Hello,

from the reviews here I see some variations but with color variations due to pens, scans etc it is hard to decide. The only dealer I found of Caran D'Ache doesn't let us try it, so I can't easily compare.

From the review scans Storm would appears, slightly bluer and less "powdery" than Poussière de Lune is that right? Would it be correct to say Poussière de Lune is more greyish while Storm is slighlty more blueish?

Thanks you

I have both. They are very close, and my snail friends commented that they can't distinguish between the two. I would not get Caran d'Ache if you already have Herbin, unless you want the pretty ink bottle.

I don't have both, but my friend has the J.Herbin and I have the Caran d'Ache. I don't have the experience Taki has with both inks, but just based on my friend's and my dip-pen comparison (done a while ago), I agree with Taki that they're quite close. From memory, I might say that the Storm is slightly, very very slightly less reddish than the Poussiere de Lune, but I wouldn't have noticed it if I weren't trying so hard to tell them apart. I'm sure I would have thought they were the same ink if I didn't already know which written sample was which. Neither of them are bright inks, and they both have a "dusty" or muted quality to them, if that's what you meant by "powdery."

I have to rely on reviews and comments here at FPN on the many inks available. I can't try them all. I can say that I have used Poussière de Lune for many years, and I am quite happy with it. It does dry to a kind of grey-burgundy, and I like to call it "wine stain red" because it looks to me like a real wine stain. I like that pastel effect. People who receive my cards and letters written with Poussière de Lune have commented they like the "charming vintage look" of the ink.

Like many other people, I transfer my Poussière de Lune to a more useful bottle. That alone is the sole criticism I have of the ink. I will continue to use it as long as Herbin makes it. If another ink is said to be similar to it, I will continue to prefer using the Herbin for its neutral pH and the use of vegetable dyes that are safe for my pens.

Well it's not that I don't like the ink, but I DO like the colors I agree with blueiris, to my eye Storm maybe just a little bit bluer, but not by much. I just don't think there are enough differences to have them both. I think I use up one and then use the other.

Click to view attachment


These are my two favorite inks. They are both muted, as stated above, and have a gray quality to them. Storm is more purple and De Lune is more burgundy. It is easy to tell them apart when they are right next to each other, but are quite similar. Purple is my favorite color, and I like more muted colors, so I have them both.

I agree with Mary's opinion of the difference between the two. To me Storm is a less intense, greyed purple, but De Lune is
a greyed burgundy. It depends on if you want more purple or more burgundy which one to get. If you want the square,
shallow Caran d'Ache ink well, then get Storm and save the bottle after it's used up.

Ta for the scan. Can't see much difference but looks to be a nice muted purple. If you had to get just one, which one?

Wow thank you all for the nice info and advice. The snapshot side by side was particularly helpful!

I got Poussière de Lune this afternoon and it is really awesome. They didn't have any Storm left. Based on the snapshot, and the nice advice with the bottle I'm going to go ahead and get it!

I have been looking for a purple and a burgundy lately. I tried Waterman Purple but prune was not the kind of purple I had in mind. Then I tried J. Herbin Rouge Burgundy which is neither a rouge nor a burgundy but just another rose

Seeing how I already love Poussière which somehow fill my thirst for a light burgundy maybe Storm will do the same for purple side

And yes I meant dusty when I wrote powdery! English is not my main language so bear with me

Thanks again to all!

Just one? I don't think I could handle that

I have been using De Lune for several years. During that time I have mixed more colors of dark purple than I care to admit. I have put black ink into Waterman Violet, Pelikan Violet, Diamine Imperial Purple, Rhoerer and Klinger Cassia, and several others. And at times I have mixed dark purples with dark purples. I just never found the right dark purple. Until Storm. And I don't even have to try to remember the recipe for it. I honestly would rather not have to chose.

That's pretty much my experience, also. When I first got a bottle of the Storm, I did do some side-by-side comparisons with Poussiere de Lune, just to convince myself that there was a difference between the two. Storm has that bluer tint, which I prefer, but I think that a non-fountain-pen person wouldn't be able to distinguish between the two at a glance. Storm is more water-resistant, and in some pens the color darkens after it sits in the pen for awhile. It's one of my favorite colors. (I still like my bottle of Poussiere de Lune also. Glad you are enjoying yours!)

Next on my list is Montblanc Violet, as I think it will fit my recent longing for a very dark purple with reasonable water resistance. (By the way, my own bottle of Waterman Purple has too much red in it, sort of a medium at best cheerful Easter Egg purple. I still seem to veer more toward the blueish purples, vs. the burgundies. The Peartree Pens sample of Noodler's Nightshade was from the more browny burgundy batch, unfortunately. I liked it but it was not what I was looking for. Love that ink sampler program!)

I bought Poussiere de Lune for my wife in my last order, and found out I really like the color myself! I'm going to ink up with it in the coming weeks. Really lovely color!

I may have to buy Storm, too, if only for the bottle.

I finally got Storm today and yes they are easy to tell apart! Two wonderful colors!

I'd say Storm is more purple while Poussière de Lune is more Burgundy.

The Caran D'Ache bottle is definitively pretty but the stuff in it is the precious part

Thanks for the advice and samples, I'm happy I got both!

I found a store which carries Herbin inks not too far away, can anybody comment on the bottles these inks come in? Are they practical? Because I will not be buying any more Caran d'Ache inks because of the bottle, it may look pretty but it is profoundly unpractical. They are too shallow, and because of the narrow opening you can't really tilt it to get at the last bit of ink (or fill FP's with big nibs).

Best regards,

Jarno.

Hello Jarno,

I have yet to reach the bottom of a J Herbin bottle but I can see it will be "challenging". They are not made to be tilted in any way like the Waterman bottle for example, so I expect the last drop to be painful to extract (syringe?) but I love their ink so much I must say I dont really care. It is a small annoyange compare to what you get in my opinion.

See for yourself
http://www.jherbin.com/images/fountain_pen_ink_big.jpg

Hmm, maybe we should ask Montblanc to sell us their bottles. Those are great, I like the "tubby" PR bottles as well, but I just know I will be creating a mess someday (the opening being wide and all).

Best regards,

Jarno.