Sailor Jentle 'rikyu-cha'

[Sandy1]

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As the patches are neutral gray, their colour on your monitor should also be neutral gray.

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Figure 1.

Swabs & Swatch

Paper: HPJ1124 24 lb. Laser Copy.

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/InkyThoughts2010/Ink%20Review%20-%20Sailor%20Jentle%20Rikyu-Cha/c1476226.jpg

Figure 2.

NIB-ism ✑

Depicts nibs' line-width and pens' relative wetness.

Paper: HPJ1124

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/InkyThoughts2010/Ink%20Review%20-%20Sailor%20Jentle%20Rikyu-Cha/836aa661.jpg

WRITTEN SAMPLES: Moby Dick

 

Row Height is 8mm.

 

Figure 3.

Paper: HPJ1124.

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/InkyThoughts2010/Ink%20Review%20-%20Sailor%20Jentle%20Rikyu-Cha/2ce0ae68.jpg

Figure 4.

Paper: Rhodia.

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/InkyThoughts2010/Ink%20Review%20-%20Sailor%20Jentle%20Rikyu-Cha/2509ef4a.jpg

Figure 5.

Paper: G Lalo, Verge de France, white.

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/InkyThoughts2010/Ink%20Review%20-%20Sailor%20Jentle%20Rikyu-Cha/f23ac120.jpg

Figure 6.

Paper: Staples, Pastel, Creme.

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/InkyThoughts2010/Ink%20Review%20-%20Sailor%20Jentle%20Rikyu-Cha/d069b4ed.jpg

Figure 7.

Grocery List

Paper: Pulp. One-a-Day calendar page.

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/InkyThoughts2010/Ink%20Review%20-%20Sailor%20Jentle%20Rikyu-Cha/e09a1452.jpg

 

OTHER SAMPLES:

 

Figure 8.

'HAPPY!' on Glossy Card.

Smear/Dry Time on Glossy Paper.

Smear/Dry Time on HPJ1124.

Wet Tests on HPJ1124.

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/InkyThoughts2010/Ink%20Review%20-%20Sailor%20Jentle%20Rikyu-Cha/9d0b617a.jpg

GENERAL DESCRIPTION:

 

Type:

• Dye-based fountain pen ink.

Daily writer?

• Just maybe. But it is a Limited Version, so ...

A go-to ink?

• Definitely - another welcome alternative to the bouquet of blues, teals, aquas and the warmer colours.

USE

 

Business:

• Very much depends on the density achieved.
• May be used for internal correspondence without hesitation.
• Use for external correspondence is very much a matter of protocol, type of business, recipient, and so on.
• An ideal ink for those involved in conflict resolution. e.g. marriage counsellor, mediator, hostage negotiator.
• Lacks the snap to be used for mark-up, editing & error correction.
• Quite possible for grading of assignments.

Illustrations / Graphics:

• SJRC lacks the dynamics of a primary or secondary colour. This calmness can be used to hold space, or act as an intermediate / transitional colour.
• It is not very well suited to large areas, but may act as a ground.
• Lack of feathering & the ability to suppress shading make SJRC a candidate for narrow tight lines.
• It is an excellent choice for discrete lines & labels.
• N.B. The colour-shift upon becoming wet may well defeat ones' intentions.

Students:

• The calm nature suits study notes that would be read numerous times.
• If one can get beyond the colour-shift resulting from becoming wet, it is quite robust.
• Appears likely to do quite well on 'lowest bidder' papers.
• No idea if this colour is currently acceptable for hand-written assignments.

Personal:

• I very much like SJRC for personal correspondence.
• As it is recently released, I do not have a huge amount of experience to draw upon.
• For pro forma business writing, I'd give SJRC a pass, (it is an LV after all), favouring a simple Dark Blue, or the stealthy 4001 Royal Blue.
• Billet doux are beyond impossible. (Far too calm.)
• The choice of nib makes an unexpectedly large difference to the appearance. Use of a shaped nib seems fine.

