Sailor Koshu Inden (Red) Review

[WhatsAGoodUsername]

Hi All! This is going to be my first review of one of my first pens which I received only a week ago, so please excuse any problems with this!
I wanted to start off my pen collecting journey with a breathtakingly beautiful pen, and chanced upon this sailor pen... IT IS BEAUTIFUL!
http://i1078.photobucket.com/albums/w486/Kevin_Guo/IMG_0593_zpsfwm6bxip.jpg

It came in a nice wooden box, not the usual sailor one that's blueish.
http://i1078.photobucket.com/albums/w486/Kevin_Guo/IMG_0594_zpsrnymukqv.jpg

Appearance & Design (9/10)
What is there for me to say? The lovely cherry pattern is gorgeous. It's also available in black sheath pattern, if red isn't your thing. I'm going to quote Engeika (no afilliations, etc.) on the exact material of the body: "PMMA Resin Urushi Lacquer and Deer Skin body 24K Gold IP Gold plated accents"
It looks like it's based off of Sailor Pro Gear, but is 4mm longer and substantially heavier, coming at around 38 grams, so watch out, this might not be a daily pen for people who prefer lighter or even medium weight pens (me). The band around the cap also appears to be wider, but I'm not sure.
Here's a close up of the pattern
http://i1078.photobucket.com/albums/w486/Kevin_Guo/IMG_0595_zpsymsc4g1w.jpg


That being said, it is a little back heavy when posted, but unposted it's perfect. But that's a shame, because on the back there is actually this little clicky mechanism that holds the cap which is really satisfying to play with! You can sort of see it on this really blurry picture....
http://i1078.photobucket.com/albums/w486/Kevin_Guo/IMG_0597_zps8qw6kaek.jpg


Here's a size comparison: Faber Castell Ambition, Lamy Al-Star, KOSHU INDEN, Sailor Profit Standard, Kaweco Sport
http://i1078.photobucket.com/albums/w486/Kevin_Guo/IMG_0598_zpshmulssfy.jpg
Quality (9/10)
It has that great heavy feel, and the barrel is just velvet soft and kinda warm when you hold it for a while Now, I always have this fear that the little flowers might peel off, since when I stroke it, sometimes I could feel it catching to my skin a little bit, but only when I intentionally test it.

Nib and Performance (8/10)
It is a monotone, 14k sailor nib, and SADLY Medium Fine is the only option. Though I think you can replace the nib with grip section with basically any of the sailor pens in the 1911 and PG lines. It even works with a 1911 Standard. Not sure about Sapporo or PG Sigma.
Note that the body is BLACK. There isn't really much to say about the nib, other than it's exactly what one'd expect from Sailor. You guys are all familiar with it and I don't have a good camera on hand, so we'll skip the picture [/size]

Filling System and Maintenance (7)
Well it is a C/C.... But I guess so are many great pens.... Nothing special there, just like the normal sailor PG.

Cost & Value (11/10)
I got this for $200 dollars, and I consider this basically a Royal version of the Professional Gear. And the Professional Gear costs more than 200 dollars... The only potential "downside" is that the nib is 14k, which doesn't bother me at all. But if you really want, buy a sailor standard with a 21k nib and switch with it.

Final Score (8.8)
I'm probably never going to let this pen leave my house except in its case and well guarded. It's worthy to be the top of my thus far non-existent collection. It's also available in black sheath, if red isn't your thing.

Hope you enjoyed it! Ask me questions, or taunt me with how noob-ish this review was too, I don't mind!

Edited November 18, 2015 by WhatsAGoodUsername

[TassoBarbasso]

Nice! I don't like the feeing of a leather pen, but you have to admit: 200 usd for a hand-decorated pen is a really good price.

[WhatsAGoodUsername]

Nice! I don't like the feeing of a leather pen, but you have to admit: 200 usd for a hand-decorated pen is a really good price.

Me neither, though this one is weird... I think it's just the flowers that are deer skin and the red is something else? I have absolutely no idea, it's really soft, like cotton soft.

Anyways, my favorite nib material is wood!

[TassoBarbasso]

The opposite, the flowers are urushi, the red is deer skin.

 

How can your favourite nib material be wood?