REVIEW: SAILOR PRO GEAR SLIM MINI FOUNTAIN PEN

A long, long time ago, years before I started this website, I remember visiting a local pen store in Antwerp, where I spotted a tiny little yellow fountain pen somewhere in the corner of a display cabinet. I knew nothing about it back then, other than that the price tag unfortunately didn't read 15 but 150 euros (Oops, my mistake!), thus putting it far out of reach for my student budget! The image of that little yellow pen though... that stuck with me throughout the years. And it wasn't until much later that I realized which pen it was: a Sailor Pro Gear Slim Mini, a rather elusive (outside Japan at least) model that I didn't come across again ever since that day.

However, Sailor recently decided to push the mini version of their popular Pro Gear model onto the worldwide market once again. So, obviously this time I just had to get my own... Thanks go out to our sponsor Sakura Fountain Pen Gallery, for providing this pen for review!

Where to start? Well, I think it's fair to say that in terms of design you shouldn't expect any major surprises. For all intents and purposes, the PG Slim Mini is a Slim ('Sapporo') model, squished down to roughly the length of a Kaweco Sport. Despite the noticeably distorted proportions, the design remains otherwise identical, retaining the classic flat-top design of the Pro Gear including all ornamental details such as the decorative trim ring behind the section, the 'staircase' ridged clip, and anchor logo medallion insert in the cap finial. It's no less premium-looking than any other Sailor pen, but it does look kind of cute, don't you think?

Despite its short presence on the European and American market (only about a year or so since the re-introduction), the Pro Gear Slim Mini already went through a slight design overhaul. It went from having threads on the blind cap to post the cap, to just being friction-fit. I'd argue this change is for the better, as it's still plenty secure but much faster and easier to post the cap and start writing. It also makes the pen look a bit cleaner, aesthetically.

With the slight design change, Sailor also introduced some new colorways for the Mini. Even though I regret that the Mustard Yellow colorway was discontinued, I do appreciate the new, more muted pastel color palette inspired by Moroccan culture. The 'Puff Brown' (shown here) colorway is my favorite from the new selection, a nice dark muted brown, very understated and business-appropriate.

L to R: Schon P6, Kaweco Brass Sport, Platinum 3776, Pelikan M400, Sailor Pro Gear, Sailor Pro Gear Slim Mini, Lamy Safari, Lamy 2000

The PG Slim Mini is a true pocket-sized pen, measuring just 10.9 cm (4.3") capped. Side by side, you can see it's only a few mm longer than a Kaweco Sport, which is perfect for pocket carry. When posted, the Mini transforms into a not-so-mini pen, 13.6 cm (5.37") long. But remember that this is really one of those pens that you just HAVE to post for anything but a quick scribble, as it's a mere 9.6 cm (3.76") uncapped, even shorter than an uncapped Kaweco Sport! 

For such a tiny pen, I was surprised to find that it still weighs in at 16 grams - still very light and nimble for sure, but more than I expected for such a tiny pen. It feels solid in the hand, though of course you're still dealing with a resin pen... and that immediately brings us to my only gripe with the Mini: it's not quite the kind of pen I look for when I think EDC or pocket carry. A pocket pen -for me- is a robust, bomb-proof metal pen with an equally sturdy clip - this is not that! Sure it's probably durable enough to stand the test of time with normal use, but this is not a pen I'll clip into my jeans pocket.

Comfort is sometimes lost on pocket pens, but not with this one. The section leans on the slimmer side, but with an average diameter over 9 mm (0.35"), and no harsh threads or steps in the way of your fingers, it's a very comfortable pen to hold in the hand. Combined with the excellent size when posted, and the lightweight construction, I don't at all mind picking up this pocket pen for longer writing sessions!

The Mini converter has 'mini' ink capacity... who'd have thunk!