PHYSICAL PERFORMANCE & CHARACTERISTICS

 

Flow Rate:

• Enthusiastic.

Nib Dry-out:

• Not noticed.

Start-up:

• Immediate.

Lubrication:

• Far better than average.
• Definitely enhances the writing experience.

Nib Creepers:

• Absent.

Staining:

• None after 3 days.

Clogging:

• Not seen.
• Seems unlikely.

Bleed Through:

• None on papers used.

Show Through:

• None on papers used.
• One could use both sides of a sheet.

Feathering / Woolly Line:

• Not on papers used.

Smear/Dry Time:

• Glossy: Almost immediate.
• HPJ1124: 10 - 12 seconds.

Water Resistance:

• If one ignores the colour shift:
• -4-

All legible, can be easily read and/or have light staining from re-deposit of soluble ink.

Use as-is for work papers & internal use.

Adjustments to a scanner may drop-out the stain."

Smell:

• A bit stronger than expected.
• Reminiscent of black Greek olives in bulk.

Hand oil sensitivity:

• Not noticed.

Archival:*

• Not claimed.

Clean Up:

• Exceptionally fast and thorough with plain water.

Mixing:

• No stated prohibitions.
• Oh please - this is a Limited Version.
• I would hope that one does not buy SJRC to create mixes.
• That said, as the ink is so malleable and the performance profile is so good that a slight dilution may be OK to get the exact Look.

* At time of writing, one FP ink is claimed to meet a standard for 'permanence' set by ISO. That ink is not SJRC.

 

THE LOOK:

 

Presence:

• Definitely calm, relaxing.
• A pleasant stroll through a forest on a well-maintained trail.

Saturation:

• Modest.

Shading:

• Quite common & tasteful.
• It seems that astute selection and pairing of pen and paper are required to either suppress or generate the desired level of shading.

Variance depending on pen+nib combos used:

• Surprisingly high.
• As mentioned under 'Shading' above, the ink's appearance is very dependent on the pen+nib combo.
• There is also considerable variation depending on paper.
• So, if one wants a highly malleable ink, and has the array of pens & papers to get just the right 'Look', then SJRC is for you. Otherwise, it may be frustrating; but the SJRC will certainly not disappoint.

High Resolution Scans:

• 45 on HPJ1124 My link
• Sumiko on Rhodia My link
• Prelude on G Lalo Verge de France white
  
• Prelude on Staples Creme My link

FIDELITY:

 

Is the name appropriate?

• No idea.

Are swatches accurate?

• Impressively so.

SIMILAR COLOURS:

• There is some resonance with the discontinued MB Racing Green.
  Link to Comparison: My link
  
• I am a newcomer to this region of the colour wheel/matrix/vortex, so I defer to other Members who chime in.

CONTRASTING COLOURS:

At times, it seems that 'seeing' a colour can best be achieved by showing what it is not.

So we have 3-stage swabs of three inks:

Figure 10.

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/InkyThoughts2010/Ink%20Review%20-%20Sailor%20Jentle%20Rikyu-Cha/92d98f63.jpg

Top: Herbin Café des Îsles

Middle: Sailor Jentle Rikyu-cha

Bottom: Noodler's Zhivago

PAPERS:

 

Scan of papers used for Written Samples.

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/InkyThoughts2010/Ink%20Review%20-%20Sailor%20Jentle%20Rikyu-Cha/7d7c7856.jpg

Lovely papers:

• Natural and off-white tints.
• Did very well on inexpensive 20 lb.

Trip-wire Papers:

• Brilliant whites; those with optical brighteners.

Tinted Papers:

• Very well suited to pale buff and creme.
• I'd not run SJRC on a paper that is too warm. e.g. Ivory. (Others may prefer to do so at high density.)

PrePrinted Paper:

• Be advised: If one squanders SJRC on forms, their inky karma will take a body blow.
• On charts / graphs it will take its place calmly, nestling behind the plane of the page.

Is high-end paper 'worth it'?

