Is Pilot Iroshizuku Fountain Pen Ink worth the money?

[Juicyjones]

I don't have problems with PR ink. So far that is.

[PJohnP]

This question comes up with pretty much any review on the Iroshizuku ink lines, and with most discussions on the inks. It really comes down to what level of interest a person has in inks, and what their personal tolerance is for paying out for inks.

 

After all, I've been told (several times) by a professional colleague, "Why buy pens and ink when the banks and hotels give them away for free ?"

 

And, in the abstract, that's a perfectly fair question.

 

Some folks will buy the cheapest possible automobile, clothing, shoes, but "splurge" on fine wines and unusual coffees. Some folks will stop every day - some twice or thrice - to buy a fancy coffee at Starbucks or have drinks at the bar on the way home from work, or subscribe to rather expensive lifestyle magazines. They're all choices, and highly personal choices at that.

 

Aside from using lousy inks that damage or clog pens, there's no "right" or "wrong" on what folks care to spend on ink, so long as they don't whine about their informed decisions. With the ink reviews readily available on FPN and other fora, one can certainly find some decent number of reviews from which to draw a reasonable opinion on inks to try and test. There is, of course, the question of people spending hundreds of dollars (or even thousands of dollars) on pens that they fill with relatively poor quality inks in terms of the writing on a page, but hey, it's their pen that's filled with such material, and comes down to choices, again.

 

Me, I have some nice Pelikans and Sheaffers that I quite enjoy writing with - to the obvious and evident consternation of a colleague who expresses the comment noted above at highly regular intervals - and I also enjoy some excellent inks in those pens. The inks are distinctive, remarkable in colour, and provide me with lasting pleasure in their use. The colleague who I refer to is a man of a mean and coarse disposition, who takes pleasure in no part of his life whatsoever, and his opinions on what one should spend their income on are thus of little evidentiary value for what constitutes an enjoyable experience...

 

So. Are the Iroshizuku inks worth the money ? They are certainly well worth the money to me.

 

 

 

John P.

[tnmike1]

I've gone through countless bottles and Pear Tree samplers of inks from Private Reserve, Diamine, Noodlers, Herbin. I bought two bottles of Iroshizuku inks and, upon looking through various notes and Rhodia books I had written in, could easily identify those Iroshizuku inks among all the rest. The colors, the shading are just unique, in my opinion.

 

Are they worth the money?? Yes. At least to me. But as PJohnP intimates, I also drink cheap vodka, gin and bourbon. Can't appreciate the differences among the flavors. But CAN and do appreciate the difference in ink colors. So spend in one place, skimp in another.

[mr mobius]

I would say both the pens you are using will definately provide you with very different results. I have a Lamy with a medium nib and I think it is a great starter nib. You asked what qualities thie Iroshizuku ink has that others inks dont. I love everything about the Iroshizuku ink. I love the choice of colours, I love the way the ink behaves, I like the shading and how lubricated the inks feel, I love the presentation of the bottle, the attention to detail with the ink well at the base of the bottle for getting the last few drops, even the outer box is pleasing to the eye, well designed and considerate in its construction. I like the collar in the box for extra protection.

 

You asked if it was likely that you would appreciate the difference from the inks you are using now. For me its like playing guitar. I started on a £10 guitar from the charity shop, some people could jam on a battered guitar and make it sound awesome, some people could jam on a very expensive guitar and sound lousey... I saved up when I was younger and treated myself to a round back Ovation guitar. I admit, I couldnt really play guitar that well, but when I bought the Ovation all the hard work, the saving up and the anticipation made me practice like crazy and it certainly helped me enjoy practising.

 

This anology might not seem applicable, but I bought the Iroshizuku inks range just like the guitar and now I practice writing much more than I normally would. If you asking questions and wishing to explore then ultimately are Iroshizuku Ink worth the money? for sure !! Will you appreciate them more than other inks? I think you will.

