Ink Review #1067: Kyo-iro Soft Snow of Ohara

Today’s ink is Kyo-iro 02 Soft Snow of Ohara. This ink has been on my radar for a while, I’ve just never tried it before. Thanks to the reader that sent this ink in! You can find this ink for sale at most retailers including Pen Chalet.

The color:

Soft Snow is a dark, moody purple.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper there’s a small bit of black sheen.

Writing samples:

Let's take a look at how the ink behaves on fountain pen friendly papers: Rhodia, Tomoe River, and Leuchtturm.

Dry time: 30 seconds

Water resistance: Low

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

Other properties: medium shading, tiny sheen, and no shimmer.

On Staples 24 lb copy paper there was some feathering but no bleeding.

Comparison Swabs:

Soft Snow is less saturated than Sailor Jentle Shigure, and a bit more blue than Diamine Lilac Night. Click here to see the Kyoto inks together, and click here to see the purple inks together.

Longer writing:

I used a Pelikan M805 Stresemann with a medium nib on a Yoseka A5 notebook. The ink had a super dry flow, but with the Pelikan medium nib it did fine.

Overall, I like the color and shading but it is really dry. If I used this ink again I would add a drop of ink additive like White Lightning so it flows a bit better.

Disclaimer: A sample of this ink was provided by a reader. All photos and opinions are my own. This page does contain affiliate links but this post is not sponsored in any way.

Ink Review #1066: Platinum Carbon Black

A reader recently sent me a sample of Platinum Carbon Black to try, and after trying it a few times I fell in love and ordered a full bottle. I have no idea how I’ve never tried this ink before. This pigmented ink comes in 60ml glass bottles. Thanks to the reader that sent this ink in!

The color:

Carbon Black is a great classic, neutral black.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink is shiny, but I wouldn’t call it sheen.

Writing samples:

Let's take a look at how the ink behaves on fountain pen friendly papers: Rhodia, Tomoe River, and Leuchtturm.

Dry time: 60 seconds

Water resistance: High

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: Low-just a touch of bleeding on Leuchtturm paper.

Other properties: no shading, no sheen, and no shimmer.

On Staples 24 lb copy paper there was feathering in all nib sizes as well as some bleeding.

Comparison Swabs:

Carbon Black is a similar color to a lot of other black inks, including Sailor Kiwa-guro and Colorverse Sunspot. Click here to see the Platinum inks together.

Longer writing:

I used a Pilot Vanishing Point Crossed Lines with a medium nib on a Yoseka A5 notebook. The ink had a wetter than average flow.

Overall, this ink does take a long time to dry, but it doesn't budge when exposed to water. The downside to the pigment-base is that it can be hard to clean out 100%. Once I used it in each of the nib sizes for the writing samples, I cleaned them all out and filled them with another ink, but it still felt a bit wrong-like it was a bit gritty and dry. I re-washed them all and then it was fine again. I would probably devote a pen to this ink, and use it whenever I need a water-resistant ink. As long as I used the pen at least once a week I didn’t have any clogging issues. It has a nice wet flow and provides a great writing experience.

Disclaimer: A sample of this ink was provided by a reader. All photos and opinions are my own. This page does contain affiliate links but this post is not sponsored in any way.

Ink Review #1065: Papier Plume All Saints Daybreak

Pen show exclusive inks can be hit or miss for me but occasionally there’s an ink I kick myself for missing out on. I saw some pictures online of the 2019 Ohio Pen Show exclusive ink, Papier Plume All Saints Daybreak and knew I wanted to get my hands on a bottle. Luckily Papier Plume had some on their website right after the show and I immediately ordered one. In the past I’ve really enjoyed their show exclusive inks. This ink is out of stock now, so let’s look at some alternate options.

The color:

All Saints Daybreak is a medium blue black.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper there’s some interesting shading.

Writing samples:

Let's take a look at how the ink behaves on fountain pen friendly papers: Rhodia, Tomoe River, and Leuchtturm.

Dry time: 20 seconds

Water resistance: Low

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

Other properties: medium shading, no sheen, and no shimmer.

