Sunrise Orange - Kaweco

[visvamitra]

Founded in Heidelberg in 1883, as Heidelberger Federhalterfabrik, the company started by producing a modest range of wooden dip pens. The Kaweco brand name, originally developed as a model name and coined after Koch, Weber & Company, the owners, was adopted as the company name in the early 1900’s. By the 1930’s over 600 staff were producing a huge array of fountain pens and pencils, including the popular Sport range of pocket pens. The company's survived almost one hundred years but in 1980 its operations were closed.

 

 

Happily that wasn't the end of the brand. Horst Gutberlet - owner of H&M Gutberlet GmbH and pen enthusiast and his son Michael were able to but the brand name in 1994. They started working on reviving the brand. It took many years of dedicated work. The brand was initially distributed by Diplomat however over the years their line-up has extended and they were able to create their own international network of distributors.

 

 

As with most big dreams the realisation took many years of dedicated work. The Kaweco brand was initially distributed by Diplomat. Over the years, the model line-up has expanded and Kaweco has created their own international network of distributors.

http://imageshack.com/a/img661/7232/sBiTQO.jpg

Today Kaweco offers wide variety of fountain pens and accessories. They have eight inks in their line-up. I don't know makes their inks, however I've read somewhere it was Dr. Pflug from Aratrum (creator of Caran d'Ache inks). If anyone has some data on this topic, I'd like to learn it

Anyway the inks are sold in generic glass bottles (30 ml) and their price is steep. Given that in my country Kaweco inks are priced higher (price per 1 ml) than Edelstein or Graf von Faber-Castell I keep on aking myself "what were you guys thinking"? I expect premium priced products to offer premium experience - premium inks should be well-behaved and offer some added value as aesthetic bottle. Here KaWeCo doesn't deliver. The bottle is cheap, generic and boring. Practical, no doubt, but if you want me to pay premium give me premium

1. Karamel Braun (Caramel Brown)
2. Konigsblau (Royal Blue)
3. Mittertnachtsblau (Midnight Blue)
4. Palmen Grun (Palm Green)
5. Paradies Blau (Paradise Blue)
6. Perlen Schwarz (Pearl Black)
7. Rubinrot (Ruby Red)
8. Smokey Grey
9. Sommer Lila (Summer Purple)
10. Sunrise Orange

 

 

Sunrise Orange is one of two new colors. I'm always eager to try new inks, orange ones are among my favourites. After having used all of Sunrise carts I can tell you this - it's not bad ink. It's not really good ink either. It's just average.

 

The color has potential to look nicely when used in very wet pens with broad nibs and on absorbent papers. In such combo it looks great and feels ok. If however your usual choice is copy paper and pens with dry, fine nibs the effect won;'t be siomilar to what you see on my scans. When used in Lamy Al-Star with fine nib on copy paper the ink has no character - it just looks flat and boring.

 

The color reception though is always subjective. My main issue with this ink is the fact it feels dry and has very weak lubrication. Again - with right pen and on quality paper the effect can be satisfying, with dry pen and copy paper writing with this ink is hardly pleasant experience.

 

Also, there's the price. Frankly for the price Kaweco expects to pay for this ink (14 $ in USA I believe you can get Sailor ink with free shipment on amazon and for 3-4 $ more a bottle of Iroshizuku Yu-yake which is at least a league above Sunrise Orange.

 

Ink Splash

Drops of ink on kitchen towel

Software ID

Leuchtturm 1917, Kaweco Classic Sport, broad nib

Clairefontaine Triomphe, Kaweco Classic Sport, broad nib

CIAK, Lamy Al-Star, different nib sizes

Edited August 30, 2016 by visvamitra

[mmg122]

Hi Vis! Thanks for reviewing this ink. Agree with you completely.

 

What is your favorite orange ink?

[Cyber6]

Hi Vis! Thanks for reviewing this ink. Agree with you completely.

 

What is your favorite orange ink?

 

 

If I remember correctly ... he has several, but YUYAKE is one of his top oranges... That's cause he hasn't had the pleasure of meeting Kin Mokusei yet....

[amberleadavis]

Thank you Vis!!

[Barkingpig]

 

 

If I remember correctly ... he has several, but YUYAKE is one of his top oranges... That's cause he hasn't had the pleasure of meeting Kin Mokusei yet....

Of course he is "not alone" among those of use awaiting their "KM fix;" I emailed Engeika 2 days ago to inquire about "status" of My Aug 9 order for same. I splurged,almost 4x Engeika price to get Rikyu- Cha from a Japanese offer on Ebay, but hated to drop almost $40. for KM, "IF it will indeed be stateside in October, as advertised. Three weeks later I am VERY tempted to change my mind.............

 

YU-YAKE was my FIRST Iroshizuku purchase & was NOT what I wanted for an orange ink. It is perhaps perfect for others, "but it is NO Iro Days' Honey, or even the recent Papier Plume Sazerac." Maybe KM will not be preferable to me as "my PERFECT orange," but I will never know until I try it.

 

And having ordered this new Kaweco ink from Bureau Direct, after reading Chrissy's review, & using it today in a Kaweco BB 14KT nib, I am NOT sorry I did. It was not dry for me & was quite pleasing on Graphilo & Tomoe River 68gm paper. It reminds me of the Lamy Burnt Orange ink.

[mmg122]

Awww....Sazerac...sure hope they rebrew that one...but doubt they will. It would negate the LE concept. Is Kin Mokusei due to come back in September? I'll jump all over that one. Don't have YuYake. Only orange I currently have is the Lamy and I think the Snake inks have an orange (which I own but haven't tried).

 

Like you, Jack, I love my browns, oranges and reds...and an occassional murky green.

[visvamitra]

And having ordered this new Kaweco ink from Bureau Direct, after reading Chrissy's review, & using it today in a Kaweco BB 14KT nib, I am NOT sorry I did. It was not dry for me & was quite pleasing on Graphilo & Tomoe River 68gm paper. It reminds me of the Lamy Burnt Orange ink.

 

 

@Barkingpig - I'm pretty sure in this configuration every single ink would shine On cheap copy paper and in . let's say, regular fine nib most fountan pen users use, it doesn't make good impression. If I'll manage to finally make softbox (not that difficult, but time is an issue) I'll be able to take better photos of red and orange inks (as my scanner refuses to produce their adequate color representation).

[HalloweenHJB]

Many thanks to barkingpig for the sample!!

 

Very pretty deep orange ink. I do like it a lot.

 

[Bo Bo Olson]

Outside of Rhoda...which is 80g.....80g copy paper just don't shade in the first place ***. one needs 90g and or +.

Seems to shade on good paper...one needs a shading orance.

I just bought some 90g paper and it costs @ twice as much as 80.....so buy 90g and or better paper to scribble on....and cheap 80 for pure printing.

 

*** back when I was 'noobie' Lamy turquoise , was the base turquoise all others were compared too. Nice color but rather blaaa. In Ink Reviews I aw both reviews it shaded....both used 90 g paper....so I learned right then, 80g copy paper was only good for printing.

[Bo Bo Olson]

I get mild shading, on good 170g and nice 90g M&K paper. Less shading than on the 90g M&K surprisingly on the M&K 95g typewriting paper.

Not as bright as the new MB LE orange....which is good. MB is more mid-bright than bright.

 

I'm normally happy with my M&K papers with my inks, not with this one. It does shade on the 170g. It shades on my 25% cotton, 160g Verge De France laid paper.

 

I think I have to get Herbin Orange