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Sailor Jentle Inks In 50-Milliliter Bottles: Discontinued!


taimdala

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I'm not sure where to post this but as it does concern FP inks, I think this is the right spot. While this post might be skating quite close to the edge of being a sales post (though I didn't mention any merchant by name) I thought putting the word was worth the risk.

I subscribe to a lot of merchant newsletters and I just got the news in one of them that Sailor Jentile inks are being discontinued in the 50 ml size in favor of the 20ml bottles.

 

If you have a favorite Jentile ink, buy it now in the 50ml bulk size while it's still available.

For myself, I can't decide--I love all the colors they've got!

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But but but ... you can now buy a 20ml bottle for almost the same price, so we good, right?

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Yes, this is worth noting, and if we are talking about the same vendor, I like that they are not price-gouging. I have all the Sailor inks I like in 50 ml, so it's mainly a matter of deciding if I will run out of my two favorites before I die. (With my secondary favorites I'm confident I'm good.) I guess if I have to, I'll just buy the 20ml, or, in my old age, I might just decide one can plod through life without owning a bottle of Yama-dori. As much as I like Sailor (a lot), I must say changing from 50 to 20 ml at essentially the same price is one of the least cool marketing moves I've ever seen. I suspect they may walk this back, as the saying goes, sometime. I would be interested to know the manufacturing cost, by the time it is actually on the shelf or in the hand of the consumer, of the 20 ml compared to the 50. I would just about guarantee it is not nearly as much less in proportion to the actual amount of ink in the bottle. For what it's worth, I would have preferred a slight price increase on the larger bottle. But I guess I'm missing something from the marketing and manufacturing point of view. I suspect some of the ink wizards on this board have some deeper analysis of what Sailor is doing here. I would love it if they would share their comments here, or provide links if I missed something.

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But I guess I'm missing something from the marketing and manufacturing point of view.

 

Could be as trivial as "because we can and you'll like it".

 

I think they overplayed their hand. Fortunately we have plenty of alternatives.

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I believe that you'll still be able to get regular Sailor Jentle Black, Blue, and Blue-black, as well as the nano-inks in 50 ml bottles. I think the store-exclusive inks in Japan are also still in 50 ml bottles, and that include Kobe, which is a line in itself.

 

This has been coming for some time, ever since Sailor introduced the "Moonlit Water" series in 20 ml bottles early last year in Japan, and three of the colors were the same as ones in the "Four Seasons" series. Definitely a clue.

 

I have extra bottles of all my favorites from Sailor, plus many store exclusives. I'll never need to buy another bottle.

 

I just feel sorry for new pen folks who discover the wonderful Sailor inks and they'll get only 20 ml bottle.

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Really think Sailor will have to walk this back a bit at some point, maybe taking a couple bucks off the price. I know I won't be purchasing anything in the 20 ml bottles and I purchased enough Rikyu-cha and Tokiwa-matsu in the 50 ml to last a lifetime after learning about the news. Thankfully Souboku will remain a 50 ml bottle.

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I'm just mad my bottle of Yama dori is sitting at 80% full and I have only one. I could stomach a 20ml bottle at the 14 bucks -- if I could find it! But Yama dori is apparently discontinued and I completely missed the memo.

 

I think this is a bit silly of Sailor to be honest -- they could have just raised the prices of their current offerings a couple of bucks. I think they will save the bulk of their money in shipping and storage costs. The ink itself likely isn't the biggest cost when it comes to producing and distributing bottled ink.

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I just feel sorry for new pen folks who discover the wonderful Sailor inks and they'll get only 20 ml bottle.

I do have seventeen 50ml bottles of the other Sailor (now called) Shikiori inks, but alas, yonaga was never available in the 50ml bottles to begin with, so if I want to use it (and I do like the colour very much) I'll just have to accept it's an expensive ink and has always been.

 

But Yama dori is apparently discontinued and I completely missed the memo.

Not so, as far as I'm aware.

 

Komamono-honpo certainly still appears to be selling it on Rakuten Global Market, and I don't mind buying from them because they are one of the few sellers on RGM that will take off the local consumption tax component of the listed prices for overseas orders. Just to pre-empt, in case you want to bring up, "but shipping!" Australian consumers are used to having to either deal with international shipping charges/implications, or get reamed by local stockists' pricing anyhow. At least buyers in the UK, Hong Kong, Singapore, US and Canada get offers for free shipping from select sellers on RGM from time to time (with a spend threshold of something like JPY 12,000 per order from a single seller); Aussies and Kiwis don't even get that 'courtesy' from them.

