Join the Pens & Friends Discord server! Here’s an invite link!

I created this server to have an open, welcoming, kind and wholesome place to talk about your pen addiction hobby. Stop by to talk about your pen, inks, and papers, and hopefully make some nice friends on the server! 😀

Also, I made a Redbubble site full of awesome fountain pen related designs! I made the shop to make shirts and accessories you can wear around to show your fountain pen pride! Check it out here.

The Sailor Pro Gear is a pen I just knew I had to have after seeing some photos of that gorgeous two tone nib. It’s one of my 3 favorite looking nibs ever made, along with the Pelikan two tone and Montblanc two tone nibs (photo of them all together here).

Today I have to show for you all the Sailor Pro Gear II Slim, which, to be totally honest, I bought solely because it was the cheapest pen that carried that incredibly sexy Sailor nib.

The Design

This pen is kind of stubby. The “slim” in its name refers to the fact that it is shorter and a bit thinner than the classic Pro Gear. The black resin has a beautiful shine, and the large gold accents all over the pen (including one on the section which I enjoy) really make you feel like you bought a pen that costs more than it does. Making our way up the cap, the cap band is thick and wide, even jutting out a bit from the rest of the cap. The engraving reads “SAILOR JAPAN FOUNDED 1911”. The clip is a smooth sweeping clip topped by an anchor, all sprouting out of the 3rd and final gold band on the cap. At the very top of the cap there is a beautiful gold anchor that reminds me somewhat of Pelikan’s logo on the top of their cap.

The nib’s design is downright beautiful, although I may be slightly biased because two tone nibs are my favorite. The detailed engravings span the entirety of the nib, with a rhodium plated border surrounding text that reads “1911” and “14k Sailor”, with an anchor in the center. Also, Sailor’s nibs seem to have a knack for being incredibly photogenic. It’s honestly pretty difficult to take a bad photo of any Sailor Nib.

The Feel

This pen is nothing too crazy in terms of how it feels. Besides it’s shorter body, this pen is quite average in most aspects of how it feels. Uncapped, the balance is very nice and the pen feels solid while not being very heavy. Although, the Pro Gear Slim’s size makes it difficult to use if you have larger hands, although posted it is quite long while still maintaining it’s very balanced feel. The cap posts very securely, more so than the Pelikan’s cap. The barrel unscrews to reveal gold threads holding in place a Sailor proprietary converter. (Please note: although I have personally never had a problem with Sailor converters, people have complained that they have a quite small ink capacities, and that they have a tendency to fall apart by themselves. To be honest, though, I think that these are relatively rare cases and sailor converters don’t cost much anyways).

Here’s a nice list of some specifications:

Capped Length: 129mm

Uncapped Length: 113mm

Posted Length: 147mm

Section Diameter: 10mm

Max Diameter: 12.7mm

Weight: 16.7g

Overall, this pen is great for people with smaller hands, or average hands when used posted. The materials are quality and the balance is perfect even when posted. Absolutely nothing to complain about.

A writing sample with the medium nib on the Pro Gear, inked up with Waterman Tender Purple

The Writing Experience

Sailor has a reputation for making absolutely top tier nibs in every pen they make, and of course this one is no exception. The 14kt medium nib has some decent softness, providing a nice cushion-y feeling while writing, and the nib has a slight touch of feedback; a defining aspect of many sailor nibs. The flow is moderate, about a 6/10 – perfect for everyday use as even sub-par paper can handle the flow while still being wet enough to remain consistent with every stroke. The medium nib is a bit finer than a western medium, as many Japanese nibs tend to run about one nib size smaller than their western counterparts.

Absolutely everything about this nib is a perfect middle ground. The nib isn’t physically too large, it had just the right touch of feedback, the flow is perfect, etc. When you buy this pen you can expect one that will write in any circumstance, and do it well. If I have come across any nib that qualifies as the perfect workhorse, it is this one.

Concluding Thoughts

The Sailor Pro Gear II Slim is a pen that provides a fantastic writing experience and quality feel for a relatively cheap price if you buy it imported (I got mine for $130 USD). This is a pen for people with average or below average sized hands looking for a great first gold nib. In my opinion, everybody should at least try a Sailor at some point in time, their nibs are seriously a work of art.

Hey! Thanks for reading my blog. If you came from my Instagram, Reddit, or somewhere else, please make sure you check out my social media accounts, and follow them (including this blog) if you haven’t already.

Have any questions/comments/concerns? Ask them in the blog comments below!

Also, click the menu if you want to see what other pens and inks I own, or if you want to read more about me. See you next week!