Sailor 11-3059-301 Fountain Pen, Four Seasons Weave, Rain Sound, Spring Rain, Medium Point

This is my first gold nib Sailor fountain pen, and it's a model I had been lusting after for over a year. The pen's body is a light green pastel color with purple and gold finials and highlights and it's a color combination that is simply stunning. Most of my gold nib pens are Pilot, which is known for their smooth, almost springy nibs. But i had heard of the legendary Sailor "pencil-like" feedback and was very curious about it, because I've been craving pens with more feedback recently. This Pro Gear Slim pen has a 21k gold nib in a Medium Fine (MF) and it's incredibly smooth yet very stiff, and is definitely a pencil-like feedback, which is absolutely lovely. Part of the smoothness comes from the ink. When I first got the pen, I immediately wanted to "color match" my ink with it, so chose Vinta Mermaid Green "Sirena", which is a multi-chromatic shading ink. And while the ink color matches the pen's body beautifully (see attached pix)...the ink itself is very dry and so made the writing experience equally as dry and not so good. However, when I switched to Sailor Manyo Akebi ink, which is very lubricated and incredibly vibrant color, it totally changed the writing experience, making it smooth and lovely and a joy to write. The pen was a little smaller than I had anticipated, so you would almost always write with the cap posted, which isn't a problem, because it fits perfectly and feels good in the hand. My only complaint with the pen is how small the finger grip...if it was a tiny bit longer, it would be perfect. But as it is, my fingers have to adjust slightly as my normal way of holding a pen puts my fingers on the threading. But overall, I really love this pen. It looks beautiful and with the right ink it is an amazing writing experience.

The sailor nib buzz is real. Their nib is just wonderful to write with. It isn’t scratchy and doesn’t skip. There is just enough feedback to feel connected to the paper, but not enough to be irritatingly rough feeling. A joy to write with. Has that high quality butter smooth feel when writing. It is postable, but doesn’t have a snug grip on the pen. Comes with 2 cartridges of black ink. It does not come with a converter. You will need to buy that separately. Their converters are not standard, so you will have to buy the Sailor brand. Not expensive so that isn’t a problem. Or you can clean out the cartridge and fill it with the ink of your choice using a syringe. Check out the Sailor ink cartridge set - it comes with 4 colors of 3 cartridges each color. And each color comes with a little case to carry those cartridges in your pen case on the go! The pen is a REAL Sailor and comes with all paperwork and box, and everything is in Japanese, as this is coming to you from Japan. Shipping is fast, but it is NOT overnight.

A little background: I've dabbled in calligraphy for years, but am new-ish to the world of fountain pens. I have been obsessively researching them recently, so probably know just enough to be dangerous! Lol. Hmph. This pen. I wanted to fall in love with this pen. The body of the pen is absolutely gorgeous. Love the pale green that almost seems to glow with purple accents. Unposted, for my medium-sized women's hands, it is a bit small to the point that I wouldn't write with it unposted for any longer amount of time. Posted it's a perfect size and nice weight. The nib. 'Tis a thing of beauty to behold, but in terms of performance, this is where it counts, and unfortunately this Sailor for it's price point did not deliver up to my expectations. Firstly, the ink flow does not seem to keep up, even with slower writing. I might be willing to give more of a benefit of a doubt with an ink by another brand, but I used Sailor Ink Studio No. 162, so this ink *should* be optimized for this nib. To me, it's unacceptable that the amount of ink delivered is uneven for a $200+ pen. It is not night and day dramatic, but it is noticeable. I didn't pay $200 to have this problem. Second, the feedback is a bit aggressive for a 21k gold nib. I thought it would be smoother. I was aware of the Sailor tendency to have feedback and that some people seek this out, but this amount of feedback seems a bit too much to be delightful. I have a much cheaper Sailor Profit Jr. +10 with fude nib and the feedback on that one is just right. Go figure the cheaper pen was what I wanted and needed! I admit I have not tried any other Sailor Fine or Medium nibs, so that is my only point of reference for the feedback. Where this pen ironically shines is with sketching. Super fine &/or erratic lines with rapid movements seemed to resolve some of the flow issues (wuuut?!!!). So I may very well keep this as a sketching pen. Sadly, I don't think this will ever be my favorite pen. Far from it. The experience of writing with it is not all that pleasant. To do due diligence, I might try a different ink in it to make sure my impressions aren't an ink-related issue. If/when I do that, I will try to update my review. I might take it to be looked at by a nibsmith, as I doubt I can get a return having inked and used it. I bought this pen out of pocket and am doing a review out of a desire to help people find just the right pen for what they're looking for, especially these higher price point ones. Bottom line: pen might be okay for a sketching pen, though I think there are probably better ones out there. I would NEVER choose this for my daily writer--it's simply too scratchy and uncomfortable to write with.

I went back and forth about ordering this pen - so pretty! But a higher price range than I usually spend. I am SO GLAD I got it. The pen is very small - not even the length of my hand when posted. But I don't mind that, it still feels good in my hand when I write. The purple on the ends is translucent and sparkly. The nib is 21K. While it states the nib is Medium, like other Sailor pens I have, it runs more fine. Getting the Medium gives me the exact writing experience I want. Smooth writing with a touch of feedback. I plan to use this every day. If you are not sure you want to get this, I say go for it if you want a very demure, very mindful, pretty pen that writes really well.

This is a smaller pen that extends to a fairly regular size once posted. It's definitely comfortable for a person with smaller hands like me. The medium gold Nib is gorgeous, but as with all Japanese pens, expect it to be on the finer side vs its European counterparts. Sailor pens are known for their feedback when writing, and that's what many of us like about them. Shipping was fast. I would definitely purchase from this seller again.