Quality And Prices Of Inks Available In India

[shivp]

Like most others raised in India, I was required to use fountain pens exclusively until we reached Class 8 at school (approx age 13-14). Hero 329 or 323 were the instruments of choice, given the leak-proof nature, something of a unique feature for FPs back then. Most students continued to use fountain pens for class work well into their college years, clearly appreciating the quality of the writing experience when compared to ball points. Ball points and the slew of Pilot V5s came into force only during exams due to leakage risks and to guard against 'washing', given that your answer-scripts were shipped off to other cities for review in all kinds of weather conditions. Students played it safe during these exams staying away from FPs.

 

As an avid journal keeper, I've never walked away from FPs, but have discovered online communities only recently, in the past few months. Here are my opinions on inks I've used recently.

 

Pelikan cartridges (blue) - Relatively expensive and flow moderately. Didn't wow or even please me. Blue fades quite badly over time. I was disappointed despite my bias for this brand given the great affordable FPs they make.

 

Bril Royal Blue (Rs.12, 60ml) - Saturated, bright,deep colour, moderately quick at startup. Default student ink, especially in the South of India. Due to its high saturation, it doesn't fade as much as other inks. Is the most saturated blue in India, but also the least marketed brand. The flow and startup qualities are acceptable, but not as good as Chelpark.

 

Camlin Permanent Black (Rs.12, 60ml) - Not quite Noodler's bulletproof, but adequate. Good flow rate and fairly dark. Default student ink in places where Bril and Chelpark are not easily available (read north, east, central and west states)

 

Parker Quink Permanent Black (Rs.50, 30 ml) - Samples of writing from 4 years ago show no signs of fading. Flow is moderate.

 

Parker Quink Royal Blue (Rs.50, 30ml) - Moderate flow. Writing samples from 4 years ago have faded pretty badly. Terrible quality for the 6.6 times price premium.

 

Chelpark Turquoise Blue (Rs.15, 60ml) - Smooth flowing. Quick starter. The oceanic light color works only on bright white paper. You'll like it if non-navy shades are your thing.

 

Chelpark Crimson Violet (Rs.15, 60ml) - Very smooth. Bright violet/crimson, true to its name. Quick starter. The ink however did permanently dissolve the gold coloring on a Pelikano nib to reveal the steel body. I was quite surprised by this to be honest. I've read elsewhere that red tints have a corrosive nature to them and this may explain the effect. If this ink didn't flow so well and wasn't this bright, I'd have hated it for discoloring my nib.

 

Overall Impressions

Chelpark

By far the smoothest flowing ink that I've owned. From a historical perspective Chelpark was the first company to run TV ads and invest in a relationship with Parker that allowed them to include Cleen-X, a variant/instance of the Parker Solv-X formula. Their tag line was "Rediscover the pleasure of writing with ink" and it was well received. The first, and probably only company to try to create a brand and better products.

 

Bril

Super-saturated, bright and blue, but also less consistent quality compared to Chelpark. Has super super affinty from people who just swear by it. I'm not as big a fan, and I felt that this ink had a less than distilled liquid quality to it as it flowed off the nib.

 

Camel or Camlin

Camel is a workhorse ink with the widest distribution in the country. Probably the least charming packaging or marketing. Lacks the enthusiasm and quality of Chelpark or the super saturation blueness and value solidity of Bril.

 

Parker Quink

Parker Quink (made by Luxor) costs nearly 7 times the price and is by far the poorest of the lot. Steer clear of this brand in India, even if you're buying it for novelty reasons. You're better off buying Chelpark/Camlin/Bril and you'd be impressed.

 

 

Its a pity that theres no company like Noodler's in India, committed to enabling the art of writing with and experiencing the pleasure of ink. India has such a rich history of inks and FPs and a mindblowing market to boot, but no one seems to want to make the investment.

 

On a completely different note, even if I were to considering buying foreign made inks in India (which are approximately 33 times the price (Private Reserve costs Rs.495 for a 60ml bottle), I'm not sure I could ever be convinced of their value unless I was going to use it for art purposes. There has to be a HUGE opportunity for someone like Bril or Chelpark to extend product line in India, keeping prices near where they are.

Edited March 30, 2011 by shivp

[hari317]

Shiv,

 

You missed mentioning about Sulekha inks, found in the eastern states of India. BTW nowadays Sheaffer, Lamy, Montblanc, Cross inks are quite freelyavailable in India at very good prices as compared to overseas. I have tried a lot of inks, Indian and foreign. I have come to a conclusion that the value offered by Camel and Bril is unmatchable by any other company in the world. the price of ink should be insignificant as compared to the price of a good fountain pen and it is in the case of Camel, bril and chelpark.

