Posts filed under Ink Reviews

Pilot Iroshizuku 100th Anniversary Daikokuten Ink Review

For all the grief I have given Pilot over the past year for their handling of their 100th Anniversary celebration, you knew I was going to participate in it when and where I could. I was hoping it would be a pen, and I was hoping it would be in 2018 - the actual 100th year of the company - but alas, neither were meant to be.

I finally got to join in on the fun last month, as Pilot’s 100th Anniversary Iroshizuku inks hit the US market. Better late than never I guess!

This ink set consists of 7 colors, designed in conjunction with their 7 Gods of Good Fortune maki-e fountain pen set made for their anniversary. On the whole, I was disappointed with the color choices. I would have liked to see Pilot push the boundaries a little more if I’m being honest. That said, there are a couple of interesting colors in this group, none more so than Daikokuten in my eyes.

I don’t own a yellow-leaning ink. I have tried a few light oranges in my time, but have never been compelled to go even lighter with yellow. How would this ink look on the page? Would I be able to read it? Can I use it with my favorite extra fine nibs and be happy with it?

As you can tell, Daikokuten requires you to answer a few questions about your ink usage before committing to using it. A simple, basic ink this is not.

I’ve shied away from yellow inks in the past because of their inherent lightness. My eyes are bad as it is - why do I want to strain them even more? The pictures and samples of Daikokuten compelled me because it appeared to have some depth and character to it. And, it wasn't as boring as the rest of the 100th Anniversary Iroshizuku lineup. It seemed fun.

So far, it is. I’d say it’s even better than I thought, although it will never be a daily driver for me. This is a special occasion ink, meaning a 50ml bottle is probably not the way to go unless you have a great use case for it.

Daikokuten performs as well as any other Iroshizuku ink I have tested, which is to say very well. I chose to use it in a 14k gold Sailor EF nib purposefully. If the edge case ink works well in an edge case nib, then I will be happy - even if this isn’t the recommended setup. Light ink plus wide nib is usually the best combination.

I thought white paper would be the best choice for Daikokuten too, but the cream-colored page of the Yoseka Notebook was the winner. It beat out my other standard choices of Rhodia, Tomoe River, and Apica by a decent margin. With Yoseka paper, I could see the character in the ink that made me want to purchase it in the first place. As I alluded to earlier, your paper choice will effect an ink color this light.

The big question is: Would I recommend this ink to you? Definitely maybe. It’s a fun ink, but not an ink I will use all of the time. That makes it the perfect candidate for an ink sample purchase, or 15ml mini bottle if you can find someone willing to break up the set.

For me, I’m happy to at least have one cool product from Pilot’s 100th Anniversary event.

(I purchased this ink at a discount from Vanness Pens.)

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Posted on May 13, 2019 by Brad Dowdy and filed under Pilot, Iroshizuku, Ink Reviews.

Platinum Pigment Brun Sepia Ink Review

(Sarah Read is an author, editor, yarn artist, and pen/paper/ink addict. You can find more about her at her website and on Twitter. And check out her first novel, The Bone Weaver’s Orchard, now available where books are sold!)

Have you ever lost some important writing to a tea spill? Or a water bottle leak? It happens, and it's the worst. I've had a few instances where I needed a truly waterproof ink for a task, but I've always been a bit wary of putting them in my pens. So many carry warnings of stains, clogs, or even pen damage. But I have heard good things about the Platinum Pigment inks, so I gave this lovely Brun Sepia a try.

I filled my Pelikan M205 and started scribbling. I noticed that the ink in the bottle is opaque and doesn't have the transparent quality of non-pigment inks. The bottle is nice. Blown glass in a sturdy shape that's practical for filling pens. It comes with its own internal inkwell that is designed to make the pen easier to fill when the ink level gets low. It's like a wee plastic wine glass that sits in the bottle. When you flip the bottle upside down (with the lid on, of course), then right it, the small cup will fill with ink, and you can fill your pen from the smaller cup. It's a nice feature.

