Pilot Iroshizuku Ink

[lapis]

Is it worth the price compared to other ink brands?

Yes: Excellent maintenance, nice bottles, very subtle colour offers (e.g. Peacock) not offered by anyone else.

No: Other companies make inks which are just as maintenance-free, I don't feel like paying more money just for a beautiful bottle. Iroshi doesn't (yet) make any "standard" colours often needed by many of us: "true blues" (like Diamine has a half a dozen), "pure reds", "only blue-blacks". Iroshi offers only mixes with so many subtleties as said above.

BTW Our Captn's deal is, however meritorious, more than a real deal. His ten quid a flask come in at less than half the price I paid last week, here in Krautland. Other than that, I must go along with him to say that (well, maybe for me myself) Diamine is the best company of all. Excellent coverage at excellent prices! MB close up behind!!

[The Good Captain]

 

Is it worth the price compared to other ink brands?

Yes: Excellent maintenance, nice bottles, very subtle colour offers (e.g. Peacock) not offered by anyone else.

No: Other companies make inks which are just as maintenance-free, I don't feel like paying more money just for a beautiful bottle. Iroshi doesn't (yet) make any "standard" colours often needed by many of us: "true blues" (like Diamine has a half a dozen), "pure reds", "only blue-blacks". Iroshi offers only mixes with so many subtleties as said above.

BTW Our Captn's deal is, however meritorious, more than a real deal. His ten quid a flask come in at less than half the price I paid last week, here in Krautland. Other than that, I must go along with him to say that (well, maybe for me myself) Diamine is the best company of all. Excellent coverage at excellent prices! MB close up behind!!

 

Well; what more can I say but thanks for the appreciation. Of course, Mr Meddler has a few surprises coming along so watch this space - including my signature!

Oh, Twisted Spire back on the shelves at the local Co-op, so dry your tears and get partying.

[ravantra]

I like these inks and their worth it, except Kiri-Same or autumn shower, which is a dull, depressive rendering grey.

+1 These colors do make me sad.

[sadiemagic]

I think they are. I don't care for all the colors, but I have found every sample and every bottle behaved extremely well, no matter which pen or what paper. And they clean out of pens very well.

 

Not to say I don't like other inks, but my experience with other brands is that they can be uneven in performance across the color spectrum. I find Iro to be very consistent. Kon-Peki, Asa-Gao, Yama-Budo, Tsuki-Yo, Ku-Jaku and now Shin-Kai - at least two or three of these are in my daily pen roll....

[minibear453]

I'm not sure if it's just me, but Iroshizuku ink seems to have a depth to it that other inks don't. Or maybe it's just the fancy bottle influencing my thoughts. I definitely don't have enough inks to make a good statement though.

[SeeksAdvice]

I vote yes: Here's why...

 

When it absolutely, positively, has to work ... it does.

 

I have only one pen in my collection that Iroshizuku didn't work well in, and that was a Noodler's Roller Ball that leaked no matter what I did with it (ironically leaked more with Noodler's ink in it).

 

Have had Diamine Sherwood Green give me issues lately. Like the color, but it seems to be giving me issues on different pens.

 

Noodler's "Bulletproofs" gave me no end of troubles.

 

Sailor's "nano" inks seem to do just as well. However, they just have a "blue-black" and a black.

 

DeA gave me problems with going places it shouldn't.

 

 

Tell me this... how much is it worth knowing that when you uncap a pen to write with it, the cap (and therefore finger grip) doesn't have ink from nib creep/ooze/drool?

 

How much is it worth to have ink that stays where it should?

 

This week I had Diamine Sherwood Green misbehaving in a TWSBI 580 right before a jury trial. Fortunately, the paper towels in the restrooms of our courthouse are only slightly removed from the tree they came from. A bit before that I had an unexplained leak in a Preppy loaded with Sherwood Green. I don't use true green enough to test load it into one of my better pens, but you can be assured that I now longer "trust" that product to behave properly.

 

Bottle of Iroshizuku ink $28-$35. Not having to worry about bad behavior... priceless.

[GabrielleDuVent]

I vote yes: Here's why...

 

When it absolutely, positively, has to work ... it does.

 

I have only one pen in my collection that Iroshizuku didn't work well in, and that was a Noodler's Roller Ball that leaked no matter what I did with it (ironically leaked more with Noodler's ink in it).

