Pelikan 4001 Brilliant-Red

[Ozzy]

Elo,

 

This is the review for the Pelikan 4001 Brilliant-Red. I know I'll be repeating myself, but in case someone didn't read the other Pelikan reviews, here goes;

 

Ink: Pelikan 4001 Brilliant-Red. 30 ml.

Pen: Durabrite nib and penholder.

Paper: some notebook.

 

Drying: To begin with, this ink dries quicker than the other Pelikan inks I've tried, almost instant drying. I think this owes to the fact that it's not heavily saturated. At least I think so. The ink looks diluted, and when I took the bottle out of its box and saw it for the first time, it looked to me like juice!

 

Shading: there's no noticeable shading I'm afraid. It's very uniform.

 

Flow: the flow is ok. The nibs I use are somewhat dry nibs. But what I found different was that the ink doesn't nicely load the nib when I dip it. As if it wouldn't spread over the nib.

 

Color: too light for my taste!

 

When I scanned it, it looked darker than it really is, so I took pictures with my camera. They're not that nice, but they're closer to the real thing.

 

Conclusion: I don't like this ink. I would go for something darker. And I thought I'd buy it for the sake of reviewing it on FPN actually. I can't see myself writing with this ink.

 

End of line.

 

http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh196/Adkawi/DSC00459comp.jpg

 

http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh196/Adkawi/DSC00458comp.jpg

[PenTieRun]

Ozzy, you have done a service to humanity by reviewing quite well this wretched ink. It's probably the most horrid fluid on the planet. Ugly beyond belief. I bought a bottle this summer (foolishly because the Pelikan violet is sooo nice), and was horrified by it (and the fact that the $$ could have been spent more wisely). So thanks for warning everyone. Your sacrifice is everyone's protection.

 

Oh, yeah, did I mention that I'm not very fond of this ink?

[Ozzy]

Elo,

 

Oh my god

 

I like how you called if Horrid Fluid (you couldn't call it ink). It's true. it's terrible. i'll be using the ink of course, but not for writing though. maybe i'll experiment with it!!!

 

your reply gave me a good laugh :ltcapd:

 

thanks!

 

 

[Lord Lynnaeus]

Thanks for the honest & informative review of this grotesque "ink".

Unfortunately I did not see this until I got myself a bottle.

 

It really is rather diluted - looks diluted & truly is. Even with soft gold nibs, the flow is on the dry side, compared with the thick wet lines & strokes I normally get with other inks using the same nibs - probably what you mean by "doesn't load the nib".

 

Since I didn't like the colour & hue it produced at all, I decided to mix it with other "members" of the same Pelikan brand to try & get something I did not mind using. To my horror, I got rather unexpected & inexplicable results. For instance, mixing the Royal Blue with Red should logically give one a purple / violet sort of colour (at least that's what I expected since with paint, colouring pencils, crayons, & other colouring media that is what you get). But no! I got strange brown / grey colours depending on the proportion of red & blue mixed.

I then tried mixing it with a bit of Pelikan black, in a ratio of about 1 black to 5 red, thinking it might yield a black-red colour like that of the Private Reserve cherry red. Again, the mix was disastrous, producing dark brown colour.

 

Really, this is a discredit to the other Pelikan inks I have & am currently using - the Brilliant Black, Royal Blue, Brilliant Brown. The blue-black combination I got by mixing 11 blue to 2 black is quite nice, resembles the blue-black from various brands, which is an expected result, unlike what I got mixing the red ink.

 

[Ernst Bitterman]

I had a 15 year old bottle of this stuff, and assumed that the funny colour was because of the age. I declined to buy a new bottle because I had yet to see a viable fountain pen ink with residue on the bottom (pre-Noodlers exposure), and every bottle in the art shop had some whitish crud evident. I'm wondering if that was a bad batch or does this new Horrid Fluid also contain some sort of suspended pigment?

[Nellie]

Maybe this could help everyone who has a bottle of this terrible watery ink standing around: the one thing it is good for is mixing. Mix it with any regular Noodler's red or orange and it will make the colour a bit more vibrant (while not changing it in any significant way), and - more importantly - will give you an ink that dries faster than undiluted Noodler's.

Edited April 22, 2008 by Nellie

[Chris]

I'm glad it has a use as a mixer.

