Sailor Kiwaguro Nano Carbon Ink

[Neill78]

Just got this ink on Sunday and it's fabulous with cheap paper as there's no bleedthrough nor feathering. Words do indeed look clean and sharp. Wished it came in blue (my favourite colour for almost all things). Has anyone compared this ink with Noodler's bulletproof black before? On the paranoid side, would nano particles cause any health issues? Do they get dispersed or dissolved in the air? I ask because I once saw an article about nano-something or other and how it damaged the brains (I think) of trout. Yeap, I know I'm not trout but just concerned.

 

It's waterproof, but it doesn't bond to the paper the same way as Noodlers. The carbon particles just flood into the paper and then can't escape, but anything on the surface can be washed/pushed away, so that's why the picture in the water test shows some smearing.

 

I don't think the particles are actually "nano" particles, they're just ground finer than regular carbon ink to prevent clogging. You're thinking of "bucky balls" which can cause health defects. It shouldn't be any more dangerous than what you get from an inkstone. Still, I wouldn't drink it.

 

Neill

[Bob Cratchet]

Here's my handwritten (Lamy 2000 EF) review of this fantastic black ink. I bought it at Tokyu Hands, Nagoya, Japan for 1575 yen; a bit more than double the price of regular Sailor ink. I've heard you can get it at some import shops online for the sky high price of $30. I was happy to pay 1575 yen because "normal" ink here in Canada is usually about $12, but $30 is a bit steep, IMO.

 

 

This should give you an idea of the crispness this ink gives, even on this highly textured paper. It's pretty amazing! One thing some people may not like is that this ink has a very matte finish and reflects light the same way as India ink, Chinese ink, or Japanese sumi ink. Thus, although it is probably as black as you can possibly get, in some lighting it looks pale. Personally I kind of like how it seems to meld with the paper.

 

 

The ink sticks to my Lamy 2000's nib. It looks like nib creep, but it's worse. You may be able to see the ink stuck at the base of the nib near the hood. The good news is that it washes off easily when rinsing out the pen, but I can never seem to get it all off with a tissue or Q-tip. I usually end up pulling more out! I dipped a couple other pens with steel nibs in this ink and it didn't stick like this at all.

 

 

Here's a smudge test - a good hard rub with a Q-tip. By 15 seconds the smudging is barely noticeable.

 

 

The box makes four claims (well, actually six, but they inexplicably combine some):

1. Waterproof
2. Won't clog, makes a sharp line
3. Won't bleed or show through
4. The best for official documents

After using this ink, I'd say they're all true. You can get some bleeding on certain very fibrous papers -- the kind that also clog your nib with paper bits, which you're unlikely to be writing on with a fountain pen in the first place. There's very little show-through even on very thin paper. As for clogging, I have been using Kiwaguro in my Lamy 2000 for 3 months straight now without flushing out my pen. No problems at all (except for my dirty looking nib). As I mentioned in the hand-written portion of this review, Kiwaguro really lubricates a nib. My Lamy 2000 was already super smooth, and the first time I filled it with Kiwaguro I couldn't control my pen. You might notice that some of my lines look a little shaky at the start of the review -- that's because I haven't used it for a few days and it takes me a minute to get a handle on the slipperiness.

 

One interesting and nice thing about this ink is that it doesn't stick to plastic at all. It won't get trapped at the top of a converter and it moves quickly around in the Lamy 2000 so I can actually get some use out of the minute ink window. When it flows it leaves no trail behind, and I am positive there is no danger of staining.

 

This ink smells basically the same as India ink. It reminds me of art classes, and the smell of the charcoal sticks, ink, and drawing paper. It's not very strong unless you put your nose near the bottle while filling.

 

Here's the water test. I ran the paper (HP 32#) under lukewarm water for 30 seconds. The initial splash pushed off a fair bit of black, but it didn't lighten the words at all. There is a fair bit of ghosting around the letters but they are still perfectly legible. For comparison I used Shaeffer Skrip black which looks like a shadow of its former self, with only blue-grey undertones remaining.

 

 

The bottle is a typical Sailor bottle, which is kind of cute but too shallow.

 

 

THE END!

 

After reading this review, I decided I am going to have to try this ink, I have bottles of black ink of different makers, and never come across a black ink that I like, I want a pure black, one with no shading, just a good solid black, So I have just bought a new pen, a Sailor Professional Gear so that I could buy a bottle without it costing $19 for shipment, Well it still costs $19 for the shipment but at least I get another new pen!

Got to have a good excuse for the little woman.

Not that I need make any excuses with my lovely wife,

So I can hardly wait to try this ink in my quest to fined the perfect black ink, and I do so like the Sailor nibs, I am in a dilemma over this really, last year I bought my first Sailor from the same seller in Japan, and at first I did not like it finding it to be scratchy & perhaps a little to fine, but as I have used it I have found that my writing improved with this nib, to the point I want to find out how to regrind my other pens to an extra fine nib which the Japanese Fine represents to we Europeans, but one thing at a time I will see what this Black ink is like.

