Parker Quink

[JEBS98]

There is something that has always bothered me about Parker. Although I absolutely love all my Parker fountain pens, I just have not been able to actually like Parker Quink inks. It is very cool that it dries fast, specially for left-handed people. However, when using it, I always have this felling I am using rollerball ink instead of true fountain pen ink. It is a very plain ink. It is very functional, but it will not stand out as other inks may do. In addition, there are only three colors, that are the most classic, basic fountain pen ink colors: black, blue and blue-black.

 

I just wanted to share my thoughts on Quink and would love to learn if someone feels the same or thinks different and why.

[Carguy]

I know that there are many Quink fans to be found on FPN. I am not one of them. I find it to be an incredibly boring and dull ink. However, for many vintage pen fans on here who cannot or will not use other brands of potentially “unsafe” ink in their pens - Quink is their best choice.

 

I have Diamine almost exclusively in all of my vintage pens.

[Checklist]

I feel the same way as you about the Quinks.  On a wetter pen, like my Sonnet, the blue-black's new formulation is a nice dark blue, but the other two are pretty basic, other than the quick drying.  I have a few cartridges for if I am taking the Sonnet on a trip, but that's about it.

[PithyProlix]

4 hours ago, JEBS98 said:

There is something that has always bothered me about Parker. Although I absolutely love all my Parker fountain pens, I just have not been able to actually like Parker Quink inks. It is very cool that it dries fast, specially for left-handed people. However, when using it, I always have this felling I am using rollerball ink instead of true fountain pen ink. It is a very plain ink. It is very functional, but it will not stand out as other inks may do. In addition, there are only three colors, that are the most classic, basic fountain pen ink colors: black, blue and blue-black.

 

I just wanted to share my thoughts on Quink and would love to learn if someone feels the same or thinks different and why.

 

I have Quink only because of second hand Parker pens that I have purchased that came with Quink cartridges, already installed and used in the pens and/or new cartridges that came along with the pens. I've had some Quink blue-black that leans towards a greyish teal that is not so typical and somewhat interesting in appearance but I agree with your sentiment, in general.

 

We are in a golden age of great ink - multitudes of safe, well-performing colors that are easy to get - and I see no reason to stick with Quink. So far Parker has missed the boat on taking advantage of this golden age. And, sorry to say, I am not a fan of the current Parker, so there is no sentimental attachment. 

[Kalessin]

Quink got me through college back in the 1980s.  It was cheap and easily available, and I have notebooks full of Blue and Blue-Black.

 

That said, ink has evolved and so have I, and even though I have probably fifteen or twenty bottles of various eras of Quink, it's mostly found its way in by being offered along with something else I'm buying.

 

It's a little sad that it's down to three colors, Parker used to offer a more complete selection, but they're just not the company they used to be.

 

 

[inkstainedruth]

I have some bottles of vintage Quink from the 1940s which are just wonderful (well, the Green was a little blue leaning for my taste... ).

Modern Quink?  Well, Quink Black was quite nice out of the M nib on my first Parker 45 (which was also my first semi-vintage pen AND the first pen with a gold nib).  It was like ice dancing across the page with that combo.  And I really miss Permanent Blue, which was my go-to ink for several years before I found out that there was more to life than cheap Parker c/c pens and more than blue, blue/black and black (Washable Blue, OTOH, might as well be called "Fadeable Blue"...).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[shalitha33]

I actually don't mind the blue Quink. Its a fairly standard signing ink. For this its quick drying is also very useful.
I also ends up using it in most of the vintage pens I have. I guess that's because I have a bottle of it at hand and its just there.

Its not a fun ink as such, but it is something that no one would take notice of. Almost as if I signed it using a rollerball.

[david-p]

I am sorry to have to agree with all the negative comments about Parker Quink ink on this page. While I find the black version acceptable, I am working on using up the cartridges that I have. The blue is so non-descript as to be a waste of time and money. I dont see myself buying these inks any more. Waterman. Lamy and Pelikan blue inks are far more interesting to me.

 

Of course, Parker is no more Parker since it was bought up by Rubbermaid. I find it very strange that companies buy up other companies simply to milk any profits that they can, without having any understanding or interest in the reasons why these companies were formerly so successful. The once great Parker Pen Company is just one example of this. There are many examples in the fields of audio and automobile maufacture.