 

I too bought a bottle because I love the Pelikan black and purple, though the blue-black is not for me. I found I had bought Tizer instead of fresh blood

 

Does anyone else remember Tizer? It was a fizzy orange-coloured drink that tasted like nothing else (but probably dissolved teeth!)

 

Chris

[Ovidius]

I have not tried Pelikan brilliant red and I won’t now that I have been warned about how awful it is. I just thought that I would mention that anyone looking for a good red ink should consider Waterman Red. It is an excellent red ink, actually red, although it is also semi-transparent in the bottle. Waterman Red is also the most lightfast ink that I have ever tested, if that matters.

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/in...?showtopic=1516

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/in...showtopic=58316

[ethernautrix]

Thanks for the review. I just bought a bottle of SHEAFFER red... and it is a vibrant, beautiful red. Maybe it's a red you'd like to try.

 

Someone reviewed the Sheaffer red cartridges (which is what influenced me to try the red). Let me see if I can find it...

 

Punch reviewed it, and it is even a better red in person.

 

 

[someonesdad]

I'll repeat my comments elsewhere on this ink. I bought it in November of 2008 at a local art store. It's weaker than dilute Kool-Aid, although I can tell that the Kool-Aid jug did pass within a couple of meters of the Pelikan bottle. I was so disappointed with it. I wrote a little with one pen, flushed it out, and haven't opened the bottle since. I'd love to trade for another ink with someone who likes this red.

[Jason Oliver]

Good luck on trading it :roflmho:

 

I tried the same thing about 2 weeks ago, not a single nibble. Seriously, I'm surprised that Pelikan produces this weak ink since many of their other products are quite good. Somebody needs to tell Pelikan this ink sucks ... maybe they just don't realize it

[Peter from Sherwood Park]

Thank you for this review -- I think you have talked me out of trying this ink.

[bphollin]

Thanks for posting this review, Ozzy. It's always good to know about the real stinkers. I don't think ANYONE has a good thing to say about Pelikan Red. I just picked up my second bottle of Sheaffer Skrip Red for a round of grading (and a Valentine's letter ). You and ether'x have inspired me to review it.

[Ray-Vigo]

And to think it's from the country that produced the "Red Baron". I'd hate to think what would have been if he'd used this to cover his airplane.

[Gran]

Thanks for the review. Am glad I decided on the Skrip red.

[R.ticle One]

I still have a nearly full bottle from my early FP days. I only used it a few times. The last thing it looked to me was red...more like a funny orange. I have no idea when I'll next need it, but since it sounds like nobody here wants to take it off my hands...

[cafzal]

OK I hate to sound a discordant note: The ink reminds me of school note book margins from the early to mid-twentieth century. Its is actually great for correcting student papers, as it is clear bright, yet for their delicate sense of self worth betrays a light hand.

Edited February 16, 2009 by cafzal

[Kabe]

Weird happening: Opened my two year old bottle of Red 4001, to find that about 70 percent of it had evaporated; there was a lot of sediment there, the colour was the same, but the ink was now a dream to write with! same brilliant colour, and just as lubey as WFB!! However, I dare not to use it on a FP, for all the thick sediments and stuff. Dip pen exclusive

 

PS. Threw a drop on tissue paper, and the paper got hard, as if the ink was blood, not watery ink, whic confirms that I should not use it with FPs

Edited March 14, 2011 by Kabe

[Blueblack4256]

I was looking for an ink that would grab the attention of my students. I had been using either Noodler's red or Omas red, and neither was acheiving the effect I wanted.

 

I asked my local ink perveyor what the most hideous, godawful shade of red was and he pointed me toward Pelikan. I'd been using Pelikan Royal Blue since they reformulated it and was also a user of Brilliant Brown, so I gave it a shot. In a word - Superb!

[AlanE]

I had a 15 year old bottle of this stuff, and assumed that the funny colour was because of the age. I declined to buy a new bottle because I had yet to see a viable fountain pen ink with residue on the bottom (pre-Noodlers exposure), and every bottle in the art shop had some whitish crud evident. I'm wondering if that was a bad batch or does this new Horrid Fluid also contain some sort of suspended pigment?

 

Mine forms a froth on the top. 'orrible stuff.