Another Review Of Sailor Souboku Pigment Ink

[fireant]

Wow I like this more on the off white paper!

 

Thanks for the excellent review.

[truthpil]

Thanks for the fantastic review!

As a blue-black fanatic, it looks like Souboku finally fits the bill as a 100% waterproof blue-black that actually is blue-black, rather than teal like Sei-boku (which is still my favorite workhorse ink despite not being a pure blue-black). I'm so delighted about this new ink!!

Edited September 23, 2018 by TruthPil

[A Smug Dill]

Thanks everyone for the positive feedback.

 

I'm so very impressed with Sailor souboku, I now have four bottles of it in case tomorrow the war comes! (In contrast, I only have one unopened spare bottle each of kiwaguro and seiboku.

 

All the Noodler's colours with multiples, I'll be giving away when my pass-around box gets on its way. In fact, a lot of the Noodler's inks I bought (a while ago), I picked for their waterproof-ness as advertised in the manufacturer's own catalogue/marketing collateral at the time. Now that I have over 100 different bottled inks, including a number of Sailor pigment inks (in the STORIA as well as formerly-Nano ranges), I think Noodler's will be the first inks I'll completely discard.

[truthpil]

All the Noodler's colours with multiples, I'll be giving away when my pass-around box gets on its way. In fact, a lot of the Noodler's inks I bought (a while ago), I picked for their waterproof-ness as advertised in the manufacturer's own catalogue/marketing collateral at the time. Now that I have over 100 different bottled inks, including a number of Sailor pigment inks (in the STORIA as well as formerly-Nano ranges), I think Noodler's will be the first inks I'll completely discard.

 

I hear you, it's like we are living parallel ink lives! After a 3-year intensive search for a totally waterproof blue-black, I had given up until the recent announcement of Blackstone's new pigmented blue-black which I have yet to try a sample of. The arrival of Souboku is kind of shocking news considering Sailor has only ever had Kiwaguro and Seiboku as their official nano inks.

 

I too have acquired too many Noodler's inks in search of waterproof properties. Apart from Kung Te-Cheng and an occasional fill of Prime of the Commons or North African Violet, my bottles upon bottles of bulletproof Noodler's inks have been sitting ignored and will soon be discarded.

 

Once I get my first bottle of Souboku, I'm sure I'll have at least half a dozen bottles of blue-blacks to get rid of as well haha.

[bluebellrose]

You've got nice Chinese writing. I've picked up noodler's hellfire only because it's the cheapest highligher ink available locally.

[A Smug Dill]

After a 3-year intensive search for a totally waterproof blue-black,

I suppose I could have tried mixing seiboku and kiwaguro, both of which I've had for years, but somehow it just never crossed my mind. To be honest, until recently I didn't actually like seiboku, probably because it just didn't seem to flow well at all when I filled my Sailor Pro Gear Imperial Black edition (with F nib) with it, and I (perhaps unreasonably) expected Sailor inks to work well in pens of the same brand. Given that I didn't have the same problem when I filled the Pro Gear with other inks (including kiwaguro, which is sorta 'reserved' for use with my EDC Pilot VP in matte black), and seiboku seemed to light in colour, the ink just ended up sitting in the back of the drawer unused.

 

Apart from Kung Te-Cheng and an occasional fill of Prime of the Commons or North African Violet, my bottles upon bottles of bulletproof Noodler's inks have been sitting ignored and will soon be discarded.

I'll probably keep my bottle of North African Violet, even if only as another data point for purple inks because I actually quite like its colour, but I'll be giving away my bottle of Prime of the Commons because I cannot tolerate how prone to feathering it is. That, and it's not really blue at all, but more of a teal-black. Nothing wrong with green-blacks and teal-blacks, but it isn't what is 'advertised' and what I bought the ink for (completing such paperwork that insist on "black or blue" pen/ink in the instructions).

 

On my list to try, now that they have arrived in the post from Japan: Night Blue and Magic Purple in the Sailor STORIA range of pigment inks. It'll probably take a while for me to get to either of them, though; I'm having 'analysis paralysis' about how best to use/apply/test the >50 new ink colours I just acquired.

 

You've got nice Chinese writing.

Thank you. Not too bad for not having written more than 1000 Chinese characters in 25 years, until I started again recently for the purposes of testing and reviewing inks, I must say! Of course, I cannot compose anything sensible to express myself in Chinese these days, so I can only copy content from ancient texts and old poems, etc.

[truthpil]

I suppose I could have tried mixing seiboku and kiwaguro, both of which I've had for years, but somehow it just never crossed my mind. To be honest, until recently I didn't actually like seiboku, probably because it just didn't seem to flow well at all when I filled my Sailor Pro Gear Imperial Black edition (with F nib) with it, and I (perhaps unreasonably) expected Sailor inks to work well in pens of the same brand. Given that I didn't have the same problem when I filled the Pro Gear with other inks (including kiwaguro, which is sorta 'reserved' for use with my EDC Pilot VP in matte black), and seiboku seemed to light in colour, the ink just ended up sitting in the back of the drawer unused.

