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  1. Lanbitou 3059 VS Wing Sung 3008 I thought I would test 2 piston filler pens at the same time , I had no idea they would be so equally disappointing . Both pens were hard starters , both pens were scratchy , both pens did not like CANTING left or right . Neither pen cared much for writing inverted .. Both pens would tear into the paper . The wing did put more ink down . Both pens BURPED , the Lanbitou more than the Wing . The Lanbitou has a functioning piston lock while the Wing Sung has a (?) broken piston lock ( Non functional ) I dare say I now would consider both pens as parts donors , and I would not recommend either .. ( That's 2 bad 3008's for me out of 2 ) To date I have tried 4 Piston fillers and the only pen to impress is the 660 .
  2. A few months ago, when Kevin from the JustWrite Pen Company (www.JustWrite.com.au) gave me the opportunity to review some of the pens in his line-up, I was expecting to receive a shipment of mostly inexpensive (but hopefully good value!) Chinese and Indian fountain pens – and to be sure, most of the pens I received fit that category precisely. Not this one, though: to my surprise, included in with the Jinhaos, Walitys etc, came the Diplomat Esteem. Compared to its stablemates, the Aero and (especially) the Excellence A range, you might call the Esteem a ‘midrange’ pen. Be that as it may, it’s the most expensive pen I own, and I was (very pleasantly) surprised to be receiving it free in return for an impartial review. A little harder to do, when your jaw is dropping at the price tag(!) – but I’ll do my best to live up to my side of the bargain. It’s a beautiful looking pen – nicely weighted, comfortable in the hand – and provides a great writing experience, BUT… I’ve had a few issues with the stock nib, which took me some time to diagnose. After a bit of to-ing and fro-ing, I’ve sent the original nib back – but agreed with Kevin (who’s been very helpful along the way!) that I’d present this review, ‘warts and all’ – and give an update down the track, when the dust has settled re warranty issues. ______________________________________________________________________ 1. Appearance & Design (9/10) –Black-and-Chrome Finish, Beautifully Styled With the exception of the two TWSBI pens I purchased last year, most of the pens I’ve obtained over the past 12 months have come in a factory-issue plastic sleeve – so forgive me if I take a moment to comment on the packaging. The Diplomat arrived in a brushed-aluminium case – roughly the size of a glasses case, though not quite as deep. Inside the case sits a felt-covered ‘tray’ of moulded plastic, with a groove just large enough to house the pen. I’d describe the case as ‘business-like’ rather than luxurious – but I like it that way. http://i.imgur.com/HoqFcdt.jpg?1http://i.imgur.com/DiKWo0q.jpg?1 As for the pen itself? I think you’d have to say it was ‘conservatively styled’ – long, sleek and slender (but still comfortable to hold); with a glossy black lacquer finish on the cap and body, and shiny chrome-coloured trim. On the finial of the pen you’ll find the black-and-white Diplomat logo prominently displayed; the bottom of the pen has a grooved chrome ending that also serves a very useful function (see below). If you’re not keen on glossy black, this pen also comes in an ‘easy grip’ matte black finish – or, if you want to live even more dangerously (!), you can go for pastel colours (also ‘easy grip’ matte finish): turquoise, lime green, pink, or lilac…. Oh, there’s also a straight (brushed) stainless steel option, for . Me, I’m not into pastels (they don’t suit my complexion?!) – so the glossy black lacquer was right up my alley. http://i.imgur.com/tLXku9X.jpg?1 No matter which colour you choose, the trim is the same – shiny chrome – while the grip section is a sturdy black plastic. Diplomat do sell gold-plated and/or two-tone stainless steel nibs in some of their other models – but the only option for the Esteem is chrome-coloured stainless steel. More on that below. 