Platinum Carbon or Sailor Nano?

[Cookies]

Well, the title says it all. For those who have tried both inks, which do you prefer? Or if you've only tried one, what do you think of it?

[mhosea]

I have not tried Platinum Carbon, though my Platinum 3776 Chartres Blue came with a sample of Platinum Pigment Blue. In theory this would be most comparable to Sailor Kiwa Guro. They are a lot different. The pigment particles in the Platinum ink settle over time, whereas the particles in Sei Boku and Kiwa Guro do not, no doubt owing to the latter being much finer. The implication to my thinking is that Sei Boku is a lot less likely to clog if I leave it inked in a pen and undisturbed for awhile. Now it might be that Platinum Carbon Black has a lot finer particles than Platinum Pigment Blue, but there you have it. That's all I know. Personally, I was somewhat off-put by the degree of settling in the pigment blue, so I plan to avoid those inks. I use Sailor Kiwa Guro and Sei Boku, both of which I like a lot. Sei Boku is not all that great on cheap paper, but Kiwa Guro is quite resistant to bleed-through. Only thing is that there is a love-it-or-hate-it graphite sheen to it, so unless the lighting is coming from behind you, it won't appear jet black. However, when I examine the lines under magnification, they seem opaque--this is not the gray that comes from "shading" with black inks that don't cover all that well.

[reprieve]

I haven't tried Sailor Kiwa-guro (yet), but I do have a bottle of Platinum Carbon Blue along with several boxes of cartridges. Carbon Blue is the only ink I use in my Platinum 3776 Chartres Blue and my solid blue Pelikan M605. I love the vivid color, I love the velvety feel that the ink produces between nib and paper. It dries quickly even on Rhodia and, of course, has permanence. I haven't had any issues with clogging or settling in the pen, but I don't leave them unused for long periods of time. I do shake the bottle before filling, but once it's in the pen and in use it doesn't appear to separate out.

This thread reminds me that I have been meaning to try Sailor Nano Blue-black. It looks like a very pretty teal.

[Laura N]

I have used both black inks, in cartridges, with the inexpensive desk pens sold by Jetpens here and here. Both sets are excellent, and the price is a steal.

In bottle form I use the Sailor nano blue black ink, and I really like it. It does require more attention to maintenance than normal inks.

[Cookies]

I have used both black inks, in cartridges, with the inexpensive desk pens sold by Jetpens here and here. Both sets are excellent, and the price is a steal.

In bottle form I use the Sailor nano blue black ink, and I really like it. It does require more attention to maintenance than normal inks.

That's actually why I want to know. Both pens seem pretty similar and reviews are positive so I thought I would let the ink be the deciding factor. Thanks for the input. I like Sei-Boku as well, though it's pricey so I haven't splurged for a full bottle yet.

[Cookies]

I haven't tried Sailor Kiwa-guro (yet), but I do have a bottle of Platinum Carbon Blue along with several boxes of cartridges. Carbon Blue is the only ink I use in my Platinum 3776 Chartres Blue and my solid blue Pelikan M605. I love the vivid color, I love the velvety feel that the ink produces between nib and paper. It dries quickly even on Rhodia and, of course, has permanence. I haven't had any issues with clogging or settling in the pen, but I don't leave them unused for long periods of time. I do shake the bottle before filling, but once it's in the pen and in use it doesn't appear to separate out.

This thread reminds me that I have been meaning to try Sailor Nano Blue-black. It looks like a very pretty teal.

The Sailor Nano blue-black is a beautiful color, I definitely recommend trying a sample. Nice shading in flex pens too.

[Cookies]

I have not tried Platinum Carbon, though my Platinum 3776 Chartres Blue came with a sample of Platinum Pigment Blue. In theory this would be most comparable to Sailor Kiwa Guro. They are a lot different. The pigment particles in the Platinum ink settle over time, whereas the particles in Sei Boku and Kiwa Guro do not, no doubt owing to the latter being much finer. The implication to my thinking is that Sei Boku is a lot less likely to clog if I leave it inked in a pen and undisturbed for awhile. Now it might be that Platinum Carbon Black has a lot finer particles than Platinum Pigment Blue, but there you have it. That's all I know. Personally, I was somewhat off-put by the degree of settling in the pigment blue, so I plan to avoid those inks. I use Sailor Kiwa Guro and Sei Boku, both of which I like a lot. Sei Boku is not all that great on cheap paper, but Kiwa Guro is quite resistant to bleed-through. Only thing is that there is a love-it-or-hate-it graphite sheen to it, so unless the lighting is coming from behind you, it won't appear jet black. However, when I examine the lines under magnification, they seem opaque--this is not the gray that comes from "shading" with black inks that don't cover all that well.

