Pilot (Namiki) is a quality brand. They've been around for as long as I can remember. I remember pens that with no maintenance would write decades later when found in a drawer, with not much of a hard start. My work horse ink is the Iroshizuku Ku-Jaku, which has a lovely shading to it, runs wet but dries immediately.
everything Pilot seems to be underrated lol... they are by far the best Pen Ink Company in my opinion... just the 823 and Vanishing Point are enough to make Pilot the best there is
I have the Pilot standard inks and recently got a Pelikan 4001 Royal Blue, and I have tested both with my Faber Castell Loom with fine nib, and I found the Pilot inks actually have better lubrication compared to the Pelikan. It is a very subtle difference though but the Pilot inks actually feels smoother than the Pelikan. Not to mention the Pilot is actually the cheaper ink.
My favourite is the blue, not the blue black. Instead of buying the black, I purchased a bottle of Iroshizuku black. Excellent line of inks. You can’t go wrong with a Pilot or Waterman ink! Well behaved.👍
I've been examining inks for use against watercolors and I discovered that the Pilot black bundled with Kakuno pens produces nice results when brushed. I also tried the Pilot Varsity pen inks which are pretty watery and dissolve on contact, so I probably won't use them much for art, but I can see myself using a mix of the Pilot black and other inks to produce strong lines against gradient washes.
You’ve helped my leaps and bounds with this video you have no idea...... you’ve even help me find a nice green ink that’s just right in terms of color hue. THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!
Pilot inks are available in retail at Maido, a Japanese stationery store on the west coast. I buy mine at Maido, Costa Mesa, but they're available in the Japantown, San Francisco shop as well. Thanks for the review!
I love pilot fountain pens a lot , the one of best thing about these pens is we can easily dismantle and clean it properly then again assemble. Within just 1 min pens again starts writing , pilot is really awesome company and there inks are also best: )
I chanced across a 350ml bottle of Pilot blue/black, as you mentioned, for a ridiculously low cost. That one might now become my cheap generic ink, maybe even usurping the throne from trusty old Quink.
@@benjamenYTDeadTheGamer I've barely used any of it yet. I drew out some into an old Mont Blanc shoe-style bottle for easier access, filling periodically from that, and that is still almost full.
@@bikkies Sorry to bother you again, but I forgot to ask in my original reply; does blue/black (and black if you have it) feather on cheap paper? I unfortunately don't always have the choice of writing on Rhodia paper as much as I would like.
@@benjamenYTDeadTheGamer It's not a bother at all, but I don't think I can reliably answer. I've not used any fountain pen on cheap paper for years and specifically I'm not sure if I've ever used Pilot inks on them. Back in those days Quink was the only ink I had; I'd not discovered the alternatives at that point. When I do need to write on cheap or uncontrolled paper nowadays I use a rollerball; whatever I have to hand but often a Pilot Metropolitan/MR rollerball. That way I'm less likely to see unfavourable ink characteristics. I'm not one of those who believes fountain pens should be the only pens we ever use; even though I do enjoy them more and even though they tend to make the moment feel a bit more exotic, more special, sometimes I just want something to make marks on paper and not care about the outcome. Hence rollerballs.
@@bikkies I've never been a fan of using fountain pens exclusively either; ballpoints, rollerballs, gel pens, and permanent markers came after fountain pens for a reason, after all. Thank you for replying anyways; I'll let you be now.
@@devianz4904 Both are same inks. I recently got to know that, contrary to what everyone says, they are pigment inks ! That's why the water resistance.
I am using the Iroshizuku Take-Sumi black. Great ink at AUD$45 for 50ml. Then I saw the Pilot Namiki Black for AUD$48 for 350ml (yes 350ml - 7 times the 50ml bottle as you say). How could I not order this milk-bottle full of a great ink. I don't think I'll need to buy another black ink in my life time. Thanks for your review.