The ink flows well when writing, though it is a bit inconsistent. Sometimes it feels like it's dry, with a fainter line, then it gushes a bit and makes darker patches. It looks pretty--like extra shading--but it feels like a behavior issue. And despite the fact that it sometimes feels dry, it's not. In fact, this is one of the longest dry times I've counted out for any ink. It was a full 40 seconds before it was mostly dry, and even then it smudged.

However, once it is dry, it is completely water resistant. I did a drip test, and you'll just have to take my word for it that I did drip water on the ink grid, because not a bit of it moved. I also couldn't really do any kind of chromatography, because I just got a wet line of ink. If this ink's number one job is to be impervious to water--it wins.

The ink's color is also nice, though nothing amazing. It's a cozy brown, simple enough to be professional, but fun enough to not be boring. I love the old-timey feel of brown inks, and this one doesn't disappoint. It also isn't very similar to anything else in my collection of browns. The closest relative is Montblanc Toffee Brown, but while their swabs look similar, they are completely different in writing. This brown is almost rosy. It's actually the exact color of a Chilean Rose Tarantula…which may not be an endearing comparison for most folks, but it helps to highlight my point that it is a subtly interesting color.

Overall, I like this ink, and it does its job well. It has a few faults, namely the dry time, but I feel that's a fair trade for the qualities you do get. It's certainly not going to be an everyday ink for me, but it's the perfect tool for when you need it. Going on a writing hike? Camping? On a deadline with your notebook surrounded by half-forgotten cups of coffee perched precariously close to your work? Definitely time for permanent ink.

Also: My pen has not suffered any ill effects at all. I'll update if it does over a longer period of time, but so far I have zero concerns.

(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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Posted on April 25, 2019 by Brad Dowdy and filed under Platinum, Ink Reviews.

Caran d’Ache Chromatics Hypnotic Turquoise Ink Review

Ink cartridge review, to be more specific.

I've always had an affinity for fountain pen ink cartridges, but have never truly embraced all of the options available. Until this point, my most used cartridge has been Pilot Blue Black in most any Pilot pen I own. That's right; they are proprietary. Same with Sailor, Platinum, and Lamy. Proprietary is fine, as long as there are options.

If you want even more options, international-sized cartridges give you that. But they are often limited to short international cartridges, made primarily for pocket pens with shorter barrels that can't accommodate a full-length cartridge. Pelikan makes an excellent standard international cartridge for their Edelstein lineup, but that's about it.

For mixing and matching colors with your compatible pens, short international cartridges are where it's at. And thankfully, that market has blown up over the past several years.

When I first got into Kaweco pocket pens, I felt limited by their stock cartridge offerings. They were excellent, and I used blue black and aubergine with regularity, but I wanted the choices in my ink cartridges to be closer to my options in ink bottles. Yes, I've syringe-filled many an ink cartridge in my day, but that kind of defeats the convenience of cartridges in the first place.

With more brands expanding their short international ink cartridge lineups I'm beginning to get the choice I've always wanted for my pens. And it is time for me to start exploring.

The words “Caran d’Ache” and “good value” will never be used in the same sentence. They are a luxury brand, and luxury pricing applies. On the surface, $5 for a 6-pack of short international ink cartridges may not sound like a lot, but comparatively, it is pretty steep. If I can get the quality I see out of my first cartridge choice - Hypnotic Turquoise - in the rest of their lineup, then I will have no problem saying that the price is worth it.

This bright blue pops off the page. It flows wonderfully from my Fine steel Kaweco Sport nib and has yet to dry out or hard start on me. There is a visible red sheen on the edges of my letters, and while this nib doesn't show off the inks full shading characteristics, I can see the color variation that would be even more present in a broader nib.

In short, this is a fantastic ink. I want more of this, and that is the path I am going down with this next little experiment of mine. I bought a dozen or so different ink cartridge colors and brands and will be testing them out. I also got your recommendations last week and will be adding those to my shopping list.

Right out the gate, they are going to have a tough time beating Hypnotic Turquoise.

(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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