2. Construction & Quality (10/10) – A beautifully-constructed penI know 10/10 seems excessive, but really, I can’t fault the pen. Though not overly heavy, it’s made primarily of metal, and has a satisfying ‘heft’ to it; it feels well-balanced in the hand; there are no obvious blemishes anywhere on the pen – it’s well-designed, and flawlessly executed. After three months of continuous usage, the lacquer has held up well. The lid comes on and off with a satisfying ‘click’… And maybe here is where it’s appropriate to talk about the purpose of that stainless steel ending to the barrel. The cap is designed to post on the end of the pen – and it posts securely, settling over the stainless steel ending with another satisfying ‘click’. More often than not I write with my pens unposted, (unless I’m writing with a Kaweco Sport or TWSBI Mini – you get the idea) – but the pen remains comfortable and well-balanced, either way. http://i.imgur.com/fhi4TId.jpg?1 3. Weight & Dimensions (9/10) – A comfortable, mid-sized penIn terms of size (and cost), the Esteem sits in between two of the Diplomat’s better known pens – the Diplomat Traveller (which I’d considered purchasing before this arrived in the mail), and the much higher end, much more substantial Excellence A Series. I think I’d like to try the Excellence A sometime – I quite enjoy writing with heftier pens – but the Esteem, although I’d class it a ‘Medium’ size pen, punches well above its weight (so to speak). Weighing in at 26.2g capped, or 15.7g uncapped (you’ll need to add another 3 mL for a full Diplomat converter), and with a diameter of 10.5mm for the grip section, the pen just feels substantial in my hand. The pen is 136mm capped, and 125mm uncapped – which I think most hands will find quite comfortable to write with – but again, this pen is designed to post, in which case you’re wielding a 158mm writing implement. The diameter of the pen barrel at its widest point (the barrel and cap both taper towards the end) is around 12.5mm – as I say, a medium-sized pen, rather than a ‘monster’. The grip section tapers from 10mm near the ‘step-up’ to the barrel, down to 8mm near the nib – I tend to hold it towards the step, and find that pretty comfortable. 4. Nib & Performance (7/10) – A surprisingly pleasant experience to write withI’m a firm believer in the concept that a pen is only as good as its nib – and unfortunately, the Diplomat nib that came with this pen was problematic from the moment it arrived. It came with a Medium nib – which I’m OK with, though I tend to prefer Fine or Stub nibs (the latter is not an option, incidentally)… but that wasn’t my problem. http://i.imgur.com/hNOiflJ.jpg http://i.imgur.com/zCr9A1y.jpg On the upside, first of all, the Diplomat nib was pretty ‘springy’ – you could get a decent amount of line variation without a great deal of pressure. And it was so smooth, it wrote like a dream… until, that is, it began ‘skipping’, seemingly at random, as I wrote. Pressing down harder on the nib was usually sufficient to get the flow started again – but it made for a very “stop-start” writing experience. At first, I thought the problem might be the ink I was using (Pelikan Royal Blue)… or the home-made ‘bulb converter’ I’d whacked in (more on this below)… But when I obtained a Diplomat cartridge converter and swapped in about 5 different inks, it became clear that wasn’t the problem. I also noticed a slight misalignment between the underside of the nib and the feed, which was fairly rectified – but that didn’t solve the problem either. I suspect either that the tines are too close together, or (possibly) a ‘baby’s bottom’ problem. Eventually, in consultation with Kevin (from JustWrite), I decided it was better to return the nib under warranty, rather than try to adjust it myself. Within a week of receiving the pen – and unrelated to the skipping problem – I decided to order a replacement nib unit, a Fine. The writing sample below was mostly written with this nib. Like the Medium, the Fine nib writes beautifully smoothly, and is relatively springy – though I wouldn’t recommend overdoing it, it’s not a flex pen! The Fine writes a noticeably narrower line than the Medium – though it’s definitely not the finest Fine I have in my collection (if you get my meaning!). I had a couple of issues with this nib as well – I had to adjust the nib relative to the feed to get the alignment of the tines just right – but once that was done, I’ve found this pen an absolute pleasure to write with! http://i.imgur.com/t0LwncM.jpg?1 5. Filling System & Maintenance (4/10) – Why no cartridge converter?!?!I’ve deliberately scored the pen very low on this point, for two reasons. In the first instance, I cannot understand why a $100+ pen would not come with a cartridge converter included. All I got with the pen was a single lousy cartridge, plus a ‘dummy’ cartridge (as in, empty and with the bottom cut off)… and a note in the included warranty material that the pen should have two cartridges in the barrel at all times (one as a spare). Every single (cheap) Chinese pen I’ve purchased that takes cartridges, comes with a (cheap) cartridge converter installed – why do these higher-end European name-brands have to be so stingy?! To make matters worse, I quickly found that the cheap Chinese converters I had ready to hand would not fit this pen – around the ‘nipple’ the cartridge fits onto, Diplomat have incorporated a ‘cuff’ or ‘ring’, which I suppose is meant to create a snugger fit for the cartridges – but it also had the effect of preventing me using any converter that doesn’t have an appreciable taper below the nozzle. My only remaining options were to use cartridges (and refill them if necessary)… or to obtain a compatible converter. Once again, Kevin came to the rescue – sourcing a Diplomat-branded (Schmidt-style) converter for me, at a cost of another $10. http://i.imgur.com/u6MM6uK.jpg To be fair, Diplomat are not the only culprits when it comes to shipping pens without converters – and standard international cartridges work perfectly well – but still, on principle, I feel compelled to mark them down for doing this with a premium-priced pen, and to mark them down further for designing the pen so that only a more expensive converter. 6. Cost & Value (9/10) – It’s not cheap – but why should it be?I’m genuinely puzzled as to why Diplomat seems to have such a low profile in the fountain pen community – they’ve been around since 1922; their pens are great quality (my nib problems notwithstanding); and though they’re not cheap to purchase, you really do get what you pay for. This is the most expensive pen in my collection – and honestly, I would have thought twice about purchasing it (full disclosure, though: I was seriously considering setting aside some birthday money to place an order on the matte black version). But for all its conservative styling, this really is a lovely pen – so I’d have no hesitation recommending it. 7. Conclusion (Final score [sUM/6]: 8.5)I know, I know, add up my scores and divide by 6, and you’ll only get 8 – but I think the pen deserves more than that. I had to score the pen down for the nib, because of my problems with the Medium (which I believe will be sorted out by warranty) – and I can’t blame the pen for the manufacturers’ decision to ship it without a converter. So I’ve bumped it up to 8.5. These scores are really subjective – but this pen offers one of the most pleasant writing experiences I’ve experienced, when the ink is in full flow. I said a little earlier that I don’t know why Diplomat doesn’t have a higher profile – let me add to that, I don’t know why the Esteem seems so lowly esteemed, if you’ll pardon the pun! It’s a more substantial pen than the Traveller – which I’m told is a great pen, just a little small for sustained writing – and it’s significantly cheaper than the Aero and the Excellence. I’m happy to recommend this pen to anyone who’s interested in a good quality, serious-looking pen – and will keep you posted on developments with the Medium nib.
  3. It has been a very long time since my friend has actually posted any review on his channel. I would like to share with you the new review that he has just posted of a very premium "Indian fountain pen" called the Glare 71. Here's the video review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2gGDiLlv4dc As he himself is unable to access his FPN account, he has asked me to post it on his behalf. Anyways, talking about the pen, Glare 71 is an extremely premium fountain pen in every aspect. It is a head turner that has got premium looks, exceptional build, feels amazing in the hands and writes exceedingly well. For more information about the pen, do watch the video. I hope you like it.
  4. I have just seen the review of the Rotring Surf pen on Youtube. It looks like a basic pen, with a smooth nib. Does anyone have this pen? If yes, then how cool is it? Here, have a look at the full review first: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEM_gAsrMm4
  5. Camlin 22 Eye Dropper from India Fine NIB Screw on Cap ( 1 and 1/4 turn ) I did put some silicone grease on my test pen to seal the threads .. ( No sign of leaking or ink creeping into the threads ) NIB was cleaned , Feed was cleaned and Dipped in really hot water for 30 seconds and then fitted to pen with NIB . Pen was a difficult starter on initial inking . After 24 hours resting horizontally it took a few strokes of the pen to get it to write .. Is a scratchy writer . Canted 45 degrees left the pen wrote ok Canted 45 deg right the pen tore into the paper Inverted it was like trying to write with the tip of a knife Pen is a moist writer . I did polish the NIB with 5000 grit wet and dry , and it only helped a little ... Did have to go to 2000 grit to hit the rough spots to smooth out the pen .. It is better , but not 100 % No leaks - no Burps - No physical problems - I will leave this for extended testing ... https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/335887-pif-camlin-22-eye-dropper/ PIF = I am giving one away ....
