Sailor Ink Studio fountain pen inks have been all the rage since the first pictures of the 100 inks in this collection hit the internet. The premise of this collection is to feature the 100 favorite inks from Sailor’s in-shop Ink Studio events, where customers were allowed to mix their own colors. According to Sailor, this final group was narrowed down from over 20,000 (!) creations.
Image via Sailor Japan.
And you think you have an ink problem?
I had been wanting to try out these inks myself, but aside from a few samples I had been given, I didn’t put in the effort to track them down. There was nothing I saw that felt must-have, but seeing that Sailor is my favorite ink brand, I knew I would dive in head first when the opportunity presented itself.
Opportunity to all in the US market came this summer, as these inks made their way into retailers hands. But there was a catch to ordering: You could not buy them online. Why the silly restriction? Your guess is as good as mine. So, you had to buy them in person at a shop or pen show, or call a retailer to place an order over the phone.
Fortunately, that restriction has been recently lifted, as you can now order Sailor Ink Studio inks online.
I bought mine in person on my recent visit to Dromgoole’s, where I went in with a list based on samples provided by Macchiato Man and Mountain of Ink, each of who swabbed all 100 colors. Pictures on a screen may never do inks justice, but I figured this was as good of a starting point as any.
My eyes trained on five colors:
450 - A dark/dusty purple.
731 - A hot pink with sheen.
767 - A yellowish green.
773 - A bright orange.
941 - A blue black with a slight teal undertone.
4 of the 5 came home with me, with 731 the only not available during my visit. All of these color choices are within my realm of likes, with no real outliers, like the hugely popular Sailor Ink Studio 123.
I plan on testing all of these inks out eventually, but 941 was the easy first choice. Not only is it part of one of my favorite color groups, it is a very close match to the Sailor 1911 4 a.m. fountain pen I purchased on the same trip. Matchy matchy!
After a couple of weeks of use, I am very happy with the color and the performance. It’s a bit darker than I thought prior to seeing it in person, but not too dark to where you can’t tell the character of the ink. Lighter, brighter hues pop out on thinner lines, and it has a nice, dark red, sheen when dry. For a blue black ink, I find it quite fun.
Not that I would expect anything different, but standard Sailor ink properties apply, with good flow, lubrication, saturation, and a moderate dry time. They are also expensive, checking in at $18 for a 20 ml bottle. That may sound cheap, but it’s not, considering you can get 50 ml of the equally as great Pilot Iroshizuku for $20.
I went simple and straightforward with my initial choices, and while I am happy with them, I think next time I will experiment more and try some of the outlier inks that have made the Sailor Ink Studio lineup so popular.
(I bought this ink at a discount from Dromgoole's.)
Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, for which I am very grateful.
Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!
