Quote Originally Posted by Mabouya View Post
Guys,

How important is the ink? Is it mostly a question of personal preference?

I ask because when the last of my 4-pack runs out, I'm soon going to graduate from Pilot Varsity as my EDC pen to a Pilot Metropolitan, and maybe for kicks I'll get a TWSBI piston-fill too. The Metropolitan comes with a cartridge, which I'll use, but then I'll probably switch over to the converter, at which point I'll need to use bottle ink.

TIA
not sure if "important" is the operative word, and I wouldn't call it a rabbit hole either, since that implies confusion or no solution, although I guess a few obsessive types are on the lookout for that perfect black or whatever. it's a little like debating the ride quality of tires as in most will get the job done well and yeah, there might be a holy grail and you can get a little lost if you want, but there's some fun in that too. the basic rule is that some inks are wetter and some on the dry side and the same goes for the pens. in the vast majority of cases they all play along just fine. a (very) few will like to stain things too. Just decide what color you want to start with and go from there. I'd suggest one deep blue and a good black. Almost everyone likes the offerings from Pilot, and the standard blue and black are both great (and advertised as permanent). No need to wade into the luxury colors and brands just yet, unless you're already a latex/open corsa kinda guy. I dig the Namiki blue alot, which will be similar to what your metropolitan had more than likely. A bottle should set you back about $12 and will last years. Goulet is reportedly a good source (he has tons of great videos), and he takes the time to write out sample texts so you can judge the colors; and the mothership has tons as well.

Pilot Namiki Blue - 6ml Bottled Ink



– The Goulet Pen Company

Amazon.com : Pilot Namiki Standard Fountain Pen Ink, Blue (6921) : Bottled Pen Ink : Office Products