On Staples 24 lb copy paper there was some feathering and a bit of bleeding.

Comparison Swabs:

All Saints Daybreak is a bit bluer than Sailor Blue Black and Lamy Benitoite, but isn’t quite as blue as Colorvere Mariner 4. Click here to see the Papier Plume inks together.

Longer writing:

I used a Franklin-Christoph 46 Diamondcast Blue with a broad nib on a Yoseka A5 notebook. The ink had an average flow.

Overall, I really like this ink. It’s well behaved with some nice shading. I think Lamy Benitoite is the closest alternate ink.

Disclaimer: I purchased this ink myself, and all photos and opinions are my own. This page does not contain affiliate links and this post is not sponsored in any way.

Ink Review #1064: Pilot Iroshizuku Tsuki-yo

I’ve almost made it through all of the Pilot Iroshizuku inks, so let’s take a look at Pilot Iroshizuku Tsuki-yo (aka Moonlight) today. A reader was very kind and sent me a sample so I could review it, but you can find this ink for sale at most retailers, including Pen Chalet.

The color:

Tsuki-yo is a dark professional blue.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink has a small pop of red sheen.

Writing samples:

Let's take a look at how the ink behaves on fountain pen friendly papers: Rhodia, Tomoe River, and Leuchtturm.

Dry time: 30 seconds

Water resistance: Low

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

Other properties: medium shading, tiny sheen, and no shimmer. The sheen is only visible in large swabs on Tomoe River paper.

On Staples 24 lb copy paper there was some feathering and a bit of bleeding.

Comparison Swabs:

Tsuki-yo is a little bit darker than Sailor Ink Studio 640. Click here to see the Pilot inks together, and click here to see the blue inks together.

Longer writing:

I used a Visconti Homo Sapiens Bronze Age with a medium nib on a Yoseka A5 notebook. The ink had a wet flow, and this nib is very wet on its own, so together they create a river of ink, so there’s less shading with this combo than you would see with a more average nib.

Overall, I like this ink. It has a nice wet flow and a great classic blue color.

Disclaimer: This ink was provided by a reader for the purpose of this review. All photos and opinions are my own. This page does contain affiliate links, but this post is not sponsored in any way.

Tono & Lims Earth Contact SE

Tono & Lims Earth Contact SE series currently contains 5 shimmer inks. Today we are going to look at the first two: Burma Tourmaline and Phosphophyllite. Thanks to Shigure Inks for sending a sample over for review!

Color:

Phosphophyllite is a pale teal with silver shimmer and Burma Tourmaline is a pale pink with gold shimmer.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper you can see plenty of shimmer. Phosphophyllite has a much finer shimmer than the other.

Writing samples:

Let's take a look at how the ink behaves on fountain pen friendly papers: Rhodia, Tomoe River, and Leuchtturm.

Dry time: 20 seconds

Water resistance: Low

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

Other properties: medium shading, no sheen, and gold/silver shimmer.

On Staples 24 lb copy paper there was some feathering and a bit of bleeding.

Comparison Swabs:

Burma Tourmaline is similar to Vinta Pastel Pink Julia 1991 but darker. Phosphophyllite is similar to Diamine Spearmint Diva but much lighter. Click here to see the Tono & Lims inks together.

Longer writing:

I used a Platinum 3776 Nice with a broad architect nib and a Pelikan M400 White Tortoise with a medium nib on a Yoseka A5 notebook. The inks had a slightly dry flow.

Overall, Burma Tourmaline isn’t my favorite-I don’t love gold shimmer, I prefer silver, but other than that it’s rather well behaved. Phosphophyllite is a little on the pale side, but the shimmer is super fine and flows pretty well for a shimmer ink.

Disclaimer: This ink was provided by Shigure Inks for the purpose of this review. All photos and opinions are my own. This page does not contain affiliate links, and this post is not sponsored in any way.

