Ink Review #1321: Sailor Manyo Kuzu

Sailor Manyo Kuzu is from the first Manyo collection. I purchased my bottle of ink from Pen Chalet.

The color:

Kuzu is a dark Bordeaux red.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink looks more purple than red and has some 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: 15 seconds

Water resistance: Medium

Feathering: Low

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: Low

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

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

Comparison Swabs:

Kuzu leans a bit more purple than Sailor Manyo Ume. Click here to see the Sailor inks together, and click here to see the red inks together.

Longer writing:

I used a Lamy Al-star Vibrant Pink with a broad nib on a Taroko Enigma notebook. The ink had a wet flow.

Overall, there is a little bit of feathering and bleeding on Rhodia and Leuchtturm in the larger nib sizes, but other than that it performs well. I enjoy the color and it has some nice shading and sheen. It’s a lovely ink, but not a must-have for me.

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 #1320: Sailor Manyo Kikyou

Sailor Manyo Kikyou is from the first Manyo collection. I purchased my bottle of ink from Pen Chalet.

The color:

Kikyou is a dark grey-blue.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink looks like more of a classic blue with copper 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: Low

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: Low

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

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

Comparison Swabs:

Kikyou is closest to Sailor Ink Studio 642. Click here to see the Sailor inks together, and click here to see the blue inks together.

Longer writing:

I used a Visconti Homo Sapiens Bronze Age with a medium nib on a Taroko Enigma notebook. The ink had a wet flow.

Overall, it’s a lovely dark blue with a little bit of character.

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 #1319: Sailor Shikiori Shimoyo

Since we looked at Sailor Shikiori Yonaga yesterday, let’s look at Sailor Shikiori Shimoyo today. I purchased my sample of ink from Anderson Pens.

The color:

Shimoyo is a dark blue black.

Swabs:

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

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

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

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

Comparison Swabs:

Shimoyo isn’t very close to any of these. It’s darker than Diamine Chopin, but not quite as purple-ish as Monteverde Blue Black. Click here to see the Sailor inks together, and click here to see the blue black inks together.

Longer writing:

I used a Kaweco Al-sport Anthracite with a medium nib on a Taroko Enigma notebook. The ink had a wet flow.

Overall, I really enjoyed this ink. It’s well-behaved and a great basic blue black.

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 #1318: Sailor Shikiori Yonaga

I’ve had a sample of Sailor Shikiori Yonaga sitting in my drawer for a while and never played with it much so it’s time for a full review! I purchased my sample of ink from Anderson Pens.

The color:

Yonaga is a dark midnight blue.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink has some interesting purple and 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: 20 seconds

Water resistance: Medium

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: Low

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

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

Comparison Swabs:

Yonaga is closest to Sailor Ink Studio 943. Click here to see the Sailor inks together, and click here to see the blue inks together.

Longer writing:

I used a Kaweco Al-sport Rose Gold with a broad nib on a Taroko Enigma notebook. The ink had a wet flow.

Overall, it’s a nice dark blue, smooth with some interesting sheen.

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 #1317: Robert Oster Sterling Silver

I’ve been waiting for a dark silver shimmer ink for a long time, so when I saw Robert Oster Sterling Silver I knew I had to give it a try. You can find this ink at Vanness Pens.

The color:

Sterling Silver is a perfect liquid silver color.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink looks perfect, dark silver with plenty of silver 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: low shading, tiny black sheen, and silver shimmer.

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

Comparison Swabs:

Sterling Silver is darker than Diamine Snow Storm and Moon Dust, and less purple than PenBBS Ice Lake. Click here to see the Robert Oster inks together, and click here to see the grey inks together.

Longer writing:

I started with a Kaweco Al-sport Anthracite with a medium nib on a Taroko Enigma notebook, but holy clogged mess Batman! So I switched to a Sailor Pro Gear Slim Purple Cosmos with a zoom nib, and the ink performed much better. The ink had an average flow.

Overall, I love this ink for its color but have some reservations on the flow. It’s so pretty, but performs best in broad, flex and zoom nibs. I still have a bottle on my wish list because I love the color so much, but will stick to the larger nib sizes.

Disclaimer: 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 #1316: Robert Oster Violet Dreams

Robert Oster Violet Dreams is from the Shake ‘N’ Shimmy collection. I purchased my sample of ink at Pen Chalet (aff. link).

The color:

Violet Dreams is a light heather purple.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink has lots of shading and 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: 20 seconds

Water resistance: Low

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

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

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

Comparison Swabs:

Violet Dreams is a little more red than Robert Oster Violet Clouds. Click here to see the Robert Oster 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, this is a lovely spring shimmer ink. It’s well-behaved and a pretty color, but it can be rather light in smaller nib sizes.

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 #1315: Robert Oster Envy

Robert Oster Envy is from the Shake ‘N’ Shimmy collection. I purchased my sample of ink at Pen Chalet (aff. link).

The color:

Envy is a bright apple green.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink has plenty of shimmer 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: 15 seconds

Water resistance: Low

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

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

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

Comparison Swabs:

Envy is darker than Diamine Golden Oasis but lighter than Organics Studio Frog Green. Click here to see the Robert Oster 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 an average flow.

Overall, it’s a lovely summery apple green with plenty of green shimmer. It’s a little unusual for a shimmer ink just based on the green shimmer instead of silver or gold, but that just makes it unique. It might make a good Christmas green ink as well.

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 #1314: Monteverde Yosemite Green

Monteverde Yosemite Green is from the Monteverde standard lineup. I purchased my sample of ink from Pen Chalet.

The color:

Yosemite Green is a dark Christmas green.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink has a little bit of 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: 15 seconds

Water resistance: Low

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

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

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

Comparison Swabs:

Yosemite Green is closest to Taccia Midori Green. Click here to see the Monteverde inks together, and click here to see the red inks together.

Longer writing:

I used a Sailor Pro Gear Shamrock with a broad nib on a Taroko Enigma notebook. The ink had a wet flow.

Overall, I really enjoyed this ink. It’s a pretty color, flows well and is affordable too!

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

Ink Review #1313: Diamine Tropical Glow

Diamine Tropical Glow is from the 2016 Shimmertastic collection. I purchased my sample of ink from Vanness Pens.

The color:

Tropical Glow is a bright medium teal.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink has a little bit of sheen and lots of silver 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: 10 seconds

Water resistance: Medium

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

Other properties: low shading, tiny red sheen, and silver shimmer.

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

Comparison Swabs:

Tropical Glow is closest to Organics Studio Alanine Aqua and Robert Oster Morning Shine. Click here to see the Diamine inks together, and click here to see the teal inks together.

Longer writing:

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

Overall, I enjoyed this ink. It’s a lovely color, has some pretty shading and shimmer and even a little bit of sheen. It did have a little bit of skipping in the smaller nib sizes due to the shimmer so I would stick to medium nibs and larger.

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 #1312: Monteverde Valentine Red

Monteverde Valentine Red is from their standard lineup. I purchased my sample of ink from Pen Chalet.

The color:

Valentine Red is a vivid medium red.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink has a tiny bit of bright yellow-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: 15 seconds

Water resistance: Low

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: Low

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

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

Comparison Swabs:

Valentine Red is a little less orange than both Monteverde Ruby and Love. Click here to see the Monteverde inks together, and click here to see the red inks together.

Longer writing:

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

Overall, this is a lovely, well-behaved red ink. It’s just not my favorite tone of red-it’s still a bit orange for me on some papers.

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