Ink Review #1113: Diamine China Blue

Today’s ink is another Diamine ink I’ve had for a while, Diamine China Blue. I purchased my bottle of ink from Cult Pens.

The color:

China Blue is a dusky medium blue.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink looks much lighter and has a little bit of pink 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: 20 seconds

Water resistance: Low

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

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

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

Comparison Swabs:

China Blue is similar to Pilot Iroshizuku Asa-gao, just less saturated. Click here to see the Diamine inks together, and click here to see the blue inks together.

Longer writing:

I used an Edison Collier Blue Steel with a broad nib on a Yoseka A5 notebook. The ink had an average flow.

Overall, I love the color of this ink. It can be a bit pale in smaller nib sizes so I would keep this ink to the larger nibs.

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.

Ink Review #1112: Diamine Burnt Sienna

I’ve been trying to make it through some of the Diamine inks I’ve had for a long time, so today’s ink is Diamine Burnt Sienna. I purchased my bottle of ink from Cult Pens.

The color:

Burnt Sienna is an unsaturated red brown.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink has a little bit of black 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: Low

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

Other properties: medium shading, tiny black sheen, and no shimmer. The sheen was only visible in large swabs on Tomoe River Paper.

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

Comparison Swabs:

Burnt Sienna is similar to Diamine Cherry Sunburst but much lighter. Click here to see the Diamine inks together, and click here to see the brown inks together.

Longer writing:

I used a Lamy Studio Terracotta with a medium nib on a Yoseka A5 notebook. The ink had an average flow.

Overall, it’s a well behaved ink but the color doesn’t wow me. I think I would use this ink the most in the autumn season.

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.

Ink Review #1111: Robert Oster Go Go

It seems I’m still stuck on purple inks lately-let’s take a look at Robert Oster Go Go. I purchased my sample of ink from Pen Chalet.

The color:

Go Go is a cool tone medium purple. It’s much warmer toned when wet and cools in tone as it dries.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink has a little bit of gold 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: Low-there was some feathering in the flex nib on Rhodia.

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

Other properties: low shading, tiny gold sheen, and no shimmer. The sheen was only visible in large swabs on Tomoe River Paper.

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

Comparison Swabs:

Go Go is a little bit cooler in tone than Pilot Iroshizuku Jurojin. Click here to see the Robert Oster inks together, and click here to see the purple inks together.

Longer writing:

I used a Pelikan M600 Violet with a fine nib on a Taroko Enigma A5 notebook. The ink had an average flow.

Overall, I was surprised by how much the tone of this ink cools as it dries. It dries quickly, is a beautiful color and has some shading too.

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

Ink Review #1110: Troublemaker Freedom Park Rose

Today’s ink is Troublemaker Freedom Park Rose. Thanks to Shigure Inks for sending a sample over for review!

The color:

Freedom Park Rose is a dusky dark purple with lots of green sheen.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink has a lot of 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: Low

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

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

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

Comparison Swabs:

Freedom Park Rose is a bit lighter than Sailor Ink Studio 653 and has more sheen. Click here to see the Troublemaker inks together, and click here to see the purple inks together.

Longer writing:

I used a TWSBI Eco Transparent Purple with a medium nib on a Taroko Enigma A5 notebook. The ink had a wet, slightly sticky flow.

Overall, I love the dusky purple color and it’s pretty well behaved, but the flow does feel just a bit sticky. I didn’t have any smearing issues with this ink!

Disclaimer: A sample of this ink was provided by Shigure Inks for the purpose of this review. All photos and opinions are my own. This page does not contain affiliate links and this post is not sponsored in any way.

Ink Review #1109: Diamine Brilliant Red

Let’s take a look at Diamine Brilliant Red today. I purchased my bottle of ink from Cult Pens.

The color:

Brilliant Red is a light but vibrant 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: medium shading, no sheen, and no shimmer.

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

Comparison Swabs:

Brilliant Red is a bit lighter than Diamine Poppy Red. Click here to see the Diamine inks together, and click here to see the red inks together.

Longer writing:

I used a Pelikan M205 Star Ruby with a fine nib on a Yoseka A5 notebook. The ink had an average flow.

Overall, this ink is well behaved but I’m not in love with the color. It’s just a bit too light for me.

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.

Ink Review #1108: Diamine Beau Blue

Diamine Beau Blue is a very pale blue. I bought a bottle of this ink a few years ago from Cult Pens, but I’ve never used it much so it’s time to test it out.