[mhguda]

Here's a voice in defense of the humble Parker inks. I still have some of my older purchases, including green and red, which solo I indeed do not care for very much, but as mixers they are great. I'll put a few drops of red in any blue to darken it a little, for example. And yes, I do like the new blue black, and I have a set of vintage blues and vintage blacks that I use very sparingly...

The only one I'll admit to actively not liking is washable blue. But, sometime last year I made a mix of 50% washable blue and washable black, and that ink is a new favorite...

[TheRedBeard]

Black Parker Quink has been my main ink for business everyday writing/use for many years -  it is a perfect plain reliable ink. 

And I still keep using it as my main ink.

Quink is also my first choice when I need to try a recently-purchased vintage pen.

 

However, I like Diamine inks , too - and Sherwood Green is the one I started using more often   

 

[JEBS98]

12 hours ago, david-p said:

I am sorry to have to agree with all the negative comments about Parker Quink ink on this page. While I find the black version acceptable, I am working on using up the cartridges that I have. The blue is so non-descript as to be a waste of time and money. I dont see myself buying these inks any more. Waterman. Lamy and Pelikan blue inks are far more interesting to me.

 

Of course, Parker is no more Parker since it was bought up by Rubbermaid. I find it very strange that companies buy up other companies simply to milk any profits that they can, without having any understanding or interest in the reasons why these companies were formerly so successful. The once great Parker Pen Company is just one example of this. There are many examples in the fields of audio and automobile maufacture.

I totally agree with you. When it comes to blue inks, I find that Waterman Mystery Blue, for instance, is just a perfect blue ink. I see it and I think "this is blue". It is indeed very sad what has happened to the once almighty Parker Pen Company.

[lionelc]

i am one for the parker quinks - they are cheap and reliable.  it also pleases me when i use it in my duofold senior that i am using a setup similar to what its original owner may have used back in the late 1920s

[ralfstc]

Limited range for sure, but the dark (not washable ) blue is simply wonderful in vintage pens. Great colour, just the right amount of flow.

[inkstainedruth]

Agreed.  I have some vintage Quink (either Permanent Royal Blue or Permanent Blue Black) in a Parker 45 Arrow at the moment.  My pen/ink combo log says it's Permanent Royal Blue, but unfortunately the label on the bottle seems to be missing; and there was also a mishap with a leaky cap, so the bottle is inside a ziplock bag at the moment....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[bunnspecial]

I'm not a Quink junkie but I do keep it around.

 

Washable Blue is probably the lightest blue ink around. It fades if you breath on it, yes, but I also don't worry about things like really clear Vacumatics with it. That's its reason for being with me.

 

Permanent Blue isn't the easiest to find in the US, but is out there(I did just grab 20 cartridges on Amazon, and bottles are around if you look a bit. It's not a "permanent" ink in the sense of a classic iron gall or a modern cellulose reactive ink, but has a much richer color than Washable that I really like.

 

Blue-black is too dry and non-lubricated for my liking.

[vicpen123]

Has served me well for nearly 60 years.  Works in all pens equally well.

 

For me it is the pen, not the ink, that matters.

[JEBS98]

A small upadte. I was able this week to get some old bottles of Quink in blue turquoise, and it is a very beautiful ink. Unlike the black one, it is not dull or boring at all. I tried it in my Parker 45 Flighter, and I am really enjoying it.

[inkstainedruth]

That's one I haven't run across, JEBS98.  I'd be curious to see a side by side comparison with something like vintage Skrip Peacock.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

[JEBS98]

On 12/11/2021 at 6:29 PM, inkstainedruth said:

That's one I haven't run across, JEBS98.  I'd be curious to see a side by side comparison with something like vintage Skrip Peacock.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

Hi Inkstainedruth! Here's a writing sample! I had Skrip Peacock ink in the past, but sadly I ran out of it. Parker Turquoise has more green to it, I would say.

[inkstainedruth]

Thanks.

On my screen your photo shows it looking a bit darker, too.  

Sort of like the difference between Diamine Turquoise (which is the closest substitute I've found for Skrip Peacock) and Diamine Havasu Turquoise (which is darker and has a bit more shading) than Diamine Turquoise.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth