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  1. Normally I’m a fan of italian fountain pens. I started off with a Pelikan M800 though – the benchmark of a good, full-size piston filler. I was very satisfied with the Pelikan, it seemed to be everything I ever wanted from a fountain pen, I would never need another one. But later, after falling in love with the looks of it, I ordered a Delta Dolcevita and completely changed my point of view for what fountain pens are about. Handling the Dolcevita was like holding a Faberge egg in my hand, the Pelikan reminded of a free merchandise pen in comparison. The Italian culture has a profound feel for the exquisite, stemming from old tradition and masters like Bernini, Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci. The Germans have great composers and philosophers, but let’s face it; they have no one even close to the Italian masters of fine arts. For some time it seemed I would never buy any other pens but Italian. Then I happened to read this article on Diplomat pens: http://www.fieldnotesblog.com.au/search/label/diplomat. Until then I had always considered Diplomat pens a bit boring; traditional design, no nonsense, heavy and solid – in other words extremely German. But after reading the article in Field Notes, I couldn’t wait to order one. Now, after two weeks with my Diplomat Excellence A with a 14 Kt gold medium nib, it seems the Germans have turned the tables on fountain pens again. What a fantastic pen this is! Plain and modest in comparison to most Italians, yes, but what a performer it is, and some value for money! The pens come in several colours and finishes. Mine is a Marrakesh; a brown metallic lacquer – just one colour but thousands of nuances depending on light and environment. Fine pens are a lot about material and finish. Several makers of expensive pens can perform the same (high) level of finish as Diplomat, but this utmost feeling of everlasting quality I haven’t experienced in any other pen. The sense of solidness when unscrewing the barrel, the weight of the all-metal body, the smoothness of the beautiful in-house nib, all make a combination that is hard to describe – it’s not a feeling of luxury, but something more subtle, maybe what the Germans call “Ausgewogenheit”, a kind of fine balance, a balance between utility and beauty. If this pen was a car, it would be a Mercedes W123; the durable, yet slightly gilt-edged workhorse from the 70’s and 80’s. Writing with the Diplomat Excellence, the nib is quite “present” between your fingertips. In comparison, the Delta Dolcevita feels more like a unity of nib and barrel. With the Diplomat you really feel that you’re writing with a fairly large nib, fitted to a heavy, solid barrel. I haven’t yet decided which writing experience to prefer, I like them both. Guess it’s a matter of writing technique and personal preferences. The nib is wet and smooth, and I haven’t experienced even the slightest disturbance of ink flow. This is a first class writing instrument at all levels! I hope these pens will remain on the market for years to come. They are reminders of a time when people cared for their handwriting, and for accessories that would stay with them for a lifetime. (Sorry about the pics, I'm a lousy photographer...)
  2. This is the second brown ink I am reviewing together with the Vaikhari - it is a nice medium brown from Noodler's - called Kiowa Pecan. I haven't had much good luck with Noodler's inks - for one reason or the other, most of them havent worked well for me. This one though, is probably the Noodler's that I like the most and gives me least trouble. In comparison with Vaikhari and Iro Yama Guri. N-KP is lighter than both , though some shades are very similar to Vaikhari - However, the Vaikhari has auburn/ burnt sienna tinges on the lighter shades and Kiowa Pecan's lighter notes tend toward golden browns. Dry times are on the longer side; about 30 secs on these scrubbies with a Bock F nib. But real life writing seems to dry much faster. Overall: I really like the color and how the ink behaves with most papers. the shading is beautiful, encompassing a wide variety of browns. This is a great ink from Noodler's.
  3. Hey guys! During my recent travels to Japan, i found a unique wooden fountain pen case from Storio. I'd never heard of the brand before but the moment i saw the case i fell in love with the way it looked and felt, so I just had to get one! I thought I'd just shed some light on this relatively unknown brand, as i think this case is beautiful and worth every penny. It looks professional and sleek/ stealthy, yet is interesting enough to get anyone who lays eyes on it to start a conversation about it! If you guys are interested, i made a video review about it! Theres also a link to where to get one if youre interested! Let me know if you guys have any questions or comments about it! Edit; There seems to be an issue with the audio. I will update the post when i reupload a new one! Edit 2; Audio issue has been resolved!
  4. Dimy

