Pilot Blue - Bottle

[Sandy1]

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Photo courtesy of Cathy_Next_Door.

Nota Benne

• 'Namiki' does not appear in the English language on the packaging. When asked, the ink would neither confirm nor deny if it was a Namiki ink in mufti, but remained mute.
• This ink is not a member of the Pilot iroshizuku family.
  

Figure 1.

Swabs & Swatch

Paper: HPJ1124.

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/FPN_2013/Ink%20Review%20-%20Pilot%20Blue%20Bottle%202/INK051_zpsfa8c55ad.jpg

Figure 2.

NIB-ism ✑

Paper: HPJ1124.

Depicts nibs' line-width and pens' relative wetness.

Distance between feint vertical pencil lines is 25mm.

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/FPN_2013/Ink%20Review%20-%20Pilot%20Blue%20Bottle%202/INK050_zps7a48c4bd.jpg

L → R: Estie, M200, C74, 330, 45, NNPS.

 

WRITTEN SAMPLES: Moby Dick

Ruling: 8mm.

 

Figure 3.

Paper: HPJ1124.

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/FPN_2013/Ink%20Review%20-%20Pilot%20Blue%20Bottle%202/INK053_zps7b8650f0.jpg

Figure 4.

Paper: Rhodia.

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/FPN_2013/Ink%20Review%20-%20Pilot%20Blue%20Bottle%202/INK054_zps15ea10a2.jpg

Figure 5.

Paper: G Lalo.

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/FPN_2013/Ink%20Review%20-%20Pilot%20Blue%20Bottle%202/INK056_zps3fcff10b.jpg

Figure 6.

Paper: Royal

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/FPN_2013/Ink%20Review%20-%20Pilot%20Blue%20Bottle%202/INK057_zps7d258754.jpg

Figure 7.

Paper: Staples.

Pens, T → B: M200, 330, NNPS.

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/FPN_2013/Ink%20Review%20-%20Pilot%20Blue%20Bottle%202/INK058_zpsd16543a6.jpg

OTHER STUFF:

 

Figure 8.

Smear/Dry Times & Wet Tests.

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/FPN_2013/Ink%20Review%20-%20Pilot%20Blue%20Bottle%202/INK052_zpsc85b13f6.jpg

Figure 9.

Bleed- Show-Though on Staples.

(Obverse of Figure 7.)

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/FPN_2013/Ink%20Review%20-%20Pilot%20Blue%20Bottle%202/INK059_zps20f751ec.jpg

GENERAL DESCRIPTION:

 

Type:

• Dye-based fountain pen ink.

Presentation:

• Bottle, filler widget, 70ml.

Availability:

• Available at time of writing.

Daily writer?

• Absolutely.

A go-to ink?

• When a robust high performance Blue is required, this is the right stuff.

USE

 

Business:

(From the office of Ms Blue-Black.)

• Will handle the majority of downward & lateral business correspondence; for some upward correspondence a bit more gravitas may be preferred.
• Readability is high, and the ink rolls along at good pace, though if I used an M+ nib, I found it just a tad vibrant for extended reading sessions.
• Line quality suits tiny marginalia & annotation.
• Enough zip for dedicated forms work, editing & mark-up of material printed in Black.
• Too humdrum and lacks zap for error correction & grading.

Illustrations / Graphics:

• For charts & graphs this will do for the Medium Blue for both area & line formats; stands apart from Royal Blue and Turquoise inks.
• Will do the necessary for labels & taut lines.
• As a watercolour, the high degree of water resistance may be useful for that which will be overworked with water-based media, though it would seem wise to sponge away any ink that may come adrift.
• PBl is not so resistant to alcohol/solvent-based media, as may be found in some markers.

Students:

• Your quest for a one-size-fits-most ink may end here.

Personal:

• Quite easily.
• Will engage the reader but not distract from what is written.
• Just the thing for non-descript pro forma personal business letters.
• I tend to use this ink most often in my casual carry pens when it seems appropriate to use a water resistant ink.
  
• Pilot Blue doesn't see a lot of use for personal 'personal' correspondence, simply because it lacks that 'certain something' which other inks have. e.g. Pilot iroshizuku asa-gao.
  
