Sailer 1911 F Nib Pictures

Since this blog is still visited quite frequently because of the Sailer 1911 pictures I decided to upload some of the older pictures I found. I still enjoy writing with the pen and though my interest in fountain pens was waned somewhat, the 1911 is still my favourite writing instrument.

Enjoy.

 

New blog name, updates to come

So, a new start and a new blog name that suits the subject I'm blogging about much better.

I've been quite busy with my thesis, but I'm planning on updating my blog more frequently in the (near) future discussing using a chopstick holder as a pen pillow, several Diamine inks (chocolate brown, oxblood and Imperial Purple) and at least one of my other Waterman pens. Also, some new pictures of the Sailor 1911 are coming up soon.

Waterman Carene

Waterman Carène

F nib / 18kt

Lacquered brass / Marine Amber

Length 14.4cms capped / Weight 34g

So another fountain pen, this time it's one that has been on my list for quite some time, the Waterman Carène. When I bought my first expensive fountain pen, the Waterman Perspective (I had a Cross ATX m nib as my first fountainpen, sold it some time ago) I already knew I would one day buy a Carène. The inlaid nib was just something I knew I had to have if I would one day I would spend another substantial amount of money on a (fountain) pen. What I did not know back then (which by the way is just over a year ago) is that I was going to be a collecter of fountain pens in the time to come and I would buy four other Watermans first.

The Waterman Carène is a real eye-catcher, that's for sure. The colour of the one I have is referred to as 'Marine Amber', which sort of looks like marble, but on the Carène it is more faded than for example on the Laureat (red marble). The fading makes the finish more subtle than of the Laureat, which  gives the Carène a sense class that suits a pen that is (probably) aimed at the business market. The shine is to die for and exactly what they my attention to this colour for the pen. Gold toned trims are the logical choice to go with the 'Marine Amber' and the people at Waterman made no errors here.

To my hands and in comparison to other Waterman pens I own The Carène is a rather heavy, long and fairly thick pen. If definitely feels like it's made for people who have bigger hands, which is probably why it felt like a was going to write with a marker when I picked it up to write for the first time. While my Perspective is heavier and my Exclusive (with the cap on the barrel) is longer, the combination of the thickness of the barrel, the weight and the length of the pen makes the Carène feel a bit oversized for my small hands. Not a major point now that I own the pen, but if I'd tested it before I bought it, it would have made me doubt slightly. The Carène has a long nib section, which is as streamlined as the rest of the pen, with of course the inlaid nib as the cherry on top. As with all my other Watermans the overall the built quality is excellent, the pen feels very solid and probably will last for many years.

Then the nib, the beautiful inlaid nib. As I am by now used from Waterman pens, the nib on the Carène is an excellent writer. Though I've recentcly concluded that the European F isn't fine enough for me and that I prefer the Sailor F nib as my daily workhorse, the Carène still has what can be called a nice F (for European standards). The line is slightly broader than that of my Perspective (F), which means hat the EF nib Carène would have probably suited me better. With regards to smoothness, the Perspective wins the day.  The Carène is a drier writer than the Perspective, which results in a bit more feedback especially on cheap paper. Still I can't say I'm disappointed, not at all. But that comes from someone who doesn't mind a bit of feedback, since it improves my control of the pen and thus my handwriting.

The fillings system is cartridge/converter, nothing special there. Since I discovered the wonders of ink in a bottle I have been using only the converter system, but the Carène can take the standard Waterman cartridges as any other Waterman pen. The Carène uses the regular Waterman converter, which workes reasonably well, though that may be due to my inability to use converters. Whether it holds enough ink depends on your writing. The Carène isn't my regular writer during a day, but I use it occasionally when I have to write down something real quick and I don't have the time or patience to unscrew the Sailor. Also I rotate between the Carène and the Perspective so the ink lasts pretty long. The Carène has no ink window so you have to unscrew the pen to check the amount of ink there is left. For me no problem, for others it is an annoyance.

After the first weeks of owning the Waterman Carène I can say it is a fine pen with a very luxurious appearance, available at a reasonable price of €180-€200. I was slightly disappointed by the fact that it didn't blew me away when I started using it. I like the finish on this pen, but comparing it as a writer to my Waterman Perspective (which is cheaper) and my Sailor 1911 Standard (same price range) I prefer the latter ones the Carène. The comparison with my Sailor may not be fair, since it is such a different writer and Japanese pens seem to be my holy grail, but has class in a more subtle way than the Carène. Same goes for the Perspective. The Carène is like a nice SUV, it looks good, but it's too big to be elegant. For a fountain pen, the Carène is - in my humble opinion - just a bit oversized.