    Taccia Cha Review

    Taccia Cha ink review Disclaimer- First ink review here and would appreciate pointers if I missed something or if there is any information that one needs to know specifically not mentioned here also I lack other browns to compare color big apologies I don't have too many inks. First let me take a moment to address the elephant in the room, box and bottle. Bottle has big mouth for any pens is no issues with filling, but then when ink is low...I don’t know cos I cant see any mechanism to help here..its just a nice bottle. Box is not paper like most inks (not 100% at least) it sure does not feel like one, more durable and stronger with inside fins designed to keep ink from moving around and requires some effort to open as the top acts like a lock (its not hard just not too easy either basically the box does what box should do protect the ink)...not bad considering my waterman came out of box during shipping. I love how they say not to use it for anything other then writing.....makes me want to draw something Taccia Cha is a brown ink with slight hint of redness in it . Its quite nice ink and behaves very nicely on any and all papers that I tried it on. Shading potential though looks a bit questionable in all my test papers but who knows maybe Tomoe river will show some results, but that will have to wait till Christmas not too hopeful here (fingers crossed). Performance is good on absorbent papers and copy papers with all properties being same. Fun fact they draw a tea on cover and its quite accurate one just needs to add ton of tea leaves and burn the tea itself to get this deep brown with reddish hint as per say burnt tea...and I like this..the color not burnt tea . Saturation- good Bleed- none Feathering- none Smudges-none Lubrication-great Ghosting (show-through)- none on most papers apart from cheap guys. Flow- good. Wet/Dry- Its in between wet and dry but tilts slightly to wetter side..nice balance if one asks me. Dry time (approx) - 9-10 sec on 75 GSM copy paper, 11-12 sec on JK cedar 100 GSM paper, 8-9 sec on classmate register (no idea of GSM..I think its 52 from what I remember). I have tried to get as accurate color as I could with pee shooter of phone camera, they are pretty near just color is darker in real by a margin. Water resistance test method was putting drops of water for 30 sec in first sample and 1 min in second sample then wiping with cloth to try to remove the ink. Water resistance is very low (none to be honest). Second test I did not bother as ink wont survive that one (that involves putting ink paper under tap with mug below and letting the ink get dipped in it followed by wiping the paper with cloth to recreate floods or rain case). All in all a very good ink and if you like the color then go for it its great to work with. No water resistance is a bummer but hey Taccia themselves make it clear these are not so no big deal.
  5. Taccia overview: Taccia is a Taiwanese-American brand started in California, that has been recently been bought by the Nakabayashi company. Nakabayashi is a maker of a long list of home and office products who have, under the Taccia brand, begun making fountain pen inks. All Taccia inks are made in Japan. There is some speculation as to whether Sailor makes the Taccia inks, but I have found no evidence to prove this. What I can say, according the the information I was able to gather is that at the time when Nakabayashi bought Taccia and wanted to release inks under that brand, they entered into an agreement with Sailor for the purposes of expert ink consultation. A couple of the Taccia standard line bear a striking resemblance to Sailor Jentle/Shikiori inks. Outside and within the standard line, they have a few unique inks. Also, Taccia inks I have tried do not have that "Sailor-made smell" you are all so familiar with. The Ukiyo-e Ink Series was released overseas in 2019. In March 2020, a second series of 8 inks was released. These are for Utamara Hiroshige and Kitagawa Utamaro. I saw the release post on the Nagasawa Instagram page and emailed them directly for order. As of this publication, other Japanese bungu retailers have received stocks. They were Y1,600 or USD15 for each 40ml bottle of ink. The below translated names in Japanese and English are credited unchanged to Nagasawa Kobe Stationary store. Second Series Taccia Ukiyo-e Includes: 歌川広重(Hiroshige Utagawa) 1.広重浅縹(Hiroshige asahanada) 2.広重瑠璃(Hiroshige Ruri) 3.広重中紫(Hiroshige Nakamurasaki) 4.広重藍鼠(Hiroshige Ainezu) 喜多川歌麿(Utamaro Kitagawa) 5.歌麿紅桜(Utamaro Beni Zakura) 6.歌麿青紫(Utamaro Aomurasaki) 7.歌麿薄墨(Utamaro Usuzumi) 8.歌麿梅紫(Utamaro Umemurasaki) I’ve only opened one of the inks so far, and that is Taccia Hiroshige Ainezu. Now let’s get into the review. Online images are unhelpful. Taccia's own marketing materials do not give a fair representation of any of the inks I've tried. I would have sworn, from seeing their images and sample writing, that Ainezu was going to be a blue-black ink. I was way off. Ink bottle opening will fit large nibs comfortably, they are 40ml glass bottles with metal caps. The packaging is lovely, and far larger than the bottle needs in space to fit, which is nice, as this means the box artwork is easier to admire. Packaging & Bottle Each bottle comes packaged with a sturdy card. I've included both series below. The good stuff. Tomoe River Paper 52gsm White This is a gray ink, through and through. What I am able to cypher from the Kanji is that Ainezu means indigo-tinged gray. The kanji: 藍鼠 藍 ai / indigo 鼠 nezu / dark gray Ink Characteristics 1. Well-behaved 2. No feathering 3. No bleed-through 4. Acceptably wet 5. Smooth flowing, not gushing 6. Good shading in right pen [light to dark gray] 7. Easy cleaning with a few flushes 8. No staining discovered 9. Unexpected water resistance Other Ink properties you might find interesting is the ink goes on as a super-dark gray, almost black. It lightens as it dries which makes writing easy on the eyes. This is the opposite effect of Montblanc Spider Web Grey, which goes on nearly invisible when wet and dries darker. I prefer the former over the latter. As for the sheen, it is seen in the borders between light and dark, and is red and coppery. It does not overwhelm. The ink also looks quite light or dark depending on the paper and pen used. The shading also varies greatly under these conditions. Rhodia Dotpad Life Bank Paper Mead notebook paper / college ruled There is barely any feathering, which is quite good considering the wetness of the pen (and the terrible quality of the paper). It only shows up on close inspection. Even in this image it is difficult to spot. Water drop test Rhodia Water drown and dab test Rhodia Rubbed in and swirled. Pretty good. Both water tests left for 2+ minutes. Ink also dry for 2 minutes. Dry times Pretty average. Comparison Tomoe River Paper 52gsm Cream That's it! I do believe that we should receive this second set at some point, as we have had everything except for the special editions and the jeans ink available outside of Japan. Finally, of the newer ink manufacturers, Taccia is definitely a personal favorite. And I've been on a gray ink kick, so this was a welcome surprise. To be honest, I would't have really minded if it was another blue-black. I like those too. And that's the end of my first review. Hope you enjoyed this. I may do the remainder once I’ve tried them and if this was helpful to anyone. Happy inking and thank you for your time.
  6. I introduce you today to Unbranded Bob.. please make him feel welcome while I attempt a brief review. A Jinhao 599, a Hero 359, and a Lanbitou 757 all walk into a bar.. that's what this pen puts me in mind of, the start of a well known anecdote. But the ending may surprise you. Unlike all the other ink rollerballs I have read about, this one is neither dry nor scratchy. It's not the smooth skate of a fine fountain pen nib, but I was pleasantly surprised by how good it writes. I would choose it over both a Uniball and my runner up favorite, an Inkjoy. The Pro's : Good writer, extra fine tip of .4mmCheap ($9.95 shipped)Comes with a piston converter for using bottled fountain pen inkCan use cartridges ** (see note, below) if that is your thingSturdy construction, on par with a decent knock-off of a Lamy VistaHas a usable clip that stays clippedThe Con's : Unbranded, so finding a tip replacement in the future may be difficult I have a Jinhao 599 fountain pen that I use daily and like. This rollerball (let's call him Bob) is an almost perfect clone except for the clip. Bob also looks like the clear Lanbitou 757 and has obviously stolen the Hero 359 clip. Unlike my Jinhao, Bob has no cracks and his cap snicks shut perfectly. Perhaps some abuse on my part may change this in future but so far he's held up better than the Jinhao did in the same time period. I consider Bob to be a clone of a clone but a successful one. ** A note about cartridges. I'm a cartridge fanatic because my pens get used on the go far more than they do at home. I wanted a rollerball that used cartridges! Bob's little ink puncture thingie did not work with an international cartridge. But a Platinum cart snapped in just fine. I have the adapter that came with one of my Preppy's (currently stuck inside the pen) that converts to international shorts. As soon as I find some needle nose pliers or when I give up and just buy another adapter, I am pretty sure I will be able to use international shorts without issue and will update this review. I apologize for my lack of reviewed ascetics, but my criteria for fountain pens is similar: does it write well, can it use carts, and is it cheap. Bob checks all those boxes for me. And for those who subscribe to the size matters criteria, I include the following picture. From the top: Unbranded Bob, a Jinhao 599, a Platinum Preppy (yes, that's scotch tape holding a cracked cap together, I get attached to my pens) I have smallish hands and hate giant pen barrels. Unbranded Bob is infinitesimally smaller in barrel girth than the Jinhao, which is at the top of my comfort zone, and right about the same as the Preppy. If you feel the urge to adopt an Unbranded Bob of your own, I bought him on flea-bay from US Pens for $9.95 US, shipped. This is my first review of anything here. Hope this proves useful to everyone.
  7. AgentVenom

