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Private Reserve Blue Suede


SaskNapolean

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This is just copy and pasted from my blog, The Pen Haul, so the formatting may be a little different than usual. I think I hit all of major points, but I am just finding my stride when it comes to ink reviews so let me know if there is anything else you would like to see!

 

My first ink review was of my favourite ink, Private Reserve Ebony Blue, so the next progression would be of my potentially second favourite ink by the same company, Private Reserve Blue Suede. I say potentially because I have been getting and trying a lot of new ink recently so the number 2 spot is a bit more flexible than number 1. Why is this my number 2 ink? For many of the same reasons why Ebony Blue is my favourite.

 

 

http://i0.wp.com/www.thepenhaul.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/IMG_1028.jpg?resize=640%2C853

 

 

The first thing that I love about this ink is the colour. I am not an expert on the different ranges of the colour spectrum, but to me this seems like a very nice tealy turquoise, but definitely in the blue category. I didn’t know that I was big on all of the different shades of blue when I first got into this hobby, but looking at how many bottles and samples of blue ink that I have and the fact that my first two ink reviews claiming to be my two favourite inks are blue, I would now say that I enjoy them quite a bit.

 

 

http://i0.wp.com/www.thepenhaul.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/IMG_1032.jpg?resize=640%2C853

 

 

This shade of blue is quite “summery” and “beachy” in my opinion, so it really sets you in the summer mood when you write with it. Come winter time, you could even argue that it would be season appropriate as well (but lets focus on the summer for now).

Unlike many of my first bottles of ink, I actually used up an entire sample before picking up a bottle. My then future fiance really enjoyed the colour, which was the first time she expressed any interest in my ink, so that was extremely encouraging. If you read my review of Ebony Blue, you will also see that it is no secret that she absolutely loves Private Reserve bottles for some reason, so if you pair these two factors together, you get one bottle of ink added to my collection.

 

 

http://i0.wp.com/www.thepenhaul.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/IMG_1045.jpg?resize=640%2C853

 

 

Back in February, we made a trip up to Edmonton and being the pen nerd that I am, I insisted that we would visit Stylus Fine Pens located downtown. It was amazing! Not quite like The Fountain Pen Hospital, but this was my first experience in a real fountain pen store and I was over the moon. Both PR Blue Suede and my TWSBI Vac 700 (1.1mm nib) that almost all of the writing samples are from were part of the loot from that trip. For those interested, I have kept that pen inked with Blue Suede since that day and haven’t had any issues with drying out or anything similar.

 

 

http://i1.wp.com/www.thepenhaul.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Quote-with-Vac-700.jpg?resize=640%2C853

 

 

One thing that I raved about in my review of Ebony Blue was how amazing the red sheen is. Well guess what, Blue Suede has it too! When you lay down a nice wet line like my Vac 700 has been doing, you really get to see the truly amazing feat happen before your eyes. The shading with this ink is also something to get excited about too. The sheen and shading together with this gorgeous colour makes for one killer combination.

 

 

http://i0.wp.com/www.thepenhaul.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/IMG_1027.jpg?resize=640%2C853

 

The only thing that I am a tad wary of with this ink is of how the ink smells directly from the bottle. I get some sort of chlorine or “fresh” smell which is very strange as none of my other inks smell even remotely similar. I haven’t noticed any negative side effect in the bottle or in the pen yet, but if this is the sign of a serious issue, please let me know!

I got some feedback from my last review to add a bit more technical information such as dry time and such, so I will give it my best shot, but this is by no means a finalized, polished off method:

 

http://i1.wp.com/www.thepenhaul.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/IMG_1026.jpg?resize=640%2C853

 

 

Dry Time: Varies – Got some weird results with this one. My freshly inked Franklin Covey Freemont in a medium nib took about 25-30 seconds to dry completely, but when my 1.1mm TWSBI Vac 700 laid down a thick wet line, it took under 10 seconds to dry. If you can explain why this is, please be my guest.

Smearing When Dry: None with dry fingers, but if you have sweaty hands like my self, you may get some smudging.

Waterproof: None at all

Shading:YUP!

Sheen: Amazing red sheen!

Finding comparables from only the ink I own proved to be a fairly difficult task, but here are the ones that I feel are slightly similar.

