Under no circumstances are fountain pen ink cartridges a good value. The cost per milliliter is higher than with bottled ink, and there is the added waste of a bunch of little plastic cartridges laying around.
Yet, I love them.
As with a lot of things ink life, moderation is key. My current ink bottle situation is an exercise in excess. Anarchy is a better term. Adding new ink cartridges to the situation doesn’t help, but I have some fixed ideas about pen and ink combinations, where the use of cartridges grants me the freedom to use certain pens more.
That sounds ridiculous, and it is. Then again, here you are reading a blog about stationery, so let’s at least be ridiculous together.
Would you be surprised if I told you that in three* of my priciest pens I regularly use ink cartridges? Why? Two reasons: 1. I want to use these pens, and this allows me to use them more, and 2. I found ink in cartridge form that I love.
Point one is laziness, let’s be honest. But if that is what gets me using a pen more frequently, then sign me up for a nap! In conjunction with point two, that ease of use combined with a heck of a good pen and ink combo, well, that is really what it is all about.
When I bought my Namiki Yukari Milky Way, I committed to using only one ink with it: Pilot Iroshizuku Tsuki-yo. It’s a great color, and a perfect match for the pen. I use it in bottle form, with the Pilot CON-70 converter, aka the best, worst converter in the world. The CON-70 is Pilot’s largest ink capacity converter, which is good, but I can only fill it and clean it well with a syringe, which is bad/annoying. Would I ever be able to get Tsuki-yo in cartridge form so I am less angsty about inking up what is quite possibly my favorite pen?
Pilot announced the launch of their Iroshizuku ink cartridge lineup in early 2022, and after a few delays in their worldwide release, they have arrived. 12 of the 26 stock colors are available in packs of 6 for a whopping $12.50 per pack. Each cartridge holds 0.8ml, putting the cost at two dollars and sixty cents per milliliter. Compare that to the 50 ml Iroshizuku ink bottles, which track at right around fifty cents per milliliter, and you realize how ridiculous they are.
But I love them. One six-pack at a time, because they make me want to use my pen more.
Like I said, there is no narrative that makes these a good value. Except one. How many milliliters of unused ink is sitting in a bottle on your shelf? Is it better to spend $25 and use 25% of it, or spend $12.50 and use 100% of it? There are a lot of ifs, ands, or buts in that statement, but we all want to use our stuff more. Smaller and less cost-effective may work in certain situations, as silly as that sounds.
Again, moderation is key here. I bought Tsuki-yo for a specific use case. I will not be adding another five boxes of Iroshizuku ink cartridges to the collection.
As poor as the price for these cartridges is, the ink itself is fantastic. I wouldn’t have sprung for them if it wasn’t. Tsuki-yo translates to “Moonlight Night” and is a beautiful dark blue with a hint of teal. On the right paper, there is a touch of red sheen to be found around the edges. It matches the Raden planets in the Milky Way wonderfully.
Fountain pen ink cartridges will always cost more than their bulk bottle brethren. They are great for travel, portability, and ease of use. The trade off is the price, and, on occasion, that’s a trade I’m willing to make.
(*The other two pen/cartridge combos I use are the Nakaya Portable Kuro-tamenuri with Platinum Mt. Fuji Blue Black, and the Nakaya Piccolo Negoro Orange with Platinum Carbon Black.)
(I purchased these cartridges from Yoseka Stationery for review purposes at full retail price.)
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