    Noodler's Ink - Hellfire

    * originally posted on my Instagram. Ink Review: Noodler's Ink, Hellfire. Grade: 76.25%. Paper: Norcom Composition. I bought Noodler's Hellfire because I usually stick to black and white media when drawing/writing, and I thought I needed to mix things up a bit. First things first, despite its name, Hellfire is a pink colored ink. It doesn't lean toward red, orange, or even yellow. It is a bright transparent pink color that's meant to be used as a highlighter ink. Not many things make me miss taking notes in college, but as someone who color coded everything, it does make me wish I had Hellfire back then to break up the doldrums of Business Ethics. The first thing that pops into my mind when I look at Hellfire is cotton candy or watermelon. I don't really consider this an ink that I would use to write with every day. Not because of embarrassment, although I did get some looks at work, but because it's a little too hard for me to read on its own. Which, honestly, is not its main function. Like I said, Hellfire is a highlighter ink that does its job well. It pops off the page under normal lighting and will even fluoresce under a black light. Don't expect Blue Ghost levels of fluorescence. Think more of reflective safety vest at night. It drys very quickly and won't bleed through cheap paper. It's not a water fast ink, but you can see that it will put up a fight and resist being washed away. It will feather easily, but let's be honest, this ink should go in a felt tip pen and not in a flexible dip pen. Overall, I love this ink. And if you love choosing your own ink colors and feel like trying out a refillable highlighter pen, then you should definitely check out Noodler's Hellfire.
  8. Kanwrite as a pen holds a special place for me, a pen that reignited my desire to look for Indian pens over staple of other well established FP manufacturers. Kanwrite in itself are not a small name from India in our little world of fountains but it certainly was big step for me to get this in my hand mostly due to lack of general awareness and issue of availability locally. As sad it is, the reality is most Indian markets are either dominated by cheapo china or full-blown Luxor. Quite ironic, in a place where so many masters of this craft of making a pen are hidden in plain sight, we get mostly whats rather pale imitation of same product in maybe better looking package. Thus is my title beginning of a journey to look again and broaden my view……...its been a couple of year since then but I only managed to get a desire for myself after a while almost a year ago to be exact. So I thought what better way to start a review on FPN with the pen that restarted it all for me. A small disclaimer; This is my first review so please do ask for anything I missed and apologies for mistakes upfront. Also my experience may differ from other fellow users so do share them would love to hear from everyone. Also pen has ink stains inside cos of using multiple permanent inks in a demonstrator as ED….yeah I know. This will be my take of desire with honest opinion after using for almost a year now and its long. Looks and design: The most subjective of all the aspects of anything so lets take it down first. The pen is classic cigar shaped with no surprises to go with. There is tapering at end but its practically negligible. Now color options are a lot really including 4 demonstrator, solids and marbles so there is something for everyone. The pen has a simple clip so no surprise here either. Its not ball ended as such there is no visible ball on end but the pen does has ball shaped tapering for easy slides in pocket and it works with no issues no complain here and I in general prefer understated designs. Clip is secured via screw on top which can be removed to get change clip or change the positioning or anything else. It has good springiness to it as well. Its also the only part in my pen with kanwrite written on it.The pen posts quite nicely and securely so no issues here either. Marble color options taken from kanwrite brochure there are more marble options than this in brochure. Body and construction: The pen is made of acrylic, it was once CAB but that was changed along the way with other change being new threaded screw type converter by kanwrite from earlier plunger type design more on that later. The body being acrylic is welcome step from plastic and sure feels sturdier in hand but, and this is important, its by no means a pen that you want to fall with. The pen should survive but I have my doubts on this point, at the very least I suspect a crack may happen if fallen on hard surface from decent height. Best case avoid it. I have demonstrator version so it could be that too (I feel demonstrators require more care in this aspect). The pen is light overall which is to be expected of acrylic so no surprise here either. Pen needs 1+3/4 turn to unscrew the cap. Threads are fine and have no issues in either closing or opening this applies for all threads from barrel, cap and nib housing which was nice to see. Nib housing will be a bit tight but that is to be expected here. a pic of cap and clip Filling mechanism and converter: Desire is a 3 in 1 pen so no surprise here…….well there is though. The converter is the point. This will be interesting as it was for me at least. The pen has threaded screw converter developed in house by Kanwrite (that's what I think correct me if wrong) and it performs well…....until it does not. See the converter has silicon grease at end to offer extra layer of seal and it works great until the grease is there. In my case the grease was cleaned by me while cleaning the converter and that caused a leak from end section of converter…...solution is simple though just apply some grease and done. Also the pen accepts standard international converters and cartridges so its fine to just replace the thing if its having issue or not interested in hassle. Nib, feed and writing: This is the party piece of the pen. First what is what. The nib is Kanwrite steel nib while feed is plastic and both are friction fit so easy to replace the nibs when one wants to. The entire assembly is screwed in and can be removed by turning anti-clockwise so replacing nib housing is also very easy. The nib options are #6 (35mm) and #5 (27mm) nibs with fine, medium, broad, stub Regular and Fine Medium Flex on the table. I went for fine nib for daily use of pen. The pen is wet writer which I personally prefer so this was great for me. No skips or hard starts either with very consistent flow. The nib has a bit of feedback which is characteristic of Kanwrite nibs its not scratchy by any means and will feel like very fine pencil. In fact take a 0.7mm pencil and use it for a while after this put very gentle force to write….that's the feedback you will get (a very crude way to judge but that closest I can think without comparing to other nibs). If compared then closest feeling among my lot is lamy safari with shin-kai ink in my case. Overall its very smooth and wet nib to write with. Width is Indian fine which is between western fine and medium. Once combined with wet ink the pen will become really wet writer, no leaks but still very wet. Eye Dropper conversion is easily possible. Reverse writing is possible and lines will be very fine but pen will feel a bit scratchy. nib comparison with different pens. pen order from left to right- Camlin trinity, platinum preppy, Kanwrite Desire, Pilot Metropolitan and Lamy Safari pen size comparison- from left to right Camlin trinity, platinum preppy, Kanwrite Desire, Pilot metropolitan and Lamy safari feed comparison with Kanwrite Heritage which has ebonite feed. side image Line variation is possible but its not a flex nib so don’t try to get too much out of it, a little is possible but go for flex version otherwise. On the note of lines I do feel that nib is quite forgiving and allows for errors in angle for holding to great extent which is really good for those new to Fountains and I personally appreciate on long writing sessions as mistakes there are possible and can break flow of writing easily (at least for me). Inks that I have tested are waterman serenity blue (my staple testing ink): result was wet and smooth lines and nib on wetter side. ED conversion shows burping at standard 3/4th mark. R&K Sallix: Iron gall ink, a dry ink and will make feedback more visible, no scratchy feel just more feedback. No skips or flow issue seen. ED conversion possible and dry ink shows bit more resistant to burp but it will still occur sooner or later (it managed to cross 3/4th mark in my case abide by small margin). Iroshizuku murasaki shikibu: wetter side of spectrum the feedback will still be present but lesser then dry inks. No issue in flow and no skips seen. No leaks and ED is very much possible with burp at standard 3/4th mark it good. Platinum Carbon ink: a very wet ink, feedback is fallen by a several notches but flow sees a big rise no leaks or over release of ink the flow is still managed nicely, wont recommend ED for this type of ink though as in my case it left permanent stains and ink burp issue was seen earlier then usual ED case (earlier than standard 3/4th mark). A small writing sample, ink used is platinum carbon black. Final thoughts and price: For the price of Rs 650 (~$ 9) plus delivery I feel its a great deal considering what one gets, simply put good pen and for those who go for long writing sessions or for those who are new to fountain pens and are aiming for such price ranges or just about anyone looking to add another one. Yes there are minor issues but for me they were easy to overlook and that made the pen great from good for me. Honestly I felt the flaw were mostly nitpicking for this price. Also I would say that the customer service from kanwrite was excellent in my eyes. The contact was established on watsapp after a direct call and order was done there, mails sent received the replies withing 3 days so I am quite satisfied with that aspect as well. These are strange times so keep yourself healthy and happy, wishing you all a long inky and colorful days ahead.
  9. ErrantSmudge

