Sailor Professional Gear Earth - Review by PENCILED CATALYST
Sailor Pro Gear Earth Slim Fountain Pen Review by https://thepenciledcatalyst.wordpress.com/author/thepenciledcatalyst/
Sailor pens may not be the most exciting in terms of design, but the quality and performance more than compensates for it.
The Sailor Pro Gear Earth Slim is one of the most portable pens Sailor has. (4.9 inches capped) Being made primarily of resin, it is very light. (17 grams) It’s almost identical to a 1911 standard without tapering at the ends. The shorter body and flat-top ends give the pen a chunkier and more serious appearance. The pen is a tad too short to write with comfortably unposted, but posting the cap gives the pen a reasonable length (5.6 inches) and evenly distributes the weight. The cap posts very securely, so you don’t ever have to worry about it falling off.
The pen comes in a clamshell case along with a converter, cartridge, and manual/warranty guide.
The Pro Gear Earth is a special edition that is alike other Pro Gears except it has a slightly transparent brownish-red resin body. Under the right amount of lighting, the material is really stunning. Although I usually prefer rhodium trim, the gold accents pair so well that I actually don’t mind it on this pen.
The threads are very smooth to operate and doesn’t get in the way when gripping the pen. The circumference of the grip section is near perfect for my average size hands, but someone with larger hands may not agree. It takes exactly two rotations to unscrew the cap, and several to unscrew the barrel.
The Pro Gear utilizes a cartridge/converter filling system. The converter holds approx. 0.60 ml. It doesn’t sound like a lot, but an extra-fine nib makes it last a long time. Speaking of extra-fine nibs, I really enjoy writing with this one in particular. It lays down a super precise and fine line. It’s a bit dry, so it’s best to use a highly lubricated ink to help with the flow.
Some EF nibs can be scratchy, but that’s not the case with Sailor. It isn’t smooth by any means, but the feedback it gives is really pleasant. A suitable description would be softly writing with a pencil. You can feel the paper, which allows for better control over your writing. It’s also very responsive; writes with the slightest touch of the paper and never skips a beat.
A feature that may turn some people off is the noise created by the nib. The nib gives lots of feedback already, but the noise accentuates it. Just like how the nib feels like the tip of a pencil, the noise sounds just like a pencil. If you enjoy the sound of a sharp, crisp pencil, you will definitely be pleased by this nib.
On certain papers, the nib might catch on the fibers, but on smooth papers such as Rhodia, the nib performs like a dream.
The Sailor Pro Gear Earth Slim has been a favorite of mine ever since I first inked it up around three months ago. It has the profile of a conventional Japanese pen, but it’s bold colors make it stand out. It excels in every department, and has some minor flaws. (a tad short, nib occasionally digs into the paper, converter holds very little ink)
(Big thanks to Casa Della Stilografica for sending me this pen. All opinions are mine and uninfluenced whatsoever)