Sailor Kiwa Guro

[Hohn]

I *WILL* be buying a full bottle of this ink, no doubt. There's a LOT to love about this ink, so where do I start?

 

Lubricity: Super smooth, but still a hint of feedback in my M215(m). The Pelikan loves this ink.

 

Flow: Wet and juicy. Fabulous!

 

Color: a matte black that looks like it was made to order for the Stealth Bomber. It is 100% opaque with no suggestion of shading. It always looks the same on every color paper. The matte finish makes it look a little more like a super dark grey, but take a closer look and you can realize that it's a black black. It's very similar to other black pigment inks (like dip pen ink or India ink)

 

Nib creep: none noted with an M215

 

Feathering-- none noted except on the cheapest of paper. Moleskine was no problem at all. It's very well-mannered and super useful.

 

Bleedthrough-- only a hint on the super cheap paper. No problems on Moleskine or better.

 

Showthough is a function of paper more than ink, and the ink is black, so what more can be said?

 

Dry time: about 10 words on Moleskine (not quite a full line), more on better paper. It's a little long, but reasonable, imo.

 

 

The most important thing about using this ink is that it made writing more fun! Yes, it was just super enjoyable. It is almost like writing with an oil paint that dries fast and preserves your work for eternity.

 

Yes, it's expensive. Writing with it made me totally forget the price. I will be ordering a full bottle of it soon!

 

(I will probably get the Sailor Nano Blue Black while I'm at it, too).

 

Just a superlatively excellent ink!

 

 

HOHN

[professionaldilettante]

It is my favorite, but it's also my most pricy of inks being 30$ a bottle off of Jetpens. I've turned to Lamy blue-black as a suitable alternative, since it's well behaved and less expensive than the others. It's also waterproof once dried, but I agree, Kiwa guro is a Very very nice ink.

[Ipno Tizer]

I'm in business to get a good real black. The best I've come across to date is Caran d'Ache old black. Unfortunately, the ink comes in Herbin bottles so I decanted the ink into an old 30ml Diamine bottle. Now I've lost it. I can find a bottle full of black ink, but I didn't label the bottle and without a label, I don't know what's in it and whether it's fountain pen safe .

 

So I need some more black. And by that I don't mean Waterman grey black, I mean real black. And despite the £15 odd quid price tag, I'm getting tempted by a bottle of Kiwa guro.

 

Chris B.

[Hohn]

Be warned that Kiwa Guro may not appear to be as black as other inks because of the matte sheen to it when dry. It actually seems to fuse with the paper when dry, almost like an Intaglio print. Hard to describe.

 

If nothing else, a sample from US suppier Goulet Pens ran me only $2, well worth it to know if I liked the ink. For me, it's the perfect black. I'm saving my sample of Sei-Boku for my new Sailor 1911 that's en route.

 

One could probably stretch the ink budget a little by saving the Kiwa Guro for the finer, drier nibs.

 

I still have a pretty good amount of Perle Noire left, so I'll be using the Kiwa Guro for more important items. It's hard to restrain, though, as the ink makes writing such a pleasure, even more than the Perle Noire.

 

JMO

[UltraMagnus]

So I need some more black. And by that I don't mean Waterman grey black, I mean real black. And despite the £15 odd quid price tag, I'm getting tempted by a bottle of Kiwa guro.

You won't regret it, and it isn't much more expensive than a bottle of montblanc or noodlers ink here.

[Ouroboros]

I've been using Kiwagura for a while now and it is my #1 black. It is expensive, but it is extremely well behaved, waterproof, and in my use, as black as it can get. The only thing I have noticed is that pens that require a really heavy flow (flex or wide italic) don't seem to like it. Maybe it's the nano particles, no idea. Other than that, top notch.

[APHK]

This ink is great but I use it for two purposes only since it is so expensive: filling out forms (as it does not bleed though) and signatures (since it is so black and permanent).

[Nic13]

I Purchased this ink and my first fountain pen together. Not disappointed at all, it is a wonderfully enjoyable ink to write with. I like to watch it dry well I am bored in class

 

it is expensive so I do recommend a sample if you can find one before you buy, if your not sure or you can just buy it like I did

 

overall it is a well behaved ink and it is water proof

[nicholasyeo]

I love Kiwa-guro too. It makes pens that bleed really balanced...

[kcoen52]

Definitely looking to buy a bottle of this ink; I have tried a sample and loved it. However, I want to find an in depth comparison between it and Noodlers Black (which I have a bottle of) before I designate it as my new go to black. The main reason being the price; I can get almost 3 times as much Noodlers Black for about 1/2 the price...

[lapis]

Definitely looking to buy a bottle of this ink; I have tried a sample and loved it. However, I want to find an in depth comparison between it and Noodlers Black (which I have a bottle of) before I designate it as my new go to black. The main reason being the price; I can get almost 3 times as much Noodlers Black for about 1/2 the price...

I don't like this ink because it is too dry for me and, actually, not all that black after all (as everybody else already says).

 

Mike

[hpk90]

I really like this ink, and right now it is my default black. I am a bit concerned about it because it is difficult, but not impossible, to clean out of pens. I think I am going to dedicated one pen to this ink. I use it everyday for note taking and appreciate the fact that it dries very quickly. More great stuff from Sailor. Thanks for the review.

[lapis]

Sorry to expand but after a new check, I really do still find it to be too brown. Actually not at all a bad 'brown-black' but not at all as 'black' a black as HOD which is IMO also much wetter. But my favourite blue-black of all is their Jentle version.

 

Mike

[georges zaslavsky]

I had a positive experience with the sailor grey, so it is good to know this one is good as well.

Edited May 23, 2012 by georges zaslavsky

[professionaldilettante]

Sorry to expand but after a new check, I really do still find it to be too brown. Actually not at all a bad 'brown-black' but not at all as 'black' a black as HOD which is IMO also much wetter. But my favourite blue-black of all is their Jentle version.

 

Mike

Ok. We understand you don't like this ink. Now stop posting in this thread.

[shaylenwilliams]

Sorry to expand but after a new check, I really do still find it to be too brown. Actually not at all a bad 'brown-black' but not at all as 'black' a black as HOD which is IMO also much wetter. But my favourite blue-black of all is their Jentle version.

 

Mike

Ok. We understand you don't like this ink. Now stop posting in this thread.

 

I truly hope that a good-natured jest is being lost due to the limitations of internet communication.

[Penman222]

Sorry to expand but after a new check, I really do still find it to be too brown. Actually not at all a bad 'brown-black' but not at all as 'black' a black as HOD which is IMO also much wetter. But my favourite blue-black of all is their Jentle version.

 

Mike

Ok. We understand you don't like this ink. Now stop posting in this thread.

 

I truly hope that a good-natured jest is being lost due to the limitations of internet communication.

 

Me too. I would read a weather report from Lapis!

[Laura N]

Sorry to expand but after a new check, I really do still find it to be too brown. Actually not at all a bad 'brown-black' but not at all as 'black' a black as HOD which is IMO also much wetter. But my favourite blue-black of all is their Jentle version.

 

Mike

Ok. We understand you don't like this ink. Now stop posting in this thread.

 

I truly hope that a good-natured jest is being lost due to the limitations of internet communication.

 

Me too. I would read a weather report from Lapis!

 

Me three. And I am scratching my head, since his contribution here was particularly valuable. It's nice to hear both the pluses and minuses of any ink you're considering.