Sailor Kobe Bottled Ink - Maya Lapis #14

It's been some time since I've been this excited about an ink purchase. Maya Lapis is simply beautiful. It's very well-behaved and with excellent flow. But most importantly, it remains a deep, bold blue on the page. So many times I have bought a deep blue ink, only to watch it lose its punch as it dries. I can't get enough of Maya Lapis, and the naming of it is perfect.

I bought #14 Maya Lapis to see if it could replace Sailor Jentle Ultramarine. Maya Lapis is a beautiful navy blue; it is not as red-leaning as Ultramarine, which in turn is not a blurple like Montblanc Royal Blue or Diamine Sapphire. Maya Lapis is also bluer than J. Herbin Éclat de Saphir. In lighter tones, it is close to Diamine Florida Blue. It is darker than Pilot Iroshizuku Asa-Gao. The colour is reminiscent of the blue paint found on Deruta ceramics.

Maya Lapis is vibrant and richly saturated, with red sheen that it is clearly visible but not overpowering as to cover the base colour like some monster sheeners do during normal writing. It has excellent flow, coats the nibs well, and I’ve observed some shading in my drier writers despite the ink’s saturation; it cleans out of the converter with a few flushes. I effortlessly achieve a full, crisp, contained line, and the ink is readable even in my thinnest nib, i.e. Sailor 1911L 21 kt H-EF.

This is an ink of which I will be purchasing a full bottle: excellent colour and excellence performance.