Sailor Fountain Pen, Professional Gear Fountain Pen, Rearo, Black, Bold Point 11-3926-620

The Pro Gear Realo is, in my humble opinion, Sailor's best pen overall. It combines all the features that make a Sailor pen great; the exquisite 21kt nib, excellent balance, and precise manufacturing. However, unlike other Sailor fountain pens, including the excellent but over priced KOP, the Realo is a true piston filler.At the price from Amazon Japan it is an absolute bargain.

I thought I was crazy to put so much money down for a pen, but thanks to the Japanese yen conversion, I decided to take a plunge on my first Sailor fountain pen that normally retails for $424 without tax. I am a fan of EF pens from Pilot (Kakuno, Metropolitan) and I decided to give the Fine Nib Realo (interesting that it shows up as Raro) a try and it's comparable to an EF. But the nib is 21K and it makes such a difference. If I had to get rid of all my fountain pens and just get one, this will be it. If it skips and such, then you got a dud. (I had to return a Med-Fine Sailor when it happened to me, a pen worth $300 plus should not skip). This pen is so smooth and such a luxury to use. Just be gentle with it. I bought the cleaning kit specifically for Sailor pens (SAILOR 14-1006-000) so I can keep this pen running smoothly for many years to come.

First the seller, Amazon Japan. The price I paid, $188, was nearly half what a US pen company would sell this for. The day after I bought it, AJ had raised the price to $242; today it is $207. Beware. The listing had a couple of English problems. The description made no sense. The trim, gold or silver, was not mentioned, but the pictures showed gold. The nib was described as bold--did you mean broad, sir? The model was "Raro"--after spending two months in Japan, I guessed this meant Realo. I took a chance I was guessing right. And then the seller took a full week to ship the pen. Their private shipping company was speedy, but a transition to Fed Ex in LA meant a delay or a couple of days and loss of tracing info. A first world problem.The pen itself is a gem. Heftier and better unposted in the hand than the classic Pro Gear, and much better looking too, smoother and wetter in a broad than a medium, and a piston filler instead of wasteful cartridges or else Sailor's notoriously flimsy converters. I love it for $188. Full US price, I would have a problem.This is a follow-up, after the purchase of second Sailor Pro Gear Realo, this time in maroon Medium.The shipping time was only 10 days. The price was only $168, though on the day of delivery it had jumped to $190, which still was less than half the standard US price.I have at long last concluded this is the best pen for me--weight, balance, nib length, grip size, and grip point close to the nib, nib toothiness (I like smooth but need a little toothiness because of my familial trembling--think, Katherine Hepburn). I love the B nib and will keep it, but for longer texts and legibility, M is better--equivalent to a European F, more or less. I'll be selling my Pilot Heritage 823, a great pen but not best for my grip.

Anybody who's unsure: These are genuine Sailor fountain pens!

I have two other Sailor Pens a M/F Lecoule and a 1911 L with a zoom nib. This M nib Realo writes more like a fine, but it is very smooth and has some feedback. I am using a green Sailor ink; it writes equally well on Rhodia and standard copy paper. The sailor pens are just wet enough to give you a smooth writing experience, but they work well in almost any situation. I have multiple Pilot pens and like them, but the Pilots require some adjustment and tuning. In some cases they are designed for Japanese characters that are generally written at a high angles (e.g. Custom 912 FA) and the ink flow can be to slow for cursive. My custom 823 F wrote like an XF and also needed some adjustment to increase its ink flow.The Sailors work well in just about any situation and almost never require tuning. I would say that the Realo is superior to the 1911 L due to its overall weight and weight distribution. I bought it for a very reasonable price (1/3 rd off normal Amazon price). These Amazon deals are pretty amazing.

Deal of a lifetime! Finest fountain pen in the world, at the best price ever! Amazon knows great quality!

I adore this one however the feeder is a bit off I’m not sure that it’s a normal things hopefully I can send this one and get a replacement over a great purchase write amazing

As a few other reviewers point out, this is a Sailor Professional Gear "Realo" fountain pen. The box arrived extremely well packaged and the pen was sealed inside the package. Given the actual market price of ~$420 in the USA, this purchase was a steal (I paid ~$160).