Since regular converters obviously won't fit, Sailor went the extra mile to produce a shorter 'Mini' converter to fit in this pen... But really, they shouldn't have. You'll be paying a rather hefty 8-10€ (about 11$) for one, and the ink capacity is a measly 0.3 mL - less than a third of a Sailor Ink cartridge! 

One of, if not THE, selling points of the Sailor Pro Gear Mini is of course its 14k nib. Same as the one found on the Sapporo and 1911S, it's a small nib (though on this pen it's very much a proportionate size) with big performance! On the Western market, the Mini only comes in the M-F nib width. Somewhat odd that they'd restrict the nib options like that (of course you could, in theory, swap the friction fit nibs out with other Sailor models), but luckily the 'Hard' Medium-Fine continues to hit a sweet spot for my personal writing style. Like all Sailor nibs, it's a rather firm nib with noticeable pencil-like feedback when you write. The M-F lays down a line closest to a Western Fine with a balanced ink flow -as you'd expect from a Japanese pen- which makes it a rather versatile and well-balanced option for everyday writing IMHO. 

From day one, I've been enjoying the Sailor Pro Gear Slim Mini an awful lot. Maybe it's because the small form factor actually is 100% pocket-sized, as opposed to the small-but-not-quite form factor of the 'full-sized' Pro Gear and Pro Gear Slim models. Or perhaps it's because you get one of the best nibs in the game, inside that pocket-sized, EDC-able vessel? In any case, the PG Slim Mini is a great Japanese alternative to the many pocket fountain pens that exist on the market today. Even despite it probably not being my first choice when looking for a pen I can carelessly throw in my pants pocket every day.

Pricing is relatively decent too if you take into account the 14k gold nib! At a retail price of 167€/ 180$ (at our site sponsor, Sakura), it comfortably joins the Lamy 2000 and Platinum 3776 Century on the list of high-quality gold-nibbed pens for under 200$!

REVIEW: TACCIA POLAR LIGHTS FOUNTAIN PEN

We're taking a look at another new - to me - brand today: Taccia! Despite only having been around for about 20 years, the history of Taccia is rather convoluted. The TL;DR is that they started as a US-based company, but they're now part of a larger Japanese stationery conglomerate (Nakabayashi). 

Taccia's earlier products - mostly in the sub-200$ range - never really managed to captivate me. Though things certainly became a bit more interesting once they started getting into urushi, Raden, and maki-e, which seems to have really gained them some more traction within the pen community. Even though they might not (yet) enjoy the 'cult status' of big brands like Nakaya, Namiki, or Sailor in the Urushi game, Taccia's urushi work really deserves some attention, as I think they're doing some really interesting and creative things with traditional lacquering techniques! 

Packaging is just packaging... But damn, this is a really nice box!

Some of those urushi and Raden techniques make an appearance on the Taccia Polar Lights fountain pen collection, which we'll be looking at today. My thanks go out to Catherine from Sakura Fountain Pen Gallery (one of our site sponsors!) for trusting me with these beauties for a short while!

The Polar Lights pens are based on a standard ebonite base shape that Taccia uses for most of their urushi collections. The design of the pen itself is kept quite simple and straightforward (which isn't too uncommon for Urushi and maki-e pens, as it puts more emphasis on the urushi finish itself): a straight, cylindrical pen with flat finials. The barrel is quite long, which makes for a rather unusual cap-to-barrel ratio. The cap is slightly wider than the barrel, though it transitions smoothly into the barrel with a rounded off edge. 

Taccia's urushi pens all have clips. Practical? Sure, but I find that clips tend to interfere with the urushi finish (especially on more complex Raden and maki-e finishes) so I'd have preferred a clipless option. Besides, it's not like I tend to casually clip thousand-dollar pens to my shirt pocket anyway (that's a bit too much livin' on the edge for my taste). That said, I do have to admit that this particular clip looks quite good. The curvy and rounded shape of the clip provides a stark contrast with the straight and angular design of the rest of the pen.

