Sailor Inks Being Discontinued + New Sailor Inks Coming

Sailor is clearing the way for their new line of inks by discontinuing some of their old ones. Their Jentle line of inks has been always been very popular here at the shop, and I’m sorry to see them go – especially their Sky High and Grenade. We’re trying to get a few more in from our distributor, but I’m afraid once they’re gone, they’re gone. If you have a real liking for any of the discontinued inks, it may be a good idea to get them now while they’re still in stock.

The following inks are being discontinued:

Epinard
Grenade
Sky High
Ultramarine
Peche
Apricot

The Jentle Black, Blue and Blue-black are not being discontinued.

If you are unable to come into the shop but would still like to get some before we’re sold out, you can purchase online and select “in-store pick up” to avoid shipping charges, and ensure that your bottles are safe.

The good news is that Sailor’s new line, which has been anticipated for a while, is coming out soon. The line is actually a re-release of inks from years ago, so I think Sailor is just freshening up its line with new inks. Some of the colours will be quite similar to the discontinued Jentle line, but I don’t think exactly the same. From the reviews I’ve read online, some of these inks will be more saturated and have a bit of sheen to them.

As of now, we’re expecting them in maybe a month, but we don’t have a firm timeline yet. Stay tuned!

Pilot 78G

The Pilot 78G is one of my favourite pens in shop. It’s reliable, it’s inexpensive, it’s good-looking and – it’s one of the only pens in the tester tray we haven’t had to replace because of more “enthusiastic” testing.

It is a great first fountain pen or workhorse pen, especially at its price, and it’s one of our most recommended starter pens along with the Lamy Safari or Kaweco Sport.

 

There are four colours: black, red, green and teal. The green is a hunter green and the teal is kind of a greenish teal – very similar. 

 

This is a light pen, as in not very heavy. Sometimes this can be mistaken for lower quality, but it’s not the case here. However, if you are looking for a heavier pen, you may want to look at something else. 

I’ve heard whisperings that 78G has been discontinued for years, but we’re still ordering it, and I haven’t heard any plans of discontinuing it so far. 

The 78G comes with a squeeze converter, the same one in the Metropolitan. It’s not super – it’s not clear so you can’t see how much ink you have left, and it’s hard to tell when you’ve gotten a really good fill.

The best technique is to give it one full squeeze, and leave it: it’ll take a few seconds for the bladder to draw up the ink, so squeezing multiple times will not do much good.

However, you can also get a replacement Pilot Con-50 converter, which is easier to fill. It doesn’t hold too much, though, so if your priority is getting as much ink as possible, you may have to resort to refilling Pilot cartridges, which are proprietary.

There is a broad stub available, but unfortunately we can only order it in the fine and medium.

The fine is one of the finest nibs you can get in this price range, or even double it. It’s a very, very fine nib. If you like writing with 0.3 or 0.4 gel pens and are looking for the jump to fountain pens, a 78G with a fine nib is a good bet for you.

The fine nib is so fine that when we fill it with a lighter colour ink, like an Alt Goldgrun or J. Herbin’s Bleu Azur, it can almost seem like it’s dry. Of course there’s a chance it is actually dry or out of ink, but chances are it’s just that fine. You may need to consider using a darker ink so your writing is more visible. 

The nib is interchangeable with the Plumix or Prera. It’s pretty simple looking, but it’s reliable, smooth and writes beautifully. 

This pen is $16.50, and will serve you well for many years. It has been a tester pen for over a year in our shop, used by people who may have never used a fountain pen before; the fact that it’s still marching is certainly a testament to its durability.

Ink Update – Is It Spring Yet?

It has been a long, long winter, and as many of you know, it has also meant we’ve had a hard time getting new inks in. With the cold weather comes the risk of ink freezing in glass bottles, and breaking plastic caps or cracking the glass. However, the dog is getting frisky and the days longer – the end is near!

I had hoped by now the weather would’ve been warm enough, but it looks like it might just be another week or two before new inks arrive.

Our focus will be mainly on restocking inks now that are out of stock, and then working on bringing in any new requested colours. We will be ordering inks in smaller groups as the weather starts to warm up to minimize risk as the weather is still not great – so while you may see some colours back in stock, so please bear with us if you are looking for one in particular!

We are confident by the end of April to have all colours back in stock.  This is barring any stock issues when ordering, and with the exception of Diamine, which needs to ship to the distributor first after the weather warms again. Other inks we will be ordering straight from the manufacturer.

You can follow us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram if you’d like to know just when the inks come in. And while you’re waiting, you can do a short rain/sun/warm weather dance for us.