    Ink Review: Monteverde Horizon Blue

    Monteverde's revamped line of inks recently got my attention for their comprehensive lineup of clear, distinct hues, as well as good value. A 90ml bottle can be had for about $13-$15 USD from the better known online retailers in the United States, making it a very good deal. Monteverde touts their "ITF Technology". From Monteverde's promotional material, here's how it claims to benefit us writers: At my recent visit to the 2017 LA Pen Show, Monteverde gave a free bottle of Malibu Blue ink to all show attendees. A company representative had all their inks available for sampling with swabs, as well as show discounts. I brought home four bottles of Monteverde ink, and post-show I've purchased a few more online:Malibu BlueCapri BlueHorizon BlueSapphire BlueMonteverde also offers two blues I am missing: Caribbean Blue (turquoise), and a Blue-Black. I am posting individual reviews for each of the four Monteverde inks I have. I filled a variety of pens with these four inks, with nibs ranging from fine to double-broad stubs. Here's a snapshot from my Bullet Journal Ink Log, showing the pen/ink assignments and a writing sample from each. Monteverde Horizon Blue This is Monteverde's Parker Penman Sapphire workalike. It is similar to Diamine Blue Velvet and Visconti Blue. Here is how it appears on Clairefontaine paper. Color/Saturation Horizon Blue is a deeply saturated, "pure" blue. It doesn't lean to purple or green. Shading/Sheening Horizon Blue has a light amount of shading on Tomoe River. A little bit of red sheening can be seen in the Tomoe River sample. Flow Horizon Blue is a well-behaved ink. I had no skips or hard starts on the initial flow. Horizon Blue came in second place for flow amongst the four inks tested. In my Sheaffer Prelude with M nib (a wet pen), it comes out wet but not too wet. Lubrication Like the other Monteverde inks, Horizon Blue has good lubrication, but has some stiction at the start/stop of a pen stroke. In my Clairefontaine bullet journal, my Sheaffer Prelude squeaks as I write! Dry Time Dry time is moderate, between 25 and 30 seconds on Clairefontaine paper from the Prelude. Feathering Horizon Blue performs well in the feathering test on cheap office paper. Bleedthrough There is a medium amount of bleedthrough on the other side of the page on the cheap office paper. Water Resistance Horizon Blue probably performed best of the four Monteverde inks, but still it is not a water-resistant ink in the 10 second immersion test. Before After Comparison with Other Inks Here is a tile comparing Horizon Blue with other medium blue inks. NB: The Parker Penman Sapphire is from a diluted sample and so isn't quite true in terms of saturation.
  10. Reportedly, Private Reserve is one of the companies that paved the way to the overabundance of ink colors we have now, as early on there were mostly the basic inks available, such as basic blue-black, red, green, turquoise, brown, black, and blue. PR inks come in a multitude of different hues. The original creator and owner of the ink company passed away, and the company is now under new ownership and management. I personally became very interested in Private Reserve Avocado a while ago, after seeing its fantastic color range on some others' reviews when used for drawing. Behind its very slightly olive green exterior hide many other hues! The brick-terracotta red color is one of them, and it is the most water-resistant component of this ink. So when you use a water brush over Avocado, a red color is revealed! This ink is very well-behaved in writing. The ink flow is moderate to creamy, and lubrication is good. This ink is really good for maintaining fine lines for drawing and for hairlines. It's well-saturated, but not too much. There is no sheen. Instead the ink has an attractive matte appearance that works well on all paper types. This ink is great for any nib type: from super extra fine to broad. Shading is fairly low, and the lines are solid and well-defined, dark enough even when very fine. In writing, this ink is a pleasant hue of fresh, botanical green. Very restful on the eyes and also imparts an uplifting feeling for me personally. Scan: Fabriano Bioprima 85g ivory-tooned paper with 4mm grid: Scan: Tomoe River 52g White Scan: Nakabayashi Logical Prime notebook, coated ivory-cream-toned paper: (Totally misspelled Rikyu-Cha) Close-up photographs: Look at that "chromatography"! Personally I like this ink a lot; glad I have a large bottle.
  11. Reportedly, Private Reserve is one of the companies that paved the way to the overabundance of ink colors we have now, as early on there were mostly the basic inks available, such as basic blue-black, red, green, turquoise, brown, black, and blue. PR inks come in a multitude of different hues. The original creator and owner of the ink company passed away, and the company is now under new ownership and management. Ebony Blue has been on my radar for a while. I love dark teal inks, but I'm usually pretty picky about them in person. Ebony Blue is a kind of turquoise mixed with black, and possibly some other hues in between, which results in a dark but more "clean" hue teal-black. What I mean by clean is that it's not muddy, brown-tinged like, say, Sailor Jentle Miruai. Depending on pen, paper, and illumination this ink can look more blue-teal or more green-teal. The flow is one of the interesting characteristics of this ink: it feels "creamy" to write with. I like this tactility of the ink. It does not feather nor bleed through any of the decent-to-good paper I've used it with. It has pretty decent water resistance too: while it won't look neat if you splash water on your writing, a clear, dark gray line remains behind to salvage content. There is metallic magenta sheen. This ink will work in all types of nibs: from ultra extra fine to broad. Shading becomes increasingly more prominent with broader nibs. If you use broad nibs with this ink, I recommend uncoated and more absorbent paper. It's more smear-prone on Tomoe River with broad nibs. Scan: on Fabriano Bioprima 85g ivory-toned paper with 4mm dot grid Scan: on Tomoe River 52g White Scan: on a 100g A6 uncoated paper (the first GvFC Gulf Blue should read "Cobalt Blue" instead) Scan: on Tomoe River 52g Cream paper (the first GvFC Gulf Blue should read Cobalt Blue instead) Close-up photographs:
  12. I won't add much to previous fantastic reviews of this ink, such as the ones here: https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/335816-gulf-blue-graf-von-faber-castell/ But I will add my subjective impressions of using this ink and some more scans and photographs. Graf von Faber-Castell makes a luxury line of inks in beautiful, heavy glass bottles that will decorate any writing desk and will draw the eye. Despite the high price, the bottles contain 75ml of ink, so price per ml is actually reasonable. Considering other brands that sell in 20-30ml bottles for lower prices, but you get 2-3 times less ink. The packaging overall is top notch quality (personal note: I love the scent of the thick paper the box is made with, or maybe it's the ink used to print the graphics on the box). In my experience with 10 colors of GvFC ink, all are a varying degree of low lubrication and dryness. Some might be "liquidy" coming off the nib, but the overall ink flow will not be high. Colors like Moss Green, Cobalt Blue, and Hazelnut Brown are more saturated and a bit more lubricated. Deep Sea Green and Gulf Blue have little to no lubrication and are very dry, and so they benefit from juicy pens with smooth nibs. Or else you will feel every imperfection of your nib and texture of the paper you write on. Recently I have come to appreciate dry inks for the look they can provide if they are made of different hues of constituent dyes. This is the same type of dry flow and lack of lubrication one might find with certain translucent, multi-hue Sailor Manyo, Sailor Ink Studio, Troublemaker, and other inks of that nature. I am guessing the lack of surfactants, low saturation, and low lubrication are necessary to achieve color separation within a line, because some dyes flow farther than others, thus separating into gradients. Graf von Faber-Castell Gulf Blue is a multi-hue powder blue ink. It reminds me of blue hydrangea flowers, with areas of pale aqua-sky blue in dry areas and shifting to lavender in more saturated areas. It has a similar idea to Troublemaker Milky Ocean, but Milky Ocean is comparatively more purple-shifted and slightly more saturated. I highly recommend broad or cursive italic/stub nibs for this ink to get the most of the color gradient effect. The wetter your pen, the better, both for the smoother writing experience and for the ink to be more prominent on paper. Here is a scan of a mini-review sheet, paper is ivory-toned Fabriano Bioprima 85g with 4mm dot grid: Graf von Faber-Castell claims their inks are indelible. You can go back and forth about the ISO standard the brand uses, but in practical terms, the ink has some but low water resistance. The purplish line remains behind if you dab the wet writing with a paper towel quickly, and you might be able to read the original writing if the lines were thick enough, as you can see on the scan above (the grid lines are very faint compared to the cursive italic writing). The ink is pale to begin with, and the remaining lines are even more so. Here's a scan of some blue-turquoise inks next to Gulf Blue on ivory-toned Nakabayashi Logical Prime notebook paper: Photographs: On Tomoe River 52g "white" in a Hobonichi Cousin planner: Fabriano Bioprima 85g, using water brushes: Comparison with Troublemaker Milky Ocean: Milky Ocean: Milky Ocean:
  13. Wistful-Ink