Happy handwriting

Bob Cratchet

 

 

[Neill78]

Update: Now available at Swisher Pens for $22.50!

 

Has anyone seen this in Canada yet?

 

Neill

[PJohnP]

I just received this ink yesterday for $26.95 shipped from eBay. It came in two days, very well packed.

 

This is probably one of the best waterproof black inks that I've used. It's fast drying, no bleedthrough, and no discernable feathering, even on cheap copy paper. It has reasonably good flow, even with a (for me) notoriously dry nib. I did a quick wash test of a written page yesterday in water, and it was more than adequate.

 

And I wouldn't have even had this on my radar if it weren't for the reviews here at FPN ! Thanks to all of you who have posted such insightful and useful reviews.

 

 

 

John P.

Edited April 17, 2009 by PJohnP

[xmattxyzx]

Has anyone compared it with Standard Black yet?

[Neill78]

Has anyone compared it with Standard Black yet?

 

I haven't compared it with Sailor Jentle Black but I have used it side by side with Sheaffer Skrip Black, Parker Quink Black, and Herbin Perle Noire. After using Kiwaguro, the rest don't look very black anymore; you can see the blue tones and/or shading in every one as it goes down on paper. However, depending on the paper and the light source, Kiwaguro can have a sheen that makes it look lighter than it actually is. In this respect it's the same as Japanese/Chinese calligraphy ink.

 

Neill

[xmattxyzx]

Thanks a lot. I'm very torn between this and Noodlers Black.

[Neill78]

Thanks a lot. I'm very torn between this and Noodlers Black.

 

I haven't tried that, but you know if you're looking for the blackest black, you can't get any blacker than a carbon-based ink. I don't know if the price/qualities of Kiwaguro make it worth it to you, but since I've been using it, I can't go back to regular black inks. Noodlers isn't so expensive so I'd say try that first if you're not sure.

 

Neill

[Zoe]

I just compared Nano Carbon side by side with Jentle, and the Nano is darker but not appreciably. When they hit the paper, the Nano was as black as a raven's tail, but after the two dried, the Nano was only (by eye only) a tad darker.

 

However, it is certainly darker than the other blacks I have (Noodlers, Aurora and Herbin).

 

Z/

[skipwilliams]

The Sailor Kiwaguro black is very similar to Noodler's Black in it's coverage.

 

Noodlers Heart of Darkness and Borealis Black are both "blacker" than the Sailor Kiwaguro. The Sailor ink dries to a kind of matte black finish. BB is good, but not as bulleproof as HOD.

 

I like them all, but I think HOD is my favorite, with the Sailor Kiwaguro second. The Sailor's cost and scarcity also relegates it down the list. I can buy those big bottles of HOD much cheaper.

 

I just did an interesting experiment. I put Borealis Black, Sailor Kiwaguro, and Heart of Darkness on a paper towel, let it dry for 1-2 minutes, and then dipped the paper towel in water to act like chromatography paper. The BB definitely shows its blue undertones. The HOD and SK are very neutral. But look at the difference in migration. The Sailor mostly stayed as a distinct square, vs. the others, which migrated. Obviously the suspended pigment particles make a difference.

 

http://www.skipwilliams.com/upload/black-inks.jpg

 

Skip

 

 

I haven't tried that, but you know if you're looking for the blackest black, you can't get any blacker than a carbon-based ink. I don't know if the price/qualities of Kiwaguro make it worth it to you, but since I've been using it, I can't go back to regular black inks. Noodlers isn't so expensive so I'd say try that first if you're not sure.

 

Neill

 

[Neill78]

I just compared Nano Carbon side by side with Jentle, and the Nano is darker but not appreciably. When they hit the paper, the Nano was as black as a raven's tail, but after the two dried, the Nano was only (by eye only) a tad darker.

 

However, it is certainly darker than the other blacks I have (Noodlers, Aurora and Herbin).

 

Z/

 

I guess then it comes down to whether one wants water proofness (along with some other qualities) or not. How does regular Jentle behave on poor quality papers? I've got Jentle Brown and it bleeds a bit on fibrous papers.

 

Neill

[Zoe]

Neill78,

 

I'm going out of town, journal in hand, together with both the Jentle & Nano inks (in cartridges by the way) and will do some comparisons. When I get back I'll post up the samples. Thus far, I've not had either in use for much serious feed-back but have written with various pens with the Nano on Rhodia, Levenger, old office tablets and a new eco-friendly sugarcane O-Bon journal. Nano seems to perform well on all of these used.

 

BYW, I bought the Sailor Nano only in cartridges (from Japan) because as Skip remarks above, cost can become a consideration in the total equation of waterproof, bleeding, colour, etc. with inks.

