on saleSailor Compass 1911 Fountain Pen - Transparent Red

These Sailor Compass pens write so nicely, especially given their very low price. I would love to upgrade to a better Sailor pen, but it seems that the next level up is getting into a price range that's too much for me. So, I'll continue to add/use these pens!

Great writer at the price. Nib is supposed to be MF, but it is one of the most fine (narrow) nibs I own.

I love this pen. I have a limited edition 1911S and a Pro Gear both with the gold nibs and this pen presents and performs almost as well as either of those much higher priced pens. The body is not made of the same high quality resin as other pens and feels more plastic but retains the signature Sailor shape and the only real differences, visually, between this and a 1911S would be the slightly smaller metal ring around the cap and the clip is a just ever so slightly different. It has a steel nib but writes like a dream. It does not care what angle you write from and has no real sweet spot making it ideal for those just getting into fountain pens. The nib is smooth but not bouncy. However, anyone who picks this up as their first pen wouldn't know what a bouncy nib even feels like. Even people with gold nib pens don't know until they've had them a while and built up some experience. The medium-fine nib writes closer to an extra fine or a true Japanese fine which I love. Great for those of us with small handwriting or if using on paper that tends to feather easily. I didn't expect it to come in a nice box but the presentation was great. It comes in a nice pen case that is clear. You slip it out, pull out your new pen, then are presented with the standard two Sailor ink cartridges that all Sailor pens come with along with a matching converter (which you normally have to pay a few extra dollars for if you get it from a brick and mortar pen shop... or at least with the more expensive Sailors. The box is great as a gift and you could hold on to it to keep your pen safe on display or throw it out. It's a nice box but it isn't really precious and probably makes more sense to recycle once you know you like the pen.Build quality is good. I got two of them so I could compare how well things come out from pen to pen. Both pens had the same great writing experience, looks, and build quality but things are different once you take it apart. When you get inside the pen to fill it up for the first time you notice that the plastic threads that hold the grip to the body are not very smooth and are audibly creaky. In fact, one of the ones I got had this strange plastic "tear" where it looked like two pens were sliced apart before the mold cooled and that made it even harder to screw the body to the grip but not impossible. Considering the converter has a decent ink capacity it's doubtful you'll need to deal with this very often and it's very forgivable for a pen at this price point. Speaking of price point, the price was so low I accidentally ordered two and thought nothing of it because I expected a single Sailor to be at least double the cost of what this was. I was pleasantly surprised so now I keep one at my office permanently and one at home as well.Anyway, this pen performs great on all paper types from printer paper to the random stuff you get from Field Notes to fine Japanese paper like Midori MD or Tomoe River. I would definitely get one for myself even if I had a more expensive Sailor already and I would certainly consider this as a gift on the same level as the Lamy Safari or Pilot Metropolitan. It's definitely different than the usual starter pens and is just as good for beginners with a more predictable build quality.

Sailor Compass pens are pretty much at the bottom of the price pyramid, yet they are consistently excellent quality pens. The range of colors, in which I have four, could suit anyone who wants several pens and doesn't want all of them to be the same color. I recommend them unconditionally at this point.

Well, know I know that I don't care for the Medium Fine tip. Lesson learned. Pen is fine, nib is fine. I put a sample of Moneverde Cherry Danish in it and that is fine. I just prefer a wider tip. Also, curiously, it is difficult to see this tip as I am writing with it. Don't know what that is about.