 

I never thought about mixing Sei-Boku to make it darker because what I was looking for was a waterproof blue-black without the hint of green which Sei-Boku has.

 

I agree with you about the dryness of Sei-Boku. Although it's nice in wet in most of my stubs and broader nibs, in an EF it can often struggle to come out on the page. My current perfect combination for Sei-Boku is a Live in You MiTu with Schmidt F nib. The nib is just wet enough to provide excellent flow yet still give me some shading on good paper.

 

 

I'll probably keep my bottle of North African Violet, even if only as another data point for purple inks because I actually quite like its colour, but I'll be giving away my bottle of Prime of the Commons because I cannot tolerate how prone to feathering it is. That, and it's not really blue at all, but more of a teal-black. Nothing wrong with green-blacks and teal-blacks, but it isn't what is 'advertised' and what I bought the ink for (completing such paperwork that insist on "black or blue" pen/ink in the instructions).

 

Same here with NAV, for me it is the "One Purple to Rule Them All" despite its tendency to stain converters.

I also struggled with finding a good combination for Prime of the Commons, but I kept trying because I wanted it to be my go-to waterproof teal.

With EF and many Japanese nibs it was so dry that it came out more like light teal I didn't like at all. So far for me it has worked best with a Platinum Preppy 05 which is broad enough to show off the color but dry enough to prevent feathering.

[truthpil]

Look what came in the mail today!

 

[Tas]

Look what came in the mail today!

 

 

 

What a wonderful feeling. Sooo pleased for you.

[Mongoosey]

Do you find this ink lubricated like Kiwa-Guro?

 

With that smoother writing experience?

[TheDutchGuy]

Great stuff. I'll be sure to get some.

[Mongoosey]

Yah, I got mine on the way.

 

For the first time I feel like I'm kind of done looking for inks .

 

I'm a recent convert to Japanese inks, Pilot and Sailor in particular, but all my choices from such basically center around Kiwa-guro, which will now likely be complimented by Souboku,

 

Thanks to my Shortened Ranga's with Jowo Mediums I'd be happy if I didn't plan on getting anymore pens. But I didn't feel that way before I inked them with Kiwa-Guro. That ink tames the line width and lubricates their rigidity just right, which helps me avoid having to use Jowo Fine nibs, which I'm just not a fan of.

 

But apart from that sentiment and being more realistic, I'm not done with getting pens. In fact, those characteristics of the Nano inks now allow me to get a Lamy 2k-Medium in the future. I really like that pen after I tried a friend's L2K-M, but the nib was too wide for my smoother inks I prefer to use, I disliked the inks I had previously that could tame the width, and I found the L2K-F to be too feedbacky for me with an unpleasant sweet spot.

 

The L2K-Medium's been in my cart longer than any pen and thanks to Kiwa-Guro and potentially Souboku I can finally pick it up in the future and use it as an EDC instead of a $160 side note I'd only be able to occasionally use

 

If that L2k-Medium-Nano ink (Kiwa-Guro/Souboku) combo works out that could be a lifetime EDC *Fingers Crossed*. That will have to wait a short while, but the point is these nano inks are something else .

Edited December 21, 2018 by Mongoosey

[Tas]

Yah, I got mine on the way.

 

For the first time I feel like I'm kind of done looking for inks .

 

Ahhh . . . let me throw a quote out there "The great thing about art is that while “it” stays the same, you don’t".

 

My taste in inks has changed yet the inks remain the same.

 

At best this may be a slowdown for you. When we have the bug we have the bug - delighted some is on it's way, and that Lamy 2000 and Kiwa-Guro sounds like a wonderous marriage.

[A Smug Dill]

My taste in inks has changed yet the inks remain the same.

I'm sure what remains in my bottle of Parker Penman ruby writing ink, which I bought near the beginning of the 21st Century, has become drier and darker in colour since.

[truthpil]

Mongoosey,sorry to get off topic but what model are your "shortened Rangas? I've been wanting to get a Ranga for a long time but found all their pens to be too long for me.

[Mongoosey]

I agree. They are large and I found I don't prefer that either. Let me tell you about it:

 

I did a review on my first Custom Model 3 (shortened) I ordered direct from Ranga in India a year ago:

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/341955-ranga-model-3-custom-review/

 

That pen, which I had made/customized is basically the Model 3 shortened to the length of the Zayante, which is a normal sized length, but with the section of the Designer model (with some added girth I requested), and the slight shelf above the threads.

 

After trying that out I found that it worked well. I did prefer it over many pens, though that was largely due to the fact that it was made of ebonite with a good Jowo nib. I've tried Franklin-Christoph and Edison pens and preferred My Ranga over theirs and they use the same nib. Again, Ebonite played a large role in that preference, but it also attests to the craftsmanship, IMO.

 

The "Designer" section of my Custom Model 3 (Shortened) isn't bad, but it wasn't as comfortable as I thought it would be. In fact, I much prefer the original section on the Model 3, and I even more so prefer the section on the PSP Davenport.

