Q: I Use Western Fine Nibs. What Is The Japanese Equivalent?

[A Smug Dill]

  On 2/12/2019 at 7:02 AM, cattar said:

The question is do you want that nib, or would you rather having something else for the same amount?

In the end, neither.

 

I saw a new Sailor Profit Black Luster with a ruthenium-plated 21K gold F nib – which is identical to the nib on my Sailor Professional Gear Imperial Black – being listed for ¥22,000 (tax-inclusive), which works out to US$199. There is the option of an EF nib, but it brings the price up to ¥25,000. I was of two minds as to whether to pay the 13.6% premium, since an EF nib was (and is) not an available option for the PG-IB pen, and I have pulled the nib and feed out of the latter's section before for a thorough cleaning, so I know I could swap nibs of different width grades between those pens at will (which I'm sure would be considered as voiding warranty).

 

But then, I thought, the key question is whether the F nib is fine enough for my purpose, and not how to get the most flexibility out of the deal to include options of which I have no use, or to get as fine a nib as the manufacturer has to offer 'just because' I can. Inked with Diamine Deep Dark Blue, which I don't believe has the same reputation for 'taming' wet nibs and coaxing narrower lines out of them, with no trouble at all I can draw 11 – and, if I really tried, 12 – parallel horizontal lines distinctly inside a 5mm square, and that's using the nib in normal orientation, without flipping it upside down to get narrower lines (which I can do with that nib). I only need to be able to draw 9 such lines inside the em-square to write in Chinese legibly, so the F nib is already fine enough and then some. Now that I've learnt from experience that there is such a thing as too fine, I guess buying two gold Sailor EF nibs is just taking things ridiculously far, when I got by for so long just using the Sailor 1911 F and MF nibs I have; and thus the urge has dissolved.

 

So I pulled the trigger and bought the Sailor Profit Black Luster with the F nib instead.

 

  On 2/12/2019 at 4:27 PM, Lamyliz said:

Thanks asmugdill, don't worry I think I'm sorted now. Just curious why you don't seem to like the capless?

Huh? I love the Pilot Capless pens, and we have twelve in our household. All seven of mine are in the Vanishing Point line, whereas my fiancée has a mix of VP and Decimo pens.

 

The step in line widths between Pilot Capless F and M nibs is typically bigger than that between (say) Pilot Custom 74 F and M nibs, that's what others meant in those reviews and comments you read elsewhere. Especially if people are moving 'up' to Pilot Capless from steel-nibbed Pilot models – try comparing:

• Pilot Decimo (or Vanishing Point) F nib
• Pilot Decimo M nib
• Pilot Prera (or Metropolitan) M nib
• Pilot Prera F nib

and you'll see why being find the Pilot Capless M nib to be such a surprise. Edited February 12, 2019 by A Smug Dill

[shawnee]

I'm going to try to squeeze it all into one post, bear with me:

 

>>Interesting. I think the Pilot MR nibs are on the wet side (although I almost never use the single M nib of that type I have, so my comment really applies only to the F nibs), but considering that you have more than one Pelikan pen, I imagined the Pilot MR is no match for those in the ink flow department.

>>My one and only Pelikan has a customised nib, so it certainly doesn't write overly wetly. However, I'm not really looking forward to experiencing three factory-condition Pelikan F nibs on pens that are on their way to me in the post.

 

I actually only have one Pelikan, a Souveran M600, and it's likely to be my last. It has an 'M' nib which is completely unusable for me and there is an 'EF' nib on its way from the Netherlands. I wasn't overly thrilled to have to purchase *another* nib since the US distributor wouldn't honor a nib exchange given the fact that the pen came from Europe, but even with the nib exchange, I'll end up still spending about the same if I'd bought the pen from a US vendor. The Pilot MR isn't nearly as wet, you're right, smugdill, thankfully. I went back and used it again this morning and I'm getting used to it, but it's still heavy and this is weird, but it's the only pen where my fingertips sweat from holding it. My hand gets clammy. It's the first time that has happened to me. It's a bit icky. LOL. I want to like Pilot. I just have to find a better entry point.

 

 

>>I prefer Sailor's nibs, then Platinum's variety of nib experiences, then Pilot's steel nibs or the gold falcon nib. The other Pilot gold nibs are too smooth.

