Sailor Pro Gear Slim Minis

Sailor North America has recently released a set of Pro Gear Slim Minis.

I was previously under the impression that the Liliput was the perfect pocket pen, but it’s hard to compete with Sailor’s nibs. Let’s just say the pockets are full these days.

We got five of the set, shown above, in the first run, but I was holding out for the Mustard Yellow, which just arrived last week. I was tempted by the Taupe, but I wanted to see how the Mustard would look in person. I think I’m a bright mango yellow, mustard, ochre, brown kind of person.

The pens only come in medium-fine, which is a great all-around nib, especially for an on-the-go kind of pen.

It’s a terrific nib. Ugh. It’s just a great nib.

The barrel of the pen is so short that it does not accept a Sailor converter, only cartridges, which is a bit sad. I’m normally someone who likes bottled ink, mainly because I like to chose my ink, but Sailor’s ink is excellent and one of my favourite brands—I’ve been using Souboku in another Sailor for addressing envelopes. You can also refill cartridges from a bottle with an ink syringe, and get a much better lifetime use out of your cartridge.

But there is good news news! Sailor is releasing cartridges in its Shikiori inks. I’ve already placed my special order with Jon. Shimoyo, Chushu and Rikyu Cha. I think we’re going to be starting out with carrying a selection of the Shikiori cartridges, trying to focus on the most popular ones, and then seeing what people are looking for.

There are threads on the back of the pen so you can securely post the cap. With the cap on, it extends to a full size pen, which helps with balance in the hand.

In any case, I’m loving my new pen. It’s cute! And it’s so handy. I guess it’s always exciting when a new pen comes in, especially when you know the nib is going to be reliable. I’m trying to take time to celebrate the small frivolities these days, time to fill up my pens, and catch up in my journal, write a letter or two, putter around in my drawers.

The kids and I have been occasionally exploring more of the trails around the house, and I’ve been contemplating bringing this one along, but it would be just my luck to have one of the kids reaching for it and have it fall into the Don River.