Review - Monteverde Usa - Blue-Black W/ Itf

[corniche]

Greetings all,

 

This review is for Monteverde’s new line of bottled inks with ITF, (Ink Treatment Formula). I should begin by saying this is a preliminary review; I’ve only used this ink for a couple of days, so this review reflects my initial impressions. I discovered these inks at Peyton Street Pens, (no affiliation or paid endorsements), and being one that is always piqued by the appearance of a new ink, especially one with an additive so similar in claimed attributes as Parker’s Solv-X, I knew I had to give them a shot. I chose my favorite color: blue-black. This is a black/gray based blue-black and it performs very much like Pelikan blue-black; in fact, I would not be surprised at all to learn that Pelikan makes these inks for Monteverde as my blue-black was on the viscous side with dry “lubrication.”

 

 

A QUICK LOOK AT ITF & HOW IT COMPARES TO PARKER’S SOLV-X:

 

This refers to claims- NOT actual performance. I do offer my opinions on Monteverde’s ITF's performance because it is a brand new ink and thus, should be performing at its peak capacity. However, since Solv-X ranges anywhere between 68 and 15 years old, I believe it is unfair to judge its current effectiveness.

 

Claim #1: “Dramatically improves ink flow quality.”

Findings: Overall the flow is pretty good; however, I experienced infrequent skipping and/or phantom lines when writing quickly and also during slow printing. While the flow quality is generally very good; a term like “dramatically” seems a bit inflated IMHO, (I suppose one would have to ask, “dramatically” improved over what?). (Direct correlation to Solv-X).

 

Claim #2: “Extends cap-off time.”

Findings: I would say yes to this; had the cap off for over 10 minutes with no ignition problems on re-start. This is an original attribute; I do not recall any claims from Parker regarding “cap-off time” and Solv-X.

 

Claim #3: “Lubricates and protects feed from clogging and corrosion.”

Findings: Too early to say, it is certainly possible. This is where there is a slight variance from Parker’s Solv-X; Parker claimed Solv-X would remove existing clogs; while Monteverde claims ITF will prevent clogs, (I am assuming in a clean pen to start with). This ink may lubricate the channel; however, I wish there was a little more lubrication on the paper.

 

Claim #4: “Improves drying time on paper.”

Findings: I’m not going to say; that is a judgment call I am going to let you make for yourselves, (mind you, I express my opinion below). Suffice it to say, it takes around 5 seconds to dry on porous papers and about 8-9 seconds on finished papers. (Direct correlation to Solv-X; in fact, the “Qu” in Quink refers to “quick,” which emblemized not only Quink’s flow properties but also its quick drying time. Mind you, Parker was already claiming quick drying times for the “quick” in Quink when it was first introduced in 1931; however, after the introduction of Solv-X, twelve years later, the “quick” in Quink took on the dual properties of quick drying times and quick flow.

 

 

Categorical Review:

 

Scale:

 

5.0: Outstanding, (excellent)

4.0: Very Good, (above average)

3.0: Good, (average)

2.0: Fair, (below average)

1.0: Poor, (well below average; abysmal)

 

Flow: 4.0 - 4.5 Overall, very good to excellent. MVbb was able to keep up my quick hand most of the time; however, there were a few skips and/or phantom lines here and there; naturally, this infrequent skipping/phantom problem occurred in the dryer writing pens. It also skipped a couple of times during slow, deliberate printing tasks.

 

Lubrication: 3.5 to 4.0 This was the most challenging segment of this ink’s assessment. I regret to say my experience was a little disappointing. This ink writes on the dry side. Bear in mind, two factors that may have influenced the lower score. One, with an additive such as ITF, I was expecting lubrication similar to Everflo or Noodler’s Eel inks. Two, after using Quink and Waterman for so many years, I’ve become accustomed to inks that genuinely glide across a wide myriad of papers.

 

MVbb’s lubrication qualities vary from pen to pen; naturally the ink’s lubrication seems a little more prevalent in the wetter writing pens and significantly less so in the drier writing pens. It also varies from paper to paper; it naturally feels drier on the cheaper, more porous stocks and a little smoother on the finished stocks. That said; MVbb is a dry ink in ALL pens- as I stated above, I would not be surprised to learn Pelikan makes these inks

 

Bleed-Through: 3.0 - 3.5 Average performance here. No bleed-through on the cheap copy paper or the 25% cotton laser paper; however, there was significant shadow and moderate bleed-through on Mead NB paper and on my Staples scratch pad paper.

 

Nib Creep: 4.0 A little, in a couple of pens; the rest were clear. No problems worth noting IMO.

 

Shading: 4.5 One of this ink’s strong suits! MVbb has beautiful shading qualities on a wide range of stocks, especially with moderate to wet writers. If you like shading inks, MVbb is a safe bet.

 

Saturation: 4.0 Very good; deep lines on all stocks except for the finished laser paper. Usually one has to trade off saturation for shading; however, that is not the case with MVbb.

 

Ignition: 5.0 Excellent across the board. Only result unknown is the long-term capped because I only received this ink two days ago.

 

Water Resistance: 3.0 Not bad for a non-waterproof ink; writing was still somewhat legible after being swiped with a dripping wet Q-Tip. I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that this ink was like me and had a little gall in it.

 

Drying Time: 3.0 - 3.5 Takes about 5 seconds to dry completely on porous stocks; 8-9 seconds on finished stocks.

