Inky T O D: Buying Samples Instead Of Bottles

[ethernautrix]

David, I'd be happy to send you samples of a few blues I have. I've struggled with finding "the" blue ink, and I'm coming to consider that there might not be only one, and that's okay!

 

Let me know!

[Charles Skinner]

My My !!!!!!! I have really "started something" with my question or thought or concern or money wise post about buying ink in small sample vials !!!!!

 

Keep it going ! This is interesting. I have never considered the possibility that the ink in a sample might not be the same as in the bottle. Someone suggested that the ink might be changed, just a little, by being contained in the vial, instead of in glass, which might be possible. I can not believe that a dealer would actually, knowingly put different ink in a sample. It would defeat the purpose of ----- if the sample is liked ----- selling a large bottle.

 

I can only laugh to myself if a complete and total "outsider" who knows absolutely nothing about our hobby, came upon how we are such "nit-pickers" when it comes to fountain pen inks !!! ---- He or she might say ----- "Just use regular blue or black ink ----- the way God intended !!!!! Why get all bent out of shape over such small matters !!!!"

 

Smile, and keep writing with the ink of your choice --- your choice as of today, of course!

 

C. S.

[deacondavid]

My two cents...

 

I have a lot of bottles and even more sample vials. In most cases, the vials are a great way to preview inks. In most cases, the bottles I have picked up are either impulse buys, were purchased for the interesting and/or amusing bottle and/or label as well as the ink, were inks already proven via sample or were inks for which no sample was offered.

 

Do I have a good number of bottles that contain ink that I am less than thrilled with? Yes. Impulse buying ink is usually a poor course of action.

 

Without samples, my ongoing quest for the perfect inks that match my specific criteria would be a lot more expensive. Without samples, fun projects like the ink Advent calendar that I did last year would have been financially impossible.

 

I have not encountered too many inks where the sample was significantly different from the bottled ink. With inks that have special properties that require agitated bottles (J. Herbin 1670 series, Diamine Shimmertastics, etc.) I have had mixed results with samples. The Diamines have been great, while the J.Herbin inks have not really shown any sign of what I have seen on line.

 

I don't regret ordering the samples - it has allowed me to try a lot of different inks and know that some are never going to be things that I will want to try again, but I am only out a buck or two. It has allowed me to find new favorites that I otherwise would have overlooked.

 

Great topic and good discussion!

[inotrym]

I am both pro and anti samples. I like the feel of a brand-new-out-of-the-factory product and I consider the bottle and packaging part of the experience. But having 97 bottles (around 4,5L!!!) of ink, half of which I don't particularly like, I can tell that this kind of accumulation feels terribly wasteful.

 

IMO, the optimal solution would be for manufacturers to produce 10-15ml bottles (much like JHerbin and Pilot) instead of 50 or 90(!). If you like the small bottle enough, then you can get the bigger size

.

[lapis]

Now that's food for thought and I'll bite instantly. Only thing I demand is that the bottle's neck is still big enough to welcome an M1000 or a 149er.

 

Mike

[Sailor Kenshin]

Alright. I am trying, really trying, to break out of this black or blue-black only ink stint I have been on since the early 1950's. I stay stocked up on my regular inks. However, when it comes to buying another color ink, with my mind saying, "You are never going to really use that color ink" I have a problem ordering a bottle of the ink. Maybe this samples thing is what I need. But I have always gotten the impression that a sample was not really enough to tell if you liked the ink. I don't know where I got the idea. I never read that here. But that is why I have always dismissed the notion of buying ink samples.

 

Be honest; is this the route for me and people like me?

 

-David (Estie).

 

Yes. Ink samples are your friend.

[Runnin_Ute]

I like having bottles, but samples have their place. For example, I ended up with samples of all ten of the Diamine Shimmertastic inks. I have three or four I still haven't tried, but determined fairly quickly that I wouldn't use them enough to justify a bottle of any of them. I have inks that I bought without trying a sample (Noodler's Apache Sunset) and those that I did try a sample (Noodler's 54th Massachusetts) of. I use the Apache Sunset much more than 54th Massachusetts. Not sure why on that one.