Thanks man for the review, but most of all because I didn't know the 350ml bottle and now I'm looking to buy one! It's incredibly cheap and I believe Japanese quality will make me write better than with commercial European inks. I am used to Sailor Kiwa Kuro water resistant ink, I love it but it becomes really expensive and hard to find, for everyday use I wanted something more affordable but with good fluidity, being addicted to extra fine nibs it's important
I bought a standard pilot ink because it was cheap and i was already ordering something else from the shop and i needed a royal blue ink for drawing Haven't tried it yet cause i'm still using my cartridges but i do want it try it out
I just buy a standard blue-black ink of the pilot that of 70ml, I know this mark is great and even if not the famous one of the mark I imagine they still use a very similar style for ink
Thoughts: 1. The Black and Blueblack 350 ml bottles are really good if you have school children who use FPs. 1 bottle should do very well to last 2 kids for 3 years at least. Cheap, plenty wet, well behaved (no clogging or dryouts, cleans easily, dries out fast) works with most paper except very poor specimens where it bleeds. Very Water resistant, so a water bath to little Tina's/Tim's notebook wont do a lot of damage. Kids were required to use only blue and black inks when I was a kid, so this is a pretty good substitute for ball points and rollerballs which end up in a landfill every time you get rid of them. A good ebonite pen (which won't break unless done on purpose - acrylics do crack sooner but even they have a pretty good life) will last the child for a long time. 2. I think Iroshizuku Shin Kai is very close to the Blue Black, so if you want to buy the Iro, do consider the 350 ml or at least the 30 ml bottle. 3. I was advised that I should add a Kon peki/Asa Gao to Pilot Blue Black in a 1:1 ratio if I want to make the ink pop a little from the page - as Pilot Bluie Black does look a little staid/muted blue (mind its a lively hue for a Blue Black). Now, I don't have any Iro inks, but I would think that Pilot Blue should be a pretty good substitute, may be in a higher proportion. Some thing like 2 parts blue to 1 part Blue Black, for those moments where you need something that pops more.
They are relatively pale and muted for my taste, that is why their very good price is my main motivator to buy them. I don't particularly like Waterman Florida Blue, so they are a pretty good substitute. I still love Diamine Royal Blue as my workhorse ink, it is cheap, bright, no-trouble ink which is easy to obtain. What Pilot Blue has over the Diamine is handling of bad/printer paper, Diamine sometimes soaks through, Pilot never did that, even in my Parker Sonnet with medium nib. Also, Diamine has ZERO water resistance, even light drops of water wash it completely off. Pilot is a bit better.
@@tarekelmansy5792 You can look for the "RT" line of Pilot Precise V5 which has refill cartridges: www.pilotpen.us/categories/refills-ink/precise-v5-v7-rt/ The ink from them could probably be put into regular V5 pens if you are careful in taking it apart. There might be videos explaining on RUclips. Here is one: ruclips.net/video/z_SA8kLDQ5s/видео.html
No, Pilot inks are alkaline. Generally, Japanese inks are alkaline and Western brand inks are acidic. There are of course some exceptions to that rule.
Pilot (Namiki) is a quality brand. They've been around for as long as I can remember. I remember pens that with no maintenance would write decades later when found in a drawer, with not much of a hard start. My work horse ink is the Iroshizuku Ku-Jaku, which has a lovely shading to it, runs wet but dries immediately.
everything Pilot seems to be underrated lol... they are by far the best Pen Ink Company in my opinion... just the 823 and Vanishing Point are enough to make Pilot the best there is
I have the Pilot standard inks and recently got a Pelikan 4001 Royal Blue, and I have tested both with my Faber Castell Loom with fine nib, and I found the Pilot inks actually have better lubrication compared to the Pelikan.
It is a very subtle difference though but the Pilot inks actually feels smoother than the Pelikan. Not to mention the Pilot is actually the cheaper ink.
