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I've been testing both ink samples and inexpensive Chinese pens. Yesterday I put some Private Reserve Lake Placid Blue into a Wing Sung 6359, and today I inked a Moonman 600S with some Pilot Iroshizuku Asa-Gao. I wasn't really thinking about them being similar colours. I've been working my way through the various Private Reserve blues, and today something reminded me that I'd been meaning to look at Asa-Gao. I was amazed to find the product of these two pen-and-ink combos to be virtually identical. And so I did an off-the-cuff side-by-side comparison on a page in an A6 Leuchtturm 1917. You can see some differences at the top of the page, but nothing that couldn't be explained by the Moonman laying down more ink. Both pens have F nibs, but they're different nibs from different makers. The lines of text at the bottom were written alternately with one pen and the other. I find it hard to see any difference at all. Nothing remotely scientific about this. Just a doodle for my own amusement, but I thought the result was interesting. The image is an iPhone snap under artificial light after some rudimentary photoshopping.

Again, here is one of the Pilot Iroshizuku line of inks, one I've had for a while. This is a very saturated blue ink. Another classic ink. I must admit that I forgot to do the writeup on the inkjet paper before emptying the pen. This may fall into the category of "ballpoint blue" which you'll either appreciate or loathe. Definitely a classy business or school use ink. And just a plain nice blue with a good rich amount of dye, not a wimpy, watery ink here. And on Tomoe River there is sheen for those that go for that. Pen: Edison Premiere (F-Steel) Paper: MvL=Mohawk via Linen, TR=Tomoe River This ink was very difficult to adjust the color on the image(s) to try and match the actual page. The MvL image shows the ink much brighter than it really is, and I couldn't get that muted, desaturated color that Asa-gao is in real life. So feel free to check other reviews, images on the web, and order a sample or small bottle if need be. I didn't even have enough ink to load the feed for the ink droplet, so had to make a mess. Not terribly water resistant, but that wasn't expected.

I was excited to receive today a bottle of Iroshizuku asa-gao. I was interested in whether or not my Pilot Metropolitan pen would behave any differently with a Pilot ink. I had previously used MB turquoise and Diamine imperial purple and, whilst I was happy enough with both of those, I felt they wrote quite dry with the Metro fine nib and I just had a lot of curiosity about Iroshizuku ink, given what I had read on FPN and Goulet. Part of me thought it would turn out to be overpriced hype. I managed to get the asa-gao at a good price so I took the plunge! Well, well. It turns out that this ink does make a difference. It's definitely wetter than the MB and Diamine inks I had used. Whereas they dried instantly on my paper, the asa-gao takes a few seconds. It takes hardly any pressure to write, and the nib feels somehow more lubricated. I love the colour, which to my eyes looks like a vibrant royal blue and the glass bottle with its trademark silk thread adornment is very classy. All in all, I love this ink and am looking forward to trying many more colours in the future.

I'm looking for a bright and saturated medium/ royal blue. Something like Noodler's Baystate Blue or Parker Penman Sapphire. I found Pilot Iroshizuku Asa-Gao. From the pictures I've seen online, Asa-Gao is either bright and vibrant blue, light purple or light (definitely not vibrant) blue. If you have used it, what colour is it? Or what colour is it on different papers/ inks? Pictures from the internet: vibrant medium blue: http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cmHjilyUSw4/UAm8hlmA8FI/AAAAAAAACO0/3afleivbjuM/s1600/AsaGao3.JPG light blue http://www.gouletpens.com/v/vspfiles/photos/PN69203-2.jpg light purple http://static.jetpens.com/images/a/000/042/42848.jpg thanks