 

My KWZI inks I got in the Group Buy. IG Turquoise and Azure of Sky. Love the former, not so much the latter. The color I like, but the performance I don't. Drier than the Sahara Desert.

 

Tried pre-production samples of some of the Blackstone inks. (Sydney Harbour Blue and Barrier Reef Blue), took my chances on Uluru Red and Daintree Green. Like them all.

 

Levenger Pomegranate - no sample was available. Is a favorite ink. Unfortunately no longer available.

[estie1948]

David, I'd be happy to send you samples of a few blues I have. I've struggled with finding "the" blue ink, and I'm coming to consider that there might not be only one, and that's okay!

 

Let me know!

Ethernautrix, that is a very generous and kind offer and I thank you very much! However, I'm going to have to be a big boy about this and do my own searching. It had occurred to me that I might have to try a lot of samples before I find "the" blue ink I want to use, but I'm too slow witted to have realized that there might be more than one blue I would want to use. This could turn out to be like searching for that perfect aged single malt Scotch . . .

 

Again, thank you for your very kind and generous offer.

 

-David (Estie).

[estie1948]

 

 

Dude! You already know you like black. Bag that and buy a blue or two. If it makes you feel better, buy a blue-black that you can tell has blue in it. Or buy a dark blue, like Diamine Denim - quite dark from an EF nib. Personally, my favorite blue so far is Diamine Misty Blue - dark enough to be used for any purpose you wish (e.g. business), light enough to be recognizable as blue, even to old eyes that don't distinguish color as easily (this is starting for me), and shades nicely (at least from a fine nib - have yet to test it in my EF nibs, it's next for that).

 

Just be aware that the color may or may not look like the online picture - I try to do a google image search and look at a variety of pictures of the ink to get a feel for what it might look like. (e.g. Diamine Misty Blue is darker than the picture on Goulet's website (none of their pictures are very accurate for me).) Also, in my experience, text written by a fountain pen is always darker than a swab, so I try to look at writing samples rather than swabs.

 

 

Liz

Liz, you are right! I'll go for blue, not black nor blue-black, when I try the sample.

 

I will also bear in mind the difference of color on the computer monitor and in real life. I learned that lesson trying to match house paint for a friend when a storm downed tree limb removed a five-inch-wide strip of paint down the side of her house she had had painted the summer before. $1,000 deductible had her singing the blues. Old idiots are what you call old men who volunteer to repaint the damaged area before they find out she had not saved a single paint can, did not know the names of the two colors of the paint, and had no idea what brand of paint the painter had used. Stupid old idiot is what you call the old man who didn't realize that even once you find the exact paint colors and brand of house paint, a five-inch-wide strip of fresh paint down the middle of a year of sun faded paint wasn't going to stand out a bit.

 

I will certainly check out the Diamine Misty Blue. Thank you for your help and advise.

 

-David (Estie).

[estie1948]

Yes. Ink samples are your friend.

You have all worked to convince me that if I am going to try other colors of ink, I am going to do it with ink samples. Thanks for all the welcome advice and guidance.

 

-David (Estie).

[Sailor Kenshin]

You have all worked to convince me that if I am going to try other colors of ink, I am going to do it with ink samples. Thanks for all the welcome advice and guidance.

 

-David (Estie).

And then, shot glasses are your friend. That's where I put my sample vial so it doesn't tip. I hear they have other uses as well.

 

PS: Diamine Misty Blue is one of the few samples that made me buy a full bottle.

[lapis]

And then, shot glasses are your friend. That's where I put my sample vial so it doesn't tip. I hear they have other uses as well.

 

PS: Diamine Misty Blue is one of the few samples that made me buy a full bottle.

A full bottle, 'eh?

A full bottle of what?

 

[LizEF]

Glad to hear you're expanding your color options! Please let us know how it goes.

 

I learned that lesson trying to match house paint for a friend when a storm downed tree limb removed a five-inch-wide strip of paint down the side of her house she had had painted the summer before. $1,000 deductible had her singing the blues. Old idiots are what you call old men who volunteer to repaint the damaged area before they find out she had not saved a single paint can, did not know the names of the two colors of the paint, and had no idea what brand of paint the painter had used. Stupid old idiot is what you call the old man who didn't realize that even once you find the exact paint colors and brand of house paint, a five-inch-wide strip of fresh paint down the middle of a year of sun faded paint wasn't going to stand out a bit.