 

 

 

 

I wasn’t planning on reaching outside of my personal collection, but with all of the hype over this ink, J. Herbin 1670 Emerald of Chivor (review by Ed Jelly), I couldn’t help but notice the similarities. If you remove the gold from it, they almost appear to be identical in colour, shading, and sheen, so if you are super pumped about the new J. Herbin colour but don’t want gold sparkles or to spend $27, check out Blue Suede!

 

Check out my new blog, thepenhaul.com

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Thanks for posting this review. I'm not a big fan of this ink, though.

"One can not waste time worrying about small minds . . . If we were normal, we'd still be using free ball point pens." —Bo Bo Olson

 

"I already own more ink than a rational person can use in a lifetime." —Waski_the_Squirrel

 

I'm still trying to figure out how to list all my pens down here.

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Did they change the formula? This looks much bluer than mine. My bottle is more green than Yama Dori.

 

Also my Blue Seude and Ebony Blue have almost a fruity smell. I actually really like it.

 

Oh and if you like red sheen you must try Naples Blue. It sheens on everything.

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Thanks for posting this review. I'm not a big fan of this ink, though.

 

No problem! What don't you like about it? Just the colour? I'm just curious!

Check out my new blog, thepenhaul.com

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Did they change the formula? This looks much bluer than mine. My bottle is more green than Yama Dori.

 

Also my Blue Seude and Ebony Blue have almost a fruity smell. I actually really like it.

 

Oh and if you like red sheen you must try Naples Blue. It sheens on everything.

 

They did change the formula but I am not 100% sure when. I guess they did so without telling the retailers either. I've seen pictures of the old formulation and that looks amazing as well!

 

I'll have to re-smell my Ebony Blue to make sure I'm not going completely crazy haha

 

I will have to check that out! Although the number of blue inks I own is getting a little out of hand ha

Check out my new blog, thepenhaul.com

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They did change the formula but I am not 100% sure when. I guess they did so without telling the retailers either. I've seen pictures of the old formulation and that looks amazing as well!

 

I'll have to re-smell my Ebony Blue to make sure I'm not going completely crazy haha

 

I will have to check that out! Although the number of blue inks I own is getting a little out of hand ha

 

Thanks for the info. Although I may be getting a bottle of the 1670 Emerald, so it may be a moot point. Still, I think I like this version better than the previous one.

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  • 1 month later...

Oh dear! I had no clue the formula had changed. I'm still using my hoard, er, bottles from a few years ago. Many of the lighter pen sections in my collection bear smudges of this color from heavy usage. Not to mention the innards of one of my Visconti Skeletons.

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I bought a bottle of Blue Suede several years ago when I was first getting into PR ink. I wasn't much moved by the color at the time. Sometime last year I happened to try it again and I've been using it a great deal ever since--maybe my tolerance for teal-y blues has changed. And if what you've reviewed is the "new formula," I suspect that I'd like that version of Blue Suede even more.

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Oh dear! I had no clue the formula had changed. I'm still using my hoard, er, bottles from a few years ago. Many of the lighter pen sections in my collection bear smudges of this color from heavy usage. Not to mention the innards of one of my Visconti Skeletons.

 

Maybe you can still find a few old bottles kicking around somewhere! I haven't had any problems with staining yet with this ink.

Check out my new blog, thepenhaul.com

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Reminds me of Sailor Yama-dori but without the sheen. Thanks for the review.

 

This actually had pretty nice sheen when written with a wet pen. Not quite on the same level as Yama-Dori, but still pretty nice! No problem.

Check out my new blog, thepenhaul.com

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I bought a bottle of Blue Suede several years ago when I was first getting into PR ink. I wasn't much moved by the color at the time. Sometime last year I happened to try it again and I've been using it a great deal ever since--maybe my tolerance for teal-y blues has changed. And if what you've reviewed is the "new formula," I suspect that I'd like that version of Blue Suede even more.

 

The old formulation does look like a super nice colour too, although my tolerance for teal-y blues seems to different than yours (I love them). This one is definitely more blue than the old one. Very nice colour.

Check out my new blog, thepenhaul.com

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This is a great review, thepenhaul. It's definitely on my "to purchase" list! Thanks for the review

 

You won't regret it! Thanks for reading!

 

Thank you for this review.

 

No problem!

Check out my new blog, thepenhaul.com

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