200% Pilot Blue-Black Ink Review (Instead Of The Dull 100%)

[TSherbs]

Amazon Japan won't send this ink to me.

[khalameet]

The 350ml bottle got expensive.

I wanted to order one but they went from 20€ to 38€, I wonder why. I read somewhere that these bottles are discontinued...

[dompred]

I gotta say I quite like Pilot BlBl but sometimes I find it a bit boring and pick something else instead. The 200% really looks interesting and I'll definitely try a few ml to see for myself.

 

However reading your review a thought was stuck in my mind, won't this reduced ink be less easy on the pen? I mean, easier to dry out, easier to give hard starts, will need more cleaning ect?

[aurore]

Amazon Japan won't send this ink to me.

 

 

The 350ml bottle got expensive.

I wanted to order one but they went from 20€ to 38€, I wonder why. I read somewhere that these bottles are discontinued...

 

Since rakuten international passed away everything has became more tricky. Basically there are 2 options: order from anywhere in Japan and use a forwarding service or order from some of the reliable merchants directly (I know at least 2 from my buying on rakuten, both are great).

 

If you do not want to use a forwarding service I can recommend two stores who ship abroad (no affiliation, just a flawless experience):

 

1) https://www.instagram.com/komamono_honpo/ - they are really superb, bought many times from them on rakuten international and off rakuten, you may contact them directly via instagram

2) they run rakuten store https://www.rakuten.co.jp/wow/ their non-rakuten email is: officeoc.kana0320@gmail.com

 

The code of this ink is INK-350-BB. And, no, it has not been discontinued.

[aurore]

I gotta say I quite like Pilot BlBl but sometimes I find it a bit boring and pick something else instead. The 200% really looks interesting and I'll definitely try a few ml to see for myself.

 

However reading your review a thought was stuck in my mind, won't this reduced ink be less easy on the pen? I mean, easier to dry out, easier to give hard starts, will need more cleaning ect?

 

Naturally the more dye the more it stains, as any ink. But this ink "stains" whether concentrated or not. BUT the stains are very easy to clean with a soapy water regardless the concentration (just soaking in it for a while). As mentioned in the review: no misbehaviour at all = no hard starts, no skipping, nothing is worse than in case of the 100% concentration. To summarize the respond: NO

[khalameet]

 

 

 

Since rakuten international passed away everything has became more tricky. Basically there are 2 options: order from anywhere in Japan and use a forwarding service or order from some of the reliable merchants directly (I know at least 2 from my buying on rakuten, both are great).

 

If you do not want to use a forwarding service I can recommend two stores who ship abroad (no affiliation, just a flawless experience):

 

1) https://www.instagram.com/komamono_honpo/ - they are really superb, bought many times from them on rakuten international and off rakuten, you may contact them directly via instagram

2) they run rakuten store https://www.rakuten.co.jp/wow/ their non-rakuten email is: officeoc.kana0320@gmail.com

 

The code of this ink is INK-350-BB. And, no, it has not been discontinued.

Thank you so much, I was really worried that I may run out of this ink. I will try to contact them!

 

Edit: I realized Pensachi carries it, too. Anyone has experience with them?

Edited July 8, 2020 by khalameet

[aurore]

Thank you so much, I was really worried that I may run out of this ink. I will try to contact them!

 

Edit: I realized Pensachi carries it, too. Anyone has experience with them?

 

Pensachi is trouble free. Excellent store.

However the price of this ink in Pensachi store comparing to some other Japanese stores is the same as the concentration of the ink reviewed - double However if someone is ordering more things from them and paying one shipping it is not an issue (since elsewhere you would have to add shipping costs).

 

If I had to choose where to order the ink (if not ordering anything else) I would go via Komamono Honpo - that would be a direct order. Btw one can order almost anything from them (both stationery and a lot of other things), just send them a link.

Or - the other option - eventually from some Japanese store or Mercari and using a forwarding service.

