Are There Any Difficult-To-Obtain/store Exclusive Inks That You Thought Were Totally Worth Seeking Out?

[VivaTerlingua]

Inked up a sample of Maruzen Athena Sepia today and while its a nice ink, Im not sure I would go out of my way to find me a bottle - and certainly not pay a premium for it once found. Got me thinking that I kind of feel that way about most store-exclusives except for KWZI Monarch. Are there any difficult to obtain and/or store-exclusive inks that you thought were completely worth the hassle or expense?

[aurore]

Usually they are made by a brand that also makes some less "exclusive" inks with similar properties, not entirely the same colours but cheaper, so there is no reason to expect miracles.

But if one loves a particular colour made for some store/brand, why not?

[A Smug Dill]

Diamine Jalur Gemilang, and Iridescinks Christine and Philip. In particular, I think JG beats Skull & Roses and Iridescink Maureen decisively in terms of visual appeal to me.

 

I quite like Sailor Kujukuri Coast hakkakuao, which is quite similar to Shikiori (né Jentle Shikisai) yamadori, and one of my 50ml bottles of yamadori cost me more than my 50ml bottle of hakkakuao, so it wasn't outlandishly expensive — even after factoring in the incremental shipping charge from Japan for the ~185g bottle of ink — and I was already going to the hassle and expense of using a commercial forwarding service for a consignment of goods ordered from Japanese retailers anyway. However, that may just mean I don't think yamadori is worth the hype and the price I paid for it, even though once upon a time it was a reasonably priced ink. Sailor Kujukuri Coast hamanasu is also quite nice.

 

At the end of the day, I don't think any ink colour is so magical that it "deserves" being significantly more expensive than some other colour from the same manufacturer; but sometimes the exclusivity due price, availability and/or barriers to access adds to the appeal of ownership in spite of the colour not being unparalleled.

[Uncial]

I'm not sure if it is even made any longer or if it is whether they ship outside Japan anymore, but when I got my hands on Pen & Message Cigar I thought it was worth the pursuit. In fact, if memory serves I think I swapped it for something with a very kind person on this site.

[AmandaW]

It was quite difficult to get Lamy Petrol. I will miss mine when I've used it up even though I generally don't enjoy blue inks or those with a different sheen, this one I am very fond of.

[lapis]

Yes, all of these...

 

Name of R&K LE ink Issued Made for = sold by Total #

Der Blaue Reiter......... 2011...... Hokushin, Japan............ 500

Blau-Schwarz............. 2012...... R&K, Germany............... 1000

Efeublatt................ 2012/13... Tsutaya, Japan............. 1000

Blue & White Porcelain... 2014...... FWI, Taiwan................ 1000

Kaffee Kantate........... 2016...... Hokushin, Japan............ 1000

Aubergine................ 2018...... R&K, Germany........... ca. 2000

Kastanienbraun (maroon).. 2019...... R&K, Germany........... ca. 2000

 

... especially Blau-Schwarz and Aubergine....

[ENewton]

I am very glad to have obtained Rohrer & Klingner Aubergine, a fine, basic purple that I feel comfortable using in vintage pens. It's not special enough that I would pay a premium to buy another bottle, though.

 

 

[inkstainedruth]

MB Leo Tolstoy and Beatles Psychedelic Pop Purple.

Lamy Dark Lilac (kicking myself that I didn't get a third bottle when I had a chance).

KWZI Chicago Blue (made for the Chicago Pen Show one year, but the show organizers still had a few bottles left that fall and had a table at Ohio Pen Show).

Noodler's Suffragist Carmine and Miles Standish (made for different years of the Commonwealth Pen Show).

Park of Roses and Storm Warning (the two inks made by Straits Pen for last fall's Ohio Pen Show).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

ETA: Also rather like Noodler's Ellis Island and Henry Hudson (exclusive to FPH in NYC) and Blue Upon the Plains of Abraham (exclusive to Wonder Pens in Toronto, I think, but may be available at other Canadian retailers as well).

