Ink Brand Profile: Blackstone Inks

This week I take a look at yet another Australian ink brand and come away impressed. While Robert Oster has received a lot of attention for its seemingly endless array of colors, and Bookbinders for its quirky branding and packaging, Blackstone takes a more understated approach. Of the eight inks in the Blackstone line, I've had the opportunity to try six, and can say that they definitely merit further consideration as everyday writers.

While at first glance the colors may appear to be your standard black, blue, blue-black, green, red, brown, etc., there are aspects to these inks that make them interesting. For example, "Black Stump" is a black ink with deep undertones of brown and purple, (somewhat similar to Rohrer & Klingner's Leipziger Schwartz). "Uluru Red" can alternately appear to be a bright, fire-engine red color, but in the right light (and with a wet nib) can show off some depth of color. Blackstone even has two permanent inks: Barrister's Blue and Barrister's Black. The Barrister's Blue saw a lot of use at work in my Lamy 2000 over the past couple of weeks. 

Note: Many people rave over Sydney Harbour Blue and Barrier Reef Blue, which I've not had an opportunity to try since they were sold out. As of the time of publication of this post, both colors were back in stock at Anderson Pens. 

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Blackstone Ink Samples, from the top: Barrister's Blue, Black Stump, Barrister's Black, Daintree Green, Uluru Red, and Yellow Wattle. In case you didn't notice, all of the inks have an Australian theme. ;)

Blackstone sells their inks in convenient 30ml Nalgene bottles, which many people use to repackage ink into smaller containers for travel. While some people dislike storing ink in plastic bottles due to the threat of evaporation, I've never had problems with Nalgene, and its an interesting packaging choice by Blackstone. (I imagine it significantly cuts down on the cost of shipping overseas, as opposed to shipping heavy glass.)  

Takeaways and Where to Buy

These Blackstone inks were very well-behaved and I didn't have any serious issues with any of them. Of these six, the ones that impressed me the most were Barrister's Blue, Uluru Red, and Black Stump. Daintree Green and Barrister's Black were nice colors but didn't really distinguish themselves for me one way or another, and I found Yellow Wattle to be too light to be useful for everyday writing (though it might make a very nice highlighting ink). I liked Barrister's Blue so much that I am considering purchasing an entire bottle once the sample runs out - it's a great permanent blue-black that I've had loaded into my Lamy 2000 for the past two weeks, but be aware that like many permanent inks, it tends to feather on very cheap paper.  

Many thanks to the folks at Anderson Pens for sending me these ink samples for review. Blackstone Ink comes in 30 oz. bottles and is priced at $12 for the "Barrister's" inks and $8.50 for standard colors.

Disclaimer: I was provided samples of the inks reviewed here free of charge, for review purposes.  

Ink Brand Profile: Bookbinders Inks

The past couple of years have seen an explosion in new ink brands, with a new line of inks hitting the market what seems like every month. It’s never been a better time to be into fountain pens, especially if you’re drawn to the hobby by the ability to customize your writing with what is now a nearly infinite combination of pen, ink, and paper. Personally, I’m still catching up on a lot of these new inks, and I’m fortunate enough to have sponsors who will send me samples so that I’m not continually adding to my accumulation. Today I’m going to turn my attention to another brand of ink from Australia: Bookbinders’ “Snake Ink,” the house brand of the Bookbinders online stationery retailer based in Australia. 

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Q-tip swabs on the left, dip-pen writing samples on the right. Check out the vibrancy! 

Bookbinders inks sneak up on you, meaning that at first glance, people might tend to write them off as just a set of “standard” colors that gets lost in the shuffle amidst inks like Robert Oster, Akkerman, or even Sailor, that offer a wider range of hues, including some very unique and offbeat shades. That would be a mistake, in my opinion. 

Out of all eight of these colors, there’s only one that I’m not crazy about, and that’s Red Spitting Cobra, the red ink. It’s a touch too washed out for my taste (reminiscent of Waterman Red), as I tend to like my red inks a bit more saturated. Four of these colors really impressed me: Eastern Brown Snake (brown), Everglades Rat Snake (orange), Blue Coral Snake (turquoise), and Ground Rattler (gray). I surprised myself by liking the brown and gray inks, as these typically aren’t colors I use. 