• As the appearance is rather pedestrian, the field seems wide open for the use of shaped nibs to enliven the line.

PHYSICAL PERFORMANCE & CHARACTERISTICS

 

Flow Rate:

• Moderate.

Nib Dry-out:

• Not noticed.

Start-up:

• Usually quite prompt.
• A bit of virga was seen from the M200 on Royal: 'It was a clear . . . '

Lubricity:

• Good.
• Strikes a balance between control, smoothness and feedback.

Nib Creep:

• None.

Staining (pen):

• None after five days.

Clogging:

• Not seen.
• Seems unlikely.

Feathering / Wooly Line:

• None.

Aroma:

• Rather pungent from the bottle. (No huffing!)
• Dissipates whilst writing.

Hand oil sensitivity:

• Not apparent.

Clean-Up (pen):

• Fast and thorough with plain water.

Mixing:

• No stated limitation.

Archival:

• Not claimed.

THE LOOK

 

Presence:

• Straightforward.
• Bordering on stealth.

Saturation:

• A fully-inked line is possible.

Shading Potential:

• Pervasive and modest.
• Whispers 'fountain pen' to the reader.
  

Line Quality:

• High throughout.

Variability:

• Pen+nib combos used:
  • A bit less than expected.

  [*]Papers used:

  • Less than expected.

Malleability:

• Moderate but useful.
• Pilot Blue has a rather roomy performance envelope, so one should be free to work with a large range of pen+paper combos to achieve the desired appearance.
• As expected, the dry hard surface of the Natural White G Lalo caused some colour shift, but not to an objectionable extent.

PAPERS

 

Lovely papers:

• Crisp whites.

Trip-wire Papers:

• Not seen.

Copy/Printer Paper:

• As these things sometimes go, I actually preferred the feel of writing on the toothy C/P papers, rather than the smoother papers. (!?!)
• The overall quality of what was written was very good, with less line-width gain (spread) than usual.

Tinted Papers:

• Could manage well on most modest tints from a pen of 'normal' wetness.

Is high-end paper 'worth it'?

• Just barely, and only to enhance the shading potential and/or to use a paper of an interesting tint, texture or weight.

ETC:

 

Majik:

• Being an all-pupose ink lowers the likelihood of majik. Then again, being an all-purpose ink may be majik enough.

Billets Doux?

• Not from yours truly.

Personal Pen & Paper Pick:

• The Parker 45 on Rhodia.
• The pen puts down a wide translucent line, which makes the shading more apparent.
• Rhodia boosts the amount of shading achieved, struggling to generate that 'certain something'.

Yickity Yackity:

• As this ink is simple and straight forward, there's really nothing more for me to prattle on about - no haiku for Pilot Blue.
• Ah kushbaby, once again a simple ink, very simple, but a must-have staple - like flour in the pantry.

======

 

NUTS BOLTS & BOILERPLATE

 

Pens:

Written Samples:

A. Esterbrook J + 9550 Posting firm steel EF nib.

B. Pelikan M200 + g-p steel EF nib.

C. Pilot Custon 74 + № 5 14K Soft F-M nib.

D. Sheaffer 330 + steel M nib.

E. Parker 45 + steel B nib.

F. Non-Nudist Pink Safari + goosed steel 1.1 nib.

Lines & labels: Pelikan 4001 Brown from a Pilot Penmanship + XF.

Papers:

• HPJ1124: Hewlett-Packard laser copy/print, 24lb.
• Rhodia: satin finish vellum, 80gsm.
• G. Lalo Verge de France: natural white, laid, 100gsm.
• Royal: 25% cotton, laser/inkjet copy/print, 'letterhead', 90gsm.
• Staples: house brand multi-use copy/print, USD4/ream, bears FSC logo, 20lb.

Imaging:

• An Epson V600 scanner was used with the bundled Epson s/w at factory default settings to produce low-loss jpg files.
• Figure 2 was scanned at 300 dpi, other Figures at 200 dpi.
• No post-capture manipulation of scanner output was done, other than dumb-down by Epson, Photobouquet, IP.Board s/w, and your viewing gear.

