--- title: "Pilot ILMILY Nuance Black: Seven Shades of Black Gel Ink" canonical: "https://stationerytimes.com/guides/pilot-ilmily-nuance-black-gel-pen/" description: "Pilot ILMILY Nuance Black gel pen explained: seven blacks with a hint of blue, green, yellow, brown, red or violet, 0.5 mm, slide knock, refill, price." category: "Pens" type: "Gel pen" published: 2026-11-03 updated: 2026-11-03 author: "Ellis Penhale" publisher: "Stationery Times" sources: 4 products: - name: "Pilot ILMILY Nuance Black Gel Ink Ballpoint Pen, 0.5 mm (LIL-30EF)" brand: "Pilot" brand_origin: "Japan" made_in: "Not stated" material: "Plastic body in a pearl-like off-white with a metal clip (per Pilot's launch news); the materials aren't otherwise published" released: "2023-05-23" price_band: "$$ ($5–20 per pen (multi-packs divided by the count), typical US retail, October 2026)" manufacturer: "Pilot Corporation (Tokyo)" model: "LIL-30EF" url: "https://yosekastationery.com/products/pilot-ilmily-nuance-black-gel-pen-0-5mm" --- # Pilot ILMILY Nuance Black: Seven Shades of Black Gel Ink > The Pilot ILMILY Nuance Black is a 0.5 mm gel pen in seven black inks, six of which carry a faint tint of blue, green, yellow, brown, red or violet. The off-white body has a metal clip that slides to click the pen, and a top part matched to the ink. Pilot launched it in Japan on May 23, 2023. - URL: https://stationerytimes.com/guides/pilot-ilmily-nuance-black-gel-pen/ - Category: Pens - Author: Ellis Penhale - Published: 2026-11-03 - Updated: 2026-11-03 ![Pilot ILMILY Nuance Black gel pen with an off-white body and a metal clip, about 140 mm long, beside seven dots for the top-part colors](https://stationerytimes.com/images/raster/pilot-ilmily-nuance-black-gel-pen-illustration-16x9.png?v=c6cdd37f) *The Nuance Black drawn to Yoseka's 140 mm length, with its seven top-part colors.* Original illustration made for this guide. © Stationery Times. Original drawing (SVG): . Drawings © 2026 Stationery Times, reusable with credit under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). ## Product facts | Product | Brand | Brand origin | Made in | Material | Released | Price range (typical US retail, October 2026) | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | Pilot ILMILY Nuance Black Gel Ink Ballpoint Pen, 0.5 mm (LIL-30EF) | Pilot (by Pilot Corporation (Tokyo)) | Japan | Not stated | Plastic body in a pearl-like off-white with a metal clip (per Pilot's launch news); the materials aren't otherwise published | 2023-05-23 | $$: $5–20 per pen (multi-packs divided by the count) | - Made in (Pilot ILMILY Nuance Black Gel Ink Ballpoint Pen, 0.5 mm (LIL-30EF)): Not stated. Pilot's refill page and the retailer pages we read don't state a country of manufacture for the pen. Pilot is a Japanese company. ### Pilot ILMILY Nuance Black Gel Ink Ballpoint Pen, 0.5 mm (LIL-30EF) colors - Body colors (7 standard, 0 special edition): Black; Nuance Black Blue; Nuance Black Green; Nuance Black Yellow; Nuance Black Brown; Nuance Black Red; Nuance Black Violet. - Ink colors (7 standard, 0 special edition): Black; Nuance Black Blue; Nuance Black Green; Nuance Black Yellow; Nuance Black Brown; Nuance Black Red; Nuance Black Violet. - Per Yoseka Stationery (https://yosekastationery.com/products/pilot-ilmily-nuance-black-gel-pen-0-5mm), checked 2026-11-03. Pilot lists seven ink colors; each pen's top part matches its ink. The body is off-white for all seven. Tints were set by hand from Yoseka's product photos, and the ink tints are faint on paper. Shops stock different colors; check the listing. ## Key takeaways - Pilot's launch news lists seven ink colors in 0.5 mm: plain Black plus Nuance