Boutique Or Pen Manufacturer Inks. Your Preference?

[max dog]

Just wanted to find out what the fountain pen community prefer using more. Boutique inks such as Noodlers, Private Reserve, Diamine, etc or Manufacturer inks by Pilot, Monblanc, Waterman etc and reason why you prefer one type over the other. Or do you generally have no preference.

 

I like pen manufacturer inks, specifically Montblanc and Waterman, but to be fair, where I live in Canada boutique inks are harder to come by so I am influenced more by my location. I have tried a few Private Reserve and while there are some inks I like, I find PR inks tend to be very saturated and not always practical on cheaper papers.

Edited January 21, 2016 by max dog

[Arkanabar]

Well, I have my Essentials.

Black: Heart of Darkness, either of Perle Noire or Pelikan 4001 Brilliant Black. I'm probably going to make a fade test sheet for Perle Noire and 4001, once I'm out of Quink Permanent Black with Solv-X and MontBlanc-Simplo Black with SuperCleaner SC21. I already regard HoD as fade proof.
Blue-Black: Either of Pilot Blue-Black or Iroshizuku Tsuki-Yo
Purple: I have a fade test going, to compare (again) Diamine Damson, Noodler's Violet, and De Atramentis Aubergine.
Blue: Noodler's Blue.
Green: Diamine Sherwood
Brown: Iroshizuku Yama-Guri

Red: My wife bought Noodler's Widow Maker. I wanted Sheaffer Skrip Red.
Turquoise: Sheaffer Turquoise.

For most of my pens, I don't care, as long as the ink in question has pretty good fade resistance, and I tend to think that boutique inks are more likely to have it. But when it comes to my Dad's "51" and my PFM-II, I am unwilling to use any so-called "high-maintenance" inks, and would rather have an ink with phenol in it.

[pkotrcka]

I like Pelikan 4001 in some colours, I love MB Irish Green, but I also adore Diamine Oxblood. So, it is hard to tell.

[AndyKeir]

Australia is a bit of a desert as far as fountain pens and related stuff goes.

I read somewhere recently that in places like the US and Europe as many as 1 person in 30 will use a fountain pen but in Australia the figure is something like 1 in 150!

It's relatively easy to buy manufacturer inks such as Waterman but the boutique inks are much harder to come by.

Sure we can order from overseas but the postage can be an absolute killer. From the US the shipping will more than double the cost of a bottle of ink.

So ... I generally stick to mainstream manufacturer inks. I really only have a smallish selection of Waterman and Diamine.

[Algester]

I don't know where Sailor stands at this point... since they are on the grey scale from my POV

I like their inks at least some of them are interesting... I seriously have deep admiration for the man behind their inks and the people who suggest them

while postage isnt much of a killer most of the shops I want to look at only ship with in Japan and I do not know any locally available courier services...

Edited January 21, 2016 by Algester

[rafapa]

You have your own ink makers in Australia.

 

Australia is a bit of a desert as far as fountain pens and related stuff goes.

I read somewhere recently that in places like the US and Europe as many as 1 person in 30 will use a fountain pen but in Australia the figure is something like 1 in 150!

It's relatively easy to buy manufacturer inks such as Waterman but the boutique inks are much harder to come by.

Sure we can order from overseas but the postage can be an absolute killer. From the US the shipping will more than double the cost of a bottle of ink.

So ... I generally stick to mainstream manufacturer inks. I really only have a smallish selection of Waterman and Diamine.

[Joane]

Over the years I have gravitated toward manufacturers' inks. I too have found them to be less saturated, which I prefer, more like watercolours. I've tried different boutique inks but didn't care for the often thicker or uneven consistency from colour to colour. The exception would be J. Herbin,. Most J. Herbn shades seem to be closer to the manufacturers' inks in texture in that respect. In the past I used mostly Sheaffer, Parker and Waterman. Moved on when they made some changes I didn't like. For the past few years I've been using mostly Montblanc inks, which have proven very satisfying for texture, flow and control. I reserve two Herbin inks for vegetal resin or delicate vintage pens. The regular MB range is more limited in colour than boutique ranges but by adding the occasional LE there are plenty of colours for me. In any case, colourwise I am happy with a few basics.