[shivp]

Shiv,

 

You missed mentioning about Sulekha inks, found in the eastern states of India. BTW nowadays Sheaffer, Lamy, Montblanc, Cross inks are quite freelyavailable in India at very good prices as compared to overseas. I have tried a lot of inks, Indian and foreign. I have come to a conclusion that the value offered by Camel and Bril is unmatchable by any other company in the world. the price of ink should be insignificant as compared to the price of a good fountain pen and it is in the case of Camel, bril and chelpark.

 

Hi Hari,

Thanks for your response. I've never come across Sulekha. I've seen Sheaffer, MontBlanc, Private Reserve and Cross in India. Private Reserve and Sheaffer are the lowest cost at Rs. 430+. As you said, at a 30+ multiple, you simply cannot compare them, unless someone can convince me that there's an enormous quality difference.

[hari317]

pelikan inks are available for about 95INR per 60ml bottle. Available at Landmark. Sheaffer and Lamy are more like 175 per 50ml bottle here in Mumbai.

[ville900]

Hello,

Would you be able to recommend one or several web sites that would ship these inks abroad from India?

Thanks

[hari317]

Hello,

Would you be able to recommend one or several web sites that would ship these inks abroad from India?

Thanks

 

No online sources for these inks unfortunately, I am afraid. FPN member Kethiemann has been selling some Indian made inks in the classifieds section, I am not aware if the inks sre still available with him.

[Koshy]

Hari, I also agree that Sulekha is a good brand of inks. I have very good memories of using Bril, popular in the South. I have not seen a bottle of Camel ink in a while now, though Chelpark is popular. It appears imported inks are cheaper in Mumbai compared to Delhi. Waterman, which I consider to be one of the best in the world sells for Rs.400 in Delhi and I just picked up a bottle of Lamy imported and marketed by Linc Pens with a printed MRP of Rs.350. I have also seen Mont Blanc, imported Parker Quink, Sheaffers and Pilot, all around the same price range.

[hari317]

Hi Koshy, Camel ink is abundantly available in western India, chelpark was in short supply here, but supplies seem to have resumed again under the new manufacturer: PG stationery.

 

Indian Quink is also available freely. we have a healthy wholesale market here in Mumbai and things are available below mrp. Mb is approx 600 for the older 50 ml bottles, around 830 for the new 60 ml bottles. I stocked up on watermans blue black and black when the inks were available for around 140 per bottle.a few years back.

 

Pelikan is now officially imported in India by a company called Staimex international in Chennai, the inks hence are very reasonably priced at the prices i indicated in the previous posts. Private reserve is availble with William penn at around 400 per bottle.

 

i am more than satisfied with camel royal blue and bril royal blue, much better imho than quink blue or pelikan blue. my other staple ink now is MB blue black and diamine registar's.

 

best,

hari

[Ink Stained Wretch]

I just had to convert these prices to U.S. dollars. At this time the current exchange rate is "1 Indian rupee = 0.0225 US dollars" according to Google.

 

Bril Royal Blue (Rs.12, 60ml) $0.27

 

Camlin Permanent Black (Rs.12, 60ml) $0.27

 

Parker Quink Permanent Black (Rs.50, 30 ml) $1.13

 

Parker Quink Royal Blue (Rs.50, 30ml) $1.13

 

Chelpark Turquoise Blue (Rs.15, 60ml) $0.34

 

Chelpark Crimson Violet (Rs.15, 60ml) $0.34

 

Yeah, I wouldn't mind prices like that . Of course I'm thousands of miles away and the price of shipping the stuff would be a lot more than the ink itself.

[akrishna59]

sorry that i missed this thread.

 

i agree that camlin is considered as a safe ink for fps.

 

some people say that bril has more colour, especially the royal blue.

 

some people say that chelpark is a little watery.

 

each one has his own favourite brands, i suppose.

 

i am shocked to hear about that nib corrosion. i had heard that chelpark is a little (allegedly) corrosive when compared to others.

 

anyway, i love indian inks when compared to imported inks. they are every bit as good on paper. only we need more colours.

 

rgds.

 

krishna.

[Spartan300]

Nice comparison especially of the Indian Ink brands. Last I remember I used Parker and Camel. Would be soon starting using FPs so evaluating everything as of now. Heard a lot about Noodler but, sad to see that it's not freely available in India or Mumbai.

[kareth]

hi,

 

Bril have mentioned in their site "BlueBlack, Turquoise" as available. They have also mentioned the inks are available in sizes upto 1000ml.

 

Enquired a lot about these two colours as well as the availability in 1000ml. Most sellers ( not most, all the sellers whom contacted) have heard of only royal blue and black and the availability in 60ml. Could not yet succeed in finding out the above said colours and the 1000ml bottle.

