Fountain pen inks reviews and comparisons

Arguably, one of the most interesting new ink brands is South-Korean Wearingeul. With their series of ink, based on literary themes, they are certainly making a name for themselves. Recently, I bought a few of their inks and tested them. The first one is Path,  from The Color of Literature Project No. 4. A delightful olive green ink, in a beautiful, simple glass bottle. Perfect for personal notes and correspondence. The shimmer makes it less suitable for office in my opinion.When using at least a medium nib, the color and shading come out best.  I have tried the ink on both Tomoe River and Clairefontaine (Triomphe) paper. Stephen King quotes. The ink behaved flawlessly, with a wonderful flow.  Tomoe River 52g Clairefontaine Triomph Drying time is a bit slow, 40 seconds on the Clairefontaine and roughly a minute on the Tomoe River.  Water will ruin your writing, but the ink will remain somewhat legible.  The full characteristics: ...

  Visiting Paris last month, I couldn't resist visiting the Montblanc flagship store and pick up a bottle of ink. Around the World in 80 Days is a limited edition ink, part of the recent collection about Jules Verne's description of Phileas Fogg's adventure. Nicely packed and in the well-known beautiful bottle. The ink is someone between blue and green, increasingly green in a wetter, broader nib. As such it is suitable for both the office as well as personal notes and correspondence. Personally, I like the ink best in finer nibs. It seems more dark and blue that way.  I have tried the ink on both Tomoe River and Rhodia paper. The ink behaved flawlessly and feels a little bit on the dry side. Drying time is neither slow nor fast, 40 secs on Tomoe River.  On Rhodia paper On Tomoe River (52g) The ink doesn't handle water very well, even after a few days the ink smears easily when some water drops are applied. Careful!  The full characteristics: ...

  It's Spring, we just had King's day and the European Championships football are being held next month. More than enough reasons to fill up some pens with orange inks. I was surprised to see I had gathered eight inks in the past few years that qualify as orange. Some true bright orange, some leaning more towards red or brown. Which one is your favorite? Written on Tomoe river, 52g

  Carbon Black is a pigmented (black) ink by Platinum.  Normally I find black ink to be a bit boring but this one is different.  Over the past weeks I have used it extensively in various pens and with pleasure. The subtle glossy grey mist makes the ink both shiny and intriguing. Furthermore, it comes in a beautiful simple and classic bottle that really fits the ink.  Definitely an ink to use in the office, but pleasant enough for personal notes and journaling too. Personally I don't think it's warm enough for personal correspondence.   There is no feathering and no shading. The ink is moderately wet and smooth. Even though it comes with warnings not to leave it in a pen for too long, I haven't run into any problems at all, even when leaving the ink in pens for several weeks. When dry, the ink is waterproof. Water didn't affect it at all. Drying times are acceptable, 35 secs on Rhodia paper. The characteristics: Feathering ...

  Writer's Blood by Diamine. The latest addition and chosen by Reddit's r/fountainpen community after a long debate and many voting rounds. A dark red, heavily leaning towards brown and aubergine purple. A subtle color that works both in the office and for personal correspondence.   There is no feathering and some shading. The ink is very wet, even wetter than usual for Diamine. The ink is smooth. I was surprised to see it can handle a bit of water. At least your work will remain legible. Drying times are slow, 85 secs on Tomoe River paper. The characteristics: Feathering None Shading Some Show through Light Wetness High Lubrication Excellent Shimmer/sheen None Price/ml € 0,12 Writer's Blood reminded me most of Diamine Oxblood. In some...

  Purple by Raduga. A Russian ink and a brand that stems from the Soviet era. As I have been told it is the default ink in Russia. It's a standard ink, no frills. So why did I buy it? Curiosity mostly, and because I didn't have it yet. It's not available in the Netherlands, but I stumbled upon a Ukrainian seller on eBay.  The ink surprised me. A deep medium dark purple that writes nicely on all sorts of paper. It's best handled with care because it will leave its marks easily. Pleasant enough for longer readings and writings. A true work horse that can easily be used for work notes, personal notes and letters. There is neither shading nor  feathering, it dries fast and the lubrication is good enough. The ink is water resistant; once dry it is hardly affected by water. Drying times are below average, 38 secs on Tomoe River paper. The characteristics: Feathering None Shading None Show th...