As mentioned at the beginning of this review, Taccia's urushi pens really caught my eye through the wild and uncommon combinations of different lacquering techniques. For the Polar Lights series, the base is lacquered with an Akebono-like gradient of urushi that transitions from a dark color in the center, towards a brighter color at the finials. They overlaid that with precisely arranged Raden strips, applied lengthwise around the top of the cap and end of the barrel. 

The Polar Lights is available in three colorways: red (Amairo Haruakane), green (Amairo Jiu), and blue (Amairo Hekiku), and they really outdid themselves on the colors of the urushi. The colors are vibrant, but not too bright, and the finish is consistent.

Upon closer inspection, there's actually more to the finish than you may think. It looks like only the finials are red, green, or blue, and it fades out to black towards the center of the pen, but that's actually not true. It's very subtle, but the base color is actually dark green, red or blue, to match the rest of the pen. Less subtle are the Raden strips, which are color-matched to the pen (if I'm not mistaken, they do this by painting the back of the mother of pearl). The end result is a striking pen with more than enough shimmering Raden to get around, and yet it's not too crazy for my - typically subtle - taste.

L to R: Montblanc 149, Scribo Feel, Eboya Houga L, Sailor Pro Gear, Taccia Polar Lights, Lamy 2000, Lamy Safari

The proportions of the Taccia Polar Lights are quite interesting. With 15 cm/ 5.9" capped, it sits comfortably amongst other large, oversized pens like the Montblanc 149. The straight, untapered shape of the Polar Lights doesn't allow for the cap to be posted. Though, with an uncapped length of 13.2 cm/ 5.2", I've never missed the ability to post the cap, anyway. 

So they're not small, and not particularly slim either (though not quite as chubby as the Montblanc 149 or Eboya Houga Large, pictured above). BUT! The section is surprisingly narrow compared to the rest of the pen. At the narrowest point, it measures just 9.7 mm/ 0.38", which is a bit on the skinny side for my taste. 

With a narrow section like that, you do get quite a transition towards the barrel, but it's quite gradually stepped and the block threads aren't sharp, so you don't notice it too much in the hand. All in all, it's not an uncomfortable pen to write with, though I certainly would've preferred a slightly wider section. With a total weight of 30 grams, it's not too heavy for a pen this size.

The Polar Lights fills via Sailor's standard cartridge converter. Frankly, these converters aren't the best on the market and the ink capacity isn't huge, but they do the job. And especially with one of Sailor's finer nibs, ink capacity isn't really a big concern, anyway. 

On the inside of the cap, you'll find a spring-loaded inner cap, similar to those found on Wancher and Esterbrook pens, to prevent the nib from drying out. Though the implementation on the Taccia pens seems a bit more subtle (the spring tension isn't so strong) making it more practical and easy to use.

A particularly interesting point about most, if not all, Taccia pens - and presumably also a firm selling point for those who like Japanese fountain pens - is that Taccia actually uses Sailor-made nibs in their pens. Western brands that manufacture their own nibs, don't typically share them with other brands, but it's cool to see that Sailor has a more open mindset towards this.

L to R: Taccia Polar Lights, Sailor Pro Gear, Montblanc 149

Again, the proportions of the Taccia are quite interesting. Look at that tiny nib!

What you get under the hood is a 14k gold, small bicolor nib, the same size as the nibs found on Sailor's 1911S or Pro Gear Slim. Yes, that's exactly how you'd imagine it in your head: a very tiny nib, on a pretty huge pen! Because the section tapers down quite strongly, the nib does manage to still look somewhat balanced on this massive pen. Though, needless to say, this pen at the very least deserved one of Sailor's larger 21k nibs. The nib received a custom engraving with the Taccia logo, and it's bi-color plated. 

To be honest, the nib performance was not quite as spotless as I had anticipated. Although Japanese nibs are usually worshipped as the pinnacle of consistency (and to be honest, they typically are more consistent!), my experience with these nibs illustrated that any brand can have nib issues out of the box, not just Western brands. I tried two hard Fine (H-F) nibs, and the first one was considerably drier and finer out of the box, which in turn also made it more feedback-heavy. The second one matched my expectation pattern, with a more balanced ink flow, and a line width comparable to a narrow Western EF. To be fair, both nibs were consistent, skip-free writers, and the ink flow (though dry on one of the pens) never hesitated.

