Levenger Empyrean

[zoniguana]

 

[Peregrinator]

Levenger inks have worked really well in my Pilot Metropolitan so I think I want to try this. How water resistant is it in the long run and any comments on how permanent. I write in a National Journal every day as well as use a lot of Clairfontaine paper. Thanks in advance.

[PAKMAN]

Does this ink color replace their Cobalt blue?

[Erik Dalton]

This is Levenger's version of blue-black. It's been around for a few years, but is just starting to catch on. I like this ink a lot. But I've found it feathers and tends to bleed through, on all, but the best papers. I find this limiting as far as pens to use, and paper. Can't really use it in a juicy medium+ Pelikan gold nib. An extra fine nib can help on lower quality paper, but you'll have to find what works best for you.

It's very heavily saturated and can take a bit of extra cleaning. I've never had it stain, but I don't put it in my good piston pens. Only put it in converter / cartridge pens.

[inkstainedruth]

That's an interesting color. I haven't tried any of the Levenger inks; Empyrean looks a bit like Diamine Kensington Blue on my screen.

Thanks for the review.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[BlueJ]

Levenger Empyrean is a lot different than their Cobalt, so I wouldn't say either one is intended to replace the other. Cobalt has a strong violet note to it, while Empyrean is is distinctly on the green side of blue and also has what I would call gray rather than black tendencies (it is a bit lighter than Cobalt.) Both are moderately wet inks. With a wet nib on good paper I can get some shading with Empyrean, while Cobalt always looks uniformly saturated to me.

 

Noodler's Ottoman Azure is fairly similar to Levenger Empyrean, but with a little more vivid color, like the difference between the color of the sea on a sunny (Ottoman) versus a cloudy (Empyrean) day. Hope that helps.

[Jim7310]

Nice color. I have not tried these inks.

[BlueJ]

To answer Peregrinator's question, Empyrean is not very water resistant, in fact it doesn't seem any of the Levenger inks are, certainly not like (for example) the Noodler's Bulletproof inks. I can't comment on other aspects of permanence, such as fade resistance.

[amberleadavis]

I bought the ink, and it worked for me but I don't use this color much. I found that overall the Levenger inks are pretty fade resistant.

[Erik Dalton]

I dont know why it is, but levenger true teal, is the most well behaved of all the levenger inks.

It's a bright well saturated teal. Very free flowing. It doesn't feather or bleed through cheaper paper.

[Peregrinator]

Thanks Blue J and to all the others. The ink is not very water resistant and not too fast drying but a nice color for occasional use.

[RockFL]

I have purchased both Empyrean and Cobalt Blue from Levenger. Beautiful colors in nice bottles though the Cobalt Blue came with an adhesive label rather than the printed gold script as you see in their online photos. Both inks are almost unusable for me. They are very thin and watery inks. Unless they are used with very fine nibs on extremely smooth, high-quality papers they bleed and feather unacceptably. The inks simply can't be used on checks, grocery lists, or office paper because they perform so poorly. I've given away the Cobalt Blue and the Empyrean is collecting dust. I really can't recommend them.