Sailor Jentle Ultramarine

[carpedavid]

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BpSUXAyuU1I/TePS9RUHrUI/AAAAAAAAASE/2ER34eTWcTQ/s1600/sailor+jentle+ultramarine.jpg

 

Sailor Jentle Ultramarine is one of Sailor's six new ink colors (the others being Apricot, Epinard, Grenade, Peche, and Sky High). I purchased samples of each, and Ultramarine is the first one I tested. Ultramarine is a unique color that sits on the spectrum between blue and indigo. One could call it blue-purple, but that wouldn't quite do it justice.

 

Historically, ultramarine was an expensive pigment that was made by grinding up the gemstone lapis lazuli. It was first used in the 6th and 7th centuries, but was most popular during the 14th and 15th centuries. It was generally reserved by European artists for the most important subjects in paintings, such as the robes of Mary and the Christ child in sacred works.

 

Thankfully, the color can be produced artificially today, which makes inks like this one affordable. The color is so rich and beautiful, though, that you'd be forgiven for thinking that you're still writing with ground-up lapis. Sailor Ultramarine, in particular, is moderately saturated, which produces medium levels of gem-like shading in a fine nib.

 

I tested this ink on five papers: cheap, office-grade copier paper; Staples "Sustainable Earth" bagasse; Ecosystem notebook paper; Moleskine cahier paper; and high-quality Rhodia 90gsm paper. I've previously reviewed Sailor Jentle Blue-Black, and its behavior was exemplary across each of these papers. I'm pleased to report that Ultramarine is equally well-behaved.

 

On the copier paper, it displayed a low-medium level of feathering, a medium level of show-through, and a low level of bleed-through. It was dry to the touch in three seconds. On the bagasse, the ink displayed a low level of feathering and bleed-through, and medium level of show-though. It dried in six seconds. On the Ecosystem notebook, the ink dried in two seconds, and had a low level of feathering and bleed-through. It exhibited moderate levels of show-though.

 

The ink's performance on the Moleskine cahier was better then many. While it took fifteen seconds to dry, I noticed absolutely no bleed-through, low levels of feathering, and only moderate show-through. Finally, on the Rhodia paper, the ink dried in just under fifteen seconds, which is within the realm of normalcy for Rhodia. As expected, it demonstrated no feathering, no bleed-through, and very little show-though.

 

My only complaint about the ink is that it has a very sharp chemical solvent smell to it. Some inks possess a mild odor that is only noticeable up close, but this scent is more powerful. It is similar to the smell of some permanent markers. If you're sensitive to odors in general, or specifically to that type of scent, I'd recommend trying a sample or otherwise evaluating it in person before buying.

 

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8fXTTDYwLck/TePS8_WOl2I/AAAAAAAAASA/jEctG3yKb18/s1600/sailor+jentle+ultramarine+water+test.jpg

 

Ultramarine held up unexpectedly well during the water tests. The smear test, in which I ran a wet finger across the page, was first. Here, the ink did smudge, but left behind legible lines. The drip test, in which I let droplets of water sit for a minute before blotting, raised about a third the ink from the page, but left the other two-thirds intact and legible.

 

The soak test, in which I run the paper under a faucet for a half a minute, was the most surprising. About a third of the ink washed away, but the remaining ink remained completely legible. I'm happy to report that Ultramarine possesses a high degree of water resistance, though it is not completely waterproof.

 

Ultramarine is a beautiful color, and I can see it being used by less conservative businesspeople. It's easy to read, especially on white paper, so it's also useful for daily journaling or correspondence. The high degree of water resistance makes it a good choice for addressing envelopes, but the tendency to smear slightly makes it unsuitable for artistic endeavors that require it to be washed over.

 

Sailor inks come in a bottle that looks like a cold-cream jar - they're nothing especially interesting to look at, though they are fairly innocuous. Much more interesting than their appearance is the inclusion of a mechanism that aids the filling of pens.

 

A plastic funnel sits inside the mouth of the bottle. Prior to filling a pen, turn the bottle upside down (leave the lid on for this step, of course), and ink will fill the funnel. Then turn the bottle back over, and the ink will remain in the funnel for long enough to allow you to easily fill the pen. This is especially handy once the ink falls below a certain level in the bottle; it makes it very easy to get to every last drop.

 

I'm becoming quite a fan of Sailor inks. While I originally ordered samples of all of the new colors, I know for sure that I'll be ordering full bottles of many of them, and Ultramarine will be certainly be first.

