Ink Review #2019: Pilot Iroshizuku Hotaru-bi

Last year Pilot came out with three new Iroshizuku inks so today let’s take a look at one of them-Hotaru-bi. You can find this ink for sale at Vanness Pens.

The color:

Hotaru-bi is a bright spring green.

*For my swab cards I use a Col-o-ring by Skylab Letterpress, a medium Pilot Ishime and a Mabie Todd Swan.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink has some nice shading.

Writing samples:

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

*For my writing samples I use:

• EF Pilot Vanishing Point

• F, M, B Pilot Ishime

• Vintage Mabie Todd Swan (flex nib)

• Rhodia Goalbook

• Taroko Enigma notebooks (68gsm TR)

• Leuchtturm A5

• Pen & Gear Paper from Walmart

Dry time: 20 seconds

Water resistance: Low

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

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

On 20 lb copy paper the ink had some feathering and some bleeding in all nib sizes.

Comparison Swabs:

Hotaru-bi is similar to Tono & Lims Hyogo: True Story. Click here to see the green inks together.

Longer writing:

I used a TWSBI Eco Glow Green with a broad nib on a Taroko Enigma notebook. The ink had an average flow.

Overall, the color is a bit bright for me, but it’s well-behaved.

Disclaimer: All photos and opinions are my own. This page does not contain affiliate links and this post is not sponsored.