 

As a good will gesture and to wet you appetite, PM your address and I will send you some Iroshizuku ink for free and you can report back with your comments and a hand writing sample.

 

Moby

[PJohnP]

Are they worth the money?? Yes. At least to me. But as PJohnP intimates, I also drink cheap vodka, gin and bourbon. Can't appreciate the differences among the flavors. But CAN and do appreciate the difference in ink colors. So spend in one place, skimp in another.

 

 

Heh. Well, I like good whiskies as well...

 

... but I don't spend money daily on some items that many people do, like lunches out (brown-bagging for me most days), high-end coffees from shops (the office has a coffee maker), pastries and sweets as impulse buys, etc. I calculated sometime back through observation of co-workers that the difference in only a couple or three days of those kinds of purchases would pay for a complete bottle of Iroshizuku ink !

 

Interestingly enough, I came across an article a few years back on this concept, along the lines of buying staples or some consumable goods at Wal-Mart and buying high end goods elsewhere, the concept being that even rich people with huge amounts of disposable income don't see the need to waste money. If that concept works for the rich, why not the "definitely not in the rich category" folks like many of us ?

 

And in any event, nice ink is an indulgence for me, something that I recognise as such, and I'm not buying new inks every week (or month), so I feel no guilt whatsoever about getting a bottle of ink from time-to-time that I truly enjoy.

 

 

 

John P.

[DAYoung]

Iroshizuku Fuyu-Gaki (Sweet Persimmon) in an M205 clear demonstrator. I'm using this to edit a manuscript. The combination of wet, vibrant orange-red, luminescent barrel and smooth Pelikan nib - it adds an extra dimension of beauty to editing.

 

http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n5/DAYoung_2006/SweetPersimmonandClearM205_small.jpg

[dannyboy]

I'm a fan of PR, Diamine, and Sailor's Red-Brown (which is to be discontinued, alas!), but I recently bought some Iroshizuku inks and I must say I'm very impressed and love using them. And, yes, it is ultimately a matter of taste and personal preference even though the Iroshizuku inks are known for their unique properties.

[PJohnP]

Iroshizuku Fuyu-Gaki (Sweet Persimmon) in an M205 clear demonstrator. I'm using this to edit a manuscript. The combination of wet, vibrant orange-red, luminescent barrel and smooth Pelikan nib - it adds an extra dimension of beauty to editing.

 

 

So true. The Fuyu-gaki is a simple delight to use in editing, notes, or just to see in the pen.

 

One of the things that many of us can miss is that using these inks isn't an exercise in what's "cheapest" or "best value for money" - both of which have some importance, but not the highest top importance - but instead savouring the experiences of our pens on paper, having a sense of the moment when we write. As I've noted elsewhere, if cost would be the most important criterion for our pen and ink experience, we'd pick up free ballpoints at the bank or in a hotel, and never bother with the pen and ink experience that we discuss here.

 

I'm not at all sure that writing with a wonderful pen in hand, ink smoothly flowing on the paper with shading and crispness at different moments, the flow of the time while the ink dries; that this could be termed kensho, let alone satori, but at this moment in my perhaps far less than ideal life, it's something positive along that path.

 

 

 

John P.

[Siv]

Iroshizuku Fuyu-Gaki (Sweet Persimmon) in an M205 clear demonstrator. I'm using this to edit a manuscript. The combination of wet, vibrant orange-red, luminescent barrel and smooth Pelikan nib - it adds an extra dimension of beauty to editing.

 

Now that is a thing of beauty...

[DAYoung]

I'm not at all sure that writing with a wonderful pen in hand, ink smoothly flowing on the paper with shading and crispness at different moments, the flow of the time while the ink dries; that this could be termed kensho, let alone satori, but at this moment in my perhaps far less than ideal life, it's something positive along that path.

 

Iroshizuku: now with more shinnyo. And the pen doubles as a keisaku.

