The end of the year can be a spending minefield for fountain pen fans: not only are there Fountain Pen Day deals to be had at the start of November, but also Black Friday at the end of it. Following my Fountain Pen Day purchase of the Leonardo Momento Zero Nuvola Lilac, I’d intended to behave myself for Black Friday, but unfortunately Cult Pens had other plans, and I ended up buying a Sailor Pro Gear…oops (good thing I’d saved plenty of money for November!)! 

As a fan of pastel colours, I’d had my eye on the Smoothie series of Pro Gears for a while, but felt I couldn’t really justify the price. But I’m so glad I managed to get the Cantaloupe pen for such a good deal, as it’s a stunning pen!

Whilst the body of the pen is quite a bright shade of orange, the cap and grip section are a much softer peach colour, and the whole pen has that subtle shimmer common to a lot of Sailor Pro Gears. The champagne gold nib and hardware also matches the softer pastel colours of this pen a lot more than I feel regular gold would have done, and really adds the finishing touch to make this a beautiful pen! 

I’d previously been loving my Sailor Pro Gear Slim Grateful Crane pen, and so I’d been curious as to how much I’d feel the ‘upgrade’ of the larger sized pen and 21K nib. After using this pen now for a month or so, I actually feel like it’s the increased size that I’ve enjoyed more than the nib itself. 

I know a lot of people find the Pro Gear Slims too small, but I’ve never had too much issue with small pens. But now I’m accustomed to the slightly larger size of the regular Pro Gear, I do prefer it, and feel it’s a little more comfortable in my hand during longer writing sessions. As with the Pro Gear Slim, it posts securely, and I do still feel the need to cap this pen, but that’s just my preference. 

I got the Pro Gear Cantaloupe with a fine nib, and it’s wonderful to write with, with plenty of that classic Sailor feedback. However, I wouldn’t say I’ve noticed any massive difference between the 21K of the Pro Gear and the 14K of the Pro Gear Slim, other than more feedback, which is likely due to the Pro Gear being Fine instead of Medium Fine. So I’d personally say if you’re trying to choose between the Pro Gear Slim and the Pro Gear, your preference for pen size should be more of a consideration than the nib itself. It is also a big price hike between the two models, and so, as much as I love this pen, I’d say either wait for a good deal on the Pro Gear, or go for the Pro Gear Slim if you’re OK with smaller pens. 

The Cantaloupe Smoothie pen has definitely been a welcome addition to my pen collection though, and combined with Diamine Coral, it’s barely left my hand since! The combination of the unique experience of writing with a Sailor pen and the stunning peach and orange colourway have this pen up there with some of my favourite pens in my whole collection. But now I have both the Pro Gear and Pro Gear Slim, I logically know I don’t really need any more of either… But Sailor and their ever turning conveyor belt of beautiful colour combinations will surely snag me again in the future!

So do you have a Sailor Pro Gear fountain pen? What do you think of it? How do you feel it compares to the Sailor Pro Gear Slim?