thINKthursday
Sailor Shikiori Shimoyo

Curl up on those frosty nights with Sailor Shimoyo.

thINKthursday – Sailor Shikiori Shimoyo

Sailor has released 4 new colors that are named to reflect the four seasons. Shimoyo translates to Frosty Winter Night, and it’s the perfect descriptor for this hazy blue-black. The Shikiori colors come in a new 20ml rectangular glass bottle with a plastic gold cap. The opening of the bottle is big enough to accommodate the widest of pens. The bottles come in pretty boxes that have a simple and elegant aesthetic. This review was done with a Pilot Metro F, Lamy Safari B and on Rhodia blank No.18 paper.

Depending on your color sensibility, Shimoyo could either be categorized as a grey or a blue-black (the two often overlap). In a finer nib, I think it appears much more like a slate grey and doesn’t display much shading. In a broader nib, the blue tones are much more apparent. Compared to the standard Sailor Jentle blue-black, Shimoyo has a darker navy blue appearance, while the Jentle blue-black has an aegean blue look.

I love the way Sailor inks perform and Shimoyo is especially good. The flow was excellent with no feathering or bleedthrough on Rhodia paper. While saturation was on the moderate side, dry times were very good at 15-25 seconds. The ink isn’t water resistant, but I had no problem making out the writing after the water test. Shading is moderate and clean up is a piece of cake.

I’ve been using this ink non-stop since it arrived. There is nothing flashy about it, but it is an excellent workplace color that winks at you with its complexity. The flow and fairly fast drying nature also make it ideal for the office.

As with any ink review, the pen, paper, and person doing the writing will influence the way the ink looks. If you’re not sure about a color, try a sample to see if it’s the one for you.

Ink it Up!
Chris

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