  6. The pen came the other day , and I really wanted to play with this pen before some others . So here we go : 660 Piston Filler - I think this is just the Ebay seller giving the pen a description (?) It is an unbranded piston filler . Piston - Love the piston lock - The piston seems to draw ink really well . NIB - Is it a .3 something ? Writes moist , cants 45 deg left ok but dries up quickly canting 45 deg right . Applying pressure to the NIB does not affect ink flow very much . Ink seems to flow well , there was no burping . For a $3 USD pen I can only say that I am reasonably impressed so far . ( Will it continue to impress ) Back in 24 hours :
  7. I recently purchased a few standard (60ml) ink pots of the camlin royal blue ink. As soon as i laid down the first line. I noticed that the colour has been changed. I had purchased a few ink pots from Mumbai and the other from Ahmedabad. I noticed that no matter the location, the colour now is different than the previous ink. (Both have manufacturing dates of around mid-late 2014) The change is ever so mild, but it is noticeable none the less. The newer colour has become more of a uniform blue which is a bit lighter in hue. The earlier colour had a purple-grey undertone to it which made it a bit more saturated and darker. (I hope all this makes any sense!) I guess it will be better if i just showed the pictures! Here they are. The left one is the new colour. And the right one, the old colour. I suppose it is more clearly visible in the last picture. So what are your thoughts? Please share your views. If you haven't noticed it, do you think you will like the new colour? And if you already noticed this, What is your opinion?
  8. It's just amazing that you can buy a 99 cent USD fountain pen . At this price point one would expect nothing short of garbage , especially if you are buying $25 to $50 fountain pens ( or even more highly priced ones ) . The 599 does feel very plastic'y , the cartridge converter also feels a little cheap ( 99c after all ) Here is the RUB ! - The pen writes smoothly and ever better it does so softly . Not harsh like trying to write with a concrete nail - No ! Soft like a felt tipped pen ( But not quite that soft ) ... With some NIB polishing this could be a serious writer competing way above its price point . No issues , started right away . Does no like canting 45 deg Right Not happy writing inverted Smooth , very , in the sweet spot . Writes moist . Does not dry out when doing sweeping horizontal 8's After 24 hours the 599 wrote the same as the day before . ( No issues - leaks etc ) If your looking for a 99 cent pen - The Jinhao 599 just might be the one !
  9. This ink is a really neat brown. It flows consistently well, has no problems with cleanup, and is decent on lubrication. It's a really good all-rounder ink if you don't mind it not being permanent. Or, for that matter, water resistant at all. On a ten-point system, 10 being the best: Flow: 8 Lubrication: 6 Dry Time on Tomoe River Paper : 20-25 sec Shading: 7 (Depends largely on the pen) Bleed: None. Ghosting: Just a bit, nothing too heavy. Color: 7 - I like it a lot, especially in my Monteverde Invincia with a Pendleton BLS Nib. Its a very nice brown with good shading in this pen. Overall: 7 - This is a brown ink I could see myself returning to! Written Review: Photo: Scan: After capturing, I noticed there were bits of these really neat silvery black sheen where the ink pooled up enough. It probably won't be seen unless your pen is REALLY flowing on very ink-resistant paper, but it is there! I'll leave two pictures. One of the sheen circled and one not circled. The pictures do not do it much justice as in real life it sheens much more especially under light. I had real trouble picking up any sheen on my camera. Thanks for checking out my review! -Nick
  10. A very interesting pen . I was a little surprised it wrote as well as it did . ( A little scratchy ) Canting 45 deg Left made no difference Canting 45 deg Right and the pen became very scratchy but still wrote .. Also wrote inverted .. Writes a little wet . Started fine , no issues . I think a little polishing of the NIB could make this pen really smooth . I was able to write quickly with the pen as it did not grab the paper . After 24 hours ( rested horizontally ) Pen started fine No issues Still writes a little wet .
