Private Reserve Ink has really been through the wringer over the years, passing through the hands of three separate owners and finally ending up in the hands of Yafa, the current owners/distributors of Monteverde and several other brands. One of the original boutique ink brands that existed alongside Noodler’s from the time I entered the hobby, I’ve had mixed success using Private Reserve throughout my “pen career.” When I first started out, these inks were the only option you had if you wanted highly saturated reds, greens, and blues, but those colors often came with a lot of baggage in the form of slow dry times/smearing, a tendency to stain, and at one point, a propensity to grow mold due to a formulation error. Fortunately, these issues were eventually sorted out, and the new inks exhibit none of these problems. In fact, they’re quite good.

Private Reserve DC Supershow Blue Writing Sample — Private Reserve DC Supershow Blue pops off the page, in the way that many inks haven’t done since Parker discontinued the Penman Sapphire.

To answer the question of “Just how good?”, during my recent visit to Anderson Pens I selected a bottle of what was once one of the highest-maintenance fountain pen inks out there: Private Reserve D.C. Supershow Blue. A saturated blue originally designed to mimic long-discontinued cult ink Parker Penman Sapphire, the old formulation of Supershow Blue was, for me, impossible to use. I found that it never dried, and would clog pens to the point that I would have to prime the feed by twisting the converter a bit any time I stopped writing for more than a day. That said, Supershow Blue is an absolutely gorgeous color, so if Yafa’s most recent take on Private Reserve rendered this color useable, it would be a huge win for everybody.

DC Supershow Blue and its characteristic red sheen - only this time no smearing!

TLDR version: The latest version of this ink is great. To test out dry time/smear resistance, I layered it onto Write Notepads dot grid paper with a folded nib dip pen, and experienced absolutely no bleedthrough or feathering. Importantly, the ink dried relatively quickly, and after a few minutes you could run a finger across the page without any smearing or stickiness whatsoever - impressive since the ink is fairly wet. The color isn’t quite a match for Parker Penman Sapphire (see the comparison in the photo below), but it stands on its own as a great “bright blue” option.

Private Reserve DC Supershow Blue Penman Sapphire Comparison — So at this year’s Chicago Pen Show, the ink testing table contained a sample of Penman Sapphire, which I compared against the new formulation of Supershow Blue. The old Penman Ink has more of a violet hue, with additional red sheen. It does, however, smear much more than the Private Reserve, even two months later.

Takeaways and Where to Buy

Given how nice my experience with this ink has been, I’m definitely looking at picking up some additional colors. Private Reserve is widely available from most pen retailers, and generally inexpensive. As I mentioned, I purchased the bottle featured in this review at Anderson Pens Chicago. Most of the standard colors are priced at $15 for 60ml, quite a good deal, with specialty inks such as the “Infinity” series and the “Pearlescent” shimmer inks commanding a slight premium. Another longtime Private Reserve favorite is “Burgundy Mist,” which I reviewed relatively recently, and I look forward to revisiting both Sherwood Green and Tanzanite, inks that were once staples of my collection.

Private Reserve Ink Bottle — People either love or hate the Private Reserve Ink bottles. They feature a large volume (60ml) and a wide opening for easy filling with larger pens, but these bottles do tend to spatter/spill a bit since they always ship ***very*** full. Exercise care when opening!

This post does not contain affiliate links. I was not compensated for this review, and I purchased the inks with my own funds, though I did receive a slight discount on the purchase. Many thanks to Anderson Pens for making this review possible.

Ten years ago, I never would have imagined the size and scope of today’s stationery marketplace, much less the depth of the community surrounding it. Indeed, there were times when I was convinced I had picked a hobby that wouldn’t even exist in ten years, much less have expanded so much. While this is mostly a good thing - and a topic I plan to explore in depth in future posts - I sometimes find myself experiencing a sense of overwhelm and paralysis-by-choice. There are simply so many different brands and models of pens, inks, pencils, and paper out there that I can only imagine how confusing it must be to someone diving in for the first time, especially when it comes to fountain pens and fountain pen ink.

In all of our enthusiasm for chasing the next hot thing, I don’t want people to lose sight of the fact that you can always go back to the basics and still have a great experience. When you just want to enjoy a long writing session with a new pen or an old favorite, sometimes the best thing you can do is stop worrying about which ink would make the “perfect pairing,” ditch chasing “shimmer” and “sheen,” and ink up a basic blue or black ink. A few weeks ago I wrote about how I’ve grown to appreciate Lamy’s standard Black and Blue-Black offerings. Not only have I continued to use those two warhorses, but I’ve reached back into my ink cabinet and pulled out a few more favorites, namely some basic blue inks.

Waterman Serenity Blue

My number one work-friendly ink of all time, Waterman “Serenity Blue” (formerly “Florida Blue”) might be the best all-around fountain pen ink ever made. That’s a pretty big claim, but it’s not hard to support. Waterman ink (1) can be found at $12 or less per bottle at retail; (2) is widely regarded as one of the safest fountain pen inks available for use in vintage pens and materials prone to staining, like celluloid; and (3) works well on nearly all types of paper, making it a versatile ink suitable for pretty much any use case. Waterman ink bottles are also extremely functional: the faceted design lets you tilt the bottle for easier filling once the ink level gets low.

Pelikan 4001 Royal Blue

Slightly darker than Waterman Serenity Blue, Pelikan 4001 Royal Blue has its own group of devotees, some of whom love this ink so much that Pelikan sells it in massive 1 liter bottles (though recently I’ve currently only been able to find this size available in Pelikan Brilliant Black in the U.S.). While I personally prefer Waterman’s brighter tone, Pelikan Royal Blue likewise performs well on most papers and is a “safe” ink to use in nearly all pens. Pelikan inks come in a wider variety of bottle sizes than Waterman, with a few more reasonable options than the liter jug: around $11 for a 30ml bottle, or $14 for a 62.5ml bottle. The “historic” bottle of Royal Blue (same ink, different packaging) is priced at $12 for 60ml.

Lamy Blue

Finally, the last of the three basic blue inks that I use on a regular basis is standard Lamy Blue. If you’ve purchased a Lamy cartridge-converter pen, you have a sample of this ink on hand, since Lamy includes a blue cartridge with every pen sold. Though I still use it fairly regularly - mainly for the convenience of cartridge form - Lamy Blue is my least favorite of the three inks discussed here. It’s less vibrant than both Waterman Serenity Blue and Pelikan Royal Blue, with a tendency to take on a washed-out tone and fade after the ink dries. What this ink does have going for it is Lamy’s excellent ink bottle (complete with blotting paper) as well as the fact that it’s erasable using one of Lamy’s Ink Eraser Pens.

Takeaways and Where to Buy

You can’t go wrong with any of these three blue inks, all of which are inexpensive, reliable, and widely available. While nothing is certain, you probably don’t have to worry about getting attached to any of these three inks, only to have the formulation change or the ink disappear from the market. Waterman, Pelikan, and Lamy inks have all been around forever and I haven’t seen any signs that is about to change.

The one drawback is impermanence: none of these inks are waterproof, so if you’re looking for that you should go elsewhere (Pilot Blue-Black is an exceptional ink with decent water resistance, also available in large quantities).

You can purchase these three inks from nearly all major pen retailers, including site sponsors Pen Chalet and Vanness Pens.

Disclaimer: This post contains links to paid sponsors and affiliates. I believe that I purchased the inks featured in this review with my own funds, for my own use, though it’s possible I used store credit generated through affiliate programs in which I participate. I’ve gone through multiple bottles of Waterman Blue over the years so I can’t be sure.