 

Z/

 

I just compared Nano Carbon side by side with Jentle, and the Nano is darker but not appreciably. When they hit the paper, the Nano was as black as a raven's tail, but after the two dried, the Nano was only (by eye only) a tad darker.

 

However, it is certainly darker than the other blacks I have (Noodlers, Aurora and Herbin).

 

Z/

 

I guess then it comes down to whether one wants water proofness (along with some other qualities) or not. How does regular Jentle behave on poor quality papers? I've got Jentle Brown and it bleeds a bit on fibrous papers.

 

Neill

 

[Neill78]

Zoe,

 

I bought a bottle in Japan (and I'll probably pick up another one next month) and have used it constantly for a year in my Lamy 2000, which has a heavy flow and tends to feather on all but the best quality papers. With Kiwaguro I get a very thin line and no feathering. Recently I switched back to Parker Quink, which also behaves well, but now I want to go right back to Kiwaguro. There are so many good things about it (colour included), and only price as a negative. Although when you buy a bottle it seems to last forever...

 

Looking forward to seeing your journal scans & hearing your thoughts. Have a good trip!

 

Neill

[Amused]

@Skip, nice paper towel comparo

 

@Neill, I experience the same with my Lamy 2000 (EF)

 

I really like this ink, it's my go to black. IME, it's similar to Noodler's Eel Black with slightly better behavior and color.

 

[Neill78]

Skip, thanks for the test. The results were really interesting. To my eye, the Kiwaguro still looks blacker in your scan, but I agree, it has a very matte finish on most paper that makes it look less black (as in my review). I'm very impressed with HOD in your scan... it looks really black! I haven't seen a black ink that looked so black in a water test.

 

Neill

 

 

 

 

[publius]

I'm using it very happily in a desk pen (which presumably will have less trouble with the feed drying up), for addressing envelopes & other applications in which waterproofness may be called for, & also for a certain amount of general writing because it's just a very nice black ink.

[1000km]

After using this ink for a few months I've realized that it's not a patch on Noodler's Bulletproof Black. It's not nearly as black and not quite as well-behaved.

[RoyalKooparillo]

I've been using Kiwa-guro for a while now, and I absolutely love it. It's a little quirky, but it is a fantastic ink.

 

Some of my experiences with it:

-it has the odd property of being very lubricated, and yet writing somewhat dryly.

-it dries extremely quickly...on the nib as well. Cap that pen!

-it absolutely does NOT feather or bleed-through, even on the lowest-quality papers.

-it has a wonderful matte-sheen to it when it dries. Perhaps this is why it seems to me to be an incredibly dark gray to me, instead of a true blackity-black.

-it is the only ink I've ever used that seems to become 'part' of the paper when it dries, rather than being 'on' the paper (if that makes any sense). If you take a sheet of paper that has Kiwa-guro on it, as well a different ink or two, and you hold it up to the light, looking at the ink from a sideways angle (so you can see the light's reflection), the Kiwa-guro simply disappears. The other inks will absorb light and not reflect, and can be seen easily. Very interesting.

-it is completely waterproof. Very confident in it's waterproof abilities.

-it needs to be completely flushed on a regular basis. A light household ammonia solution seems to clean everything out just perfectly. The carbon particles are inert and won't harm your pen, but if the ink is allowed to dry in the pen, you are pretty much boned.

-it will not stain plastics (in my experience)

-it works very well in both extra-fine pens and bold pens. Writes like the true nib size.

 

So, that's been my experience! IMHO, the superb performance and wonderful properties of Kiwa-guro far outweigh the little bit of extra maintenance required with this ink.

[Neill78]

-it absolutely does NOT feather or bleed-through, even on the lowest-quality papers.

-it has a wonderful matte-sheen to it when it dries. Perhaps this is why it seems to me to be an incredibly dark gray to me, instead of a true blackity-black.

 

The paper friendliness is the reason why I always have a pen inked with it. I really enjoy the colour too, but at first I didn't think it was black. It really depends what kind of light you're under. But really, I don't think I've seen anything blacker.

 

-it will not stain plastics (in my experience)

 

This is my experience also. I've had a couple of converters stained by other inks, but this one rinses out like it was never there!

 

Neill

[publius]

-it has a wonderful matte-sheen to it when it dries. Perhaps this is why it seems to me to be an incredibly dark gray to me, instead of a true blackity-black.

 

The paper friendliness is the reason why I always have a pen inked with it. I really enjoy the colour too, but at first I didn't think it was black. It really depends what kind of light you're under. But really, I don't think I've seen anything blacker.

It's like concentrated smoke. Very, very diluted, when cleaning a pen, it can look brownish-grey ; on paper, it looks like a swatch from the darkest part of a heavy charcoal-pencil mark. And no surprise — being what it is, so it ought.