Montblanc Royal Blue - one of the best washable blues around?

[bunnspecial]

I've used most of the big brands of washable blue on the market, and when I say use I mean I keep plenty of them onhand and even have a couple half-empty bottles of Waterman around. I'm not a cartridge user, but they have their place(and I have one pen that is cartridge only) and have piles of Pelikan blue cartridges not to mention bottles. When Waterman was on sale for $5 a bottle last month on Amazon, I couldn't resist stocking up on a few spares.

 

I bought a bottle Montblanc Royal Blue a while back, but hadn't really paid much attention to it. This past week, I had a new to me MB 142 arrive, and I thought that ink might be a good match for it.

 

II was rewarded with a lovely, rich and very wet writing blue line. Waterman and Pelikan have always felt rather washed out to me, and Pelikan is of course dry as a bone. Comparing in a few other pens as a "known reference" the Montblanc seems wetter than Waterman, an ink I've always considered on the wet side.

 

I have to say that this may now be one of my favorite go-to inks. The only real downside to it is the cost-it's ~$25 for a 60mL bottle as opposed to ~$10 for 50mL of Waterman or about the same for 62.5mL of Pelikan(not counting buying 1L bottles of Pelikan).

 

Has anyone else had a similar experience to me with this ink? Alternatively, is there another, perhaps more economical, washable blue with similar properties?

[Karmachanic]

Given that you like/enjoy the ink, it may be more beneficial to think in terms of cost per annum. How long will that 60ml bottle last you?

[bunnspecial]

Good point on that.

With that said, Pelikan and Waterman have become my defacto "pen testing" inks, which is why I tend to use a fair bit of Waterman in particular. They are economical to use for that, but assuming everything is good I'm happy to keep using them until the pen is empty(or I get tired of using it and decide to dump and clean it).

 

Maybe the MB needs to be saved for actual use, for lack of a better term.

[Karmachanic]

One  for the Work Shop and other for the Salon

[TitoThePencilPimp]

I prefer Pelikan Royal Blue. You can always add something to it, ie, photoflow, to make it more wet writing.

[arcfide]

Hrm, interesting. I agree that MB Royal Blue is a good candidate. I wonder, I really like the swabs of Sailor Blue, but haven't had a chance to try it out for any long period of time. Maybe that's another "rich" candidate that is still washable? 

 

There's also some great Diamine inks in that color range. Pilot's Blue is probably too washed out for you as well, and Lamy's blue is a total classic that I get the impression has the same "emotive reputation" in some places in Germany as Parker Quink Washable Blue evokes for some people in the U.S. and other countries, that is, the "school boy" blue. 

 

I also wouldn't rule out the offerings from Monteverde either. 

 

To me though, I think you can go "too far" with a nice blue into the realm of just a rich, non-water resistant blue, such that it no longer fits the "washable blue" category for me. At least the term "washable blue" for me denotes that classic blue fountain pen ink that is intentionally *not* too rich, but well flowing without excessive features, and completely "inoffensive" in nearly every way. It's supposed to be the sort of ink that caters to ease and "parental sanity" above character and dynamic qualities. In that sense, I almost think MB Royal Blue might be "too good". 

 

 

[ajcoleman]

I think I agree with you , bunnspecial.  Compared to Waterman, for example, MB RB is a bit richer, perhaps more saturated, but very well behaved, and it is a striking color. I consider it a bit more purple, perhaps more royal, than Waterman. But it is very well behaved, and I didn't have any issues with it on even mediocre paper. Considering I primarily bought it for the unique bottle I wanted to try, I was impressed. It is one I will use regularly, for sure.

[SamCapote]

Without question MB inks are reliable and quality inks, with their Royal Blue a nice example. 
 

However, my favorite is Parker Penman Sapphire blue of which I have a very large supply.  I love the Greek seller of cartridges many years ago that I bought several thousand from, because they have been partially dehydrated in the plastic, their use yields an indescribable rich, well performing , beautifully red sheening blue ink.
 

I have not found another blue like it, including several recipes. It also uses phenol as a preservative, so this holds up long term if you can find it.