Herbin - Eclat De Saphir

[Sandy1]

Please take a moment to adjust the brightness & contrast of your monitor to accurately depict this Gray Scale.

As the patches are neutral gray, their colour on your monitor should also be neutral gray.

• Mac LINK LINK
  
• Wintel PC LINK
  

Figure 1.

Gray Scale.

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/InkyThoughts2010/INK576-1.jpg

Figure 2.

Swabs & Swatch

Paper: HPJ1124 24 lb. Laser Copy.

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/InkyThoughts2010/Ink%20Review%20-%20Herbin%20-%20Eclat%20de%20Saphir/INK951.jpg

Figure 3.

NIB-ism LINK

Depicts nibs' line-width and pens' relative wetness.

 

WRITTEN SAMPLES: Moby Dick

 

Row Height is 8mm.

 

Figure 4.

Paper: HPJ1124.

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/InkyThoughts2010/Ink%20Review%20-%20Herbin%20-%20Eclat%20de%20Saphir/INK952.jpg

Figure 5.

Paper: Rhodia.

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/InkyThoughts2010/Ink%20Review%20-%20Herbin%20-%20Eclat%20de%20Saphir/INK953.jpg

Figure 6.

Paper: G Lalo, Verge de France, white.

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/InkyThoughts2010/Ink%20Review%20-%20Herbin%20-%20Eclat%20de%20Saphir/INK954.jpg

Figure 7.

Paper: Royal, 25% rag.

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/InkyThoughts2010/Ink%20Review%20-%20Herbin%20-%20Eclat%20de%20Saphir/INK955.jpg

Figure 8.

Grocery List

Paper: Pulp. One-a-Day calendar page.

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/InkyThoughts2010/Ink%20Review%20-%20Herbin%20-%20Eclat%20de%20Saphir/INK956.jpg

OTHER SAMPLES:

 

Figure 9.

• 'HAPPY!' on Glossy Card.
• Smear/Dry Time on Glossy Paper.
• Smear/Dry Time on HPJ1124.
• Wet Tests on HPJ1124.
• Wet Tests on Royal.

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/InkyThoughts2010/Ink%20Review%20-%20Herbin%20-%20Eclat%20de%20Saphir/INK950.jpg

 

GENERAL DESCRIPTION:

 

Type:

• Dye-based fountain pen ink.

Daily writer?

• Quite possible.

A go-to ink?

• Yes - when a nicely animated cool colour is desired.

USE:

 

Business:

• Easily.
• Internal and eternal correspondence.
• Pretty much anything, but ...
• It falls just a bit short for mark-up, editing, etc.
• Does not suit error correction or grading of assignments.

Illustrations / Graphics:

• Quite possible.

Students:

• Quite possible.
• Does well on Laser Copy paper, but watch for feathering on highly absorbent paper.
• Perfectly wonderful for hand-written assignments - but one should watch that the page/word limit is not exceeded.

Personal:

• If one uses Blue for personal correspondence, this is a must-have.
• There is a sufficiently 'warm' aspect to this ink (not just the colour) to make it comfortable/familiar without being pushy or inappropriately intimate.
• This is a multi-purpose ink: except for the most dire and grim topics, it can easily be used for a wide array of correspondence.
• For pro forma business writing, a Blue-Black may be preferred.
• Billets doux are just barely out of reach.
• One could easily run any size or shape of nib with this ink.

PHYSICAL PERFORMANCE & CHARACTERISTICS:

 

Flow Rate:

• Healthy.

Nib Dry-out:

• Not noticed.

Start-up:

• Immediate.

Lubrication:

• The legal minimum.
• Really not enough on the hard textured G Lalo - certainly not from the narrow nibs.
  
• It looks OK due to a healthy flow rate, but the writing experience on G Lalo was no joy.

Nib Creeping:

• None.

Staining:

• None after 3 days.

Clogging:

• Not seen.
• Seems very unlikely.

Bleed Through:

• None on papers used.

Show Through:

• None on papers used.
• Both sides of the sheet may be used.

Feathering / Woolly Line:

• Very minor on the Royal.

Smear/Dry Time:

• Glossy: 12 - 15 seconds.
• HPJ1124: >30 seconds. (!)

Water Resistance

• HPJ1124:

-3- on the 4S Scale.

"All legible, but either very faint and/or has heavy staining from re-deposit of soluble dye.

Needs recovery/restoration for anything beyond personal use."

• Royal, 25% rag:

-4- on the 4S Scale.

"All legible, can be easily read and/or have light staining from re-deposit of soluble ink.

Use as-is for work papers & internal use.

Adjustments to a scanner may drop-out the stain."

