PILOT Iroshizuku Bottled Fountain Pen Ink, Yama-Budo, Crimson Glory Vine (Purple Red) 50ml Bottle (69217)

It’s fairly rare for me to “try” reviewing products unless they’re worth buying.Hopefully, for those unsure:I haven’t bought every ink, but I have enough to compare.0. The raw files are too large, so edited ones will have to do.1. They outperform Waterman and everything else for those who “smudge.”2. I returned the grey one because it was “too light.” My bad. It’s totally great for annotations in books and whatnot.3. Take-sumi is my favorite, including comparisons with Noodler’s, Carbon Platinum, and Waterman. (Sailor might be better.)4. Each color is a different pen.4.0 Grey (F-S): Hong Dian F4.1 Yellow Green (C-R) (forgot bottle): Amz Basics M4.2 Black (T-S): Hong Dian M and F4.3 Blue (S-K): Hong Dian F4.3 Light Blue (S-R): Lamy Alstar F4.4 Red (Y-B): Ruling Pen4.5 Light Red (M): Hong Dian Bent Nib4.6 Purple (M-S): Ruling Pen5. Paper:5.1 HP 32# (5/5)5.2 Tomoe paper (5/5)5.3 Cotton paper (100% and mix) (4/5)5.4 Copy paper (5/5)6. Color:6.1 Bounty towel color comparison6.2 It’s hard to capture color. Lots of reviews don’t capture color very well. Each image was taken at 50 ISO, 1/4 speed.Image 1: Ambient 2x 2700K 1600-lumen CFL bulbsImage 2: Ambient 1x 2700K 1600-lumen CFL indirectImage 3: Ambient only (2x GE 2000K 125-lumen indirect)Could not capture daylight well.7. Each bottle was shipped in a box, packaged well. No spills or issues.8. A guaranteed smudge-free black and blue are Sailor’s, but these outperform in many other ways.9. Don’t be disappointed if the color is not what you’re expecting.[*] Comparison with Pilot PrepaOverall, it seems like the lighter colors are more suited for annotations or highlights. These will probably end up getting used more in day-to-day activities than the darker ones. I will likely repurchase the grey eventually. Each light color is dark enough to be legible in a book or while grading but subtle enough not to stand out.5/5