Sailor Kobe Bottled Ink - Kounan Maroon #27

I bought Kobe #6 Bordeaux and #27 Kounan Maroon, and Bungubox Sweet Potato Purple, Clown Teardrop Ruby and Piano Mahogany, to pit against one another and to see if I could replace Diamine Syrah and Rustic Brown with inks that felt more lubricated in drier pens.

#27 Kounan Maroon and Clown Teardrop Ruby are close—a reddish-purple. #6 Bordeaux is the lightest and has the most pink. Sweet Potato Purple is the purpliest, and Piano Mahogany is the most maroon. In pens with average flow, the colour differences are easily perceivable; in generous flowing pens, it becomes a bit more difficult, but still doable.

Like most Sailor inks I’ve tried, all these inks worked flawlessly in all my Sailor 1911 L and S pens, with all nib sizes from H-EF to H-B, even in my 1911S 21kt H-M, which is a dry writer: if an ink works well in that particular nib, it’s a winner in my book! No feathering, no skipping, no hard starts, no bleed through, some ghosting. The inks all felt substantial under the nib: no watery inks here!

Kounan Maroon coats the nib well, is fairly saturated, shows shading and some golden-green sheen with the right pen and paper combo. Kounan Maroon is closer to Syrah than Rustic Brown.

Treat yourself to a very special ink right here. If your looking for a replace for Noodlers Nightshade (old formula) or Red Black, treat yourself. Probably the best ink you'll ever use. Premium price, but a premium ink. Best of the best.