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You may recall this shot of the Eastern Brown Snake from my Faber Castell e-Motion review a few weeks back. This ink is a rich brown that can have some reddish tones, depending on how the light hits it. 

I’ve not had the opportunity to use all eight inks extensively, but I did load both Eastern Brown Snake and Everglades Rat Snake into pens for testing over the period of a week. Both inks performed well on various papers. I found the Everglades Rat Snake to be on the drier end of the spectrum, which means that it behaved relatively well on copy paper and pocket notebooks without major feathering and bleed-through issues. Eastern Brown Snake seemed to be wetter, but I tested it in a broad Faber-Castell nib so that likely made a difference. Some people who have used Bookbinders found the inks dry across the board, but I never experienced any actual flow issues such as skips or hard starts. The Lamy 2000 extra fine nib that I used to test the Everglades Rat Snake is a fairly dry nib, and if any pen in my collection would have a hard time handling drier inks, it's this one. I did notice a slight increase in feedback from the nib when writing, but nothing more.      

Fans of shading will want to check out Blue Coral Snake and Ground Rattler. Red Bellied Black Snake (the black ink) will show some reddish sheen in a very wet nib, which makes it an interesting option if you need to use a classic color - say, for work - but still want to add some character to your writing.

Where to Buy

Anderson Pens carries the entire line of Bookbinders’ Snake Inks, both bottles and samples, so if you're in the States, you can order these inks without having to worry about long-distance international shipping. The inks are priced at $12.50 for a 30ml bottle. I’ve heard that if you visit a pen show where Bookbinders is in attendance, you can purchase a special set containing sample bottles of all eight colors. A brilliant idea that I hope they bring to retail soon! 

Disclaimer: The good folks at Anderson Pens were kind enough to send me samples of all eight Bookbinders inks free of charge, for purposes of this review. Anderson Pens is also a paid sponsor/on this website.

Ink Brand Profile: Discovering Robert Oster Inks

The past few years have seen numerous new ink brands launch or expand successfully. KWZ, Bookbinder's, Blackstone, and Robert Oster - as well as older, "boutique" brands such as Papier Plume, Callifolio, and Akkerman - are now easily available to fountain pen enthusiasts via multiple online retail channels. Just six years ago, when I first got back into this hobby after years away, if you wanted colors other than the standard blue, black, blue-black, green, purple, or red, you were stuck with Noodler's or Private Reserve.

All of these new options are changing the ink market for the better. When Vanness Pens offered to send me some samples of the Robert Oster inks, I jumped at the chance because I was intrigued by the idea of this newer company offering over 40 different colors of ink right out of the gate. Plus I liked what I'd already heard from other reviewers, so I was eager to test some of the Robert Oster inks myself. 

The Company

The Robert Oster website doesn't provide much information on the company itself, only that it's based in "one of the most famous wine producing regions, the Coonawarra District of South Australia." Robert Oster currently lists 10 global retailers that stock its products. The inks themselves are intended to represent "a genuine inventory of the Australian palette." 

The Inks and My Overall Impressions

Robert Oster offers some genuinely unique colors, the names of which pay tribute to various Australian landmarks (i.e., Bondi Blue). The five inks that I've been testing over the past couple of weeks include: Tranquility (a deep turquoise/teal blue); Green Lime (a bright "electric" green); Khaki (what I'd call an "army green"); Direct Sun (a reddish orange, or orangish-red); and Claret (which is self-explanatory; it's the color of red wine). 

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Another shot of all five ink samples in my Hobonichi Techo journal. From the top, Direct Sun, Tranquility, Khaki, Lime Green, and Claret. This shot really shows off the depth of the Tranquility; I wasn't as big of a fan of the Claret on the Hobonichi paper. I thought it looked too brown. 

All of these inks are excellent, and I tested them in a wide variety of pens, with both gold and steel nibs. The two inks that I've used the most are Tranquility and Direct Sun, but that's only because things at work have been absolutely nuts this week and blues and reds get the most "official" use. What strikes me the most is the combination of vibrancy of the colors and good behavior (i.e., quick dry time, lack of feathering and bleed-through). If I had to pick favorites and purchase two bottles out of these samples, I'd go with Tranquility and Green Lime. Tranquility is a deep Turquoise color that shades beautifully and has darker teal undertones, depending on the light. Green Lime simply because I've got a thing for bright green inks now, and this ink looks great in my Franklin-Christoph fine italic.  

