Posts filed under Sailor

Sailor Jentle Uca Arcuata Fiddler Crab Green Ink: A Review

(Susan M. Pigott is a fountain pen collector, pen and paperholic, photographer, and professor. You can find more from Susan on her blog Scribalishess.)

I must admit, this has to be one of the most unusual ink colors I've reviewed. When I opened the bottle, my first thought was that the color looked like something from a festering pond.

I had no idea what it was supposed to be, and the name on the ink bottle, Uca Arcuata, didn't exactly reveal anything. So, I did some Googling and discovered that this ink is part of a bespoke collection made for the Kingdom Note Store based on various crustaceans. These inks include Zarigani blue, coconut crab brown, giant spider crab red, tiger prawn brown and Uca Arcuata (Fiddler Crab Green) which is currently sold out.

I've never seen an actual Fiddler Crab, but the ink color certainly looks like the color from the Fiddler Crab illustration on the box.

Still, I wouldn't call this color "green" at all. Maybe the color varies a bit from bottle to bottle since it's a specially formulated ink, but to me the color is yellow-brown, not green. Of course, Sailor can name their inks whatever they want, so if they want this to be green, who am I to argue?

Like all Sailor inks, this one has a distinctive odor to it due to the preservative phenol. It's not an unpleasant odor, just noticeable. And it keeps the ink from getting moldy, although I'm not sure mold would affect this color much.

The bottle comes with a built-in ink miser. Just turn the bottle upside down (cap on, of course) so the ink collects in the inner ink well, then turn it over and fill your pen. I usually remove the ink miser because I feel like it gets in the way of filling bigger pens. But, when ink runs low, it can be helpful.

The ink flows well and is even a bit wet. It exhibits nice shading qualities, but as far as I can tell, it has no sheen. It is also not waterproof.

The central question is, why would anyone use this color for writing? I can see it as a color for sketching, but for writing? I'm not sure. It's not a color that appeals to me, at least not yet. Maybe, in the fall when I want a color that matches the fallen leaves in Abilene (a drab yellow). . . .

Still, Uca Arcuata is quite similar to an ink I do love: Iroshizuku Ina-Ho. When placed next to one another, Ina-Ho actually seems to have more green than Uca Arcuata. But on its own, Ina-Ho comes across like a gold ink, whereas Uca Arcuata seems more brown.

I suspect both these colors are acquired tastes, sort of like Brussels Sprouts. I do enjoy breaking out of my blue ink rut, so I suspect that I will use Uca Arcuata from time to time. It might look especially nice on Tomoe River paper. I'm teaching a Harry Potter class this fall at my university, so Uca Arcuata might be just the thing to write acceptance letters to my aspiring wizards. Though, clearly, I need to work on my wax seals.

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Posted on July 8, 2016 by Susan Pigott and filed under Sailor, Kingdom Note, Ink Reviews.

Sailor HighAce Neo Clear Fountain Pen Review

In the conversations I have around beginner fountain pens, the Sailor HighAce Neo usually gets left out. Rightfully so, which I will elaborate on as we go, but that doesn’t mean this isn’t a fun pen to use and great in the right situation.

The HighAce Neo has been around for years, even warranting a couple of guest reviews on this very blog. I enjoyed the orange model myself when it first became available. Two clear barrel models are now available, with the black cap version the one in my hands for review.

You will notice immediately when picking up the HighAce Neo how light it is. The plastic barrel is no frills, with an ice-type finish and a smoke grey section. The black aluminum cap lends to the lightness. Put this pen in a pocket or a bag and you will forget it is there. That is good, but could end up bad if it makes a trip through the washing machine.

The nib is what makes this pen a consideration. I’ve had bad luck with the fine steel nibs found on Sailor’s other entry level pen, the Clear Candy, but every HighAce Neo I have used has been perfect. The nib is firm without being a nail, and as smooth as you would hope a fine Japanese nib would be. The line output is clean and sharp.