[Arkanabar]

Because of their pre-vintage provenance, I have never really been able to regard J. Herbin or Diamine as "boutique" ink makers. Given that they both predate fountain pens, I'm rather inclined to think that the design of early fountain pens was in part to accomodate their inks, while makers like PR, KWZ, and Noodler's have designed their inks to push the performance envelopes of pens. Diamine and J. Herbin are both also low dye-load makers, for the most part, which also puts them more on the low-maintenance/"safe" end of the spectrum.

[AndyKeir]

You have your own ink makers in Australia.

 

 

Yes, we Have Blackstone and Toucan inks both available from JustWrite and Kevin's business is a beacon of hope.

Try buying J.Herbin or Noodlers or Caran D'Ache or Pilot Iroshizuku though and you'll be struggling ... and you'll be paying a premium price.

Even mainstream inks like Diamine can be difficult to find, especially if you're looking for anything beyond the usual blue or black.

 

There are very few specialist pen outlets in Australia and those that do exist are confined to the major cities. Only a few have a mail order facility. I live in a regional area some three hours outside Sydney.

Try a search here on FPN for something like "Pen Clubs Shows Australia" and you'll get some idea of what it's like ... and that's in a city with a population approaching five million people!

[dcwaites]

 

Yes, we Have Blackstone and Toucan inks both available from JustWrite and Kevin's business is a beacon of hope.

Try buying J.Herbin or Noodlers or Caran D'Ache or Pilot Iroshizuku though and you'll be struggling ... and you'll be paying a premium price.

Even mainstream inks like Diamine can be difficult to find, especially if you're looking for anything beyond the usual blue or black.

 

There are very few specialist pen outlets in Australia and those that do exist are confined to the major cities. Only a few have a mail order facility. I live in a regional area some three hours outside Sydney.

Try a search here on FPN for something like "Pen Clubs Shows Australia" and you'll get some idea of what it's like ... and that's in a city with a population approaching five million people!

 

Maaate. Keep an eye on Peters of Kensington's website. Just search for Inks. They have Lamy, Pelikan Edelstein, Visconti and a few others, at good prices. They are out of many at the moment, but they restock regularly.

[AndyKeir]

 

Maaate. Keep an eye on Peters of Kensington's website. Just search for Inks. They have Lamy, Pelikan Edelstein, Visconti and a few others, at good prices. They are out of many at the moment, but they restock regularly.

Yep ... I'm a good customer of theirs. That's where I get my Waterman inks. I also bought a nice Waterman pen from them not that long ago when they had them on special.

 

Really my response wasn't a complaint. More an answer to the OP in that I tend to use mainstream inks more than boutique inks because the boutique inks can be hard to find and/or expensive here in Australia.

 

I do wish I could find someone local who stocks a good range of Diamine at a reasonable price though!

 

<edited to fix typos. One day I'll get it right the first time!>

Edited January 21, 2016 by AndyKeir

[Sailor Kenshin]

Just wanted to find out what the fountain pen community prefer using more. Boutique inks such as Noodlers, Private Reserve, Diamine, etc or Manufacturer inks by Pilot, Monblanc, Waterman etc and reason why you prefer one type over the other. Or do you generally have no preference.

 

I like pen manufacturer inks, specifically Montblanc and Waterman, but to be fair, where I live in Canada boutique inks are harder to come by so I am influenced more by my location. I have tried a few Private Reserve and while there are some inks I like, I find PR inks tend to be very saturated and not always practical on cheaper papers.

I'm not a community...I'm just me.

 

And I have inks from Sailor, Skrip, Parker, Waterman, Diamine, J Herbin, Montblanc, Chesterfield, Noodler's, Pelikan, Private Reserve, Rotring, Hero, Iroshizuku, Chelpark...if you count just bottles.

 

As for samples...anything goes. If it's a color that interests me, I NEED a sample.

 

Or maybe I need a 12-Step program instead.

[amberleadavis]

Max Dog,

 

I prefer non manufacturer brands if you consider the vast majority of my collection.

[Sasha Royale]

Whatever looks good to me.

