When I Switch Ink Brand Favoritism

[Tseg]

Early on in my pen hobby I really took a liking to Iroshizuku inks. The bottles were cool and I really liked the colors. I amassed a number of different colors. But over time I realized while they preformed pretty well for me across a number of pens and papers there is a fair bit of performance variance by color and very few are bullet-proof with regards to working well with all my pens and papers. In recent months I've taken a liking to Sailor inks. They also have some great colors but I find their writing characteristics more bullet-proof than any other brand of ink I own. Now whenever I have to refill a pen I automatically go to a Sailor ink. However I have dozens of non-Sailor ink bottles languishing with most being over 1/2 full. Has this brand favoritism issue happened with others? How does it play out?

[ParkerDuofold]

Hi T,

 

Hhhhmmmm... ...I started out loving Sailor Jentle inks and then migrated towards Iroshizuku.

 

 

- Anthony

[ParkerDuofold]

Hi T,

 

Just to follow-up...

 

One of my early "good" pens was a Sailor 1911S, but I didn't keep it because I thought the pen was too small for me and the nib was (uncharacteristically) atrocious.

 

At any rate, in those days I still believed I had to use the manufacturer's brand of ink and got Jentle blue and blue-black... and liked them... but I came to prefer the enhanced flow and lubrication properties of Iroshizuku.

 

I still use the Jentle inks now and again, but not that much... you'll probably do the same with the Iroshizuku...

 

...you go where your heart takes you. Enjoy the Jentle inks.

 

 

- Anthony

[Mongoosey]

In a way, yes, this has happened with me.

 

I shifted from an assortment including mostly Noodler's, Diamines, and others here and there to strictly Japanese brands.

 

I always have a bottle of Pilot Blue Black for an EDC if necessary.

 

I traveled through Iroshizuku rather quickly falling in love with Take-Sumi, Yama-Guri, and Asa-Gao

 

But then I found Kobe #51 and #3 and they have prioritized my upcoming ink exploration strictly with Sailor (Kobe, Bungubox, Pen House) since I was very impressed by other samples of Sailor inks.

 

My favorite ink is still Noodler's Heart of Darkness, I always have Take-Sumi and Yama-guri ready to put in a pen, but the only inks in my shopping carts are from sailor's, but unfortunately my preference has expensive taste.

 

EDIT: And the reason for me choosing these inks has to do with the wet and smooth flow working well in my pens as the OP describes. It's a bonus that HOD's bulletproof, but I do love how friendly the Iroshizuku's and Sailor's are to my pen. I love that I can leave Take-Sumi in my pen and not have to worry about clogging while getting a wonderfully smooth flow out of it.

Edited December 3, 2018 by Mongoosey

[azbobcat]

Early on in my pen hobby I really took a liking to Iroshizuku inks. The bottles were cool and I really liked the colors. I amassed a number of different colors. But over time I realized while they preformed pretty well for me across a number of pens and papers there is a fair bit of performance variance by color and very few are bullet-proof with regards to working well with all my pens and papers. In recent months I've taken a liking to Sailor inks. They also have some great colors but I find their writing characteristics more bullet-proof than any other brand of ink I own. Now whenever I have to refill a pen I automatically go to a Sailor ink. However I have dozens of non-Sailor ink bottles languishing with most being over 1/2 full. Has this brand favoritism issue happened with others? How does it play out?

Hummmmmm. I tend to PREFER to Private Reserve Inks. No particular reason. IF I had to jump ship for any particular reason, it would be to Noodlers. Bullet proof Inks?!? Noodlers have them. That said when I sign checks etc., I still stick to a good ol' ballpoint. Don't particularly like ballpoints, and really hate writing with them... at least the ubiquitous BIC!-like ballpoints; the really good ballpoints are $$$$. Ink should not cost a fortune. It should not clog up a fountain pen. It should be easy to obtain. If spilled, it should be easy to remove, especially from clothing. For simple convenience nothing beats a ballpoint; but for writing, wherein one expresses one's self, nothing beats a proper well made fountain pens that has been properly calibrated to its user.

 

Well made does not mean Montblanc, or pens that cost hundreds or thousands of dollars, but rather one that is affordable, easy to obtain, easy to repair or replace, does not leak, and comfortable to use. I'll give you two examples: A cheap fountain pen I hated to use when I was growing up and was notorious for leaking was the Sheaffer fountain pen. Ever school kid had one. They were also uncomfortable to use.