• As this ink is so malleable, selection of paper is very much a matter of preference.
• Rest assured, the high performance of SJRC indicates that one must make an aberrant choice of paper to provoke misbehaviour.

OTHER THAN INK:

 

Presentation :

• 50ml. bottle in a box.
• No HazMat warnings.

Country of origin:

• Japan.

Container:

• A very squat round broad-shouldered bottle; 50mm tall, 63mm∅.
• The label is done in a fair depiction of the ink colour.
• The bottle is fitted with a removable plastic filling aid reservoir that is charged by inverting the bottle and returning it to rest upon its base. (cum Parker Penman, Pilot/Namiki Blue.)
• The bottle has a roomy centred circular opening of 30mm∅; reduced to 28mm when the filling aid is deployed.
• The cap is a comfy 15mm tall; and while it is smooth, the tapered shape is not only attractive, but allows secure grip. (Funk + Function.)
• The cap liner is plastic foam, so inverting the bottle should be OK, but...
• The cap is not child-proof.

Box:

• 65x65x50mm
• Nicely coated.
• Labeled in the English language on front & top of the box c/w itty bitty swatchie dots.

Eco-Green:

• All bits easily recyclable or benign.

Availability:

• This is a 'Limited Version' for Summer 2010, so availability is of indeterminate duration.
• Available from several online sources.
• Brick & mortar shops that routinely stock Sailor inks may have SJRC in stock or available upon request. (Ask more nicely than usual, OK?)

ETC:

 

Majik:

• Typically, malleable inks are contenders to generate Majik.
• However, SJRC is just too languid for Majik, but likely it can do some impressive card tricks.

Personal Pen & Paper Pick:

• The Parker 45 on Rhodia.
  

Yickity Yackity:

• This seems to be another very interesting high performance ink from Sailor.
• Too calm? Perhaps.
• Did I order a second bottle? 'fraid not - I'm waiting for the next round of Sailor's LV inks.
• Ah kushbaby, this may be a bit slow for you, yes?

[-=|=-]*[-=|=-]*[-=|=-]*[-=|=-]|v^v|[-=|=-]*[-=|=-]*[-=|=-]*[-=|=-]

 

MATERIEL USED:

 

To be relevant to most members, I make an effort to use papers, pens & nibs that are readily available. For pens, I use those for which I paid $100 or less, new or used; and are 'factory stock' - not customised.

 

Pens:^✩

For Written Samples:

A. Parker 45 + steel F nib.

B. Sailor Sumiko + TIGP B nib.

C. Sheaffer Prelude + steel factory stock B stub nib.

For lines & labels:

• Pilot 78G + F with Noodler's Lexington Grey.

^✩ I have used three pens rather than my usual six. Should you feel the need to see a Written Sample from particular pen + paper combo, hopefully one seen in another of my IRs, please send a PM - before the ink pot is empty!

 

On these papers:

• HPJ1124 24 lb. Laser Copy.
• Rhodia.
• G Lalo, Verge de France, white.
• Staples 20 lb. Pastel Creme.
• Pulp.
• Glossy paper.
• Glossy card.

_________________

 

IMAGES

• Scans were made on an Epson V600 scanner; factory defaults were accepted.
• Figures shown were scanned at 96 dpi & 24 bit colour.
• Images linked were scanned at 300 dpi & 24 bit colour.
• Scans were cropped and straightened; no other changes were made.

_________________

 

DENSITOMETER READINGS (FWTW)

• Red 115
• Grn 108
• Blu 82
• Lum 104

===============

 

-30-

Edited November 14, 2010 by Sandy1

[Trebster]

Thank you for this superb review. I say yes, and yes, your experience matches mine. When wet, one could be fooled into thinking it's black. The magic happens as it dries. The color of the Rikyu-Cha makes my Penman Mocha look bright. Wow, that's something I thought I'd never say about the Penman!

 

For me, the choice of nib is everything. I'm currently using Rikyu-Cha in a Targa with a wet medium nib, and it seems a fine match. I don't see the full depth of this glorious color when I use a fine or extra fine nib.

