Splurged on my first taste of Pilot’s high-end Iroshizuku fountain pen ink:
Beautiful new box of 6 Pilot Iroshizuku ink cartridges: $14 – MSRP > $11.20 @Goldspot.
(Don’t worry; PleasureWriting.com is NOT actually printed on the luxe box 😉
Two reasons I bought this beautiful box of Murasaki-shikibu aka Japanese Beautyberry / purple ink:
1. to help qualify for free shipping on an order placed for our nephew’s graduation present,
and
2. to honor and keep my “new” favorite / most-reached-for fountain pen at the ready with proprietary Pilot cartridges, filled with their next-level fancy ink.
Why purple?
Maybe I should have first tried the fountain-pen-fan-favorite Iroshizuku ink Kon-peki (Cerulian / turquoise-ish blue) that everyone raves about, but I’ve really been looking for a couple of perfect purples. It is the color I use to jot down webmaster-ish to-do’s and write about work-related visions and accomplishments. I actually have a favorite purple ink (Platinum’s super-vivid Violet), but it only comes in Platinum’s proprietary cartridges specifically for their pens. There is no bottle option I could get to use it in my (“new” favorite) Pilot pen.
What is this new favorite pen?!?
My new favorite pen is a subject for its own post(s). I really need to start vlogging so you can actually see and hear how much pleasure my new favorite pen and other fountain pen delights give me. Suffice to say IT IS A PILOT: one of two amazing Pilot fountain pen gifts I received in a still-overwhelming deluge of generosity including an assortment of fountain pens I’d never have been able to afford otherwise.
I’m still slowly doling these gift pens out to myself, taking time getting to know each of them. And man … this pen — my new fave to use every day (and night) — has won me over. It was never on my wishlist (the other one was, though, way up high, and my god it is also a beaut) so it’s been an extra nice surprise to discover and savor all of its fine points without having had any anticipatory expectations built up. It’s a pen with features that I didn’t really know I needed, and/or thought some of its features wouldn’t be effective or please me near as much as they do.
Why not get a whole bottle of ink rather than cartridges?
Even with the positive reviews of the ink (like this one on Mountain of Ink pretty much guaranteeing it will do what *I* want it to) and likelihood it would at least be usable, I did not want to be stuck with another boring too-dark (for my tastes) ink that’s barely distinguishable from other dark inks.
It’s really hard to tell based just on swabs and writing samples on screens how well a color will pop on paper right in front of you in real life. Purple colors are extra tricky and subjective, I think, with how much they vary between warmth and blue-coolness, and kind of heart-poisoning grody ickiness . Plus I couldn’t afford to get a whole bottle ($23.73), especially when I needed to also get more of the turquoise ($35 for a bottle) I decided on always having in my Kaweco Frosted Blueberry Sport. Those two bottles put together would have cost around $60 with tax, so for now I had to settle on cartridges for both, totaling around $20. They should get me through the summer.
So far I’m enjoying this new purple ink in my new favorite pen. While I’m not totally over-the-top wild about the color (it’s not The One perfect purple for me), I definitely will acquire a bottle of it when I can afford to; it’s giving me a great deal pleasure seeing it on the page, it’s really well-behaved, and the color fills a nice space in my lineup.
While spending $40 more on the bottled versions of these inks would keep me inked up for years as opposed to just a season or two and ultimately cost far less (this PenAddict.com review of another Iroshizuku cartridge does a lovely job of breaking down the economics), trying and owning inks in cartridge form has some benefits you don’t get with always splashing out on bottles all the time. For one thing, it’s vital to have empty cartridges when you prefer syringe-filling those with bottled ink over struggling with converters; when I run through these cartridges, I’m going to have a little stash of Pilot-sized empties I can fill with whatever colors I want later.
