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This is just copy and pasted from my blog, The Pen Haul, so the formatting may be a little different than usual. I think I hit all of major points, but I am just finding my stride when it comes to ink reviews so let me know if there is anything else you would like to see! My first ink review was of my favourite ink, Private Reserve Ebony Blue, so the next progression would be of my potentially second favourite ink by the same company, Private Reserve Blue Suede. I say potentially because I have been getting and trying a lot of new ink recently so the number 2 spot is a bit more flexible than number 1. Why is this my number 2 ink? For many of the same reasons why Ebony Blue is my favourite. http://i0.wp.com/www.thepenhaul.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/IMG_1028.jpg?resize=640%2C853 The first thing that I love about this ink is the colour. I am not an expert on the different ranges of the colour spectrum, but to me this seems like a very nice tealy turquoise, but definitely in the blue category. I didn’t know that I was big on all of the different shades of blue when I first got into this hobby, but looking at how many bottles and samples of blue ink that I have and the fact that my first two ink reviews claiming to be my two favourite inks are blue, I would now say that I enjoy them quite a bit. http://i0.wp.com/www.thepenhaul.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/IMG_1032.jpg?resize=640%2C853 This shade of blue is quite “summery” and “beachy” in my opinion, so it really sets you in the summer mood when you write with it. Come winter time, you could even argue that it would be season appropriate as well (but lets focus on the summer for now). Unlike many of my first bottles of ink, I actually used up an entire sample before picking up a bottle. My then future fiance really enjoyed the colour, which was the first time she expressed any interest in my ink, so that was extremely encouraging. If you read my review of Ebony Blue, you will also see that it is no secret that she absolutely loves Private Reserve bottles for some reason, so if you pair these two factors together, you get one bottle of ink added to my collection. http://i0.wp.com/www.thepenhaul.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/IMG_1045.jpg?resize=640%2C853 Back in February, we made a trip up to Edmonton and being the pen nerd that I am, I insisted that we would visit Stylus Fine Pens located downtown. It was amazing! Not quite like The Fountain Pen Hospital, but this was my first experience in a real fountain pen store and I was over the moon. Both PR Blue Suede and my TWSBI Vac 700 (1.1mm nib) that almost all of the writing samples are from were part of the loot from that trip. For those interested, I have kept that pen inked with Blue Suede since that day and haven’t had any issues with drying out or anything similar. http://i1.wp.com/www.thepenhaul.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Quote-with-Vac-700.jpg?resize=640%2C853 One thing that I raved about in my review of Ebony Blue was how amazing the red sheen is. Well guess what, Blue Suede has it too! When you lay down a nice wet line like my Vac 700 has been doing, you really get to see the truly amazing feat happen before your eyes. The shading with this ink is also something to get excited about too. The sheen and shading together with this gorgeous colour makes for one killer combination. http://i0.wp.com/www.thepenhaul.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/IMG_1027.jpg?resize=640%2C853 The only thing that I am a tad wary of with this ink is of how the ink smells directly from the bottle. I get some sort of chlorine or “fresh” smell which is very strange as none of my other inks smell even remotely similar. I haven’t noticed any negative side effect in the bottle or in the pen yet, but if this is the sign of a serious issue, please let me know! I got some feedback from my last review to add a bit more technical information such as dry time and such, so I will give it my best shot, but this is by no means a finalized, polished off method: http://i1.wp.com/www.thepenhaul.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/IMG_1026.jpg?resize=640%2C853 Dry Time: Varies – Got some weird results with this one. My freshly inked Franklin Covey Freemont in a medium nib took about 25-30 seconds to dry completely, but when my 1.1mm TWSBI Vac 700 laid down a thick wet line, it took under 10 seconds to dry. If you can explain why this is, please be my guest. Smearing When Dry: None with dry fingers, but if you have sweaty hands like my self, you may get some smudging. Waterproof: None at all Shading:YUP! Sheen: Amazing red sheen! Finding comparables from only the ink I own proved to be a fairly difficult task, but here are the ones that I feel are slightly similar. http://i1.wp.com/www.thepenhaul.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/IMG_1037.jpg?fit=300%2C300 Sailor Yama-Dori http://i2.wp.com/www.thepenhaul.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/IMG_1036.jpg?fit=300%2C300 Noodler’s Squeteague http://i1.wp.com/www.thepenhaul.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/IMG_1034.jpg?fit=300%2C300 Noodler’s Navy http://i2.wp.com/www.thepenhaul.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/IMG_1038.jpg?fit=300%2C300 De Atramentis Steel Blue http://i0.wp.com/www.thepenhaul.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/IMG_1041.jpg?fit=300%2C300 De Atramentis Petrol http://i2.wp.com/www.thepenhaul.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/IMG_1042.jpg?fit=300%2C300 De Atramentis Midnight Blue I wasn’t planning on reaching outside of my personal collection, but with all of the hype over this ink, J. Herbin 1670 Emerald of Chivor (review by Ed Jelly), I couldn’t help but notice the similarities. If you remove the gold from it, they almost appear to be identical in colour, shading, and sheen, so if you are super pumped about the new J. Herbin colour but don’t want gold sparkles or to spend $27, check out Blue Suede!

A while ago, I posted a pretty scathing review of Private Reserve Blue Suede, complaining about pretty severe feathering. Well, I want to revise that somewhat because I think those results were very pen-dependent. I just tried writing something with my new Waterman frankenpen, and the ink performed very well on the cheapest "99¢ for 200 sheets" American filler paper ever made. I bought this stuff ages ago. It's thin, uncoated, and everything but see-through, and the ink performed spectacularly. Of course, I had to try it on my best Clairefontaine, and the results…took my breath away.That's a money shot, people.

Black Swan in Australian Roses and Private Reserve Naples Blue were both thinned 50%.

I don't usually put an ink's name in quotation marks, but honestly, straight out of the bottle, I have no idea how Private Reserve could call this ink a blue and not blue-green at best. I suppose "Blue-Green Suede" lacks a certain…something, but not accuracy.