What Is The Most Expensive Bottle Of Ink You Have Ever Bought?

[Morwen]

So, I've been playing with my collection these days, and as I have more than 100 bottles, it has cost me quite bit, especially my full line of Iroshizuku (well, almost - could not bring myself to buy Kosumosu, pink, blyagh!).

But the single most expensive bottle I own is my Kingdom Note Sasakia Charonda - cost me around 45 USD off ebay. Yeah, I know, horrible - but I had to have at least one of those. Alas, it will remain the only one. The ink is good and color and a very good performer, but there are others who match it out there at a third of the price. So, which one is yours? Do you feel it was worth it?

Edited October 6, 2015 by Morwen

[jmccarty3]

The Hieronymus and Louis Vuitton inks are probably the most expensive inks I have. I bought two colors in each line, and probably won't buy any more. The shipping cost to the US for Hieronymus is incredible.

[Tas]

Pen & Message Cigar. $40 USD delivered

 

- I made a pretty good mix but knew I'd not be happy unless I had the real thing and jumped at the chance when I found some.

[Algester]

Sailor Kiwaguro... no regrets though... still I would probably love to own some of the inks I have discovered but can't get due to exuberant shipping fee from Japan-US-Philippines

[Dhruv_Sood]

Noodlers Nikita with $35.95 including shipping.

 

Second comes iroshizuku with ~$35 per bottle for 4 bottles. Made the mistake of buying it from a retail store instead of a Rakuten store and paid EMS shipping and heavy custom duties.

[Morwen]

Dhruv_Sood, yikes! 36 bucks for a bottle of noodlers! Shipping can really mess things up! That's why I only get my Noodlers when I am visiting the US, otherwise the shipping would cost more than the bottle .

[swanjun]

I think it was the $50 bottle of MB Racing Green I got back in 2011. At the time this was an incredible splurge, but now I kind of thank my lucky stars!

[Tas]

Dhruv_Sood, yikes! 36 bucks for a bottle of noodlers! Shipping can really mess things up! That's why I only get my Noodlers when I am visiting the US, otherwise the shipping would cost more than the bottle .

 

Yes but sometimes, one MUST have a bottle of Ellis Island from Fountain Pen Hospital and it's worth every penny . . .

[Notgatherox]

J Herbin 1670 Anniversary Line - luckily I only have Stormy Grey and Emerald of Chivor.

 

It was $27/28 per bottle.

 

 

 

~Epic

[sirgilbert357]

Iroshizuku Asa-Gao at 28 USD for me. I guess that is expensive in the world of inks, but I look at it this way: ink lasts me so long that it's worth the small sum of cash to write with an ink I love. I'll probably have this for at least three years before it's gone. And I will buy more when I'm out, but I'll look for a better price...

[lgsoltek]

That'd be a bottle of Sailor Kobe Monet Violet, which cost me 205 CNY (about 32 USD).

[Kiaxa]

In terms of value: Iroshizuku Tsuyu-Kusa

In term of actual cost to me: Noodler's HoD

 

I got my Iroshizuku from an Amazon seller that was liquidating stock so I got it for $10 so I can't say that it is the ink I spent the most money on.

[Morwen]

Tas, of course! Sometimes one absolutely MUST! If ti makes us happy, its money well-spent . I could not get Levenger to sell me ink directly, so I had to go through Amazon, and for some reason they did not combine shiping. Shipping cost me almost as much as the bottle, but I absolutely HAD to have some of these colors, and I liked the bottle.

Edited October 6, 2015 by Morwen

[Morwen]

jmccarty3, I had never heard of Hieronimus. Checked them out - look interesting, but a bit too sombre for my taste. At almost 50 usd per bottle without shipping, they's wait for a special occasion

[Dhruv_Sood]

Dhruv_Sood, yikes! 36 bucks for a bottle of noodlers! Shipping can really mess things up! That's why I only get my Noodlers when I am visiting the US, otherwise the shipping would cost more than the bottle .

Yep, way too much. Unfortunately, it was the last glass bottle of the Nikita ink on the Internet (checked both Goldspot and goulet). So had to buy it before they switched to plastic.

Bottle was for $19 and rest was shipping.

Now that I think about it, should have added another noodlers ink like squeteague. Then this record would have stayed with Iroshizuku.

 

This would be broken soon as I am looking for pen & message inks.

[AndyYNWA]

Sailor Nagasawa Kobe #23 Nagata Blue.

$25 from Atsu.

[lapis]

1 Bungbox 2-Pack via Massdrop:

incl. shipping + customs => 45.36 €/bottle => 0.91 €/ml.

1 Vuitton bottle:

incl. shipping + customs (both € 0.00) => 36.00 €/bottle => 0.72 €/ml.

 

FWIW:

1 Hieronymus bottle (no, I haven't stretched out yet here):

incl. shipping + customs => 88.19 €/bottle => 1.76 €/ml.

1 Rohrer & Klingner Standard bottle (yes, I have all of these):

incl. shipping + customs (both € 0.00) => 3.50 €/bottle => 0.07 €/ml.

 

Whew!

Edited October 6, 2015 by lapis

[BayesianPrior]

I think it's only fair to compare like-for-like, so I'll answer the question based on cost per ml.

 

Ignoring ink samples (which are hugely expensive per ml), my most expensive inks are 50ml bottles of Sailor Jentle (Blue-Black and Miruai) at £8.69 which works out to £0.17 per ml.

My most expensive bottle is ESS Registrar's Ink, 110ml at £9.20, which works out to a princely £0.08 per ml.

[Barkingpig]

I just looked back @ the Atsu invoice to be sure but the winner is Hakase Dark Sepia @ 89.99 after THAT it make the Hieronymous inks seem "not so bad" & the Louis Vuitton's were THIRD place in the insane quest to "try it ALL!"

 

AND yes they were ALL worth it! I have enjoyed trying what I have read about & THIS is my extravagance for this time of my life. AND all ink is surely less expensive than pens.

[brunico]

Noodler's Habanero.

 

Took a few converter fills, went to sell it but managed to break the cap and lose the contents down the sink.

 

So upwards of £5/ml.