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Faber-Castell Versus Pelikan Royal Blue


lapis

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Due to chandelle's neat posting on Faber-Castell's Royal Blue, I found myself forced to compare this with Pelikan's Royal Blue. Undeniably, the shape of the bottles is exactly the same, except for the fact that my Pelikan 4001 series' size is 30 ml whereas my Faber Castell's bottle is 62.5 ml (2 oz.).

fpn_1374188638__faber-castel_pelikan_blu

 

This is not intended to be a review but only a comparison, so here are a couple of things I thought of as a first resort.

 

Actual colours on three papers:

fpn_1374188716__faber-castel_pelikan_blu

 

Here, I see no differences. Also, no differences in feathering. However, I did have the feeling that the Pelikan had a better flow plus a better lubrication. That may, of course, only have been my imagination.

 

Next, I thought that there might be some difference in regard to bleeding, but I see, here, too, no difference (the papers -- from left to right -- are in the same order as that seen above):

fpn_1374188812__faber-castel_pelikan_blu

 

There might be a difference in saturation and/or solubility in water; so here's a scan of washings after a complete submersion in water for exactly 60 s:

fpn_1374188911__faber-castel_pelikan_blu

 

Finally, in order to check out if there are any differences in respect to the dye content(s) themselves, here is a shot of paper chromatographies which I carried out as usual... To the left, the Faber-Castell Royal Blue, and to the right, the Pelikan Royal Blue...

fpn_1374189010__faber-castel_pelikan_blu

 

Again, I see no difference. Note again that that is definitely no proof that they identical; actual concentrations and/or the inclusion of tensides/surfactants will not necessarily be demonstrated by this type of analysis.

 

Summary: none of this proves that the two inks are one and the same... but... I bet they are...

 

Mike

Life is too short to drink bad wine (Goethe)

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I'd say that if a Faber-Castell ink is "nothing else than a Pelikan ink", then I don't need to buy it. Unless, of course, I like to collect everything including bottles and boxes.

This example might also save you money -- provided that they are not two really different inks -- considering that these Faber-Castell and Pelikan inks come in today at 0.18 and 0.11 Euros per ml, respectively.

 

Mike

Edited by lapis

Life is too short to drink bad wine (Goethe)

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A good set of comparison tests, old friend. I will stick to the 4001.

The Good Captain

"Meddler's 'Salamander' - almost as good as the real thing!"

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Thanks for undertaking the comparison. I understand your conclusion is just probable, but so is my understanding that both inks are blue and not bleen. I see no reason to seek out Faber Castell inks.

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I'd say that if a Faber-Castell ink is "nothing else than a Pelikan ink", then I don't need to buy it. Unless, of course, I like to collect everything including bottles and boxes.

This example might also save you money -- provided that they are not two really different inks -- considering that these Faber-Castell and Pelikan inks come in today at 0.18 and 0.11 Euros per ml, respectively.

 

Mike

Thanks. I already own the Pelikan 4001 RB. Once I own one reliable dry pedestrian blue, there is no need to own another.

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  • 1 month later...

May I just add that the older Pelikan inks did come in bottles shaped and sized exactly like the Faber-castell there.

That further underpins the fact that they are either the same or very-very closely related.

 

Though it was very surprising to me now that I though about it I came up with several possible explanations: they share the factory or the manufacturer, or just Faber-castell licenses the ink or bought an old ink manufacture of Pelikan.

What do you think guys could be an explanation?

(EDIT: corrected a gramamtical mistake and a typo)

Edited by BCL-2

2 Parker Frontiers, 1 Lamy Safari, 1 MB 146, 1 Pilot MR and new friends: M805 in blue and an M 420. Yay!

Current holy grail: Caran d'Ache Leman Bicolor in saffron or possibly white. Not yet sure.

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  • 1 month later...

Nice test! The results are aligned to what I also concluded, both inks look the same.

And what about Lamy Blue? It is also very similar...