    Nine Light Green And Green Inks

    I'm on a quest to find the perfect ink for each of many different color and other categories. Here's what I have for greens thus far For greens, I'm looking for two different types of greens: Light green - a beautiful vibrant light tea green with lots of shading.Green - a solid green with some shading and/or sheen, not too blue or yellow, and not dark or olive green. For this review, I've done a comparison of the following inks thus far: Diamine - Emerald Ink sample vialNagasawa Kobe - #19 Minatogawa Lime Ink sample vialVinta Inks - Sea Kelp Leyte 1944 Ink sample vialColorverse - Albert Ink sample vialPenBBS - #159 Bitter Herb Ink sample vialPilot Iroshizuku - Chiku-rin 15 mL ink bottleDiamine Inkvent - Mistletoe 7 mL ink bottleColorverse - Sea of Tranquility Ink sample vialMonteverde - Olivine Ink sample vialI'll update with PenBBS Forgive Green, Diamine Elf, Diamine Holly, and Diamine Sherwood Green once I get all of those inked up in every pen. For each ink, I test on CD Apica notebook, Life Noble notebook, Rhodia dot paper, Tomoe River paper, and HP Premium32 paper. I accidentally bought the cream-colored Life Noble Notebook to use for this, so the colors come out different on that. The pens I'm using are a flex pen (Waterman or Noodler's Creaper with a Waterman nib), Pilot Metropolitan, Lamy Safari, and 2 Nemosine stub pens. Please ignore my "Green" and "Light Green" headings for pages. That was to help me space out the ink samples in my notebooks, but I didn't always categorize inks properly based on what color I guessed they'd be. I also had to start over on the Chiku-rin because I didn't clean the pen out properly, which made it come out way more yellow than the ink actually is. There are also a few drips and smears from other inks because I'm not super careful about stacking paper. I'm not particularly concerned with water resistance in general, so I didn't intentionally review that aspect of any ink. I accidentally spilled some water on Diamine Emerald on TR. As you can see, it's not super water resistant, lol. I had a hard time taking images that looked properly lit and accurately captured the ink colors. Mad props to all those lovely reviews on FPN with beautiful images. If anyone has any tips/suggestions about how they do their ink review photos and uploads, please let me know.
  14. gsgill112

    Monteverde California Teal

    Hi Everyone, DISCLAIMER : This is my Second Ink Review on this forum so please comment and any Suggestions are Most Welcomed. First of all, A Big Thanks to LIVTEK INDIA for providing me the sample of this lovely Teal Ink, Do check them out at the link given above , That being said This is an Honest Review and I DO NOT REPRESENT LIVTEK OR MONTEVERDE IN ANY MANNER WHATSOEVER. 1. Sample So, I received this sample in a Monteverde 30ml Ink Bottle and was immediately impressed with the lovely Teal Colour with some awesome Red Sheen. Shaking the bottle and seeing the beautiful teal colour is just awesome. I was also impressed with the amount of sheen this ink has right ON the bottle and cap 2. Comparison ​SO to understand the Colour profile, I have classified them to similar inks I Own:- You can see right out that the ink is quite similar to Jacques Herbin 1670 Émeraude de Chivor (Emerald of Chivor ) and the Monteverde D.C SuperShow Teal (2019 Special Edn from Monteverde). All three have the same Red sheen and this ink falls somewhere in between the above two colours. It is slightly light than the Monteverde D.C SuperShow Teal (2019 Special Edn from Monteverde) and comparable to the J. Herbin Emerald of Chivor less the Golden Sparkles. 3. Writing Samples I am using a DIP PEN this time as --> This would be a standardised in my future reviews, --> It puts out good amount of Ink on paper, --> and I can test the cleanliness and staining factors easily. You can see the ink on the nib as well as the beautiful red SHEEN on the macro shot of the nib. and after letting the nib Dry for 5-10 days, dipping it in water and swirling the nib for 3-5 sec, the nib comes out squeaky clean ONLY in ONE DIP, without any traces of stains. So, This ink is VERY EAST TO CLEAN AND DOES NOT STAIN ANYTHING. Following is how the ink performed on different papers. (a). Ink Resistant Paper:- Writes perfectly with NO BLEED THROUGH OR FEATHERING, It does not shade at all and leaves a lovely Reddish Sheen on paper clearly visible COOL. The ink is very well behaved and lubricated and has the Monteverde ITF Technology . Though I experienced Huge Dry times on such paper but it looked Beautiful and It has a Beautiful Reddish sheen as found on Jacques Herbin 1670 Émeraude de Chivor (Emerald of Chivor ) and the Monteverde D.C SuperShow Teal (2019 Special Edn from Monteverde). This Ink DOES NOT SHADE WELL. NOTE : -- > I am using a very thin paper with wax kinna coating/ lubrication on paper making the paper highly ink resistant, although you can see the text on reverse, It is NOT Bleed through but rather the thin nature of the paper. ( . FP Friendly Paper The Ink writes perfectly and does NOT BLEEDTHROUGH even after putting a lot of ink on paper. It is really Saturated and the Colour just Pops out. Dry Times are really good. I does sheen even on the copy paper. (c ). Recycled Paper Well frankly speaking this is a (beep) of a paper very close to a News paper but the ink performed really well, I won't talk about the Dry Time on this paper as It is close to ZERO. The ink is immediately absorbed by the paper and you can see huge Feathering and Bleed Through, but taking into account the paper, it performed really well and the text is clearly visible. 4. Additional Properties I am a curious guy so, I did chromatography using a Tissue paper and it was Awesome, You can clearly see the Blue poking out even before I soak the tissue wet and once I do that the Light Blue / Turquoise crawls on a tangent to the Subtle Green tones (I am very bad with colours so please correct me if I am wrong here). Water Resistance:- The ink is NOT AT ALL WATER RESISTANT and completely fades out. On the brighter side it is really easy to clean from the pen. It is Advertised as a safe ink to use and I did not face any issues while enjoying this ink.It behaves really well. Don't think of keeping the big nib saturate with this colour for longer (say > 10 Min or so), It will dry up but somehow not completely, If you touch it once it is dried, it will definitely stain your hands and everything you touch BEAWARE. This is a water Drop Test on cheep Copy paper This is a 10Sec running tap water test :- Sheen Test :- As mentioned before the ink sheens quite well here are some shorts of that:- 5. Final Thoughts So, for about 1100 INR for a 90ml bottle you are getting an enormous and a well performed ink for very Cheep. I would definitely recommend this ink for daily carry purpose (Provided you like the colour) and anyone interested in a Teal Saturated colour (More towards green) with a hint of Gorgeous Red Sheen. All in all an wonderful ink to work with. Once again I would like to Thank LIVTEK INDIA for giving me this opportunity to test the Ink. Do visit them for some more interesting Inks from various brands such as Stipula, Monteverde, Etc.. and do click their Awesome Fountain Pen Collection. Thanks a lot for making through, please do comment if you have any other opinions, Stay Safe, Keep Enjoying the FP Journey, and Stay Curious Thanks & Regards, GS Gill Attached Images
  15. Bigeddie