  11. Hero 616 , with ink bladder ... First - I didn't know if I was going to like the ink bladder = I don't . It is a cheap pen @ 99 cents .. And it sort of performs like a 99c pen .. Started of writing very very dry ... Scratchy - and just feels a little NQR ... ( ? ) Cant explain it , just not my type of pen I guess ? Did not like to cant 45 deg right Did not like to write inverted After 24 hours inked and rested ... Pen put more ink to paper .. No longer dried out .. But as I was writing I noticed a burp developing under the feed ... Tissue to the rescue , it was a fair bit of ink ballooning under the feed / NIB ... My suggestion would be to pass on this one , and if 99 cents tickles you fancy then perhaps a Jinhao 599 @ 99 cents might scratch that itch ... ( yes next review to be posted )
  12. Ever since I saw this pen I really liked the looks of it .. I also thought it might make for a decent eye dropper mod . ( Will try later ) The thing that strikes me the most , is just how hard this pen writes .. Like a steel rod - or more aptly a knitting needle ... It really feels rigid and hard .. Also it's some what scratchy - runs on the dry side and lays ink down like a ball point pen . ( ok maybe thats not all bad ) . The pen feels very unyielding and there is no sweet spot as such . ( Not that I found ) Will definitely hit the 5000 grit wet and dry when it gets here .. ( Haven't found any local ) ... Dont want to use anything more course with such a fine NIB . I will play more with this pen in the future .. Started easy .. No leaks - no burps - After 24 hours actually lay down a little more ink .. ( Dirty NIB ? ) Runs on the dry side Very scratchy - no sweat spot
  13. Romus Majestic Piston filler / Parker Quink Black 1) I like the piston filler - reliable and solid - and not easy to accidentally activate 2) Small but nice ( The pen ) 3) Scratchy writer 4) Perhaps on the dry side 5) Burps even after being warmed ( Is it a air pocket ? ) 6) Bone dry after burping - difficult to restart ink flow If you have to add it to your piston filler collection ( Go for it ) , it does feel like a decent build . How ever if your looking for a carry pen ? , then you may wish to look else where . I am at a loss to explain the burping ( limited knowledge ) ... But the pen burps after being warmed - and is bone dry after burping - which leads me to believe that a air bubble is forming in the feed ? interrupting the flow of ink .. Stopping it at one end and allowing the ink to flow out the other end ( NIB ) - BURP !
  14. For a sub $2 USD pen I was relatively impressed The Pen is smoother than either the Jinhao 990 or the Romus Majestic . It does put ink down on the dry side and if you want more ink on paper you need to increase writing pressure . Also I did need to change out the cartridge converter for a tighter fitting one .
  15. This is Part 7 of my Mega Monster Review series on Pocket Notebooks. Here's my review for the Rosetta Notes pocket notebooks along with a few pictures. Below are links to the full review, the main Mega Monster page, and the master spreadsheet (still very light as I ramp up on this project). As this is a work in progress that will likely take me a couple months to complete (I'm not that fast), I'd love any feedback you have that could help me make these reviews more useful. Thanks & enjoy! Full Review Mega Monster Review - Pocket NotebooksSpreadsheet of specs & results Introduction & About the Company: Rosetta is the house brand of the fine folks over at iPenStore. Although currently an online-only stationery dealer, iPenStore is a fourth-generation family business that first opened in Chicago in 1932 as the Evers Office Supply Company. Over the past several years, iPenStore has released a number of products under their Rosetta name, including pens (fountain, rollerball, and ballpoint), pencils & leadholders, andpocket notebooks. iPenStore seems to fly under the radar a bit. I've bought from them several times, and I had the opportunity to meet Jim Evers at the 2017 Ohio Pen Show (nice guy!). They carry a pretty wide selection of products, and they offer a curated, monthly subscription service called iPenBox that includes a fountain pen, some paper, ink samples, and other goodies. Description: Rosetta Notes notebooks are pretty nondescript at first glance. They are typical 3.5 in x 5.5 in notebooks with two staples on the spine and rounded side corners. The front covers are only adorned with the Rosetta logo stamped in a dark gold ink and the back covers