Help me choose my next pen (Sailor?)

[mongrelnomad]

On 11/10/2024 at 5:24 PM, a student said:

There is a Sailor saibi togi nib that is XXF. I never tried it, notwithstanding the shop's insistence that I do so, for fear of scratching the paper and damaging the nib- because the nib tip seemed pinpoint sharp

I have one. I call it the page-ripper. 

[a student]

3 hours ago, mongrelnomad said:

I have one. I call it the page-ripper. 

For good reason indeed

[SpencerianDream]

I’ve practiced a bit more with my EF 1911L and I find I can control it pretty well now. I also bought a Sailor PGS Shikiori “Dragon Palace” with a 14k medium-fine nib. To keep

some consistency I inked it with Pelikan 4001 BB. 
 

First impressions: this pen is small. Not crazy small (most of the world writes with a bic ballpoint after all) but small compared to today’s statement piece fountain pens. Now, my grip doesn’t really care how long the pen is, because I’m not letting the pen rest in the web of my thumb and forefinger, but rather holding it a bit more vertical. So it’s academic for me, but I imagine for some this would be on the short side. Especially if you don’t post. Now, I personally love to post, so again… academic, but it’s undeniably a smallish pen with a smallish nib. Build quality seems nice. I like the subtle glitter in the pale green resin. It makes it fun. 

The nib is interesting. It’s like the feedback of the 21k EF taken up three notches. Less sound but more physical resistance. Which is what I like. I want the pen to give me that resistance so I can move it deliberately where I want. It tracks really nicely. This is a trade off though. It does not exactly write “easily.” It feels like you have to move the pen very deliberately and this is unusual for a fountain pen. It almost feels like work. This nib seems to like cheaper or more textured paper. On Tomoe River looseleaf you have to press hard enough that it risks sliding your paper on the table. It also starts a little hard on the thin paper; I didn’t notice this on a freebie notebook from the office. On nicer paper it IS harder to notice any difference in line width. The FEEL is notably different but the line doesn’t appear that dissimilar. On lesser paper though I’d say there is a distinct difference. 

 

This one seems to shine as an everyday pen. Light and easy to carry, not so expensive compared to some that you’d be heartbroken if it was damaged or lost. Pretty subtle compared to a big black fountain pen with a big gold nib that screams “I’m very serious” but still not out of place in any office environment. Seems more or less controllable, happy, and well-performing with most paper one is likely to encounter.  I’d like to experiment with some different inks here also. 
 

 

 

 

[Lithium466]

Your description of 21K "large" vs 14K "medium" nibs in EF pretty much matches my experience.
I don't care much for feedback, and I have to say I'm kind of impressed you went for Pelikan 4001 BB in that pen and actually kept that fill!
Sailor's own inks typically work very well in mine (of course you're going to say, and I haven't tried them all), otherwise if you like blue black and IG (sort of) inks, there is Platinum blue-black that is also a good match.

 

I only have one 1911S in EF, so that's only a sample of one, but my own conclusion was that it was nothing special nib wise, compared to the Large which feels delicate and precise at the same time...but in the end, I'm grabbing my Platinum President EF more often.