run border than the vertical lines. The nib lays lines with widths in the range of 0.4 - 0.6 mm according to Sailor. At high angles the nib is smooth lays thinner lines and quite smoothly so. At really low angles the ink flows like water from a fire hose with the smoothest of experiences. On cheaper papers, I found some feedback at higher angles, which is quite acceptable and common across my other smooth nibs.

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The NMF nib and is not as rigid as the H-M nibs. It has a bit of spring and a relatively softer touch. Being a wet writer out of the box, the Sailor NMF nib puts a line which takes around 35 seconds to dry Sailor Black ink on Tomoe River Paper. What I really like about the nib is the balance it is capable of drawing between wetness and smoothness. May be I will take up some class on Kanji sometime later to use the pen well upto its potential. Obviously it’s a fun nib to use and I have no qualms using it as my daily writer these days.

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REFERENCES

 

Sailor Pro Gear Sigma Slim Review

Sailor History

PMMA Resin

 

Thank you for going through the review.

You can find some more pen and paraphernalia reviews here.

Edited October 29, 2015 by soniknitr

[Sanjay13leo]

Fantastic Pictures Sonic, very very clear pictures covering closeup of nib and some of the details are wonderful. It is a "WOW" pen and the writing sample is really a job, getting variation by changing angles while writing seems like fun. May you be blessed with great experience of writing wonderful words with this pen. Thanks for sharing a wonderful review.

[migo984]

Thanks for the great review, with beautiful photographs.

 

I agree about the Naginata Togi. It's a fun nib to use, and very comfortable. I find it suits upright writing styles even more than slanted styles.

 

Mine's an NMF, on a Pro Gear Realo (piston-fill) demonstrator. One of my favourite pens.

[SahilGulati]

As always: Detailed and brilliant photography.

[hari317]

Congrats on getting a Sailor that writes well for you. After all the trials that you have gone through with the sailor nibs, I was slightly amused to read "The pen of course wrote like a dream !" I would have expected something on the lines of "a mighty relief to find a nib that finally writes well".

 

enjoy your pen.

 

Best

Hari

Edited October 28, 2015 by hari317

[thiagojp]

I have an ebonite KOP with the same nib, and I completely agree with you. It's an absolute delight to write with it. Have you tryed writing with the nib upside down? It gives a XXXF line!! A bit scary actually, but useful!

Thanks for the great review! Enjoy yout pen!

[sannidh]

Fantastic Pictures Sonic, very very clear pictures covering closeup of nib and some of the details are wonderful. It is a "WOW" pen and the writing sample is really a job, getting variation by changing angles while writing seems like fun. May you be blessed with great experience of writing wonderful words with this pen. Thanks for sharing a wonderful review.

 

Thank you Sanjay for the wonderful words. God bless you. I hope this helps you make a decision on this or the other one.

Btw, Other one is here

 

Thanks for the great review, with beautiful photographs.

 

I agree about the Naginata Togi. It's a fun nib to use, and very comfortable. I find it suits upright writing styles even more than slanted styles.

 

Mine's an NMF, on a Pro Gear Realo (piston-fill) demonstrator. One of my favourite pens.

 

Thank you migo. My normal writing angles are like 45-60 deg not higher, but I too am very happy with the pen.

Beauty , could you share a pic of your pen?

 

As always: Detailed and brilliant photography.

 

Thank you Sahil, the Inkwiz

 

Congrats on getting a Sailor that writes well for you. After all the trials that you have gone through with the sailor nibs, I was slightly amused to read "The pen of course wrote like a dream !" I would have expected something on the lines of "a mighty relief to find a nib that finally writes well".

 

enjoy your pen.

 

Best

Hari

 

Ha ha Hari, I know May be I was to biased with the pen and wrote with it for quite some time, before reviewing. (thanks to my laptop crash etc) Raul was kind enough to take back & refund one of my unlucky realos, before he even received the pen.

 

Thank you,

 

Sonik

[sannidh]

I have an ebonite KOP with the same nib, and I completely agree with you. It's an absolute delight to write with it. Have you tryed writing with the nib upside down? It gives a XXXF line!! A bit scary actually, but useful!

Thanks for the great review! Enjoy yout pen!

 

Thank you One of my friends Pradeep (pgd84) tried out the special KOP NM nib on the Venkateswara LE and was completely gaga over it. Below is the pic of its nib.

http://img6a.flixcart.com/image/pen/3/s/t/sailor-sri-venkateswara-400x400-imadgzhywpzk7rhf.jpeg

I did now.. it's really laying a super fine line albeit a bit scratchy/scary

 

Best,

Sonik

[migo984]

 

Beauty , could you share a pic of your pen?

 

 

Here are pics of my lovely Sailor Naginata Togi :-)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 29, 2015 by migo984

[Sagarb]

A great review as usual, with superb photography...thanks.

[sannidh]

Here are pics of my lovely Sailor Naginata Togi :-)

 

 

 

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Wow that's a beauty !!

[sannidh]

A great review as usual, with superb photography...thanks.

Thank you so much Sagar

[writer without ideas]

Thanks Sonik for the brilliant review. I think that you are spoiling us with you deeply detailed and excellently photographed reviews. You really are doing a service to fellow members who can decide on a pen after going through your reviews.

 

Par excellence, as always. Great work.

[da vinci]

Thank you for this excellent review, most informative.

 

In relation to the nib. Do you think if the nib was an NM or NB you would see increased line variation at the "medium" writing angle of 35-45 degrees?

[Diderot]

Thanks for a detailed review with great pictures.

[Polanova]

Great review, sonicnitr!

I have the Ivory version with a NFM nib & it`s one of my all-time favorites

While I bought it for sketching, it`s also a great pen for writing - simply one of the best nibs out there!!

Edited October 29, 2015 by Polanova

[sannidh]

Thanks Sonik for the brilliant review. I think that you are spoiling us with you deeply detailed and excellently photographed reviews. You really are doing a service to fellow members who can decide on a pen after going through your reviews.

 

Par excellence, as always. Great work.

 

Thank you so much Sudeep for your wonderful words. This pen (actually it's the nib) is a very likeable thing in itself.

Thank you for this excellent review, most informative.

 

In relation to the nib. Do you think if the nib was an NM or NB you would see increased line variation at the "medium" writing angle of 35-45 degrees?

 

Thank you da vinci

 

You are right, as for the NMF (0.4-0.6) nib the line variation is more pronounced at the normal angles. (because the tip also gains or loses thickness when you hold it low or high)

The horizontals & verticals are thin at high and thick at low angles, though horizontals might be marginally thicker.

 

The variation range also decreases for NM (0.55-0.65) and NB is (0.6 - 0.8), referring to what nibs page says

 

Best,

Sonik

[sannidh]

Thanks for a detailed review with great pictures.

 

Thank you

Great review, sonicnitr!

I have the Ivory version with a NFM nib & it`s one of my all-time favorites

While I bought it for sketching, it`s also a great pen for writing - simply one of the best nibs out there!!

 

Thanks Polanova

Very pretty pen - the ivory one... Please share one of our sketches made with the NMF nib if you find time

[SahilGulati]

Here are pics of my lovely Sailor Naginata Togi :-)

 

 

 

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OMG

[jay.is.here]

awesome review . Pen looks so amazing