Pelikan Edelstein Olivine

[lapis]

1. Introduction and first impressions

 

 

 

 

 

2. Packaging

 

 

 

To repeat what I once said about this ink series, the 50-ml Edelstein box and bottle have remained unchanged. Both are different from those of the 30 and 62.5-ml issues of the 4001 series, and the Edelstein bottle has the usual, very sturdy Edelstein cap. The only thing I still don't like about the package here is the inclusion of two medium-soft rubber foam blocks resting on the shoulders of the bottle under the two box side flaps. Sure, the bottle can most easily be taken out of the box by first pulling up the back flap of the inner box and the trying to pinch out the foam blocks in order to get a hold of the bottle by the cap. Or you can even completely remove and disassemble the whole inner box. These foam pads are of course by no means a serious crime but IMO still too time-consuming and unnecessarily careful (in the sense of content protection).

 

3. Physical properties

• Actual colour: as can be seen in any of the writings above, this is definitely a very dark green. Whatever other constituents may be present (e.g. blue and/or brown), this is a very homogeneous mix as can be seen in the following drop on a piece of kitchen towel.

 

Of course that is not a chromatography experiment but it does show that there are no contributions resulting in various shades towards the outer areas of the spot.

 

• Wetness/flow: Very good, still not quite so wet as their Tanzanite and Aquamarine. All Edelstein inks (although they themselves have some variety as regards wetness/flow) are wetter than their older 4001 counterparts. For an explanation of this feat, see point 6 below.
• Lubrication: Also good.
• Saturation: High. About as high as most of the other Edelstein inks.
• Shading: Yes, quite a bit, and more than a lot of Edelstein predecessors.
• Sheen: Ditto. Depends as usual on the paper, the light, the angle etc. etc. (Maybe that's the reason why I'm not all that hot about sheen.)
• Feathering: Practically none seen, even on a piece of newspaper.
• Bleeding: Some seen, even on relatively "good" papers like Rhodia. See below.
• Drying time: around 15 s, which isn't all that bad, in any case somewhat faster than a few other Edelstein inks, especially last year's Smoky Quartz.

 

• Waterproofness: Not good at all. Nowhere near Pelikan's 4001 Blue-Black where today's formulations of that ink are considered to contain at least some iron-gall. But, the resistance to water is "just as good" as that of the 4001 series' inks. As you can see, after exactly 60 seconds of holding out a bath in water, most of the dye has been washed out with the result that you can still read only half of the content (presuming that you knew what was originally written there, har, har):

 

4. Various papers

As said above, there is some bleeding, even on a few well-known papers usually "more resistant" than Leuchtturm 1917 or Moleskine.

To that end, here are eight different types of paper, all written on using that Safari (with an M-nib). On the right side of the following image are the backsides of each piece of paper:

 

5. Ink Comparisons

This was a bit more complicated than usual. First, not really being an olive-green (IYAM), that somewhat narrows it down a bit because there aren't all that may olive-greens out there (I think). Secondly, being more of a "dark green", since there are a lot of those available, that necessitates more screening (on paper, yeah) in order to rule out those which are too yellow (e.g. Diamine's Kelly Green, R&K's Verdure, R&K's Efeublatt), too blue (Iroshi's syo-ro, Levenger's Gemstone Green, Online's Smaragd), and/or too brown or black (GvFC's Olive Green, Noodler's Catalpa, Noodler's Zhivago). That is, of course, for a good comparison of inks similar to solely this one. Finally, a quick screening (on the monitor) suggested that a few inks that we are all familiar with might have jumped onto the bandwagon if I had had them (e.g. De Atramentis' Jane Austen º "Dark Green" or Diamine's Sherwood Green) but I don't have them. Sigh.

The pen used here is a glass dip pen made by Herbin.

 

6. Note (taken from an earlier review)

On the back of the box, it says "Extra soft ink". Again, as a repeat for those uninformed, that means that in comparison to the 4001 ink predecessors, these new Edelstein creations have a better flow and better lubrication. By "lubrication" here, they mean not only on the paper but also on the inside of the barrel around the piston. At the same time, this extra-softness was designed to yield an even more maintenance-free and thus more "FP-friendlier" ink. Since I have all Pelikan 4001 and Edelstein inks, I must say that I'll go along completely with that!

