PILOT Iroshizuku Bottled Fountain Pen Ink, Fuyu-Syogun, Rigor of Winter (Cool Gray) 50ml Bottle (69215)

Very well mannered ink with great flow, quick drying, and no tendency to smudge as some highly saturated boutique inks are prone. This moonlight blue has just a hint of teal when dry - very beautiful, but not out of place in a pure business context. Iroshizuki offers desirable subtle shades of color with the well behaved, unfussy standard performance in most pens one has come to expect from Pilot, Pelikan or Waterman inks. I'd characterize this ink as very "wet" free flowing, but doesn't feather excessively on even cheap copy paper or card stock better suited to ball points. I've tried in several pens ranging from Pelikan m800 XF to m1000 F to m800 M. Definately likes Pelikan F best. XF is thin and Spidery, but that's my general complaint with this nib. Medium is typically my daily go to writer, and it's effortlessly smooth, flows beautifully, but is right at the edge of too broad a line to be neat and legible. I'll load a Namiki - Pilot 742 F next, with expectation this nib will be right in the home row for this ink. Only disappointment was a Namiki Falcon soft-Medium, which left a line so broad to nearly be illegible on most any paper stock. That's not unusual with free flowing inks in this pen, but was worth a trial. This ink will replace Waterman Mysterious Blue in my rotation. Both are similarly well behaved, but moonlight is a warmer, more natural and desirable shade with just a bit freeer flow. Fast shipping and service from Amazon's partner supplier. Bravo. Well done.

I was a little worried that this ink would write as an ordinary red (like any dollar store ballpoint red, you know?) but I'm amazed at how lovely the color actually is. It's a mesmerizing red with a somewhat cool undertone, tipping it ever so slightly in the direction of plum while still being undeniably red. It drew wonderfully into the converter of my fountain pen, and the container has a luxurious feel with a hefty, secure cap and quality glass. I look forward to exploring other colors from the same line!

Pilot Iroshizuku inks are pricey but well worth it. They perform well in all of my fountain pens and are of consistently high quality. The bottle is beautiful and makes a nice conversation piece on my desk. The indentation at the bottom of the bottle for the nib to rest in during filling is a nice touch. Shin-Kai is one of my favorite colors. It is a classy blue/black that can be used on any official document as well as everyday use. It goes on somewhat brighter blue and then dries down to a darker hue. If I could only own one color of ink it would probably be Shin-Kai due to its flexibility from formal to casual. If you have never tried an Iroshizuku ink, you will be pleased but spoiled with this one. I like to mess around with different brands for fun and experimentation. So far I haven't found a brand that is better that Pilot Iroshizuku.

Deep cranberry color. Sophisticated. Flows easily from fountain pen. Doesn't feather or bleed into high quality notebook paper like Meade five star notebook paper. Also works well with a flex pen. The jar is a keeper, it allows ink to be siphoned up at the lowest nib point. This jar holds a lot of high quality ink.

This ink looks beautiful, and as long as you're using good paper, won't smudge/smear or bleed. The shape can make it a little hard to fill up something like a LAMY converter, but it can be a little difficult regardless of which brand of bottle you're using. For the amount of ink you get and the wonderful color, I'd recommend it for the price.

First off before i review the actual ink i would like to mention why i didnt give it a 5 star, i previously had ordered take sumi iroshuzoku dark black ink and it was full up to the neck, this one however was only filled maybe 2/3 of the way or 4/5 of the way, leaving a considerable portion missing, im guessing a lot of it dried off so this was a huge negative for me and a loss on money. The color is just that grade of red you are looking for, rich while also being bright and not too dark. Its brightness doesn't dazzle your eyes and look like a flashlight but instead its rich and deep. For the money you are getting a decent amount of ink and a nice notch at the bottom of the glass to allow you to fill that last little bit of ink, saving you money and time, comparing this to other inks its certainly on the higher end price wise but considering how well it runs through the pen and how smoothly it writes it is well worth the extra money. I tested the smearing in the photo only seconds after i wrote with it, considering this is a highly water based ink it doesnt smear particularly bad but you wouldnt want to touch it for a few seconds after writing. Apologies for my imperfect handwriting, i dont fit in with the rest of the fountain pen community in terms of that haha

Very smooth and colorful ink. Good dry time. Almost no immediate smearing. No smearing when dry.

Sweet pink color, very readable, and flows nicely. I've never had a bad experience with an iroshizuku ink. It's not quite Barbie pink, but it's close enough to make me happy.