[TSherbs]

 

 

 

Since rakuten international passed away everything has became more tricky. Basically there are 2 options: order from anywhere in Japan and use a forwarding service or order from some of the reliable merchants directly (I know at least 2 from my buying on rakuten, both are great).

 

If you do not want to use a forwarding service I can recommend two stores who ship abroad (no affiliation, just a flawless experience):

 

1) https://www.instagram.com/komamono_honpo/ - they are really superb, bought many times from them on rakuten international and off rakuten, you may contact them directly via instagram

2) they run rakuten store https://www.rakuten.co.jp/wow/ their non-rakuten email is: officeoc.kana0320@gmail.com

 

The code of this ink is INK-350-BB. And, no, it has not been discontinued.

 

Thank you so much.

[aurore]

 

Thank you so much.

You are most welcome. I also quite recommend Mercari (I recently got 2 bottles of this ink from there myself) + a forwarding service, they occasionally have a "free international shipping" promotions. Well, rarely, but they do.

[katerchen]

Amazon Japan won't send this ink to me.

 

See if this works: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B001P35A74/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

Only a couple of bucks up from when I ordered mine a few years back.

 

-k

[aurore]

 

See if this works: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B001P35A74/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

Only a couple of bucks up from when I ordered mine a few years back.

 

-k

 

 

Well, the standard price in Japan is 12-13 USD... I would rather go via stores mentioned above (really a superb experience with both) or some forwarding service + Mercari.

Edited July 8, 2020 by aurore

[TSherbs]

 

See if this works: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B001P35A74/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

Only a couple of bucks up from when I ordered mine a few years back.

 

-k

 

Thanks, I saw that. Not as good a deal pricewise. But yes, thanks.

[cellmatrix]

I bought my 350 ml bottle of pilot BB off Amazon a few years ago for around $21 but I don't feel bad. 350 milliliters of such a nice ink, even at $21 or $24 dollars instead of $12, is still an amazing bargain.

 

Has anyone else noticed that Pilot shin kai, excuse me, I meant to say Namiki iroshizuku pilot shin kai, which is almost the exact same color as pilot blue black, and not even nearly as waterproof, costs twenty times the price of what Aurore pays for his pilot blue black?

 

Iroshizuku ink, such a brilliant marketing strategy.......

 

Edit to add: ok I'll admit the iroshizuku bottles are cute...

[TSherbs]

I bought my 350 ml bottle of pilot BB off Amazon a few years ago for around $21 but I don't feel bad. 350 milliliters of such a nice ink, even at $21 or $24 dollars instead of $12, is still an amazing bargain.

 

Yeah, but I don't like the color unless I condense it (like above). That makes it even more expensive per ml. Yeah, I can afford it. But I have a pretty strict "value meter" that I adhere to. Gets me by on my teacher's salary while headed toward retirement. If I live to 90, I will have to sell off my pens, my clothes, my cars, my wife.

 

j/k

 

not my pens

[cellmatrix]

 

Yeah, but I don't like the color unless I condense it (like above). That makes it even more expensive per ml. Yeah, I can afford it. But I have a pretty strict "value meter" that I adhere to. Gets me by on my teacher's salary while headed toward retirement. If I live to 90, I will have to sell off my pens, my clothes, my cars, my wife.

 

j/k

 

not my pens

Ive learned to appreciate the ink slightly diluted (Although the photos of concentrated ink here look nice) and Ive learned to enjoy writing with very extra fine nibs so all of that contributes towards making ink even more economical. What subject(s) do you teach? Im in education too in the area of science.

[aurore]

Well, the inks are not used today in the same quantity they were decades ago. Very few Western brands sell inks in large bottles, so buying inks we mainly pay for a nice bottles (like in case of Iroshhizuku), not for the ink. Or eventually for something like LE.
However there is still a lot of inks that can be considered very economical. This depends on where (geographically) you buy them though. For instance Noodler's is rather cheap, moreover some of them can be successfully diluted. But in Europe it is often quite a bit more expensive than in States. On the other hand R&K is very cheap in Europe (about 5 bucks per 50ml).