 

Clean-Up: 4.0 While the ink appears to be a bit viscous on the nib; it still flushes from the pen and washes off of your skin with reasonable ease.

 

Packaging: The bottle is neat- it is a glass bottle with concave indentations around the wide bottom. It reminds me of the old India ink bottles with the wide bottom and tapering neck; the opening is wide enough to comfortably load your pens without getting too much ink on your fingers. The label is color-keyed with the name in small multi-lingual text along the bottom.

 

Uses: I leave that to you, observe the color in the scans and read this review; particularly the section on bleed-through, factor in what paper stocks you typically use and make your own decision.

 

 

Final Assessments:

 

I find this ink a bit drier than I would like; however, this is by no means a deal breaker. I think if you are fond of Pelikan or Sailor inks, you will equally enjoy MVbb; you might even find it a little "wetter" than those brands. With this ink’s gray-toned chroma and pleasant shading qualities; this ink has a definite vintage appearance.

 

All the best,

 

Sean

 

 

http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff449/quinkkid/MVbb1.jpg

 

http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff449/quinkkid/MVbb2.jpg

 

http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff449/quinkkid/MVbb3.jpg

Edited January 14, 2011 by S. P. Colfer

[inkspot]

I love that steel gray colour. Lovely! Thanks for the review.

[corniche]

I love that steel gray colour. Lovely! Thanks for the review.

 

Hello Inkspot,

 

While personally, I prefer the bluer blue-blacks; MVbb would be an excellent choice for those who like a gray toned blue-black such as Sheaffer's or Pelikan's. Steel Gray is a good descriptive term for this one.

 

All the best,

 

Sean

[rockydoggy]

Very helpful review. This is the ink that Monteverde was giving out for free at the LAPS this past weekend (a full 90ml bottle!).

It looks a bit gray for my taste but I'll give it a try.

[rockydoggy]

Well, overall this ink is pretty underwhelming. Although the color's not bad in a wet medium or broad nib, it's not moving me at all in my fine-nib pens (which is what I mostly have). And oddly enough, it's running on the dry side for me as well. To get something usable, I might try dumping into it the small bottle of Monteverde black ink that they were giving out for free at last year's LA Pen Show. Otherwise, it'll end up in the back of the ink cabinet.

[notimetoulouse]

I must say I've fallen head and line for this colour of ink (blue black that shades to grey), and even though I use F to M nibs and take on board what Rockydoggy says about his experiences, I've just ordered a bottle. I've a big wet Jinhao x750 that it just might suit. I'll be back to let you know.

[Sblakers]

Hey S.P. would you be opposed to doing a soak test? I'm really curious about this inks water resistance.

[corniche]

Well, overall this ink is pretty underwhelming. Although the color's not bad in a wet medium or broad nib, it's not moving me at all in my fine-nib pens (which is what I mostly have). And oddly enough, it's running on the dry side for me as well. To get something usable, I might try dumping into it the small bottle of Monteverde black ink that they were giving out for free at last year's LA Pen Show. Otherwise, it'll end up in the back of the ink cabinet.

 

 

I must say I've fallen head and line for this colour of ink (blue black that shades to grey), and even though I use F to M nibs and take on board what Rockydoggy says about his experiences, I've just ordered a bottle. I've a big wet Jinhao x750 that it just might suit. I'll be back to let you know.

 

Hello there,

 

For those of you who like the color but don't care for the dryness- one thing that could help you out is adding 4 to 5 drops of PURE glycerin to the bottle- that would help with the lubrication.

 

All the best,

 

Sean

[corniche]

Hey S.P. would you be opposed to doing a soak test? I'm really curious about this inks water resistance.

 

Hey there Sblakers,

 

If I can find the time in the next day or two, I will.

 

All the best,

 

Sean

[georges zaslavsky]

nice review, thanks for sharing

[Sblakers]

Hey there Sblakers,

 

If I can find the time in the next day or two, I will.

 

All the best,

 

Sean

Thank you

[amberleadavis]

Thank you for this great review. I bought a bottle because it was at Frys' and I couldn't resist. I'm going to try and put it in the fade experiments this year.

[bluesky]

Good review

Thanks for taking the time to do this

I have used the Monteverde ITF in blue, blue black and black.

I felt it helped the flow in several of my fine nib pens ( Platinum Wasp and Platinum Black ribbed 3776, Conklin crescent filler and Ariel Kullock blue hard rubber) especially for faster smoother writing. It also did seem to extend cap off time. Nice ink, however, have gone back to Aurora, Pilot Iroshizuku and Sailor. Still a nice user friendly ink which I would use again.

Best regards

bluesky

[lapis]

5 <== your review. Thanks!

 

Mike

[merrycitrine]

I have this ink in black, and even on cheap paper, it never completely dries. If I put my fingers on it, it smudges everywhere. The only solution is to dilute it.

[lapis]

I have this ink in black, and even on cheap paper, it never completely dries. If I put my fingers on it, it smudges everywhere. The only solution is to dilute it.

Now that's a good one!

[merrycitrine]

Now that's a good one!

 

;D I realized this after posted it! hehehe

[Abner C. Kemp]

Thanks for your review, I had been wondering about this ink and am quite impressed with it. I'll probably pick up a few packages of cartridges for the rare occasion I use them.