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A close-up shot of Tranquility, this time on Calepino pocket notebook paper. The pen is a Diplomat Aero with a medium nib.

Companies like Robert Oster and KWZ have figured out how to offer an expansive color palette without oversaturating their inks and running into the same smearing and bleeding problems as brands like Noodler's and Private Reserve. If you're a fountain pen user looking to expand your color horizon, I'd go directly to brands like Robert Oster and save yourself the aggravation. I can't wait to try out another round of these inks. Right now, I'm looking at Astorquiza Rot, Gold Antiqua, and Verde de Rio, among others. 

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Here's another "action shot" of Robert Oster Tranquility, Khaki, and Claret on Calepino notebook paper. This picture shows off the shading a bit better than some of the other writing samples, especially in the Tranquility and Khaki. 

Where to Buy

Robert Oster's website lists its global resellers, so where you buy may depend on where you are located. Personally, I received these ink samples from Vanness Pens in the United States, and I purchase a large amount of ink from them every year (either online or at pen shows). Last time I checked, Vanness Pens had 48 different colors of Robert Oster Ink in stock! You can purchase ink in 50ml bottles or 4ml samples, at $16 and $2 respectively. 

If you really, really like a certain color, you can buy 100ml bottles directly from the company itself. Unless you're located in Australia, I'm not sure how that would work out with international shipping. You're likely better off purchasing two 50ml bottles from a retailer like Vanness.  

Further Reading

Many bloggers have reviewed other colors of Robert Oster inks, and the reaction has been mostly positive. I'd check out the following reviews: Susan Pigott reviews Tranquility for the Pen Addict; Ana at the Well-Appointed Desk reviews Aqua; and Macchiato Man reviews Summer Storm Blue-Grey.

Disclaimer: These ink samples were graciously provided to me free of charge by Vanness Pens. There's been some discussion recently about reviewer bias. Please be aware that I will ALWAYS disclose when something has been provided to me by a sponsor for review purposes. It goes without saying that everything you read on this blog is my own opinion (which I try to keep as objective as possible), and you should certainly take that into account when making your own purchasing decisions.  

Ink Review: Akkerman #28 (Hofkwartier Groen)

Here's a quick review of what's become my most-used purchase from this year's D.C. Pen Show. Akkerman #28, "Hofkwartier Groen," is a bright grass-green ink and a color that I thought I would hate - until I actually used it. I'll recommend this ink as a just-plain-fun writing experience, as well as one of the best annotation inks I've used. 

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Akkerman 28 is an extremely bright ink, but it's not pale at all. It will stand out on most papers. You can see here that it stands up to the bright red dots of the Hobonichi Techo paper. (This writing sample is from the blank sheets at the back of the journal.)

I find most light green inks too pale and/or dry. Also in D.C., I picked up a small 15ml bottle of Iroshizuku Chiku-Rin. While I plan on giving that ink another try in a broader nib, I could barely see the ink coming out of my Sailor Pro Gear with a fine nib. I had no such problems with the Akkerman. 

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A broader shot of the Akkerman #28 writing sample on Tomoe River Paper. 

On the wetness/dryness scale, Akkerman #28 is perfectly balanced. I've not had it hard-start in a pen (even in extra-fine or needlepoint nibs), it dries quickly on the page, and it doesn't smear. Currently, this ink sits in my Franklin-Christoph Model 45 orange demonstrator (Masuyama Needlepoint) and my Sailor Pro Gear Imperial Black. I've not experienced any negatives with this ink, but if you use "busier paper" (such as Doane Paper's Grid + Lines design), you may have legibility issues in a very fine nib. On plain, lined, or graph paper, I've had no problems. Akkerman #28 looks especially gorgeous on Tomoe River.    

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Akkerman #28 looks awesome eyedroppered into my clear orange Franklin-Christoph Model 45 demonstrator. 

