Ink Shoot-Out : Pelikan Edelstein Topaz Vs Pilot Iroshizuku Kon-Peki

[namrehsnoom]

Ink Shoot-Out : Pelikan Edelstein Topaz vs Pilot Iroshizuku kon-peki

 

Iroshizuku kon-peki has long been my only cerulean blue ink, and I've been very fond of it. Recently, I obtained a bottle of Pelikan Edelstein Topaz and - lo-and-behold - this turned out to also be a nice cerulean blue. A great opportunity to put these inks into close comparison, and find out which of them I like the most.

 

Here comes... the Ink Shoot-Out. A brutal fight where champion inks do battle for four rounds, to determine who is the winner. In the left corner - the challenger: Pelikan Edelstein Topaz. In the right corner - my current favorite: Pilot Iroshizuku kon-peki. Which champion will remain standing at the end of the fight ? Let's find out...

 

 

Round 1 - First Impressions

 

 

Both inks make a wonderful first impression. I really like their color... a fine cerulean sky-blue. These inks give me a relaxed, vacation-like feeling. They remind me of the sunny day sky-blue in late spring, with me relaxing on a tropical beach soothed by the sound of crashing ocean waves. There are some differences though:

• Topaz is more of a morning-sky color, while kon-peki is more of an afternoon sky-blue. Topaz is definitely a shade lighter than kon-peki, which is most obvious in written text, not so much in the ink-swabs. For me, topaz is a fresher color, which appeals to me more.
• Both inks shade nicely, but the shading on topaz is less prominent, and - in my opinion - more aesthetically pleasing
• kon-peki is a wetter and more saturated ink

Both Edelstein en Iroshizuku are the top-of-the line inks of their respective brands. And both live up to their reputation: these are seriously fine-looking inks. But for me personally, I like the morning sky-blue of Topaz better. There is no obvious win by knock-out in this round, but I will yield this round to Topaz on points.

 

Round 2 - Writing Sample

 

 

The writing sample was done on a Rhodia N°16 Notepad with 80 gsm paper. Both inks behaved superbly, with no feathering and no show-through or bleed-through. You will find that the Edelstein ink is on the dry side - this is especially noticeable with the EF nib. The iroshizuku ink had no problem with the finer nib. With broader nibs, both inks wrote just fine with a nice ink-flow. It is well-known in this community that Edelstein inks are a bit dry. I won't hold this against topaz - just use an F nib or broader, and you won't have a problem. In my opinion, both inks are evenly matched, so this round ends in a draw.

 

Round 3 - Ink Properties

 

 

Both inks have similar drying times in the 15-20 second range on the Rhodia paper. Topaz needed a tad longer to dry completely. Both inks also did fine on the smudge test, where I draw a wet Q-tip cotton swab across the text line. There is some smearing, but the text remains perfectly legible. For the droplet test, I drippled water onto the grid, and let it sit there for 15 minutes, after which I removed the water droplets with a paper towel. As you can see, these are not water-resistant inks. But if you look closely, you'll notice that kon-peki leaves a bit more ink on the paper (and with some luck, you'll be able to reconstruct the written word).

 

 

The chromatographies show that both are true blue inks, that are very water-soluble (in the chromatography the dyes migrate with the water to the top of the picture, the bottom part illustrates what remains on the paper after a good soak). You also notice that kon-peki appears to stick better to the paper.

 

The difference between these heavy-weight champions is minimal. Again - no knock-out, but this round definitely goes to the Japanese champion - on points.

 

Round 4 - The Fun Factor

 

 

Welcome to the final round. Here I give you a purely personal impression of both inks, where I judge which of them I like most when doing some fun stuff like doodling and drawing. Here I must admit that I like Edelstein Topaz a lot better than Iroshizuku kon-peki. The more subtle shading on Topaz made for more interesting effects when drawing. And I definitely like the color of Topaz a lot better - a late morning sky-blue, while kon-peki is a deeper afternoon sky-blue. This is of course a purely personal judgment, but I'm quite convinced that - in the future - I will will reach faster for the bottle of Topaz, and that my kon-peki will be used less often. For me, this round definitely goes to the German champion. No knock-out, but a definite advantage on points.