have some info about the company and notebooks in the same gold color. Rosetta Notes are available in Blank, DotGrid, Graph, and Lined paper, and each ruling comes in one or two different cover colors (Blank comes in Chocolate and Orange Fizz, DotGrid comes in Wine, Graph comes in Plain White, and Ruled comes in Black and Turquoise). You can get three-packs of any one notebook style, and they do have a mixed pack that comes with one each of the Blank (Chocolate), DotGrid (Wine), and Ruled (Black) books. That was the one I bought. All three cover colors are dark, rich, and muted. Overall, they have a really classy look, but it's a quiet sort of classy...they don't jump out and scream "Look at me!" The Paper: Rosetta Notes are billed as having "Fountain Pen Friendly" paper. They use 70# (105 gsm) Smart White text paper from a family-owned Michigan company called French Paper Co. (if French Paper sounds familiar, it's probably because they've supplied paper for some other notebooks, including some of the Field Notes releases). The paper is bright white and silky smooth to the touch. Is the paper fountain pen friendly? In a word: Heck yeah! Or...like...two words. The ruling for both the DotGrid and Graph is 5 mm. I don't have a sample of the graph, but the DotGrid uses a fairly light gray, and I find the dots to be pretty large. I'd like to see smaller dots. The ruled version uses a darker gray ink, but the lines are super thin and spaced about 6.4 mm apart. With my small handwriting, I love the tight ruling (most notebooks are in the 7 to 8 mm range). Pencil Results: I have yet to find a paper that pencils don't like. Rosetta Notes fall in line with everybody else. Palomino Blackwing: This is kind of a strange combination. It FEELS incredibly smooth, but it SOUNDS a little crunchy...like something I'd expect with more rough or textured paper. The graphite left behind also looks more uneven under a loupe, like I'd expect with rough/textured paper. I've also found that the graphite on the pencil seems to wear down a little quicker than I expected. Erasing had a stubborn start (took several passes before the graphite started to come away), and it left behind a fair amount of color.Uni Kuru Toga Mechanical Pencil (0.5): Super, super smooth writing experience. Feels like I'm writing on air. The line is consistent and pretty dark—very comparable to the Blackwing. Erasing still leaves behind too much graphite for my taste, but it's a little more complete than the Blackwing. Ballpoint Results: They pretty much still work everywhere. Uniball Jetstream (0.7): Very smooth, and the line comes out much finer than I expected. It seems closer to 0.5 mm than 0.7 mm. Excellent performance.Fisher Space Pen (0.7): The Space Pen ink has a slick, oily feeling to it, but not in a bad way. Writing is very smooth and the line is nice and dark. Gel Results: You really can't go wrong with gel pens, and mine all work great on the Rosetta Notes. Uniball Signo 207 Ultra Micro (0.38): Dark and flawless, baby! It's super freaking smooth on this paper. It doesn't come out completely black, but it's comes out darker than it does on several other papers. I think this is the perfect paper for this pen.Pilot G2 (0.5): Wicked smooth. It's doesn't put down as crisp a line as I expected, though. Under a loupe I can see a tiny bit of spread. Otherwise, the line is dark and consistent. Zebra Sarasa (0.7): Sloppy as always, but the paper handles it really well. There's some noticeable spread, but it's not awful. It is extremely smooth, though. Liquid Ink Rollerball Results: Someday when I'm president, I'm going to pass an Executive Order banning rollerball pens. Pilot Precise V5 RT (0.5): It's smooth and dark, but I'm getting some feathering and spread. It doesn't look too bad, but it's definitely visible without a loupe. Look at the capital F, G, and J in the alphabet. Overall, it's a mushy experience, but serviceable.Uniball Vision Elite (0.8): Very sloppy experience. Lots of spread & a little feathering. As with other papers, this ink dries a dark gray rather than black. Fountain Pen Results: I don't want to spoil anything too early, but this paper is magnificent for fountain pens. There were a couple tiny places that didn't dry within 10 seconds, but performance was otherwise flawless. (EF) Platinum Preppy with Noodlers Midnight Blue ink: Very smooth. the line comes out super fine. There are some tiny areas of spread, but you can't see them without a loupe.