I have no regrets buying the Waterman Carène, since I bought in good condition second hand for just €45. I don't know if I would've been so forgiving if I paid the full price... However, I am biased, because my Sailor 1911 arrived just before the Carène and it simply suits my handwriting perfectly. For me the Carène is an excellent 'back-up' pen for quickly taking notes, but for more extensive writing I prefer the Sailor 1911 and even the Perspective.

Rating after first few weeks: 3.5/5

If you have any comments, just leave a reply!

Sailor 1911 Standard (First impression)

Yesterday, 16:05. The moment my way of writing would change forever. Or at least for the coming weeks.

It was just over a week after I bought the Sailor 1911 Standard from the eBay seller pisuke2005 and though the pen had already made the trip from Japan to the Netherlands, it had been stuck at customs for the past few days. Customs can take up to four weeks, so I didn't have my hopes up that it would arrive as soon as six days after it had been send. However, I guess because the seller had filled in the right forms that they didn't need to hold it that long. Of course, with EMS you can track your package, but your also bound to pay taxes. I didn't care so much about the taxes (I still saved some €30 and got some tea) when the package arrived, I just payed the delivery guy and there it was... My first Sailor fountain pen (and it will probably not be my last).

So, some first impressions after a day of writing.

First up, the looks. Of course, we all know it's what's on the inside that counts, however one just can't ignore the fact that this pen looks magnificent. It's the classic combination of black and gold and it works for the Sailor 1911. The black is really black, other than the black of my Waterman Kultur which is a lot more greyish. The golden band on the cap contains the words 'Sailor Japan Founded 1911' and it stands out real nice as to the other gold (plated) elements. Of course the nib is worth mentioning as well, shining gold and nicely decorated with the Sailor logo. A classy writer.

Then the writing itself, not fully irrelevant. With some help from the kind people of Fountainpennetwork.com and those the the Akkerman store in Den Haag I decided on a F nib in favour of the EF, which seemed really, really thin when I tried it at Akkerman. Being on a student budget I didn't buy it at the store, because the seller from eBay was a lot cheaper and supplied a converter. Since I prefer ink from a bottle to cartridges, that was not unimportant. 

Anyway, the writing. As readers who are familiar with brands like Sailor and Pilot know, the nibs of these Asian brands usually lay down a line that is thinner than that of their European counterparts. This is also the case with my Sailor 1911. Though the Waterman Laureat comes close, the Sailor F is much smaller than the F of my Waterman Perspective and Exclusive. The latter fountain pens are also quite wet writers, while the Laureat and the Sailor 1911 are less so, which suits me better. My handwriting isn't that neat, so it helps to have a little feedback when writing, though of course not so much that you feel like you're writing with a inked needle. Sailor's (as well as for example Pilot FP's) are known to be fine, yet pretty smooth writers and I have to agree: it's everything I would expect from a fountain pen that writes this fine. While my Perspective flies over the paper making it very easy for me to write jibberish (at least that's what other people say, I can read it perfectly fine), writing with the Sailor 1911 gives me more control yet still writes very nice.

A small example comparing the Sailor 1911, the Waterman Laureat, Waterman Exclusive and the Waterman Perspective.

So that's my first impression of my new Sailor 1911. Of course, this is only day one and it will take at least a few weeks to get fully used to it and to be able to write a good review. However, after the first 28 hours I am very happy with this new addition to my pen collection. :)

More pictures here.

The Start of Things to Come

The Start of Things to Come

I never saw much use in blogging. Maybe like many other I thought: What's there to tell, why would people care and isn't everything on the internet eternal and can it not be eternally used against you? I'm still not sure whether this is in anyway useful for me or to others, but after the first forty pages of Jeff Jarvis' What Would Google Do? the argument that it might be useful, weighted more heavily than the argument that it might be harmful. Maybe it will not last a month, maybe it's a start of my blogging career, who knows.

Hopefully I'll make some contribution to the knowledge of the internet people find useful. I you feel I've made you any wiser, just leave a reply. ;)