Jump to content

Pilot Catridge Ink: Why So Terrible?


Kuhataparunks

Recommended Posts

 

I thought it was just me... But after four different colors and several different cartridges, I can say that the Pilot IC-50 cartridges have some quite sub-par ink in them.

 

I've had and used extensively: standard Black, Blue, and Blue-Black.

They all cause the nib to write with a little more grit than if a different ink was in it, and I've seen that for all three of the colors, it looks like they have tiny grains of sand (dark dots) throughout the lines.

And my most loathed quality... The feathering. Lets just say there have been a few cases where it feathers even on 80g Rhodia Paper, with a Fine nib and light pressure when writing.

 

I hate to sound so pejorative, but what are the Catridge ink's strongpoints for ordinary, everyday use?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 15
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

  • Lou Erickson

    2

  • PAKMAN

    1

  • BillZ

    1

  • PaperDarts

    1

These are not problems I've heard with most cartridge inks, and I'm surprised to hear it from Pilot ones. They should be full of ordinary Pilot Blue, Black, or Blue-Black, which are usually exceedingly well behaved.

 

The usual argument for cartridges is convenience; they're easy to carry and easy to change on the go so you don't have to mess with bottles of ink.

 

Myself, since I came back to FP's, I have used exactly one, and have used converters and bottles otherwise. I had problems with carts leaking way back in the day.

--

Lou Erickson - Handwritten Blog Posts

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Having used Pilot cartridges off and on for years I have never encountered any difficulty with the ink.

“Don't put off till tomorrow what you can do today, because if you do it today and like it, you can do again tomorrow!”

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Pilot blue is my everyday ink. I routinely use Pilot blue and occasionally black cartridges. I most often use Pilot blue from the bottle. I haven't ever noticed any problems with their ink, bottles or cartridges.

There are at least three variables at play; the pen, the paper, and the ink. You need to find a combination that works. Pilot ink doesn't work well for me in my Lamy 2000. Conversely, Lamy ink doesn't work well for me in my Pilot Preras. That's not to say that you need to match pen and ink brands, you often don't but not every ink will work well in every pen or on every paper.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I drain the Pilot cartridges as soon as I get them and use them for syringe fills. The ink is not lame, but not up to the standard of the inks I use, including Pilot Iroshizuku.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I use Pilot ink cartridges all the time and have no quality problems. I make sure I buy genuine cartridges from reputable sellers as there are lots of sub par "knock offs" around (of all brands of inks).

Verba volant, scripta manent

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Having used Pilot cartridges off and on for years I have never encountered any difficulty with the ink.

 

 

I use Pilot ink cartridges all the time and have no quality problems. I make sure I buy genuine cartridges from reputable sellers as there are lots of sub par "knock offs" around (of all brands of inks).

 

Yep, same . . . :)

Sorry you're having problems.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I use Pilot ink cartridges all the time and have no quality problems. I make sure I buy genuine cartridges from reputable sellers as there are lots of sub par "knock offs" around (of all brands of inks).

It had never even occurred to me that branded cartridges were being copied. Doesn't that just go to show how careful you need to be?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The blue cartridge that came with my Plumix was the reason I bought a whole 70ml bottle of Pilot blue.

 

Maybe your carts were old enough and went bad?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I use Pilot cartridges in my VP. Both Black and Blue-Black with no difficulty. The converter for the VP is small.

Pat Barnes a.k.a. billz

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've gone through a couple of boxes of the IC-50 cartridges, black ink. I use them in a Pilot birdie that stays clipped to my agenda. No problems at all so far, sorry that you've run into difficulties.

"Life would split asunder without letters." Virginia Woolf

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm using a blue cart right now and it works great for me. I would love to see some of the Iro Pilot inks in carts!

PAKMAN

minibanner.gif                                    Vanness-world-final.png.c1b120b90855ce70a8fd70dd342ebc00.png

                         My Favorite Pen Restorer                                             My Favorite Pen Store

                                                                                                                                Vanness Pens - Selling Online!

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm using a blue cart right now and it works great for me. I would love to see some of the Iro Pilot inks in carts!

They'd be the most expensive cartridges ever, until Caran d' Ache released their crystal clear octagonal ones. :)

Edited by Lou Erickson

--

Lou Erickson - Handwritten Blog Posts

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've used Pilot Black cartridges in the past and while the color was a bit on the grey side for my liking the flow and feathering was not at all an issue. I recently purchased a friend a 78G and he is using cartridges exclusively and hasn't had any issues even on cheaper paper than Rhodia. It sounds like you got faulty cartridges or possibly bought cartridges made by another manufacturer. You should notify the seller.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now


  • Most Contributions

    1. amberleadavis
      amberleadavis
      43844
    2. PAKMAN
      PAKMAN
      33494
    3. Ghost Plane
      Ghost Plane
      28220
    4. inkstainedruth
      inkstainedruth
      26624
    5. jar
      jar
      26101
  • Upcoming Events

  • Blog Comments

    • Shanghai Knife Dude
      I have the Sailor Naginata and some fancy blade nibs coming after 2022 by a number of new workshop from China.  With all my respect, IMHO, they are all (bleep) in doing chinese characters.  Go use a bush, or at least a bush pen. 
    • A Smug Dill
      It is the reason why I'm so keen on the idea of a personal library — of pens, nibs, inks, paper products, etc. — and spent so much money, as well as time and effort, to “build” it for myself (because I can't simply remember everything, especially as I'm getting older fast) and my wife, so that we can “know”; and, instead of just disposing of what displeased us, or even just not good enough to be “given the time of day” against competition from >500 other pens and >500 other inks for our at
    • adamselene
      Agreed.  And I think it’s good to be aware of this early on and think about at the point of buying rather than rationalizing a purchase..
    • A Smug Dill
      Alas, one cannot know “good” without some idea of “bad” against which to contrast; and, as one of my former bosses (back when I was in my twenties) used to say, “on the scale of good to bad…”, it's a spectrum, not a dichotomy. Whereas subjectively acceptable (or tolerable) and unacceptable may well be a dichotomy to someone, and finding whether the threshold or cusp between them lies takes experiencing many degrees of less-than-ideal, especially if the decision is somehow influenced by factors o
    • adamselene
      I got my first real fountain pen on my 60th birthday and many hundreds of pens later I’ve often thought of what I should’ve known in the beginning. I have many pens, the majority of which have some objectionable feature. If they are too delicate, or can’t be posted, or they are too precious to face losing , still they are users, but only in very limited environments..  I have a big disliking for pens that have the cap jump into the air and fly off. I object to Pens that dry out, or leave blobs o
  • Chatbox

    You don't have permission to chat.
    Load More
  • Files






×
×
  • Create New...