[brunico]

Thank you, Sandy1!

 

I've become a fan of Sailor inks recently: the bottles are helpful and the inks all seem to behave consistently well. Miruai, the dark bluish green, is my not-quite-black daily writer, at least until my three limited edition bottles run out. And now I want Rikyu-Cha as my alternative daily writer.

 

I've found Rikyu-Cha changes colour depending on the light. Under fluorescent light it's completely green, no brown at all, and under some tungsten light it's way more brown than green. Your larger scans (e.g., where you've written "> HPJ 1124") show what I think the colour's meant to be. Certainly, it's marketed as a green ink.

 

So I'm sure I'll get some more before it's discontinued. It seems to be one of those unusual, indeterminate, muted, understated but interesting colours like Noodler's El-Lawrence.

[brunico]

When wet, one could be fooled into thinking it's black. The magic happens as it dries. [...] I don't see the full depth of this glorious color when I use a fine or extra fine nib.

 

Yes! I'm using it with a Lamy 1.1mm: it goes on a very dark greyish green, then becomes its proper colour, ahem, whatever that is. It's fascinating to watch. But it makes it difficult to tell it apart from the pen with Miruai just by looking at the wet ink on the nib.

[drifting]

Great review of a great colour. This is one of my favorites from the Sailor LEs, which is saying a lot.

 

[/font]

• Is the name appropriate? No idea.

 

Yep. Rikyu cha = Green Tea brown, which seems quite apt. Apparently, it's a fairly traditional Japanese colour, used in everything from kimono to pottery.

 

SIMILAR COLOURS:

[/font]

• There is some resonance with the discontinued MB Racing Green.
• I am a newcomer to this region of the colour wheel/matrix/vortex, so I defer to other Members who chime in.

 

As you've shown so well, there is variability to this ink's appearance. In some lights on some paper, Stipula Verde Muschiato comes very close, though it's a dark olive with brown tones, rather than brown with dark olive tones, if that makes any sense.

 

Ryan.

[Sandy1]

Thank you for this superb review. I say yes, and yes, your experience matches mine. When wet, one could be fooled into thinking it's black. The magic happens as it dries. The color of the Rikyu-Cha makes my Penman Mocha look bright. Wow, that's something I thought I'd never say about the Penman!

 

For me, the choice of nib is everything. I'm currently using Rikyu-Cha in a Targa with a wet medium nib, and it seems a fine match. I don't see the full depth of this glorious color when I use a fine or extra fine nib.

Hi,

 

You're welcome!

 

Thank-you for chiming-in about the change in appearance between wet and dry.

 

I totally agree about the variability of The Look when different nibs are used. I hope that the three pens I used were sufficiently different to depict that variability. And the pens used are 'nothing special'. I imagine that one with a fair hand and a deliberately chosen pairing of pen+paper could achieve quite different results.

 

If there are suggested pairings, please chime-in; and post sample/s if possible.

 

Interesting remark about your preferred nib - my pick was the slightly dry Parker 45 + F nib on the Rhodia. (!)

 

Bye,

S1

[Sandy1]

Thank you, Sandy1!

 

I've become a fan of Sailor inks recently: the bottles are helpful and the inks all seem to behave consistently well. Miruai, the dark bluish green, is my not-quite-black daily writer, at least until my three limited edition bottles run out. And now I want Rikyu-Cha as my alternative daily writer.

 

I've found Rikyu-Cha changes colour depending on the light. Under fluorescent light it's completely green, no brown at all, and under some tungsten light it's way more brown than green. Your larger scans (e.g., where you've written "> HPJ 1124") show what I think the colour's meant to be. Certainly, it's marketed as a green ink.

 

So I'm sure I'll get some more before it's discontinued. It seems to be one of those unusual, indeterminate, muted, understated but interesting colours like Noodler's El-Lawrence.

Hi,

 

You're welcome!

 

I'm also becoming a convert to Sailor inks. When they cut-back on their 'core' inks, I thought they were dead in the water, but that was not the case. Instead they were even more ambitious to develop and produce a new group of inks several times a year. A pretty wild marketing strategy!