    Montblanc Permanent Blue

    Hi all, Montblanc seem to be shaking up their line a bit, Midnight Blue is no longer listed as being a permanent ink and two new permanent inks are being introduced. The packaging is the same format as the existing inks with new graphics, All white with blue and black text. The bottle is the same shoe as we are used to with the existing line up (with the nice two part filling arrangement). http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5477/10108346353_779b6d73ca_z.jpgIMAGE_1.jpg by Bigeddie100, on Flickr Included below are samples of the new ink, and some from Royal Blue for comparison. My scanner is now older than some forum members, that is to say rather tired. I have taken photos in direct sunlight for comparison. Both inks were in Lamy Safari pens with medium nibs. http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3806/10116527246_e1c1a9baf1_z.jpgMontblanc Permanent Blue on Rhodia by Bigeddie100, on Flickrhttp://farm8.staticflickr.com/7386/10116406034_5589af727b_z.jpgMontblanc Royal Blue on Rhodia by Bigeddie100, on Flickr http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3671/10116489245_b6dc2e255b_z.jpg Montblanc Permanent Blue on copy paper by Bigeddie100, on Flickrhttp://farm4.staticflickr.com/3722/10116459185_46749139fe_z.jpgMontblanc Royal Blue on copy paper by Bigeddie100, on Flickr Analysis:The flow of the new ink was surprisingly dry (much lighter flow than that of the new black ink), I was expecting more punch. The colour is a pleasant true blue (not so purple as the Royal Blue) with some nice shading. In terms of performance, there was no feathering, bleed or show through on the Rhodia. On the copy paper there was quite a lot of showthrough and bleed, much more so than Royal Blue; but the colour did not seem to soak in to the paper and spread as much, whereas Royal Blue lost a lot of it's density. Water resistance:These new permanent inks from MB are the first that I have seen with an ISO certification for permanence, here I am only testing water resistance when dry. The inks proved to be very water resistant, I would be hard pushed to detect the difference between inks before and after soaking. Certainly this ink along with the new Permanent Black are the most water resistant inks out there, unlike the pigment inks nothing floats off of them. http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3747/10116653463_80c76125ea_z.jpgWater resistance in progress by Bigeddie100, on Flickrhttp://farm4.staticflickr.com/3764/10116561223_bec75a871d_z.jpgWater resistance by Bigeddie100, on Flickr Conclusion: I like it, it's quite a nice colour and performs well on Rhodia paper, on cheap pulp the performance would suit one sided use, where the appearance is good but the bleed and show through are worse than non-permanent equivalents. The biggest downside is the price, these new inks are being sold from MB at £19 a bottle compared to £11 for the standard inks. For my uses (typically on FP friendly papers) I would stick to Royal Blue.
  16. A slightly different review of Nakaya Decapod TW in kuro-tamenuri. Why are my reviews different? I focus on urushi aspect. On technique used, quality of finish, care tips, longevity etc. Watch the video, and please click the LIKE button - it helps me with Youtube algorithms, and to reach more interested people. Subscribe to my channel if you want more
  17. tealeaf_egg