 

Cattar, I know above you said that you liked the "pencilly" feel of the Sailor nibs - are you talking gold nibs or steel nibs? Or just the nib feel overall for Sailor? I actually have three Sailors coming as of right now: a used 1911M with a 'h-f' nib, a Sailor Shikori Fountain Pen with an 'MF' nib, and I lacked impulse control and got the Procolor 500 with an 'F' nib because it was only $40. I'm all over the map, I know. That with the 'soft fine' Platinum 3776 is going to have to keep me occupied for now EXCEPT that my dad wants to buy me a birthday gift (around the $50 range) and so I'm trying to find a Japanese pen that's worth trying out in that price range. It sounds like maybe a Platinum Balance could work and I like the idea of playing around with the Pilot Plumix pens, but are there any other Pilots in the $50 range that are worth trying other than the Pilot MR? It seems to jump up significantly after that when you get to Custom 74s and the Heritage 91s.

 

Is there significant difference between the Sailor 1911 standard and 1911M other than size? I know the nib is wider on the standard and comes in 21K, but is it like a huge jump in body size like there is between the MB146 and MB149? The MB149 is waaaaay too big for me. I like the size of the Platinum 3776 and I'm also okay with a slimmer pen, but seriously fat pens are too fatiguing for me personally. Also, yes, I need to go to a pen show where most of these questions would be answered. I know, I know. LOL

 

Lamyliz - the Goulet chart helped me a lot. I think it works pretty well.

 

 

shawnee

[sirgilbert357]

  On 2/7/2019 at 2:35 AM, A Smug Dill said:

I understand that forming each letter of the English letter alphabet with a single pen stroke, much less joining letters to form an entire word in cursive, is not the only way to hand-write in English, irrespective of what they teach in schools in the UK and the US.

 

 

Sorry for the aside here, but I'm not sure I understand the comment, and curiosity is getting the best of me, so I have to ask: is it your understanding that cursive is taught in schools in the US?

 

If so, I'd like to offer my observations on that: currently, "cursive", in general, is not taught in most US public schools (there might be exceptions; I don't have extensive knowledge of the full curriculum taught at all schools across the USA) and in some cases, even basic "handwriting" is skipped over completely in the youngest grades (Kindergarten, First & Second grades). For some private schools, the general "handwriting" courses will have an introduction to a form of cursive, but which one is up to the school. My wife is a teacher and principal of a small private school and they used to teach a version of the Palmer method starting in 3rd or 4th grade. The teacher of that class used actual fountain pens too! The kids had to turn the pen in at the end of class (shame they didn't get to keep them -- might help to spread the love of Fps!). She has since retired and I'm not sure handwriting is currently being taught. I'll have to follow up with my wife on that. My wife has, however, verified that most public schools throughout Texas do not bother with cursive, and in most cases, handwriting at all. Many schools are moving towards iPads with customized software for teaching instead of having the kids write anything down on paper. Tests are taken electronically, etc. It bothers me a bit, but my preferences for a kid learning to write, and do it well -- with cursive -- can extend only as far as my own children. What the rest of the world does is up to them after all.

[A Smug Dill]

  On 2/12/2019 at 5:42 PM, sirgilbert357 said:

Sorry for the aside here, but I'm not sure I understand the comment, and curiosity is getting the best of me, so I have to ask: is it your understanding that cursive is taught in schools in the US?

 

I don't know the first thing about what is or isn't taught in schools in the US. The gist of my comment was that so many people here seem to frame handwriting (in English, and with fountain pens) around the presupposition that cursive is the only, or proper, way to write, and thus excluding 'printing' and hands such as Italic from the scope of normal or common handwriting. That cannot be correct, irrespective of what is or isn't taught; I don't believe cursive is the only way of writing that is taught and/or deemed acceptable in the UK and the US.

 

  On 2/12/2019 at 5:15 PM, shawnee said:

I actually only have one Pelikan, a Souveran M600,

 

I thought you had a Pelikan P205 as well. My miscomprehension.

 

  Quote

I wasn't overly thrilled to have to purchase *another* nib

 

I wouldn't be, either.

 

  Quote

... I'm getting used to [the Pilot MR], but it's still heavy and this is weird, but it's the only pen where my fingertips sweat from holding it.

...‹snip›...

... my dad wants to buy me a birthday gift (around the $50 range) and so I'm trying to find a Japanese pen that's worth trying out in that price range. It sounds like maybe a Platinum Balance could work and I like the idea of playing around with the Pilot Plumix pens, but are there any other Pilots in the $50 range that are worth trying other than the Pilot MR? It seems to jump up significantly after that when you get to Custom 74s and the Heritage 91s.

