Ink Review #1311: Sailor Manyo Ume

Sailor is one of my favorite ink brands, so I’ve been excited to try more from their Manyo line; Ume is from the second Manyo collection. Thanks to Phidon Pens for sending this ink over for review!

The bottle:

Ume comes in a 50ml square glass bottle.

The color:

Ume is a dark maroon red.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink has some pretty 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: 60 seconds

Water resistance: Medium

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: Low

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

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

Comparison Swabs:

Ume is a bit more brown than most of these other reds. Click here to see the Sailor inks together, and click here to see the red inks together.

Longer writing:

I used a Pilot Custom 74 Merlot with a medium nib on a Taroko Enigma notebook. The ink had a wet flow.

Overall, this is another lovely Sailor ink. I was a little worried it might be too close to Sailor Oku-yama, but you can see from the comparison swabs above that they are actually pretty different.

Disclaimer: This ink was provided by Phidon Pens 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 #1310: Graf von Faber-Castell Garnet Red

Yesterday we took a look at Graf Von Faber-Castell Moss Green, so let’s look at Graf Von Faber-Castell Garnet Red today. Thanks to Phidon Pens for sending this ink over for review!

The bottle:

Garnet Red comes in a gorgeous 75ml glass bottle.

The color:

Garnet Red is a dark unsaturated burgundy.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink has a little bit of 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: 60 seconds

Water resistance: Medium-this ink is advertised as water resistant, but mine isn’t fully water resistant.

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 all nib sizes.

Comparison Swabs:

Garnet Red is a little darker than Diamine Crimson, but a little lighter than Diamine Burgundy Royale. Click here to see the Faber-Castell 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 Taroko Enigma notebook. The ink had a dry flow.

Overall, this ink is a lovely wintery red color and comes in a gorgeous bottle, but the dry time is a little longer than I’d like, the flow is dry and it isn’t as water-resistant as it’s advertised.

Disclaimer: This ink was provided by Phidon Pens 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 #1309: Graf von Faber-Castell Moss Green

I’m stuck on red and green this week since Christmas is coming up, so let’s take a look at Graf Von Faber-Castell Moss Green. Thanks to Phidon Pens for sending this ink over for review!

The bottle:

Moss Green comes in a gorgeous 75ml glass bottle.

The color:

Moss Green is a dark grass green.

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: Medium-this ink is advertised as water resistant, but mine isn’t fully water resistant.

Feathering: Low

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

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

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

Comparison Swabs:

Moss Green has more yellow in it than PenBBS Zi, but less yellow than Diamine Sherwood Green. Click here to see the Faber-Castell inks together, and click here to see the green inks together.

Longer writing:

I used a Pelikan M600 Vibrant Green with a broad nib on a Taroko Enigma notebook. The ink had a dry flow.

Overall, I enjoyed the color of this ink, and it behaves well in a wet broad nib. The bottle is pretty, but it was a little less water resistant than expected.

Disclaimer: This ink was provided by Phidon Pens 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.

Holiday 2020 Inks

Yesterday we covered my current favorites and an inky gift guide, today let’s talk about inks that are great for the coming holidays!

These metallic inks are perfect for any holiday from Thanksgiving to New Year’s. No matter what the occasion, these inks always add the “wow” factor.

• Platinum Carbon Black

• Robert Oster Gold Antiqua

• Robert Oster African Gold

• KWZ Old Gold

• Bungubox Ebisu Gold

• Robert Oster Heart of Gold

• Nemosine Coalsack Nebula

• Monteverde Smoke Noir

• Colorverse Anti-matter

• Pilot Iroshizuku Kiri-same

• Diamine Grey

• Diamine Snow Storm

While our Thanksgiving is going to look very different this year, I still reach for specific inks each November (this one is KWZ Honey).

Browns and reds are my favorites this season, especially those with fabulous shading like Colorverse String and Taccia Tuchi Golden Wheat.

• Colorverse String

• Taccia Tuchi Golden Wheat

• Robert Oster Caffe Crema

• Monteverde Scotch Brown

• Robert Oster Toffee

• Monteverde Pumpkin Cake

• Diamine Oxblood

• Robert Oster Astorquiza Rot

• Diamine Mulled Wine

• Diamine Burgundy Royale

• Robert Oster Maroon 1789

You can’t go wrong with oranges and yellows in November.

• Diamine Autumn Oak

• Kobe Arima Amber

• KWZ Butterscotch

• Robert Oster Terracotta

• Montblanc Red Fox

• Monteverde Fireopal

• Kobe Taisanji Yellow

• Robert Oster Honey Bee

• Jacques Herbin Ambre de Baltique

• Franklin Christoph Honeycomb

• KWZ Honey

Christmas is my favorite holiday! There are so many great Christmas greens and reds that I couldn’t limit myself to just a few.

Dark green inks are perfect for Christmas.