Densitometer Readings on HPJ1124:

• Red 116
• Grn 132
• Blu 227
• Lum 161

Other Inks

• This Review uses the same Written Sample format, atrocious handwriting and some pen+paper combos common to most of my previous Reviews of Blue inks. Consequently, ad hoc comparisons through manipulation of browser windows is supported.
• Should that functionality not meet your requirements, I welcome your PM requesting a specific comparison. Additional scans may be produced, but the likelihood of additional inky work is quite low.

Fine Print

The accuracy and relevance of this Post depends in great part upon consistency and reliability of matériel used.

Ink does not require labelling/notice to indicate (changes in) formulation, non-hazardous ingredients, batch ID, date of manufacture, etc.

As always YMMV, due to differences in materials, manner of working, environment, etc.

Also, I entrust readers to separate opinion from fact; to evaluate inferences and conclusions as to their merit; and to be amused by whatever tickles your fancy.

 

-30-

Tags: Fountain Pen Ink Review Sandy1 Pilot Blue Namiki Blue

Edited March 2, 2013 by Sandy1

[rockydoggy]

Thanks for yet another wonderful review. Coincidentally, I just this past week dug out my bottle of Pilot Blue and filled a couple of pens with it. Its water-resistance puts it over the top for me as a go-to plain-blue ink; I have to remember not to let it slip off my radar, which it tends to do (perhaps it's too self-effacing?). On some paper, it can appear faded--I may experiment with mixing it with a tiny bit of Pilot Black to see if I can darken it up without taking it too far into the blue-black direction.

[Frank C]

One of my favorite blues. I find Pilot's regular inks to be well-behaved—although a little boring. "Your quest for a one-size-fits-most ink may end here." Pretty much sums it up.

Rockydoggy, you may want to try Pilot Blue-Black. It appears dark blue to me;I don't see any black or gray. Here's a link to a "mini review" on FPN. I believe it was misfiled under "Namiki Ink".

Once again, S1, thank you for your very complete review. I always look forward to seeing a new one.

[mhosea]

On some paper, it can appear faded--I may experiment with mixing it with a tiny bit of Pilot Black to see if I can darken it up without taking it too far into the blue-black direction.

 

Assuming Namiki Blue is the same ink, I finally got to the point where I wouldn't accept the faded look. I mix Namiki Blue 2:1 with Noodler's Midway Blue. This moves it in a different direction, of course, but I like the result.

[iliadodyssey]

I have found that it (namiki blue) can look a bit faded if the pen is a little dry, but writes a nice rich blue in a wet nib. As far as waterproofness, I wrote a note on a student's report card with this ink. After the report card had been washed with the clothes and dried, the blue was only slightly faded when the report card was returned. Good ink for being generally well behaved AND highly resistant to water.

 

+1 to Sandy for being a top inky enabler! Love the reviews!

[fphilipp]

Sandy, thanks for this review. 2 questions: is this the same ink as in the Pilot Blue cartridges?

Namiki' does not appear in the English language on the packaging. When asked, the ink would neither confirm nor deny if it was a Namiki ink in mufti, but remained mute. Did you ask in English or in Japanese?

[Sandy1]

Thanks for yet another wonderful review. Coincidentally, I just this past week dug out my bottle of Pilot Blue and filled a couple of pens with it. Its water-resistance puts it over the top for me as a go-to plain-blue ink; I have to remember not to let it slip off my radar, which it tends to do (perhaps it's too self-effacing?). On some paper, it can appear faded--I may experiment with mixing it with a tiny bit of Pilot Black to see if I can darken it up without taking it too far into the blue-black direction.

 

Hi,

 

You're welcome!

 

Thanks for sharing your experience with this ink.

 

I agree that it could slip under the radar, if it wasn't for its good manners and high degree of water resistance combined with ease & simplicity of clean-up. I think that a lot of the 'basic Blue' inks are overlooked (on FPN) as Members may be looking for those inks that are a departure from basic Blue. e.g. Lamy Blue, Pelikan Royal Blue.