 

There's the Prera, which uses the same type of nib and feed as the Pilot MR, so any difference in the writing experience would only be due to the pen body. If you don't like the weight, balance, shape and/or texture of the MR, I suppose you could try a Prera. Or perhaps the new Pilot Explorer, about which I personally don't know anything, other than that its street price in the US is about US$24 each. Or maybe a Pilot Lucina?

 

  Quote

Is there significant difference between the Sailor 1911 standard and 1911M other than size? I know the nib is wider on the standard and comes in 21K, but is it like a huge jump in body size like there is between the MB146 and MB149?

I don't know anything about the Montblanc models and am not going to look them up, sorry.

 

Measurements of the Sailor 1911 Standard (taking the 11-1219* model for example) are: 17mm (max) diameter, 135mm long, weighs 17.0g

Measurements of the Sailor 1911 Large (taking the 11-2021* model for example) are: 18mm (max) diameter, 141mm long, weighs 21.6g

 

Which Shikiori and Procolor 500 models did you get? Were you talking about a steel-nibbed Shikiori, or a gold-nibbed Professional Gear Slim Shikiori?

[sirgilbert357]

  On 2/12/2019 at 6:21 PM, A Smug Dill said:

 

I don't know the first thing about what is or isn't taught in schools in the US. The gist of my comment was that so many people here seem to frame handwriting (in English, and with fountain pens) around the presupposition that cursive is the only, or proper, way to write, and thus excluding 'printing' and hands such as Italic from the scope of normal or common handwriting. That cannot be correct, irrespective of what is or isn't taught; I don't believe cursive is the only way of writing that is taught and/or deemed acceptable in the UK and the US.

 

 

Ah, OK. Yes, the forum certainly has a bias in that regard. I can write in cursive and a form of print that I just kind of fell into (all caps - it drives my wife nuts, lol!), but I would love to learn many others. I don't think the world outside of FPN really cares or has a certain "standard". Handwriting, in general, just isn't used that much anymore...sadly.

[shawnee]

  On 2/12/2019 at 6:35 PM, sirgilbert357 said:

 

Ah, OK. Yes, the forum certainly has a bias in that regard. I can write in cursive and a form of print that I just kind of fell into (all caps - it drives my wife nuts, lol!), but I would love to learn many others. I don't think the world outside of FPN really cares or has a certain "standard". Handwriting, in general, just isn't used that much anymore...sadly.

 

SirGilbert - same on my end as well including the caps. Cursive writing is a dying art form unfortunately. There is some crazy statistic running around about how few millenials can write in cursive and not even a signature. Everything is done electronically these days. End of times, I say! Let me see if I can find the statistic and article . . .

[shawnee]

You're right, smugdill. I *had* a P205 with a 'F' nib that I returned due to scratchiness. It was a steel nib so I'm hoping that I'm not the complete idiot who just ordered the 'EF' only to find it worse. That could be me, I'm not going to lie.

>>I don't know anything about the Montblanc models and am not going to look them up, sorry.

Wait, you don't offer full service feedback? I didn't see that anywhere in the fine print!

>>Measurements of the Sailor 1911 Standard (taking the 11-1219* model for example) are: 17mm (max) diameter, 135mm long, weighs 17.0g
>>Measurements of the Sailor 1911 Large (taking the 11-2021* model for example) are: 18mm (max) diameter, 141mm long, weighs 21.6g

So don't yell at me, but I want to make sure I have this right. There are 3 sizes whether you're talking 1911 or progear: standard (also called mid-sized and designated with an 'M' in the US), large and then King of pen size, right?

>>Which Shikiori and Procolor 500 models did you get? Were you talking about a steel-nibbed Shikiori, or a gold-nibbed Professional Gear Slim Shikiori?

So I got the procolor 500 Uchimizu 'Transparent Blue' in a 'F' nib (It was only $40 and an impulse purchase) and SAILOR Professional Gear Shiki-Oriori Four Season Edition Haruzora with an 'MF' nib. Pen-pen Avenue had it for less than $100 USD, but it went out of stock. When it came back in stock, I wasn't going to let it go a second time. Hopefully, it'll show up.

That have the 302, which is green in stock, for just a few dollars more, but I wanted the sky blue one.

[A Smug Dill]

  On 2/12/2019 at 7:23 PM, shawnee said:

There are 3 sizes whether you're talking 1911 or progear: standard (also called mid-sized and designated with an 'M' in the US), large and then King of pen size, right?

