Pure Blue, Like Visconti Blue - But Darker.

[eloquentogre]

At this point in my addiction - I mean in my exploration of the fountain pen hobby, I have fallen absolutely in love with the beautiful, well saturated, pure blue shade of Visconti Blue. I can't stop writing with it, doodling, laying the beautiful stuff down onto whatever paper I have on hand, just to see it. I adore the ink.

 

But now I want more. Specifically, more pure blue inks, to add to my arsenal. Especially a darker one - not blue black (which means at least in the cases I have seen, some greyish element, marring the saturation) or royal blue with hints of purple, or green blue. But a deep, rich pure blue.

 

I have a few other inks already that are in the borderline ranges, but none of them are exactly that holy grail I'm seeking:

 

Diamine Regency Blue: Probably my second favorite ink. This one is one that amazes me, in that it is richly saturated, and wonderously dark at the same time. But it's not a pure blue - it's indigo, a wonderful, wonderful indigo. And alas sadly a special edition, so I know someday it will be gone.

 

Diamine Sargasso Sea: Another gorgeous ink, a lot like Regency Blue. It's a but less luxurious, a bit less dark, but likewise a rich, saturated indigo, perhaps a bit more purple to my eyes.

 

Diamine Majestic Blue: Closer to what I am looking for, more a pure blue than Regency or Sargasso Sea, but something is slightly off. It's blue, and dark, definitely not a blue black - but I think it's lacking a bit of saturation, and maybe something else. I like it a great deal, but it's not what I'm looking for.

 

Noodler's Midnight: This one's a blue black, with a hint of greenish. Amazing flow and lubrication, and a great multipurpose (as long as water resistance isn't expected) ink, but its shade does not do anything for me.

 

Montblanc Royal Blue: A lovely royal blue. What Visconti Blue does for pure blue, this one probably does for Royal Blue, but it does not strike the same chord for me.

 

And that's what I've tried so far.

 

Have any of you found pure blues (still in production!) that are in the same category of /awesome as Visconti? Do any of you have a suggestion for that darker/deeper pure blue I'm seeking?

[SujiCorp12345]

You should check out Diamine Blue Velvet. It's a lovely blue.

[Tas]

http://www.taskyprianou.com/fpn_diamine_blue_velvet_swatch.jpghttp://www.taskyprianou.com/fpn_visconti_blue_swatch.jpghttp://www.taskyprianou.com/fpn_diamine_midnight_blue_swatch.jpg

 

Blue Velvet is indeed a little darker. So is Diamine Midnight blue but beware, it sheens like a badass and is VERY saturated.

[perfaddict]

Wancher (Colourful Silk Road) Imari Blue

[Ghost Plane]

Iroshizuku does some nice blues. Kon Peki might be one you'd like.

[rafapa]

I believe iroshizuku asa gao is a good option. In my opinion it's a better match than kon peki

[lapis]

S.T.Dupont's BLEU NUIT / DARK BLUE (that's how they print it). Réf. 040111. Very dark blue, almost -- but still not quite -- blue-black. I think it's my favourite dark blue. Available unfortunately only in cartridges.

 

Mike

[lgsoltek]

Blue velvet.

[ScienceChick]

The truest blue I've found is Iroshizuku's Tsuyu-kusa. Pure blue, like a blue crayon, without a hint of purple.

[theolu]

If you want to go pure dark, and I mean DARK blue, I'd suggest Diamine Midnight. To me its the epitome of a fully saturated dark blue. No hints of grey commonly found on Blue-Blacks.

[BobR]

My bottle is a few years old now, but Sailor's Jentle Blue sounds like it might meet your needs. It's on the dark side.

[EricTheRed]

Be sure to try Iroshizuku Tsuki-yo and the iconic Aurora Blue. Both are world class, outstanding blue inks.

[Ted A]

I like Iroshizuku Asa gao a lot. Also, though you might see purple, Private Reserve DC Electric Blue.

[Sandy1]

Hi,

 

Kindly consider Private Reserve Midnight Blues.

 

My dilution swab samples showed that the hue hiding in its depths was quite Blue.

 

Bye,

S1

 

__ __

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/InkyThoughts2010/Ink%20Review%20-%20Private%20Reserve%20-%20Midnight%20Blues%20-%20FD/FPN242.jpg

Edited August 21, 2015 by Sandy1

[perfaddict]

Kindly consider Private Reserve Midnight Blues....

 

Good call!

[Tas]

Hi,

 

Kindly consider Private Reserve Midnight Blues.

 

When Sandy1 speaks, we all listen . . .

[eloquentogre]

Thank you everyone! Keep the suggestions coming

 

I have ordered the following:

Pilot Iroshizuku Asa-Gao

Private Reserve Midnight Blues

Diamine Blue Velvet

Levenger Cobalt Blue

 

And um... Somehow... I decided I needed a dark brown ink. Only one.

So I ordered

Diamine Chocolate Brown

Noodler's Walnut

Montblanc Toffee brown

 

I have a problem.

 

And also now I need some different and interesting shades of brown (thinking Noodler's Golden Brown, and Diamine Ancient Copper) some sort of deep, dark, reddish purple (like an eggplant or special burgundy) and finally greens (Sailor Epinard looks nice... but also something less olive and more just ... green). I plan to start reviewing em all once I get back on my feet again (I'm in a nursing home finsishing up physical therapy for a back injury), but I am finding this whole pen obsession theraputic in its own way! And I haven't even gotten into paper beyond Rhodia/Clairefontaine yet.

[UDog]

 

Kindly consider Private Reserve Midnight Blues.

 

 

 

The word has come from on high.

[eloquentogre]

Be sure to try Iroshizuku Tsuki-yo and the iconic Aurora Blue. Both are world class, outstanding blue inks.

 

I have Tsuki-Yo and my god it is a beautiful ink - one of my absolute favorites.

 

 

If you like it, also check out Sailor Sei Boku - it is extremely close in color, although it doesn't shade as well as Tsuki-yo - but what other dark inks do, it sheens beautifully, and it's quite water resistant. It's *really* close in color to Tsuki-yo, if you switched from one to another midpage, it'd be unlikely someone not looking for it would catch the shift. I still prefer Tsuki-yo to it, as writing with Tsuki-yo has some sort of magic to it which I can't explain, but I'm glad I have a bottle of Sei Boku for labels and envelopes and other stuff that could get wet.

 

Only the Sailor bottles annoy me a bit because those little plastic inserts seem to be too shallow for many of my pens - or I'm using them wrong.

[amberleadavis]

Check out this thread:

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/278212-inky-t-o-d-color-swatches-blue-please-post-your-pictures-and-tell-us-your-thoughts/