Pelikan 4001 is a dry ink for wet pelikan nibs mate
use a pelikan nib lol
My favourite is the blue, not the blue black. Instead of buying the black, I purchased a bottle of Iroshizuku black. Excellent line of inks. You can’t go wrong with a Pilot or Waterman ink! Well behaved.👍
I agree, especially about Pilot blue black.
But I also love the Iroshizuku line and think it's worth the money.
I love my pilot blue black. Smooooooooth writing ink. I like the look of these bottles, vintage feel.
I've been examining inks for use against watercolors and I discovered that the Pilot black bundled with Kakuno pens produces nice results when brushed. I also tried the Pilot Varsity pen inks which are pretty watery and dissolve on contact, so I probably won't use them much for art, but I can see myself using a mix of the Pilot black and other inks to produce strong lines against gradient washes.
You’ve helped my leaps and bounds with this video you have no idea...... you’ve even help me find a nice green ink that’s just right in terms of color hue. THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!
Pilot inks are available in retail at Maido, a Japanese stationery store on the west coast. I buy mine at Maido, Costa Mesa, but they're available in the Japantown, San Francisco shop as well. Thanks for the review!
I love pilot fountain pens a lot , the one of best thing about these pens is we can easily dismantle and clean it properly then again assemble. Within just 1 min pens again starts writing , pilot is really awesome company and there inks are also best: )
I chanced across a 350ml bottle of Pilot blue/black, as you mentioned, for a ridiculously low cost. That one might now become my cheap generic ink, maybe even usurping the throne from trusty old Quink.
How has the 350ml bottle performed for you?
@@benjamenYTDeadTheGamer I've barely used any of it yet. I drew out some into an old Mont Blanc shoe-style bottle for easier access, filling periodically from that, and that is still almost full.
@@bikkies Sorry to bother you again, but I forgot to ask in my original reply; does blue/black (and black if you have it) feather on cheap paper? I unfortunately don't always have the choice of writing on Rhodia paper as much as I would like.
@@benjamenYTDeadTheGamer It's not a bother at all, but I don't think I can reliably answer. I've not used any fountain pen on cheap paper for years and specifically I'm not sure if I've ever used Pilot inks on them. Back in those days Quink was the only ink I had; I'd not discovered the alternatives at that point. When I do need to write on cheap or uncontrolled paper nowadays I use a rollerball; whatever I have to hand but often a Pilot Metropolitan/MR rollerball. That way I'm less likely to see unfavourable ink characteristics. I'm not one of those who believes fountain pens should be the only pens we ever use; even though I do enjoy them more and even though they tend to make the moment feel a bit more exotic, more special, sometimes I just want something to make marks on paper and not care about the outcome. Hence rollerballs.
@@bikkies I've never been a fan of using fountain pens exclusively either; ballpoints, rollerballs, gel pens, and permanent markers came after fountain pens for a reason, after all.
Thank you for replying anyways; I'll let you be now.
Namiki Black is a great ink. Surprisingly, it’s water resistant as well. Dries very fast.
Namiki black vs pilot black, which is more water resistant?
To the best of my knowledge, they are the exact same ink. Only the labels are different.
@@devianz4904 Yes, they both are the same inks in different bottles.
@@devianz4904 Both are same inks. I recently got to know that, contrary to what everyone says, they are pigment inks ! That's why the water resistance.
I am using the Iroshizuku Take-Sumi black. Great ink at AUD$45 for 50ml. Then I saw the Pilot Namiki Black for AUD$48 for 350ml (yes 350ml - 7 times the 50ml bottle as you say). How could I not order this milk-bottle full of a great ink. I don't think I'll need to buy another black ink in my life time. Thanks for your review.
Awesome video! Keep up the informative great work.