The color:

Beau Blue is a pale baby blue.

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: 20 seconds

Water resistance: Low

Feathering: None

Show through: Low

Bleeding: None

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

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

Comparison Swabs:

Beau Blue is the same tone as Tono & Lims Yamanashi, but it’s much lighter. Click here to see the Diamine inks together, and click here to see the blue inks together.

Longer writing:

I used a Kaweco Sport Serenity Blue-fine nib on a Yoseka A5 notebook. The ink had an average flow.

Overall, while this ink behaves well it is very pale and hard to comfortably read. I think I would use this ink more for lettering and art rather than drawing.

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.

Ink Review #1107: Sailor Manyo Akebi

I fell hard for the two Sailor Manyo inks I’ve tried, so I decided to go ahead and check out a third, Sailor Manyo Akebi. I purchased my bottle of ink from Pen Chalet.

The color:

Akebi is a medium magenta purple.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink has a ton of bright green 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: Low-there was a bit of feathering on Rhodia.

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

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

On Staples 24 lb copy paper there was some feathering in most nib sizes and bleeding in the swab only.

Comparison Swabs:

Akebi is similar to Diamine Robert, but has just a little less sheen. Click here to see the Sailor inks together., and click here to see the purple inks together.

Longer writing:

I used a Sailor Pro Gear Shamrock-broad nib on a Taroko Enigma notebook. (I’m in love with this pen by the way-sparkly and amazing) The ink had a wet flow.

Overall, I really like this ink. It has a good wet flow, dries quickly, has plenty of shading and sheen, and it’s pretty!

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

Ink Review #1106: Kyo-no-oto 09 Sakuranezumi

Today’s ink is Kyo-no-oto 09 Sakuranezumi. I wrote all of the writing samples out for this ink and realized I left the “I” off the end, but we’re just going to run with it so please pretend there’s an i there. Thanks to Shigure Inks for sending a sample over for review!

The color:

Sakuranezumi is a dark dusky purple.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink has some pretty shading and turns black where it pooled, but doesn’t actually 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: 20 seconds

Water resistance: Medium

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

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

On Staples 24 lb copy paper there was some feathering in most nib sizes and bleeding in the swab only.

Comparison Swabs:

Sakuranezumi is similar to Robert Oster Claret, but doesn’t have quite as much depth. Click here to see the Kyoto inks together., and click here to see the purple inks together.

Longer writing:

I used a Pilot Vanishing Point Crossed Lines-medium nib on a Taroko Enigma notebook. The ink had a very dry flow.

Overall, it’s a lovely moody purple color, but the flow is pretty dry which cased some skipping.

Disclaimer: This ink was provided by Shigure Inks for the purpose of this review. All photos and opinions are my own. This page does not contain affiliate links and this post is not sponsored in any way.

Pure Pens Inks

I love testing out different brands and it’s time to try out some Pure Pens inks. I managed to snag a few samples in a group buy a while ago, and another few from a kind reader. Thanks to the reader that sent some samples in!

Swabs:

Left to right: Llanberis, Cadwaladr, Pendine Sands, Cwm Idwal, Glens of Antrim, Saltire Blue, Celtic Sea, Porthurno Cove and Flower of Scotland.

Writing samples:

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

Water resistance: Medium

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

Other properties: low shading, some sheen, and no shimmer. Cwm Idwal, Saltire Blue and Flower of Scotland all have a little bit of sheen on Tomoe River paper.

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

Comparison Swabs:

Llanberis is similar to Sailor Jentle Chu-shu.

Cadwaladr is similar to Franklin Christoph Sweet Maroon.

Pendine Sands is close to Robert Oster Red Orange.

Cwm Idwal is a bit more blue than Ferris wheel Press Peppermint Drop.

Glens of Antrim is a bit brighter than Colorverse Sea of Tranquility.

Saltire Blue is a bit more purple than Monteverde Peace.

Celtic Sea is a bit darker than Robert Oster Blue Lagoon.

Porthcurno Cove is a bit lighter than L’artisan Pastellier Turquoise.

Flower of Scotland is warmer than Kobe Sannomiya Panse.

I used a Mabie Todd swan on a Taroko Enigma notebook. All of the inks had an average flow.

Overall, I found these inks to be well behaved and lovely colors. I need to get the rest of their inks to try out.

Disclaimer: I purchased some of these inks, and some were provided by a reader for the purpose of this review. All photos and opinions are my own. This page does not contain affiliate links, and is not sponsored in any way.