Pilot vs. Sailor | company history and business strategies, fountain pens and the race for gold nibs

[@ichirofakename]

1. As a Sailor Boi, I bought 3 NOS Sailor Candy pens from a guy on eBay for $8 each. They are exceptionally thin, surely too thin for most folk. They require a special hyper-thin proprietary cartridge which is still available. For similar dimensions (& same cartridge) but fancy metal instead of cheap plastic, the Chalana can still be found on eBay for $100. Someday I'll get one. 2. Sailors do come in the most beautiful color combinations. The limited editions always sell out, and seem to retain their value, so I'd say their business plan is working just fine. And pricing me out, even of the used marketplace.

[@pleestationeryteahouse]

Thank you for sharing! I am so curious of the candy fountain pen. How similar is the nib to their other steel nibs? Their limited editions are so beautiful. I love their hachimonjiya sakura pen but I am also priced out lol. I will just admire them from afar.

[@ichirofakename]

@@pleestationeryteahouse The Candy's nib is miniscule, and reliably makes a VERY thin line. I only use it for writing notes in book margins with tiny handwriting. All I notice when using it is that my three fingertips are touching each other when gripping it.

[@pleestationeryteahouse]

@@ichirofakename oh wow, that’s interesting. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the pen.

[@dangvy7022]

Hey girl I'm sorry you didn't enjoy the Sailor ergonomics... For most people, comfort is a deal breaker, so just in case you'll want to use this Sailor less and less, and it'll end up a regretful purchase: here's my experience as a fellow fountain pen enthusiast: I think you can't find a comfort point to hold the Sailor, not just because of your hand size, but also because of how you grip the pen - you grip it quite close to the tip. That, in turn, is because of how you write - you write very small, disconnected, precisely-shaped letters. I, on the other *hand*, grip the pen quite far back, which means when I post the Sailor, its center of gravity is right inside my hand--not back or tip heavy, which is the ideal comfort for me. But I'm able to grip it that way because 1. I write bigger than you. Not poster-size big--just like 1mm bigger than you; and 2. I'm very lax and easy with how I shape the letters--it's easier on my hand, increases speed and relieves fatigue. While I don't think that we have to change our ways to suit the tools, here's the thing: as you age, you'll tend to write bigger, simply because your eyesight will not be sharp enough to shape such small-sized letters. Also, you'll tend to be more lax with your finger movements, simply because your fatigue tolerance will not be as good as when you're young. What I mean is, in case you're disappointed with the Sailor purchase for now, and may shelve it for some time in the future, don't be completely disheartened. Maybe some day you'll find some delight in it again, in case you change your way of writing and gripping the pen. Also, maybe revel in the fact that that means you're still young, eh? You can still do so many wonderful things with your fingers. I saw some of your drawings on Instagram, they're delightful! P.S: In case you're worried I'm like some stalker or something: I'm a middled-aged woman, very much happily married. I just like looking at how people use their fountain pens and want to make friends :)

[@pleestationeryteahouse]

Hi Dang, thanks for your suggestion. I actually tried it and it was a different experience. My letters were looser and it felt nice to not be so stringent on forming my letters. Thanks so much for your encouraging comment about my art. I have been feeling a bit unsure of myself and haven’t found the confidence to dive back into drawing in a few years. So really appreciate it and appreciate your thoughtful comments. I also enjoy making stationery friends and chatting about analogue tools/living. One of the reasons I started making videos so I can connect with others and have an outlet :) talk soon!

[@dangvy7022]

Thank you for this fantastic video. Very informative, honest and well thought out. I concur with what you said. Pilot is like the awesome king of innovation. They have so many game-changing revolutionary products. The Frixion line, yes, but also the Vanishing Point, which dramatically boosts the convenience of fountain pens. The 823 Vac is so elegant and can hold a large ink capacity for long writing session. Then they have the S30 mechanical pencil, which is automatic, meaning you don't have to advance the lead tip. Then the Coletto, a fully customizable multi-pen, which supports a pencil and an eraser, and even a stylus! Among many others. Their innovation is just mind-blowing. There may be some copycats, but their products always give the impression they're built to last. I love my Sailor so much, with that juicy feedback, and I gasp everytime they launch a new edition. But if I have to be honest, I think they're miles behind Pilot. They focus too much on the eye-catching decorative surfaces, but rarely makes improvement in terms of user experience. Their piddling converter is always a subject of complaint, yet they make no effort to redesign their products whatsoever. Their old ink bottle design used to be complained about a lot, then they eliminated it all together. To name a few instances. *sigh* My dream pen would be a marriage between Pilot and Sailor. Imagine that 823 with glitter from Sailor, the feedback from Sailor, the capacity and reliability from Pilot. Woah. Ah, I see you gave a comparison among the 3 pens, this time with the camera closer. I can see what you write so much more clearly now. Thank you for listening to my ideas.

