Sailor Pro Gear: Apre Ski
In this entry I want to first talk a bit about the Sailor Brand and then we’ll dive into some specifics about this pen. Allonsy!
A Sailor’s Life For Me
The Sailor Pen Company is a Japanese fountain pen and ink company, one of three “top/main” Japanese fountain pen producers. The other two comprising the Japanese Trio are Pilot and Platinum.
The short background on the Sailor Pen Co, per the sailorpen.co.uk website is this:
In 1911, Mr. Kyugoro Sakata, an engineer from the historic naval port of Hiroshima, was introduced to a fountain pen brought from England by a sailor friend. Fascinated by it, he soon became determined to produce finely crafted writing instruments in Japan with the highest specification and writing performance.
Mr. Sakata decided to call the company Sailor Pen in the expectation that the business would expand internationally like the voyages of a sailor.
The company thus became the first to produce Fountain Pens in Japan and it is still one of the oldest in the industry.
Out of the three main Japanese brands, I’d say that Sailor is the most “whimsical”. The shape of their pen bodies are pretty simple, all things considered - I mean, they do offer different shapes and sizes but mostly they focus on two lines of body style - the Pro Gear (flat top) and the 1911 (cigar shaped). Where the company really shines is in their very unique and diverse color combinations, nib engravings, different finial flair, and urushi and maki-e offerings. Also, they often partner with different countries and specific stores for special and limited edition pens, making it kind of a fun game to hunt different pens down.
A couple things will usually stand out when looking at a Sailor pen - the Sailor logo, usually found both on the finial and the nib, and the etching of 1911 on most of their bands and nibs.
What Sailor focuses on most are fountain pens and fountain pen ink, though they do have some other products (I think). But the fountain pens and ink are almost exclusively what they produce, and boy do they do it well. I mean, like, really well. I adore their ink and obsess over many of their pens.
I don’t know if I could ever pick a “favorite” pen company, but I’d be hard pressed to not choose Sailor if it really came down to it. Which is funny, because if I were to pick a favorite pen, and not an entire company, it would be the Lamy 2000. The fountain pen life is complicated…
Another thing that stands out about Sailor is that they have many unique nib offerings - outside of the standard line up of EF, F, M, and B, they offer a Medium Fine or MF nib, a fude nib, a zoom nib, a music nib, and then a specialty line called the “naginata series.” Most pen companies don’t offer such unique tipping options “out of the box,” so it’s kind of nice as you can get a bit more diversity in your pen line-up without paying for custom nib work on top of the pen!
I’m not going to get into explaining the differences of those nibs but a quick google search did bring me the following links if you want to look into them more (and of course, please conduct your own searches too! There is a ton of information out there):
A blog post from Unsharpen re: “A Sailor Fountain Pen Buying Guide” (note- I’ve never been to this site prior to this search but it looked like a helpful guide!)
Alright, moving on!
Above images borrowed from Goulet Pen Company Website
Cocktail Hour
Back in 2011, Sailor started annually releasing a special edition cocktail-themed pen in Japan, with each year showcasing their impression of a different popular cocktail.
Note - The Sailor pen company often will have country-specific releases. This means that while some of their pens are distributed worldwide, others are produced and distributed only for X country (many for just their home country of Japan, but they do have North American-specific releases and other countries as well). You can get a pen from a country-specific release, but it means that you’ll have to locate a store in that country that ships internationally, which can be tricky, and oftentimes make it a more expensive venture.
These pens were hard to get as, added to the Japan-only release, these pens were much coveted and were produced in smaller batches. Some of them were much more in demand than others, and it wouldn’t be unheard of to see one on the secondhand market for hundreds of dollars more than what they were originally sold at.
Luckily for those of us in the US who were unable to procure one of these special pens back when they were being released, whether due to financial constraints or we simply weren’t in the hobby then (both apply for me here), Sailor announced that with its 10th and final year of releasing these editions it was going to reproduce the full set and make it available for North America.
From the Goulet Pen Company website description:
The Cocktail Series 10th Anniversary Assorted Set includes ten pens: one of each Sailor Cocktail Series Fountain Pen released since 2011, including the new Professional Gear Kure Azur. Each set is available with either fine, medium fine, or medium 21kt gold/rhodium bicolor plated nib. All ten pens in each set have the same nib size. Each pen comes in an individual box. Each fountain pen has a 21kt gold nib and comes with a Sailor proprietary converter as well as two proprietary Sailor Black ink cartridges.
This set features a 10th Anniversary acrylic display case that attractively displays all 10 pens. Also included is a Leather Pen Case Holder to store all 10 pens, along with 12 Black Ink Cartridges and a Cleaning Cloth.