    3 Oysters Purple Gray Ink Review

    3Oysters (or 3 Oysters? who knows) is a Korean ink company. Their ink comes in 38mL cube-ish bottles that have a corner missing, so as to allow you to tip the bottle over and refill better. Or so they say, anyway - I was sent this in a sample bottle from amberleadavis. Thank you, Amber! I am really fond of this ink. It's not quite purple gray; I would call it a mild and calming fuschia. It reminds me of the orchids that my mom zealously tries to keep alive. A very nicely behaved and beautifully shading ink, with no major problems except lack of waterproofness, I suppose. Smoother and wetter than other unsaturated shady colors I have encountered. I am beyond captivated by how it looks in a demonstrator - here is a PenBBS 480 in the Smog colorway. Anyway, on to ink characteristics. Bleeding: Better than average Dry time: Average, perhaps a bit fast? Feathering: None on fp-friendly paper Haloing: Yes! Lubrication: Just a bit better than average Saturation: Unsaturated Shading: Heaps Sheen: None Smudging: None at normal moisture amounts Water Resistance: None Wetness: A bit better than average Closeups: Fine Nib Wing Sung 659 F on Campus Business line (moderately fp-friendly) I would honestly call the overall experience "comfortably readable". Obviously, your mileage may vary. 0.6 Stub PenBBS 352 on Campus Business Line (moderately fp-friendly) 0.6 Stub PenBBS 352 on Maruman Loose Leaf (very fp-friendly) Honestly, I don't know why it looks like there's white flecks. Probably from reflective surfaces of the paper. it's a solid purple IRL. Medium nib PenBBS 480 M on Stalogy (moderately fp-friendly) Medium Nib PenBBS 480 on Maruman Loose Leaf (very fp-friendly) Once again, sorry for the white flecks. Ink Comparison (it's in the middle) And of course, a doodle.
  18. This is a Parker 75 medium stub ciselé of around 1968-1971. Writing sample: The line thickness it produces is about 0.9 mm in width. This width is comfortable for writing characters of medium size (see also the writing comparison). The pen’s triangular section is thin, but it is very comfortable to hold. The pen as a whole is on the smaller side, but the nib is big. Since the pen is of some vintage it is a stub proper rather than cursive italic, i.e. the tipping is noticeably thick with the writing edge noticeably but not drastically rounded (see schematic). The side edges are not rounded so as to be visible with the naked eye; the Artpen is also like that whereas the bottom of the Dostoevsky’s tipping has no corners but only smooth curves. It will not tear paper however. All three pens are extremely forgiving with the Artpen being the one most able to be held entirely carefree as if it did not have a broad edge. The 75’s stub nib does not like very much smooth paper, either of the good (Rhodia) or of the cheaper (many modern notepads) variety. On Rhodia the 75 stub flies off the paper surface, often leaving no ink behind. Skipping on downstrokes is usual when writing at my usual speed, which is rather fast. By comparison, the Artpen iceskates on Rhodia leaving a thin film on ink behind and the Dostoevsky swims in its own ink. On school notebooks and on paper with cotton content the stub 75 performs consistently without problems and is definitely wet (the Dostoevsky and the Duofold are wetter, as can be seen on the comparison sheet). Some closeups of the nib: The pen feels light but with a perceptible substance in the hand. Overall, this is a gorgeous pen allowing some very expressive writing.
  19. Left hand paper: 90gsm Oxford Optik Right hand paper: 80gsm Pukka Dry time before water test: 12h Test Pen: Jinhao x250 - 1.1mm Jinhao stub nib Opinions: I remember always hating this ink before I "got in" to fountain pens, and simply used a fountain pen to write with, but I couldn't remember why, so comes on to cracking into my bottle for the first time in probably 15-20 years (I left school in 1999 and promptly stopped "having" to write). Ahh, yes, I remember now, the greyest excuse for black there is, that's why I hated it. But, perhaps with the extra knowledge and appreciation I have gained over the past two or so years of the fountain pen hobby offers some redeeming features for Quink "Wishy-Washy" black? Well, firstly, it is very well behaved, as in it doesn't spread or feather even on the Pukka paper, which is fairly absorbent. Bleed is minimal even using the stub, 'tis a dry, dry ink! This may be to your like or dislike depending on how you like your pens to write and in what circumstance you find most of your scribbling taking place. Personally? The majority of my scribbles happen on extremely cheap & nasty copier paper, so I'm all about those dry inks at work. Dry time is also excellent even on the Optik paper (which, IMHO, is way better than Rhodia...don't throw things at me!) which usually lets ink pool for some time (doing the water test on the Optik paper? The water droplet will just sit there for anywhere up to 30-40 minutes before drying/absorbing). Now, this one surprised me. Which it shouldn't. But, there is some permanence to it. Yes I know it is called "PERMANENT Black", but somehow that slipped my mind. The black dye washes away almost instantly but the remaining, largely blue, ink is still very legible. Looking at pricing you can be paying anywhere from £5 to £7 per 57ml bottle which is, pretty reasonable. Summary Being a bit of a sucker for dry inks, I am starting to re-appreciate Quink Black, I also have a penchant for permanence in my inks, because accidents can and do happen (often!). I would say that Quink Black is actually a pretty decent, reliable "everyday" ink if you are having to suffer "less-than-optimal" papers or have a gusher of a pen. Just wish there was more black in this black!
  20. Caeruleum

    Platinum Procyon Review

    First of all I want to mention this review by FPN user sova featuring stunning photos of the Turquoise blue Platinum Procyon. In my opinion the Platinum Procyon receives less attention than it deserves, thus I decided to write a review. I want to provide some information, share my experience using it daily and also take a look at why it might be not hugely popular. Introduction This review is meant to depict my personal opinion and valuation, thus I don't want to use points to rate aspects. Surely comparability is an advantage which makes using points worth considering, but neither am I an expert for the standards used nor could I compare a pen to dozens of first hand experiences with other pens. And frankly speaking in my eyes many reviews aren't objective which to me relativises the value of scores. Because of that I will try my best to describe my experience with this Procyon in a way which allows you to contrast it to your experiences and preferences. Platinum introduced this model in the summer of 2018 and named it after Procyon, the brightest star in the constellation of Canis Minor who in turn got its name from rising before Sirius, the brightest star visible in the night sky. Sirius is also known as dog star. Procyon stands for a distant relatives of dogs, too, the racoon. Hopefully the pictures I took will remind you more of a clear night sky than a racoon however. First Impressions My pen came in a black carboard box along with four cartridges. Platinum specially created three inks called Gold Ochre, Aqua Emerald and Dark Violet which accompanied the Procyon along with a instruction on how to recreate them yourself and a regular blue-black cartridge. Unfortunately this pen doesn't include a converter. The packaging is utilitarian, the unique ink cartridges are nice but I would have prefered a converter. This pen comes in five colours called Deap see, Porcelain white, Turquoise blue, Persimmon orange and Citrus yellow ranging from understated to pretty colourful. The dark blue doesn't attract attention, taking a closer look however reveils its twinkling. According to Platinum this colour is inspired by the deep sea, I link it to the stars. It has about the size of a Lamy Safari and feels solid. Appearance & Construction The Procyon's body and cap are made from laquered aluminium. The Deap See's base layer is of deep blue on which aluminium flake powder was added which gives the blue depth and creates twinkling. In a dark environment the sky-laquer of this pen resembles a starless night, with more light it becomes reminiscent of a clear night which allows one to see thousands of stars. The white one's laquer is smooth and shiny while the colourful versions feature matte laquer. The trim is silver coloured. "Procyon" and "Platinum Made in Japan" are written on the cap in capital latters. Its grip is made from semi-translucent dark grey plastic. Metal threads on both the grip and the body make a stury, long-lasting impression. Furthermore the threads are rectangular making them pleasant to touch. Usually the nib has a good chance to be the most interesting part and I don't want to say this one isn't but it isn't spectacular visually. It looks similar to nib the Preppy, Plaisir and Prefounte use but is larger. It lacks a breather hole and adornment is limited to Platinum's logo and a F or M indicating the nib size. Platinum proudly advertised this pen's new feed as it is able to draw ink from a hole below the nib at about half of the nib's length. This allows you to more easily fill your pen and use up bottled ink because to don't need to insert the entire nib into ink. Cleaning the pen after filling thus also becomes easier. My feed shows signs of Sailor Seiboku. Usually its black and clean. Besides this the Procyon also features the inner cap known from the 3776 Century which is supposed to prevent ink from drying out for up to two years. I didn't test that but notice its effect in comparison to a Waterman Hemisphere for example which lacks a inner cap. In the Hemisphere ink becomes less keen for writing for the first few letters after a day. Thanks to the inner cap this is no problem with the Procyon even with more difficult inks. Two things I don't like: I find the grey material below the semi-translucent plastic of the grip makes this part a bit cheap. I carry my pen in a pencil case in which there is no scissors, only pencils, two ballpoints and markers and treat it carefully but at the end of the barrel the laquer is coming of where the barrel transitions into the end finial as well as in one place on the barrel. That's disappointing to me and makes me apprehensive of the laquers future. Nib and Performance The nib is made from steel. Platinum claims the pentagon shape makes writing feel similar to a gold nib without much explanation of what exactly they imply. It is not soft or flexy but very stiff. As you might expect from a Japanese nib it runs relatively fine. The nib provides some even feedback and is audible when writing. It has medium flow and works very reliably, starts easily every time and feels controlled to me. There is no beautiful adornment but it works. Reverse writing is possible, makes for a very fine line. The flow keeps up well. Filling System and Maintenance Platinum uses a proprietary cartridge/converter system. I find their cartridges and converters to be of high quality and work reliably. While the cartridges contain quite a lot of ink I wished for a bigger converter. As I mentioned above there is no converter included. The converter's mouth is reinforced by a metal collar. Cost and Value The Procyon retails for around 50 US Dollars to 70 Euros. This makes it one of the more expensive steel-nibbed pens and maybe also is the reason it is less often recommended than other competitiors. There is a lot of competition in this price range. Lamy and Pilot for example both offer several pens up to this price range and at least in Europe you are also able to get a Pelikan M200 for this price. Additionally the Procyon will also compete with its new sibling, the Curidas. I think this Platinum has a lot to offer: a very reliable nib, good size and weight generally speaking, a handy feed, an excellent inner cap and a sturdy body. Its features are very reasonable and utilitarian, but maybe not flashy enough to stand out. Conclusion If you are looking for a understated, reliable next-level pen to accompany you in daily life and like its design, you will probably soon appreciate its qualities.
  21. AgentVenom