Smell:

• Inexpensive hand creme.

Hand oil sensitivity:

• Not noticed.

Archival:*

• Claimed.

Clean Up:

• Very quick and thorough with plain water.

Mixing:

• JH says, "Do not mix."
• S1 says, "Don't look at me - you heard JH."
• It's fine as it comes from the pot. If you want something different, please go buy it - there are many too many other nice Blue inks to start mucking about with EdS.

* No FP ink is certified as 'archival' by a recognised standards organisation. e.g. ISO, ANSI.

 

N.B. As seen on the NIB-ism samples, LINK, flexing the 2A nib on the Waterman 502 resulted in 'railroading'. EdS does not have enough viscosity/surface tension to match the potential of that nib under modest flex.

THE LOOK:

 

Presence:

• This is a self-contained ink.
• EdS will meet the reader more than half way.
• It will attract the reader and keep them interested, but will not captivate them nor will it bore them.

Saturation:

• High - not so Herbin-esque.

Shading:

• Low and intermittent.

Variance depending on pen+nib combos used:

• The change in density (light-dark) between writers is evident, and no more than expected.

High Resolution Scans:

• From 51 on HPJ1124 LINK
• From 502 on Rhodia LINK
• From Estie on G Lalo LINK
• From Safari on Royal LINK

FIDELITY:

 

Is the name appropriate?

• Close enough for me.

Are swatches accurate?

• Not so close.
• Bottle label is much more accurate than the box-top swatch.

SIMILAR COLOURS:

• Two immediately come to mind:
  
  • PR 'Cosmic Cobalt' LINK
    
  • Diamine 'Sapphire' LINK (Thanks to indigirl !)
    

  [*]Readers, please chime in.

PAPERS:

 

Lovely papers:

• Crisp brilliant white paper.
• Does well on natural papers.
• Impressive on the Royal - even with the wee bit of woolly line & minor feathering.
• May well handle papers with optical brighteners.

Trip-wire Papers:

• Can't think of any.

Tinted Papers:

• EdS could work well on a blue, a buff, and a pale violet.
• Not purple, and certainly not an overly-yellow ivory or cream.

PrePrinted Paper:

• EdS performed nicely on pulp, and still has contrast/animation coming from an XF nib.
  
• For grids, etc., I would favour a wet writer, especially if run from a narrow nib.

Is high-end paper 'worth it'?

• Very easy to plump for the Rhodia, or another smooth & hard surface paper like Clairefontaine Triomphe - not just for the appearance but to improve the writing experience by off-setting the low lubrication of EdS.

OTHER THAN INK:

 

Presentation :

• 30ml. bottle in a box.
• No HazMat warnings.

Country of origin:

• France.

Container:

• A clear glass not-quite-square-based bottle, approx 47mm on each side, with a maximum height of 52mm.
• The off-centre round opening is a mere 18mm∅.
• Bottle has a trough/groove dust collector posing as a pen rest. Seems narrow - only for skinny pens.
• Single tank, no filling aids, no sediment collector. Tsk Tsk
• Oh my - such a shallow ink tank. 2xBah!
• The Label includes the word 'ink', but in the French language - 'encre'.
• The hard plastic screw cap has adequate grippy bits.
• The cap seal seems to be the better sort of coated card stock.
• The cap is not child-proof.

Box:

• Nicely coated.
• Cute little drawing is a bonus. (Who does those? Surely not the widely beloved Biffy Beans?)
• Advises 'Never mix two different inks.'
• Includes the word 'ink' in French and English languages.

Eco-Green:

• All bits easily recyclable.
• Cap likely benign.

Availability:

• Widely available in Europe and North America.
• Other locations? Please chime in.

ETC:

 

Majik:

• I see potential for better performance, but not Majik.

Personal Pen & Paper Pick:

• I prefer a bit of lightness from EdS, so as not to completely immobilise it on the page. So my pick is the 502 on the Rhodia: the slight flex of the 2A nib gives a really nice bit of line-width variation; or the M200 - the XF paired with an 8mm row height gives lightness by reducing percentage of coverage.

Yickity Yackity:

• This is not a simple Blue, nor is it dauntingly complex or confusing.
• The writing experience isn't a huge problem, I just wish it were better. (Fussy Fussy Fussy)
• Ah kushbaby, I imagine this is on your top shelf too.

~{=x*x=}~{=w*w=}~{:=V*]I[*V=:}~{=w*w=}~{=x*x=}~

 

MATERIEL USED:

 

To be relevant to most members, I make an effort to use papers, pens & nibs that are readily available. For pens, I use those for which I paid $100 or less, new or used; and are 'factory stock' - not customised.

