Bungbox Going Smaller

[white_lotus]

Well I just got an email from Anderson Pens that Bungbox is going to a new 30 ml bottle, along with a price increase, so the current 50 ml bottles are discontinued. For at least that store. Other Japanese web sites having custom Sailor inks still list their 50 ml bottles (now often square).

 

At the current prices I've found Bungbox inks to be out of my price range, so a smaller bottle at the same price or more is out of the question.

 

I personally have plenty of Sailor and Bungbox inks, so I won't have any need to replace them if it ever turns out that I actually run out of ink. Which I don't think is possible for me. I'm sad for those who come along in the future and have heard about these inks, and find them price prohibitive.

 

 

[phonelady61]

they have always been price prohibitive for me so i learned to live with it .sorry that most cant try their inks i have heard that they are really nice inks .

[sirgilbert357]

I got the same email. Meh. I love Hatsukoi and will buy more when I run out. I didn't care that it was 43.00 a bottle the last time I bought some and I probably won't care what the price is the next time I buy some.

 

We spend ridiculous amounts of money on a slew of things in this "hobby". While I realize Bungubox inks are quite expensive when compared to other inks' prices, I personally can't really call 40 bucks every 2 years (my purchasing frequency for Hatsukoi) "cost prohibitive". If you love the ink, I think it's worth every penny...just my opinion of course and YMMV.

[white_lotus]

Of course, if you buy one bottle every two years, that's not a considerable expense. I haven't bought any inks in a couple years now. Same with pens. I have other things to accumulate now (chess books).

[VivaTerlingua]

Surely this has to make Bungubox the most expensive ink per ml now?

[sirgilbert357]

Surely this has to make Bungubox the most expensive ink per ml now?

I didn't see a price listed for the 30 ml bottles. Have they already made it to retail channels?

Edited March 12, 2019 by sirgilbert357

[white_lotus]

Bungubox in Japan has them listed on their site. Only 18 colors. 3500¥ for 30 ml bottle. So i Japan, that's $32. Not including shipping, or the markup for US retailers to resell the product.

 

https://bung-box.com/products/list100.html

[sirgilbert357]

Of course, if you buy one bottle every two years, that's not a considerable expense. I haven't bought any inks in a couple years now. Same with pens. I have other things to accumulate now (chess books).

Man, I love chess. That's truly in the top 5 greatest games ever invented.

 

And I only buy a 50 ml bottle every two years, but hmm...at 30ml, I'll have to buy more often. Oh well. If I were ever to find another ink that was indisguishable from Hatsukoi on paper, I might switch, but nothing so far has measured up.

[whichwatch]

Oh well. If I were ever to find another ink that was indisguishable from Hatsukoi on paper, I might switch, but nothing so far has measured up.

 

You could try Parker Penman Sapphire! :-)

[sirgilbert357]

 

You could try Parker Penman Sapphire! :-)

 

 

I have, but it was a disappointment. Hatsukoi sheens more and shades differently. PPS also didn't flow near as well as Hatsukoi. PPS is also FAR harder to find and more expensive than Hatsukoi. Hatsukoi is superior in my opinion.

[Karmachanic]

Currency is for spending. Ink is for writing. I prefer inks that have beautiful characteristics beyond the base colour. This allows me to use money currency for its intended purpose. I'm happy, the ink maker is happy, those who receive written correspondence are happy.

Buy it now, while you still can! Quick before the price goes up again! Do your bit to keep the economy bouyant!

[white_lotus]

There's always Monteverde Horizon Blue as a replacement for PPS.

 

If the economy is depending on me, a retired person, to support it, the economy is in trouble.

[Karmachanic]

There's always Monteverde Horizon Blue as a replacement for PPS.

 

If the economy is depending on me, a retired person, to support it, the economy is in trouble.

 

"A million here, a million there, pretty soon, you're talking real money."!!

[white_lotus]

Yes, "a billion here, a billion there" attributed to the famous Senator Everett Dirkson of Illinois.

[Karmachanic]

Yes, "a billion here, a billion there" attributed to the famous Senator Everett Dirkson of Illinois.

 

√ Dirkson. But billions weren't a thing in the 60s. Billionaires didn't exist. Gas was $0.30 a gallon. Same for a pack of Marlboros. The quote, like everything else, fell victim to inflation over the decades.

Edited March 13, 2019 by Karmachanic

[Barkingpig]

Pen Chalet shows the new, 30 ml bottles as "in stock, shipping in one day" @ $49.00 for the new bottles. Their old stock 50 ml are $43. (as most of the usual suspects,) although there are still several remaining BB colors on sale @ discounted prices @ Vanness.

 

(It makes the bottle of Nihombashi ink I received from Atsu today seem "not so bad" @ $39.99 (including shipping) in its old vase bottle.)

[lgsoltek]

Bung Box is dead to me since their last price increase. They sure aren't gonna reanimate any time soon.

[chromantic]

Pen Chalet shows the new, 30 ml bottles as "in stock, shipping in one day" @ $49.00 for the new bottles. Their old stock 50 ml are $43. (as most of the usual suspects,) although there are still several remaining BB colors on sale @ discounted prices @ Vanness.

 

Youza, $50 for 30 ml!? Makes $43 for 50 ml seem like a bargain.

[nibtip]

I own 5 BB inks and have had samples of about 10. This thread encouraged me to try them again.

Bungubox from my experience makes amongst the prettiest colors of and well behaved inks i have tried. Even compared to other Sailor SE. Agreed.

There are sometimes exact doppelgänger in other Sailor SE's. For example: Sweet potatoe purple and Youstyle hamashi 浜梨(ハマナス)：13-9257-205. For a fraction of the price.

https://www.amazon.co.jp/セーラー万年筆-SAILOR-染料ボトルインク-九十九里海岸限定-13-9257-205/dp/B07CQFZ2H2

The price? yes it is abusive. Then this is marketing (the bottles looks beautiful). Maybe a matter of ego hypertrophy from the shop owner, and a way to prove one's originality. I don't know. Anyway nowadays...

But for us, humble mortals, if we like it we should go for it, because life is too short.

A bottle of 35ml is good enough for 500 A5 pages (4 meters of writing per page) with a medium nib.

I did order directly on their site, i went through a proxy, therefore shipping was a lot more reasonable. Maybe 20$ for 5 bottles.

Edited March 15, 2019 by inkking

[sirgilbert357]

There's always Monteverde Horizon Blue as a replacement for PPS.

 

 

 

I have this one too. It's got almost no sheen, and isn't near as free flowing as Hatsukoi. I would almost describe it as dry, but it's not so much dry as it is just "sticky". It sticks to the back of converters and makes my wetter pens write a bit drier. It also doesn't shade much, in that the surface tension of the ink makes it bead up pretty evenly on the paper (I use Clairefontaine almost exclusively - with a different paper, YMMV), and lastly, it is also evenly darker across it's spectrum of color. Hatsukoi has everything from a light almost turquoise blue in it to a dark navy (with red/purple sheen when it goes down wet enough). Horizon Blue is a solid darker blue, but Hatsukoi lovers would be disappointed in my opinion.