Diamine Vs. Pilot's Iroshizuku

[Lloyd]

But for $28-35 you can get several colors of Diamine.

And for the cost of a filet mignon you can get a dozen Big Macs.

 

(just an example...I'm a vegetarian so I'd chose neither)

[AlejoPlay]

But for $28-35 you can get several colors of Diamine.

And for the cost of a filet mignon you can get a dozen Big Macs.

 

(just an example...I'm a vegetarian so I'd chose neither)

 

I don't know if that's the proper analogy. It's more like. You can get a filet mignon or you can get a filet mignon that was flown overnight wrapped in parchment paper and held by a nun. Or something.

 

(and really I'm just frustrated because I love Japanese inks and Iros are cost prohibitive for me as they are sold in the US. I will stock up when I go to Japan on vacation . . . which is also cost prohibitive. LOL. I just wish they sold at the same price point here in the US that they do in Japan. I'd happily pay $18-$20 here for them).

[Lloyd]

See next post.

 

 

Edited January 4, 2013 by Lloyd

[Lloyd]

But for $28-35 you can get several colors of Diamine.

And for the cost of a filet mignon you can get a dozen Big Macs.

 

(just an example...I'm a vegetarian so I'd chose neither)

 

I don't know if that's the proper analogy. It's more like. You can get a filet mignon or you can get a filet mignon that was flown overnight wrapped in parchment paper and held by a nun. Or something.

 

(and really I'm just frustrated because I love Japanese inks and Iros are cost prohibitive for me as they are sold in the US. I will stock up when I go to Japan on vacation . . . which is also cost prohibitive. LOL. I just wish they sold at the same price point here in the US that they do in Japan. I'd happily pay $18-$20 here for them).

I thought Engeika sold them in plastic bottles for that price range.

[AlejoPlay]

But for $28-35 you can get several colors of Diamine.

And for the cost of a filet mignon you can get a dozen Big Macs.

 

(just an example...I'm a vegetarian so I'd chose neither)

 

I don't know if that's the proper analogy. It's more like. You can get a filet mignon or you can get a filet mignon that was flown overnight wrapped in parchment paper and held by a nun. Or something.

 

(and really I'm just frustrated because I love Japanese inks and Iros are cost prohibitive for me as they are sold in the US. I will stock up when I go to Japan on vacation . . . which is also cost prohibitive. LOL. I just wish they sold at the same price point here in the US that they do in Japan. I'd happily pay $18-$20 here for them).

I thought Engeika sold them in plastic bottles for that price range.

 

If that's true, that's good to know so I can replace the ones I get in Japan when I run out.

[rwilsonedn]

Other folks must use a lot more ink than I do. I was given a bottle of Iroshizuku for Christmas, 2011, and have used it exclusively for my workhorse Pilot VP F-nib, and occasionally for other pens. As of last week, I'd used about a third of the bottle. So I'm figuring the premium I would pay for using Iroshizuku over Diamine would be a bit over a penny a day. Given that I've had similar experience to others here--wonderful lubricating feel, beautiful color, no feathering even on nasty papers, and absolutely no pen problems, I'm more than happy to pay the difference.

Maybe if I were coloring drawings or painting furniture with it I'd have a different perspective.

ron

[chad.trent]

I don't necessarily use a lot of ink. I've had the same bottle of Quink black for about a year now, and it's still half full. I just like switching colors. In fact, I carry 4-5 pens every day all loaded with different colors depending on the mood I'm in or what I'm doing with it. I have to have a black, and for marking things up at work I have to have a red. But I also carry colors that I like just for note taking and general writing.

[Laura N]

Other folks must use a lot more ink than I do. I was given a bottle of Iroshizuku for Christmas, 2011, and have used it exclusively for my workhorse Pilot VP F-nib, and occasionally for other pens. As of last week, I'd used about a third of the bottle. So I'm figuring the premium I would pay for using Iroshizuku over Diamine would be a bit over a penny a day. Given that I've had similar experience to others here--wonderful lubricating feel, beautiful color, no feathering even on nasty papers, and absolutely no pen problems, I'm more than happy to pay the difference.

Maybe if I were coloring drawings or painting furniture with it I'd have a different perspective.

ron

 

I have exactly the same experience. I frequently use Iroshizuku inks. I give away samples. I often use pens with broad nibs. And I've yet to finish a bottle myself.

[TDL]

I have used about a bottle and a half of Iroshizuku Tsuki-yo in about 14 months. It is feeding two Nakayas and a Montblanc 146, two of which are utilised very extensively. Nearly time to order a third bottle.

[Alex2014]

'To put again the problem: D an I are both great. I've both but still use more I. Some further questions:

 

1. It seems to me that now the offer of D. is more diverse. As for red colors i.e. it surely is. Only some subtle nuances from I. have not a correspondent

2. I have not a local seller, so I have to order both. The cost of I inks is considerably high due to the bottle, while the 30 ml bottle from D a very light and easy to be posted.

3, The D inks ordered direct from the manufacturer come in only 3-4 days, the I. inks in 3 weeks

 

I still can't say which of ones is more suitable, being more fluid or drying faster. Maybe each color has its own behavior. Are I. inks more suitable for Japanese FP's?

[FountainPenCowgirl]

I buy for color and performance. I have more Diamine bottles, purchased largely because of the colors (though I can think of maybe one that has not performed as well as the others. I'm totally satisfied with all of my D inks, many of which are everyday choices.)

