Full Version: Quink from France without Solv-X?
In my fp's i use normally Parker Quink Black. I recently bought a new bottle of it and it suprised me that it was made in France (according to the bottle). The bottles I used earlier were made in the UK. On the 'UK-bottles' was also mentioned that it contained the Solv-X additive. On the French bottles there is no mention of the use of Solv-X in the ink. Does this mean that Parker doesn't add Solv-X to it's inks anymore? Is the French ink as good as the one made in the UK? Is the French Parker Quink the same as the ink made in the the UK?
Parker stopped making Quink with Solv-X several years ago. The French ink is exactly what you will get anywhere. "As good as" the old ink is a loaded question, and people have many different opinions about that. Personally, other than color, I don't notice any difference between the Quink of the 1990s (or earlier) and the Quink of 2007. Ink formulas change from time to time, but Quink is still the ink of choice for a lot of people around the world.
What you are probably buying now as Quink is probably Waterman Ink apart from the washable blue which has no equivalent. Nothing wrong with that of course as still a very good ink. I assume that the glass bottles are still from the same source as they are the same as the UK made ones apart from France on the bottom?
| QUOTE (hatherton_wood @ Mar 6 2007, 01:29 AM) |
| What you are probably buying now as Quink is probably Waterman Ink apart from the washable blue which has no equivalent. Nothing wrong with that of course as still a very good ink. I assume that the glass bottles are still from the same source as they are the same as the UK made ones apart from France on the bottom? |
What do you base this on other than the fact that they are both made in France and both Waterman and Parker are owned (?) by Sanford?
| QUOTE (lisa @ Mar 9 2007, 12:01 AM) | ||
What do you base this on other than the fact that they are both made in France and both Waterman and Parker are owned (?) by Sanford? |
I, like you, am curious.
I've seen this assertion in a couple other threads here on FPN, and the only evidence has been based on paper chromatography[?] as far as I can tell. If there's other information to add, I'd like to hear it because I'm a skeptic so far. Especially given the hot/cold opinions about Quink and the generally positive reaction to Waterman ink.
| QUOTE |
| What do you base this on other than the fact that they are both made in France and both Waterman and Parker are owned (?) by Sanford? |
I am curious about this too.
| QUOTE |
| What you are probably buying now as Quink is probably Waterman Ink apart from the washable blue which has no equivalent. Nothing wrong with that of course as still a very good ink. I assume that the glass bottles are still from the same source as they are the same as the UK made ones apart from France on the bottom? |
There are more subtle differences between the old and the new bottle. Both contain the same amount of ink, but the old one from the UK has "Parker" imprinted in the glass on the front and on the back. Also different are the printed labels and logo's of course. There is also a little difference on the bottom. The one from the UK seems to have a kind of structure for grip on the table or so, and the French one doesn't. The French one also indicates on the bottom that it contains "57 ml". On the one from the UK ("made in England") is the indication that is contains "2floz 57cc". On the packaging around the bottle from France was printed "Manufactured by Parker Pen Company Newheaven England BN9 OAU" and the webadress of Sanford (and no indication that the product was made in France). On the old packaging was printed "Made in England by Parker Pen UK Limited".
On a blister pack of 10 Parker ink cartridges (like the "washable blue" ones) is also printed "Manufactured by Parker Pen Company Newheaven England BN9 OAU", but are they also from France too? Do cartridges contain the same ink (the same formula) as in the bottles?
| QUOTE (Catsmelt @ Mar 9 2007, 01:38 AM) |
I, like you, am curious. I've seen this assertion in a couple other threads here on FPN, and the only evidence has been based on paper chromatography[?] as far as I can tell. If there's other information to add, I'd like to hear it because I'm a skeptic so far. Especially given the hot/cold opinions about Quink and the generally positive reaction to Waterman ink. |
Wasn't it just Quink black that some had trouble with? (So far it's been fine for me.)
What I also find strange is that Waterman black is often described as being not very intense black, a bit greyisch black. I have never tried Waterman black though. But my Quink black is very black. IMO more black than Pelikan black. But maybe that's because I've just used Pelikan cartridges so far. Still the ink should be the same.
What I think is happening here is some innocent hearsay being repeated and slowly, or rather, quickly changed into fact.
It started with someone simply asking the question if they could be the same now that Sanfords own both companies? Someone else did a test and I don't know the results but maybe it was that it could be according to their test. The next person has read this and half of the story stuck. So he/she replies and says I think I read somewhere that they are probably the same. Next person says, big change you're using waterman ink now instead of Quink.
One more tiny step needed and we've created ourself a fact that waterman and quink are the same ink. When we have no evidence at all or solid reason to believe that this is in fact a fact.
| QUOTE (lisa @ Mar 9 2007, 09:26 AM) |
| It started with someone simply asking the question if they could be the same now that Sanfords own both companies? Someone else did a test and I don't know the results but maybe it was that it could be according to their test. The next person has read this and half of the story stuck. So he/she replies and says I think I read somewhere that they are probably the same. Next person says, big change you're using waterman ink now instead of Quink. One more tiny step needed and we've created ourself a fact that waterman and quink are the same ink. When we have no evidence at all or solid reason to believe that this is in fact a fact. |
And so another Urban Legend is born ... somebody call Snopes!
I've been wondering about this too. I have Parker Blue-Black and Waterman Blue-Black and recently compared them side-by-side using a dip pen and they look identical (that doesn't mean that they ARE identical in their make-up though). Also, and this may be myth too, I understand Parker discontinued their green and red inks some years ago and then reissued the colors but supposedly they are Waterman's. It was said that the Parker green is now a lot bluer than it was, and while I don't have Parker green, I do have Waterman's and it is bluish. So it seems plausible that they are the same too.
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