 

7. Availability

As this is a "Pelikan" ink, it should be available all over the world. One of the gripes I've often encountered here on the forum is that while the "normal" or "standard" 4001 Pelikan inks are relatively inexpensive, the Edelstein series are occasionally said to cost too much. I'd say that the Edelstein inks are moderately priced. Okay, whether or not they are dirt cheap here, Sailor and Iroshis aren't, and in Japan, it's of course the other way around. Here is a short list of prices, to outline such comparisons. Edelsteins aren't all that expensive (in this country), and cost "only" just twice as much per ml) as any of the inks in the Pelikan 4001 line, but they are improved inks. Both of these Pelikan series have gone up in price since last year, but not as much as most of the Montblanc series. These are all current German list prices in Euros including our sales tax of 19%:

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Ink List Price Bottle Price/ml

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Hieronymus 48.20 50 ml 0.96

Vuitton 36.00 50 ml 0.72

Montblanc (LEs) 35.00 50 ml 0.70

Caran d'Ache (new) 29.90 50 ml 0.60

Montblanc (LEs) 17.00 30 ml 0.57

Iroshizuku 24.90 50 ml 0.50

Montblanc (LEs) 17.00 35 ml 0.49

Caran d'Ache (old) 13.95 30 ml 0.47

Graf von F-C (new) 27.00 75 ml 0.36

Herbin 10.00 30 ml 0.33

Montegrappa 14.00 42 ml 0.33

Pelikan Edelstein 16.50 50 ml 0.33

Montblanc (regulars) 19.00 60 ml 0.32

Online 3.95 15 ml 0.26

Akkerman (60 ml) 15.00 60 ml 0.25

Graf von F-C (old) 13.75 62.5 ml 0.22

Standardgraph 6.45 30 ml 0.21

Stipula (Calamo) 14.00 70 ml 0.20

Lamy T52 8.50 50 ml 0.17

L'Artisan Pastellier 6.50 40 ml 0.16

Pelikan 4001 4.75 30 ml 0.16

Waterman 7.90 50 ml 0.16

Rohrer & Klingner 6.50 50 ml 0.13

Akkerman (150 ml) 16.50 150 ml 0.11

Parker Quink 6.00 57 ml 0.11

Seitz-Kreuznach 8.99 100 ml 0.09

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8. Conclusions

• I think the biggest reason for me to get this ink is that I like collecting inks ("You don't say!") and being an LE ink, the time has come to get it now.
• The colour itself, while being a bit off an olive-green, still looks interesting, at least to me. I'd say in a word a very dark green with a tick of blue and a half a tick of brown. Apparently it is a halfway true replica of the mineral (and gemstone) olivine, after which it has, of course, been named. But there are so many dark greens out there that that might tempt you enough to save the dough.
• I find it somewhat funny (well, not all that hilarious) that some companies apparently specialize or at least abound in this type of colour, namely an idiosyncratic shade of dark green (e.g. Diamine) whereas some companies seemingly don't (Noodler's, Sailor).
• It is really well behaved. Also it writes well and dries relatively quickly. Although and/or because it is not at all waterproof, it is very easy to clean out of your pen and off your hands.
• This ink should be available all over the world and IMO at a reasonably moderate price. At least here in Europe and likely in North America, I'd say that it is less expensive than any Iroshizuku or Sailor contenders.
• Don't forget that this is a Pelikan "Ink of the Year" (as always, since 2012, continually in the Edelstein field) and thus a Limited Edition ink. Olivine is now available -- but as usual only for a good year.

 

Mike

[inotrym]

Thanks for the very thorough review. To be honest, I was expecting it to be a little more olive-y in color...

[lgsoltek]

Thanks for the detailed review! I didn't know it was released already. Yes I agree with Mike and Inotrym that I have expected something different, a more yellow green. This is not what I was expecting...

[namrehsnoom]

Impressively detailed review! Standing on its own, the colour is not bad (but in my personal opinion, not great either). But I am convinced that many people were expecting an olive rather than a mineral - i.e. more of a yellow-green colour. I fear that this will generate a feeling of disappointment, which will work against the ink (at least initially).

Well... my own bottle is due to arrive this week, so I will be able to judge for myself :-)

[lapis]

Thanks, guys, and I'm afraid -- actually I'm not at all afraid -- that practically everybody (and that's definitely not just a few poor souls out there) has been waiting months now for a green olive-coloured ink. Okay, okay, the investigations in Wiki etc. have shown that olivine is a mineral, and since these Edelstein inks apparently have more to do with gemstones and less to do with eatable things, blah... blah... blah....

I like and even recommend Pelikan inks, and as said by namrehsnoom (and by me, too, up in the review somewhere) I do like this green as a dark green. But I think as far as sales are concerned, this one won't end up being a real hit. GvFC's "Olive Green" which came out only a few months earlier looks a lot more like the real thing (although they don't label it a gemstone).

Pelikan either should have created an ink colour at least more in the direction of the fruit as we know it (or as Wiki demonstrates/illustrates the mineral/gemstone), or, they should have named it something else.

 

[encremental]

Thanks for the detailed review, Mike. It's a lovely colour, but not like Peridot which is the colour we were all expecting (another name for Olivine) or ... and this is the thing that really gets my goat ; Pelikan's own product shots, which had a far yellower cast, and even a bit of an MB Racing Green thing going on, which would have gone down well. It seems that every Pelikan product nowadays is nothing like the colour shown in their own photos - why?

 

Oh well, I'll buy it and stand it next to Dark Forest, Lamy Petrol etc etc. I might even try mixing it with Edelstein Amber! (hmmmm...)

