Ink Review #1487: PenBBS 128 Santorini

PenBBS 128 Santorini is from Season 11 and comes in 60ml bottles. I purchased my sample of ink from Vanness Pens. According to the Vanness website: “This ink is reminiscent of St. Gerasimos Christian Church, the famous blue domed church on the island of Santorini, Greece which is featured on the label.”

The color:

Santorini is a bright ocean blue.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink looks a bit brighter with some pretty sheen.

Writing samples:

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

Dry time: 10 seconds

Water resistance: Medium

Feathering: Medium

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: Medium

Other properties: medium shading, low pink sheen, and no shimmer.

On Staples 24 lb copy paper there was a lot feathering and bleeding in all nib sizes.

Comparison Swabs:

Santorini is close to Colorverse Supernova. Click here to see the PenBBS inks together, and click here to see the blue inks together.

Longer writing:

I used a Pilot Vanishing Point Crossed Lines with a medium nib on a Taroko Enigma notebook. The ink had an average flow.

Overall, the color is nice and it dries quickly but there is way too much feathering and bleeding for me, especially when there are so many blue ink colors available. It’s just not the right blue ink for me.

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

Ink Review #1486: Colorverse 005 Milky Lavender

Colorverse 005 Milky Lavender is from the Project collection and comes in 65ml bottles. You can find this ink for sale at Pen Chalet (aff. link) or Vanness Pens.

The color:

Milky Lavender is a medium matte lavender.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink looks darker than it does in writing.

Writing samples:

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

Dry time: 40 seconds

Water resistance: Medium

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

Other properties: medium shading, no sheen, and no shimmer.

On Staples 24 lb copy paper there was feathering in all nib sizes as well as some bleeding.

Comparison Swabs:

Milky Lavender is closest to Troublemaker Foxglove, but it lacks Foxglove’s cool shading. It is pretty close to Pilot Iroshizuku Murasaki-shikibu as well. Click here to see the Colorverse inks together, and click here to see the purple inks together.

Longer writing:

I used an Esterbrook Estie Lilac with a broad nib on a Taroko Enigma notebook. The ink had a slightly dry flow.

Overall, I could take or leave this ink. It’s a lovely purple color and great for spring but it’s a bit drier than I prefer. There just isn’t anything about it that grabs me. It’s close enough to Pilot Iroshizuku Murasaki-shikibu that I don’t need both and I prefer the wetter flow of Murasaki-shikibu.

Disclaimer: All photos and opinions are my own. This page does contain affiliate links but this post is not sponsored.

Ink Review #1485: Van Dieman's Tasmania Vine Purple

Van Dieman’s Tasmania Vine Purple is from the Colours of Tasmania series and comes in 30ml bottles. You can find this ink for sale at Pen Chalet (aff. link) or Vanness Pens.

The color:

Vine Purple is a deep blue violet.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink looks less saturated.

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: Medium

Feathering: Medium

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: Low

Other properties: no shading, no sheen, and no shimmer.

On Staples 24 lb copy paper there was feathering in all nib sizes but only a few dots of bleeding.

Comparison Swabs:

Vine Purple is more blue than Sailor Shigure but not as blue as Noodler’s Kung Te-Cheng. Click here to see the Van Dieman’s inks together, and click here to see the purple inks together.

Longer writing:

I used an Esterbrook Estie Lilac with a broad nib on a Taroko Enigma notebook. The ink had an average flow.

Overall, the color is nice but there is way too much feathering for me. I would stick to Tomoe River paper with this ink or Cosmo Air Light.

Disclaimer: All photos and opinions are my own. This page does contain affiliate links but this post is not sponsored.

Ink Review #1484: Colorverse 003 Deep Purple

Colorverse 003 Deep Purple is from the Project collection and comes in 65ml bottles. You can find this ink for sale at Pen Chalet (aff. link) or Vanness Pens.

The color:

Deep Purple is a medium aubergine purple.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink has some interesting shading and sheen.

Writing samples:

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

Dry time: 15 seconds

Water resistance: Medium

Feathering: Medium

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: Low

Other properties: low shading, low bronze sheen, and no shimmer.

On Staples 24 lb copy paper there was feathering in all nib sizes as well as some bleeding.

Comparison Swabs:

Deep Purple is similar to Krishna Sea & Storm. Click here to see the Colorverse inks together, and click here to see the purple inks together.

Longer writing:

I used a Lamy Safari Violet with a medium nib on a Taroko Enigma notebook. The ink had an average flow.