 

The fountain pen I loved was the Parker 45. They cost a little more than the Sheaffer, and unless the sack broke, did not leak nearly as badly as the Sheaffer, and were comfortable to use. Oh and you could change nibs, etc. They were stylistically nicer looking than the Sheaffer as well.

 

When I could no longer get the Parker 45, I was told that the next best thing was a Waterman Laureat. I grew to love it, but, as I have recently discovered, you can't find spare parts for Waterman's as a general rule. Oddly enough even though the Parker 45 has been out of production far longer than the Waterman Laureat, it is still very easy to find spare parts -- many are NOS -- for them, and you can even get twist or piston type converters to replace the squeeze type converters of old.

 

With the advent of eBay I have now bought 6 Parker 45's -- one NOS, and one Mint. The others are all used, and were at first a pain to use. Then I found a batch of 4 NOS Medium nibs, bought them for a song (less than $7.00 a piece), changed them out, and they are all now, for the most part, like-NEW pens. One of the pens I recently bought included a 14K Gold nib!!! I am debating if I should ink this pen up or not given my Parkinson's and that I have a much heavier hand now than when I was young -- heavier because I tend to press harder just to control my writing, and Gold tends to be a soft metal. 14K Gold means that the nib is roughly 58% Gold. How this will compare to the common steel nib....

 

Which brings me back to your question. Unlike when I was growing up and fountain pens were ubiquitous, the ballpoint is the ubiquitous writing instrument of today, and most ballpoints are knockoffs of the ubiquitous BIC! that displaced the fountain pen. Most writing today is done via computer keyboard which has displaced the ubiquitous manual and electric typewriter of yesteryear. Since you have chosen a fountain pen, it is a way that you have chosen to differentiate yourself from your peers. Chose a good pen, and chose an ink line that meets your self expression. Noodelers has by far the largest ink line hands down, including bullet-proof inks. That said unless you are planing that your words are going to read 100 years from now, and you are writing for historical reasons, you really don't need a bullet-proof ink. Spill it on your clothes and it will be damn near next to impossible to remove. A good ballpoint is better suited for those purposes. Me?!? IF I wanted the most flexibility in *types* of inks -- including bullet proof inks -- then I'd be seriously looking at Noodler's.

[eharriett]

I have a figurative ton of inks. Vintage and new. I tend to put vintage inks in vintage pens. Not always, but frequently. It isn't brand so much as I like to match the era of ink with the era of pen. It felt really, really good a couple weeks ago to put a period appropriate ink in my newly acquired Waterman 42V.

[OCArt]

If I recall correctly I started out with a few Private Reserve inks because I loved their rich saturation and colors. Then bought a ton of Chesterfield inks (believed to be Diamine) when they were put on huge discount by the now defunct website of xfountainpens.com. Then I read more ink reviews in this forum and had, just had, to try Baystate Blue for myself and needed a couple more Noodler's inks to mix the famous faux Parker Penman Sapphire.

 

More reading here and along came Iroshizuku inks and I adore them. Even bought colors so similar that only the enhanced color vision of a hummingbird could tell them apart. I wish someone had just told me to start with Iroshizuku and not end up with so many similar colors across three brands. (But of course I would not have listened and needed to find out for myself.)

[Barkingpig]

I have enjoyed something about each brand of ink I have used, some for color, others for performance but each has been a discovery & I am thankful there has been such a variety from which to choose.

 

I am more grateful to FPN for making it possible for me to have available the opinions, experiences & knowledge of other members to influence decisions for purchase of inks.

[eharriett]

and needed a couple more Noodler's inks to mix the famous faux Parker Penman Sapphire.

Can you share where you found that recipe?

[ParkerDuofold]

I have enjoyed something about each brand of ink I have used, some for color, others for performance but each has been a discovery & I am thankful there has been such a variety from which to choose.

 

I am more grateful to FPN for making it possible for me to have available the opinions, experiences & knowledge of other members to influence decisions for purchase of inks.

Hi BP,

 

Very nicely said.

 

 

- Anthony

[Mew]

I use daily to be all over the place in terms of brands, but then switched to sailor exclusively a few years ago. Now 95% of my inks are from sailor.

They deliver quality performance most of the times, so I don't see any reason to try our other brands.

[Karmachanic]

Colour and shading regardless of brand.