 

I have fewer Iroshizuku bottles (though I've sampled most). Some of the most popular with others have been terribly disappointing for me. Different strokes... Of those I have, two were bought because I adored the colors. The others are not as unique colorwise, but the performance simply put them over the top when purchase time came. Cheaper alternatives exist. But the pleasure of writing with the Iroshizuku versions make my personal choice clear.

 

Both have valued places in my (very colorful) ink collection and are among my most reliable writers. For me, that's all that matters.

[asdf]

As a left-handed overwriter, certain performance characteristics, namely dry time and lack of smearing, matter a great deal to me. I also have high standards when it comes to flow and lubrication.

 

My experience with Iroshizuku inks is admittedly somewhat limited; I own a bottle of yama-guri, my wife owns one of fuyu-syogun, and we have sampled ina-ho and murasaki-shikibu. These inks have, for me, outperformed all of the Diamine offerings I have tried: Amaranth, Amber, China Blue, Chocolate Brown, Crimson, Damson, Evergreen, Midnight, Oxblood, Rustic Brown, and Sherwood Green. That's not to say that the Diamine inks are sub-par performers, but rather that the Iroshizuku inks are just that good.

 

I should also add that as one who frequently posts letters, water resistance is very important to me. The yama-guri, in particular, has further earned my favor by holding up remarkably well to raindrops.

 

Diamine make lovely inks, but the Iroshizuku inks I have used are superior performers and merit the higher price.

[Lisya72]

Taking price out of consideration and assuming a close color match, Iroshizuku wins. In fact, for me, even with price as a factor, if the colors are close, I'll buy the Iro ink. Flow, lubrication, ease of cleaning (that's a big one for me, though I'd rate most Diamine inks as better than average, here), and behavior on the page are all better in Iroshizuku inks than the Diamine inks I've used. I've got some dry writers that really need the extra help.

 

Now, I do have about about half again as many bottles of Diamine as Iroshizuku, but that's due to the limited color palette in the Iro line.

[Chrissy]

I have a couple of Pilot Iroshizuku inks and a couple of Diamine inks. In use I can't see any specific difference when I write that makes the former especially worth their price while with Diamine I have a couple of favourites. Namely Bilberry and Eau de Nil.

 

I do love the PI glass bottles though. While I hate the 30ml Diamine plastic bottles

[I like mango cheesecake]

I was thinking this question myself over the last few days and am glad this thread popped up again. My first big batch of inks I ordered were Diamines, as they were the most economical to order online. I was thinking of getting an Iro ink because of what everyone has been saying about them but at multiple times the cost, it held me back. I was just looking at them yesterday and still on the fence. But eventually I think I will order one bottle just because I think it should belong in my collection of inks.

 

Now, for the colour. . . . . hmmmmm. . .

[Chrissy]

If anyone wants a bottle of Chiku-rin....

Edited April 24, 2014 by Chrissy

[RudyR]

If anyone wants a bottle of Chiku-rin....

 

Got a bottle already and love it. So far, I prefer my Iroshizuku inks over the Diamines for performance, cleaning and pure enjoyment of writing. A large number of people object to the price, but to me, the quality of the ink outweighs that issue. To me, Diamines tend to be over saturated, have some feathering issues (particularly with Saragossa Blue) and takes forever to clean out of a pen. It does not have the best bottle on the market either. So far, though, no one has a better red (to me) than Red Dragon.

[Blue_Moon]

These are my two favorite brands of ink. I love the range of colors and the quality of Diamine ink. It is a wonderful brand. However, Iroshizuku was the first ink I used in which I experienced total awe (Yama-budo specifically). I couldn't believe how wonderful it was. That was awhile back, and to this day, I love Iroshizuku inks. On a scale of 1-10, I'd give Diamine a 9 and Iroshizuku a 10.

[Renfield]

I think I have tried about a dozen Iro inks, and about 30 Diamine inks.

 

In my opinion, Diamine wins.

 

I don't notice the feathering/bleedthrough issues people comment with Diamine. I would put them on par with each other.

 

Cleaning, Iro wins on some inks, Fuyo Syogun for example is a joy to clean in comparison to others, but it is a very light colour.

 

Tsuki-Yo is no easier to clean than say Diamine Royal Blue (I recently had them in the same pen)

 

Bottle wise, I really don't care.

 

I would put both in a vintage pen, which means I can trust both.

 

Lubrication. In my opinion, that's more down to the pens ink flow, so again on par with each other.

 

Choice of colours. Diamine wins hands down. Not just on number. I find a lot of the iro inks a little bland.

 

 

Here is a question.

 

You have no ink, but the knowledge you have now. And someone offers you 10 free bottles of ink, either Diamine/Iro/Noodlers. Cost/Bottle is not a factor. You cannot sell them on, they are just based on preference

 

What do you choose?

 

For me it would be:

 

Iro Fuyo-Syogun

Iro Yama Budo

Diamine Blue/Black

Diamine Deep Dark Red

Diamine Deep Dark Green

Diamine Deep Dark Blue

Diamine Racing Green

Diamine Ochre

Diamine Chocolate Brown

Diamine Sherwood Green

 

So the Score for me is Iro get 2, diamine gets 8 and Noodlers 0. I think i covered the palette pretty well.

 

Ren

[FloatingFountain]

In the Netherlands, Diamine is hard to get; Iroshizuku is even harder. (Read: not a lot of retailers.)

 

Diamine costs €7.85 for 80ml, Iroshizuku costs €39 for 50ml. You won't be surprised that my first choice would normally be Diamine.