FP Review: Classic Fountain Pens 20th Anniversary Sailor Pro Gear Realo Red and Black Limited Edition fountain pen

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

The photographs on the Classic Pens web page (Nibs.com) are good; but ultimately the photographic experience of this pen is akin to the difference between seeing a photograph of a masterpiece and then seeing the real thing!  

This photo is mine (and taken with my iPhone)  - less master more piece.

Ooo look, an ink window! Wow, I didn’t know it was going to come in this lovely balsa-wood box!  My goodness I’m good at making rash decisions that justify themselves !

9/10

APPEARANCE AND DESIGN

My goodness I’m good!! (did I say that already!)

I was attracted to Classic Fountain Pens 20th Anniversary Sailor Pro Gear Realo Red and Black Limited Edition fountain pen (whew! That’s a mouthful!) when I first saw it mentioned (with a copy of the Nibs.com photograph) on FPGeeks (thanks Dan especially). Here was a clear partner to my Montblanc Hemingway for a fraction of the price!  A quick view on Nibs.com and I was hooked and an order placed.

This Pen is a limited edition of 88 – nicely highlighted in an understated way on the piston knob on the bottom of the barrel.

It was produced to commemorate the 20^th anniversary of Classic Fountain Pens, which it nicely proclaims in the gold band across the bottom of the black cap. 

In full the engraving says “20 Years CFP Nibs.com”.

The design of this pen was a collaboration between Classic Fountain Pens in Los Angeles and Sailor's pen designers in Hirosh

ima. Thank you all; please come again!

Interestingly, the nibs.com sight refers to the colour of the barrel as “red and black”.  If this is red, then there are a lot of orange boys out there who are delivering the wrong coloured fruit to their respective sports teams! 

Even compared to the Montblanc Hemingway (which describes itself as ‘coral red’, but is an orangey-red to me), the Classic Fountain Pens 20th Anniversary Sailor Pro Gear Realo Red and Black Limited Edition is a lighter colour that, honestly, is at best an even more orangey-red! That being said, I don’t really like red pens and I like orange pens – so, name aside, the colour is a plus for me! 

Posted or unposted, the look still works.  Similar to the Hemingway and the Delta Dolce Vita, the orange (red) and black work in wonderful contrast; and the gold trims on the black look both subtle and effective.

This pen, like the Hemingway, has an ink view window just under the cap (or, if you prefer, at the top of the barrel). This ink window is beautifully highlighted at top and bottom by a thin gold band that complements the larger gold band of the cap when closed, and the thin gold band at the base of the section when uncapped. Clever, subtle and in keeping with the harmony of the design.

The section is black, the threads for the cap, nice and flat (no problems for holding) and the tapering of the section is very comfortable to hold.  Posted, (which I deal with in the next section) the black of the cap again contrasts beautifully with the orange of barrel and black of the section.

The clip, in keeping with the rest of the accessories on the pen, is gold and uses the standard Sailor clip – solid, simple and effective. Once again, the gold clip against the black of the cap, marks a wonderful contrast.

If I were comparing this pen to the Hemingway, which it’s hard not to do, you can see that both pens look very similar in length.

You can see two things here: Capped, both pens are about the same size (infact the Sailor is very marginally longer!); and who really is going to call the Sailor "red" when even next to the so-called coral-red of the Montblanc, the Sailor has a definite orange glow!

When posted however, the Hemingway becomes a bigger pen (not just because of the larger nib), and has less tapering at the piston knob end  - which I prefer.

The Sailor piston knob is on the left, the Montblanc on the right.

My only other issue with the whole pen (apart from the length of the name) would be that unposted I find the Classic Fountain Pens 20th Anniversary Sailor Pro Gear Realo Red and Black Limited Edition fountain pen a touch short for my hands. Luckily, posted it’s a dream.

There is one other slightly nagging issue keeping this pen from getting a higher mark in this category and that is that ultimately, the Sailor fits a little in the category of the latest VW Beetle or Fiat 500: very nice designs, well put together but ultimately derivative.

8/10

WEIGHT AND DIMENSIONS

The Nibs.com site tells me that this pen is 21 grams.  What that means is that the Classic Fountain Pens 20th Anniversary Sailor Pro Gear Realo Red and Black Limited Edition is a relatively light pen.

Unposted, this pen is a touch too light for me. Posted however, the weight is about perfect. From the tip of the nib to the bottom of the piston, I measured a length of about 11.75cm long unposted, and 1.3cm wide at its broadest point (somewhere in the centre of the barrel). Posted, the length increases to roughly 14.8cm. For me, the balance, length and weight when posted work just perfectly.  For the record, with the cap on, I measure the pen at 13.3cms; and the cap, being wider than the barrel, measures around 1.5cm at its broadest point.

8.5/10

NIB AND PERFORMANCE

The nib for the Classic Fountain Pens 20th Anniversary Sailor Pro Gear Realo Red and Black Limited Edition fountain pen is a solid gold 21K Sailor H-B nib that I had John Mottishaw modify to a Cursive Italic.  

Sailor nibs are amongst the best out there both for performance and for looks; and this nib is no exception to that rule. No problems out of the box, this nib just asked to be taken for lengthy outings. Although it is not a very flexible nib, there is a little give in the nib and it displays nice line variation by virtue of the cursive italic grind.

9/10

This was a little difficult to film as I had to hold the phone in one hand and write with the other. The paper therefore moves a little, but you get the idea - even in this environment, a good writer! By the way, the conclusion of this quote is: "Ball-point pens are only good for filling out forms on a plane"!

FILLING SYSTEM

Piston of course – don’t talk to me about any other. Smooth, effective, good capacity and you can see it working through the ink-view window. Excellent (yes, the Hemingway has the ink window too).

10/10

COST AND VALUE

Only 88 Classic Fountain Pens 20th Anniversary Sailor Pro Gear Realo Red and Black Limited Edition fountain pens have been produced world-wide. That is not very many. The pen is attractive, a good writer, is a piston filler and comes with an excellent nib . With all this behind it you would expect a big price tag. Well, this is not a cheap pen by any means; but at roughly one quarter of the price of the Montblanc Hemingway the Classic Fountain Pens 20th Anniversary Sailor Pro Gear Realo Red and Black Limited Edition fountain pen offers great value, for a high quality pen.

9/10

CONCLUSION

89/100

Legend:

• 0-50    = to be avoided at all costs
• 51-60  = if it’s cheap and you don’t really care….
• 61-70  = a nice pen with the makings of something better (just don’t spend too much)
• 71-80  = A better than average pen with just a few flaws that stop it from being really good
• 81-90  = A good pen, a keeper only a few minor places off being great
• 91-95  = Now THIS is a pen! If you can get it: keep it, love it, cherish it, and keep it away from the dog
• 96-100= Grail!