 

The PSP Davenport was created by Peyton Street Pens after I ordered my Custom Model 3 and is basically the same pen, but with a more comfortable section.

 

So I tried the PSP Davenport and it was like a Goldie-Locks pen: just right, not too small, not too large, quite universal IMO, and very comfortable. BUT! I didn't like how the cap took 3 rotations to cap and uncap. That was too much for me. Peyton Street Pens said they didn't have any Davenports that required less rotations.

 

So I returned the PSP Davenport and ordered 2 pens from Ranga direct and specified that both have the cap to uncap/cap in less than 2 1/4 rotations but preferably 1 3/4 rotations if they could, which is what my Custom Model 3 took. Furthermore I had the 2 new pens I recently ordered made in such a way:

 

1. Pen #1: The same pen I first ordered/reviewed, but with the original section of the Model 3 (which is basically the PSP Davenport with the Model 3 section).
2. Pen #2: The same pen I first ordered/reviewed, but with the section of the Davenport (so basically the Davenport). But I had originally intended for them to make the section like that of the Karas Kustoms Decograph, which I had tried, but it had some problems so I returned it, but I loved that Decograph section. But after discussing this idea with Ranga I wasn't sure if they could replicate that section design, so I just asked them to use the section of the Davenport for pen #2 instead and they agreed.

I prefer to have that slight shelf above the threads because I tried out a Ranga Model 3 a while back and the threads weren't carved well so when I tightened the cap on the pen the cap actually dislodged from the threads. So in other words, if I tightened the cap on that pen it would dislodge and come loose. So I figured a shelf might prevent Ranga from making defective threads like that again, and plus it's not obtrusive and I thought it looked nice. They gave a refund for that pen with no problems at all so I didn't mind.

Edited December 21, 2018 by Mongoosey

[Mongoosey]

Ahhh . . . let me throw a quote out there "The great thing about art is that while “it” stays the same, you don’t".

 

My taste in inks has changed yet the inks remain the same.

 

At best this may be a slowdown for you. When we have the bug we have the bug - delighted some is on it's way, and that Lamy 2000 and Kiwa-Guro sounds like a wonderous marriage.

 

Yah, you're right. That's why I haven't gotten any tattoos. I change too much.

 

Definitely a slow down. Keen you are. Wise at least to recognize.

 

My hopes are indeed rather high for that combo. I very much look forward to trying it out. One step at a time. Souboku first

[truthpil]

I agree. They are large and I found I don't prefer that either. Let me tell you about it:

 

I did a review on my first Custom Model 3 (shortened) I ordered direct from Ranga in India a year ago:

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/341955-ranga-model-3-custom-review/

 

------------------------

1. Pen #1: The same pen I first ordered/reviewed, but with the original section of the Model 3 (which is basically the PSP Davenport with the Model 3 section).
2. Pen #2: The same pen I first ordered/reviewed, but with the section of the Davenport (so basically the Davenport). But I had originally intended for them to make the section like that of the Karas Kustoms Decograph, which I had tried, but it had some problems so I returned it, but I loved that Decograph section. But after discussing this idea with Ranga I wasn't sure if they could replicate that section design, so I just asked them to use the section of the Davenport for pen #2 instead and they agreed.

 

Thanks for the thorough answer! I didn't know Ranga would do custom orders like that, so I'll definitely have to try that out.

Among you second round of customizations, which did you prefer, Pen #1 or #2?

[Tas]

 

Yah, you're right. That's why I haven't gotten any tattoos. I change too much.

 

Definitely a slow down. Keen you are. Wise at least to recognize.

 

My hopes are indeed rather high for that combo. I very much look forward to trying it out. One step at a time. Souboku first

My Lamy 2000 is back from being out on loan. Sadly not a drop of Kiwa-Guro in the house otherwise it would have had a fill of it in your honour.

(I was sure I had a sample somewhere. Oh well another for that list)

 

 

[Mongoosey]

 

Thanks for the thorough answer! I didn't know Ranga would do custom orders like that, so I'll definitely have to try that out.

Among you second round of customizations, which did you prefer, Pen #1 or #2?

 

I haven't received them yet. I only ordered them a short while ago and Ranga's doing Group Buy's right now so I don't know what to expect in terms of waiting time. Last time I ordered they finished them relatively quickly... in about 2 weeks I believe.

 

Really the only difference between the 2 newly ordered pens is the section and I like both from experience, but I found the Davenport to be more comfortable. It was close to the feel of the Karas Kustoms Decograph section, both making my grip feel "at home" and I've only had that feeling with the Davenport and the Decograph.

 

My Lamy 2000 is back from being out on loan. Sadly not a drop of Kiwa-Guro in the house otherwise it would have had a fill of it in your honour.

(I was sure I had a sample somewhere. Oh well another for that list)

 

 

 

Well I don't blame you for thinking about it and I appreciate the consideration.

 

That is definitely a pen worth having back. That was kind of you to load that out. I don't think I'd have the courage to lend that out.