(F) Lamy Safari with Lamy Petrol ink: Zero spread or feathering and super smooth. In the dry test, the scribble didn't smear at all, but a couple spots in the preceding letters did. (M) Platinum Cool with Pilot Iroshizuku Tsuki-Yo ink: Excellent performance with minimal spread and a few random tendrils (have to use a loupe to see it). My Cool is a really wet pen, and it needed a few extra seconds to completely dry. (0.6) Nemosine Singularity with KWZ Standard Turquoise ink: Very good performance. No spread or feathering (although I do see a few random "artifacts" at the tops of some letters, but I think that's a product of the nib more than anything). Completely dried within 10 seconds, and shows off some really nice shading with this ink. (1.1) Conklin Duragraph with Robert Oster Midnight Sapphire ink: Excellent performance! The lines aren'e especially crisp, but there isn't any spread or feathering at all. More awesome shading, too. Except for the colon after the word "Test," it rocked the dry time test. Conclusion Rosetta Notes are phenomenal little notebooks. Every writing instrument I used wrote smoothly, and most of them behaved well. I got some really awesome shading with a few pen/ink combinations, which is always a nice surprise for paper with fast dry times. I experienced some spread with my wettest pens, but none of them could be considered unusable. The ghosting was minimal and there were ZERO instances of bleed-through. Not a speck. Not an iota. None. So you can easily use the back side of every page. Like I mentioned earlier, the only thing I'd like to see is smaller dots on the DotGrid version. In the struggle to find pocket notebooks that can handle fountain pens and still offer acceptable dry times, Rosetta Notes nails it. And for everything you get out of these notebooks, the $7.99 price tag is an insanely great price.
  16. This is a review of Birmingham Pen Co.'s "Pennsylvania Railorad Boiler Steam Blue/Black" ink. Another, earlier review of this ink: https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/329493-birmingham-pennsylvania-railroad-boiler-steam-blue-black/ Birmingham Pen Company is a store in Pennsylvania with its own line of budget-friendly, mysteriously complex dark shades of inks: https://www.birminghampens.com/pages/about-us This particular ink is a classic "Blue-Black" that's more on the dirty grayed-navy side than teal--sure to please those who don't like their blue-blacks too green. The ink is not without quirks, but now that I understand it, I believe it can be very well-behaved on paper, given the right tools: Specifically, this ink has high flow, and if you use a juicy nib you might end up with a lot of ink on the page, taking a long time to dry or else quickly bleeding through cheap paper. HOWEVER, if you use a more conservative flow nib/feed or even something like a drier fine nib, the ink dries very quickly on any paper. You especially may want to use conservative amounts of this ink on cheap paper, as the inks absorbs readily and bleeds through if you put down too much. If your preferred instrument is a pen with an XF nib, you will probably be okay with cheap paper too. That said, on nicer fountain-pen-friendly paper, this ink looks great! As long as paper absorbency is not high, you begin seeing beautiful shading, as while the hue is dark, saturation is not high. It is not the kind of shading that dramatically goes from light to dark and looks distracting. Rather it is a gentle transition, especially if you write in unbroken cursive. Particularly with broader nibs, the shading looks quite striking (with the caveat of long drying time for some spots, but that doesn't bother me). There is no outlining to speak of nor noticeable sheen*. *The sheen is present, but only on very non-absorbent paper and only in very high concentration areas, where you might just about detect a hint of something metallic red. But just barely. Water resistance is respectable: the color components wash off, and clear gray line remains. Although this ink has a fairly conservative hue that's not out of place in any line of work, this ink's appearance is intriguing enough to use for personal correspondence as well. Pale cream Fabriano Bioprima paper and Col-O-Ring cards (top left card is an abbreviation of Birmingham Pen Co. "Grandview Avenue Midnight Horizon" blue): On "white" (rather creamy) Tomoe River and Col-O-Ring cards: Some lower quality paper: absorbent, no shading to speak of, bleed-through is present: Water resistance:





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