 

Yes, I know what you mean, John. I do think everyday rituals can offer Zen lessons, but I often opt for a more humble reward: aesthetic nuance and vivacity. This enhances, enriches experience.

[DAYoung]

Iroshizuku Fuyu-Gaki (Sweet Persimmon) in an M205 clear demonstrator. I'm using this to edit a manuscript. The combination of wet, vibrant orange-red, luminescent barrel and smooth Pelikan nib - it adds an extra dimension of beauty to editing.

 

Now that is a thing of beauty...

 

Now imagine it in your maki-e pen...

[PJohnP]

Iroshizuku: now with more shinnyo. And the pen doubles as a keisaku.

 

Yes, I know what you mean, John. I do think everyday rituals can offer Zen lessons, but I often opt for a more humble reward: aesthetic nuance and vivacity. This enhances, enriches experience.

 

 

Ha ! I certainly don't want to be struck with my pen for inattention !!!

 

Given that my life has far too much "artificial urgency" created by the nature of the work that I do (a long and tedious topic), humble rewards are accepted with pleasure.

 

And while I can't directly access your article, I do clearly see that your attention to this subject far outstrips mine. <respectful nod>

 

 

 

John P.

[Siv]

Now imagine it in your maki-e pen...

I may well try. I have Momiji in my Danitrio fellowship pen and it's a little pink for me. I also have Yu-Yake in another orange urushi pen - this looks to be a more reddish orange...

[DAYoung]

Given that my life has far too much "artificial urgency" created by the nature of the work that I do (a long and tedious topic), humble rewards are accepted with pleasure.

 

Hear, hear.

[DAYoung]

Now imagine it in your maki-e pen...

I may well try. I have Momiji in my Danitrio fellowship pen and it's a little pink for me. I also have Yu-Yake in another orange urushi pen - this looks to be a more reddish orange...

 

Yes, definitely reddish orange (or orangeish red). Very much like the sweet persimmon. Lovely.

[DAYoung]

Here's the persimmon at work, on the Jane Austen chapter.

 

http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n5/DAYoung_2006/Persimmon_small.jpg

[haziz]

My only experience is with Asa-Gao, of which I have two bottles. It is a nice shade of blue, though I probably prefer the more purplish blue of Pelikan Royal Blue. It (Pilot Asa-Gao) is a nice blue ink which is very well behaved and comes in a beautiful ink bottle. I can afford the price, so that was not an issue for me. Whether it is worth it to you, only you can judge. Other than the nicer bottle, I would say it is not better than Waterman Florida Blue or Pelikan Royal Blue or Lamy Blue or Visconti Blue, just different. Try a bottle of Pelikan Royal Blue, which you can get for about $6 to $7 (I am quoting US prices), and is a beautiful blue ink and moreover is not as dry as some of the other Pelikan inks (it is about as wet as Waterman Florida Blue). Waterman Florida Blue is also another superb blue ink. You can peruse the ink review section and come to your own conclusions, but the ultimate test of an ink is to use it yourself.

 

Sincerely,

 

Hany.

Edited March 23, 2010 by haziz

[Ondina]

While I love each and every Iroshizuku ink I've had the fortune to try, Haziz has made a very good point. They are expensive, and they are other inks as good for a much, much more reasonable price, for those that consider fountain pens just a pen, used daily as a pleasant tool, and not a luxury item.

[ladyambrosia]

You know..I had no need to get this ink until I saw this thread. Than I wandered over to the reviews and am now drooling on and pondering about getting a bottle of the Wild Grape. Do I need it? Nope. Do I want it...mmmm yes.

[Cedar]

You know..I had no need to get this ink until I saw this thread. Than I wandered over to the reviews and am now drooling on and pondering about getting a bottle of the Wild Grape. Do I need it? Nope. Do I want it...mmmm yes.

 

That's what we're here for, isn't it? And if not, we do a lot of it.

 

Cedar