Size	Product Family
	Profit (aka 1911, in the West)	Professional Gear
Mid-size	Profit (aka 1911 Standard)	Professional Gear Slim
Full-size	Profit21 (aka 1911 Large),Profit REALO (aka 1911 REALO)	Professional Gear,Professional Gear REALO
Oversize	King of Pens(KOP ST, KOP Ebonite,KOP Briar, KOP Urushi, etc.)	Professional Gear KOP

 

  Quote

I got the procolor 500 Uchimizu 'Transparent Blue' in a 'F' nib (It was only $40 and an impulse purchase) and SAILOR Professional Gear Shiki-Oriori Four Season Edition Haruzora with an 'MF' nib.

Nice! Edited February 13, 2019 by A Smug Dill

[shawnee]

So 1911M is “midsize” or standard. The lack of standardized naming conventions across the brand line is highly confusing I have to say. I know it’s because of different markets, but still confusing for a newbie like me.

[A Smug Dill]

  On 2/12/2019 at 4:39 PM, A Smug Dill said:

I saw a new Sailor Profit Black Luster with a ruthenium-plated 21K gold F nib – which is identical to the nib on my Sailor Professional Gear Imperial Black – being listed for ¥22,000 (tax-inclusive), which works out to US$199.

...‹snip›...

So I pulled the trigger and bought the Sailor Profit Black Luster with the F nib instead.

 

The price dropped by just over 10% in less than 12 hours after I placed the order, but when I tried to cancel it (prior to receiving a dispatch notification), I was advised that it was too late in the process and I have to do the whole returns thing.

It took a couple of international calls (and I don't speak Japanese!) to get that resolved, after the parcel courier service collected (or is that received?) and scanned the parcel, and I had a tracking number as reference. Hopefully it's all good now, although I now have another significant charge against my credit card while the original order is getting sorted out by Amazon.

 

There are nine eight eleven more units of this pen (with F and M nibs) available – sold and fulfilled by Amazon.co.jp – when I looked half an hour ago just now.

Edited February 13, 2019 by A Smug Dill

[shawnee]

Man, I hate when price drops happen and that’s a good price on that pen if it’s the one called Imperial Black in the US.

[A Smug Dill]

Imperial Black is actually a full-size Sailor Professional Gear with a (what other manufacturers, such as Aurora, would call) satin black resin body, which is not glossy and highly polished like the finish on the Sailor Profit Black Luster.

 

Both of those pens have the same recommended retail price (at least in Japan).

 

I've had my Pro Gear Imperial Black for almost five years now. Great pen with which to write, although I'm not sure it's 'worth' the price; but then, it's still cheaper than, say, an Aurora Talentum Full Black which has the same sort of 'stealth' look.

Edited February 14, 2019 by A Smug Dill

[shawnee]

On a side note, the Sailor Procolor 500 arrived and I LOVES IT. MY PRECIOUSSSsSssS.

 

Seriously, I shouldve started with Sailor. I love the pencilly feedback and the F nib is just about the right line size for me. Is it worth getting a promenade or go straight to the 1911s?

[A Smug Dill]

Nice handwriting!

 

  On 2/15/2019 at 11:55 AM, shawnee said:

I love the pencilly feedback and the F nib is just about the right line size for me.

I'm glad to hear that! I hope and trust you'll also find the 18K gold MF nib agreeable.

 

  Quote

Is it worth getting a promenade or go straight to the 1911s?

That depends on what you're looking for in a pen, especially if it's something that the Pro Gear Slim Shikiori you've already ordered won't give you:

Product line	Max diameter	Length (capped)	Weight	Nib(s)
Pro Gear Slim Shikiori	17.4mm	124mm	16.8g	14K gold, medium-sized, MF only
Pro Gear Slim	17mm	124mm	16.8g	14K gold, medium-sized, F, M or B
Promenade	17.4mm	136.7mm	18.2g	14K gold, medium-sized, EF, F, MF, M or B
Profit (aka 1911) Standard	17mm	135mm	17.0g	14K or 21K gold, medium-sized, EF, F, MF, M, B, Zoom or Music
Profit21 (aka 1911 Large)	18mm	141mm	21.6g	21K gold, medium-sized, EF, F, MF, M, B, Zoom or Music
Professional Gear	18mm	129mm	21.6g	21K gold, medium-sized, F, M or B

 

Personally I'd recommend looking further afield. If you're in a, "Oh, I love Sailor pens, I want to acquire more of them!" phase, then perhaps look at some of the more interesting finishes such as the Precious Woods line (I had one, but the barrel is too slender for my tastes, in spite of the pen body being nominally thicker than even the Promenade) or the koshu-inden models (which I love but you probably won't because they're hefty).

