Sailor has perfected the art of the limited edition release. Case in point: The 1911 Royal Amethyst, designed in conjunction with Goldspot. It’s one of the prettiest releases I’ve seen since, well, their last release. That’s how much I love these pens.
As great as I find all of Sailor’s fountain pens, I’ll admit it took me a while to come around on the 1911 model. I was a Pro Gear guy, through and through. The smaller Slim size, or the larger Regular (don’t worry, I’ll yell about their naming conventions in a minute,) that was my Sailor. Until one certain 1911 changed me completely.
I didn’t buy the Royal Tangerine on launch. Shocker, I know. It is one of the most on-brand pens ever made, but it was a 1911. I’m a Pro Gear guy, remember?
I hemmed and hawed, but then the opportunity to try one out - from Goldspot, coincidentally - crossed my desk. I said yes, of course, and that one 1911 Standard changed everything I thought about one of Sailors primary product lines.
Ok, time to yell before we move on. Sailor’s naming convention for their two most popular pen designs needs to be synced up. The two smaller, 14k gold nib models are called the Pro Gear Slim and the 1911 Standard. The two larger, 21k gold nib models are called the Pro Gear Regular and the 1911 Large.
The two smaller pens and the two larger pens inhabit the same Sailor pricing spectrum, respectively. So why is a large one called Regular, and a small one called Standard? Your guess is as good as mine. As long as I have been using Sailor fountain pens, I still have to check if I’m using the correct descriptor for the pen I am using. Can we get a petition started for the two small pens to be called Slim, and the two large pens called Large? That would make my life so much easier Sailor!
Rant over - time to tell you why the size and shape of the 1911 Standard works so well for me: It is the perfect every day carry sized fountain pen. It reminds me a lot of the size and shape of the Pelikan 200/400 series of fountain pens. They are small, lightweight pens, but feel substantial and impressive when writing. Sailor’s 14k gold nibs provide a wonderful feel on the page, and the barrel of the pen molds into my hand like it was made for it.
I adore every moment I spend writing with this pen, and I am comfortable taking it anywhere and everywhere with me. The 1911 Standard is my choice of the two smaller Sailor pens, while the Pro Gear Regular is my choice for their larger models.
Knowing I was going to love this pen the moment I unboxed it, my biggest concern was what ink I was going to fill it with? My first thought was Bungubox Imperial Purple, making this pen the Royal Imperial Highness of the Purply Kingdom. I slept on that choice though, and I’m glad I did. As it turns out, Akkerman #28 Hofkwartier Groen is the perfect ink for me, and this pen.
Why? The vibrant purple and gold of this pen invoke the colors of my hometown, Baton Rouge, Louisiana. And February in Louisiana means only one thing: Mardi Gras. With this pen lacking only green to complete the trifecta of colors that represent the season, I knew I had picked the right one.
And the Sailor 1911 Standard is the right one for me. It took me a while to get there, but I’m glad I had the opportunity to have my mind changed.
(Goldspot provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)
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