Hello,

in my fountain pens journey I have now tested out the flagship model - and with some brands many other models - of every mention worthy brand out there. Except Sailor. I have not had a single Sailor, except once in my hand on my trip to Japan, but I usually take several months of intensive use before I can objectively decide if I like a pen or not, so that is definitely not enough. Can some of you fine folks here help me where should I start with exploring Sailor?

I don't want to start with lower end of Sailor offering purely because I do not want to judge a company by their cheap(er) offerings. I'm looking into Realos, because I think an expensive pen shouldn't be on a cartridge converter (I know this is debatable and subjective, let's not get into this), but they're so ugly to me. This is one of the bigger reasons why I have never bought a Sailor before. They look like Montblanc knock offs, and I can't stand Montblanc pens.

Next in line - I really love the looks of black luster (and to a lesser extent imperial black). I've held this one in hands before and I didn't think of it as anything special, especially considering the price.

I'm now down to king of pens. I'm thinking about the black KOP ebonite with rhodium trims. I also love the KOP ebonite, but with coloured urushi. A little too pricey for me to jump in, though. Would KOP be a decent start into exploring Sailor brand? Or would you recommend something else? Is there a nib I should look at that is a must try? I don't want one of the nibs that run through ink like no tomorrow (i.e. king eagle), because of the tiny converter it runs on.

Also, any suggestions on where to buy in Europe? Should I order directly from Japan instead? Any retailers you'd recommend?

Thanks for any and all input!