Beautiful pen from beautiful island Yakushima

Earlier in 2009, we wrote about Sailor using the woods from the tree grown from a mystery island - Yukashima. In that blog, we mentioned another pen manufacturer also used the same material to make pens at about 1/3 of the Sailor retail price. Did you mange to guess the pen manufactuer?

Platinum had been using the natural cedar wood from tree grown from Yukshima much earlier than Sailor. This trees are regard as National Treasure of Japan. Some of the trees are thousand of years old.

Since they are natianal treasure, the materials are taken from fallen tree, and not cut down purposefully to make the pen. No trees was "hurt" while making the pens. :-)

What is so magnificant about this cedar woods?

This wood are well known for it age but also it colour, beautiful gain and it light weight.

While both pen makers used the same materials from trees grown in Yakushima island, their pen price are miles apart. The price of Sailor is about 3x of Platinum. And their look is also very different.

The main diferent for that big price different is due to the fact that both pen makers uses different part of tree. What? You might think a piece of wood is a piece of wood, regardless whether you used the top or bottom part of the price.

Wait...wait. Please lah! Don't tell me the top of the tree breath better air so the wood is better... you know what I mean. Cannot be lah! It can't be the same as buying a appartment leh. The higher you go, the more you have to pay. :-)

People has the perspection that higher floor appartment give us better air, so the developer price it higher... or the "horse" might tell you it give better view so you pay for your "million $$$" view. Honestly, we are not sure if the perspection is fact or ficition.

Okay, okay, you are right. A piece of wood from the top or bottom of the tree is still a piece of wood. The goodness about the cedar tree is each tree has this very special part of the tree which the local called "Awa-kobu". This is the diamond of the Yaku-sagi. The availablity of "Awa-Kobu" is rare, making is valuable.

The first different Platinum used the trunk of the cedar tree, which is less valuable. Sailor used the "Awa-Kobu' of the tree. Secondly, the pen design is another key factor. Looking at the picture below, are you able to tell which pen is made from the Cedar tree. From a distance, you can't. The Platinum pen design followed the traditional look.



The Sailor pen has totally unique look and character. The pen can be easily identify from a distance with it unquice design and a character of it own. Sailor had always added plated metal to the pen to give it a little weight so that it doesn't give too light. The weight of Sailor pen is 46.2g, which 2x that of Platinum (23.5g).


The Sailor pen is 4mm shorter than Platinum. The sailor comes in 21K nib, and Platinum in 18k nib. Both pens come in nice box and pen pouch.


Platinum Pen details:
Materials: Cedar Wood
Nib: 18K nib in UEF/EF/F/M/B/C/Music
Length: 146.9mm
Weighht: 23,5g

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