Sailor Jentle Grenade Ink was discontinued a couple of years ago along with 4 other very popular Sailor ink colors: Apricot, Sky High, Ultra Marine and Epinard. These Sailor Jentle ink colors were replaced by all new Sailor Four Season colors, with corresponding and similar colors. The corresponding color for Sailor Grenade ink was Sailor Oku-Yama, a similar dark burgundy color.

However, due to popular demand, the US distributor of Sailor inks decided to bring back the 5 discontinued ink colors to the US. In order for the US distributor to be able to bring these inks back, they had to make a special order/purchase raising the retail price of these inks. They of course have been well received again the second time. Additionally, it is rumored that Sailor is in the process transitioning all of their inks into their new smaller 20 ml. glass bottles so many customers are picking up as many of the larger, better value, Sailor standard ink bottles while they are still available.

Sailor Grenade ink is a dark red, deep in color with lots of shading tendencies. The ink also has and bit of dark green sheen with the right touch, nib and paper. It has always been one of the most popular of the original discontinued colors. It shows of really well on white paper and is dark enough for everyday home or office use. With a dry nib some of the shading traits will almost create a pink hue. Sailor Grenade ink is a fantastic color with wonderful traits.

Continuing reading for a chance to win the bottle of Sailor Grenade ink we used for this review.

Sailor Grenade Ink Review

We found the following characteristics during our review of Sailor Grenade ink that you may find helpful:

Testing Factors

For our review of Sailor Grenade ink, we used French made Rhodia dot pad paper, which doesn’t sheen as well as other types of paper, and a French made J. Herbin glass dip pen.

Bottle Sizes

Sailor Grenade ink comes in Sailor’s standard large 50 ml. glass round bottle. The Sailor bottle has a very large lid and opening and comes with an internal ink reservoir, which allows for the collection of those final drops of ink. The packaging is pretty standard with a small round “grenade” sticker indicating the color of the ink inside. A lot of the packaging is in the Japanese language, being an imported ink from Japan.

Cost

Sailor Grenade ink is now more expensive than it used to be with a retail price of $25.00. The standard Sailor Jentle Four Season Ink colors retail for $18.00 and the basic colors $12.50. As this is a special demand reintroduction, those familiar with these 5 previously discontinued colors are happy to pay the increased price.

Dry Time

A great characteristic of Sailor Grenade ink is its quick dry time. During our review of Sailor Grenade ink we found a dry time of approximately 5-6 seconds, which is very quick, making this ink useable in almost any setting.

Bleed Through

We did not experience any bleeding while testing Sailor Grenade ink, even during our wet cotton swab test.

Feathering

During our review we found no feathering while testing Sailor Grenade ink during normal use. There was slight feathering during the water test, which is to be expected for a non-waterproof ink.

Water Test

Sailor Grenade ink is a non-waterproof ink. Therefore, during our water test, where we ran a wet cotton swab over a dried ink sample, we found significant color smearing, slight feathering and some line distortion. However, overall the lines remained legible and fairly distinct. Thus, we feel that Sailor Grenade ink held up quite well under the water test.

Shading

Sailor Grenade ink is known for great shading with the right nib, paper and touch. It ranges from a deep dark, red-black color to a light soft muted burgundy red color. You can even achieve a lighter pink-burgundy color with light ink placement. Additionally, you may see some dark green sheening where heavy amounts of inks are used making this a very unique and desirable ink.

Conclusion about the Sailor Grenade Ink

Sailor Grenade ink is a must have due to it being discontinued once and the knowledge that it may not be around for ever. The color is fantastic, the drying, shading, and sheening characteristics are great. Sailor Jentle ink is known for being kind to fountain pens and won’t gunk them up as other ink brands. Sailor Grenade ink is a bit more expensive than it used to be when it was discontinued. We saw this ink being sold on the secondary market for as high as $75 per bottle after it had been discontinued, so maybe a retail price of $25.00 is quite reasonable. Don’t wait in picking up a bottle of Sailor Grenade ink or any of the other previously discontinued Sailor Jentle inks, as they will not last forever. Happy writing from Japan!

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