The best ink cartridge

[Nikhil]

Are we talking,

 

(1) best design,

 

(2) best manufacturing quality,

 

(3) best ink in the cartridge,

 

(4) or all the attributes?

 

BTW, I understand that in one or more cases (Cross comes to mind) the ink in the cartridge may not be the same ink sold by the manufacture in bottles.

 

I just want your opinion. To rephrase my question, if you could choose 1 ink cartridge you would put into your grail pen, what would it be

 

[AndyH]

Well, except that I don't have a grail pen and if I did, it wouldn't be a cartridge filler....

 

But based on the overall criteria you postulate, I'd have to go with Waterman (Florida Blue of course) due to its combination of generally available pens (international size), good capacity, and great ink.

[Tricia]

Somebody forgot to list the classic Sheaffer cartridge. Elegantly simple: just a hermetically sealed plastic vial, that can be pierced from either end. In fact, if I remember right, the World Book Encyclopedia cutaway diagram of a fountain pen shows a Sheaffer cartridge model.

 

That would be my favorite, to the extent I like cartridges at all. Which I don't.

 

 

Except that all the old Skrip cartridges I have have lost ink to evaporation through the unopened plastic. There's a Deluxe Black that has less than 1/4" of ink left in it, and several - Blue-Black, Peacock Blue, etc. - that are about half-filled.

 

Of course, most don't keep as much old ink around as I do. I don't think I have any of the Slovenia ones, but I may.

Edited June 27, 2009 by Tricia

[Ondina]

I voted Waterman. Great capacity and design, one if not the best of ink brands around and it never leaks in Waterman pens.

 

Tricia, my modern Slovenia Skript carts also evaporate quite quickly, going to half of the cart. Namiki/Pilot carts are not easy to come by,specially if you travel around Europe, as mentioned above.