• Taccia Midori Green

• Robert Oster River of Fire

• Robert Oster Spearmint

• Montblanc Irish Green

• Robert Oster Peppermint

• Diamine Woodland Green

• Diamine Holly

• Pilot Iroshizuku Shin-ryoku

• Robert Oster Evergreen

• Robert Oster Emerald

• Diamine Ultra Green

• Diamine Sherwood Green

Not only do I love the dark greens for Christmas, but there’s always room for some lighter brighter greens and of course some shimmer inks as well.

• Robert Oster Peppermint Candy

• Diamine Golden Ivy

• Diamine Magical Forest

• Diamine Golden Oasis

• Robert Oster Fizzy Lime

• Robert Oster Ryde Green

• Blackstone Lemur Lime

• Diamine Kelly Green

I have a love/hate relationship with red inks. I’m always on the lookout for my perfect red, so far the closest I’ve found is Sailor Jentle Irori, but it’s still a bit too bright for me.

• Diamine Matador

• KWZ Maple Red

• Sailor Jentle Irori

• J Herbin Rouge Grenat

• Monteverde Cherry Danish

• Robert Oster Red Candy

• Diamine Firestorm Red

• Diamine Crimson

• Monteverde Love

• Diamine Red Dragon

• Diamine Noel

• Robert Oster Clay Red

• Robert Oster Blood Rose

• Robert Oster Red Gold

I posted my favorite Christmas inks last year, and had a lot of requests to include Hanukkah inks this year.

I wanted to include a range from black to silver even though I know the traditional colors are only blue and white. White inks are almost impossible in fountain pens (yes, I know some actually exist I just haven’t tried them yet).

• Sailor Kiwa-guro

• Sailor Nano Souboku

• Robert Oster Tokyo Blue Denim

• Sailor’s Sailor

• Robert Oster Blue Water Ice

• Colorverse Horizon

• Diamine Moon Dust

• Pilot Iroshizuku Fuyu-syogun

• Diamine Silver Fox

What are your favorite holiday inks? Let me know in the comments below!

Disclaimer: all photos and opinions are my own. There are no affiliate links on this page, and this post is not sponsored in any way.

1300 Inks!

We’ve passed 1300 inks so it’s time for another favorites post! Since we are so close to the holidays I decided to make this not only my current favorites but also a gift guide of sorts, based on ink properties.

This year has been really difficult, especially for small retailers. When you are doing your holiday shopping please remember to support small businesses! I did a blog post awhile back about my favorite small businesses and another post about custom pen makers if you are looking for more pen people to support.

Water-resistant Inks:

Water-resistant inks are perfect for the journaler who wants their writing to last, the klutzy friend who always spills their coffee or the artist who loves to mix fountain pens and watercolors.

• Sailor Sei-boku

• Rohrer & Klingner Salix

• Sailor Souboku

• Platinum Carbon Black

• Monteverde Documental Black

Copy Paper Inks:

These inks perform well on cheap paper so these inks are perfect for the penny pincher friend who doesn’t want to buy nice paper, the office-dweller who doesn’t get to pick their paper or the student stuck with school papers.

• Rohrer & Klingner Salix

• Rohrer & Klingner Alt-goldgrun

• Lamy Benitoite

• Sailor Kiwa-guro

• Bungubox Ebisu Gold

Wet Inks:

Wet inks are great for the writer who loves big juicy broad nibs or the calligrapher who uses flex and stub nibs.

• Platinum Carbon Black

• Rohrer & Klingner Verdigris

• Pilot Iroshizuku Shin-kai

• KWZ Butterscotch

• Monteverde Ocean Noir

Dry Inks:

Dry inks are great when you have a nib that’s too wet and needs a little taming.

• Robert Oster Bishop to King

• Platinum Lavender Black

• Kyo-iro 01 Stone Road of Gion

• Diamine Citrus Ice

Iron Gall Inks:

Iron Gall inks are great for the archive journaler, artist or historian.

• Platinum Lavender Black

• Rohrer & Klingner Salix

• KWZ Iron Gall Gummiberry

Non-shading Inks:

Non-shading inks are great for the office-dweller when shading isn’t appropriate, the boring friend who wants their writing to look like “normal” or the perfectionist who hates variation.

• Platinum Carbon Black

• Aurora Black

• Diamine Oxford Blue

• Sailor Jentle Shigure

• Pilot Iroshizuku Take-sumi

Shading Inks:

Shading inks are a great gift for 99% of pen users, especially when they are as pretty as these ones!

• Sailor’s Sailor

• Taccia Tuchi Golden Wheat

• Robert Oster Tokyo Blue Denim

• Colorverse String

• Colorverse Saturn V

Crazy Shading Inks:

Dual shaders, chromo shaders, multi shaders-whatever you call them, they are fabulous for the artist in your life. They are rather pale in writing so I stick to broad and flex nibs to see the gorgeous shading.

• Sailor Ink Studio 123

• Sailor Manyo Nekoyanagi

• Sailor Ink Studio 150

• Troublemaker Abalone

• Sailor Manyo Haha

Sheeny Inks:

While I love a good sheeny ink, I hate ones that smear. I tend to stay in the medium to high sheeners, where Sailor and Colorverse perform well.

