Ink Review: Five More New Colors From Monteverde

October 14, 2017

I recently reviewed four inks from Monteverde’s updated ink lineup: Moonstone, Chaorite, Mandarin Orange, and Napa Burgundy. Without exception, all four performed well, and all have seen a lot of use in my pen and ink rotation since then. I immediately put in a request to Pen Chalet to try a few more: Olivine, Topaz, Red Velvet, Fireopal, and Caribbean Blue.

From the top: Monteverde Caribbean Blue, Fireopal, Red Velvet, Olivine, and Topaz.

So what’s the verdict on these? With one exception, I found these to be good inks, but of this batch, Fireopal and Topaz are probably the only colors that will make a regular appearance in the future. A few specific thoughts on each:

Olivine. I don’t usually like to start with the bad, but let’s get this out of the way because of these five inks, Olivine was the one that disappointed. I love dark green inks, and normally greens are relatively low-maintenance inks that perform well in any pen. While Olivine is a great color, this ink crusted on the nib and clogged pens to a degree that I’ve never experienced before. I found it essentially unusable, and would recommend Callifolio Olivastre or Sailor Epinard or Tokiwa Matsu as alternatives.
Topaz. Another ink from the “Gemstone” collection. Monteverde Topaz is a bright yellow-orange similar to Sailor Apricot. This ink wrote well, though I probably prefer Monteverde Mandarin Orange as the darker, and therefore more legible, orange ink. Topaz does shade some and would look great in a broader nib.
Red Velvet. No performance issues with this ink, but I’m just not a Red-Brown type of guy. I found the color to be a bit “muddy,” and with so many ink options available Red Velvet isn’t something I feel that I'll use going forward.
Fireopal. A nice bright orange-red that grows on you. No performance issues. As I mentioned above, it's a pretty color, and I'll probably hang onto this bottle.
Caribbean Blue. Like Red Velvet, this one didn’t have any performance issues, but I found this ink to be too washed-out for my taste. It won’t replace Montblanc UNICEF Blue or Lamy Turquoise / Pacific Blue anytime soon.

Takeaways and Where To Buy

In my opinion, Monteverde inks tend to be one of the best price/value propositions on the market. Monteverde offers a wide range of colors - I just checked and it’s now up to 43 (!!!) - and the ink comes in both 30ml ($8) and 90ml ($13.50) bottles. If you really like a color, that 90ml bottle is an exceptional deal.

Many thanks to Pen Chalet for sending these bottles over for review. Pen Chalet carries the full range of Monteverde inks, as well as a wide selection of Monteverde pens.

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links.

Ink Review: Graf von Faber-Castell Cobalt Blue and Electric Pink

September 16, 2017

While we're on the subject of inks that have slipped under my radar, I need to mention Graf von Faber-Castell. The Pen Company recently sent a couple bottles of the GvFC ink over for testing, and I ended up running multiple fills through my pens without changing inks - something I've not done in a long time. Why these inks don't receive more attention is beyond me. They behave comparably to Pilot Iroshizuku and I like the colors better than the Pelikan Edelstein line.

The GvFC Cobalt Blue was tested in my Platinum 3776 Shungyo, with the GvFC Electric Pink tested in my Faber-Castell e-Motion Pure Black edition.  Both pens have medium nibs. — The GvFC Cobalt Blue was tested in my Platinum 3776 Shungyo, with the GvFC Electric Pink tested in my Faber-Castell e-Motion Pure Black edition. Both pens have medium nibs.

Graf von Faber-Castell Cobalt Blue

Cobalt Blue serves as the "richer" blue ink in the Graf von Faber-Castell range. (There's another "Royal Blue" that looks lighter and a touch more muted, but I've not used it so I can't provide an exact comparison.) I enjoyed using the Cobalt Blue ink at work - it maintains most of its vibrancy as it dries, without looking washed-out like a lot of other blue inks. Absolutely no feathering or bleed-through on decent paper, with the sole exception being on cheap office copy stock that can barely handle a gel pen.

Graf von Faber-Castell Electric Pink

If you're one of those people who will use pink ink (and I'm proud to count myself among them), try the GvFC Electric Pink. I found it a touch more vibrant/saturated than Callifolio Adrinople, and this ink behaved surprisingly well on all papers. I sometimes have trouble with brighter colors such as pinks, oranges, and reds feathering and bleeding, but not this one. The Electric Pink actually handled the cheap copy paper better than the Cobalt Blue.