Thanks man for the review, but most of all because I didn't know the 350ml bottle and now I'm looking to buy one! It's incredibly cheap and I believe Japanese quality will make me write better than with commercial European inks. I am used to Sailor Kiwa Kuro water resistant ink, I love it but it becomes really expensive and hard to find, for everyday use I wanted something more affordable but with good fluidity, being addicted to extra fine nibs it's important
I bought a standard pilot ink because it was cheap and i was already ordering something else from the shop and i needed a royal blue ink for drawing
Haven't tried it yet cause i'm still using my cartridges but i do want it try it out
I just buy a standard blue-black ink of the pilot that of 70ml, I know this mark is great and even if not the famous one of the mark I imagine they still use a very similar style for ink
Thanks for your review. It helps me with my purchase.
Thoughts:
1. The Black and Blueblack 350 ml bottles are really good if you have school children who use FPs. 1 bottle should do very well to last 2 kids for 3 years at least. Cheap, plenty wet, well behaved (no clogging or dryouts, cleans easily, dries out fast) works with most paper except very poor specimens where it bleeds. Very Water resistant, so a water bath to little Tina's/Tim's notebook wont do a lot of damage. Kids were required to use only blue and black inks when I was a kid, so this is a pretty good substitute for ball points and rollerballs which end up in a landfill every time you get rid of them. A good ebonite pen (which won't break unless done on purpose - acrylics do crack sooner but even they have a pretty good life) will last the child for a long time.
2. I think Iroshizuku Shin Kai is very close to the Blue Black, so if you want to buy the Iro, do consider the 350 ml or at least the 30 ml bottle.
3. I was advised that I should add a Kon peki/Asa Gao to Pilot Blue Black in a 1:1 ratio if I want to make the ink pop a little from the page - as Pilot Bluie Black does look a little staid/muted blue (mind its a lively hue for a Blue Black). Now, I don't have any Iro inks, but I would think that Pilot Blue should be a pretty good substitute, may be in a higher proportion. Some thing like 2 parts blue to 1 part Blue Black, for those moments where you need something that pops more.
This ink should be default ink. I tried the 35ml ink and I do think I'll be getting the 350ml bottle to last me lifetime
Pilot black is underrated ... I like it is good .. Not the fanciest bottle but it will do
Thank you so much! Very helpful video ❤️ subscribed 😃
They are relatively pale and muted for my taste, that is why their very good price is my main motivator to buy them. I don't particularly like Waterman Florida Blue, so they are a pretty good substitute. I still love Diamine Royal Blue as my workhorse ink, it is cheap, bright, no-trouble ink which is easy to obtain. What Pilot Blue has over the Diamine is handling of bad/printer paper, Diamine sometimes soaks through, Pilot never did that, even in my Parker Sonnet with medium nib. Also, Diamine has ZERO water resistance, even light drops of water wash it completely off. Pilot is a bit better.
Pleaseee more videos like this
Namiki bottle is best.
I believe you can get the Pilot Blue Black from JetPens. The 30 and 70 ml bottles
can this ink be used in roller ball pens? Pilot has a lot of roller pens in India
No, this ink will not work in rollerball pens.
Good video sir can I refill my pilot v5 with pilot ink bottle 350 ml
No, I don't think you can. The Pilot V5 is a rollerball pen not a fountain pen. Fountain pen ink will leak out of the pen.
@@putteringpenman so what type of ink can I use to refill my pilot v5
I don't know. I don't use rollerball pens.
@@tarekelmansy5792 You can look for the "RT" line of Pilot Precise V5 which has refill cartridges:
www.pilotpen.us/categories/refills-ink/precise-v5-v7-rt/
The ink from them could probably be put into regular V5 pens if you are careful in taking it apart. There might be videos explaining on RUclips.
Here is one: ruclips.net/video/z_SA8kLDQ5s/видео.html
Can i use the black with water color?
No
Has pilot ink acidic properties ???
No, Pilot inks are alkaline. Generally, Japanese inks are alkaline and Western brand inks are acidic. There are of course some exceptions to that rule.
@@putteringpenman thank you..