JetPens Blue Black Pen Sampler Review

One of the reasons I love stationery is that you don’t have to spend much to get something great. Whether it is a $2 pen or a $4 pad of paper, I promise you there are great products out there waiting to be discovered that are 10 times better than the junk found in your office supply cabinet.

If you are unsure how to get started finding your next favorite pen, JetPens offers up many sampler packs, like this Blue Black Pen Sampler. There are many sampler choices actually, but since I’m a blue black ink fan I wanted to see how well they put this one together.

Since this is a general color sampler, not an ink type specific sampler (like only gel ink pens), you get a good variety. Here is the lineup:

Pilot Hi-Tec-C Gel Pen - 0.4 mm - Blue Black

Pilot Hi-Tec-C Maica Gel Pen - 0.4 mm - Blue Black

Uni-ball Signo UM-151 Gel Pen - 0.38 mm - Blue Black

Zebra Sarasa Push Clip Gel Pen - 0.4 mm - Blue Black

Pilot Juice Gel Pen - 0.38 mm - Blue Black

Pilot FriXion Ball Slim Gel Pen - 0.38 mm - Blue Black

Morning Glory Mach 3 Rollerball Pen - 0.38 mm - Blue Black

Sakura Pigma Micron Pen - Size 05 - 0.45 mm - Blue Black

Platinum Preppy Fountain Pen - Blue Black - 03 Fine Nib

Pilot Petit1 Mini Fountain Pen - Blue Black - Fine Nib

For those playing at home, that is six gel ink pens, one liquid ink rollerball, one drawing pen, and two fountain pens. Let’s break these down into two groups for review: Gel and liquid.

The gel ink group has several of my Top 5 favorite pens. The Uni-ball Signo UM-151, aka the DX, is my number one gel ink pen, but not in blue black ink. I think Uni-ball’s blue black ink colors fall behind both Pilot and Zebra. The pen itself needs to be part of this group for its excellence, I just prefer other colors in it.

The two Pilot Hi-Tec-C models use identical refills with different barrels, and I prefer the simplicity of the original. The Maica isn’t bad, it’s more that i am used to and comfortable with the O.G. barrel. The Juice refill is awesome, but the barrel is just ok. The Sarasa Clip may be the best combination of everything in one individual pen. The FriXion model is cool to play with but I would prefer having the Ball Knock model instead of the Slim.

If I’m taking this specific ink color into consideration when ranking these pens, I choose the Zebra Sarasa Clip first, standard Pilot Hi-Tec-C second, Pilot Juice third, then everything else.

On the liquid ink side of the ledger there is much more variance in the style of pen. The Mach 3 Rollerball is awesome, and is perennially underrated. It’s a liquid ink pen, so there are more paper performance considerations than with gel ink pens. That said, it is a wonderful performer and a pen everyone should consider.

The Micron, while a traditional favorite of mine, is done no favors in this lineup. The 05 tip is too wide, and the blue black ink color is odd. Give me an 03 black Micron any day over this model.

The two fountain pens are great choices, with the Platinum Preppy reigning superior over the Pilot Petit. The Preppy is an all around great pen, while the Petit requires some sacrifices due to its size. It is cool though, and I see what it is included in this set.

Overall, I can’t really argue with anything JetPens has done here. If I were to take a stab at this set, I would make a few changes.

Out: Sakura Pigma Micron, In: Sakura Pigma Fine ESDK

Out: Pilot Hi-Tec-C Maica, In: Pilot Fude-Makase Color Brush Pen

Out: Pilot Petit1, In: Uni-ball Vision Elite Rollerball

I think with those changes this set is improved with more styles, more variance, and better pens.

Regardless, this set is excellent as it is currently set up, giving you a wide variety of blue black ink pens for an average cost of $2.60 per pen. It’s hard to beat when you are a fan of trying out new pens and new ink colors.

(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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Pilot Iroshizuku Murasaki-Shikibu Ink Review

(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)

I've tried out several different purple/violet inks over the years, and I'm always surprised by how much variation an ink can achieve in the purple hue. Dark purple, light purple, blue and gray notes, etc. I've always enjoyed using Waterman Tender Purple, but it's a bit bright and has some blue notes. Pilot Iroshizuku Murasaki-shikibu is a purple ink that I think hits a perfect balance of "purple" that works well when you want a standard purple ink to use in your pen.

