Kaweco AL-Sport Light Blue with extra-fine nib. New year, new ink. I switched things up this week, trying out some new-to-me inks, including Sailor Kobe No. 37 Island Blue.
I already loved this pen, and the ink seems like a winner, too. Kobe Island Blue is quite saturated, so not a great shader, but there’s a bit. The ink seems a great match for the Kaweco extra-fine nib, flowing smoothly and still slightly on the wet side, while maintaining a thin but legible line.
I love the color of Island Blue: it’s a bright and cheery blue, with warmth but no harshness. When I took these photos, the afternoon light was cool and weak. The spark of life Island Blue provides is a nice antidote to a cold winter.
Kobe Island Blue seems similar to the very popular, but expensive, Bung Box First Love Sapphire, also made by Sailor. That means it will also be worth comparing Island Blue to Diamine Blue Velvet. I’ve only used Island Blue for a few days, and only in this pen, but on first impression, I like Island Blue best of all three inks.
Fountain Pen Follies 
Looking forward to seeing more about this ink…just maybe it is the right blue for me. 🤓
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I look forward to the match up between this ink, and Blue Velvet. I love the Blue Velvet ink. (it shades decently in my opinion, but not on all paper) Like most ink, it is really gorgeous on Tomoe River paper. I’ve never used a western extra fine before. But I have used a Pilot F, which is probably pretty close. If the Kobe 37 is better than the Blue Velvet…I sure would like to know. I don’t have any Kobe inks. But you never know if I may fall down the rabbit hole in the future.
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I will confess here that I’ve never been as big a fan as Blue Velvet as most people, because for me, that super, super brightness (which most people just love), becomes tiresome (to me) in all but the finest nibs. I tend to write pages and pages of boring documents. So I welcome an ink that calls less attention to itself. That’s very unlike most people, however. I think most people instead appreciate the ink’s liveliness, because they use it in smaller bursts than I do. It’s good for comments, or short lists, or edits, precisely because it’s got so much pop. :
So if Kobe Island Blue is better for me, that won’t mean it’s better for everyone. In fact, quite possibly the opposite. 🙂
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Drooling …
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