Caran d'Ache Magnetic Blue

[lapis]

Note

FWIW, the true spelling of this company's name is "Caran d'Ache"; FPN's earlier acceptance of such a spelling as a post's Topic Title resulted in a capital letter for the first letter in every word, followed by small letters, whether we intended to have that or not.

 

Start

 

Introduction

 

Ink Properties

● Flow as in wetness during writing: nice and wet, just like the old CdA ink "Blue Night".

● Lubrication is good too, like the old CdA inks.

● Saturation: Good, not too much (like many Noodler's and PRs; not too little (like most Herbins)... again, all IMO.

● Drying time is 8-10 s using this Pelikano with an M nib on this paper. Exactly the same as the above-mentioned old CdA "Blue Night".

● Feathering: No feathering, just like "Blue Night". The same applies to Clairefontaine 90g/m², Leuchtturm 1917, and Rhodia.

● Bleeding: Some bleeding, just like "Blue Night". The same applies to Clairefontaine 90g/m², Leuchtturm 1917, but surprisingly not to Rhodia, where I see almost no bleeding at all.

● Smudgeproof: yes; i.e. when it is "dry", it remains dry. Smearing a piece of dry paper over it after the aforementioned drying time, I see no harm. With a moist -- but not totally wet -- finger, no big difference either.

● Water resistance in general: As expected, this ink is by no means water resistant but then CdA never said it was in the first place.

● Water resistance after a drop of water: Some dissolution but nothing overwhelming; it's all readable. Same as for "Blue Night". It looks like this new ink is somewhat more water resistant then the older ones, possibly due to its higher saturation and darker colour.

● Water resistance after a bath in water: If soaked for 60 s in water, it's just like the drop test. Same as for "Blue Night". Here is a scan of both of those water tests, along with "Blue Night", all on Rhodia paper:

 

● Fading: not observed although I've not yet stuck any writing into direct sunlight for more than 24 h.

● Smell: I sense no phenol content (like that notable in vintage inks and/or some modern inks such as Sailor's Jentle Blue-Black).

● Maintenance as in pen cleaning: This ink is, taken together, quite maintenance-free. It is easy to wash out of a pen. I see no staining of cartridges.

● Maintenance as in getting it on your finger: On the inside of my left hand, 50 µl of this ink (after drying) remained quite intact. I'd say it'll take a day or two until it's gone, but that's alright with me.

 

Ink comparisons

Here are four of the many inks which came to mind. MB's Midnight Blue had to be here too, yes, even if it is a "poor" comparison... I've included it here because it is -- for me personally -- my standard, benchmark blue-black. For this table, the paper is again Artoz fine-ribbed 100 g/m².

 

I used the Ahab Flex Pen for the sake of checking out any degree of shading. I'd say there is some degree of shading. Judge for yourself. Maybe if I'd had a nib with a lot more flex than the Ahab then I might have seen more shading. (I no longer go to the trouble of using a macro lens and tilting the camera at various angles under various sources of light...)

 

Packaging

● The box: Nice creation, too. This time it is hexagonal. Here's a comparison with an old box (a photo of mine I'm swiping from another thread):

 

Maybe not your cup of tea, but IMO it is practical. Especially for getting out the last measure of ink (see below). Also, whether or not your bottle is almost empty, you might still find it interesting to leave the bottle in the box when filling.

 

Note: this is however by no means necessary like it was for the old Visconti boxes. This new CdA bottle stands up very strong even outside the box.

● The bottle: Definitely a better bottle (50 ml) than the old 30-ml one, especially for pens with big nibs, like an M1000. Here's a shot together with an old ink bottle and an M800 just for size comparison:

 

Also, the tilted shape, when held up securely inside the very well-fitted box allows us to get as much ink out as possible... even if there still remains a drop or two inside. Nonetheless, it's just as easy to fill a pen out of the bottle standing on its own, outside of the box (providing that it's not almost empty):

 

 

Even with the bottle turned around so that you can see the label directly in front of you, the bottle is still slightly tilted:

 

These materials are both extremely well crafted (Swiss-Made). Only to be outdone by the bottle cap. AFAIK the very best caps ever made. One piece of massive metal, no plastic, no coating. Very easy to get on and off. No problems with the sealing disk inside. And I thought that the new MB ink bottle caps were great!

● There is a nice leaflet (in six languages) inside the box, including notes on filling and cleaning.

 

Availability and price

Being a Caran d'Ache ink, it's likely available all over the world, even if you might have to order it online or offline. The trouble is that it is very expensive. It is by far, the most expensive FP ink I've ever seen, yes, even more so than the Iroshizuku inks. Again, to pinch a post I already made elsewhere, here is the list price as I see it today, here in Germany, along with 8 other well-known inks. These "list prices" are those offered online in the manufacturer's shop or those in other shops "prior to any discount". They are all in Euros and include our 19% sales tax.

-----------------------------------------------------

Ink List Price Bottle Price/ml

-----------------------------------------------------

New Caran d'Ache 29.50 50 ml 0.59

Old Caran d'Ache 13.95 30 ml 0.47

Iroshizuku 24.90 50 ml 0.50

Pelikan Edelstein 14.50 50 ml 0.29

Herbin 8.65 30 ml 0.29

Montblanc (regulars) 13.00 60 ml 0.22

Waterman 7.50 50 ml 0.15

Pelikan 4001 4.15 30 ml 0.14

Parker Quink 6.00 57 ml 0.11

-----------------------------------------------------

 

For more information on that, see the whole site: https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/248233-new-caran-dache-ink-prices/?p=2712286

 

Bottom line

Starting off with a line or two out of my Crest BB...

