Body material: Plastic
Trim: Metal
Cap: Screw on
Posts: Yes, friction
Filling system: Sailor proprietary cartridge/converter
Nib: 14kt gold
Length (capped): 134.72 mm/5.30"
Length (uncapped): 117.33 mm/4.61"
Length (posted): 148.41 mm/5.84"
Length (section): 17.55 mm/0.69"
Diameter (barrel): 8.44 - 12.28 mm/0.33" - 0.48"
Diameter (section): 9.95 - 10.61 mm/0.39" - 0.41"
Weight (all): 21 g
Weight (cap): 7.5 g
Weight (body): 14.5 g
Price: $196.00USD
Where to buy: Goldspot Pens
PACKAGING
The Sailor 1911 fountain pen has straightforward packaging. There is the classic blue hard case box with the Sailor logo printed on the top in gold lettering. Inside the blue box, the pen is held in place by an elastic and ribbon on a felt bed. The bed is removable. There is also a cartridge, a converter, as well as a little pamphlet about the Sailor Pen Co. and your pen. Little wasted space with this packaging. It's plain packaging, but I don't feel bad about not keeping it. It also doesn't seem (depending on how you feel about packaging at all) too wasteful. It's not my favorite packaging though.
APPEARANCE
The Sailor 1911Standard/Regular fountain pen is the smaller of the two 1911 sizes. It is a torpedo-shaped pen with rhodium-plated trim. The center band is wide and is engraved with Sailor Japan Founded 1911. The finial is unmarked. The clip is plain, coming to a rounded off end. It has no branding on it, so it isn't particularly unique. Near the end of the cap, there is a raised center band and a thinner, flat band just a small space above it. The larger band is engraved with: Sailor Japan Founded 1911. The section is round and tapers ever so slightly towards the nib, and ends in a flared ridge. The cap threads at the back of the section are the same color as the pen so they blend in. The Key Lime color is a metallic lime green and while I would have preferred a matte green, I still love the bright, happy color!
NIB & PERFORMANCE
The music stub nib is a single tone 14kt nib. It has a single slit, a round breather hole, and is engraved with: 1911, 21K, 875, Sailor and MS on the side, the Sailor anchor and some flourishes. This nib is the perfect factory nib for "fun" handwriting and hand lettering, and it ranks highly with my other favorite, the Zoom. This music stub is the crispest and precise one I have ever received from Sailor. Ink flow is moderate, drying times are pretty fast, and it's well tuned and adjusted. It's so much fun to create sharper letters and is a lot of fun for calligraphy practice. It feels good and I love seeing the letters that come out of this nib!
As I have said before; of the standard nib selection, my favorite nibs are the Music and Zoom nib - they offer the most variation and feel the best for my writing preferences.
The cartridge/converter system works without issue, as usual. Not a huge ink capacity from the cartridge but I don't mind as I like to change my ink colors and it reduces the chances of the ink drying out before I use it up.
IN HAND
The clip has moderate tension - it can be lifted but it is snug - quite practical. It has a reasonable length so it will clip on safely to papers/pockets.
The section is small but comfortable - no sharp ridges or anything. The cap threads themselves are a bit sharp but they are well out of my grip space. If you have large fingers, they might get in your way, but even so, it's not too sharp. They're not so bad that I wouldn't want to use the pen.
I think this is a comfortable pen in hand - it's extremely comfortable, great weight, great balance. It writes well unposted if you have smaller hands but it's great when posted because it posts deeply and comfortably. Writing for extended sessions is no problem. If you have larger hands, you'll likely prefer the 1911 Large size as it can be used unposted as well as posted. If you prefer the 1911 Standard, then using it posted might be ideal. I prefer the Large size in general but I can easily use the 1911S.
Top to bottom: Laban Ocean, Sailor 1911 Large, Sailor Professional Gear, Sailor 1911 Standard, Sailor Professional Gear Slim/Sapporo, Faggionato Pétrarque Le Majestic.
PROS & CONS
OVERALL
I am biased. I am a fan of Sailor. Sailor pens are solid. I love them and think they produce some great stuff. Some people have objections about the little converters but to be honest, I kind of like it because it means I get to change my inks around more. They're simple but comfortable pens with really nice nibs, available in a heck of a lot of colors and a couple models - there's surely something to please everyone. I love them. It's fairly expensive but I am not looking for the best value fountain pen here, I wanted it because it's fun and I like the color and model and writing experience!
A music stub nib is a great option if you want something fun but not too wacky! It is not inexpensive but I think they're worth the writing experience and I feel comfortable recommending them to friends. I think it's great as is and is one of the most fun factory nibs available. Not only is it fun for hand lettering, calligraphy, and general fun, it's an excellent daily user.
I received this item free of charge for the purposes of this review. I was not compensated monetarily for my review. Everything you've read here is my own opinion.
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