    Noodler's Ink - Blue Black

    *Originally posted on my Instagram on 5/17/2015. Ink Review: Noodler's Ink, Blue Black. Grade: 75.00%. Paper: Norcom Composition. I got this ink for my mother for Mothers Day. She wanted a dark blue ink to use at work, and she was gracious enough to let me have a vial or two so I could try it out. I know that Blue Black(BB) is a dark blue ink, but I could swear that sometimes I'm looking at a very dark aqua marine. If I had to compare this color to anything, I'd say it reminds me most of that deep blue color that some whales have. Overall, I think it's a very beautiful ink that has a lot of unique color qualities but still retains that "business appropriate" blue color that a lot of people are looking for. Although I will admit that Baystate Blue is my go to ink while at work, this ink isn't too far behind. It's a nice dark blue color that goes on evenly and writes very smoothly. It drys fairly quickly, but I've not had any problems with BB feathering on me in my Kaweco Skyline Sport. What has impressed me most about its performance is that it is very resistant to bleeding through the paper. Which is great considering this is an "office" ink, and as we all know, office paper doesn't usually get along very well with fountain pen ink. So you shouldn't have any trouble writing on both sides of the page. BB is also partially bulletproof. Which when you're talking about a Noodler's ink, means that the black components of the ink will be bulletproof, but the actual color will fade with water or any efforts to remove the ink. Noodler's Blue Black is a great blue ink you can use anywhere and in any office scenario. If you need a blue ink that has bulletproof qualities but don't want to deal with Baystate Blue's cleanup issues, then this ink would be a great choice for you.
  22. tealeaf_egg

    3 Oysters Mustard Review

    3Oysters (or 3 Oysters? who knows) is a Korean ink company. Mustard is part of their Delicious line, which come in 38mL cube-ish bottles that have a corner missing, so as to allow you to tip the bottle over and refill better. Or so they say, anyway - I wouldn't know, because this is from a sample from the generous amberleadavis. Thank you, Amber! This ink is a delightful dark mustardy yellow brown. I noticed that is seemed to "soak in" to papers a bit more compared to the average ink. I think I will save this to use on TR and such for the nice crisp halo. Bleeding: A bit more than average on bad paper; see the "soaking in" comment, but none on fp-friendly Dry time: Nothing out of the ordinary. Feathering: A bit more than average on bad paper; see the "soaking in" comment, but none on fp-friendly Haloing: Yes, and beautifully so, but not in a fine nib on moderately good paper Lubrication: Less than average Saturation: Average Shading: Very much. Sheen: None whatsoever Smudging: None when dry Water Resistance: Surprisingly, a bit survived after contact with some droplets, but don't bank on it. Wetness: Average Closeups: You can see here some weird white-ish spots in the text, making it look a bit chalky. These are present under magnification but really difficult to see in real life. Fine Nib Wing Sung 659 F, on Campus Business Line (moderately fp-friendly) 0.6 Stub PenBBS 352 on Maruman Loose Leaf (very fp-friendly) 0.6 Stub PenBBS 352 on Campus Business Line (moderately fp-friendly) Medium Nib PenBBS 480 on Campus Business Line (moderately fp-friendly) Water resistance and nice haloing 0.6 Stub on etranger di costarica paper (very fp-friendly) Comparison And a doodle!
  23. Red Fox is a Montblanc Limited Edition, based on their Le Petit Prince series. The ink is a dark brown orange, not unlike the fur of a fox. I wasn't sure what to expect of this ink to be honest, reviews are mixed, but in the past week I have been writing a lot with it. It's great for personal use and at the same time, despite being a dark orange, it's a color that you can easily use in an office environment to take down notes. For longer reads the color remains pleasant. The ink and its color surprised me and I must say, I really like this ink. At 35 euro for 50 ml the ink is expensive, but well worth it. It's a high quality ink. As expected, no feathering, no bleed-through on decent paper, shading is strong and excellent and the ink behaves extremely well in my Parker Duofold (medium nib). Lubrication is a bit better than most Montblanc inks I know but still, some pens have difficulties with it. TWSBI and Montblanc is not a good combination in my experience. This is a non permanent ink, water will severely damage your writing. Drying times are OK. To give an idea what the ink looks like, I have written several samples with both the Parker and a Lamy with a broad nib. The orange is very distinctive and quite different from other inks I own. At first I thought it would be closer to a red, but but the two colors that come closest are Orange Indien (J. Herbin) and Cornaline d'Egypte (Herbin 1798).
  24. the main review is below. This is an Indian notebook called ITC classmate which is dirt cheap and exceptionally fountain pen friendly - doesn't feather or spread with the worst offenders (in my case, Noodler's 54th Mass for spreading, Noodler's forest green for feathering); dry time is quick but inks retain their vibrancy and shade nicely. Only strikes against it is that it doesn't particularly help with sheen and its not bright-white (there's a slight red tinge to the pages). Anyway, enough about the paper. This review was written with a PenBBS 480 with a Mini fude F nib. Really its more like an M. Writes wetter than normal. Note: the color balance is off in the top 5th of the page - probably due to paper not being totally flat. The ink in that area looks murkier than in real life. Here are some comparisions to other browns (Kiowa Pecan is similar, Yama Guri, not really). Also how the inks looks on blobs, swatches, smudges and dry times. Overall thoughts: It is a very nice brown, rich color with shading variations and possibilities of sheen (and a nice ink even without the sheen); with good flow, quick-ish dry times and no major drawback as far as I can see, except the tendency to stain clear plastic (though not sure if it was just that one cartridge converter). Will be receiving some Clairefontaine and Tomoe River shortly (I am out of stock now and all but essentially deliveries are closed due to C-Virus). Will check on sheening then. The pooled ink drop shows some green sheen around the rim of the darker area.





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