Pilot Iroshizuku Ama-Iro is one of the three inks to have come out recently to complete the Pilot Iroshizuku line of 24 inks. The inks, aside from looking great in the bottle, have typically be renown for smooth flow, not drying on the nib, pleasant colors, easy of cleaning, and fast dry-time.

Ama-Iro (Sky Blue) is a medium blue/turquoise with no green or purple in it, it’s a very ‘pure’ blue color. You can see how and why I do my reviews in this format here. I did the review with a Lamy Al-Star with a medium steel nib, mainly because I enjoy it and I know it’s a pen that you’re likely familiar with, if you don’t already have one.

Here’s my full Ama-Iro review:

I didn’t have the highest of expectations for this particular color, mainly because I already have some great blues in my lineup that are close to this (Kon-Peki and Liberty’s Elysium). I was pleasantly surprised in some areas, and only disappointed in one…the dry time. The dry time is ‘normal’, about 25-30 seconds on Rhodia, 10 seconds on my HP 24lb Laserjet, and that’s where most inks fall. But most of the other Iroshizukus I’ve used dried a lot faster, so I had that expectation in mind. Oh well! It’s still a great ink, it flows amazingly well as all Iroshizukus do, and even though the water-resistance isn’t great, it’s better than I thought it might be.

 

Turquoises in this medium blue range are a dime-a-dozen, but this is the only one I was able to find that’s without green or purple in it. See how other inks compare:

 

 

So while I’m not blown away by Ama-Iro, I do find it to be a rather pleasant color. The packaging and presentation of the Iroshizuku inks are second-to-none, and I’ll happily display a bottle of this on my desk for a while. If you’re interested in a smooth, true blue turquoise/sky blue ink, then I think you should give Ama-Iro a look. At $28 a bottle ($35 list!) it’s not exactly an impulse purchase, but at least now you should have a little more information. I’d love to hear what you think! Just leave me a comment below.

Write On,
Brian Goulet