Overall, this is a nice purple ink-it dries quickly and has a little bit of shading and sheen, but there is a bit more feathering and bleeding than I like to see. I could go either way on this one-it performs well on nicer papers but not all of them and the color isn’t unique enough for me to prefer it over others that perform better.

Disclaimer: All photos and opinions are my own. This page does contain affiliate links but this post is not sponsored.

Ink Review #1483: Van Dieman's Spotted Sun Orchid

Van Dieman’s Spotted Sun Orchid is from the Wilderness series and comes in 30ml bottles. You can find this ink for sale at Pen Chalet (aff. link) or Vanness Pens.

The color:

Spotted Sun Orchid is a medium purple haze.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink looks moody and interesting.

Writing samples:

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

Dry time: 60 seconds

Water resistance: Medium

Feathering: Low

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

Other properties: low shading, no sheen, and no shimmer.

On Staples 24 lb copy paper there was feathering in all nib sizes but only a few dots of bleeding.

Comparison Swabs:

Spotted Sun Orchid is closest to Robert Oster Purple Jazz. Click here to see the Van Dieman’s inks together, and click here to see the purple inks together.

Longer writing:

I used a Lamy Safari Violet with a medium nib on a Taroko Enigma notebook. The ink had an average flow.

Overall, I love the color of this ink and it’s generally well behaved, they only thing I don’t love is the dry time. 60 seconds is a rather long dry time but other than that it’s a good ink.

Disclaimer: All photos and opinions are my own. This page does contain affiliate links but this post is not sponsored.

Ink Review #1482: Kyo-no-oto 09 Keshimurasaki

Kyo-no-oto 09 Keshimurasaki. It’s available in 40 ml bottles. You can find this ink for sale at Vanness Pens.

The color:

Keshimurasaki is a pale purple-grey.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink has some pretty 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: medium shading, tiny grey sheen, and no shimmer.

On Staples 24 lb copy paper there was feathering in all nib sizes but no bleeding.

Comparison Swabs:

Keshimurasaki is a lighter than Diamine Vivaldi. Click here to see the Kyoto inks together, and click here to see the purple inks together.

Longer writing:

I used a Sailor Pro Gear Slim Purple Cosmos with a zoom nib on a Taroko Enigma notebook. The ink had a dry flow.

Overall, it’s a lovely purple-grey ink but the flow is very dry. I added a drop of White Lightning (ink additive) to it after doing all the writing samples for this review and liked it much better that way.

Disclaimer: All photos and opinions are my own. This page does not contain affiliate links and this post is not sponsored.

Ink Review #1481: Kobe 09 Suma Purple

We are kicking off Purple Ink Week (two days late…) with Kobe 09 Suma Purple from Kobe’s standard collection. It’s available in 50 ml bottles. You can find this ink for sale at Vanness Pens.

The color:

Suma Purple is a deep, unsaturated aubergine purple.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink looks very different than it does on the Col-o-ring swab above. It’s more blue with some sheen.

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: Medium

Feathering: Low

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: Low

Other properties: low shading, low bronze sheen, and no shimmer.

On Staples 24 lb copy paper there was feathering and bleeding in all nib sizes.

Comparison Swabs:

Suma Purple is more red than most of these other purple inks. Click here to see the Kobe inks together, and click here to see the purple inks together.

Longer writing:

I used an Esterbrook Estie Lilac with a broad nib on a Taroko Enigma notebook. The ink had a wet flow.

Overall, this is a lovely dark purple ink. It has a nice wet flow but it has a little more feathering and bleeding than I prefer. It’s a good ink, but not a must-have for me.

Disclaimer: All photos and opinions are my own. This page does not contain affiliate links and this post is not sponsored.

Colorverse Hippocamp & Comet SL9

Colorverse Hippocamp & Comet SL9 are from the new Colorverse Season 7: Eye on the Universe. Hippocamp comes in a 65ml bottle and Comet SL9 comes in a 15ml bottle. You can find this ink for sale at Pen Chalet (they still have some in stock right now!)

Swabs:

Left to right: Hippocamp is a medium sky blue and Comet SL9 is a light tawny brown.

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper both inks have shading but no sheen.

Writing samples:

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

Dry Time: 30-40 seconds

Water Resistance: Low-Medium

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

Other properties: high shading (both), no sheen and no shimmer.

On Staples 24 lb copy paper there was lots of feathering in every nib size as well as some bleeding.

