Levenger Blue Bahamas Mini review

[sleek_lover]

I recently forayed into the 'bay...for no good reason, and lucked out on an auction...a Levenger TW Blue Demo with a bottle of the subject ink (winning bid..$29...darn near sumgai range).

 

Since the pen came with the ink, I figured I might as well kill two birds and do an ink and pen review with one filling...ink first.

 

Just for the record, the nib is a TW Broad. I would judge it to be pretty much a standard broad width.

 

The first thing that hit me when I used the ink was that the color was very reminicent of the Sheaf Peacock Blue. Stunning similar.

 

Second, the flow from the trial pen was sooth and the line was Goldilocks..neither too wet or too dry..just "wright".

 

Third, I used the ink on a variety of paper, from some junk stuff to Staples inkjet to Rolla notebook. The ink seemed well-behaved in all environments--not the least bit feathery or reluctant to dry. And this from a B nib.

 

I used the pen during a 2 hour telecon staff meeting and was pleased. With the cap off, it did not dry during the non-writing pauses (this is a pen test as well) and was responsive to the start.

 

Most folks in these parts know I prefer nail-like nibs so I have no reports for the ruffles and flourish folks.

 

Overall, I like the ink. Previous experience with Lev ink had been in the form of their cartridges, which I found not really different from generic carts, truth be told. I am now looking differently at their bottled inks...but $12 for a 50 ml bottle? That is steep.

 

Bill

[sam]

bill,

thx for the review.

i've long been thinking bout the levenger inks...esp. their "wild" colors.

but the $10-12 per bottle is whats holding me back.

they look pretty good in the pics on their site...well, at least in the bottles

i'd love to see any writing sample of them...any chance you could post one for the blue bahamas?

[Phthalo]

Ask and you shall receive... a scan of the Slightly Wild 6-Pack: https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/in...showtopic=41592

[sam]

Ask and you shall receive... a scan of the Slightly Wild 6-Pack: https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/in...showtopic=41592

the colors are great!

i think i might enjoy using these

thank you.

[dwmatteson]

I'm also a fan of Levenger Blue Bahama. I've used it for grading homeworks on many occasions.

 

I agree, Bill, that it looks an awful lot like Sheaffer Skrip Turquoise. It was sufficiently similar that I ended up getting rid of the Skrip entirely.

 

One word of warning, though. I have a Waterman Phileas with a turquoise-stained converter. I can't say for sure that it was because of the Levenger ink, but I don't recall having filled the Phileas with the Skrip. I'd just be a little careful if you're using a demonstrator or a light-colored pen.

 

Don

[sleek_lover]

I'm also a fan of Levenger Blue Bahama. I've used it for grading homeworks on many occasions.

 

I agree, Bill, that it looks an awful lot like Sheaffer Skrip Turquoise. It was sufficiently similar that I ended up getting rid of the Skrip entirely.

 

One word of warning, though. I have a Waterman Phileas with a turquoise-stained converter. I can't say for sure that it was because of the Levenger ink, but I don't recall having filled the Phileas with the Skrip. I'd just be a little careful if you're using a demonstrator or a light-colored pen.

 

Don

 

Luckily it is the sorta Bahama Blue Demo pen...will be doing a review of the pen as well...soonish..

 

Bill

[tcheuchter]

Anyone have a scan of this color?

[sam]

Anyone have a scan of this color?

 

Ask and you shall receive... a scan of the Slightly Wild 6-Pack: https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/in...showtopic=41592

 

[rroossinck]

Add another happy Blue Bahama user...speaking of which, I need to load that into something soon. Great color, and I was surprised by how well it behaves.

[chemgeek]

bill,

thx for the review.

i've long been thinking bout the levenger inks...esp. their "wild" colors.

but the $10-12 per bottle is whats holding me back.

they look pretty good in the pics on their site...well, at least in the bottles

i'd love to see any writing sample of them...any chance you could post one for the blue bahamas?

 

If you like these colors, you might also consider Diamine inks. Some favorites of mine are Mediterranean Blue, Cerise, Passion Red, and Jade Green. Very bright. They come in 80 mL bottles, almost 3 oz. BTW, the Levenger ink bottles are quite nicely designed, with an ink-filling reservoir inside the bottle neck. Makes it easier to extract the last bit of ink from the bottle.