I suspect that if I tried to use this ink in a broader nib for longhand writing, drafting, etc., I wouldn't like it as much because it might be too loud and scream off the page at the reader. So what have I used it for? Marking up legal documents, quick notes to myself that I want to stand out on the page, reminder lists in my pocket notebooks, etc. It makes for a nice break from the bright red and orange inks that I otherwise use for annotating and editing.

Where to Buy

Akkerman #28 is available from Vanness Pens. For $28, you get 60ml of ink, and a unique reusable glass bottle. As you can see from the photo above, the neck of the bottle contains a reservoir that you fill by tipping the bottle forward, making it easier to fill your pen and allowing you to get all the ink from the dregs of a near-empty bottle. (The neck of the bottle seals with glass marble!) Vanness carries the entire line of Akkerman Ink, which includes 30 colors named after various locations in the Netherlands, where the P.W. Akkerman pen shop is located.

Further Reading

Despite this being a somewhat popular ink, I haven't seen many reviews of Akkerman #28 out there. You should check out Ray's review over at FPQuest. He used a wider nib than I've used here - I may actually have to give that a shot.

I've reviewed a couple other Akkerman inks in the past. Check out my double review of Akkerman Chinatown Red (#21) and Voorhout Violet (#15).

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My ink sample sheet from the DC Pen Show. I was trying a lot of lighter green inks, but none of these popped like the Akkerman #28.  

Disclaimer: I purchased the ink featured in this review with my own funds, for my own collection.

Ink Review: J. Herbin 1670 Caroube de Chypre

J. Herbin has gone all-in on their "1670 Anniversary" line of inks, releasing their fifth ink in this line, Caroube de Chypre (Carob of Cyprus, or Cypriot Carob). The color is a nice reddish brown, and yes, the ink does contain the signature gold flakes. If, like me, you need a pronunciation lesson, check out this short video. 

Even after shaking the bottle and filling, the gold sheen was less pronounced in my bottle of Caroube de Chypre than in my bottle of Emerald of Chivor, though this probably has something to do with the fine italic nib that I used. You can see the distribution of gold flecks in this Macro Shot. 

The red in Caroube de Chypre really emerges when used in a finer nib. The pen I've used for this review is my Scriptorium Balladeer, outfitted with a Franklin-Christoph 14k fine cursive italic nib that I picked up at this year's D.C. Pen Show. I'm sure this ink would look even more interesting in a broad, wet stub (and probably would show off the gold sheen better), but I don't really have many broad nibs since they don't fit my handwriting and generally aren't practical for my day-to-day needs.

In terms of how it behaves (bleed/dry time, etc.), Caroube de Chypre is comparable to Emerald of Chivor, which I've reviewed here on the blog. I do think that Caroube de Chypre dries slightly quicker, because I've had fewer issues with smearing. Perhaps because of the reddish tint to the ink, the gold-flecks are a touch more understated and only really emerge when light hits the ink directly. 

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A writing sample of J. Herbin Caroube de Chypre in my Hobonichi Techo. 

Regardless of whether you can or want to take full advantage of the gold dust sheen, Caroube de Chypre is a nice reddish brown ink that is easy on the eyes. I've enjoyed the last two J. Herbin Anniversary inks (this one and the Emerald of Chivor), and even though I like to poke fun at the "glitter ink" phenomenon from time to time, the effect is subtle enough in these past two inks that I've occasionally been able to use these inks at work (in a very staid environment) without comment. As I've said before, the Herbin 1670 inks aren't inks that I use everyday, but I enjoy having them as options because they bring something different to the table. They're also festive, so as we head into the fall (and eventually, the holiday season), they'll get more use. 

Where to Buy

Pen Chalet currently has J. Herbin Caroube de Chypre in stock, priced at the standard rate for J. Herbin 1670 Anniversary Ink ($24). Pen Chalet also offers the full range of other Herbin 1670 inks, including Rouge Hematite, Ocean Blue, Stormy Grey, and Emerald of Chivor.

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Further Reading

The be-all, end-all review of Caroube de Chypre (at least in my mind) is Ed Jelley's video review of this ink that he did with a folded nib.  Ed really captures the ink's special properties.

Disclaimer: Pen Chalet sent me this bottle of ink at no charge for review purposes. This post also contains affiliate links.