Thanks for the input. I happen to be a sucker for sheen, so it's definitely a +1 in my book.

[Laura N]

Are you going to write with the pen or draw with it? An artist I knew preferred the Platinum ink for his work, but I can't remember the details. As far as writing with them, there wasn't any difference I can recall. If I had to choose, I might pick the Sailor desk pen just because I could use the Sailor nano blue black ink in cartridges. But both take converters, I'm fairly certain. Oh, the Sailor nib might interchange with the other cheap steel nib Sailor fountain pens that Jetpens sells. That is an idea worth checking out, possibly.

I don't think you'd be unhappy with either one.

[Cookies]

Are you going to write with the pen or draw with it? An artist I knew preferred the Platinum ink for his work, but I can't remember the details. As far as writing with them, there wasn't any difference I can recall. If I had to choose, I might pick the Sailor desk pen just because I could use the Sailor nano blue black ink in cartridges. But both take converters, I'm fairly certain. Oh, the Sailor nib might interchange with the other cheap steel nib Sailor fountain pens that Jetpens sells. That is an idea worth checking out, possibly.

I don't think you'd be unhappy with either one.

A little bit of both. Mainly I thought I could stick it in my brush wrap and take it with me for watercolor drawing on hikes. My only other xxfs are custom and I wouldn't want to drop/loose them in the woods. I think you're right, either will probably work for me needs.

[bleunuitguy]

I prefer the Sailor Nano a bit better myself. The black is the most luxurious black I have found. Smooth and rich writing feel and dark black - it has a different look than dye inks. I find myself in agreement with mhosea above about why I prefer the Sailor better.

[Cookies]

Thanks everyone. I think maybe I'll get samples of the inks to help me decide. I usually don't use cartridges but I think they're practical for this application. And I found a Pilot desk pen to consider as well.

[reprieve]

I am trying out Sailor Nano Blue-black for the first time. I really, really like it. I've been using Platinum Carbon Blue, which is also a lovely ink, but the Sailor Nano has a nice velvety feel and lots of shading. It looks slightly matte on the page and is very sheen-y. While Platinum Carbon Blue is a bright, eye-catching color, Sailor Nano Blue-black is a more professional teal that has a lot of depth and subtlety. I've not had clogging or start-up problems with either ink. Platinum Carbon Blue has lived in my Platinum 3776 for several months now while Sailor Nano Blue-black has been in my TWSBI Mini for almost a week (so far so good). I'm not sure which ink I prefer, but I have a feeling that Sailor Nano will end up being a staple in my inky rotation.

[Laura N]

I love Sailor Nano Blue Black. It is a high maintenance ink, for sure, but not worse than many of the Noodler's bulletproofs. It's a really beautiful ink. I agree that it's much more distinctive than Platinum's blue counterpart.

For me, though, the two blacks are pretty similar -- very dark and velvety, and of course permanent. I only use those in the desk pens, since my normal black is J. Herbin Perle Noire.

[Goldfish]

I have both Sailor Sei-boku and Platinum Pigment Blue. I prefer Sailor because of its slightly teal blue color and shading. It replaced Noodler's Legal Lapis as my daily writing ink. As others have mentioned I noticed Platinum blue won't come out as easily as Seiboku if I don't use it for a few days. I don't use black ink and haven't tried either one but as far as blue pigment ink I vote for Sailor.

[Cookies]

I ended up buying the Sailor pen, and while I love the ink (super black, silky smooth) I was a bit disappointed with the nib. It comes across more like a Japanese fine than an extra fine. It's very smooth, but just a bit wider than I was expecting.