 

Cheers.

 

[sam]

bill,

thx for the review.

i've long been thinking bout the levenger inks...esp. their "wild" colors.

but the $10-12 per bottle is whats holding me back.

they look pretty good in the pics on their site...well, at least in the bottles

i'd love to see any writing sample of them...any chance you could post one for the blue bahamas?

 

If you like these colors, you might also consider Diamine inks. Some favorites of mine are Mediterranean Blue, Cerise, Passion Red, and Jade Green. Very bright. They come in 80 mL bottles, almost 3 oz. BTW, the Levenger ink bottles are quite nicely designed, with an ink-filling reservoir inside the bottle neck. Makes it easier to extract the last bit of ink from the bottle.

 

Cheers.

thx.

i've seen the diamine inks here on fpn...and they look really nice too.

reading these reviews of the various inks on the market,

and seeing the great colors available...

my list of inks to get is rapidly growing.

(partial due to...) unfortunately faster than my monetary funds to purchase them.

[blopplop]

I began my fountain pen journey using Levenger inks. If it was wasn't for their price hike I'd still be using them. Blue Bahama is one I never tried, but Skies of Blue was one of my absolute favorites. The Slightly Wild color series I think has some beautiful inks. Thanks for the review.

 

Dave

[sam]

dave,

i've only gotten into fp's recently...and discovered the many different colors of inks...

and so only found out about levenger inks recently too...

how much were their inks before?

how long ago did they hike the price?

[blopplop]

Hi sam,

 

Their price use to be 8.00 per bottle. It was about a year ago (+/-) that their price went up to 12.00. Maybe to some it's worth it. I was just a little discouraged because I went through about 5-6 bottles before the hike. I haven't purchased another since.

 

Dave

[sam]

ouch!

that is a big hike...

and not too long ago too.

i'm saving up for the sets right now...

where it works out to $10/bottle (6 bottle packs of different inks).

but then...still gotta add shipping to the total...

hope they dont hike the price in the meantime

[blopplop]

Yea,

it was a steep hike. I will say, though, they really make some awesome looking inks. Beautiful!

 

Dave

[cowdad]

Yeah, but somebody around here who's opinion I respect--I can't remember exactly who it is but it might be that Australian woman, or if not here, the one with the art deco avatar--I can't remember--but they said Sheaffer Turquoise was a dead ringer for Blue Bahamas, and better behaved, and we all know we prefer well behaved inks.

 

And Sheaffer is cheaper.

 

I've got 4 Levenger's inks and all I can say is they're OK. If I threw em all out the window, I wouldn't be out of much.

 

I am curious about Blue Skies though. Thing is, when I buy a non-PR or non-Noodler's ink--I regret buying at least half of them.

[blopplop]

Yeah, but somebody around here who's opinion I respect--I can't remember exactly who it is but it might be that Australian woman, or if not here, the one with the art deco avatar--I can't remember--but they said Sheaffer Turquoise was a dead ringer for Blue Bahamas, and better behaved, and we all know we prefer well behaved inks.

 

And Sheaffer is cheaper.

 

I've got 4 Levenger's inks and all I can say is they're OK. If I threw em all out the window, I wouldn't be out of much.

 

I am curious about Blue Skies though. Thing is, when I buy a non-PR or non-Noodler's ink--I regret buying at least half of them.

 

 

Funny thing is, since their price hike I branched out more in my ink selection and now am using PR and Noodlers almost exclusively myself.

 

I guess I should clarify too, I've not tried every Levenger ink. So maybe I should have specified that the ones I tried I really liked the color. Never knew that about the Sheaffer Turquoise, though. That's for the tip!

 

Dave

[qwertzu]

Resurrecting an old thread. I took advantage of Levenger's recent sale and picked up a bottle of Blue Bahama. Just like the OP description, nice turquoise. However, I find it feathers terribly, and on the same paper on which Noodler's HOD behaves well (bleedthrough, but no feathering). Have they changed their inks?