Ink Review #1061: Tono & Lims Aldebaran

We have two more Tono & Lims reviews this week before we move onto something else for a while. Today’s ink is from the Tono & Lims Star Light SE collection, Aldebaran. This ink is fluorescent which is totally out of my comfort zone. I decided to review this one like I would any other, and if you like fluorescent inks, this ink is for you. Thanks to Shigure Inks for sending a sample over for review!

The color:

Aldebaran is a very pale peachy pink. This ink changes a lot as it dries-it goes down pink and dries to a very pale orange.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink looks more pink.

Writing samples:

Let's take a look at how the ink behaves on fountain pen friendly papers: Rhodia, Tomoe River, and Leuchtturm.

Dry time: 20 seconds

Water resistance: Low

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

Other properties: medium shading, no sheen, and no shimmer.

On Staples 24 lb copy paper there was some feathering and a bit of bleeding.

Comparison Swabs:

Aldebaran is in-between J Herbin Rouille d’ancre and Sailor Ink Studio 173. The J Herbin is too pink, the sailor is too orange. Click here to see the Tono & Lims inks together, and click here to see the orange inks together.

Longer writing:

I used a Franklin-Christoph 45L in Italian ice with a medium nib on a Yoseka A5 notebook. The ink had a dry flow. There’s not a lot of lubrication to it, and with the dry flow I hated this ink by the end of the page.

Overall, I don’t like this ink. It’s a good option if you need fluorescence, but if you don’t I would skip this one. The flow is just too dry, it’s very pale and hard to read.

Disclaimer: This ink was provided by Shigure Inks for the purpose of this review. All photos and opinions are my own. This page does not contain affiliate links, and this post is not sponsored in any way.

Tono & Lims Baby Color SE Inks

Let’s take a look at four inks from the Tono & Lims Baby Color SE collection: Beside U, Shine Muscat, Bleu Macaron and Forgetting U. These inks come in square 30ml glass bottles. Thanks to Shigure Inks for sending samples over for review!

Swabs:

Left to right: Forgetting U, Bleu Macaron, Shine Muscat and Beside U.

Writing samples:

Let's take a look at how the ink behaves on fountain pen friendly papers: Rhodia, Tomoe River, and Leuchtturm.

Water resistance: Low

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

Other properties: very low shading, no sheen, and no shimmer.

On Staples 24 lb copy paper there was lots of feathering in every nib size as well as a little bleeding.

Comparison Swabs:

Forgetting U is less saturated than Robert Oster Grey Seas. Bleu Macaron is lighter than Diamine Soft Mint but darker than Lennon Tool Bar Qiancong. Shine Muscat is lighter than both Diamine Jade Green and Birmingham Parrot. Beside U is lighter and less saturated than Sailor Ink Studio 173.

I used an A5 Yoseka notebook. All of the inks had a slightly dry flow.

Overall, these inks fit in the pastel style that’s really popular right now. Out of these 4 I actually like Beside U the best, which surprised me. It’s more unique than the others, and was easily read in a medium nib.

Disclaimer: These inks were provided by Shigure Inks for the purpose of this review. All photos and opinions are my own. This page does not contain affiliate links, and is not sponsored in any way.

Tono & Lims Adult Night SE Inks

We have a few more days of Tono & Lims ink reviews before we move onto something new. Today we are taking a crack at the Adult Night Special Edition inks: Coffee: Brazilian Chocolate, Kola Nuts and Dynamite. Thanks to Shigure Inks for sending samples over for review! Coffee is supposed to smell like roasted coffee. I don’t like the smell of coffee so I don’t know how accurate the smell is. Kola Nuts is designed to smell like Coke.

Swabs:

Left to right: Coffee: Brazilian Chocolate, Kola Nuts and Dynamite.

Writing samples:

Let's take a look at how the ink behaves on fountain pen friendly papers: Rhodia, Tomoe River, and Leuchtturm.

Water resistance: Low

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: Low-Dynamite had a bit of bleeding on Leuchtturm paper.

Other properties: medium shading, no sheen, and no shimmer.

On Staples 24 lb copy paper there was lots of feathering in every nib size as well as a little bleeding.

