Grail inks

[stevekolt]

Certain inks seem to have achieved "grail" status, such as Parker Penman Saphire. Why do you think the companies don't step up and offer these inks again? It would seem to be a smart business decision...

[Chrissy]

Parker don't offer any Penman inks anymore as they caused problems in their and other manufacturers' pens. However some manufacturer's have their own copy of "grail inks" like Parker Penman Sapphire.

As time passes, ink components move on and some that are no longer available have to be replaced. So old "grail inks" can't be reproduced, they can only be copied.

[BayesianPrior]

Hakase Real Sepia (Dark) is my grail ink. But to little old me, £1+/ml seems steep.

[inklord]

... my grail ink is always the next truly wondrous concoction someone comes up with. I'm looking forward to the R&K SketchInk series...

[Empty_of_Clouds]

[SIR]

Nice handwriting EOC... i'm thinking though maybe Sailor could surprise us by rereleasing the same or very similar ink under another name like Apricot and Kin-Mokusei?

[inklord]

... did you check Kobe inks? Like Kobe Brick Red? I don't really know how close they are, because I don't have any of the SRB, but the Kobe Brick Red is my go-to ink for a reddish brown in the Sailor line of inks...

[Scooby921]

Nice handwriting EOC... i'm thinking though maybe Sailor could surprise us by rereleasing the same or very similar ink under another name like Apricot and Kin-Mokusei?

Sailor did re-release Apricot. Now sure how readily available it is in GB, but Anderson Pens has it in stock in the USA. They also re-released Epinard and Grenade.

[Chrissy]

Nice handwriting EOC... i'm thinking though maybe Sailor could surprise us by rereleasing the same or very similar ink under another name like Apricot and Kin-Mokusei?

Sailor did re-release Apricot. Now sure how readily available it is in GB, but Anderson Pens has it in stock in the USA. They also re-released Epinard and Grenade.

Sailor's re-release of Apricot was for the US only.

Apricot and Kin Mokusei in their current formulations are identical enough as to make absolutely no difference anyway. So you may as well just buy the cheapest version you can get. I've also found the current versions of Souten and Sky High, and Epinard and Tokiwa matsu to be as identical as makes no difference. I don't have Oku yama because I have Grenade, so I can't comment on those two.

Manufacturers aren't stupid. They know that when people want a particular ink, how much it pays for them to re-release it.

Parker just can't do it with Penman inks though. The original components aren't available.

Montblanc have their inks made for them and yet they haven't felt the need to request the re-issue of Racing Green or Hitchcock. This seems a bit short-sighted on their part.

[Marsilius]

I guess my grail inks are those ones of which I have a bottle but no replacement in sight. Rikyu-cha returned, so good there. Love Ancient Copper so good there. Daniel Defoe is becoming a grail ink with each fill from the bottle. Never had Jonathan Swift so that would be a grail ink for me. But the true grail ink is that perfect mix of two colors than have never been made yet and that flows like manna from the bottle. I dream of a perfect mix of blue and green to look like the Atlantic Ocean, one that changes colors like the ocean does from the changes in the sky. Or a peacock teal or hummingbird that changes color as you look at it. I guess I want the perfect flowing ink that changes to whatever color you wish to see or feel: Sailor Jentle Mood Ring?

[stub]

Old formula Sailor Red Brown. What an ink. I would buy in 350ml bottles if I could.

The fact that there is only one ink on my list now just reflects that I am increasingly ink weary.

I could easily see myself going back to having a dozen inks or less.

My 2 favorite ink manufacturers both raised prices this year to boot.

Still pen crazy, but the ink explosion (Robert Oster has 37 new teal inks just this week i think), the over the top sparkles, the shrinking bottles, no thanks. I give up.

My last dozen inkings were all Sailor or Pilot Blue Black, Lamy Black and KWZ (I remain interested in them) Thief's Red (grading/markup).

I have about a dozen inks I just want to give away.

[Empty_of_Clouds]

[FredRydr]

Certain inks seem to have achieved "grail" status, such as Parker Penman Saphire. Why do you think the companies don't step up and offer these inks again? It would seem to be a smart business decision...

Perhaps to maintain exclusivity for future reissue. On the other hand, what our tiny group calls "grail" isn't necessarily synonymous with "profitable."