While there is no real problem with the pen on its own, it happens to play in an increasingly crowded field. For a time, the Platinum Preppy was its only competition, and a far superior one at that at a fraction of the cost. More recently, the Pilot Metropolitan came in and is dominating the beginner fountain pen market with its combination of price, style, and performance. It’s almost impossible to beat as a first fountain pen.

So where does that leave the HighAce Neo? Sailor has its fans, and for those who need a cheap, portable way to use their waterproof Nano Black and Blue Black inks, then this is your choice. Many people swear by this ink, and this is a way to take it on the road when heading out to write or sketch.

If you want the best beginner fountain pen, choose the Pilot Metropolitan. If you are a fan of Sailor and their ink cartridges then you may find the HighAce Neo a pleasant surprise.

(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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Posted on July 5, 2016 by Brad Dowdy and filed under Sailor, Fountain Pens, Pen Reviews.

Fantastic Nibs and Where to Find Them

(Susan M. Pigott is a fountain pen collector, pen and paperholic, photographer, and professor. You can find more from Susan on her blog Scribalishess.)

All fountain pen aficionados know that the soul of a pen is its nib. No matter how beautiful the body of the pen is, if it doesn't write well, it loses its purpose in life. I've chosen some of my favorite nibs and why they are, in my view, fantastic. With one exception, all the nibs below are factory nibs that worked perfectly straight out of the box. Although I own spectacular nibs ground by nibmeisters, I wanted to focus on nibs that anyone can buy without special grinding.

Pilot Metropolitan Fine

Many people say that the Pilot Metropolitan is the gateway pen to fountain pen addiction. I have to agree. The nib is steel but smooth and uncomplicated. I've bought three Pilot Metropolitan Retro Pops, and all three write consistently well.

The turquoise Retro Pop is my all-time favorite grading nib coupled with Diamine Marine (less scary than red). Smooth, perfect flow and $15.00–what is not to love? You can find these pens with their stellar nibs at many vendors, including JetPens.

Lamy 2000 Makrolon Fine

I got my Lamy 2000 through Massdrop, and, unfortunately, the original nib was awful. One of the tines was longer than the other and the pen was unusable.

But, because Massdrop is an authorized dealer, Lamy changed out the bad nib for a good one at no charge, and now this is one of my favorite writers. Lamy 2000s can be found at JetPens, Goldspot, Goulet, and, occasionally, Massdrop.

Franklin-Christoph Marietta with a Gold Masuyama Medium Italic

I love Franklin-Christoph fountain pens. I would buy one of each if I could. The best part is you can get a pre-ground nib by nibmeister par excellence Mike Masuyama, without having to stand in a long line at a pen show or get in his business queue (which is months long).

*Franklin-Christoph 18K Gold Medium Cursive Italic Nib*

This is one of my favorite writing pens. I opted for the gold Medium italic and it is just terrific–no scratchiness, just beautiful, precise lines. You can get Masuyama nibs on virtually any Franklin-Christoph model.

Pilot Custom Heritage 912 with FA Nib

I reviewed this pen a few months back on Pen Addict. As I said in that review, there's nothing really remarkable about the pen itself since it's a typical black pen.

Nevertheless, what makes this pen stand out is the FA nib. The FA nib has wing cut outs on the nib that allow the pen to flex, giving you an almost-but-not-quite vintage flex experience. I bought my Pilot Custom 912 on Amazon, but you can also find them at Goldspot and Goulet.

Pilot Custom Heritage 823 Medium

The Pilot Custom 823 is one of those pens that almost everyone adores. Its vacuum filling system, size, and simple beauty are all a testament to the pen's popularity. But the thing that sets it apart from all the other cigar-shaped fountain pens is its huge, gorgeous nib. I love this nib.

