Daimine Sargasso Sea

[tawanda]

The kind folks at Diamine very generously sent me some samples of their soon-to-be-released inks so that I may review them on the board. Here is the first : Sargasso Sea. A deep, rich, moody blue, it looks great on paper and my scan doesn't do the depth of this one justice. It is certainly a great alternative to Penman Sapphire or BSB. Not exactly the same, but has that indefinable intensity so beloved of those two. Although it is a little troublesome on certain papers it is well worth buying some if you love intense blues, as I do. It copes better in narrower nibs than my fire hydrant of an Expert II, I've since discovered. On my screen it appears a little lighter than it is by eye.

 

Apologies for the quality of the scan (I'm a Luddite at heart) and the hurried handwriting. I knew you'd want to see it as sson as possible (well that is my excuse...)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Watch this sub-forum for the other four, coming in the next couple of days.

 

Cheers

T

[Ad_Astra]

Excellent review! Thanks much.

 

In that scan, it looks like it's a more...neon-y version of Majestic Blue. Would I be right to conclude that? or is that a scanning issue?

[inkstainedruth]

Thanks for the review.

I've been looking forward to this ink for a while now, and am falling in love with the color. The scans make it appear to be a tad lighter than PR American Blue, which I currently have in my Guanleming calligraphy nib pen.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[tawanda]

Hi again

 

It is definitely a scanning issue, which is why I gave the comparisons with the other inks on the form, that you may have in your stock cupboard, to judge against.

 

It is darker than both Majestic Blue or my PR DCSS (don't have American Sorry). When compared with Maj Blue it looks cooler, and you see hints of green in the Maj! It is more akin to PR Midnight than either Maj ir PR DCSS. It's what I'd call a definite Navy Blue. I really like it.

 

Hope this helps.

[ThirdeYe]

Have you noticed any staining issues? The color seems similar to PR Tanzanite, of which I had staining issues with in my TWSBI.

[The Good Captain]

A big question for me would be, what about any smudging, smearing or drying issues? I'm referring to a 'difficulty' with the Majestic Blue that quite a few have noticed and reported on here. It does look a smashing colour though and I'll have to have a bottle.

The ink that is, not yet another Medoc.

Not just yet. Nurse, quickly, the screens, the screens!

[alexander_k]

Many thanks for the review. I knew that this was the ink I was looking for since the demise of Penman inks. Majestic Blue is good, especially when diluted (it loses the purple sheen and stops smudging and smearing) but the intensity of Sargasso promises greatness.

[jandrese]

Hmmm...I was looking forward to this. Looks very bright and the bleed through, not ideal. Other Diamine inks seem better behaved. Probably won't get this after all. Thanks for the good review and info!

[shaylenwilliams]

I'm so excited for Grape and Peach Haze! I may get a 30ml of this one too (and a few others), just for good measure. Thanks for the review!!!

[Laura N]

Thanks so much for the review. I've been looking forward to seeing this. You saved me from having to buy a sample!

[georges zaslavsky]

very nice ink review this ink looks like a twin of private reserve tanzanite

[XiaoMG]

Thanks so much for the review. I've been looking forward to seeing this. You saved me from having to buy a sample!

Same here. I was really seriously considering picking this up, though now that I've seen a scan, I think my curiosity can be laid to rest, and I can focus on other inks. Unfortunately, the scan made Parker Sapphire look pretty good, and now I'm curious about trying that, despite availability problems and durability issues.

[lapis]

Thanks for this nice review. No harm meant at all but it is for me by no means a 'pure' blue... it definitely has a lot of purple tones in it. But that's what I love about it! I already ordered it 2 months ago!!

 

Mike

[Sandy1]

Hi,

 

Many thanks for the review!

 

I look forward to giving it a whirl.

 

Bye,

S1

[Quill1]

Very nice ink review and writting, thank you; I like the purple tones within the colour, it looks like a fun ink to me, that could be used formally too.

 

PS: I like the style of the 'italic broad stub nib', guess that is where I am going on my next pen

Edited May 14, 2012 by Quill1

[tawanda]

Thanks, all, for your kind words and encouragement. To answer:

 

I haven't found staining issues when filling, but haven't tried it in a demo yet. I didn't find it smudged either, but I'm not an habitual smudger (no offence intended to those who do) so I'm not sure I'm qualified to answer unequivocally.

 

I do not see purple tones in it, and don't liken it to Tanzanite, which I find to tend towards the purple side of blue. It is very close in tone to PR Midnight Blues, but I think it dries faster (what doesn't) and seems less viscous.

 

Shay - the review for Peach Haze is up now, and Grape will follow shortly...

[tawanda]

Quill1 - thank you for the complement on my writing. That was not my best, actually. It was a bad 'pain' day and I was writing them up as a distraction :embarrassed_smile:

 

I am hoping Shaylen, and dcpritch will back me up on this...

[DanF]

Interesting that many have apparently not actually read the post, and jumped to conclusions based on the scan, or disregarded your warning that the scan is not all that accurate.

 

Dan

[MJ Vesuvius]

Nice review of a beautiful blue! Just double-checking: does that blank area under "water test" mean no water resistance?

 

– MJ

[shaylenwilliams]

Quill1 - thank you for the complement on my writing. That was not my best, actually. It was a bad 'pain' day and I was writing them up as a distraction :embarrassed_smile:

 

I am hoping Shaylen, and dcpritch will back me up on this...

 

Her writing is ALWAYS gorgeous! This review included!