 

The Verdict

 

Both inks find a proud place in my collection, and both are very well-behaving inks with a lovely sky-blue color. But counting the points, I find that Pelikan Edelstein Topaz is the clear winner over Pilot Iroshizuku kon-peki. As far as I'm concerned, Topaz has convincingly won this shoot-out on points, and is my new reigning champion !

 

[pepsiplease69]

My personal comments:

I think this match was rigged against kon-peki.

 

Rounds 2&3 should have been owned by kon-peki.

 

Round 2: any hint of dryness and it about packs it up for an ink for me.

 

Round 3: peki was leading by 5 seconds on the dry time and though not by much, it had slightly better permanence.

 

I would appeal to the judges to reconsider.

[visvamitra]

Amazing comparison. I simply LOVE your reviews and mirror warriors rock. Thank you for significantly imp[roving my mood

[Sailor Kenshin]

Amen. One of the all-time awesome Ink Battles!

[mulrich]

  On 5/22/2016 at 4:19 PM, pepsiplease69 said:

My personal comments:

I think this match was rigged against kon-peki.

Rounds 2&3 should have been owned by kon-peki.

Round 2: any hint of dryness and it about packs it up for an ink for me.

Round 3: peki was leading by 5 seconds on the dry time and though not by much, it had slightly better permanence.

I would appeal to the judges to reconsider.

I was going to say the French judge must have been bribed but it looks like the judge is from Belgium. I agree a reconsideration is in order.

[visvamitra]

I wonder which one would win in a poll? My vote goes to Topaz as well.

[migo984]

Great comparison, but my vote goes to Kon-peki. I'm with pepsiplease69; I dislike dryness in an ink - and Edelstein inks can be horribly dry (Garnet, for example, is a shocker).

[ksm]

visvamitra, two weeks ago I've voted with my wallet.

And the winner was: Waterman Inspired Blue...

I would have bought Topaz if Waterman was not available, pricewise Kon-Peki is twice as pricey as Topaz.

[haruka337]

  On 5/22/2016 at 8:19 PM, migo984 said:

...I dislike dryness in an ink - and Edelstein inks can be horribly dry (Garnet, for example, is a shocker).

How odd. Garnet is my favorite of the Edelstein limited editions. Wrote beautifully in my Edison Collier in a western medium nib and there was never a hard start.

 

What pen did you use it in?

[haruka337]

  On 5/22/2016 at 8:24 PM, ksm said:

...I would have bought Topaz if Waterman was not available, pricewise Kon-Peki is twice as pricey as Topaz.

In the USA, Iroshizuku and Edelstein are similarly priced and affordable, Edelstein being the more expensive of the two. However, this makes it difficult to pick a favorite among the pair. To me, Topaz has a smidgen more personality, sheenig and shading more readily than Kon-peki.

[inkstainedruth]

I haven't tried Kon-peki. But I've found that Topaz is very similar to Diamine Havusu Turquoise (to the point of which I can't decide which I like better). Havasu Turquoise is a lot less expensive, but there's just something about Topaz....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[migo984]

  On 5/22/2016 at 9:27 PM, haruka337 said:

How odd. Garnet is my favorite of the Edelstein limited editions. Wrote beautifully in my Edison Collier in a western medium nib and there was never a hard start.

What pen did you use it in?

No hard starts, just a horrible dry feel on the paper & little nib-to-surface lubrication. The colour is rather insipid too.

After >40 years using FPs I know better than to judge an ink after only limited use :-) I've used it in several pens, and a mix of makes, vintage and modern. As I usually do, I tried various combinations of pen makes, nibs (gauge, size, shape), and papers.

 

My partner finds it very dry too & Pelikan/Edelstein inks do have a reputation for being on the dry side.

 

Just my view - others will feel differently.

[KKay]

I loved the comparisons, you did an excellent job with this review. I have been testing Topaz lately. I have an untried sample of Diamine Havusu Turquoise too. I am glad Ruth mentioned that one. I have only tried two Edelstein inks. I have Jade. I immediately knew after a sample, I must have it. But with the Topaz, there are similar colors. I must say it is divine. I think I have 3 more turquoise colors to try. I do not have Kon-peki. I did buy a used Kon-peki empty bottle that had a few drops left in it. I took a Q-tip and made a sample of it, for future reference. I have tried 3 Iroshizuku inks, and loved all 3. Anyway, this thread has shown me that I think I also prefer Topaz, from what I've seen. It has been an excellent ink for me. I have used it now in 3 different pens, and I have really enjoyed it.