Edited August 8, 2020 by inkstainedruth

[white_lotus]

I acquired a good number of Sailor Japanese store-exclusive inks back when they were relatively cheap and easy to obtain. I even got a number of Maruzen, Sankodo, and a couple others that were much harder to obtain. Are they that much better than the regular Sailor ink? Probably not. Some of them are unique like P&M Cigar/Sailor Rikyu-cha.

 

These days I'm not interested in paying super premium prices for ink from any brand. Ink is still mostly water with some dye, and chemicals to help with the flow and keep the ink shelf-stable over time. I can't even imagine what "premium" would mean for an ink: fancier bottle, fancier box/packaging, more dye, all of these? Or does the ink magically write better? My guess is the last is not true at all for any premium ink.

 

To answer the original question, I'm very happy to have Ishida Bungu inks, Pen and Message inks, the Maurzen's, the Style Dee Delta shop inks, and an Iron Blue from one of the shops that is my favorite of all time dark blue. KWZ Monarch, Northern Twilight, and Confederation Brown. Would I seek them out now, if I didn't have a bunch of ink? Probably not.

[Sailor Kenshin]

It was quite difficult to get Lamy Petrol. I will miss mine when I've used it up even though I generally don't enjoy blue inks or those with a different sheen, this one I am very fond of.

Based on rave reviews, I paid a premium for it and I'm still trying to stop hating it.

[amberleadavis]

Yes, all of these...

 

Name of R&K LE ink Issued Made for = sold by Total #

Der Blaue Reiter......... 2011...... Hokushin, Japan............ 500

Blau-Schwarz............. 2012...... R&K, Germany............... 1000

Efeublatt................ 2012/13... Tsutaya, Japan............. 1000

Blue & White Porcelain... 2014...... FWI, Taiwan................ 1000

Kaffee Kantate........... 2016...... Hokushin, Japan............ 1000

Aubergine................ 2018...... R&K, Germany........... ca. 2000

Kastanienbraun (maroon).. 2019...... R&K, Germany........... ca. 2000

 

... especially Blau-Schwarz and Aubergine....

 

 

I have a couple of unopened bottles of the blue black. I can send them to you.

[amberleadavis]

I am totally in love with Sankodo, Winter Miracle and my beloved Maoxi.

[Parker51]

MB Leo Tolstoy and Beatles Psychedelic Pop Purple.

Lamy Dark Lilac (kicking myself that I didn't get a third bottle when I had a chance).

KWZI Chicago Blue (made for the Chicago Pen Show one year, but the show organizers still had a few bottles left that fall and had a table at Ohio Pen Show).

Noodler's Suffragist Carmine and Miles Standish (made for different years of the Commonwealth Pen Show).

Park of Roses and Storm Warning (the two inks made by Straits Pen for last fall's Ohio Pen Show).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

ETA: Also rather like Noodler's Ellis Island and Henry Hudson (exclusive to FPH in NYC) and Blue Upon the Plains of Abraham (exclusive to Wonder Pens in Toronto, I think, but may be available at other Canadian retailers as well).

The inks made by Straits Pen were limited editition inks. At this point, due to the Pandemic we will not be reissuing them, nor having any others made for us to sell. You may be able to order simialer inks from Straits Pen directly. Please be aware they are in Singapore.

[DilettanteG]

I really like the Parker Penman Emerald. It’s just a really satisfying deep, dark green. The Sapphire is also nice. I wouldn’t pay the crazy premium they cost today however.

 

I’ve been using Cult Pen’s Iridescink Philip by Diamine quite a bit too. I have it in an EF nib at the moment so the sheen isn’t as noticible, but it’s still a nice dark purple. I like that whole line, but they’re not that expensive if you qualify for free shipping.

 

I still often reach for Pendomium’s Legal Lapis by Noodlers I think a different store is selling the Legal Lapis now. It’s a nice bulletproof tealish blue black.

