Sailor
Pens and Ephemera

Sailor Pro Gear Mini fountain pens are the perfect pen for the writer on the go. From small bags to shirt pockets, they fit anywhere. With the threaded tail, the cap screws on securely to make it a full-size pen when writing. Our preowned pen looks almost like new. Minimal wear, if any. You will write an extra-fine line with its 14k gold H-F nib. It is a very firm nib that has feedback, if you write with any pressure. BUT, it is smooth if you don't use any pressure at all. So extra fine, it is more like an accountant's nib. We think it is Sailor proprietary cartridges only. We include a few spares that are older and slightly dried out. 10.5cm capped.

Bespoke Sailor fountain pens are difficult to find. However, Sailor only makes ribbed pens for special custom orders. This is the Sailor Professional Gear Ribbed fountain pen. Stunningly attractive, like the early Waterman 100-Year Pens, this pen has an extra-special feature in its 21k gold nib. (Click the headline for close-ups.) Designed for Japanese Kanji characters, this pen is known as the Naginata Togi MF nib. We aren't sure if Sailor means "Medium-Fine," but we don't think this pen was custom made for Samuel L. Jackson. (If you know, you know.) We find it to write a very nice European/American fine line, which some might find to be a Japanese medium. Minimal wear. Includes a Sailor converter. 12.8cm capped.

Crayola calls this color "Sea Green." And we will stick by our favorite crayons on this Sailor F Mini Fountain Pen. The neat thing about these unusual looking pens is that the oversized cap doubles as a pen extender. The pen is both compact in your breast pocket or briefcase and full length when writing. Unscrew the tiny tail cap to reveal a tiny aerometric filler that still works well. You will write a dry, extra-fine line with its 14k gold nib. Light wear from use. Click the headline for close-ups. 11.2cm capped.

All mysteries are revealed with a good demonstrator pen. This Sailor 1911 leaves little to the imagination. It is really fun to write with and fill. The fact that it has an M-S ("music") nib made of 14k gold could make this your very favorite preowned pen. In truth, we find this nib to be buttery smooth, but it writes more like a double broad. Its thick tipping does not give it a ton of line variation. Our luxury pen has minimal wear and there are only a couple traces of blue ink trapped in the inner cap. 13.5cm capped.

There's a Van Gogh "Starry Night" quality to this Sailor 1911 fountain pen in a lapis-like blue. It looks to be almost new, but we know it has been used, as we flushed some old ink out. A Sailor converter is included. Click the headline for close-ups. You will see its 14k gold nib is marked "H-M" for hard medium...no flex. As it is a Japanese nib, it writes finer than an American or European medium nib. There is a little feedback from the rigidity. 14cm capped.

Quite possibly the best daily driver fountain pens out of Japan, the Sailor 1911 is a must have for most all fountain pen enthusiasts. Also extremely popular are the demonstrator model. This green Sailor 1911 demonstrator looks about as close to new as a pre-owned pen can look. Best of all, it comes with its original boxes and a leather carrying pouch! Click the headline to see the close-up of the nib. It is marked H-M. This means it is a "hard" (firm) medium writer. It is a Japanese medium, which means it is closer to a European or American fine. We also find it to be a dry writer that sounds and feels a little scratchy as it writes. 13.5cm capped.