 

For the 'One Of The Ten' (OOTT) suite of inks, the same set of pens are used. LINK

http://i783.photobuc...cans/PEN836.jpg

 

A. Parker 51, Flighter^✩, Mark I + 14K XF nib.

B. Pelikan M200 + M200-series g-p steel XF nib.

C. Waterman England 502 + some-flex 14CT 2A nib.

D. Sheaffer 330 + inlaid steel M nib.

E. Esterbrook J + 9968 firm steel B nib.

F. Lamy Pink Safari + steel 1.1i nib.

 

^✩ I cannot determine if this pen is set-up for use at low atmospheric pressure.

 

For lines & labels:

• Pilot Penmanship + steel XF with Montblanc Racing Green.

On these papers:

• HPJ1124 24 lb. Laser Copy.
• Rhodia.
• G Lalo, Verge de France, white.
• Royal, 25% cotton rag.
• Pulp.
• Glossy paper.
• Glossy card.

_________________

 

Images

• Scans were made on an Epson V600 scanner; factory defaults were accepted.
• Figures shown were scanned at 96 dpi & 24 bit colour.
• Images linked were scanned at 300 dpi & 24 bit colour.
• Scans were cropped and straightened; no other changes were made.

_________________

 

Densitometer Readings (FWTW)

• Red 112
• Grn 125
• Blu 240
• Lum 145

===============

 

-30-

Edited September 1, 2010 by Sandy1

[Sandy1]

COMPARISONS-COMPARISONS-COMPARISONS

[Sandy1]

Private Reserve Cosmic Cobalt: INK LINK

Edited September 1, 2010 by Sandy1

[geoduc]

Boar ribs again!? Man, we've had those with at least two other reviews...

 

 

 

 

edited for spello

Edited September 1, 2010 by geoduc

[Sandy1]

Diamine Sapphire - thanks to indigirl !!

INK LINK

Edited September 1, 2010 by Sandy1

[Sandy1]

Boar ribs again!? Man, we've had those with at least two other reviews...

 

 

 

 

edited for spello

Hi,

 

Well, there's smoked goose and mussels too!

 

And there's perfect weather: twenty-four clear steel-blue days in a row.

 

And there's 22LRHP if you want to hunt for the pot. Rabbit fricassee would be nice.

 

Seven more of the One Of The Ten to go. Lots of boar ribs, goose & mussels!!

 

Bye,

S1

[geoduc]

Boar ribs again!? Man, we've had those with at least two other reviews...

 

 

 

 

edited for spello

Hi,

 

Well, there's smoked goose and mussels too!

 

And there's perfect weather: twenty-four clear steel-blue days in a row.

 

And there's 22LRHP if you want to hunt for the pot. Rabbit fricassee would be nice.

 

Seven more of the One Of The Ten to go. Lots of boar ribs, goose & mussels!!

 

Bye,

S1

 

 

I have to shoot left handed these days so the chances of bagging enough rabbits are slim. I'll just eat the boar ribs, smoked goose and mussels and plink at some cans out back.

 

Thanks, S1.

[TWRDO]

Thanks for another great review!

[Sandy1]

Thanks for another great review!

Hi -- You're welcome! -- S1

[clar260]

Great review!

[Sandy1]

OOPS - Please ignore.

:embarrassed_smile:

Edited September 3, 2010 by Sandy1

[Sandy1]

Comparison to Pilot asa-gao Link

[Sandy1]

Comparison to Pilot asa-gao Link

[tawanda]

I've just been sent a little of this by a friend. I can't believe its an absolute ringer for Waterman Florida Blue! At least in my pens...

[Sandy1]

COMPARISONS-COMPARISONS-COMPARISONS

Sheaffer Skrip Blue LINK

[Aysedasi]

Amazing review - thanks! (I just don't like the ink as much as WFB!)

[1point1mm]

Highly detailed review here. I got said ink bottle sitting on my shelf patiently waiting to be used.

 

Thanks for sharing your views!

[Sandy1]

Highly detailed review here. I got said ink bottle sitting on my shelf patiently waiting to be used.

 

Thanks for sharing your views!

Hi,

 

Patiently waiting? A French ink??

 

I imagine it is yearning passionately to be opened and used!!

 

 

S1

[1point1mm]

Hi,

 

Patiently waiting? A French ink??

 

I imagine it is yearning passionately to be opened and used!!

 

 

S1

Ah, yes. . .How true that is!

[Inked]

Absolutely stellar review.

 

I just bought some of this ink and found I would have a hard time distinguishing it fro MB Royal Blue.

 

EDS is just a slight bit brighter. Barely.

 

I love them both. I did find the EDS flows much more freely however.

 

Thanks again,

Inked