[dcwaites]

Yep ... I'm a good customer of theirs. That's where I get my Waterman inks. I also bought a nice Waterman pen from them not that long ago when they had them on special.

 

Really my response wasn't a complaint. More an answer to the OP in that I tend to use mainstream inks more than boutique inks because the boutique inks can be hard to find and/or expensive here in Australia.

 

I do wish I could find someone local who stocks a good range of Diamine at a reasonable price though!

 

<edited to fix typos. One day I'll get it right the first time!>

 

I just buy it from http://www.diamineinks.co.uk

I tend to buy it in lots of 4 x 30 ml bottles at a time. So, I could buy 2 x ASA Blue, 1 x Majestic Blue and 1 x Sapphire.

Four 30 ml bottles fit into 1 Private Reserve box.

Buying ink in Br. Pounds makes the numbers look smaller, and so it feels cheaper...

[brunico]

It seems that the distinction between boutique and manufacturer inks surfaced in the context of anxieties about so-called ink safety. I never made that distinction myself: to me, the divide has for years been between companies that stick pretty much to the bog-standard offerings of black, royal blue, bright red and emerald green and those that offer colours you can't get in WHSmith.

 

In British English, boutique suggests something a bit precious, a bit expensive, a bit frou-frou. It's a word that suits Pilot Iroshizuku much better than Rohrer & Klingner or Roberson - as well as Herbin and Diamine mentioned by Arkanabar - all of them good old-fashioned stationers or artists' colourmen with greater experience than some of the companies making ink for pen manufacturers to brand as their own.

 

I don't have a single ink from companies that offer only the usual Bic biro colours, but most of my inks are indeed made by pen companies. Because Sailor.

[Abner C. Kemp]

No hard and fast rule for me. I own a four bottles of Noodler's ink and enjoy it. Obviously some of the Noodler's inks, especially the bulletproof options, have definite downsides but they also serve an important purpose. I own 3 bottles of Diamine and could honestly own about 40 if my budget was unlimited. Of all the "non manufacturer" inks, Diamine is by far my favorite. All the Diamine inks I've tried flow wonderfully and they really offer some unique colors. I also own a few bottles of J. Herbin inks which I can't say I hate but since they are a bit more subdued and less saturated I don't find myself pulling for them that often. In terms of manufacturer inks, I own a lot of Montblanc inks and love every single one of them -- apart from Pink Ink which I can't find any reason to use but it's still a nice ink in its own right. If I had to pick an ink company to use for life it would be Montblanc without much consideration -- if you count all the interesting limited edition inks they come out with there is something for everyone and I've never had a Montblanc ink that gave me flow or cleaning issues. Close behind would be Sailor, especially if you count the difficult to obtain and expensive Bung Box / Kobe inks. If you check out the review section you will see tons of examples of absolutely divine Sailor ink offerings. Pilot Iroshizuku is a big hit with most on this forum, I've never found any of their inks to be all that special but they do behave wonderfully. Then you have your Pelikan, Waterman, and Parker inks which are very nice but, much like J. Herbin, not all that saturated and have never blown my boots off but they behave wonderfully and are "safe" in all your vintage pens.

[Buzz_130]

I was going to say non-pen manufacturer inks until I looked at my ink shelf. Pilot Iroshizuku, Sailor, Pelikan, Platinum, Waterman, Sheaffer, Mont Blanc... Looks like I favor the pen manufacturers, but I have a great deal of respect for Diamine, J Herbin, and now KWZ Inks iron galls.

 

Buzz

[zaddick]

Manufacturer inks for me. I trust the consistency and the lower risk of staining or clogging a feed. If my pens were less expensive though, I probably would not care and go with the mostest prettiestist color.

[max dog]

Thanks everyone for your input. Love reading everyone's experience and opinions.

 

I found there is a place in town that carries Noodlers ink, so I got some Black Swan in Australian Rose, and Apache Sunset.

 

I must say, boutique inks like Noodlers certainly adds a dimension to the fountain pen experience.

Wonderful colour and shading with the Australian Rose in my Lamy 2000, and brilliant sunset colour show with the Apache Sunset in my Waterman vintage flex!