Sailor Kiwa-Guro Pigmented Black

This is an ink that my friend Lori introduced me to this summer, and I like that sample so well that I had to get a bottle. It's my favorite black right now.

Written Review

 I don't really keep other black inks in pens, so there aren't many comparisons here. This one is in three pens right now, so that might tell you something about it.

Close-Ups

 It's pretty great, and that's not something I would usually say about a black ink.

There's a small smudge there, but that pen puts down a lot of ink and I think the pigment wasn't absorbed on the Rhodia paper.

 Full-Sun Shots

 This isn't an ink with a sheen, it's more like a shine. The Kiwa-Guro looks a little matte on the paper when it dries, and that gives it a bit of a shine when you get the angle right. I really like that effect.

Ink Comparisons

It's pretty similar to the Platinum Carbon ink, but I haven't used that one enough to let me know if I like it as well. 

Copy Paper Test

There's some show-through and some really minor bleed from the really wet nib on my Custom 74, but that's hardly anything if you ask me. 

Chromatography

Video Review and Water Drop Test

Wrap Up

This is a stellar black ink, if you ask me. It behaves well on cheap papers. It works in all sorts of nibs and pens. It's water-fast. The only thing to watch out for is that it will smudge, even after a while, if you lay it down thickly enough. I haven't had any clogging issues, though, despite leaving the ink in those pens for a long while. It's good stuff. Find some.


Anderson Pens sells bottles, cartridges, and 3ml samples.
PenChalet has it in bottles and cartridges.