Ready to get to know Sailor USA 50 States Delaware ink a bit better? We hope so because that’s what’s going down during today’s ink review and giveaway. Sailor’s Delaware ink was added to the USA 50 States ink series at the end of 2020, and if you haven’t gotten to know it yet, it’s about time.

All About the Ink Maker: Sailor

If you’ve been a fan of fountain pens or fountain pen inks for a while, you already know Sailor. This historic, respected Japanese pen company has a following around the globe. They currently offer 6 different ink series available for sale in the USA:

Basic Ink Series

Shikiori Ink Series

Pigmented Ink Series

Manyo Ink Series

Ink Studio Ink Series, and

USA State Series

All About the Ink Series: Sailor USA 50 States Ink Series

You’re probably already familiar with this ink series, but just in case, we’ll run through the basics. Sailor released the 1st inks in this ink series last year in 2020. They’ve been releasing a couple inks at a time and we’re currently up to 12 fountain pen inks available in the Sailor USA 50 States Ink Series:

• California
• Colorado
• Delaware
• Illinois
• New York
• Oregon
• Pennsylvania
• Texas
• Virginia
• Florida
• Alaska
• Maryland

The inks in the USA 50 States ink series come out randomly (not in geographical or alphabetical order), so it’s always fun to see which state is coming next. Keep an eye out for coming releases!

If you’re interested in discovering more Sailor inks, don’t worry…Pen Chalet carries a full range. Just visit PenChalet.com.

This Week’s Featured Ink: Sailor USA 50 States Delaware Ink

When you think of Delaware, what do you think of? Sailor immediately thought of the state flower, the Peach Blossom. Did you know that when the Peach Blossom was officially named Delaware’s State Flower in 1895, thousands of peach trees lined the Delaware shoreline? It was known for the magenta red view when they were in bloom. Considering the inspiration, it should be no surprise that Sailor Delaware ink is a nice, bright, vibrant magenta/purple ink color with medium saturation. It shows up dark in lines and more bright and vibrant in brush application.

***In a rush? Experiencing a decided lack of patience? Not in the mood to read? Well, never fear, we’ll forgive you if you skip the full review and just jump directly to the bottom and enter to win the bottle of ink we used for this week’s ink review. But try to remember to come back and read the full ink review later!

It’s Time: Sailor USA 50 States Delaware Ink Review

This week we put Sailor USA 50 States Delaware fountain pen ink through our standard ink review tests. Get ready for all the details!

Ink Review Testing Factors (to keep things scientific):

For our review of Sailor Delaware ink we used a French made J. Herbin spiral glass dip pen on French made Rhodia dot pad paper. The dip pen has a tip similar to a medium-fine fountain pen nib.

Let’s Talk About the Sailor Delaware Ink Bottle

Sailor USA 50 States Delaware ink comes in Sailor’s standard small square 20 ml. Sailor ink bottle (you may recognize them – they use them for their Shikiori inks, too). The inks have a nice presentation, the bottles are heavy weight and include a simple label that names the State inside there’s a nice “Delaware” presentation card included. We think it’s a great addition – just the perfect final touch for this particular ink series.

How Much Does Sailor USA 50 States Fountain Pen Ink Cost?                 

Sailor USA 50 States fountain pen ink is a higher-range priced ink (for the 20 ml quantity). Remember to check for the latest discount prices on your favorite pens and fountain pen inks at PenChalet.com.

How Did This Week’s Ink Fair in the 1-Dip Test?

We applied a one dip test to see how far one dip could write on paper (dipping the pen into the ink only one time). Sailor USA 50 States Delaware ink very easily wrote across the paper on all three writing samples with ink to spare. (One dip per writing sample:  “S” “X” and scribble lines, seen above).

How Fast Does the Delaware Ink Dry?

Sailor Delaware had a quicker dry time than other Sailor State inks we’ve reviewed at approximately 5-6 seconds with medium saturation.

Does Sailor Delaware Ink Bleed Through?

We saw no bleeding during normal use, and just a slight amount of bleeding during the heavy saturated cotton swab test (but only at the wettest points).

Was There Any Feathering While Using USA 50 States Delaware Ink?       

We saw no feathering during normal use, but some slight additional feathering during the water test.

How Does the Ink Stand Up to Water?   

We saw heavy color smearing, but since Sailor Delaware ink isn’t waterproof, that isn’t really a problem. The lines were still very legible; not a lot of distortion at all.

What About Shading Traits?          

We saw some very nice shading possibilities with Sailor USA 50 States Delaware ink from a darker deep purple to lighter hues. The shading possibilities will depend on your penmanship and if you have a nib that allows ink flow variation (like a stub or italic nib).

Final Conclusion on this Week’s Featured Sailor Ink:

Sailor USA 50 States Delaware fountain pen ink is a higher-range priced ink (for the 20 ml. ink bottle) made by a well regarded and historic Japanese pen and ink company. The nice, bright, magenta color reflects the color of the Peach Blossom, Delaware’s State Flower, and the inspiration behind the ink. This Sailor ink showed a very reasonable dry time, and is a high performance ink deemed safe for use with fountain pens. Part of a very collectible ink series, the Delaware ink joins 11 other “states” inks in Sailor’s USA 50 States ink series that have been released. (And all 12 are currently still available for purchase). And don’t forget to keep an eye out for upcoming releases in this great ink series from the ever-popular Sailor. Happy Writing from Delaware and Japan!

Enter to Win a Sailor USA 50 States Fountain Pen Ink:

Enter to win the actual bottle of Sailor USA 50 States Delaware fountain pen ink that Pen Chalet used in this week’s ink review: