Platinum Izumo Or Sailor King Of Pen

[flipper_gv]

You cheated! :-) The poll was KOP or Izumo and you ended up buying a MB 149 :-) that's not fair.

Well, my two cents: KOPs are fitted with a # 9 nib, the same size of a MB 149. Izumos use a # 6. In my very personal opinion, that's a small nib for such a pen. It's a pitty. With a bigger nib the Izumo would be a winner.

Ah, BTW I personally vote for the Sailor, as the converter is not an issue for me and you say the price was not a problem (Lucky you...)

 

FWIW, I'm pretty sure I can write as many words with a medium KOP converter than my m1000 with a broad nib.

[rudyhou]

if you'd like to focus more on the nib performance, i'd go with Platinum. i have several Platinum/Nakaya pens and Sailor pens. i find the Sailor nibs are less smooth in comparison to Platinum/Nakaya nibs. unless you do prefer nibs with a feedback.

 

if a nib performance is not your main focus, well, go with the design that speaks to you more. i own an Izumo. aesthetically, it is the reason i purchased it in the first place. however, i got disappointed with it due to the design of the step near the grip section that i find somewhat uncomfortable for the way i'd like to hold a pen when writing.

 

i don't own a KOP. judging from the pictures of KOP, it seems that the pen comes with a better grip section design, for a more comfortable hold. best you go to a pen shop where they carry both, if available, and try to hold the pens in your hand to see which one balances off better. different pens come in different weights, and different hands have different needs.

[jmccarty3]

if you'd like to focus more on the nib performance, i'd go with Platinum. i have several Platinum/Nakaya pens and Sailor pens. i find the Sailor nibs are less smooth in comparison to Platinum/Nakaya nibs. unless you do prefer nibs with a feedback.

 

And yet, one of the smoothest nibs I own is a medium 21k KOP nib. I do find that the smaller Sailor nibs have more tooth. The nibs (F & M) on my two Izumos are nice, but not as smooth as those on my Nakayas.

[rudyhou]

 

And yet, one of the smoothest nibs I own is a medium 21k KOP nib. I do find that the smaller Sailor nibs have more tooth. The nibs (F & M) on my two Izumos are nice, but not as smooth as those on my Nakayas.

 

i have to agree. nakaya nibs are very smooth.

[LondonLonghand]

I'm a new convert to the Izumo and find it more comfortable in the hand than my KOP. I have both in dark blue urushi ('Prussian Blue' and 'Aitetsu Iro') and rhodium trims - not quite the same but very close and capped they're pretty much the same size.  KOP feels like a special occasion to use - it's a bit too girth and its nib a bit too eccentric/brushlike to be something I reach for all the time.  Whereas the Izumo feels like I could write all day long with it.  It took a while to get over the strange shape visually (in terms of smaller nib and tapered section) but in my particular hand it's perfect. And I like the fact that it's a bit longer when you're writing (i.e. minus the cap).  So, although I'm fascinated by all those different KOP colours and finishes, I think I'm more likely to buy a second Izumo than a second KOP.

[lamarax]

2 hours ago, LondonLonghand said:

brushlike

 

That's it! That's the word which best describes the KoP nib IMO. While the description of "pencil-like" is often attributed to Sailor nibs, I find it much more succinct for the Platinum nibs, especially the President one which goes on the Izumo.

 

Have you tried the Pro Gear version of the KoP? I think it may suit you better re: grip/comfort, compared to the classic cigar-shaped, blown-up 1911 form.

[Driften]

On 1/16/2016 at 6:19 AM, Brian C said:

Thanks all. I decided to go with a Montblanc 149. The reason being that I found, with a less expensive pen that I recently acquired, that I really dislike the Sailor converter. That would really bother me on the KOP. While I am still interested in the Izumo, I went with the 149 because of the much larger nib size and the fact that it's a piston fill. I don't actually have one of those in the collection at the moment. Also, I was looking to purchase from engeika and found that they are out of the urushi models and only had the wood models. I'll wait until I can find a good deal on an urushi Izumo.

I think you made a good choice. I have 149, ProGear KOP, and urushi Izumo. I like them in that order. Yes the converter on the Sailor is small, but like the KOP in spite of it. I got the Izumo "cheep", $435 in 2020, from Cult Pens to decide if I liked urushi before spending money on a Nakaya which turns out I like more. 

[jchch1950]

I only have an Izumo bought in Tokyo a few years ago. No problems and happy with the different shape it has.