 

Cult Pens in the UK has the 20ml bottles in stock, and will ship to both Australia and the US 'free' for orders over £70.

 

Locally (to us), LarryPOST still appears to have stock of both 50ml bottles and 20ml bottles of yamadori.

 

Edited by A Smug Dill

I endeavour to be frank and truthful in what I write, show or otherwise present, when I relate my first-hand experiences that are not independently verifiable; and link to third-party content where I can, when I make a claim or refute a statement of fact in a thread. If there is something you can verify for yourself, I entreat you to do so, and judge for yourself what is right, correct, and valid. I may be wrong, and my position or say-so is no more authoritative and carries no more weight than anyone else's here.

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I do have seventeen 50ml bottles of the other Sailor (now called) Shikiori inks, but alas, yonaga was never available in the 50ml bottles to begin with, so if I want to use it (and I do like the colour very much) I'll just have to accept it's an expensive ink and has always been.

 

Not so, as far as I'm aware.

 

Komamono-honpo certainly still appears to be selling it on Rakuten Global Market, and I don't mind buying from them because they are one of the few sellers on RGM that will take off the local consumption tax component of the listed prices for overseas orders. Just to pre-empt, in case you want to bring up, "but shipping!" Australian consumers are used to having to either deal with international shipping charges/implications, or get reamed by local stockists' pricing anyhow. At least buyers in the UK, Hong Kong, Singapore, US and Canada get offers for free shipping from select sellers on RGM from time to time (with a spend threshold of something like JPY 12,000 per order from a single seller); Aussies and Kiwis don't even get that 'courtesy' from them.

 

Cult Pens in the UK has the 20ml bottles in stock, and will ship to both Australia and the US 'free' for orders over £70.

 

Locally (to us), LarryPOST still appears to have stock of both 50ml bottles and 20ml bottles of yamadori.

 

 

 

Extremely helpful Smug Dill, thank you! Looks like I missed the renaming of the lineup to "Shikiori". Indeed, it would appear I have nothing to worry about as far as getting that same color, even if the bottle is smaller and price higher. I'm fine with that.

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I'm wondering what Sailor's reasoning is behind the change. Is it that they think they can add to their bottom line by selling much smaller bottles for nearly the same price as the larger ones? Is it that they're having trouble *getting* the larger bottles (the way Noodler's had to temporarily shift to plastic bottles a while back?)? Or is it a matter of them listening to all the people who used to complain about the old bottles (which I remember seeing a fair amount of in other threads in the past).

Me? I didn't mind the round bottle. And unlike some people I actually liked the insert. But truthfully? I have my (original formula) bottle of Sky High, and have tried a few of the newer inks and wasn't sufficiently impressed as to pay for full bottles -- even the older 50 ml bottles. And I'm also wondering if a lot of people were just like me and going "meh".... I am a bit sorry I didn't ever get to try original formula Epinard -- but by the time I was going "Ooh, that's a green I should try" it had been discontinued, and Tokiwa-matsu (like many of the "replacement" inks) didn't overwhelm me -- I have similar looking greens for a lot less money.

And I don't have any Sailor pens, either. There are some I would consider getting, if I had the money (I'm in complete envy of anyone who scored a Purple Cosmos Pro Gear Slim -- but really couldn't justify the cost over a "regular" Pro-Gear Slim). Whereas, a friend of mine wants to get one of EVERY model Sailor ever made.... And yes, he sprung for a Purple Cosmos because purple is his favorite color.... But I don't have that luxury.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

"It's very nice, but frankly, when I signed that list for a P-51, what I had in mind was a fountain pen."

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I do have seventeen 50ml bottles of the other Sailor (now called) Shikiori inks, but alas, yonaga was never available in the 50ml bottles to begin with, so if I want to use it (and I do like the colour very much) I'll just have to accept it's an expensive ink and has always been.

 

 

Yes, yonaga was not available in the past, though I've been told it's identical to the Shousaikan Seiran (Indigo Blue), of which I have a sample, and agree it's a really nice ink. But I have many other Sailor blues, so I don't feel any need to acquire it. But for those that don't have many inks, may consider it. Comparing prices may be useful.