 

Review materials: For the wide strokes, I used two calligraphy pens: Pilot Parallel 6.0mm and 2.0mm Pelikan Script. Both have steel nibs. For the fine strokes, I used a Lamy 2000. The paper is Rhodia 80g from a No. 18 notepad.

 

Sailor Jentle Ultramarine is available from:

 

• Goulet Pens
  
• JetPens
  

[Sandy1]

Hi,

 

Many thanks for another wonderful Review!

 

I certainly agree with your opinion of this and the other recently released Sailor inks - their appearance & performance is highly desirable.

 

Bye,

S1

[curiouslizard]

Beautiful! Do you know if Sailor inks tend toward faster dry times than Pilot inks?

[SnowLeopard]

How do you know what color is in the bottle if all the writing is in Japanese? I think I have UM...

[twdpens]

How do you know what color is in the bottle if all the writing is in Japanese? I think I have UM...

 

Sailor Ultramarine product code is 13-1000-250. This code only appears on the box, not the bottle.

 

HTH,

 

Martin

[carpedavid]

Beautiful! Do you know if Sailor inks tend toward faster dry times than Pilot inks?

 

I don't have a lot of experience yet with the normal line of Pilot inks. However, of my experience so far, I can say that they seem to dry more quickly than the Iroshizuku line of Pilot inks, yes.

[saintsimon]

So it is not just another Royal Blue ink?

[curiouslizard]

Beautiful! Do you know if Sailor inks tend toward faster dry times than Pilot inks?

 

I don't have a lot of experience yet with the normal line of Pilot inks. However, of my experience so far, I can say that they seem to dry more quickly than the Iroshizuku line of Pilot inks, yes.

 

Thanks, I love the look and richness of this ink as well as a few other Sailor offerings. Over at the Goulet Swab Shop this ink appears quite a bit more violet than yours. On paper, does your sample appear as violet at theirs? I only ask since I am about to place an ink order.

 

Thank you again for your review.

[HDoug]

Love your calligraphy/art and this review!

 

Doug

[carpedavid]

Beautiful! Do you know if Sailor inks tend toward faster dry times than Pilot inks?

 

I don't have a lot of experience yet with the normal line of Pilot inks. However, of my experience so far, I can say that they seem to dry more quickly than the Iroshizuku line of Pilot inks, yes.

 

Thanks, I love the look and richness of this ink as well as a few other Sailor offerings. Over at the Goulet Swab Shop this ink appears quite a bit more violet than yours. On paper, does your sample appear as violet at theirs? I only ask since I am about to place an ink order.

 

Thank you again for your review.

 

Hmm. On my monitor they look very similar. There is a bit of violet to the ink, but I still consider it a blue. If you're in doubt, Goulet Pens does sell samples.

[Signum1]

Thanks for the review. I appreciate the background information regarding gemstone lapis lazuli.

[lizncats]

Quick question - how does Aquamarine compare to PR Tanzanite?

[fjf]

Thanks for your review. I just got one bottle and the color in your picture is very accurate. I would say it is a violet-blue similar to the famous aurora blue, but more water resistant. A nice ink to have and use.

[beurling]

great review..as they say in star wars.."this may be the ink your are looking for"

[Calabria]

Thanks for your review. I just got one bottle and the color in your picture is very accurate. I would say it is a violet-blue similar to the famous aurora blue, but more water resistant. A nice ink to have and use.

I agree that in my own tests, the ink most closely resembles Aurora blue in hue and intensity. A very nice shade, with more character than MB or Pelikan blue. I did have to do some research though to identify this particular bottle that I bought quite a while ago, since the label mystifies me.

[bdanh1989]

Beautiful! Do you know if Sailor inks tend toward faster dry times than Pilot inks?

I think Sailor inks better than Pilot Inks. They are faster dry and concentrated than Pilot inks.

[bdanh1989]

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BpSUXAyuU1I/TePS9RUHrUI/AAAAAAAAASE/2ER34eTWcTQ/s1600/sailor+jentle+ultramarine.jpg

 

Sailor Jentle Ultramarine is one of Sailor's six new ink colors (the others being Apricot, Epinard, Grenade, Peche, and Sky High). I purchased samples of each, and Ultramarine is the first one I tested. Ultramarine is a unique color that sits on the spectrum between blue and indigo. One could call it blue-purple, but that wouldn't quite do it justice.

 

Historically, ultramarine was an expensive pigment that was made by grinding up the gemstone lapis lazuli. It was first used in the 6th and 7th centuries, but was most popular during the 14th and 15th centuries. It was generally reserved by European artists for the most important subjects in paintings, such as the robes of Mary and the Christ child in sacred works.