 

Whatever else is true, kind and good is what I call this volunteer. Thank you for your generosity - the world cannot have too many such people.

[Bluey]

Liz, you are right! I'll go for blue, not black nor blue-black, when I try the sample.

 

I will also bear in mind the difference of color on the computer monitor and in real life. I learned that lesson trying to match house paint for a friend when a storm downed tree limb removed a five-inch-wide strip of paint down the side of her house she had had painted the summer before. $1,000 deductible had her singing the blues. Old idiots are what you call old men who volunteer to repaint the damaged area before they find out she had not saved a single paint can, did not know the names of the two colors of the paint, and had no idea what brand of paint the painter had used. Stupid old idiot is what you call the old man who didn't realize that even once you find the exact paint colors and brand of house paint, a five-inch-wide strip of fresh paint down the middle of a year of sun faded paint wasn't going to stand out a bit.

 

I will certainly check out the Diamine Misty Blue. Thank you for your help and advise.

 

-David (Estie).

David, to tempt you, have a look at some of the reviews of the many many inks avaialble from all the different brands. There's something for everyone to fall in love with

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/160612-index-of-ink-reviews/

[pajaro]

I have always bought bottles. These days I use a fill about twice a year. The sample thing might make sense. There were two inks I used secretly, Montblanc Racing green and Montblanc violet, and then there was blue black. Both MB inks are gone out of production. A sample of Sheaffer blue black would last me a couple of years. Why buy a bottle any more?

 

I am reduced to using one C/C pen. The rest are mothballed or they are in that direction. I just don't write much. I still like taking the pens out and fooling with them, though. Gadget man.

[Sasha Royale]

I concur, CS !

 

For a writing habit, as you describe, acquisition in sample quantities is completely reasonable.

Saving the sample-size bottles will allow you to share and trade small quantities of ink. Buy a full-size bottle, if ever you find an ink that satisfies your life and lust.

 

Thanks for sharing your views, and suggesting an option that some may not have considered.

[estie1948]

David, to tempt you, have a look at some of the reviews of the many many inks avaialble from all the different brands. There's something for everyone to fall in love with

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/160612-index-of-ink-reviews/

Thanks, Bluey. If only I handled temptation better . . .

 

-David (Estie).

[Arkanabar]

As with everything else in life, the answer is, "It depends."

The point of samples is to lower the cost of exploring new inks that may or may not be enjoyed.

If you don't expect to want to use more than 2-3ml of a given ink, then buying a sample instead of a bottle makes sense. If buyer's remorse is something you often feel keenly, then buying samples instead of bottles makes sense. If you're in search of your perfect [$color], to be your One True Love in [$color] for evar and evar (which is me for purple right now), then buying samples makes sense.

Buying 2ml at 75c/ml is a better deal than buying 30ml at 20c/ml, if you only use 4ml before giving it up, and leave 5.20 worth of ink sitting unused for who knows how long.

If you know your inks and will use them all long-term, and have no doubts about which ones you want, then there's no point in buying samples.

In short, everyone has told you the truth of whether it's better to buy samples -- given their situation and preferences.

I do not completely fill a pen from a sample vial. I'll put in maybe a half-twist of a converter's worth of ink, to see how it behaves in the pen, and how the lines look. This (along with my syringe) allows me to get a fair number of test fills from a sample.

[DrDebG]

I have both and I use both.

 

I almost always get a sample vial of an ink before I buy a bottle. If I like it and it is a color I regular use, I may buy a bottle.

 

But I also really like variety, so I like to have a variety of samples around. It is interesting that I rarely purchase another sample of an ink I have already tried. That is when I usually spring for a bottle.

 

The exception for me is if the ink I am interested in is available in smaller quantities or generally less expensive. Then I will buy the "bottle". Callifolio inks are available in a pouch which makes them very affordable. And you can get smaller quantities of Paper Plume which makes them reasonable as well.

[Charles Skinner]

I am making a list of "samples" I want to buy soon. I believe I now have three on the list. When I get up to six or so, I will order them. I am trying to reduce shipping charges, but am not sure that my method will save much money! C. S.