Note: I experienced no trouble cleaning either of these inks out of pens, and consider both of them "safe", under the general rule of thumb that most inks manufactured by pen companies can be safely used in all pens made by that company. Since GvFC makes some very expensive pens, I would further assume that you probably wouldn't run into trouble using GvFC inks in pens from other manufacturers, but I'd still express some caution before putting a bright pink or orange ink in a pen that could stain, such as one made from celluloid.

I do have to conclude by saying that I love the Graf von Faber-Castell ink bottle. It's reminiscent of Iroshizuku, plus a chrome cap.

Takeaways and Where to Buy

I will certainly be acquiring more of these Graf von Faber-Castell inks in the future (and possibly the very near future). The Cobalt Blue is a solid everyday ink, and the Electric Pink might even become one of my preferred inks for annotation. Graf von Faber-Castell recently expanded their range of colors, introducing not only the Electric Pink pictured here, but "Burned Orange", Turquoise, and Stone Grey. The Burned Orange has made its way onto my list, as well as some of the older GvFC colors such as Moss Green and Garnet Red. At around $28 per bottle for a whopping 75ml (compared to 50ml for most inks), these inks offer pretty good value.

Many thanks to The Pen Company for sending these two bottles over for review! The Pen Company is a UK-based retailer that stocks the entire line of Graf von Faber-Castell ink, as well as many other brands such as Caran d'Ache, Diplomat, Lamy, Sailor, and Pelikan. Check out their website for more details.

Disclaimer: The Pen Company provided these two inks to me free of charge for review purposes. This post contains affiliate links.

Ink Review: The Colors of Caran d'Ache

September 9, 2017

I now understand why people enjoy Caran d'Ache inks so much. Like other Caran d'Ache products, the inks don't attempt anything crazy in terms of color range or special properties, but they are extremely solid quality-wise. I sampled three colors, Idyllic Blue, Ultra Violet, and Delicate Green, and had no problems with any of these inks. Of the three, Ultra Violet - a dusky purple - was my favorite, followed by the Delicate Green (reminiscent of Akkerman No. 28 Hofkwartier Groen), with the Idyllic Blue coming in third, just because I found it a touch plain.

The Ultra Violet made for a great work ink. For some reason, dusky purple inks always work well for me on cheap office paper. Maybe it's something about the combination of dyes?

My second-favorite was this grass-green color, which I used as an editing ink. The paper that I used for these ink swabs came from Ana Reinert's Col-o-Ring Ink Testing Book!

It should come as no surprise that like other Caran d'Ache products, the possible tripping point is price. Caran d'Ache inks have never been inexpensive, although the price point now sits at a more palatable $32 for a 50ml bottle, as opposed to the $40+ that I recall these inks commanding when they were first released. I've noticed the price of ink creeping up in general over the past year, so I'm not sure Caran d'Ache is that far outside the "mainstream" of other imported inks such as Sailor Kobe ($30), Akkerman ($29); or Pelikan Edelstein ($26).

You can purchase the full range of Caran d'Ache Inks at Anderson Pens, and they're available in cartridges as well as bottles.

Disclaimer: Many thanks to the folks at Anderson Pens for sending me these ink samples free of charge. I was not otherwise compensated for this review.

Ink Review: Platinum Classic Ink Cassis Black and My Thoughts on Iron Gall Inks

July 22, 2017

Until recently, Platinum was known for having a well-regarded but extremely limited lineup of inks. The company had a standard black and blue-black, as well as a small line of pigmented inks. Then came the "mix-free" inks, which are high-quality, but a lot of people write them off (ha!) because there's a perception that you need to purchase the entire set in order to enjoy them, as the purpose behind the inks is to be able to mix them to create any color you like. This year, Platinum expanded their ink lineup yet again, releasing six new "Classic" inks in somewhat offbeat colors: "Cassis Black," "Forest Black," "Citrus Black," "Sepia Black," "Lavender Black," and "Khaki Black."

You may wonder, what's with the "black" theme? Well, all of these inks are iron gall inks, meaning that Platinum has added iron to the ink in order to make it permanent and to give it color-changing (i.e., darkening) properties.

You can get a sense of the color change here: compare the cherry-red wet ink on the inside of the cap to the dried writing sample/swab (on Col-o-Ring Paper).

I picked up this bottle of Platinum Cassis Black at the Atlanta Pen Show back in April. While this particular color probably wouldn't have been my first choice, I really wanted to review one of the Platinum Classic Inks, and they were extremely difficult to find after they were first released. So what do I think? Here are my impressions:

As it turns out, this is a great color. I love red inks, and this one is extremely interesting. It starts out as a bright cherry red, but it surprised me by drying to a deep burgundy with black undertones. Reds - and especially burgundies - are some of my favorite colors to write with.
Like most iron gall inks, Platinum Classic ink feels a little dry for my taste. I'm not talking about bad flow - the ink flows well and pens will put a lot of it on the page - Iron gall inks are generally less lubricating and many people notice more feedback from the nib on the page.
No feathering, show through, or bleeding at all on cheaper paper, even work-issue copy paper that can barely handle gel pens.
These inks are a decent value. Though not inexpensive at $25 per bottle, you do get 60ml of ink.

Another writing sample in my Hobonichi Planner.

My Thoughts on Iron Gall Ink in General

Inks with iron content are commonly known as "iron gall ink," because they traditionally were manufactured using oak galls. This is ancient technology that goes back hundreds, if not thousands, of years. If you're looking to replicate that blue-black or sepia-black ink color that you often see on old letters from the 1700s or 1800s, you should pick up a bottle of iron gall ink. But other than aesthetics, why do people still use iron gall ink today?

The inks dry extremely quickly.
The inks change colors as they dry, leaving a very dark line in most cases.
Iron gall inks are excellent on thin or cheap paper, and they don't feather. Many calligraphers love these inks because they allow you to write a very fine line.
Iron gall inks are permanent and waterproof. [Edit: It's been brought to my attention that "water-resistant" is probably a more accurate term. See comments below.]

But won't iron gall inks corrode / eat your pens? You may have read "warnings" in various blogs and online forums that iron gall inks are dangerous and not suitable for fountain pens. In my opinion, categorical statements like these are off-base, because you can absolutely use iron gall inks in most fountain pens as long as you take certain precautions. A few tips:

If you load a pen with iron gall ink, use that pen, especially if it has a steel nib or metal parts, like a piston or vacuum-fill rod. When you hear reports of iron gall inks ruining pens, it typically involves the ink reacting with a steel nib or steel components that come into contact with the ink, and the pen being left to sit for a long period of time unused. You don't need to worry about gold or titanium, but a good rule of thumb that I follow is to use the ink or flush it after a week, regardless of what pen it's in.
Under no circumstances do you mix iron gall inks with non-iron gall inks. If you're emptying a pen that was loaded with an iron gall ink, CLEAN IT WELL. Otherwise, the different inks can react and create clogs.
Vanness Pens has an excellent discussion of iron gall inks and precautions you should take on their KWZ Iron Gall page. (More on the KWZ inks below)

A Montegrappa Fortuna nib that was damaged by old formulation Montblanc Midnight Blue. Note that the black coating on the nib was corroded along the nib slit and at the base. The nib still writes perfectly fine, but this was my fault for leaving the… — A Montegrappa Fortuna nib that was damaged by old formulation Montblanc Midnight Blue. Note that the black coating on the nib was corroded along the nib slit and at the base. The nib still writes perfectly fine, but this was my fault for leaving the ink in the pen for too long. (Approximately two weeks).

Takeaways and Where to Buy

I don't use iron gall inks on a regular basis, but it's not because I have any great fear of damaging my pens. I just generally prefer more lubricated inks. I do, however, keep a couple bottles around in case I need a permanent ink or an ink that works well on super-cheap paper. Standard Platinum blue-black is my personal favorite.

If you're interesting in testing out iron gall inks, Vanness Pens has one of, if not THE, largest selection of modern iron gall inks available. In addition to the Platinum Classic Inks mentioned above (and you can purchase a sample set of all six), Vanness also carries the entire line of iron gall inks by KWZ, which manufactures an extensive range of colors. If you're looking for a traditional blue-black, another option is Diamine's Registrar's ink. Finally, Rohrer & Klingner makes the Salix (blue-black) and Scabiosa (purple-black) iron gall inks that many people love. Montblanc Midnight Blue was reformulated a few years ago to remove and/or significantly reduce the iron gall content because there were reports of it corroding pens (which I experienced personally - check out the picture above).