There are some Chinese inks of course but then you still would have to pay for the shipping.
Locally I once bought a bottle of Koh-i-Noor blue (washable) ink. 1000ml for 5 dollars. A very dull bleeder but safe and cheap. I shall try concentrating this ink to improve the dull but actually a very nice shade of blue, even in a triple concentration it still will cost below 1USD per 50ml.
That said I have several empty Iro bottes to fill with those cheap inks

 

Pilot Blue Black for 12 USD and a reasonable shipping, even if 200% is still not more expensive than Noodler's.

Edited July 9, 2020 by aurore

[khalameet]

I bought my 350 ml bottle of pilot BB off Amazon a few years ago for around $21 but I don't feel bad. 350 milliliters of such a nice ink, even at $21 or $24 dollars instead of $12, is still an amazing bargain.

 

Has anyone else noticed that Pilot shin kai, excuse me, I meant to say Namiki iroshizuku pilot shin kai, which is almost the exact same color as pilot blue black, and not even nearly as waterproof, costs twenty times the price of what Aurore pays for his pilot blue black?

 

Iroshizuku ink, such a brilliant marketing strategy.......

 

Edit to add: ok I'll admit the iroshizuku bottles are cute...

The Iroshizuku line is not marketed under the brand Namiki.

I don't know, Shin-Kai looks completely different to me. Much more complexity (the normal Blue Black is also really complex) and a more greyish hue to it...needs the right nib, but the purple in the normal blue black is definitely not there, but it has kind of a "floral" quality to it. I think Shin-Kai is one of the most interesting inks out there for everyday use.

 

Besides, I find that the Blue Black shows really good shading and hue in my finer nibs.

 

Edit: I still prefer the normal blue black, because of the good price and the fantastic overall qualities. Shin Kai can not compete here, sadly.

Edited July 9, 2020 by khalameet

[cellmatrix]

The Iroshizuku line is not marketed under the brand Namiki.

I don't know, Shin-Kai looks completely different to me. Much more complexity (the normal Blue Black is also really complex) and a more greyish hue to it...needs the right nib, but the purple in the normal blue black is definitely not there, but it has kind of a "floral" quality to it. I think Shin-Kai is one of the most interesting inks out there for everyday use.

 

Besides, I find that the Blue Black shows really good shading and hue in my finer nibs.

 

Edit: I still prefer the normal blue black, because of the good price and the fantastic overall qualities. Shin Kai can not compete here, sadly.

for some reason I thought Namiki was on packaging, I stand corrected thanks for pointing this out. I thought it was earlier but I could be totally wrong. I have used Shin Kai and I like it, its a nice ink. And when you do compare it next to pilot blue black, you do seem some very subtle differences. I guess the question is if its worth twenty times more, especially given you lose water resistance compared to pilot blue black. And I don't mean to be an ink basher, I do realize people can be passionate about their favorite inks.......

[PAKMAN]

Fun experiment! May have to try this myself!

[khalameet]

for some reason I thought Namiki was on packaging, I stand corrected thanks for pointing this out. I thought it was earlier but I could be totally wrong. I have used Shin Kai and I like it, its a nice ink. And when you do compare it next to pilot blue black, you do seem some very subtle differences. I guess the question is if its worth twenty times more, especially given you lose water resistance compared to pilot blue black. And I don't mean to be an ink basher, I do realize people can be passionate about their favorite inks.......

No worries, I didn't want to start an argument!

 

I really like both inks, but blue black gets more use as it is a real workhorse kind of ink.

Although I have to say, that (at least with my bottles) there are no subtle differences, the inks look completely different. I can not see similarities between them (other than that they are both called blue black).