[Sailor Kenshin]

Ink-hopper here: Sailor, Lamy, J Herbin, MB, Chesterfield, Skrip, Waterman, Diamine, you know the drill. Sucker for LEs.

 

But lately, Monteverde is my obssession.

[senzen]

I favour Iroshizuku because I find some of their colours spectacular, they never have problems so in case of trouble I just know it's the pen. That said, quite a few required just the right pen combination to show their best, otherwise they can look boring when too light or too dark; the same happened to my one Sailor ink, Souten. I don't see myself not enjoying Tsuyu Kusa, Asa Gao and the others I have.

[JakobS]

I started out trying a whole host of inks from Pelikan, Waterman, Lamy, Noodlers, mostly their black inks. Once I moved to writing with colored inks I found Diamine to be perfect for my needs, and have been using their inks predominantly. If I am interested in a color, I always look to their selection first, and then move to others. I have been using KWZ a lot these days as well due to their wide selection of Iron Gall inks, and a few unusual colors from their standard line. These two ink brands have become my two go to's.

 

I do dip into J. Herbin inks occasionally for certain colors in their line, and R&K for their iron gall inks. Have yet to find a need to go deep into Pilot Iro inks, I am not seeing the behavior differences that many report, tends to feather on lower quality paper, and flows as well as other inks that I use for a fair bit less cost. I wouldn't say I am stuck to any one brand, if a certain color, or behavior can be found in one ink that is different than what I can get from Diamine or KWZ, I will go after it, but so far have found very little need, as I have never had a problem with the inks I have used so far.

 

Though I do enjoy the occasional unusual colored ink, my main goal is to have a selection of inks that are reliably made, easy to find, and not too great a hit on my wallet. Also, at this point, I am able to say I have every type of color, in every type of shade or variation it can come in, which makes it harder to justify the need for me to gather more inks. I know for many here that's an impossibility.....but certainly the reality for me!

Edited December 3, 2018 by JakobS

[DrDebG]

I have enjoyed something about each brand of ink I have used, some for color, others for performance but each has been a discovery & I am thankful there has been such a variety from which to choose.

 

I am more grateful to FPN for making it possible for me to have available the opinions, experiences & knowledge of other members to influence decisions for purchase of inks.

 

 

Agreed!

 

I have to say that I don't have a favorite brand now - I have many that I prefer, including Iroshizuku, DeAtramentis, Callifolio, Stipula, Montblanc, and Rohrer & Klingner, as well as some Waterman, Monteverde and a few Sailor.

 

Like all of us, I try to find the best ink for each of my pens and I keep a record of that. Each time I fill a pen, I keep track of the ink's performance in that pen. If it performs poorly, I try it in others until I find the right combination for the best performance with the papers that I use.

[OCArt]

Can you share where you found that recipe?

 

Here https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/295195-noodlers-inkmyn-sapphire-better-than-parker-penman-sapphire/?hl=penman However since that time forum member DCWaites has come up with other recipes using other brands of ink. You'll find them in the inky recipe section--- search for Penman Sapphire. His latest recommendation is to use Monteverde Horizon Blue as a direct match to PPS.

[ParkerDuofold]

...Ink-hopper here...

Hi Sailor,

 

Yes, I'm a hopper, too... ...

 

https://youtu.be/BLU6rJnEynM

 

... ...Iroshizuku, Diamine, Monteverde, Pelikan, MB, J. Herbin, Sheaffer, Quink, Noodler's,...

 

...but Iroshizuku and Diamine the most.

 

Be well.

 

 

- Anthony

[DrDebG]

Well, maybe I need to modify my earlier comment slightly.

 

I do jump around a bit, but I do seem to have one that I feel delivers quality with every color that I have tried - that is DeAtramentis.

 

I just received a bottle of DeAtramentis Emerald Green - a new ink for me - and I just love it. It isn't dry and isn't too wet in the 3 pens that I have tried it.

 

And when I looked at my collection of inks, I realized that the I have more DeAtramentis than any other, but I also have most of the Iroshizuku and Rohrer & Klinger colors.

[inkstainedruth]

I like a lot of different brands and colors. There are times when I want water resistance (like when signing checks or addressing envelopes) and times when I want inks that are good for drawing with, and times when I'm making shopping lists. And times when I just want a spectacular looking color coming out of my pen and onto the page.

I have more Noodler's and Diamine inks (which I have more of depends on circumstances), but I have a lot of inks by a lot of different brands (often just a sample).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth