Review: Diamine Poppy Red

[biffybeans]

Click Here for full review with pictures

 

From the Diamine Website:

 

30ml Diamine Fountain Ink:

 

"Brand New Design PVC Bottle, Light weight and with an affordable price makes the full range of 60 colours very collectable, ideal for students or beginners still searching for their personal color of choice.

 

Poppy Red is a "New Century" Fountain Pen Ink (Though the label above says "Old English") Launched in January 2006, New Century Fountain Pen Ink is available in 30 vibrant shades also suitable for any fountain pen brand"

 

I don't know what to say. I inked up a Lamy Safari (.5 Cursive Italic Nib) with Diamine's Poppy Red and it's almost as sweet as lying down in a field of poppies....

 

It is just THE MOST PERFECT red ink I have ever seen. To me, it's as red as red can be. Candy apple red.

 

Back to the ink. It's saturated. Little shading... Great flow. It's similar to, but darker than Herbin's Rouge Caroubier. (Sadly, now the RC is going to be moved to the giveaway box...)

 

Note: I've only had this ink in a wider nibbed pen... the results may vary if used in a thinner nibbed pen.

 

I had been having a hard time finding a red I liked because they were always too thin, too orange, or too pink.

 

This one is juuuuust right.

 

Multiple doodles with a new fountain pen ink usually means it's going to end up as a keeper.

 

Doodles in a hardback Clairefontaine journal.

 

Buy Diamine Inks in the UK at The Writing Desk or directly from Diamine and in the US from The Pear Tree Pen Company Ink is sold in 80ml glass bottles, 30 ml plastic bottles, and selected colors are available in cartridge form.

[Peter from Sherwood Park]

Thank you -- if this really is an honest-to-goodness red, I will also be a convert!

[PJohnP]

Biff :

 

 

Interesting review in that my screen shots of the Herbin Rouge Caroubier seems to be a deeper more saturated red colour and the Diamine Poppy Red looks like a closer shade to orange. Of course, I'd consider that a poppy colour has a great deal of orange as compared with red...

 

http://www.photoshare.co.nz/PhotoShareGallery1/100855/103346/Poppies38544_L.jpg

 

Interestingly enough, I see the Diamine colour on the screen as being a kissing cousin to Pelikan Brilliant-Red (and would probably tend to the Rouge Caroubier if I had all three). But the quest for the "perfect red" is each person's grail, I suppose.

 

Another fun review, and the doodles were truly neat !

 

 

 

John P.

[dizzypen]

You've pulled up a picture of the golden poppy. These are red poppies:

http://images.marketworks.com/hi/48/48218/poppy_shirly_red_061302.jpg

Edited May 5, 2009 by dizzypen

[blopplop]

Thank you for the review. It looks like a very beautiful red. I wonder how it compares to Sheaffer Skrip Red. Of all my reds, Skrip seems to the closest to "red red." I'm going to have to give this Diamine a try. I like reds.

 

Dave

[arthury]

I just tried both Passion Red and Poppy Red in the last couple of days using the same pen and here are my thoughts.

 

Color:

Poppy Red wins, hands down.

 

Wetness/Dryness:

Passion Red is more normal and more controllable. Poppy Red is a very wet ink. It almost reminded me of the undiluted Noodler's BSB. It feathers pretty badly even on my regular college rule notebook.

 

Usage:

I would think it may be more usable on a drier pen and possibly on an EF nib. On my TWSBI stub 1.1mm, I do not consider it usable. The ink is so heavy, it curled up the paper after it dried up. That was how wet this ink is.

 

Update:

With a drier pen (like my TWSBI EF), the ink is very well behaved; perfectly usable. This is going to be a nice ink for text-book annotations on the side margins.

Edited March 10, 2012 by arthury

[impossiblebird]

I love poppy red. I make a bulletproof version with Noodlers Tsvetaeva and The Sun Never Sets.

[lapis]

My very most favourite red. It used to be Skrip's red as it was recommended to me by Richard. But the Poppy is wet and bright and shiny. But not too wet. I might say one of the best lube jobs I've ever experienced. Zero dry-out, even if the nib gets coated with a few mini pearls, which is common for most reds. I can leave it in a pen for months (yes, capped) and use it occasionally -- or not -- and it still writes immediately as if I had just filled it. Can't say that for all of my other favourites in general.

[Lorna Reed]

I love Diamine Poppy Red too. I've used it the last two years to write my Christmas cards, and I also use it for the rubrics in the service register at my church.

[Scrawler]

I received a sample of Diamine Poppy from Strang a little while back. It's slightly orange tinge makes it more interesting and complex than the Nikita I have been using for red. I prefer the Poppy for writing notes, cards and letters, but will keep the stark red of Nikita for marking and correcting my work. Next time one of my family comes over from England I will ask them to bring a care package of Diamine inks and will make sure that Poppy is one of them.

[Jimmy Joe]

I like Poppy Red, too. I use it in a Pelikano Jr. for marking tests and homework. There's no missing what I've written with that combination.

[Fabienne]

Glad to have found this. I have had my eye on Diamine Poppy for a long time and finally caved and got a sample yesterday along with the deAtramentis Poppy. Will be the battle of the poppies. My the most popping poppy win!

[Wikoster]

Ooh, that is a cheerfully lovely color! Thanks for the review!