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Nope, Lamy makes it's own inks. I was at the factory and saw it. I won a factory tour. They let us close up to the cartridge filling, but not further back into the section where they were mixing inks in big vats and hoses going here and there.. 750 KG of material every day???

Or perhaps that was just the plastic for making all the pens??

I'd have to go look up in a thread I made over that.

 

Old fashioned oli bath Drill out and make their own BP cartridges too. Front drilled out and then 'married' to the back.

Edited by Bo Bo Olson

In reference to P. T. Barnum; to advise for free is foolish, ........busybodies are ill liked by both factions.

 

 

The cheapest lessons are from those who learned expensive lessons. Ignorance is best for learning expensive lessons.

 

 

 

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I won a factory tour.

 

 

:D Nice! Congratulations!

How does one do that? :) I want to win a tour as well :D

2 Parker Frontiers, 1 Lamy Safari, 1 MB 146, 1 Pilot MR and new friends: M805 in blue and an M 420. Yay!

Current holy grail: Caran d'Ache Leman Bicolor in saffron or possibly white. Not yet sure.

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Nope, Lamy makes it's own inks. I was at the factory and saw it. I won a factory tour. They let us close up to the cartridge filling, but not further back into the section where they were mixing inks in big vats and hoses going here and there.. 750 KG of material every day???

Or perhaps that was just the plastic for making all the pens??

I'd have to go look up in a thread I made over that.

 

Old fashioned oli bath Drill out and make their own BP cartridges too. Front drilled out and then 'married' to the back.

Of course Lamy makes their own inks... the question remains however whether or not Faber-Castell does so too... or just pumps off Lamy's.

 

Mike

Life is too short to drink bad wine (Goethe)

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Today, looking at the samples; the Pelikan looks lighter than Faber-Castell. I hadn't noticed it the first time.

 

Some one would have to do a Pelikan vs Lamy royal blue test to see if they are so much the same as I remember, to see if F-C was buying Lamy ink.

 

The local newspaper has a yearly contest, offering a Lamy Factory tour, an astronomy tour, a riverboat ride and 10-15 other things that did not interest me enough to remember what they were. Either did that already or was never ever going too, type of things.

 

There were some 20-24 people that won (two tours)....the newspaper pictures of the event was from the day before's tour. The reporter was there the second day too, taking notes. He only got two things wrong....well from what I heard. Pretty good for a BP user.

The free tour gift was a BP.

In reference to P. T. Barnum; to advise for free is foolish, ........busybodies are ill liked by both factions.

 

 

The cheapest lessons are from those who learned expensive lessons. Ignorance is best for learning expensive lessons.

 

 

 

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Some one would have to do a Pelikan vs Lamy royal blue test to see if they are so much the same as I remember, to see if F-C was buying Lamy ink.

 

 

They are clearly different. Their hues are similar, although Lamy is probably shifted a bit towards purple, I didn't run chromatography tests. Their value, however, are quite different. It _almost_ looks like Pelikan Royal Blue is diluted Lamy Blue. Their behavior on the paper is a bit different: Lamy Blue is more prone to bleeding through.

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Recluse,

Thanks for saving me inking and cleaning pens.

 

Thinking about it, it might not be a fair test, of a modern 4001 vs an old 'Sheaffer type shoe' in the bottle Lamy Blue.

I do have modern post 1990-92-3, Lamy blue in cartridges. A bit condensed. I have a Lamy Persona with out the tiny bump on the retractable clip to prevent it from rolling off the table that is from that time.

 

I wasn't so enthused about Lamy Blue to run out and buy any while I had two bottled of 4001.

 

Some day I have to see if there is any difference between the old bottles and new bottles of Lamy Turquoise.

In reference to P. T. Barnum; to advise for free is foolish, ........busybodies are ill liked by both factions.

 

 

The cheapest lessons are from those who learned expensive lessons. Ignorance is best for learning expensive lessons.

 

 

 

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