Black Blue, Green, Yellow, Brown, Red and Violet. - The ink is water-based pigment gel, and the knock is built into the metal clip, which slides to click the pen (Pilot launch news, April 13, 2023). - Pilot launched it on May 23, 2023 at ¥330 (about US$2.10) with tax; Yoseka Stationery listed it at US$5.00 on November 3, 2026. - Its LILRF-10EF refill is 110.5 mm long and 6.2 mm across, and costs ¥187 (about US$1.20) with tax at Pilot's refill site. - The Pen Addict found the tints subtle, with Black Red and Black Yellow the most noticeable and Black Green the least. ## What is the Pilot ILMILY Nuance Black? **It is a 0.5 mm gel pen whose seven inks are all black, six of them with a faint tint.** Pilot's launch news says the ink colors pass for ordinary black, so the pen works in business as well as private use while letting you "show individuality even with black". The tints are blue, green, yellow, brown, red and violet, plus a plain Black. It belongs to Pilot's ILMILY line, whose name Yoseka Stationery says stands for "I Like Me, I Like You". Our guide to the [Pilot ILMILY Color two color](https://stationerytimes.com/guides/pilot-ilmily-color-two-color-ballpoint/) covers the line's color-changing pen. ## Pilot ILMILY Nuance Black specs | Spec | Value | |---|---| | Maker | Pilot Corporation (Japan) | | Model | LIL-30EF | | Ink | Water-based pigment gel ink | | Point | 0.5 mm ball | | Mechanism | Slide knock: the metal clip slides to click the pen | | Body | Pearl-like off-white with a metal clip; top part matches the ink color | | Length | 14 cm (5.5 in), per Yoseka; Pilot doesn't publish it | | Refill | LILRF-10EF, 110.5 mm long, 6.2 mm widest | | Colors | Black, Nuance Black Blue, Green, Yellow, Brown, Red, Violet | | Launch | May 23, 2023, ¥330 (about US$2.10) with tax | | Made in | Not stated | ![Labeled side view of the Pilot ILMILY Nuance Black showing its nose, off-white body, sliding clip and top part, about 140 mm long](https://stationerytimes.com/images/pilot-ilmily-nuance-black-gel-pen-parts.svg?v=3279f4d5) *The Nuance Black's parts at 1 mm = 4.6 px. Only the overall length is sourced; part lengths are in proportion. Original illustration made for this guide. © Stationery Times.* ## How visible is the "nuance" in the ink? **Not very, and that is the point.** The Pen Addict wrote that the colors "are nuanced on the page, often requiring closer inspection", so "set your expectations accordingly". Their ranking: Black Red and Black Yellow have the most noticeable undertones, Black Green is the least interesting, and Black Blue and Black Violet land in the middle. They compared against a Pilot G2 black line and said other brands do some of the same blue and violet blacks better. That reviewer didn't buy the plain Black and missed Black Brown. We haven't tested the pens, and the ink swatches in this guide's color list are hand-set tints from retailer photos, not measurements. ## How does the slide knock work? **You push the metal clip to click the pen, so there is no separate button.** Pilot's launch news calls the mechanism slide knock, and Yoseka says the knock has been "integrated into the clip" for a simpler look. The top part is tinted to the ink color, so each pen can be identified by sight. ## What refill does the ILMILY Nuance Black take? **Pilot's LILRF-10EF, which comes in all seven colors.** Pilot's refill site lists a 0.5 mm ball, 110.5 mm total length and 6.2 mm maximum diameter, at ¥187 (about US$1.20) with tax, or ¥170 (about US$1.10) before tax, and names the LIL-30EF pen as the compatible product. It asks you to remove the resin cap from the refill tip before use. The Pen Addict suggested buying the refills "for half the price" and using them in Pilot G2-compatible pens; Pilot's page doesn't list that fit. ## How much does the Pilot ILMILY Nuance Black cost? **It sits in our $$ band ($5–20) in the US and cost ¥330 (about US$2.10) at launch in Japan.