Namiki/Pilot Black

[Tequila]

Review. Cartridge Ink.

[HDoug]

A most informative and entertaining (and legible) review! Thanks for posting.

 

Doug

[Zarble44]

LOVED the review.

 

I usually like to keep a couple of pens loaded with Noodler's Permanent/Bulletproof black. I started using the Pilot Black cartridges because the Noodler's would get "stuck" at the wrong end of the converter. Probably a combination of the converter plastic and the viscosity of the ink. The Pilot cartridges don't exhibit this behavior, but they're an entirely different kind of plastic.

 

Oh -- almost forgot my main point. I often use a Decimo Medium, and the ink always looked black. The cartridges come from Thailand, via Speerbob. Does Pilot make ink in different countries? Or just print different boxes??

 

I never found the Pilot cartridges to be grayish, but I'll start keeping an eye on them. In the meantime, Kudos for the entertaining review !!

Edited January 4, 2008 by Zarble44

[Catsmelt]

Great and entertaining review!

[Goodwhiskers]

Excellent review, Tequila!

 

A few notes from my experience with Namiki Black (Pilot Black for fountain pens) :

 

While this ink is water-resistant enough to address envelopes and packages, it does not resist stain removers.

 

This brand's ink for fountain pens is the same in cartridges or bottles.

 

The darkness of the color depends on the paper. Sometimes I don't want to write with a blackest-black ink, and this one is good for those occasions.

 

This ink requires good (either thin with dense and tight fibers, or else thick) paper.

On mediocre paper, it feathers a little and shows through so that I can write on one side only.

On bad paper, it feathers out like crazy and prints through to whatever surface is sitting underneath.

 

This is the best fountain pen ink I've found for writing on thin, slick, thermal-printing paper (such as 1980's-to-mid-1990's fax machines and the new credit card receipt printers that have shown up at most southern California retailers recently). It makes consistent marks and does not smear after drying. You might need to blot it when signing credit card receipts in a hurry.

 

I agree with FPN member The Noble Savage that this is a good pen cleaner that one can write with (the phrase is not The Noble Savage's but FPN member JimStrutton's, and the latter was writing about Parker Quink Washable Blue) when one wants to do so in black.

[speerbob]

LOVED the review.

 

I usually like to keep a couple of pens loaded with Noodler's Permanent/Bulletproof black. I started using the Pilot Black cartridges because the Noodler's would get "stuck" at the wrong end of the converter. Probably a combination of the converter plastic and the viscosity of the ink. The Pilot cartridges don't exhibit this behavior, but they're an entirely different kind of plastic.

 

Oh -- almost forgot my main point. I often use a Decimo Medium, and the ink always looked black. The cartridges come from Thailand, via Speerbob. Does Pilot make ink in different countries? Or just print different boxes??

 

I never found the Pilot cartridges to be grayish, but I'll start keeping an eye on them. In the meantime, Kudos for the entertaining review !!

 

Hi, The Pilot/Namiki cartridges I sell are from Pilot directly. You likely noticed the printing on the box is in Thai, not Japanese. I asked Pilot where they are actually made and never got a straight answer. I have a feeling that the cartridges are made in Japan and shipped in bulk to Thailand where they box them. So I think it's standard Pilot ink. While Pilot makes ink in a number of colors, they only sell black and blue here. I have noticed that the Pilot agent here is very selective in what he buys.

 

One funny note if that Pilot cartridges are called "Love tank" on the box and that is the stock number as well. Cheers, BOB

[Taki]

Tequila,

 

Thanks for another of your enjoyable review! I don't use black ink but just enjoyed reading. I love those little critters (?) in your reviews

[Aslan]

'Love your reviews! I get it (the info/review) and a smile for the same price! Very cool.

 

John

[jbn10161]

Gold star review!

[Gran]

Thanks much for the enjoyable review. Nice, too, to know this ink would be good for envelopes.

[Mikebirdref]

Great Review!

[nicholasyeo]

I like how the review was drawn out in a cute little graph form...

[GHigley]

I just bought a bottle of Namiki Black, but have yet to open it. A friend recently gave me the 16 sided all black 1987 Namiki VP with a broad nib and I thought I'd see what this ink was like in it. I hope it doesn't look as grey as what's shown here, but we take what comes. Might this ink be prone to settling and be none the worse for a good shaking?