 

And you've tipped your hand as to the whereabouts of the Miruai cache. (I'll have a few of the lads pop by to negotiate a fair price.)

 

Very true about the ink being very susceptible to appearance shift according to ambient lighting. All colours change according to viewing light, but SJRC is exceptionally vulnerable. (True of many similar colours : I am going mad looking at Brown inks!)

 

Cheers!

S1

Edited November 14, 2010 by Sandy1

[brunico]

And you've tipped your hand as to the whereabouts of the Miruai cache. (I'll have a few of the lads pop by to negotiate a fair price.)

 

The Writing Desk had run out by the time I'd decided to get some more, so I had to import a couple from pengallery.com (still some in stock, apparently). Taking shipping into account, it made each bottle the price of Kiwa-Guro, but I was compelled...

 

Won't make the same mistake with Rikyu-Cha!

[Jimmy James]

I actually bought a bottle of this ink from Art Brown just last night hoping it would be similar enough to Montblanc Racing Green to give me additional ink in that idiom. This review makes the ink seem like a very promising contender.

[Sandy1]

I actually bought a bottle of this ink from Art Brown just last night hoping it would be similar enough to Montblanc Racing Green to give me additional ink in that idiom. This review makes the ink seem like a very promising contender.

Hello,

 

I've added the Comparison of MBRG to SJRC to the Review proper, but will repeat that here: My link

 

To my eye, the SJRC is that much more 'relaxing' a colour. Whereas MBRG is the only ink that comes with wire wheels as factory stock.

 

I will be interested to hear from you once you've had the SJRC for a while.

 

Bye,

S1

[Jimmy James]

Thank you for your efforts. I will hopefully attempt a three-way comparison of Noodler's Burma Road Brown, SJRC, and Racing Green when I have some time in December. My theory now is that SJRC will bridge the gap between the other two.

[encremental]

Great review, Sandy! Got my bottle today (together with some Souten (a bit like a Japanese-handling Diamine washable Blue, an ink more exciting than it sounds... Really.) and I love it!. When wet, the dead spit of MBRG, but then that lovely rich khaki as it dries. I actually think I prefer it to RG . I did wonder whether there might be hints of El Lawrence, but having looked, it's nothing near. Any similarities to Burma Road Brown, or is Rikyu-Cha a new colour previously unknown to inkdom?

 

John

[Sandy1]

Great review, Sandy! Got my bottle today (together with some Souten (a bit like a Japanese-handling Diamine washable Blue, an ink more exciting than it sounds... Really.) and I love it!. When wet, the dead spit of MBRG, but then that lovely rich khaki as it dries. I actually think I prefer it to RG . I did wonder whether there might be hints of El Lawrence, but having looked, it's nothing near. Any similarities to Burma Road Brown, or is Rikyu-Cha a new colour previously unknown to inkdom?

 

John

Hi,

 

I'm afraid I don't have the Burma Road Brown, so can't reply to that portion of your query.

 

However, I've yet to see an ink like riyu-cha that has a comparable performance profile. Some of those were attempts to mix an MBRG look-alike.

 

However, I will stick my neck out by saying that rikyu-cha is unique. As I alluded to, Sailor has taken on a profoundly ambitious marketing strategy to successfully develop and market seasonal inks. i.e. new ink/s four times in twelve months. Crikey, Montblanc couldn't be bothered to do a Seasons Greetings ink for 2010. Now that's slack. (OK - I'm not a huge fan of Red and Green inks, and still have some if the cinnamon-scented Red from some years ago. So I'm not exactly a stakeholder.)

 

Also, there are Co.s like Pilot that staked out a lot of territory with their iroshizuku series. And to the chagrin of many - those inks seem to defy replication.

 

Yet Pelikan had the where with all to come out with a new line of ink, which somehow didn't cause a melt-down in the inky realm.

 

But I digress...

