Sailor Blue-Black

[JJBlanche]

Attached below is an image of a writing sample with Sailor Blue-Black, and below that, the review proper. Regarding the image, "lorem ipsum" is a nonsense language used by printers to showcase a font/color (ie: it takes focus away from content and puts it on aesthetics). The water test was performed by submerging and agitating a sample swatch of the given ink in reverse osmosis water for thirty seconds, then letting it drip dry.

 

A key has been added, written on Clairefontaine paper, with a number of different inks for reference.

 

Standard Disclaimer: Image provided only to give a general sense of the color. The vibrance and nuance are typically lost when an ink is digitized.

 

http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/2590/sailorhu7.jpg

 

Review

 

When I write a review, I first focus on color, and award an ink 0 to 100 based upon that alone, separate from other considerations. I then deduct points from the color score for defects (ie: lack of flow, creep, etc), to arrive at an overall score.

 

Color

 

Sailor Blue-Black is a benchmark in its category. When I think of blue-black, something approximating the Sailor comes to mind. This isn't to say that other inks called "blue-black" aren't as good or better, it's just that the Sailor is most deserving of the term. As an added benefit, it has a vintage tone to it, which is very appealing.

 

At a glance, and when looking at very small excerpts, the Sailor and Sheaffer Blue-Blacks appear very similar. However, the Sailor is richer, and is decidedly blue-black, whereas the Sheaffer has a touch of green.

 

Color Score = 85

 

Deductions

 

Sailor Blue-Black is on the expensive end of the spectrum, at between $0.23 and $0.24 per milliliter (where the average is around $0.15/milliliter)

-4

 

Bonus Points

 

Sailor Blue-Black is among the quickest drying inks I've dealt with to date.

+2

 

Overall Score = 83 out of 100

Edited May 29, 2008 by JJBlanche

[lefty928]

Thank you for all the reviews you just posted -- your scans and text contain very helpful information and, on my screen, look accurate for the inks I have.

[ethernautrix]

I am enjoying your reviews, JJBlanche. Thanks for posting them!

[JJBlanche]

http://img385.imageshack.us/img385/4985/sailordl0.jpg

 

Hopefully this image will remain intact longer than the last one.