[@pleestationeryteahouse]

My dream pen would also be a crossover of Sailor x Pilot! Sailor knows colors so well / has a pulse on trends. They have so many different and beautiful inks, pen series, “limited” editions. It is also cool to see them collaborate with different shops to create new color ways but I don’t think it’s necessarily innovative lol. Pilot just knows how to make great writing instruments and is also pushing the boundaries. Curious to see how the companies with fare in the next few decades.

[@bluejchou4404]

What an enjoyable coffee time with. you!😊 Such fascinating information. I love that things of beauty and utility are created out of passion. I love that some cultures still value that.

[@scribblesandinkstains]

Oh my gosh, I loved this candlelight chat! So thoughtful… and especially remarkable for both companies considering the disruptions to the global market due to WW1 and WW2. You shared so many interesting details. I can’t wait for part two, an exploration of each company’s innovation and excellence in fountain pen inks 🌸🌸🌸.

[@pleestationeryteahouse]

Thank you for watching Mari! :) loved digging into the history of these two companies.

[@ninahollins8493]

This was so wonderful to watch!!

[@pleestationeryteahouse]

Thanks for watching Nina!

[@tawallah77]

Such a wonderful soothing candlelight chat about these 2 Japanese companies. I know about Pilot from ballpoint pens and gel pens, very reliable and I love their fine point. Being new to fountain pens I opted for more popular Sailor and TWSBI, and I am slightly peeved that I didn’t try Pilot as well. I am looking at Custom 823 for vacuum filler and hope cleaning isn’t too big an issue. But my other option is Custom Heritage 912 for the Waverley nib as I’m left handed. The other facet of popularity for Pilot is their inks especially the Iroshizuku line.

[@donbrownist]

Thank you for this very good presentation. Informative. I've just never been able to get on-board with Japanese pens, but - who knows - maybe tomorrow I'll be in the tank for them. I'm not totally irredeemable.

[@pleestationeryteahouse]

Thank you for sharing your thoughts on my presentation. What kind of pens do you prefer? I eventually would like to try a Pelikan.

[@cdgarcia]

Great vid! I enjoyed hearing the history lesson on the two pens

[@pleestationeryteahouse]

Thanks for watching Christopher!

[@gristlevonraben]

Gel pens led me to fountain pens for poetry. Cool video.

[@James-cn5qe]

Pilot has the 92 piston fill. They have several versions of their pens they only sell in Japan. If they started selling the. 912 in something other than black they could sell a lot since the series has the most interesting nibs.

[@pleestationeryteahouse]

Ah, I need to look into the 92! I think if pilot sold their pens in different colors, they would dominate the market

[@freespirit995]

Thank you for an informative video. I personally prefer Sailor pens (for their nibs and sizes, particularly the 1911 Large), but always carry a Pilot 823 in my travelling rucksack. I think these two Japanese companies should also be praised for their inks. Pilot produce the 'Iroshizuku' range of inks, based on colours from Japanese flowers and similar: these inks have rightly been described as 'the champagne of inks'. But that does not detract from Sailor inks, as they produce a phenomenal range of inks for speciality shops in Japan as well as their famous 'Kobe' inks. One 'drawback' of these wonderful Japanese pens and inks is that one can end up collecting far too many... I have many Sailor pens, quite a few Pilots, and an embarrassingly large stock of inks... Next, I wonder if you might also cover the Japanese Platinum pens and inks. That is the third of the 'big three' Japanese brands and they also produce fabulous pens.

[@payamgh5143]

Thank you

[@pleestationeryteahouse]

Thanks for watching!

[@nadiak1030]

I love stationary tea ☕️

[@pleestationeryteahouse]

It’s the best tea

[@TmanIsHere]

I wonder if maki-e is pronounced mah-ki-eh like 蒔絵, a term used for lacquer artworks found on traditional utensil.

[@pleestationeryteahouse]

Thanks for watching and sharing, I will look into that.