 

Have had Diamine Sherwood Green give me issues lately. Like the color, but it seems to be giving me issues on different pens.

 

Noodler's "Bulletproofs" gave me no end of troubles.

 

Sailor's "nano" inks seem to do just as well. However, they just have a "blue-black" and a black.

 

DeA gave me problems with going places it shouldn't.

 

 

Tell me this... how much is it worth knowing that when you uncap a pen to write with it, the cap (and therefore finger grip) doesn't have ink from nib creep/ooze/drool?

 

How much is it worth to have ink that stays where it should?

 

This week I had Diamine Sherwood Green misbehaving in a TWSBI 580 right before a jury trial. Fortunately, the paper towels in the restrooms of our courthouse are only slightly removed from the tree they came from. A bit before that I had an unexplained leak in a Preppy loaded with Sherwood Green. I don't use true green enough to test load it into one of my better pens, but you can be assured that I now longer "trust" that product to behave properly.

 

Bottle of Iroshizuku ink $28-$35. Not having to worry about bad behavior... priceless.

 

I suppose I just don't see the value because I've never had problems with my inks, so the only deciding factor would be the colour. I use J Herbin, Lamy, Platinum, and Pelikan 4001, and none of them have gone to places where it shouldn't (to come and think of it, I've never had problems with those cheapie nameless cartridges either).

[SeeksAdvice]

I've had Platinum's Carbon Black nib creep on me a bit. Not as bad as OMBB, but started to creep in a TWSBI 580.

 

My other thing is a got a variety of samples of blue/blue black/blue green inks after my experience with "bulletproofs". Including various manufacturers such as DeA, Noodler's, Diamine, Platinum, and R&K. I did writing samples for the office. The ones that won approval were: Salix (durability more than anything else), Tsuki-Yo, Asa-Gao, Tsuyu-Kusa, Sei-Boku, and Sargasso Sea. I held off on getting the Sargasso Sea until recently, because I remember it being a pain to clean out of a pen.

[Gloucesterman]

They don't taste any better than any other quality ink.

 

I'll drink to that!!

[Gloucesterman]

 

 

 

Perhaps the best thing to do if the bottle is the objective, is to buy an empty bottle from Goulet's and fill it with whatever ink that strikes your fancy. I might order samples of the inks, but I definitely won't be getting the line...

 

 

Okay, let's see here. Goulet's price for a full bottle is $28.00, They sell an empty bottle for $5.95. The net cost then is $23.05. Yes, that's still higher than Diamine or Noodler and more in line with Edelstein and well below the projected $32.00 price for Caran D'Ache.

 

So it's still a choice one makes based on one's own ink preferences and value system.

[warblerick]

I tried a sample of a new one (for me) today, and was not at all impressed. It was I.Shin-kai, a sort of washed out blue jeans blue, with no character at all. It just sits on the page, dull and lifeless. Then I tried Noodler's Blue Swan in Austrailian Roses, and it didn't do it for me either. So I emptied that and filled my mini TWSBI with Majestic Blue from Diamine. Aaaahhhh, that's better. Serenity now (to quote Jerry Stiller).

[bunnybaby]

Before I had any Iroshi ink, I was very curious and very eager to have at least a bottle. Now I got two of them, and three bottles of Diamine inks.

 

While I agree the colours offered in Iroshi line are very tempting and beautiful as their names, and so far the two inks that I have never misbehave in any pen they were loaded in, I am also very happy with Diamine and J. Herbin inks performance.

 

i believe it depends on what colour of ink you really need/want, and specific characteristics of ink that really appeal to each of us.

[Penne Stilografiche]

I tried a sample of a new one (for me) today, and was not at all impressed. It was I.Shin-kai, a sort of washed out blue jeans blue, with no character at all. It just sits on the page, dull and lifeless. Then I tried Noodler's Blue Swan in Austrailian Roses, and it didn't do it for me either. So I emptied that and filled my mini TWSBI with Majestic Blue from Diamine. Aaaahhhh, that's better. Serenity now (to quote Jerry Stiller).

Great minds think alike. The 3 inks I just purchased from Goulets was Majestic Blue, Twilight, and Ancient Copper. The sad part is, all I wanted to buy was a couple Rhodia Graph pads. The Goulets not only have great prices but the key to my wallet... (no affiliation).

[NedC]

If you find a colour you really like and its other properties, water and fade resistance, flow, etc. also meet your needs and desires then it's worth it.