Sailor Jentle Apricot ink review

As per my ink sample survey, I present you with the second ink you voted for: Sailor Jentle Apricot. In truth, this ink tied with 2 others, but I decided to review it first because, as you might (or might not) know, Sailor is discontinuing all their old inks, including this one, and replacing them with new ones which don't seem to bear much resemblance. There's a chance you can still find bottles of Sailor Jentle ink at some retailers if my review persuades you.

Once again, I reviewed this ink in my Kaweco Sport Classic, eyedropper mode.

Bottle and pricing
No longer relevant - discontinued.

Color and saturation
In my photocopy paper sample I wrote "Medium-High" for saturation and if you feel that this ink is definitely highly saturated, I won't blame you. To me eye, it feels less so than, for example, Diamine Orange, to which I have compared it side by side. The saturation is high but I've seen higher in other inks.

The color is an intense orange but there are visible differences compared to Diamine Orange. The Sailor ink is a truer orange while Diamine seems to contain a tad more red, making it more fiery in appearance. Below you will also see these two inks compared to Noodler's Dragon's Napalm, but this last one is very different from the first two: it looks a lot more pinkish-red.

Shading
Sailor Jentle Apricot has the second-best shading among the orange inks I tested, after Iroshizuku Fuyu-gaki. Compared to Diamine Orange, which is flat, Jentle Apricot definitely shows some character.

Feathering
Despite the broad nib of the Kaweco Sport, Sailor Jentle Apricot doesn't feather on cheap paper.

Bleedthrough
As is often the case with higher-than-average saturated inks, Sailor Jentle Apricot will ghost a little on cheap paper but you won't have to worry about that on the good stuff such as the Clairefontaine 90g I used for my other sample.

Flow, lubrication, and smoothness
Sailor Jentle Apricot feels pretty good in the Kaweco Sport. Broad nibs usually need a steady supply of ink and dryer inks might have issues but this wasn't the case at all with this ink. While it wasn't gushing, the flow felt very measured, which in turn gave better control of the nib on paper. As for smoothness, I have nothing to complain about. The pen doth not protest at all with this ink.

Drying time
Nothing out of the ordinary here. Dry times are a bit longish on Clairefontaine 90g, at around 25 seconds, but keep in mind the broad nib. On cheap paper that won't be an issue, at 5 seconds.

Smearing when dry
None.

Water resistance
Bottom line is that Sailor Jentle Apricot is not at all resistant to water. It did nothing to withstand 30 seconds under running water.

Conclusion
It's always sad to see a good line of inks being discontinued. Sailor probably has good reasons but I'm sure a lot of people are disappointed. While this may not be the best orange ink there is, it's certainly one of the better ones I've tested. While Iroshizuku Fuyu-gaki is more impressive and Diamine Orange more fiery, Sailor Jentle Apricot is actually a truer orange and features some shading, which the Diamine ink doesn't. Price-wise it is about halfway between Iroshizuku and Diamine. The other properties are pretty solid, and while none of them really stands out, they don't lag behind other inks either. Overall I'm pleased with this ink and with the chance to review it before it disappeared completely. I hope you can snag one if you fancy it, before it's gone!

The writing samples below are done on photocopy and Clairefontaine 90g paper, respectively.

Bonus! My Instagram shot that I took while reviewing this ink.