I'm sure there are other options, and if you are looking for a specific color ink with iron gall properties, reach out to the folks at Vanness Pens. They'll be able to point you in the right direction.

Disclaimer: Vanness Pens provided me with the bottle of ink featured here for review purposes. I was not otherwise compensated for this review.

Montblanc-Limited-Edition-William-Shakespeare-Lucky-Orange

Ink Review: Montblanc Lucky Orange and William Shakespeare Velvet Red

July 5, 2017

I have two more Montblanc inks for you this week, both of which I picked up at the Atlanta Pen Show back in April. While Montblanc's lineup of "standard" fountain pen inks is pretty limited, they release roughly four limited edition colors per year that typically correspond to special edition pens. For example, UNICEF Blue for the Montblanc for UNICEF pens and Miles Davis Jazz Blue for the Miles Davis pen. I recently reviewed the excellent UNICEF Blue, and now I can highly recommend two more great colors: Lucky Orange and William Shakespeare Velvet Red.

Montblanc's limited edition packaging is always worth checking out, even if you don't keep boxes.

Highly Usable, Offbeat Colors

What I love about Montblanc inks is that they remain interesting while never straying too far from the standard color palette. For example, Lucky Orange appears to be a basic orange ink - it actually looks very plain "ink swatch" photographs you see online, but once you get this ink on paper it's much more vibrant than, say, Monteverde Mandarin Orange, and even the lighter and yellower Sailor Jentle Apricot. The William Shakespeare Ink isn't quite as unique, but I'm still a sucker for a dark red and it's somewhat close to Hitchcock, though a touch brighter and lacking the darker "blood red" undertones.

I've reviewed so many Montblanc inks now that I won't bore you all with an extended "review" of their properties, etc., but suffice to say performance-wise these are as good as any other Montblanc inks I've used. I've tested them out on-and-off at work for the past few months and have not had any problems with these inks bleeding through paper or feathering, extended dry times, or hard-starting in pens.

Are These Inks Worth the Money?

It's easy to get caught up in the hype over limited-edition-anything and the associated FOMO. Montblanc started this trend in the stationery world around 2011-2012 when it first began releasing special inks in limited quantities - Alfred Hitchcock is the first that I recall provoking ink hoarding, but I'm sure there were some others that I missed before that. Most of Montblanc's limited edition inks are priced at $19 for a 30ml bottle, but now it appears that they are moving to a $40/50ml price point. That's a pretty steep premium over the regular Montblanc ink, which sells for $22/60ml - roughly twice as expensive.

If you're someone who burns through a lot of ink or are otherwise on a budget, there are definitely more cost-effective alternatives with equivalent quality. If you're looking for a unique color, however, or simply like the idea of owning a bottle of ink that features your favorite author or public figure as the theme, then you may be willing to pay a premium. Others hoard (or "collect") in the hope that the inks appreciate, and can be sold at a markup later once they are no longer available at retail. Whatever the reason, Montblanc seemingly has no trouble selling out their stock with each new release.

I write a fair bit, but I change inks often, so if a limited edition piques my interest, I'll purchase a single bottle that will take me years to get through. Back in 2012, I bought four bottles of Alfred Hitchcock and ended up selling two of them because I'm only now getting near the bottom of my first. I advise people to buy the ink if they like it, but remember that with so many companies making high quality fountain pen inks these days, and the range of available colors increasing weekly, the odds that you won't be able to find something comparable somewhere else are low.

Where to Buy

Anderson Pens currently has both Lucky Orange and William Shakespeare Velvet Red in stock, but given that these are both limited runs, availability is subject to change. Both inks are priced at $19 - Lucky Orange comes in the 30ml square crystal bottle, and William Shakespeare comes in the slightly larger round 35ml Writer's Edition bottle. Anderson Pens also carries the full range of standard Montblanc Ink, and a wide selection of Montblanc Pens.

Disclaimer: Anderson Pens provided these two inks to me at a discount as part of their sponsorship of this blog. I was not otherwise compensated for this review. All thoughts expressed here are my own.