Edited May 23, 2016 by KKay

[DrDebG]

Great review! Thank you for taking the time to do this!

 

I think I agree based on your results that Topaz has the edge.

 

This color range - "sky" blue - is my main color range. Personally, my favorites are the Callifolio Bleu Pacifique and Bleu Atlantique. But truthfully, I have never tried Kon-peki. My experience with other Iro inks is that I feel like I am writing with water. So they aren't particularly my favorite.

 

I just received a sample of Topaz last week and am looking to give it a good trial. I guess I should also get a sample of Kon-peki and give it a try.

[inotrym]

I am surprised noone has mentioned lubrication. Topaz, despite laying down less ink and looking lighter in color, makes all of my fine/borderline-scratchy nibs feel considerably smoother.

 

Kon-Peki is awesome and all, but there´s just something about Topaz. It´s more... I dunno how to describe it... punchy? Couldn´t have been more appropriately named, imo. A true gem of an ink.

Edited May 23, 2016 by inotrym

[lgsoltek]

I love these reviews. Please keep them coming!

Between these two inks it's a tough choice for me. On the one hand I dislike dry inks (I love my inks to be very very wet so a normal-flow ink won't be enough), on the other hand I think Kon-peki isn't special in any way. Actually I believe the popularity of Kon-peki is largely due to it being an Iroshizuku. If it weren't an Iroshizuku ink it wouldn't be so popular.

I think I'll vote for Topaz.

[visvamitra]

  On 5/23/2016 at 7:40 AM, Lgsoltek said:

I love these reviews. Please keep them coming!

Between these two inks it's a tough choice for me. On the one hand I dislike dry inks (I love my inks to be very very wet so a normal-flow ink won't be enough), on the other hand I think Kon-peki isn't special in any way. Actually I believe the popularity of Kon-peki is largely due to it being an Iroshizuku. If it weren't an Iroshizuku ink it wouldn't be so popular.

I think I'll vote for Topaz.

 

+1

[pepsiplease69]

  On 5/23/2016 at 7:40 AM, Lgsoltek said:

I love these reviews. Please keep them coming!

Between these two inks it's a tough choice for me. On the one hand I dislike dry inks (I love my inks to be very very wet so a normal-flow ink won't be enough), on the other hand I think Kon-peki isn't special in any way. Actually I believe the popularity of Kon-peki is largely due to it being an Iroshizuku. If it weren't an Iroshizuku ink it wouldn't be so popular.

I think I'll vote for Topaz.

I think I agree with you on all counts.

 

I've tried kon peki and it didn't do a whole lot for me.

 

Truth be told I've never tied topaz although I have a sampler bottle of the stuff sitting somewhere. I got it at the Pelikan hub last year.

 

I'm not a big fan of the turquoise color range in general but the one I reach for most (whenever I do) is Sheaffer Skrip Turquoise.

 

Sorry to be a detractor here and setting off a debate. It was just a friendly "hey, kon peki should have won more points based on the scans"

 

But I appreciate everybody's inputs on this playful topic, and I appreciate the OP.

[haruka337]

Pepsiplease69, you did not detract, but added to the conversation. It's the point of every thread, to incite relevant discussion, and that is what occurred here.

 

---

 

Kon-peki is popular because it's an Iroshizuku ink, if it weren't I would not have bothered with it at all.

 

This isn't a bad thing considering Iroshizuku is known for its beautiful colors, sheen, shade or saturation (depending on the color), we'll behaved ink that is relatively safe for fountain pens. Dry time is great, it's mid-range wet/lubricant, most of the 20 some colors do not feather on most paper and so on.

 

When one says Iroshizuku, one effectively says, "Quality."

 

However, Edelstein screams quality these days as well.

[namrehsnoom]

  On 5/23/2016 at 3:31 PM, pepsiplease69 said:

Sorry to be a detractor here and setting off a debate. It was just a friendly "hey, kon peki should have won more points based on the scans"

No apologies needed - this triggered a useful debate which adds extra information.And wouldn't this forum be dull if we all shared the same views :-)

 

One thing: kon-peki *did* win round 3. Round 2 is debatable - for me Topaz behaved great in F nibs and above. I didn't consider this enough to assign the victory for this round to kon-peki. But even if I did, it wouldn't have changed my verdict (which of course remains my personal opinion).