Ink Review #1162: Diamine Matador

Let’s take a look at Diamine Matador today. I purchased my bottle of ink from Cult Pens a few years ago.

The color:

Matador is a dark unsaturated red.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink has a little bit of shading.

Writing samples:

Let's take a look at how the ink behaves on fountain pen friendly papers: Rhodia, Tomoe River, and Leuchtturm.

Dry time: 30 seconds

Water resistance: Low

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

Other properties: no shading, no sheen, and no shimmer. You can squeak out a little bit of shading, but it has to be in just the right conditions so I’m gonna say no shading in most circumstances.

On Staples 24 lb copy paper there was some feathering in most nib sizes and a few dots of bleeding.

Comparison Swabs:

MMatador is a bit brighter than Diamine Monaco Red, but not as bright as Diamine Carnival. Click here to see the Diamine inks together, and click here to see the red inks together.

Longer writing:

I used a Pilot Metropolitan Retro Pop in Purple with a medium nib on a Taroko Enigma notebook. The ink had an average flow.

Overall, it’s a lovely classic red. It’s a good color, well behaved and affordable. It’s a good fall/winter red.

Disclaimer: I purchased this ink myself, and all photos and opinions are my own. This page does not contain affiliate links and this post is not sponsored in any way.