Sailor King Cobra. Hisssssss.
Sailor’s Nagahara specialty nibs are feats of engineering, and just like other feats of engineering, like bridges and giant tangles of metallic modern art in parks, sometimes they look mighty weird. Take, for example, the King Cobra.
The King Cobra is actually two nibs. The bottom nib has a very wide tip, the upper nib one slightly narrower, coming to a rounded point.
Viewed from behind, the nib reminds me of a pharaoh’s cap, neatly crowning a black plastic feed. (Hey! Pharaoh -> Cleopatra -> asp -> cobra! Okay. I’ll stop now.)
This is a nib I wish were installed in a piston filler, because the poor converter holds barely enough ink for a day. The nib also flexes. But why I would flex it, when it is clearly at least a 6B, is like asking why pop a snake in a rope jar and make it dance to Bollywood pop.
If you’re looking for line variation, the King Cobra is not for you. I would suggest the King Eagle, or even the Cross Music. The King Cobra lays down a consistent-width, wet line.
Aside from having the boldest signature on the shareholders’ minutes, you can also doodle large, shade with impunity and strike fear into the heart-shaped breather holes of medium nibs.
Tags: king cobra, Sailor
March 4th, 2010 at 8:03 pm
That is completely and utterly insane! I had to go over photographs more than once to “get” it.
Great post Leigh!
March 4th, 2010 at 8:04 pm
The heart-shaped breather holes of my puny extra-fine Sheaffers quake in fear!
Great post about an unusual nib! Sailor is <3.
March 4th, 2010 at 8:51 pm
Bold indeed. Another use could be for painting walls in your favorite ink color.
March 4th, 2010 at 9:29 pm
There are days when I wish I could afford the entire Sailor Nagahara nib catalog.
Such imagination and technical awesomeness! I think a King Eagle like JP’s is next on my list.
March 4th, 2010 at 10:27 pm
You and me both! I discovered all those awesome nibs a while ago and have been mesmerized by them ever since. It’s a shame I’ll probably never own one. I have had the luxury of using the cross-slit nib and it was an amazing experience.
Great post Leigh!
March 5th, 2010 at 1:57 am
That is so great. Major cosmic awesomeness! And the inks in question are…?
Thanks for a great post, as always.