Here's the key, though. If you want a smooth writing experience with the 823 nib, I recommend you go with a medium (or larger) nib. With extra fine or fine nibs you may wind up with something scratchy that digs into the paper. It's not that Pilot extra-fine or fine nibs are bad, but they are much finer than Western pens and the medium nib on my 823 writes like a true fine–one of the smoothest fine nibs I own. Goldspot and Goulet carry these pens as do many other vendors.

Graf von Faber Castell Intuition Terra Cotta Oblique Medium

In order to get a factory oblique medium nib, I had to purchase this nib from Martini Auctions (no American vendors stock these nibs). The price for the pen was definitely competitive (less than some American vendors without the OM nib), so I didn't mind the fact that it took a little longer to obtain from overseas.

*Graf von Faber Castell Oblique Medium Nib*

It has a nice crisp line but none of the strict positioning that can come with a cursive italic nib. I like obliques since I tend to hold my pens at an angle. The Graf von Faber Castell Intuition in Terra is difficult to find these days, but you can get other models. I'd suggest Martini Auctions if you're interested in nibs other than the standard medium.

Sailor Cross Concord

I reviewed this nib a couple of months ago along with the Sailor Cross Point. The Concord is definitely my favorite of the two because its standard position writes like a normal fine nib. But if you want some swishy, fat goodness, you just flip the pen over and glide away.

Sailor Specialty nibs are expensive and right now are difficult to obtain. You can order them from nibs.com and now from Anderson Pens.

Omas Ogiva Factory Italic

This is the smoothest italic I've ever used. I don't know if it is just a medium or broad nib whose tip was chopped off (it certainly doesn't seem to have tipping), but that seems to be the case (see the discussion on FPN here and here).

Regardless, it writes as smoothly as Ella Fitzgerald singing "Summertime." Sadly, since Omas is now out of business, it's much more difficult to purchase any of their pens, especially those with special nibs. Keep an eye out for sales on FPN and other Internet sites.

Montblanc Heritage 1912 Fine

This nib isn't huge and it isn't ornate, but it writes beautifully. Of course, you wind up paying a premium for the pen, not because of the nib, but because of the safety pen mechanism and the Montblanc name.

I love the retro-feel of this pen (see my review here). It's substantial and heavy (the barrel is made of metal), but the nib has a vintage spring to it that makes it a joy to write with. I bought my Montblanc Heritage 1912 from a seller on FPN. It's available through Montblanc and occasionally other online vendors.

Pelikan M400 White Tortoise with Factory OBB Nib

Although I prefer the M600 size Pelikans, I bought this beauty from Rick Propas. It was part of a collection he was selling and came with a factory OBB nib at an unbelievable price. It is a spectacular writer, inked with Pelikan Edelstein Amber (the only pen lucky enough to warrant that ink).

It's getting more and more difficult to find Pelikans with italic or oblique nibs, especially the BB and BBB size, so you either have to buy vintage or seek out vendors that have these nibs in stock. Expect to pay a hefty amount for one of these Pelikan nibs. Classic Fountain Pens is one source for special-sized Pelikan nibs. You can also contact Rick Propas to see what he has in stock.

Nibs can be hit or miss depending on the fountain pen brand. I've had bad luck with Visconti and Kaweco nibs. I've read several discussions about the lack of size consistency of Pelikan nibs. Lamy nibs tend to get rave reviews or the exact opposite, which I'm sure is a quality control problem. I've even read reviews of bad Nakaya nibs–something I never thought possible.

The reality is that nibs don't always write well straight out of the box. Every user's experience may vary. It's always possible that you will get a poorly aligned nib, or a feed that doesn't offer enough flow for a particular nib, or tines that are different sizes, or a nib that is just plain scratchy. That's why it's always good to read return and exchange policies for fountain pens. When you buy from individual sellers rather than vendors, you may not get a refund if the nib is not to your liking. So, as one of my pen friends wisely suggested, if you buy a used pen, factor in the cost of a nibmeister along with the cost of the pen.