Ink Review #808: Sailor Jentle Chu-shu

Sailor Jentle Chu-shu, aka Mid Autumn, is another one of those inks I’ve had in my drawer for a long time but never spent much time with. I purchased my bottle on Amazon a few years ago, shortly after I discovered fountain pens. Since then, this ink has switched from the squat 50ml bottle I have to the square 20ml bottle. Amazon still has the 50ml bottle, but most retailers have sold out of them and switched over to the smaller bottle.

The color:

Chu-shu is a dark grey that strongly leans toward purple.

Swabs:

In large swabs the ink looks more purple than grey.

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: Medium-some of the ink washed away, but you might still be able to read it.

Feathering: Low-there was a little bit of feathering on Leuchtturm paper.

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

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

On Staples 24 lb copy paper the ink feathered and bled in all nib sizes.

Comparison Swabs:

Chu-shu is similar to Diamine Earl Grey, but it has a stronger purple tone to it. Click here to see the Sailor inks together, click here to see the grey inks together.

Longer Writing:

I used a Pilot Custom 823 in Smoke with a broad nib on Tomoe River paper. The ink had a wet flow.

Overall, I really enjoy this ink. I like the purple tone more than I thought I would, it has a nice wet flow and the little bit of shading is a nice bonus. Now that I’ve spent some time with it, I will reach for it more often.

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