Comparison Swabs:

Coffee: Brazilian Chocolate is similar to Birmingham Root Beer, Kola Nuts is more saturated than Private Reserve Copper Burst and Birmingham Persian Copper, and Dynamite is in-between J Herbin Bleu des Profondeurs and Robert Oster Great Southern Ocean. Click here to see the Tono & Lims inks together.

I used Pilot Vanishing Points and an A5 Yoseka notebook. All of the inks had weird sticky consistencies. Kola Nuts was the worst consistency-it dried to a shine finish, not quite sheen but a bit greasy looking. All three smeared after drying, but again Kola Nuts was the worst.

Overall, I wouldn’t recommend any of these inks. The consistency is a bit off which made for a weird writing experience, and they all are prone to smearing. I’m not a fan.

Disclaimer: These inks were provided by Shigure Inks for the purpose of this review. All photos and opinions are my own. This page does not contain affiliate links, and is not sponsored in any way.

Ink Review #1053: Tono & Lims Strawberry Ice

Tono & Lims Strawberry Ice is from the Special Edition collection. Thanks to Shigure Inks for sending a sample over for review!

The color:

Strawberry Ice is a pale pink, almost a peachy color.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper there is some shading.

Writing samples:

Let's take a look at how the ink behaves on fountain pen friendly papers: Rhodia, Tomoe River, and Leuchtturm.

Dry time: 20 seconds

Water resistance: Low

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

Other properties: medium shading, no sheen, and no shimmer.

On Staples 24 lb copy paper there was some feathering and a bit of bleeding.

Comparison Swabs:

Strawberry Ice is a bit more vibrant than J Herbin Rouille d’Ancre. Click here to see the Tono & Lims inks together, and click here to see the pink inks together.

Longer writing:

I used a Sailor Pro Gear Slim Supernova with a broad nib on a Yoseka A5 notebook. The ink had a very dry flow. I started out writing in cursive but it was so dry I hated it and switched to printing. The flow was a tiny bit better with printing since you pick up the nib more often, but it was still very dry.

Overall, I find the color of this ink interesting but it is rather pale and hard to read, and I can’t get over the super dry flow. It could use an ink additive to improve the flow.

Disclaimer: This ink was provided by Shigure Inks for the purpose of this review. All photos and opinions are my own. This page does not contain affiliate links, and this post is not sponsored in any way.

Tono & Lims Sakura Inks, Part 2

Today we are looking at six more inks from the Tono & Lims Sakura collection: Kagawa: Peaceful Time, Miyagi: Tender Heart, Akita: Expectations, Fukushima: Unshaken Conviction, Hyogo: True Story and Yamanashi: Wind of Sakura. These inks come in square 30ml glass bottles. Thanks to Shigure Inks for sending samples over for review!

Swabs:

Left to right: Kagawa, Miyagi, Akita, Fukushima, Hyogo and Yamanashi.

Writing samples:

Let's take a look at how the ink behaves on fountain pen friendly papers: Rhodia, Tomoe River, and Leuchtturm.

Water resistance: Low

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

Other properties: low to medium shading, no sheen, and no shimmer.

On Staples 24 lb copy paper there was lots of feathering in every nib size as well as a little bleeding.

Comparison Swabs:

Kagawa and Miyagi are both pretty close to each other, Kagawa is just a little less saturated. Akita is a little bit darker than Sailor 160. Fukushima is more saturated than Lennon Tool Bar Firmament.

Hyogo is a little bit darker than PenBBS 133. Yamanashi is just a touch lighter than Birmingham Snowflake.

I used an A5 Yoseka notebook. All of the inks had an average flow.

Overall, out of these six inks Akita is my favorite- I love the minty color. Hyogo is too yellow-green, I’m just not a fan of the color. Yamanashi is a bit pale in the lighter part of the shading-can be hard to read sometimes so I don’t think I would buy a full bottle of it. Kagawa and Miyagi are both pretty close to each other, I don’t think you need both.

Disclaimer: These inks were provided by Shigure Inks for the purpose of this review. All photos and opinions are my own. This page does not contain affiliate links, and is not sponsored in any way.