 

Thankfully, the color can be produced artificially today, which makes inks like this one affordable. The color is so rich and beautiful, though, that you'd be forgiven for thinking that you're still writing with ground-up lapis. Sailor Ultramarine, in particular, is moderately saturated, which produces medium levels of gem-like shading in a fine nib.

 

I tested this ink on five papers: cheap, office-grade copier paper; Staples "Sustainable Earth" bagasse; Ecosystem notebook paper; Moleskine cahier paper; and high-quality Rhodia 90gsm paper. I've previously reviewed Sailor Jentle Blue-Black, and its behavior was exemplary across each of these papers. I'm pleased to report that Ultramarine is equally well-behaved.

 

On the copier paper, it displayed a low-medium level of feathering, a medium level of show-through, and a low level of bleed-through. It was dry to the touch in three seconds. On the bagasse, the ink displayed a low level of feathering and bleed-through, and medium level of show-though. It dried in six seconds. On the Ecosystem notebook, the ink dried in two seconds, and had a low level of feathering and bleed-through. It exhibited moderate levels of show-though.

 

The ink's performance on the Moleskine cahier was better then many. While it took fifteen seconds to dry, I noticed absolutely no bleed-through, low levels of feathering, and only moderate show-through. Finally, on the Rhodia paper, the ink dried in just under fifteen seconds, which is within the realm of normalcy for Rhodia. As expected, it demonstrated no feathering, no bleed-through, and very little show-though.

 

My only complaint about the ink is that it has a very sharp chemical solvent smell to it. Some inks possess a mild odor that is only noticeable up close, but this scent is more powerful. It is similar to the smell of some permanent markers. If you're sensitive to odors in general, or specifically to that type of scent, I'd recommend trying a sample or otherwise evaluating it in person before buying.

 

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8fXTTDYwLck/TePS8_WOl2I/AAAAAAAAASA/jEctG3yKb18/s1600/sailor+jentle+ultramarine+water+test.jpg

 

Ultramarine held up unexpectedly well during the water tests. The smear test, in which I ran a wet finger across the page, was first. Here, the ink did smudge, but left behind legible lines. The drip test, in which I let droplets of water sit for a minute before blotting, raised about a third the ink from the page, but left the other two-thirds intact and legible.

 

The soak test, in which I run the paper under a faucet for a half a minute, was the most surprising. About a third of the ink washed away, but the remaining ink remained completely legible. I'm happy to report that Ultramarine possesses a high degree of water resistance, though it is not completely waterproof.

 

Ultramarine is a beautiful color, and I can see it being used by less conservative businesspeople. It's easy to read, especially on white paper, so it's also useful for daily journaling or correspondence. The high degree of water resistance makes it a good choice for addressing envelopes, but the tendency to smear slightly makes it unsuitable for artistic endeavors that require it to be washed over.

 

Sailor inks come in a bottle that looks like a cold-cream jar - they're nothing especially interesting to look at, though they are fairly innocuous. Much more interesting than their appearance is the inclusion of a mechanism that aids the filling of pens.

 

A plastic funnel sits inside the mouth of the bottle. Prior to filling a pen, turn the bottle upside down (leave the lid on for this step, of course), and ink will fill the funnel. Then turn the bottle back over, and the ink will remain in the funnel for long enough to allow you to easily fill the pen. This is especially handy once the ink falls below a certain level in the bottle; it makes it very easy to get to every last drop.

 

I'm becoming quite a fan of Sailor inks. While I originally ordered samples of all of the new colors, I know for sure that I'll be ordering full bottles of many of them, and Ultramarine will be certainly be first.

 

Review materials: For the wide strokes, I used two calligraphy pens: Pilot Parallel 6.0mm and 2.0mm Pelikan Script. Both have steel nibs. For the fine strokes, I used a Lamy 2000. The paper is Rhodia 80g from a No. 18 notepad.

 

Sailor Jentle Ultramarine is available from:

 

• Goulet Pens
• JetPens

 

Thank you for your review. It's great but all of them are sold out.

[tinta]

Thank you for giving new life to this wonderful review by "carpedavid".

What magnificent writing!

 

Though my preferences have shifted more to IG-formula blue/black inks & to Scabiosa, I have kept a few mid blues, including a bottle of Sailor's Jentle Ultramarine.

I must revisit my bottle.

[Mercian]

As I recently pointed a new member in the direction of this review, I thought that it would be useful for me to update the two links in carpedavid's original post, so that the board software will once again display his pictures..