Comparison Swabs:

Hippocamp is lighter than Noodler’s Revolution Blue, but has a similar matte finish.

Comet SL9 is a little darker than Colorverse Brunch Date.

Longer Writing:

Hippocamp: I used a Pilot VP Twilight with a broad nib on a Taroko Odyssey Notebook (Cosmo Air Light paper). The ink had an average flow.

Comet SL9: I used a Lamy Al-star Bronze with a medium nib on a Taroko Odyssey Notebook (Cosmo Air Light paper). The ink had an average flow.

Overall, out of the two Hippocamp is my favorite. The color is lovely, but both have high shading and can be a little too light for me in smaller nib sizes so I plan on sticking to the larger nibs. So far these two are my least favorite from Colorverse Season 7, they just aren’t as amazing as the others.

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

Colorverse Crab Nebula & Horsehead Nebula

Colorverse Crab Nebula & Horsehead Nebula are from the new Colorverse Season 7: Eye on the Universe. Crab Nebula comes in a 65ml bottle and Horsehead Nebula in a 15ml bottle. You can find this ink for sale at Pen Chalet.

Swabs:

Left to right: Crab Nebula is a dark grass green and Horsehead Nebula is a medium mauve pink.

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper, Crab Nebula has lots of red sheen and Horsehead Nebula has shading and multi-colored shimmer (I promise it’s multi-colored, it’s just super hard to photograph).

Writing samples:

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

Dry Time: 30-40 seconds

Water Resistance: Medium

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

Other properties: high shading (Horsehead), high red sheen (crab) and multi-colored shimmer (Horsehead).

On Staples 24 lb copy paper there was lots of feathering in every nib size as well as some bleeding.

Comparison Swabs:

Crab Nebula is closest to Octopus Fluids Moosgrun.

Horsehead Nebula is closest to Krishna Black Rose.

Longer Writing:

Crab Nebula: I used a Franklin-Christoph 45 Spanish Moss with a broad nib on a Taroko Odyssey Notebook (Cosmo Air Light paper). The ink had an average flow.

Horsehead Nebula: I used a Lamy Al-star Purple with a broad nib on a Taroko Odyssey Notebook (Cosmo Air Light paper). The ink had an average flow.

Overall, out of the two Horsehead nebula is my favorite. It has some fabulous high shading and multi-colored shimmer. Crab Nebula is perfectly lovely as well, so I’m glad I bought full bottles of both. I’m looking forward to spending more time with both of them!

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

Colorverse Pillars of Creation & Mystic Mountain

Colorverse Pillars of Creation & Mystic Mountain are from the new Colorverse Season 7: Eye on the Universe. When I first saw swabs for Season 7 I immediately knew these two were probably going to be my favorite. Pillars of Creation comes in a 65ml bottle and Mystic Mountain in a 15ml bottle. You can find this ink for sale at Pen Chalet.

Swabs:

Left to right: Pillars of Creation is a deep grape purple and Mystic Mountain is a light cornflower blue. As soon as I swabbed these myself Pillars of Creation immediately reminded me of Diamine Handel (which I love) so you will see them compared below.

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper, Pillars of Creation has some gorgeous green sheen, Mystic Mountain has lots of pink shimmer.

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: Medium

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

Other properties: medium shading (both), medium green sheen (Pillars) and pink shimmer (Mystic).

On Staples 24 lb copy paper there was lots of feathering in every nib size as well as some bleeding.

Comparison Swabs:

Pillars of Creation is darker than Diamine Handel, and similar to Diamine Merlot.

Mystic Mountain is lighter than Tono & Lims Diamond Dust but darker than Vinta Pastel Blue Julio 1991.

Longer Writing:

Pillars of Creation: I used a Platinum 3776 Nice Lavande with a broad nib on a Taroko Odyssey Notebook (Cosmo Air Light paper). The ink had an average flow.

Mystic Mountain: I used a TWSBI Eco-T Mint with a broad nib on a Taroko Odyssey Notebook (Cosmo Air Light paper). The ink had an average flow.

Overall, I absolutely love both of these inks. Pillars of Creation is my favorite though-the color is amazing, I love the shading and the green sheen and it performs well. Mystic Mountain can be a bit light in smaller nib sizes so I would stick to the larger nib sizes, but it’s the only blue ink I know of that a has pink shimmer as of right now. This ink set would be a perfect gift for anyone who likes unusual or interesting inks.

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