Most of my previous experience with purple and violet inks is darker than what Murasaki-shikibu offers, and that's part of the delight I enjoy when using it. It's not so bright that it calls unnecessary attention, but it stands out enough to be fun. KWC Gummiberry is a fun ink, but it's also quite a bit darker than this Pilot. Sometimes, a solid standard purple is in the cards, and this is now one of my go-to inks for that purpose.

There is some noticeable shading in this ink, but it's not dramatic. In some cases, you have to search for it on the page. Obviously, the shading effect is more pronounced with a large or stub/italic nib, but it's fairly minor in a medium and smaller. Still, you'll notice shading in some spots, and it's pleasant. When using a larger stub or italic nib, the shading comes out easier, but it's still not dramatic compared to other inks in the Iroshizuku line.

The flow and performance of the ink is fantastic. Easy starts, no skipping, and very forgiving when you forget to cap the pen for a few minutes. The Monteverde I used for this review can sometimes lay down too much ink, but that wasn't a problem with the Murasaki-shikibu. I also used this in a notoriously dry EF Kaweco and had no issues with it. This ink produces very good flow.

Like the Chiku-rin I reviewed, I was really impressed (shocked) by the dry time of this ink. I tried several times and always came back to the 10-second mark consistently. That's an incredibly fast dry time for any fountain pen ink. This is definitely something you should consider if fast dry times are high on your list.

Feathering and bleeding are almost non-existent with this ink, although it does tend to show-through to the back of the page quite easily. This is to be expected for any medium or dark ink, so it's just another point of consideration. Probably not Field Notes friendly, but perfectly fine for thicker, more absorbent papers.

Purple inks aren't always in my rotation, but they continue to fascinate me. Everyone's brain is wired differently when it comes to color, and mine is naturally drawn to bright blues, rich blue greens, fiery oranges, and deep pinks. This purple hits the mark for me when it comes to the definition of purple in my head. It lays down a smooth, clean line and the color is light enough to pop, but still dark enough to produce rich pools of purple goodness. It's definitely worth a try if you're in the market for a solid purple.

Murasaki-shikibu is available in a standard 50ml bottle as well as a smaller 15ml bottle.

(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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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, which I am very grateful for.

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!

Pilot Iroshizuku Chiku-rin Ink Review

(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)

Spring is still a couple months away (at least), but that doesn't mean your ink has to be cold and gloomy. Iroshizuku chiku-rin is a cheery yellow-green ink that comes alive on paper. It's not an orthodox ink color to be sure, but it's delightful to say the least. No matter what's going on, this ink cheers me up.

The English version of chiku-rin is "bamboo forest," which fits this color perfectly. With a wetter nib, you get more saturation of the green, but in most of my pens, this lays down as a light green with yellow accents. If the nib is dry, however, it might be difficult to read your writing later on as the light yellow color doesn't contrast well to white paper. It's also probably safe to say that this ink isn't office friendly. Overall, it's a beautiful color that I love using.

The shading of chiku-rin is great. It's not as dramatic as some inks, but it provides a good range of color depth in most pens. Obviously, the larger the nib, the more variation, but this ink also shades well in smaller nibs due to the light color. I've also used this ink in a Pilot medium nib, and the shading behavior is just as great as with this 1.1mm stub in the review pictures.

I was shocked when I measured the dry time of this ink and found that it is consistently dry after about 8-10 seconds. This is something to consider if fast dry time is important to you. In the world of fountain pen inks, that's a rare dry time. Obviously, this will depend on the nib you're using and the size of the strokes, but for most non-specialty nibs that are medium or smaller, you can count on a quick dry time.

Like every Iroshizuku ink I've used, this ink flows well, has no issues starting, and is generally really well-behaved. It's easy to clean, lubricates the nib nicely, and performs consistently in a variety of nibs. Bleeding hasn't been an issue, but it would be difficult for me to see if there were small amounts due to the light color.

The ink shade is so light that show-through also isn't an issue. In standard Field Notes paper, there will be a fair amount of show-through, but in other fountain pen friendly papers, this won't be an issue. The only time I can see the ink on the opposite side of the page is if the paper is lit from behind.

I'm consistently pleased with every Iroshizuku ink I try, and chiku-rin is no different. With this ink line, you can expect great behavior and ink characteristics. The only real concern you have as a buyer is picking the colors you like. I'm not well-versed in the light green and yellow-green spectrum, but I really do enjoy using this ink fairly often. It goes great with cold, wet, wintery days, but it also looks great on a warm summer day. It's a happy color, and that's probably my favorite thing about it.

Chiku-rin is available in a standard 50ml bottle as well as a smaller 15ml bottle.

(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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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, which I am very grateful for.

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!