The Taccia Polar Lights fountain pens sell for 875€ (incl. VAT, at our sponsor Sakura Fountain Pen Gallery). Oh, and it's a limited edition as well, with only 100 pieces per color being made. To call it a bargain would perhaps be a slight overstatement. But for an urushi pen with Raden decoration, that's actually quite a competitive price!

These products were provided on loan by Sakura Fountain Pen Gallery, so I could write this review. I was in no way influenced in the making of this review, the opinions shared in this review are completely my own! This post does not contain affiliate links.

REVIEW: EBOYA HOUGA FOUNTAIN PEN

Sometimes, it's the simplest products that create the most lasting impression. As a fan of minimal design and clean aesthetics, I tend to buy a lot of pens that follow that statement closely: (most often) metal fountain pens, with a sleek and cool, almost sterile appearance. 

The pen we're looking at today, the Eboya Houga, certainly classifies as a minimal design, but other than that it's the polar opposite of what I just described. It's constructed out of warm and characterful ebonite, handmade to order (!) in Tokyo. Due to their small-scale production, you might not have heard of Eboya before. They're quite scarcely available outside of Japan, with our new sponsor, Sakura Fountain Pen Gallery, being the only EU-based store I know that carries them.

The Eboya Houga is as simple as can be, anything but 'ornate', and the presentation isn't excessive or luxurious, either: The simple cardboard packaging isn't much to write home about, and the pen doesn't even come with a converter (Although you do receive a handmade pen sleeve and a Faber-Castell branded converter when you buy your Eboya from Sakura). The focus lies entirely with the pen itself, and the craftsmanship that goes into its simple form, which - to me - is a very Japanese thing. What you see is what you get.

The design of the Houga is so minimal, in fact, that your eye is immediately drawn to the material. Since Eboya is a daughter-company from Japanese ebonite manufacturer Nikko, it comes to no surprise that the one and only material Eboya uses for their pens, is ebonite. Nikko ebonite is widely known as some of the finest ebonite you can buy, and the simple designs of Eboya pens offer an ideal canvas to show off the fine textures and colors of the materials. This 10th-anniversary edition 'Kouffuu' is an excellent example of how stunning ebonite can be, but all the regular marbled colorways are very good-looking, too. 

Ebonite, unlike acrylics or celluloids, is a fairly two-dimensional material, in that it doesn't show intricate depth and color gradation in the material. Instead, opaque streaks of color swirl around in a deep black base, giving a very subtle hint of color. The 10th-anniversary edition 'Kouffuu', is an ebonite with subtle streaks of red and blue, as well as bright beige, mixed together in a delicate swirl. The 10th-anniversary limited editions are re-introductions of four materials from ten years ago and are extremely limited in availability (though the pens aren't individually numbered). The last two 10th anniversary pens, in the colors Bokusui and Zakuro, are still available at Sakura. But once they are gone, they're gone!

More so than with other materials, I find that ebonite really shines (pun absolutely intended) when it's polished extremely well, but it can also just as easily look dull when it's not quite done right (black ebonite pens often look a bit 'dull' compared to black acrylic, but not this one). It just so happens that Eboya really differentiates themselves from the pack, when it comes to polishing. The ebonite is shinier than any other modern ebonite pen I've come across. The excellent polishing brings out the pattern of the material and makes the black appear darker. 

L to R: Leonardo MZ Grande, Pelikan M800, Pelikan M1005, Montblanc 149, Eboya Houga, Lamy Safari, Lamy 2000

Eboya is one of the very few pen brands (that I know of) that offers all their models in three sizes (small, medium and large), giving some freedom in choosing the form factor that best suits your hand. I went for the large version, not only because it's the only size in which the 10th-anniversary pens are (were) available, but also just because I like oversized pens, sometimes it's that simple. 