 

So, here is the full text of his review, with the links converted to 'https://' links, so that the pictures can be seen.

 

Enjoy!

------

 

 

Sailor Jentle Ultramarine is one of Sailor's six new ink colors (the others being Apricot, Epinard, Grenade, Peche, and Sky High). I purchased samples of each, and Ultramarine is the first one I tested. Ultramarine is a unique color that sits on the spectrum between blue and indigo. One could call it blue-purple, but that wouldn't quite do it justice.

 

Historically, ultramarine was an expensive pigment that was made by grinding up the gemstone lapis lazuli. It was first used in the 6th and 7th centuries, but was most popular during the 14th and 15th centuries. It was generally reserved by European artists for the most important subjects in paintings, such as the robes of Mary and the Christ child in sacred works.

 

Thankfully, the color can be produced artificially today, which makes inks like this one affordable. The color is so rich and beautiful, though, that you'd be forgiven for thinking that you're still writing with ground-up lapis. Sailor Ultramarine, in particular, is moderately saturated, which produces medium levels of gem-like shading in a fine nib.

 

I tested this ink on five papers: cheap, office-grade copier paper; Staples "Sustainable Earth" bagasse; Ecosystem notebook paper; Moleskine cahier paper; and high-quality Rhodia 90gsm paper. I've previously reviewed Sailor Jentle Blue-Black, and its behavior was exemplary across each of these papers. I'm pleased to report that Ultramarine is equally well-behaved.

 

On the copier paper, it displayed a low-medium level of feathering, a medium level of show-through, and a low level of bleed-through. It was dry to the touch in three seconds. On the bagasse, the ink displayed a low level of feathering and bleed-through, and medium level of show-though. It dried in six seconds. On the Ecosystem notebook, the ink dried in two seconds, and had a low level of feathering and bleed-through. It exhibited moderate levels of show-though.

 

The ink's performance on the Moleskine cahier was better then many. While it took fifteen seconds to dry, I noticed absolutely no bleed-through, low levels of feathering, and only moderate show-through. Finally, on the Rhodia paper, the ink dried in just under fifteen seconds, which is within the realm of normalcy for Rhodia. As expected, it demonstrated no feathering, no bleed-through, and very little show-though.

 

My only complaint about the ink is that it has a very sharp chemical solvent smell to it. Some inks possess a mild odor that is only noticeable up close, but this scent is more powerful. It is similar to the smell of some permanent markers. If you're sensitive to odors in general, or specifically to that type of scent, I'd recommend trying a sample or otherwise evaluating it in person before buying.

 

 

Ultramarine held up unexpectedly well during the water tests. The smear test, in which I ran a wet finger across the page, was first. Here, the ink did smudge, but left behind legible lines. The drip test, in which I let droplets of water sit for a minute before blotting, raised about a third the ink from the page, but left the other two-thirds intact and legible.

 

The soak test, in which I run the paper under a faucet for a half a minute, was the most surprising. About a third of the ink washed away, but the remaining ink remained completely legible. I'm happy to report that Ultramarine possesses a high degree of water resistance, though it is not completely waterproof.

 

Ultramarine is a beautiful color, and I can see it being used by less conservative businesspeople. It's easy to read, especially on white paper, so it's also useful for daily journaling or correspondence. The high degree of water resistance makes it a good choice for addressing envelopes, but the tendency to smear slightly makes it unsuitable for artistic endeavors that require it to be washed over.

 

Sailor inks come in a bottle that looks like a cold-cream jar - they're nothing especially interesting to look at, though they are fairly innocuous. Much more interesting than their appearance is the inclusion of a mechanism that aids the filling of pens.

 

A plastic funnel sits inside the mouth of the bottle. Prior to filling a pen, turn the bottle upside down (leave the lid on for this step, of course), and ink will fill the funnel. Then turn the bottle back over, and the ink will remain in the funnel for long enough to allow you to easily fill the pen. This is especially handy once the ink falls below a certain level in the bottle; it makes it very easy to get to every last drop.

 

I'm becoming quite a fan of Sailor inks. While I originally ordered samples of all of the new colors, I know for sure that I'll be ordering full bottles of many of them, and Ultramarine will be certainly be first.

 

Review materials: For the wide strokes, I used two calligraphy pens: Pilot Parallel 6.0mm and 2.0mm Pelikan Script. Both have steel nibs. For the fine strokes, I used a Lamy 2000. The paper is Rhodia 80g from a No. 18 notepad.

 

-----

 

All credit for this review  - and for the beautiful calligraphy - is owed to carpedavid.

 

Slàinte,
M.