Pilot Iroshizuku

[ukpenman]

I'm considering buying my first bottle of Pilot Iroshizuku and wondered what fellow Geeks though of it? Here in the UK it retails for the price of a reasonable pen (£25) and twice the price of most other inks. Any thoughts on whether it's worth the high price?

[jar]

I like the ones I've tried, particularly Kon Peki

[Paul-H]

Is it worth it, Well it is made from the Urine of the rare Tibetan Yak that is three times cold filtered through the finest Golden Membrane filters and then bottled by the finest Virgins they could find. So probably yes

What its not, Its just dye and water then its probably not, if you are in the Uk stick with Diamine Inks

Paul

[Roefisher]

I got six of them and have tried two so far, Iroshizuku take-sumi (Bamboo Charcoal) and Iroshizuku yama-budo (Crimson Glory Vine). Both appear to be good quality and are easy to use with no bother. The colours are rich and impressive.

Maybe not everyone's reason to buy but I think the bottles are fantastic, too. I'm very pleased and happy to have them.

All part of bringing a bit of fun and enjoyment to writing.

Mark

[KrazyIvan]

I am up to three bottles of their inks and enjoy them.

[Laura N]

I really like these inks, finding them consistently well-behaved and easy to clean out of my pens. The Iroshizuku colors I have kept are more unusual, and I haven't found substitutes. Because I am not heavy user of any one ink, a bottle lasts me years. So I find them "worth it" for me. Whether it's worth it for anyone else probably depends on budget, rate of ink usage and how much she or he likes a particular color.

Some people have an axe to grind against anything that's expensive. While others pump up anything expensive, thinking it must be better. I'd say the truth lies somewhere in between.

[tiffanyhenschel]

There are other inks that have colors just as beautiful, and there are other inks that perform just as well across multiple kinds of paper with various nibs, but Iroshizuku combines these properties into ink that is beautiful to look at and performs flawlessly. It is worth the cost for me.

[AndyT]

Iroshizuku is no longer the most expensive ink on sale in the UK (congratulations, Caran d'Ache); all the same it comes in at seven times the price of Diamine and more than two and a half times that of Montblanc.

Now, I don't have "an axe to grind against anything that's expensive", but is it likely that I'd come out of a deal like that without feeling that I'd been mugged? Really? For that reason, and because I have far too many very nice inks already, I'll pass.

[Laura N]

Iroshizuku is no longer the most expensive ink on sale in the UK (congratulations, Caran d'Ache); all the same it comes in at seven times the price of Diamine and more than two and a half times that of Montblanc.

Now, I don't have "an axe to grind against anything that's expensive", but is it likely that I'd come out of a deal like that without feeling that I'd been mugged? Really? For that reason, and because I have far too many very nice inks already, I'll pass.

I certainly wasn't speaking to you. Nor to anyone who chooses differently than I. That's nowhere in anything I wrote or intended. Apologies that it didn't come across.

Let me clarify what I meant. We all sensibly refrain from buying things that don't fit our budget. But I grow tired of people (not you) who dismiss any product categorically as unworthy, either because it's "too expensive" (thus only for snobs or the deluded) or "too cheap" (i.e., only for the undiscriminating). For reference, read nearly any thread on FPN about either Montblanc or the Lamy Safari. Perhaps a Yak urine joke brought that to mind.

However, I guess I don't understand how could one feel mugged by voluntarily choosing to purchase something that may be over-priced? One might feel foolish or wasteful, and believe me I have, though not with these inks. Perhaps this is just an instance of the gulf between British versus American English, where mugging is a crime of violence to deprive a victim of property.

[MisterBoll]

If I could only use one brand of ink - this would be it.

[View from the Loft]

I have tried a few sameples of various of these inks, and all of these have been pleasant to use, nice colours, low maintenance - certainly nothing to put me off.

However, given the amount of ink that we go through in this family with five of using fountain pens, these inks just don't fit our ink budget.

Really, it comes down to "use what is the right ink for you".

[dr.grace]

I've bought several from the series and love them. They behave well and have some degree of water-resistance. I especially like how inks from this series usually make up a nice color scheme when used together. And the bottles line up nicely on the shelf.

[AndyT]

I certainly wasn't speaking to you. Nor to anyone who chooses differently than I. That's nowhere in anything I wrote or intended. Apologies that it didn't come across.

Oh heavens Laura, I only quoted you because you put it rather well! Absolutely no apologies needed.

Yes, there probably is a linguistic nuance at work, come to think of it - although the American usage is current in England there's also the expression to be "taken for a mug" or to be a "mug punter" which is more what I had in mind. Meaning essentially that one winds up feeling foolish, exactly as you say. I think we all come to our own decisions about how much we're prepared to pay, and a quick look in my drawer full of ink makes me feel like a spendthrift already.

[Robert]

I now have seven (7) of the Iroshizuku inks, and they are uniformly of high quality and very well behaved. My favorite of the lot is Take-sumi (a/k/a Bamboo Charcoal), which is a lovely black with (to my old eyes) the very slightest hint of silver and, in certain light, dark brown. I am also partial to Yama-guri (a/k/a Chestnut), which is a very rich brown.

[Goldfish]

I love Tsukiyo - no substitute for it. Just got a sample vial of Kujaku, might get it after trying Diamine Eau de Nil. I also have a bottle of Ajisai but the color is not my favorite....

[jfsisler]

I bought my first bottle a couple of weeks ago - Murasaki Shikibu for my new purple dew Edison Beaumont. Sadly I couldn't wait long enough to get my Edison before I opened it, so I inked up my TWISBI 580, and I have to say I'm impressed. The TWISBI nib can be a bit scratchy at times, but with the Iroshizuku ink it seems to write better. It could just be me, but I think it lubricates this pen better, and the color is certainly nice and saturated. I'd say go for it. There's nothing wrong with a little splurge once in a while.

[cwent2]

The price of the ink is one thing - but shipping on top of that I can't swallow. Did I mention I hate the cost of shipping. Shipping is like dishes, laundry and garbage, never ending! And an after thought taxes!

[dr.grace]

The prices from Amazon are pretty good, and if you're an Amazon Prime member, shipping is not really an issue.

[fncll]

I'm into the inexpensive side of things, generally, but based on the performance and hue of a couple of samples <shakes fist in the direction of Goulet Pens> I just sprang for two bottles. So, I'd say it's worth it...

[The Good Captain]

I just have the one bottle - Kon Peki. I'ts very similar to Diamine Asa Blue or Mediterranean Blue. However, a friend brought it back from Japan so I only paid what he did - £10.00. THAT was worth it. I shall stick to Diamines.