It has to be noted though, that the Houga L is a SUBSTANTIAL pen, with an impressive footprint that's perhaps not always the most practical. It's long (15cm/ 5.9"closed, 13.5cm/ 5.31" uncapped), but most of all the Large Houga is very, very wide (1.8cm/ 0.71" at the widest point). I'm seeing somewhat of a trend in the pen industry (or is it just my perception?): we've arrived at the point where the - once considered massive - Montblanc 149 gets dwarfed regularly by newly released pens, and the Eboya Houga (at least in the Large size) does no different. I personally don't mind this shift towards larger pens, but I know not everyone appreciates thinks the same way about that. But then again, Eboya does offer small and medium versions for a more practically-minded alternative!

That said, the all-ebonite construction of the oversized Houga does keep the weight down at a reasonable 33g. The section is quite a bit narrower - a fairly reasonable 1.25 cm/ 0.5" diameter - compared to the wide barrel, which makes for a rather substantial step behind the threads (and it's fairly sharp). The large section and comfortable concave shape allow for your grip to mostly avoid the step, although you'll still notice it to a certain extent, regardless of how you hold the pen. 

I already alluded to the excellent craftsmanship on Eboya pens, and I really think that's one of the strong suits of the brand. It's hardly noticeable that these pens are turned by hand (although the slight variation in shape from one pen to another, gives it away). Machining is precise and clean, with tight tolerances, and top-notch polished finish. Cap and barrel walls are machined thick and sturdy, which gives a solid impression that's immediately noticeable when you pick up the pen. Threads are very smooth and precise, and uncapping is surprisingly fast (less than one full rotation).

As an interesting snippet of brand history: Eboya once - until a few years ago - made Japanese eyedroppers in-house. But these days the Houga is a plebeian cartridge/converter-filled pen. In terms of practicality, I don't really mind that. Eyedroppers (you can of course still use any Eboya as a regular eyedroppered pen) aren't always the most practical in day-to-day use. However, the fact that they don't even include a simple, generic converter from the factory is an oversight, and a corner they absolutely shouldn't have cut on a pen this price.

The plain Bock nib doesn't look out of place, but Eboya could've done more with it

Eboya uses German-made Bock nibs, which is a bit atypical given Japan's undefeated nib know-how. For a pen this large, the #6-sized nib is disproportionately small, a #8 nib would've looked more balanced on the Large version of the Houga (In fact, they're already offering the Hakobune large with #8 nibs at an upcharge!). As for the nib design itself: while the stock Bock logo engraving is simple and not too cluttered (matching the overall understated design of the pen), it would've been nice to see the  nibs personalized with the Eboya logo engraved on there instead.

I've found most Eboya's I've tried so far to be excellent writers out of the box. The 14k gold nib broad nib on this particular pen is nice and smooth and lays down a fairly true to size line with a distinct stubbish character. The nib started out a bit dry for my liking (much dryer than the other Eboyas I've used, which were all quite wet), so I adjusted it to increase the ink flow a bit. It's still not a gusher now, but the balanced ink flow has no problem keeping up with everyday writing. It's unfortunate that the company doesn't make their own ebonite feeds, which would certainly mean an uplift in writing performance - not to mention it would be the cherry on top for a company so heavily focused on ebonite products!

There's a lot to like about the Eboya Houga. It's one of the relatively few Japanese brands that still rely heavily on artisanal production, and their expertise in ebonite production and machining (through mother-company Nikko) shows in the impeccable level of finishing. That, in itself, makes them stand out from other ebonite pens. The Houga in particular has a certain elegance through the simplicity of the traditional Japanese design, and the way it puts the spotlight entirely on the beautiful material.