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Thanks for the heads up.. I don't have any of the inks yet, but just placed an order for three different 50ml bottles on pwakkerman. Seems they have some in stock for 20 euro a bottle. They also had 20ml ones for 15.. What a ridiculous difference in price per ml.

 

https://www.pwakkerman.nl/en/search/?easy=true&text=sailor+jentle

 

Edit, just received a message that two were not in stock and they can no longer order them.

They've updated their site, and have 6 colors still available. (miruai, doyou, nioi sumire, oku yama, shigure and tokiwa matsu)

 

Guess yama dori will stay on the wishlist a tad longer 😅

Edited by uceroy
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It's expensive, and I wouldn't like it if my favorite inks increased in price, but in the end no one is holding a gun to our heads to buy it. Luckily there are many choices, even if it's not always an exact match. I only use Sailor's Souten which after rotating in many pens finally looks nice in a Parker 75, but it's not really in my top tier of preferred inks; and I have to remember not to use it after eating as it's the one that smells.

"The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt."

 

B. Russell

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I just feel sorry for new pen folks who discover the wonderful Sailor inks and they'll get only 20 ml bottle.

Alas I'm in that very boat at the moment. I noticed when I first got back into FPs that the ink I most wanted (Yama Dori) only seemed available in the 20mls but imagined somehow it would come back in the 50mls. Twas not to be.

 

I'd love to try some of the Sailor inks but the few colours still left in 50mls aren't really blowing my skirt up and 20mls is such a pointless amount if you really like an ink. Buying multiples would feel an awful waste of packaging, never mind the expense.

 

I do like the look of Irori which is still available as of today but it looks very similar to Diamine Wild Strawberry (which is £6 for 80mls in the UK). *Stares at Sailor swatches for 3 hours*.

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and 20mls is such a pointless amount if you really like an ink. Buying multiples would feel an awful waste of packaging, never mind the expense.

 

 

 

This is a good point, I already had a problem with J Herbin's 30ml bottles, 20ml is a bit ridiculous; perhaps they were following Pilot's Iroshizuku example.

"The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt."

 

B. Russell

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I already had a problem with J Herbin's 30ml bottles, 20ml is a bit ridiculous; perhaps they were following Pilot's Iroshizuku example.

Whereas I'm very happy with Diamine making their 'regular' colours available in 30ml lightweight bottles that are relatively cheap to ship to Australia. The single biggest problem with the small (glass!) bottles of Pilot Iroshizuku and Sailor Shikiori inks is that they're expensive to buy and expensive to ship from Japan, so irrespective of whether I'm ordering online and paying expressly for shipping, or buying locally at importers' asking price, I'm getting reamed for the cost of producing and shipping the glass bottles themselves as a very significant proportion of the inks' prices.

I endeavour to be frank and truthful in what I write, show or otherwise present, when I relate my first-hand experiences that are not independently verifiable; and link to third-party content where I can, when I make a claim or refute a statement of fact in a thread. If there is something you can verify for yourself, I entreat you to do so, and judge for yourself what is right, correct, and valid. I may be wrong, and my position or say-so is no more authoritative and carries no more weight than anyone else's here.

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I do like the look of Irori which is still available as of today but it looks very similar to Diamine Wild Strawberry (which is £6 for 80mls in the UK). *Stares at Sailor swatches for 3 hours*.

 

Irori is very nice and sheens beautifully, but Diamine Poppy Red is, IMHO, pretty much identical in colour. I have had both inked at the same time before and on non-sheen-inducing paper I could not tell the difference. I had to go back to my 'currently inked' book to find out which was in which pen!

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Irori is very nice and sheens beautifully, but Diamine Poppy Red is, IMHO, pretty much identical in colour. I have had both inked at the same time before and on non-sheen-inducing paper I could not tell the difference. I had to go back to my 'currently inked' book to find out which was in which pen!

Ooh that's good to know thank you. Especially considering I already have Diamine Poppy and never seem to use it .

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Hi ASD, have you tried PensDeLuxe online ( the Brissie outfit )? Thought I’d try an order and was pleasantly surprised when they actually fulfilled my order for a few bottles of the 50mls @ 19 bucks each. Although they don’t actually say what sort of green or red will be delivered, the green that I received was the Tokiwa matsu and the red I ordered was the Oku-yama. The blue-black and blue are the standard Jentle inks. No yamadoris unfortunately, but at $19; I’m not complaining.

Stocked up on Yamadori from Larrypost too, and it looks like the Yamadori 50mls are turning into a commodity.

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