Now, the only problem was…it was a set only release. Meaning, to get one of the pens you wanted, you’d have to buy the full set for $2,700+ O_O (believe me, I tried to justify outright buying 10 pens for thousands of dollars but I just couldn’t. And hiding it from my husband seemed like a bad idea, haha)
Many stores stuck to the full set rule, at least at first, and some are still “set only” (as I believe Goulet is).
However, other stores realized that they weren’t going to be able to sell the full set due to the cost and broke it up into individual pen sales and voila! I ended up with the pen I wanted most from the set, the Apre Ski. This is arguably the most wanted of the set, and for good reason - the color is extremely unique and the translucency is entrancing.
Apre Ski
The Apre Ski pen is based on a cocktail drink named Apre Ski (if you were paying attention earlier, this is not news). To be honest, I had to google “Apre Ski” because I had no idea it was a drink. I’m more of an Old Fashioned drinker but that pen didn’t speak to me nearly as much as this one did.
It doesn’t seem to be a popular drink on the google search - the ones that come up first for me are ones much more similar in color to an Old Fashioned, actually. Or, it suggest drinks to drink while skiing, as apparently the phrase “apre ski” means a “social activity (as at a ski lodge) after a day of skiing.” So, it could be any number of drinks you want to have with friends. Presumably ones that warm you up quickly since skiing is cold work.
However, I was able to find this drink recipe on cocktailbuilder.com that seems to match the color scheme of this pen, so I assume this is the variation they were going for:
Apres Ski
Mixed Drink Recipe from Cocktail Builder
1 oz of Vodka
1/4 oz of green creme de menthe (or Mint liqueur)
3 oz of lemonade
1/2 oz of pernod licorice liqueur
Add ingredients to an old-fashioned glass three-quarters filled with broken ice. Serve with a slice of lime or mint sprig.
I haven’t tried the drink yet, but I’m not a huge fan of the licorice flavor so I might just pass and enjoy using my pen with an Old Fashioned because I’m a rebel like that.
On Color
All of that aside, the color is truly stunning. I would say it’s close to a light jade in person. It is hard to capture in photographs because the lighting makes so much difference. I’ve seen pictures where this looks much more yellow-green, or darker green, or like a bright spring green. But it’s more muted and radiates calm (like jade) more than an “I’m here!” (like a bright spring green).
The slight translucency really enhances the effect so much more, and it just seems like it is made from a precious material, though its only resin.
Many of Sailor’s pens include a slight sparkle in the body. Sometimes this can be hard to see in pictures and people will be surprised when the pen arrives. Usually it is in the form of teeny tiny gold specks that are difficult to photograph but are definitely there when you see the pen in person. The Sailor PGS Dragon Palace is one such pen. I don’t mind it, and in fact, I own and enjoy the Dragon Palace. But in general I prefer my pens sans-sparkles, however subtle they may be. So I’m happy to report that this pen does not include any sparkles or flecks of any kind and I think that’s just swell.
On Caps
The cap is a twist on/off cap which is great for keeping the pen secure but less convenient for any session that requires capping and uncapping the pen frequently. Twist caps for fountain pens are extremely common, so it’s just a part of the hobby, but I do prefer a slip on/off cap for convenience’s sake.
On Size
This is the first full size Professional Gear (PG) pen that I own. Previous to this, I’d only owned a couple of Professional Gear Slims (PGS), which are smaller in size - both length and diameter, as well as a smaller nib.
While the pen isn’t big, it was still a weird adjustment as I was so used to the smaller size. It took a bit of getting used to, and I tried writing with it both posted and unposted.
I always write with the Pro Gear Slims posted and they’re a perfect weight and balance. I’ll be honest and say that I felt the Pro Gear was too small unposted, but a bit to awkward/back heavy when it was posted.
I did settle on keeping it posted when I write, and now that I’ve used it more, I can manage the different feel of the weight better, but it took a minute to get comfortable with it. I don’t think that’s unusual when trying a new pen as it is impossible to overstate how different they all feel in the hand.
And please note that when I say that it’s heavier, it is only in comparison to the PGS. The pen is made of resin, so it is still an overall lightweight pen.
I do think that I prefer the Pro Gear Slim over the regular size, but if there was another Sailor release that called to me and it only came as a Pro Gear, I wouldn’t hesitate to jump on it.
Below I’ve included size comparisons between this pen and a Sailor 1911s (the clear demonstrator), a Sailor Pro Gear Slim- Fire (the burnt orange pen), a Lamy 2000 (the matte black pen), and the Esterbrook Estie -Honeycomb (regular size and the one that looks like…a honeycomb).
Note the difference in the gold accents on the Apre Ski compared to that of the Sailor PGS Fire and the Sailor 1911s. It’s not rose gold or silver/palladium, but it’s not as bright as the “regular” gold of the other two Sailor pens. It’s kind of muted and I love that. It’s so subtle but it complements the color scheme so well. Just another reason to love this pen!
On Finials
One thing about this pen that I love in particular is the clear finial at the top and bottom of the pen, and especially the pop of red in the logo on the top finial. Honestly, every pen that I’ve seen Sailor come out with that has clear or different colored finials (in comparison to the body color) I’ve found myself gravitate towards.
On Nibs
The nibs on the Pro Gears are, to my knowledge, always a larger nib than the PGS and are made from 21kt gold, versus the Pro Gear Slims which have a slightly smaller nib and are made out of 14kt gold.
You can feel the difference in the nibs, but that difference is not good or bad - it’s just different! Usually you’ll see people say that the 14kt nibs are “harder” than the 21kt, that they have a much more rigid and inflexible feel. The 21kt are also “hard” nibs but sometimes with a bit more bounce, though they are not really flexible by any means. Mine feels pretty similar to the 14kts that I have, to be honest.
I got this pen in “medium fine” and it’s actually quite on the “fine” side of that. I would say that it’s more fine than my PGS’s in MF, which is not usually the way the 21kts compare. I had previously tried a Pro Gear 21kt in MF on a different pen and it was much more wet and wider than the MFs on my PGS’s, so I was expecting that. I’m not unhappy with the way it writes, but because of the smaller amount of tipping, there’s not too much I can do when it comes to adjustments with the pen (like getting an architect, stub, or italic grind). I could get it smoothed but I don’t think it needs that, so I’ll stick with the finer line width and focus on adjusting other pens I have with more tipping if I want some different nibs.
The other unique thing about the nib on this pen is the two-tone nature. I absolutely love a two-tone nib, and I don’t believe Sailor offers this on many (if any) of their 14kt nibs (so the PGS or 1911s). But it does often come on the regular PG and I’m really happy with the way it looks. It adds just that bit of extra flair and beauty to the pen by drawing the eye to the intricate scrollwork a bit better.
The second picture that I included below is a close-up of the Lamy 2000 nib in comparison to the Sailor PG and the Sailor PGS, and it’s a bit jarring to see the completely different aesthetics and styles up close like that. I dearly love both of these pens, but they give off completely different vibes.
On Writing Samples
Next I’ve got a couple of writing samples to share with you so you can see what I mean when talking about being on the finer side of the MF. (Sorry for the bad handwriting)
On Filling System
The Sailor Pro Gear is a cartridge/converter system. It uses the same size cartridge and converter as the Pro Gear slims. I personally don’t have a preference on filling systems because I think they all have their merits depending on what you want from the pen. For a cartridge/converter system, the convenience of swapping out ink colors frequently is a plus for me, as I am always wanting to test out new combinations and too impatient to use up a whole barrel of ink from a piston filler.
Final Impressions
I love this pen. I love its unique color, I love the two-tone nib, I love the finials, and I enjoy the writing experience. I find myself staring at this pen more often than I should probably admit.
Though it is my first Pro Gear, it is my 5th Sailor pen, and it is my favorite.
For a limited edition Sailor that can be difficult to get, I think the price of $272 is pretty good, but I do know that can come as sticker shock to a lot of people who are new to the hobby. For me, that price was worth it, but there are many, many pens in that price range that can deliver more bang for your buck depending on what you want/need/like in a pen.
As much as I love the color and the unique look of this pen, I wouldn’t pay more than that just to own this, but again, that is one of those very subjective things that is different from person to person!
Middle Earth Rating - Noldor
I really had a hard time figuring this one out. I didn’t want to just say “elves” because that felt too easy, and I was trying to figure out if any other race/culture in Middle Earth would fit this look. I keep seeing jade in this pen, so dwarves were a contender because I can see them carving out jade for sure, but the final look of the pen didn’t seem to match that aesthetic to me.
I settled on the Noldor.
If you’re familiar with any history of Middle Earth/Arda outside of The Hobbit or The Lord of the Rings, you’ll probably think that “Noldor” sounds familiar. It is one of the most prominent and famous histories relating to the elves, as the Noldor are well documented due to their greatness and their war against Morgoth which comprises many of the tales of the First Age. ( Fëanor, greatest of craftsmen, creator of the Silmarils, and hugest asshole, was Noldor).
One of the things that the Noldor are known for the most is being the first to discover and carve gems. I know jade isn’t a gem, but it still seems like a material they would work with. They were especially tight with Aulë, one of the Valar, who is known as the “Smith of the Valar.” He created and was master of the rocks, gems, and all minerals of Arda.
They also literally invented the writing system, so a jade pen seemed quite fitting.
As always, I hope you enjoyed the post and learned something new. Feedback always welcome and I wish everyone a great start to the new year!