 

John

Edited April 1, 2018 by encremental

[Intensity]

Very strange, neither olivine, nor gem-quality form of olivine—peridot—are that dark green with a hint of blue, as described. Makes me wonder if there were some batch mixing issues. They should have named this ink “Emerald” otherwise, as it seems a good match for the hues shown above.

 

Nonetheless, it’s a nice green. Made me think of Montblanc’s Irish Green, which is on my want list, but I prefer MIG for better water resistance.

 

Thank you for the excellent, thorough review!

[senzen]

Thanks for an exhaustive review! Can't say it's my cup of tea, and even less as a special edition, the written samples with different nibs are particularly useful.

[MKeith]

Nice review. To my eyes it is a exact match for Diamine Umber. For an ink that is more "olive" color I could suggest Monteverde Olivine.

[Jan2016]

Thanks for the review!

Based on the product shots released earlier by Pelikan I expected another color. Like the reactions stated before. There are more greens in this spectrum, so for me not so special....

[lapis]

Nice review. To my eyes it is a exact match for Diamine Umber. For an ink that is more "olive" color I could suggest Monteverde Olivine.

 

Thanks for these good tips. As a matter of fact, I did think of Umber while going through my greens but I purposely didn't pick it. As I had it in mind, Umber is/was a slightly lighter green with maybe somewhat less blue but more brown (which shouldn't have been any reason to reject it). But I did reject it (subconsciously?) because I never liked it and haven't used it for years since it always caused ignition problems (i.e. always resulted in slow starts). The following shows that my memory hasn't let me down. But you're right -- Umber is a close candidate here. I don't yet have Montverde's Olivine.

 

[Rhincodon]

Thank you so much for the detailed review! I admit, I was one who didn't look up "olivine" and assumed it would be in the yellow-green range. My bad. I do love shading, though, so I might be tempted by that alone later in the year. (I got Smoky Quartz untested and have been loving it in a broad cursive italic.)

 

I do have Pelikan 4001 Dark Green - would you say that has more blue than Olivine?

[lapis]

The 4001 Dark Green has at least as much blue in it as Olivine does (see the comparisons above) but the 4001 Dark Green is so much lighter. It's hard to see whether it's just "more light blue" or whether it's less brown/black.

If I get around to it, I'll check out a pair of chromatographies tomorrow....

[AmandaW]

I was waiting for Pelikan Olivine, expecting something like the one shown in the pictures doing the rounds a few months back, but not interested in this colour.

 

I'll get over the disappintment by ordering the GvFC Olive Green instead!

[ca49reber]

I like the color & am waiting impatiently for it to arrive. Thank you for the review. I wish they would bring back Garnet.

[The Good Captain]

A fantastic review, old buddy! It will certainly save me the trouble and embarrassment of not having enough greens to compare it with. My bottle arrived on Saturday and the ink is now residing the the M120 green/black 'reissue' that I got a while ago.

Anyway, I like the Olivine but totally agree that it doesn't have the colour specifics to really warrant its title, in my opinion.

Nicely done and back to the Twisted Spire! HUZZAH!

[dragorsi]

Thanks for the review!

It is a good green, but like for the others my expectations were based on the winning submission which i i remember correctly, was more yellow. Now this shade could be a gorgeous M205 (with silver accents) which makes me very sad because I simply won't be able to get it. Oh, well

[lapis]

I do have Pelikan 4001 Dark Green - would you say that has more blue than Olivine?

 

 

These chromatography strips were intended to show two things:

1. The difference (any difference) in dyes used between Pelikan's Edelstein Olivine and Graf von Faber Castell's Olive Green is no surprise. The idea here is simply that I and/or we all thought that this Olivine would at least halfway tend towards an olive-green. I don't have any other Olive Green inks and I also don't yet have Monteverde's Olivine. Edelstein Olivine (to the left) has definitely a lot of very intense blue and (as far as I can see) no yellow. GvFC's Olive Green (to the right) has no blue but a lot of yellow. So that doesn't tell us anything new. The only really interesting thing here IMO is that the EO has no basis solute (anything dark) which is so permanent that it isn't mobilized by the solvent (50% isopropanol in water).
2. The difference in blueness between Edelstein Olivine and Pelikan's 400 Dark Green (chromatography strip in the middle) -- as asked by Rhincodon above in Post #12 -- is only slightly apparent. The Dark Green seems to have at least as much blue as the Edelstein Olivine (if not a notch more) but in any case practically no brown. A better "proof" that the Dark Green in fact does have more blue than the Edelstein Olivine will be shown later.

[chromantic]

​Another great review, Lapis. I always appreciate your thoroughness

 

While it certainly looks better here than Frizt's sample, it still doesn't seem to match Pelikan's publicity shot, which generated so much excitement. Having just been burned greatly disappointed by KWZ Green #3, I'm gonna pass on this one.

 

edit: typos

Edited April 3, 2018 by chromantic

[jmccarty3]

While this looks like a very nice green, it's not what we were led to expect. I won't be canceling my order for it, but I will be depending much more on GvFC and Monteverde for olive green inks.

 

How hard can it be to get this right????