 

I really love Jacques Herbin’s 1670 and 1798 lines. They’re not so much exclusive as just pricey. I only trust them in my cheap Pilot Parallels, but they’re beautiful inks.

 

The list of exclusive inks I‘ve been disappointed with is long. Noodler’s bulletproof inks are really hit or miss. A lot of them look chalky and have flow issues, especially in the lighter colors. And other inks, especially shading and sheening inks, are really dependent on the right paper and more expressive nibs.

[SashK]

The Malaysia Diamine inks. Both. I almost passed on them as well. Also, Maruzen Renga is something else. I agree that sepia was okay. That's how it is I guess. I'm now falling for Eternal and Hakodate Twilight Blue. Where once there was no sheen with them now there is loads of it, and it's changed the experience. Kobe #51 is also a stunner and I still find myself stopping to check what the ink is when I open my notebooks, "Oh, right - it's Kitano Pearl. Of course it is." I never would have said a grey ink could be so alluring. Only Diamine Silver Fox compares.

 

Kobe 51 came in from Japan just as the post started closing up this year. It took forever and was sold out for months Stateside, so I had to look elsewhere, which is why I mention it here. Even my usual Japanese sellers had sold out.

 

In any case this list might have been longer but my Japan ink hunt is going through a long-term offseason for reasons we are all aware of.

 

The list gets longer and none are crossed out.

[wallylynn]

ETA: Also rather like Noodler's Ellis Island and Henry Hudson (exclusive to FPH in NYC) and Blue Upon the Plains of Abraham (exclusive to Wonder Pens in Toronto, I think, but may be available at other Canadian retailers as well).

I had no interest in those colors but I did seek out Manhattan blue at art brown's. I did get old Manhattan black at fph, but that's more novelty than use.

 

Trekked to the Montblanc store for midnight blue.

 

Ordered liberty elysium blue from goulet. Bluest blue.

[inkstainedruth]

Yeah, my bottle of Manhattan Blue is also from Art Brown's. I had been trying to find a modern ink as a replacement for what came out of my first Esterbrook, a black SJ with a 1555 Gregg nib, for color and shading. It started my love of blue black inks. I was in NYC over Christmas and went to Art Brown's when they were still a half block off 5th Avenue, and had brought my journal to show the sales clerk what I was trying to match. He sent me over to the other counter so I could talk to Mrs. Brown HERSELF and she recommended Manhattan Blue. I had also gone to FPH the same day, where I had gotten a bottle of Diamine Denim.

One ink gave me a better color match but the other gave me the shading.... I like both.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Newjelan]

Diamine Jalur Gemilang, and Iridescinks Christine and Philip. In particular, I think JG beats Skull & Roses and Iridescink Maureen decisively in terms of visual appeal to me.

 

Diamine Jalur Gemilang is my favourite ink and I’m glad I have 3 bottles of it. Although, at the rate I’m using it, I’ll be down to 2 Very soon.

 

There are 2 other inks that I’m pleased I bought multiple bottles of: Lamy Dark Lilac (

[Tas]

Ahhh, I used to chase unobtaniums but not any more. I realised that a) the chase was part of the fun, and Ive learned to make do. . . "Possession is nothing. But absence has breath" . . .

 

Dont get me wrong. I still have a lotto wish list 😇

[A Smug Dill]

Diamine Jalur Gemilang is my favourite ink and I’m glad I have 3 bottles of it. Although, at the rate I’m using it, I’ll be down to 2 Very soon.

 

 

I can't bring myself to spend another > A$280 on an order of (only, or predominantly) inks with PenGallery to get free international shipping, especially considering that I've just spent >£680 with Cult Pens on >40 bottles of inks, among other things, but I can't bring myself to pay $30 on shipping on two bottles of ink when the products' prices are eclipsed by the international shipping charges either.

 

Sigh.