 

To summarize, I like the colours of these inks. They seem to be a bit darker and more saturated than the old inks. For a comparison of scans and general information of all of the 12 new and 9 old CdA inks, click here. A lot of good news about these inks was already posted here last February. Still, some of these new colours can't replace the old ones. I find the new ink names a bit silly... what is a "magnetic" blue"? If the red were really an infra-red, then you wouldn't actually be able to see it... and so on. The new bottles are "better" than the old ones, even if they may not be practically plus aesthetically "perfect". I think it's all a question of the new prices (at least for now). I've read all over that they'll come in at 40 USD a bottle.

Come to think of it, don't overlook the outside of the box... for this new CHROMATICS series, the wording and/or spelling on the box label "INKREDIBLE COLORS" is to a certain degree quite thoughtful...

 

... but I think that "INKREDIBLE PRICES" may be more appropriate.

 

 

Mike

[swanjun]

Thank you so much for this very thorough review!

[The Good Captain]

Great review and one day I might try one.

[cybaea]

Thank you!

[Chrissy]

Hmmm. I didn't expect Magnetic Blue to be quite so dark when I saw the label on the box. I'm not convinced I like it at the moment.

[lapis]

Thanks everybody for your kind words. I didn't oversee it but I did refrain from talking all about the colour of this ink itself. I think that that's observable to anybody out there. In any case this ink is darker and much less blue than the Blue Night. Some of you may like that or not. As usual a matter of taste. The punch line being that I know that some of you won't buy any of these new inks whether you like them or not. Maybe a great chance for the Goulets to now cash in on a huge number of sample purchases?

 

Mike

[lapis]

Great review and one day I might try one.

Thanks, but try one what ?

[Bo Bo Olson]

My ship is coming in. My ship 'The Flying Dutchman' has been spotted becalmed in the middle of the English Chanel, being steered by some bird lover.

 

Mike if you, get the rest of your new C d'A inks sampled...I'll be able to dither.

 

Mummm, the last time I saw a Goony Bird land was on Wake Island. Sure was funny watching that bird land in my yard. A second one too. Hum, I didn't know they traveled in flocks like geese; must be 10 or 12 now in my front yard. I just wond...

[lapis]

Yes, FPN's magnificent Upload feature but with its BBCode is the only way to fly. Use of the Direct Link makes me nauseous....

Edited July 10, 2013 by lapis

[lapis]

It's a bit late now but I finally got around to it. I chose 8 sorts of paper so that we could take a look at the differences they offer in drying time, bleeding and feathering. Again, this is the new CdA ink "Magnetic Blue", in a Sheaffer Crest with a BB nib.

 

First the drying times:

 

I'd say >30 s > Clairefontaine (CF) > Moleskine > Rhodia > Leuchtturm 1917 > HP Inkjet > Plano > Bringmann > Artoz < 15 s.

 

With the pieces of paper ripped off and transplanted upside down onto a new A4 sheet in the same order seen above, bleeding looks like this:

 

 

Funny, but the order now seems to have been predicted as exactly what in fact appears after the re-pasting:

Moleskine > Leuchtturm 1917 > Bringmann > HP Inkjet > Plano > Rhodia > CF > Artoz

 

As for feathering, I think I'll have to leave it up to you. The scans (at 600 dpi) look as authentic as they do on the real papers.

 

Mike

Edited July 10, 2013 by lapis

[rudyhou]

the color seems more grayish. a blue-gray. a grayer shade of midnight blue. it is not a bold color, so should be easy on the eyes when have pages of words written down with this color. i love all things gray

[lapis]

So do I! As a matter of fact I didn't use to. But I'm now getting into them. Greys can be so subtle. I also love shin-kai and fuyu-syogun. But as you say, some greys are too light or to bold to be read easily/comfortably....

 

Mike

[rudyhou]

So do I! As a matter of fact I didn't use to. But I'm now getting into them. Greys can be so subtle. I also love shin-kai and fuyu-syogun. But as you say, some greys are too light or to bold to be read easily/comfortably....

 

Mike

 

oh yeah. pilot does have great 'grey' ink selections. as much as i like fuyu-shogun and kiri-same, i think they maybe a touch too light for everyday writing. i'd opt for both shin-kai and take-sumi. yes, basically take-sumi is more to black, but i like THIS type of black, where it has more of that charcoal grey shade to the black, which makes it less dark/bold/shiny, thus easier on the eyes.

Edited July 11, 2013 by rudyhou

[RuiFromUK]

Last weekend I was in Zuerich. Guess what I brought up with me?

 

One of these bottles together with a bottle of Cosmic Black which I still have to try as I am really enjoying the Mangetic Blue. Not the cheapest inks available for sure as they cost me CHF29.50 each.

[visvamitra]

Fantastic review.

[TSherbs]

Great review, thanks. When I read "magnetic," I think "electric," and so this faded color (grayish) was a "shock."

[lapis]

Great review, thanks. When I read "magnetic," I think "electric," and so this faded color (grayish) was a "shock."

Excellent finding. Now have you tried out those Electric Orange, Infra Red or Ultra Violet numbers?

 

[MarcS]

thanks for the review. the color being so close to mb midnight blue in your comparison as it appears on my monitor, I wonder if "magnetic" is a cute suggestion of iron-gall content?

[TSherbs]

Excellent finding. Now have you tried out those Electric Orange, Infra Red or Ultra Violet numbers?

 

haha Not I. Too dear a price for me.

[TSherbs]

thanks for the review. the color being so close to mb midnight blue in your comparison as it appears on my monitor, I wonder if "magnetic" is a cute suggestion of iron-gall content?

hahaha