If one thing, I'd like to see Eboya experiment (again) with different filling systems and in-house ebonite feeds. While the gold nibs are quite good as-is, there's room for a more personalised writing experience. I don't think that's an unreasonable expectation, considering the price you'll pay for one of these pens. The Houga retails for anywhere between 450€ and 570€, depending on the size (S/M/L) you choose. For the 10th-anniversary limited edition collection, you'll have to chime in a rather hefty 725€. (the LE materials are a bit more unique, but the standard ebonites are a decent amount less expensive, and frankly just as pretty if you ask me!)

Disclaimer: I bought this pen from my own funds. Sakura Fountain Pen Gallery is a sponsor of The Pencilcase Blog, but the making of this review was in no way sponsored or influenced. This post does not contain affiliate links.

STORE VISIT: SAKURA FOUNTAIN PEN GALLERY

If one thing, I think it's safe to say that there's no shortage of fantastic pen stores in Belgium and the Netherlands: La Couronne Du Comte, Penworld, Appelboom, P.W.Akkerman,... enough places to get your pen-related kicks!

However, there's one store very close to where I live (dangerously close!) where I've spent countless hours in the past three years: Sakura Fountain Pen Gallery (Diest, Belgium)! SFPG (in short) is not just any pen store - in fact I think calling it a pen store would be doing it a disservice. It's a boutique, an art gallery even, and a beautiful one at that! 

Sakura isn't just a store you walk into to buy a Lamy, Sailor or even a Montblanc. Well, you can of course (many of the 'traditional' brands are also represented), but the real focus of SFPG are luxury handmade pens: Japanese Urushi, Maki-e and Russian laquer art. Sakura's extensive and extremely varied collection is part of what makes this such a great store, and I think it sets itself apart from most other stores. Literally, you can walk in and buy a bottle of ink or a 20$ Pilot Metropolitan, but you can just as easily - if your wallet allows it - leave with a high-end exclusive handpainted Phoenix or Maki-e Namiki! 

The pricetags of some of these pens might scare you away, understandably so. The first time I went there I was almost afraid to go in. Don't let it keep you away though, because inside you're welcomed by Catherine - owner of the store. Catherine runs Sakura (both on- and offline) single-handedly, but she's always open for a friendly chat. 

One Catherine's strong suits - and the reason why her store is so dangerous - is how she's not your typical salesperson. She DOESN'T force you into buying a pen. Instead, she'll leave you peruse the offerings, she'll offer you to sit down and have something to drink, and if you want you can literally talk with her for hours without even looking at a single pen. Instead, she lets the pens speak for themselves in endless shelves and display cabinets all across the shop. While that may sound counterintuitive, my wallet can certainly testify that it's effective!

Besides pens, Catherine's background in Fine Arts shows through in various other products that you can find at her store: from artwork and postcards created by local artists, to supplies for creative journaling, calligraphy and InkArt,... there's plenty to peruse.

Anyway, enough rambling. Take a look for yourself: 

Phoenix laquer art... Not my cup of tea, but impressive craftsmanship nonetheless!

Nakaya for days!

 

A couple Danitrio pens!

 

Incredible Danitrio Genkai's - Massive pens!

ASC! These are all gone since, unfortunately :(

Wahl-Eversharp Decoband! This one is on my wishlist!

More 'traditional' brands, like Pelikan, Lamy, Pilot, Montblanc,... are of course also well-represented!

 

Have you ever seen a WALL OF INK?! Sakura has an extensive collection of inks, including a lot of hard-to-find brands!

No shortage of paper either!

'Consignment' pens!

Through connections with various collectors, Sakura also offers a great selection of 'consigned' second hand pens. Mostly collector-grade pieces that have never been used, and often at great prices! You can bring in your own pens if you want to save up for some maki-E goodness!

The combination of exquisite products, all thoughtfully curated in the classy setting of a historic listed building, a friendly shop owner... Sakura Fountain Pen gallery should definitely be on your shortlist when you happen to be nearby! 

Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored/affiliated post. The thoughts and opinions expressed are my own, I was not asked, nor reimbursed to write this post.