 

Bye,

S1

Edited November 19, 2010 by Sandy1

[Jimmy James]

When wet, the dead spit of MBRG, but then that lovely rich khaki as it dries.

 

That's what I'm getting out of a medium Pelikano, too.

 

I actually think I prefer it to RG .

 

I'm not sure how they're going to stack up after I have more chance to use this ink, but it may end up on top of Racing Green in my book as well.

 

I did wonder whether there might be hints of El Lawrence, but having looked, it's nothing near. Any similarities to Burma Road Brown, or is Rikyu-Cha a new colour previously unknown to inkdom?

 

As soon as I get fairly similar pens with Burma Road Brown and SJRC together for a comparison, I'll try to help the group with that question.

[brunico]

As soon as I get fairly similar pens with Burma Road Brown and SJRC together for a comparison, I'll try to help the group with that question.

 

From fellow Sailor fan drifting:

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php?/topic/167601-dusty-dirty-dark-murky/

[encremental]

This is really such a weird ink. Today I met my friend, a girl with very particular tastes and her own severe style. Think Anna Wintour, except sort of remote and intimidating (and long time MBRG fan since goodness knows when - she has a matte black Targa stub, which she bought forty years ago, and now this is the only ink she will use in her only pen (1 ink +1 pen - as I said, a strange girl)) at the Gaugin exhibition here at Tate Modern.

 

I knew she would like the khaki sumptuousness of it, so while having a drink & lunch afterwards I whipped out my pen and demonstrated the ink in a Moleskine. It's Racing Green. 'I've got that one', she says 'that's my ink'. I reach for the exhibition flyer, which is a high white semi-glazed paper and scribble something. Same again, - Racing Green. She is not impressed. Frankly, his is starting to feel like a Uri Geller Roast. In desperation, I find a Metro on the floor (trashy London free newspaper, handy for locals when toilet tissue runs low) and scrawl an alphabet. Hallelujah! The promised lustrous dark khaki materialises and friend is finally intrigued. 'Want want want' she says.

 

Shaping up to be the stuff of legend, I think. Maybe even a Siegfried & Roy sort of an ink.

 

John

[ethernautrix]

Of the ten inks that Ricky bought last Saturday, this is the one I picked to go back up to Maido to purchase for myself. These inks are intriguing!

 

Topnotch review, Sandy!

[Sandy1]

This is really such a weird ink.

 

...

 

In desperation, I find a Metro on the floor (trashy London free newspaper, handy for locals when toilet tissue runs low) and scrawl an alphabet. Hallelujah! The promised lustrous dark khaki materialises and friend is finally intrigued. 'Want want want' she says.

 

Shaping up to be the stuff of legend, I think. Maybe even a Siegfried & Roy sort of an ink.

 

John

Hi,

 

Well - did she sign the chit for lunch? That's when an ink does Majik!

 

And I had SJRC pegged as only being able to do some impressive card tricks; and now it may become the stuff of (a minor) legend / object of rational extreme desire.

 

It is interesting that you mention the types of paper you used - the glossy paper smear/dry time test may be similar to the exhibition flyer; and the grocery list on pulp may be similar to the bog-roll substitute. Definitely two very different Looks.

 

I do encourage those with this ink to post samples.

 

Ah OK, there's a limit / boundary to the capability of SJRC - but where is it?

 

And I do hope your friend does not have a decades-old bob with a fringe - no matter how good her taste is in pen & ink.

 

Bye,

S1

[Sandy1]

Of the ten inks that Ricky bought last Saturday, this is the one I picked to go back up to Maido to purchase for myself. These inks are intriguing!

 

Topnotch review, Sandy!

Hi,

 

Glad you liked the Review, even though it is a bit lean (for me) on the Written Samples.

 

'Intriguing' is a very apt description of SJRC.

 

Why do I feel that letters written with this ink may become quite long or written in installments just to spend more time with the ink?

 

 

Bye,

S1

[Namo]

Once again, fabulous review (Sandy1, your reviews should be a category in the ink review forum!). I love the color(s) of this ink, and I surely will try to get one bottle!