Waterman Aztec And Absolute Browns Reviews And Comparison

[IThinkIHaveAProblem]

I like vintage ink

I like the idea that ink that was made in the 30s, 40s, 50s and 60s HAD TO WORK

It had to be relatively trouble free and it had to perform as expected. This was after all, a time when fountain pens were simply PENS. They were expected to write and write well.

On that note, I recently bought a bottle of Waterman's Aztec Brown.
The bottle is almost NOS. Using it, I found that I really like it. This is a problem as the stuff is getting expensive.
So, I decided to get a bottle of the current Absolute Brown and compare them to one another.

Here are the results:

Waterman's Aztec Brown

2oz bottle, vintage (1940s-50s)

Bought on eBay Jun 2020

for $10 This brown leans

only a little red-ish

Ink has that vintage

Waterman's smell (Phenol?)

Flows great, no surprise

there. No bleed or feathering

except on the worst

quality paper Good

shading + lots of vari-

ation depending on the

pen used.

(Dry Times)

Would

buy again?

Yes

Shading: Good/Medium

Saturation: Good/Medium

Feathering: Some/Low-ish

Spread: Low-Nil

Bleed: Low-Nil

Cleaning: Very Easy

Waterman Absolute Brown

50ml bottle The Papery

Jun 2020. This is Waterman's

current brown formu-

lation. It used to be

called Havana Brown

As a Waterman ink it

flows well and behaves

well. Like Aztec Brown

there is a lot of difference

from pen to pen. It is

slightly redder + darker than

Aztec Brown. That may be

due to Aztec's age.

(Dry Times)

Would

Buy

Again?

Yes!

Shading: Good/Medium

Saturation: Good/Medium

Feathering: Nil

Spread: Nil

Bleed: Nil

Cleaning: Easy

Notes: Good but

Slightly redder replacement

for Aztec Brown

[ArchiMark]

Thanks for this comparison. Very helpful!

 

Was not familiar with either of these inks.

 

Like both from what I see.

 

Think I'll try the Absolute Brown.....

 

 

Mark

[LizEF]

I think I like the older one better. Thanks for the comparison.

[IThinkIHaveAProblem]

Thanks for this comparison. Very helpful!

 

Was not familiar with either of these inks.

 

Like both from what I see.

 

Think I'll try the Absolute Brown.....

 

 

Mark

You're welcome. It Is the cheaper and more widely available being that it is still in production

 

I think I like the older one better. Thanks for the comparison.

You're welcome.

I think I like Aztec better too. But they are VERY VERY close in colour and performance. And Absolute being the current production ink is much cheaper and easier to get. If you look at the chromatography i suspect adding a teeny tiny bit of yellow to Absolute would probably help make it slightly less reddish and likely bring it in line with Aztec

[Intensity]

Interesting, thank you! I prefer the Aztec Brown, and based on those chromatography strips, it appears the vintage ink has better water resistance than the modern one.

[IThinkIHaveAProblem]

Interesting, thank you! I prefer the Aztec Brown, and based on those chromatography strips, it appears the vintage ink has better water resistance than the modern one.

you're welcome

 

Their water resistances are tested on the review pages as well. Frankly neither performed particularly well. But neither claims any water resistance.

In the end IMO they performed about the same, Aztec may have performed a tiny bit better

[yazeh]

Great job, great review. I have my boring Polar Brown, so I'm not tempted anymore

[IThinkIHaveAProblem]

Great job, great review. I have my boring Polar Brown, so I'm not tempted anymore

Thanks, glad you liked it

[Intensity]

you're welcome

 

Their water resistances are tested on the review pages as well. Frankly neither performed particularly well. But neither claims any water resistance.

In the end IMO they performed about the same, Aztec may have performed a tiny bit better

 

I'm seeing a gray water-resistant line on Aztec's chromatography strip, but none noticeable with Absolute's. Aztec's water resistance test also looks better than Absolute's on my screen based on the photographs.

[I-am-not-really-here]

I also like the vintage which is a good thing since there is already a bottle of it here.

[Eclipse157]

Nice! I've never considered vintage ink and pray all the gods they keep it that way, enough with the current ones! I've recently come into possession of R&K last "ink of the year": Kastanienbraun, and was slightly bummed out that it seem to lack the slight reddish tinge I had seen in the (few, admittedly) online reviews. Absolute brown is way too red though, so my preference goes with the Aztec one.

[IThinkIHaveAProblem]

I'm seeing a gray water-resistant line on Aztec's chromatography strip, but none noticeable with Absolute's. Aztec's water resistance test also looks better than Absolute's on my screen based on the photographs.

Totally agree. Youre not imagining things. What i meant is that functionally neither of them has any real water resistance compared to say Bad Blue Heron

 

Seems like Waterman should take note. People prefer Aztec over Absolute almost unanimously! (Not that i have any illusions that large corporations give two figs what we the little people think)

Edited June 24, 2020 by IThinkIHaveAProblem

[Misfit]

I have a bottle of Waterman brown that was previously known as Havana Brown.

 

Thank you for showing us that Aztec Brown. Just the label on the bottle shows the age.

[IThinkIHaveAProblem]

I have a bottle of Waterman brown that was previously known as Havana Brown.

 

Thank you for showing us that Aztec Brown. Just the label on the bottle shows the age.

You're welcome.

 

I have a bottle of Skrip vintage BB and a vintage bottle of MB Turquoise (the plastic triangle one) on the way

As well as a bottle of Jade Green Superchrome

 

That is if Pitney Bowes and Canada post ever do their freaking jobs and actually TRANSPORT packages...

 

Note to american "bay" sellers. The "international shipping program" is (bleep). it doubles the shipping costs, triples the shipping time, and adds NO extra security. International buyers will actively avoid your auctions unless the price is UNBELIEVABLY good because of this program. People who ship USPS? They get my business first if there is an option.

ok, end rant.

Edited June 25, 2020 by IThinkIHaveAProblem

[PAKMAN]

It's awful when you look at a review and say, man I'd like to try that and realize it is vintage and out of production and kind of hard to find! lol

[IThinkIHaveAProblem]

It's awful when you look at a review and say, man I'd like to try that and realize it is vintage and out of production and kind of hard to find! lol

sorry!

[jacksterp]

Have a bottle of Havana and have been quite happy with it.