Another major benefit to stocking up with cartridges for me is the joy derived from having clever little branded snack-sized containers filled with individual fluid-filled clicky-sounding plastic vials. The way a company manufactures and presents their ink cartridges adds a whole other layer to pleasure writing and pen-and-ink collecting that can be extremely pleasurable, or at least telling about what the brand and their products are all about, and who they are for. These Pilot Iroshizuku cartridges are a perfect example of how they set themselves apart from other brands, including from within Pilot’s own extensive and diverse product lineup.Â
Under Pilot’s color-labeled ink cartridges, nestled inside the outer sleeve, even the cardboard under the elegant little brochure is refined with a metallic finish.
I love the elegant packaging and presentation of these Namiki iroshizuku ink cartridges. The box is gorgeous: two pieces (a sleeve protecting an inner slide-out container/dish holding the 0.8 ml cartridges) finished to look like brushed aluminum or silver-painted wood with a very fine grain. Each of the cartridges are labeled with the color in the same white font as the front label. These details make the experience of owning and retrieving each vial a pleasure, like holding a treasure crafted with mindful attention to every detail, delivering precision luxury. The metal-meets-wood look evoked by the finish makes the package feel substantial and elemental; you don’t think “cardboard” when you’re looking at it.
The striations on the box serve another important purpose: the added texture prevents greasy fingerprints from showing up. One of my pet peeves about a lot of fine writing products is how easily many polished surfaces are tainted by the natural oils on our hands raising visible messy-looking fingerprints that just destroy the shine of even really expensive fountain pens and similarly-finished expensive accessories. I really appreciate when beautiful things are made to be touched and used and STILL look clean and elegant.
The quality and excellence of the packaging is more than superficial; when you expose the cardboard UNDER the cartridges, even that hidden surface is finished. Nothing is scrimped on, even in places where almost everybody scrimps. You can take all of this apart and not find a single thing that disappoints or makes you feel like you were ripped off for paying extra for something that looks shiny on the outside, but is hollow or ugly within (like the truly-heartbreaking way boxes of chocolates are now absurdly slack-filled: nothing like the stuffed extravagances we were used to in the twentieth century. Can Pilot jump into the Valentine candy market and show people how stuff should be properly done?). The care exercised in the packaging indicates to you that hidden parts are attended to with as much or possibly even more commitment to excellence as what you can see on the outside, and that strengthens your trust in the more important machinations of their primary products: inside their fountain pens.
The words about Pilot’s Iroshizuku ink on the lovely little pamphlet give and are about writing with PLEASURE.
Beauty, excellence, luxury and PLEASURE. This little silver box demonstrates and speaks to all of them. While I don’t need or even want such fanciness all of the time to experience pleasure in writing, there is something so beautiful about having the promise of such fulfilled and delivered in an exquisite little package.
The value of these relatively-pricey inks goes far beyond the cost per milliliter; when you buy something like this and arrives to you in pristine condition, you can hold something that is both very fine and functional in your hand. Something that honors you and the money you’ve spent by letting you know through impeccable design and execution that you are valued, and deserve something flawless and artful for choosing to spend money on their product. It is old-fashioned and makes me have faith that commitments to quality, customers, and aesthetic still exist. Being able to acquire, use and enjoy such a treasure at your pace for the cost of a mixed drink at a bar is worth every penny. It is an inspiration. Â
IROSHIZUKU – A reflection of the beautiful scenery of Japan.
The Pilot iroshizuku Series is an elegantly named, luxurious collection of inks designed to reflect the beautiful and natural scenery of Japan.
Bringing greater pleasure and enjoyment to your writing experience.
Between my new favorite pen, this gorgeous box of ink, and past experiences with Pilot’s over-the-counter products (I’ll never forget when a coworker in the nineties brought in a Dr. Grip), I’m developing a pretty strong devotion to Pilot overall. Jesus, look at their great PowerToThePen.com website! I just discovered it writing this post; it makes me so happy when someone makes pleasure writing accessible in so many interesting differently-designed high-quality ways to so many people with different budgets, needs, interests, and preferences.
Want to watch videos of me enthusing over the specific pleasures of fountains pens and ink? I might make vlogging my fall and winter project on YouTube @pleasurewriting