** Yoseka Stationery listed it at US$5.00 on November 3, 2026. The Pen Addict said in October 2023 that it was over US$4 per pen at JetPens and "at the top of the price range for a gel ink pen", and advised picking one or two of the more interesting colors instead of the whole set. In Japan Pilot also sold limited sets of each pen with an A7 memo pad in the matching color at ¥550 (about US$3.50). ## Where is the Pilot ILMILY Nuance Black made? **Pilot doesn't say on the pages we read.** Pilot is a Japanese company; our [Pilot history](https://stationerytimes.com/stories/pilot-history/) covers it. For an everyday black gel pen at a lower price, see the [Pilot G2](https://stationerytimes.com/guides/pilot-g2/). ## Frequently asked questions ### How does the Nuance Black differ from an ordinary black gel pen? It is a 0.5 mm gel pen from Pilot's ILMILY line in seven black inks, six of them with a slight shade of blue, green, yellow, brown, red or violet. Pilot says they pass for ordinary black in business settings. ### How many colors does the ILMILY Nuance Black come in? Seven: Black, Nuance Black Blue, Nuance Black Green, Nuance Black Yellow, Nuance Black Brown, Nuance Black Red and Nuance Black Violet, per Pilot's launch news and refill page. ### How visible are the Nuance Black tints? Faint. The Pen Addict called them nuanced and often needing a closer look, with Black Red and Black Yellow the most noticeable, Black Blue and Black Violet in the middle and Black Green the least interesting. ### Which refill fits the ILMILY Nuance Black? Pilot's LILRF-10EF refill, 0.5 mm, in the same seven colors. Pilot's refill site lists it at 110.5 mm long and 6.2 mm across, for ¥187 (about US$1.20) with tax. ### How do you click the Nuance Black pen? You slide the metal clip. Pilot calls it a slide knock type with the knock built into the clip, so the pen has no separate button. ### Is the Nuance Black ink waterproof? Pilot describes it as water-based pigment gel ink but doesn't make a waterproof claim in the pages we read, so we don't give one. ### Can the Nuance Black refill go into a Pilot G2? The Pen Addict's reviewer suggested using the refills, at half the price of the pen, in Pilot G2-compatible pens. Pilot's compatibility list for the refill names only the ILMILY Nuance Black pens, so check the fit before relying on it. ### What did the Nuance Black cost at launch and now? Pilot launched it in Japan at ¥330 (about US$2.10) with tax. Yoseka Stationery sold it for US$5.00 on November 3, 2026, and The Pen Addict wrote in October 2023 that it was over US$4 at JetPens. ## Sources - [Impress Watch: Pilot launches the seven-color black ballpoint ILMILY Nuance Black (April 13, 2023; release May 23, 2023, ¥330, 0.5 mm, water-based pigment gel ink, slide knock, off-white body; read in full)](https://www.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/news/1493252.html) - [Pilot Corporation: LILRF-10EF refill for ILMILY Nuance Black pens (110.5 mm, 6.2 mm, 0.5 mm, ¥187 with tax, seven colors, compatible with LIL-30EF)](https://pilot-refill.jp/en/gel/lilrf10ef) - [Yoseka Stationery: Pilot ILMILY Nuance Black Gel Pen 0.5 mm (14 cm / 5.5 in, US$5.00, seven colors, slide knock)](https://yosekastationery.com/products/pilot-ilmily-nuance-black-gel-pen-0-5mm) - [The Pen Addict: Pilot ILMILY Nuance Gel Pen review (October 23, 2023)](https://www.penaddict.com/blog/2023/10/23/pilot-ilmily-nuance-gel-pen-review)