 

Better yet, I'd say try something else, if you're still exploring. Perhaps an Aurora Ipsilon (with steel nib) or Ipsilon Deluxe (with 14K gold nib). A month ago I could have bought an Ipsilon Deluxe for A$160 delivered to Australia (when combined with something else on the same order), and that's less than the price of Sailor Profit21.

 

Just now I went and wrote with a whole bunch of different pens (to decide whether I'm really so keen on completing my collection of Platinum #3776 briar pens, actually, while I'm getting together a shipment of products to be forwarded to me using a Japanese reshipper), and my Pilot Custom Kaede (Maple)'s 14K gold #10 F nib offered the closest nib-on-paper feel (as well as line width, which of course is ink dependent) to the Sailor ruthenium-plated 21K gold F nib. It has essentially the same form factor as the Pilot Custom 74 (of which I have two, and I don't like them), and the wooden barrel feels great to the touch and is not heavy at all at 17g (then add 4g for a filled CON-70 converter). It (as well as the 21K gold Sailor F nib) offers slightly less 'pencilly' feedback than the 14K gold MF nib on my Sailor koshu-inden, but there is definitely feedback nevertheless, enough to give me precise control when writing. You could probably find one of those at US$160–$170 shipped. Probably worth considering as an alternative to a Sailor 1911 Standard.

Edited February 15, 2019 by A Smug Dill

[shawnee]

Thanks for the further suggestions SmugDill - I'm looking at the Aurora now.

 

I'm using the Sailor 1911M with a F nib and interestingly, I'm not as keen on it as the Sailor Pro Color 500 with the steel 'F' nib, which seemed counter-intuitive to me since I'm not a fan of steel nibs. I have to say that the Pro Color is my pen of choice right now over everything else, which sort of cracks me up since it cost like $40 USD. Don't judge a pen by it's price tag.

 

I'll attach a writing sample later, and the SAILOR Professional Gear Shiki-Oriori Four Season Edition Haruzora with an 'MF' nib showed up yesterday as well. I haven't inked it yet, but was surprised about how much shorter it is because it doesn't have the cigar ends of the 1911. Every day is like an education in this place.

 

shawnee

[A Smug Dill]

I haven't actually used an Aurora Ipsilon (with either steel or gold nib) myself, but I'm very happy with the Aurora Optima 365, two Aurora 88, and the Aurora Talentum I have. The Aurora Alpha isn't bad, either, but mine's 14K gold EF nib writes a bit broader than I like (and broader than the 18K gold EF nibs on the Optima and the 88s. I'm very wary of 'Western' fountain pen brands these days in general, but Aurora is the frontrunner if I'm considering spending (a significant amount of) money on one. Not so Pelikan! Even the relative newcomer brand Leonardo beats Pelikan in my book, steel nib against steel nib or even steel nib (of the former) against gold nib (of the latter), and I think that's a little sad.

[shawnee]

  On 2/21/2019 at 1:23 PM, A Smug Dill said:

I haven't actually used an Aurora Ipsilon (with either steel or gold nib) myself, but I'm very happy with the Aurora Optima 365, two Aurora 88, and the Aurora Talentum I have. The Aurora Alpha isn't bad, either, but mine's 14K gold EF nib writes a bit broader than I like (and broader than the 18K gold EF nibs on the Optima and the 88s. I'm very wary of 'Western' fountain pen brands these days in general, but Aurora is the frontrunner if I'm considering spending (a significant amount of) money on one. Not so Pelikan! Even the relative newcomer brand Leonardo beats Pelikan in my book, steel nib against steel nib or even steel nib (of the former) against gold nib (of the latter), and I think that's a little sad.

 

Having just looked at pricing, I might have to save up. Holy Macaroni. LOL. The Ipsilon is probably the only one within range right now. BUT . . . I have just bought a bunch of used Pilots, Platinums, and Sailors from Japan so I'm hoping that the US Postal Service is gentle and actually delivers them in the next four weeks.

 

My brand new Platinum 3776 with the 'soft nib' showed up with what I'm calling a bent 'ski slope' nib so I'm waiting for the vendor to get back to me. I feel like I return more pens than purchase at the moment.

 

I've got the Sailor Haruzora, 2 Plaisirs, and 2 Parkers to test. And my favorite . . . a $5 Daiso Japan 'Rosso Bianco' fountain pen that I picked up in Japantown in SF last Christmas. I wish I'd picked one up in every color.

