I can't decide!!! I don't want to get two of the same color.

I understand that the Havana is known to "clog" if left unused. But the Visconti is also a bit on the dry side.

Perhaps I shouldn't get any browns at all since it's a mix of red and green, which can cause big staining...

Any suggestions would be appreciated!

I have both, and many others.

Brown is one of the colours of which I'm always looking for the perfect example.

Visconti Sepia is my current favourite brown, and has held that spot for a couple years by now.

Even though they both fall into the category of "brown" they're not the same colour - there's a quite noticeable pink/purple component to Havana which I like a lot; it shades well too (for these reasons it's my favorite brown ink). So you *could* get both.... For a browner brown than Havana, it's hard to beat Noodler's Beaver. What shade of brown are you looking for?

Simon

I want something that's "retro" looking. At the same time I am worried about clogging up the pen. Hmmm perhaps I should just get other "shades" of blues and blacks since they're the safest to use. Right now, I have the following colors.

Pelikan brillian black - very black but doens't flow well
Pelikan royal blue - anything but royal

Aurora blue - beautiful bright blue - very formal and flows well
Visconti black - not sure if it's got the flow - not very black but shades well

Next acquistion

Other shades of blue like Waterman FL blue or Aurora black or Montblanc black????

Waterman brown or Visconti sepia???

Decisions decisions...

OR maybe I should just be patient and use up my current bottles!!!

How about Diamine's Saddle Brown?

Cheers... G

I use the Visconti Sepia on a daily basis in my copper Shaeffer Legacy II. I've tried several browns before settling on the Visconti, I LOVE the way it shades and the "old school" look on paper. The color matches the pen beautifully.

Last week I got Noodlers Golden Brown, it might become a new favorite of mine. Though, I don't think I'll ever stop using the Visconti Sepia...

Kind regards,
Karl

How does the Visconti Sepia compare to Pelikan Brilliant Brown?

I don't use brown inks but I can attest that all of the noodler's ink that I have tried have decent flow, are very washable (even the eternal bulletproof ones) with the exception of Baystate Blue (Noodler's does warn about staining) and are reasonably priced (except for the 1oz eternal inks).

On another note the Visconti bottle is running away with the "most beautiful" prize in my ink bottle poll thread.

RB

Pelikan Brilliant Brown is just that... Brilliant. It is, if there is such a thing, a bright brown. It's really lovely. I'll have some scans up in a couple of days.

Visconti Sepia is a little bit too pale for my tastes. I really prefer Omas Sepia. Waterman Havana is nice but is a little too pink if it goes down thin. Lately I've really been enjoying PR Copper Burst.

But right now, Omas Sepia is my favorite brown. We'll see how long that lasts. ;^)

The Visconti Sepia is my favorite of the browns and works in many pens very nice. It's a "clean" brown with out overtones of a secondary color in it. Just a nice med. brown that is very well behaved. The bonus is the really nice glass "V" bottle and the dirt cheap refills for it. 50ml for $8.00 and you have left over after filling the glass bottle to top it off.

If you are going to try one, do your self a favor and buy the Visconti. I have tried about 12 browns and none have come close to as nice as I like the Visconti.

Here is a sample of the color... Just don't laugh at my "not to par" handwriting!

http://www.yankeetoys.org/lee/visconti.pdf

Dang scanner pulled the paper in crooked! But I am sure you get the idea!

Havana all the way. Always well behaved. A rich color. Visconti Sepia is a bit anemic by comparison.

Buy either one. They're both nice inks. Or, better yet, buy both. This is not a decision worth agonizing about, as you can't make a bad choice.