 

Is BRIL available in blueblack and turquoise? is it also available in 1000ml bottles?

 

thanks

[sajiskumar]

Hi All,

 

I am very new to this forum. The review and comments on Quality And Prices Of Inks Available In India was very useful for me. Thanks for that.

 

I love fountain pens very much. But I am using only low cost Hero Pens (China made) and some Indian made pens.

 

It would be very useful for me if some of you can give your views on "Quality And Prices Of Fountain Pens Available In India ?

 

Thanks in advance.

 

-saji

[Koshy]

hi,

 

 

Is BRIL available in blueblack and turquoise? is it also available in 1000ml bottles?

 

thanks

 

The only turquoise blue Indian made ink I have seen recently is by Chelpark. Till I retired, I used to use only turquoise blue ink for signing official files. I have been looking for other brands in India but could not find any.

1000 ml bottle ink is still available. An enquiry with the Bril Bangalore confirmed that ink is still being sold in 1 litre bottles. I did see some Royal Blue in 350 ml and 700 ml bottlesThirunalveli District TN recently in school stationery shops.

You may contact Bril at brilblrsales@brilindia.com

Edited August 4, 2011 by Koshy

[kareth]

thanks

i had enquired a couple of times through the said email id, but to no avail.

 

is (1000ml) available in blue and black ?

 

1000 ml bottle ink is still available.

You may contact Bril at brilblrsales@brilindia.com

[akrishna59]

thanks

i had enquired a couple of times through the said email id, but to no avail.

 

is (1000ml) available in blue and black ?

 

1000 ml bottle ink is still available.

You may contact Bril at brilblrsales@brilindia.com

 

 

fp ink is not very common nowadays in india, though it is still manufactured the movement of the product is very slow. there is no marketing or special attempts to promote inks by manufacturers themselves as there are no returns.

 

60 ml bottles are available with many retailers, but 1000 ml bottles may not be commonly available, i have never seen one in recent years. as 60 ml bottles themselves hardly move in stores, one can imagine the fate of 1000 ml ones. perhaps some wholesale dealers may have some.

 

there are some pen sites in europe / u s which carry indian fps and possibly ink like hisnibs.com and others, perhaps it will be better for you to contact them.

 

rgds.

 

krishna.

Edited August 9, 2011 by akrishna59

[einv]

i have over 150 inks, and when growing up in india, tried camlin, chelpark, bril inks. the OP is correct in not recognizing sulekha, as it was mostly marketed in the north or northeast markets.

 

i find myself, after two decades of inky wandering, gravitating back to the basic blue, green, black and red of bril. these inks are made in bangalore, and my dad is kept busy sending me 1 liter plastic bottles with pierce top of these inks. i use the red, which is actually more pink than red, for grading.

 

bril inks mix very well. try this for burgundy that rivals skrip NOS: 3:1:1 bril red, black and blue. one of the sweetest flowing mixes ever. used in a grading pen, it tends to have the corrective effect without seeming censuring, which all the new agey educators love.

 

bril blue is still my gold standard for a saturated, relatively fade-proof blue. bril green reminds me of skrip green, except it is a bit more bluish. bril red and skrip NOS red have the same pink undertone such as found in scented erasers (scent "rubbers" for us desis!). bril black is not at all saturated, similar to waterman black, but much better flowing.

[ville900]

i find myself, after two decades of inky wandering, gravitating back to the basic blue, green, black and red of bril. these inks are made in bangalore, and my dad is kept busy sending me 1 liter plastic bottles with pierce top of these inks. i use the red, which is actually more pink than red, for grading.

 

Your father should start a business of shipping Indian inks abroad to US/ Europe as they seem virtually not present on the internet. :ltcapd:

at least, I couldn't find any web site carrying them.

[pk_gt1]

i find myself, after two decades of inky wandering, gravitating back to the basic blue, green, black and red of bril. these inks are made in bangalore, and my dad is kept busy sending me 1 liter plastic bottles with pierce top of these inks. i use the red, which is actually more pink than red, for grading.

 

Your father should start a business of shipping Indian inks abroad to US/ Europe as they seem virtually not present on the internet. :ltcapd:

at least, I couldn't find any web site carrying them.

 

 

Sulekha Royal blue,and black (dye based with solvent S-100-NO Inhibitions on clogging )is still available in college street area ,Kolkata.

Try locating those in backside of college square oposite to paramount sherbet shop .60 ml costs you 18 rs.

But this ink is almost going extinct productionwise.

[Ink Stained Wretch]

Anyone have prices on those one liter bottles of ink?