• Sailor Jentle Yama-dori

• Sailor Jentle Irori

• Colorverse Andromeda

• Blackstone Barrier Reef Blue

• Colorverse Gravity Wave

Shimmer Inks:

Shimmer inks are great for those in your life that want a bit of sparkle and shine in their writing.

• Robert Oster Heart of Gold

• Robert Oster Rose Gilt Tynte

• J Herbin 1670 Emerald of Chivor

• Diamine Winter Miracle

• Nemosine Coalsack Nebula

So now that we’ve covered the first 1300 inks, on to the next ones! What’s your number one ink to penable a friend? Let me know in the comments below!

Disclaimer: All photos and opinions are my own. This post does not contain affiliate links and is not sponsored in any way.

Ink Review #1308: Diamine Sparkling Shadows

Diamine Sparkling Shadows is from the original 2015 Shimmertastic collection. I purchased my sample of ink from Vanness Pens.

The color:

Sparkling Shadows is a dark grey with gold shimmer.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink has some gold shimmer but not a ton.

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: low shading, no sheen, and gold shimmer.

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

Comparison Swabs:

Sparkling Shadows is a little lighter than J Herbin 1670 Stormy Grey, and it has less shimmer than De Atramentis Velvet Black Gold. Click here to see the Diamine inks together, and click here to see the black inks together.

Longer writing:

I used a Franklin-Christoph 45 Purpurarium with a broad nib on a Taroko Enigma notebook. The ink had an average flow.

Overall, it’s an interesting ink, but the shimmer/color combo isn’t my favorite. I prefer silver shimmer in my grey inks.

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 #1307: Robert Oster Elf's Cap

Robert Oster Elf’s Cap is from the new Holiday 2020 collection. I purchased my bottle of ink at Pen Chalet (aff. link).

The color:

Elf’s Cap is a bright shamrock green.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink looks less saturated than it does on the previous swab.

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, no sheen, and no shimmer.

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

Comparison Swabs:

Elf’s Cap is a little darker than Diamine Apple Glory, and a little lighter than Diamine Ultra Green. Click here to see the Robert Oster inks together, and click here to see the green inks together.

Longer writing:

I used a Kaweco Al-sport Evergreen with a broad nib on a Taroko Enigma notebook. The ink had a dry flow.

Overall, it’s well-behaved, but the flow is a bit dry. It works rather well in a wet broad nib, but I wouldn’t use this ink in an EF or F nib.

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

Ink Review #1306: Robert Oster Santa's Hangover

Robert Oster Santa’s Hangover is from the new Holiday 2020 collection. I purchased my bottle of ink at Pen Chalet (aff. link).

The color:

Santa’s Hangover is a slightly unsaturated medium red.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink looks less saturated than it does on the previous swab.

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, no sheen, and no shimmer.

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

Comparison Swabs:

Santa’s Hangover is closest to Diamine Ruby. Click here to see the Robert Oster inks together, and click here to see the red inks together.

Longer writing:

I used a Pilot Vanishing Point Crimson Sunrise with a medium nib on a Taroko Enigma notebook. The ink had a dry flow.

Overall, this is a perfect color for the winter season, but like the other inks in the Holiday 2020 collection it is a bit too dry for me.

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

Ink Review #1305: Robert Oster Choc Pudding

Robert Oster Choc Pudding is from the new Holiday 2020 collection. I purchased my bottle of ink at Pen Chalet (aff. link).

The color:

Choc Pudding is a cool-tone unsaturated brown, the color of hot chocolate powder.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink looks more purple than brown.

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, no sheen, and no shimmer.

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

Comparison Swabs:

Choc Pudding is a little darker than Tono & Lims Am I Dreaming, but a little lighter than Tono & Lims Nara: Dear Sakura. Click here to see the Robert Oster inks together, and click here to see the brown inks together.

Longer writing:

I used a Franklin-Christoph 46 Autumn Oak with a medium nib on a Taroko Enigma notebook. The ink had a dry flow.

Overall, I really enjoyed the color of this ink. It’s a perfect cool-tone brown for the winter season, but the flow is a little dry for me.

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

Ink Review #1304: Robert Oster Silent Nite

Robert Oster Silent Nite is from the new Holiday 2020 collection. I purchased my bottle of ink at Pen Chalet (aff. link).

The color:

Silent Nite is a dark blue-grey.

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: 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 some feathering and bleeding in all nib sizes.

Comparison Swabs:

Silent Nite is much bluer than any of the other greys. Click here to see the Robert Oster inks together, and click here to see the grey inks together.

Longer writing:

I used a Pelikan M605 White Transparent with a medium nib on a Taroko Enigma notebook. The ink had a dry flow.

Overall, I love the color of this ink. It’s much bluer than the other grey inks I have, but it is a bit dry for me.

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