 

I don't see the ink as being "faded", though I don't consider it one of the bright-eyed Blues either. e.g. Sailor Sky High.

 

Please let us know how the mix of Pilot Blue + Black works out. I reckon that will lower the chroma, making it even less vibrant, though the change in value (darker) will anchor it to the page to a greater extent. I hope the mix also has high water resistance.

 

Bye,

S1

[Sandy1]

One of my favorite blues. I find Pilot's regular inks to be well-behaved—although a little boring. "Your quest for a one-size-fits-most ink may end here." Pretty much sums it up.

 

Rockydoggy, you may want to try Pilot Blue-Black. It appears dark blue to me;I don't see any black or gray. Here's a link to a "mini review" on FPN. I believe it was misfiled under "Namiki Ink".

 

Once again, S1, thank you for your very complete review. I always look forward to seeing a new one.

 

Hi,

 

You're welcome!

 

I'm glad to have summed-up this ink in a few words, though I didn't stop there.

 

As much as I've put forward this ink as a possible choice in the Inky Thoughts Forum, it was about time to do my own show & tell.

 

Bye,

S1

____ ___

Pilot Blue-Black: Maxi Review. Includes this comparison exemplar of the M200+EF on HPJ1124:

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/FPN%20Stuff%20-%202011/Ink%20Review%20-%20Pilot%20Blue-Black/30f0df16.jpg

Edited March 3, 2013 by Sandy1

[Sandy1]

On some paper, it can appear faded--I may experiment with mixing it with a tiny bit of Pilot Black to see if I can darken it up without taking it too far into the blue-black direction.

 

Assuming Namiki Blue is the same ink, I finally got to the point where I wouldn't accept the faded look. I mix Namiki Blue 2:1 with Noodler's Midway Blue. This moves it in a different direction, of course, but I like the result.

 

Hi,

 

Thanks for sharing your preferred mix - those can be so very elusive!

 

Bye,

S1

[Sandy1]

I have found that it (namiki blue) can look a bit faded if the pen is a little dry, but writes a nice rich blue in a wet nib. As far as waterproofness, I wrote a note on a student's report card with this ink. After the report card had been washed with the clothes and dried, the blue was only slightly faded when the report card was returned. Good ink for being generally well behaved AND highly resistant to water.

 

+1 to Sandy for being a top inky enabler! Love the reviews!

Hi,

 

I'm glad you enjoy the Review!

 

I hope to enable inky enjoyment & appreciation, which may also lower risk exposure to unrewarding purchases.

 

Ah, not to derail this thread, but as I haven't used Namiki Blue, I am reluctant to speculate if that is the same ink that I've reviewed. I would rather see a Topic in the Inky Thoughts Forum, which may have a far greater readership than this Topic.

 

That said, from what I see in the Reviews of Namiki Blue, there is a very strong similarity that cannot be dismissed. (Though I do not fully embrace the opinion that Pilot Blue has a 'faded' aspect: advanced hair splitting? or dumb-down from media conversion / imaging?) Even if there is a bit of difference in the appearance / performance, Namiki Blue may also be considered a 'one size fits most' ink.

 

Bye,

S1

[Sandy1]

Sandy, thanks for this review. 2 questions: is this the same ink as in the Pilot Blue cartridges?

Namiki' does not appear in the English language on the packaging. When asked, the ink would neither confirm nor deny if it was a Namiki ink in mufti, but remained mute. Did you ask in English or in Japanese?

Hi,

 

You're welcome!

 

1) Somehow I think there is a difference between this ink and Pilot Blue in cartridges, so a wee Review of that ink is planned, also Pilot Royal Blue in cartridges. But please don't hold your breath, OK?

 

2) I asked in both languages; and doubting my pronunciation, inveigled a Japanese sushi chef to ask, (he received a very large gratuity.) I also tried to gain some insight from the Ink Putti, but came away empty handed. I'm not scheduled to be at CERN until Autumn, so maybe then I can piggyback a comparo on the usual chicanery.

 

Bye,

S1

Edited March 3, 2013 by Sandy1

[georges zaslavsky]

looks like a nice, sober and multi purpose ink. can it be compared to private reserve lake placid blue?