 

But I'm keeping my eye on Aurora when my next royalties come in! Plus, I'm going to need some grinds on my MBs 146s. I should've picked a cheaper hobby.

[A Smug Dill]

I have just received six fountain pens (one ordered as far back as last November, and one ordered just ten days ago, and then several in between) this week, and I ordered fourteen (mostly Sailor) pens from Japan yet to be packed into a single shipment for the reshipper to forward to me. I must've lost my marbles.

 

For now, the pen that must have its nib ground at the first reasonable opportunity is the 18K gold F nib on my new Pelikan M815. Compared to the steel EF nib on my Leonardo Momento Zero, which I already think writes too broadly to test my tolerance, the LMZ's nib is a joy to use. Right now the only way I can remotely enjoy using the M815 is by reverse-writing with the nib upside-down.

Edited February 22, 2019 by A Smug Dill

[shawnee]

  On 2/22/2019 at 2:35 AM, A Smug Dill said:

I have just received six fountain pens (one ordered as far back as last November, and one ordered just ten days ago, and then several in between) this week, and I ordered fourteen (mostly Sailor) pens from Japan yet to be packed into a single shipment for the reshipper to forward to me. I must've lost my marbles.

 

For now, the pen that must have its nib ground at the first reasonable opportunity is the 18K gold F nib on my new Pelikan M815. Compared to the steel EF nib on my Leonardo Momento Zero, which I already think writes too broadly to test my tolerance, the LMZ's nib is a joy to use. Right now the only way I can remotely enjoy using the M815 is by reverse-writing with the nib upside-down.

 

I'm sorry, but aren't you the person who told me NOT to focus all my attention on buying Sailor fountain pens? What fourteen pens did you order?

 

Also, I feel your pain on Pelikan. I'm still waiting for my 'EF' nib from La Couronne du Comte for my M600. I think it's my first and last Pelikan purchase if I was to be honest. If I could sell my MB 146s and not make a loss, I'd probably do that, too.

 

Are you able to find a nibmeister in Australia or do you have to send the Pelikan overseas? I can't get over that you have to have a reshipper for all your pens. It seems like such a hassle.

[A Smug Dill]

  On 2/22/2019 at 2:42 AM, shawnee said:

I'm sorry, but aren't you the person who told me NOT to focus all my attention on buying Sailor fountain pens? What fourteen pens did you order?

• 1x Sailor Profit (1911 Large) Black Luster with ruthenium-plated 21K gold F nib

  (I already have the Sailor Pro Gear Imperial Black with the same nib, and I like it)

• 1x Sailor Promenade in black with 14K gold EF nib

  (cheapest pen with a gold EF nib in the 1911 line, just to test out Sailor's EF nibs for myself)

• 2x Sailor ProColor 500 (uchimizu, and stardust)

  (This is where I've lost my mind. I don't need to test how the steel 1911-inscribed nibs compare against Sailor's gold nibs. I blame you!)

• 6x Sailor Profit Junior demonstrators in various colours, all with MF nibs
• (as ink 'tester' pens or possibly random/Christmas gifts – I have three specially engraved Sailor Lecoule pens, which use the same nibs and feeds, and they're OK)
• 1x Sailor desk pen with a steel EF nib

  (to replace the two I have ruined by trying to smooth out the awfully scratchy nibs – and by that I mean they were physically ripping up the coating/surface on the Rhodia paper I normally use, just with my regular very light hand when I write in Chinese. Third time lucky?)

• 1x Pilot ELABO (aka Falcon) with a metal barrel and soft Extra Fine nib

  (cheaper than I can get the 'resin' barrel version of same on either Amazon or eBay)

Ah, and as I've stated elsewhere, I just cannot bloody count. The spreadsheet told me there were 14 entries with 'pen' in the shipment, but two of them are actually Sailor leather pen cases to hold five pens each. I already have one of those, that I ordered from Singapore last year at nearly double the price (but still a good price, compared to other brand-name leather pen cases of that capacity).

 

As for not just focussing on Sailor, I can assure you that Sailor pens are a minority in my personal 'fleet' or 'collection' of fountain pens, even when I take these into account.

 

  Quote

Are you able to find a nibmeister in Australia or do you have to send the Pelikan overseas?

 

Not that I'm aware. There's going to be a Sydney Pen Show in August, and I'm hoping there might be someone there who can do the job. Otherwise I might sell it (unlikely), or eventually give it away to someone in my extended family or social circle who is less picky about pens (but 'deserve' a A$600 gift for the occasion).