Kon-Peki - Pilot Iroshizuku

[visvamitra]

In December 2007 Pilot's created exclusive line of inks called Iroshizuku. I believe they may well be the most well known fountain pen inks in pen world. These inks are supposed to work in any pen with any nib on any paper and in any situation. I haven't tried all of them but so far the Iroshizuku inks I've tried were behaving flawlessly.

The colors were created by Kiyomi Hasegawa who after fifteen years of working in a stationary shop and communicating with Clients come to conclusion that not all fountain pen users are willing to write in black and blue. Wise woman.

The bottles are stunning although they have their issues: if the ink is left unused for some time the cap tends to stick and break when you try to twist it open. It happened to my bottle of Shin-Ryoku.

Anyway Iroshizuku line of inks counts 24 "standard" colors. Three inks were made some time ago for Tokyo stores: Edo-Murasaki, Fukagawa-Nezu and Shimbashi-Iro.After seeing the scans over blogosphere I wish these three were accesible, because they look interesting. Edo - Murasaki looks cool while Murasaki - Shikibu is of no interest to me. Even though I kind of like Fuyu-Syogun I find Fukagawa-Nezu more compelling.

Nothing indicates Pilot plans on extending the official line any time soon (if ever) so let's take a look at what's possible to obtain from dealers and online shops.

http://imageshack.com/a/img538/1595/lYAayJ.jpg

I don't have all of the inks but sooner or later I'll try to check them all. With time I'll review all of them (hopefully).

1. Ajisai
2. Ama-Iro
3. Asa-Gao
4. Chiku-Rin
5. Fuyu-Gaki
6. Fuyu-Syogun
7. Ina-Ho
8. Kiri-Same
9. Kon-Peki
10. Kosumosu
11. Ku-Jaku
12. Momiji
13. Murasaki-Shikibu
14. Shin-Kai
15. Shin-Ryoku
16. Syo-Ro
17. Take-Sumi
18. Tsuki-Yo
19. Tsukushi
20. Tsutsuji
21. Tsuyu-Kusa
22. Yama-Budo
23. Yama-Guri
24. Yu-Yake

Kon-peki is nice and fresh azur ink. It is waterproof to some (rather poor) extent: dye is washed out but the text can be decoded once you put some effort into it.

http://imageshack.com/a/img901/5623/PPsXfK.jpg

Chromatography:

http://imageshack.com/a/img912/2365/fkFDeA.jpg

Verdict: well, I'm not heavy blue / azur user. I find Edelstein's Topaz more appealing and more interesting.

Ink Splash

http://imageshack.com/a/img903/3209/gmtF5I.jpg

Drops of ink on kitchen towel

http://imageshack.com/a/img911/618/rPxpvY.jpg

Software ID

http://imageshack.com/a/img913/5885/tUu4m5.jpg

Oxford Recycled ( 90g), Kaweco Classic Sport, eyedropper, B

http://imageshack.com/a/img538/5541/Qve3ZD.jpg

http://imageshack.com/a/img901/179/ZwntvF.jpg

http://imageshack.com/a/img673/279/Wlds8f.jpg

http://imageshack.com/a/img537/5425/llIFRO.jpg

Calendar

http://imageshack.com/a/img905/9013/N1YD7b.jpg

Comparison

http://imageshack.com/a/img673/6405/mEbsGs.jpg

Edited February 21, 2015 by visvamitra

[lgsoltek]

That sheen! (Drools)

[SujiCorp12345]

One of my favourite Iroshizuku inks. Nice review.

[carlos.q]

I totally agree with you when you say: "I find Edelstein's Topaz more appealing and more interesting."

[owenj]

Nice review, and great, big pictures . Hmm, now to ink up with kon-peki or tsuya-kusa...

[musicman123]

Awesome review! Reminds me a lot of Waterman Inspired Blue, minus the sheen!

[amberleadavis]

This is a great ink. Thank you.

[jasonchickerson]

Looks very similar to Rohrer und Klingner's Blu Mare. Sheens the same, too.

[Newjelan]

I totally agree with you when you say: "I find Edelstein's Topaz more appealing and more interesting."

+1

[J85909266]

I don't get why people are so crazy about this ink. I like most other brands' color in this hue more. Topaz, Myrrh, Blu Mare, etc. all look nicer, to me.

[visvamitra]

I believe mostly because it's Iroshizuku and is served in stunning bottle and seems premium enough to make it enjoyable more than Blu Mare served in dark glass for example.

 

I do agree however that it's one of most overrated inks ever

[cengiz]

I like your reviews.

[visvamitra]

Thank you

[Gloucesterman]

Really like the sheen. Now I will have to go back and start to use it again. Had put it aside because other inks had caught my attention.

[inotrym]

I believe mostly because it's Iroshizuku and is served in stunning bottle and seems premium enough to make it enjoyable more than Blu Mare served in dark glass for example.

 

I do agree however that it's one of most overrated inks ever

 

+1. I do admit both digging the fancy bottles and buying (in more than one occasions) an ink just because of its brand/name/pretty-packaging-and-presentation.

 

I might also add the impact of well-known-to-the-FP-community figures' opinions along with the prevailing view of a product or its manufacturer.

 

When someone like Brian Goulet or sbrebrown state that they LOVE a specific product (even though it is their own opinion and they put on the relevant disclaimer) avid enthusiasts are more likely to 'follow their lead' and try it. And sometimes they are even a little bit biased towards it. Same thing happens when you repeatedly read positive reviews.

 

Of course, this may be happening because of a product really being THAT good, but sometimes it's just the case of 'monkey sees, monkey does'. It happens! (trust me; been there, done that! )

 

PS. Once again thank you for all your reviews visvamitra. Even when I already own an ink, I do enjoy your work.

Edited August 16, 2015 by inotrym

[amberleadavis]

 

 

I do agree however that it's one of most overrated inks ever

 

lol

 

Which is what makes FPs so fun.

[Quadratus]

A fantastic ink in my opinion- bright, happy and confident. Not perhaps a colour to sign serious official correspondence but if, like me, you do a lot of writing there is a joy and something of an "uplift" in using a joyous colour like "Kon-Peki". There are other fine blues like Diamine "Florida Blue" or Iroshizuku's "Asa-Gao" (my all time favourite) but this colour has something distinctive and special.

Thanks for a great review.

[steelblue]

Take-sumi managed to work beautifully and immediately in a few of my pens (Levenger L-Tech, Monteverde) that were refusing to write consistently with other inks. It sure pairs up with the Sailors and Pilots wonderfully and Asa-gao is a big favorite of mine. Thanks for the review!