First of all, many thanks to Pen Boutique for sending me this bottle of Montblanc “Blue Hour” to review. I’ve been buying from Pen Boutique for a long time, and they are certainly one of my first “go to” sources for the Montblanc Limited/Special Edition inks. (I have them to thank for my healthy stock of Alfred Hitchcock Red.)
Montblanc describes the ink as a "Twilight Blue." It exhibits some nice shading in a stub nib. Here, I used my Lamy 2000 with the .9mm Minuskin Stub Nib.
On to the ink itself: Don’t get me wrong, this is an excellent ink, but after using it for a few days I’ve concluded that it’s not for me. Blue Hour, like all Montblanc inks, dries quickly and doesn’t bleed or feather on the vast majority of papers. It shades nicely, and as you can see from my writing sample, has some limited water (err, gin) resistance.
Color-wise, I’d place this ink in the blue-black family. There’s definitely a hint of teal when the ink dries. Many have compared it to Sailor Jentle Yama-Dori, but I would place it closer to classic Waterman Blue Black (or, as it’s now known, “Mysterious Blue”). Blue Hour doesn’t have the reddish sheen of Yama-Dori, and leans more gray. A more detailed color comparison is included at the bottom of this post.
So why didn’t this one take? Probably because the color is too similar to the Waterman, which is NOT a negative comparison because it's one of my favorite inks of all time. As a limited edition, Blue Hour lands at a higher price point ($17 for 30ml at Pen Boutique) than the Waterman, and since I already have a "healthy" stockpile of that ink, then there isn’t a reason to stock up, especially if one is looking for a reason to limit the amount of ink you are hoarding. On the other hand, if you are a Montblanc L.E. completionist, or exclusively use Montblanc Inks, you will not be disappointed because Montblanc doesn’t have another ink like this on the market at the moment.
So, to thank my readers, and to stick with my goal of being "intentional" about what inks I stockpile, I'm giving this bottle away! The usual giveaway rules apply (leave a comment on this post or sign up for my e-mail alerts; if you're already on my e-mail list you're automatically entered). Unfortunately, I have to limit this to U.S./Canada only, since I'll have to eat postage on a bottle of liquid. If you simply can't wait to pick up this ink, head over to Pen Boutique now and order it while supplies last. And if you're the lucky winner and will be attending the D.C. Pen Show next month, I will be happy to personally deliver the ink to you there!
A full page writing sample and color comparison with my "waterproofing test" at bottom right. Paper is French-ruled Clairefontaine.