Ink Review #1398: PenBBS 178 Rose Quartz

PenBBS 178 Rose Quartz is from PenBBS season 13. This ink is based on the Pantone 2016 Ink of the Year-Rose Quartz. You can find this ink for sale at Vanness Pens.

The color:

Rose Quartz starts as a pale beige when wet and dries to a pale rosy pink.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink is very light, even where it pooled.

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: low shading, no sheen, and no shimmer.

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

Comparison Swabs:

Rose Quartz is right in-between PenBBS Xu-Zhimo and Ferris Wheel Press Lady Rose. Click here to see the PenBBS inks together, and click here to see the pink inks together.

Longer writing:

I used a Sailor Pro Gear Sparkling Pink with a broad nib on a Taroko Enigma notebook. The ink had an average flow.

Overall, this ink is a gorgeous color but it is very pale. It worked well in a broad nib but I wouldn’t use it in anything smaller.

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 #1397: PenBBS 140 Bloom

PenBBS 140 Bloom is from PenBBS season 11. You can find this ink for sale at Vanness Pens.

The color:

Bloom is a medium coral pink.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink has lots of gold 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: no shading, no sheen, and gold shimmer.

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

Comparison Swabs:

Bloom is very close to Diamine Pink Champagne. Click here to see the PenBBS inks together, and click here to see the pink inks together.

Longer writing:

I used a TWSBI Eco-T Coral with a broad nib on a Taroko Enigma notebook. The ink had a dry flow.

Overall, this ink is generally well behaved except the flow is a little dry. It’s not any better than Diamine Pink Champagne, and they are very similar so you probably don’t need both.

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

February Hearts & Flowers

I have a love/hate relationship with February. By now it always feels like winter should be over but it’s not. I love having flowers in the house during February just because it makes winter feel a little lighter.

Valentine’s Day is halfway through February, but it’s also my birthday. I always try to make cookies with my kids on Valentine’s so they have fun decorating and I get a birthday cookie out of the deal.

My in-laws gift my kids with Conversation Hearts every February. It’s a fun tradition that the kids love. Everyone agrees that the pink ones are the best, right?

At the end of February I’m just ready for spring to come already, and flowers are usually the first sign.

I hope everyone is having a great February! What’s your favorite ink today? Let me know in the comments below!

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

Ink Review #1396: PenBBS 129 Xu Zhimo

PenBBS 129 Xu Zhimo is from PenBBS season 11. You can find this ink for sale at Vanness Pens.

The color:

Xu Zhimo is a very pale, unsaturated pink.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink looks very pale, almost a cream-grey.

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: Low

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

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

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

Comparison Swabs:

Xu Zhimo is much paler than these other inks. Click here to see the PenBBS inks together, and click here to see the pink 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 dry flow. The ink is so pale it’s hard to even see it.

Overall, this ink is too pale for me to use as an everyday ink. I would use it for art, but not in any of the smaller fountain pen nibs.

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 #1395: Diamine Bloody Brexit

Diamine Bloody Brexit is a store exclusive for Seitz Kreuznach. Thanks to the reader that sent this ink in for review! You can sometimes find this ink for sale on Amazon (aff. link).

The color:

Bloody Brexit is a dark royal blue with a ton of red sheen.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink has plenty 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: Medium

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

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

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

Comparison Swabs:

There are a lot of inks similar to Bloody Brexit: Diamine A Leap of Faith, Organics Studio Emerson, etc. Click here to see the Diamine inks together and click here to see the blue inks together.

Longer writing:

I used a TWSBI Eco Transparent Blue with a medium nib on a Taroko Enigma notebook. The ink had a wet but sticky flow. This ink does smear after completely drying.

Overall, while it is generally well behaved during writing, it can be smeared days after completely drying which has become a pet peeve of mine. Anything that smears days later is a no-go 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 #1394: Diamine Bloody Absinth

Diamine Bloody Absinth was a store exclusive for Seitz Kreuznach. Thanks to the reader that sent this ink in for review!

The color:

Bloody Absinth is a medium green that almost leans teal on some papers.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink has plenty of dark pink/red 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, monster sheen, and no shimmer.

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

Comparison Swabs:

Bloody Absinth is a little more yellow than Organics Studio Walden but a little more blue than Diamine November Rain. Click here to see the Diamine inks together and click here to see the green inks together.

Longer writing:

I used a Franklin-Christoph 46 Green Diamondcast with a broad nib on a Taroko Enigma notebook. The ink had a dry flow with some skips (these are most noticeable on the last line of the page-half the first “i” is missing as is most of the last “t”) and the ink smeared, even after drying for 24 hours.

Overall, I love the color of this ink but I had too many issues when using it in longer writing-the flow was too dry which caused skipping and made the ink look much lighter than it usually is. It also smeared after drying for 24 hours which makes it a no-go for me.

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 #1393: Krishna After Dark

Today we are going to look at another reader request: Krishna After Dark. You can find this ink for sale at Vanness Pens. Thanks to the reader that sent this ink in for review!

The color:

After Dark is a dark cobalt blue.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink looks darker.

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 but no bleeding.

Comparison Swabs:

After Dark is close to Private Reserve DC Supershow Blue. Click here to see the Krishna inks together, and click here to see the blue inks together.

Longer writing:

I used a TWSBI Eco Transparent Blue with a medium nib on a Taroko Enigma notebook. The ink had an average flow.

Overall, this ink is much better behaved than some of the Krishna Super Rich series inks I’ve tried in the past. It’s a nice color, well behaved and has some nice shading, but there are a lot of other inks out there in a similar color-there’s nothing about this ink that stands out from the crowd for me.

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 #1392: Leonardo Blue

Recently a reader sent me a bottle of Leonardo Blue to try out (the bottle says blue but some of the retailers have it listed as Mediterraneo Blue). This is a new-to-me brand so I was excited to give it a go! Thanks to the reader that sent this in for review! You can find this ink for sale at a few retailers including Appelboom and Pen Chalet (aff. link).

The color:

Blue is a classic medium blue.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink looks a little bit darker and has some 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: 30 seconds

Water resistance: Medium

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: Low

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

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

Comparison Swabs:

Blue is closest to Diamine Asa Blue. Click here to see the blue inks together.

Longer writing:

I used a Montegrappa Elmo with a medium nib on a Taroko Enigma notebook. The ink had an average flow.

Overall, I enjoyed this ink. It’s a nice blue with plenty of shading and sheen. If you are in need of a medium blue ink this one is worth a try!

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

Octopus Fluids Inks Set 5

Let’s take a look at the last set of Octopus Fluids inks: Orchidee, Purpur, Flieder, Aubergine, Konigsblau. Thanks to Octopus Fluids for sending these inks over for review!

Swabs:

Left to right: Orchidee, Purpur, Flieder, Aubergine, Königsblau.

Ink drops:

Purpur, Flieder and Aubergine all have a little bit of sheen.

Dry Time:

All five inks dried in 10-50 seconds.

Water Resistance:

All have medium water resistance.

Writing samples:

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

Feathering: Medium

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: Medium

Other properties: low-medium shading, Purpur and Flieder have tiny sheen and Aubergine has low 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:

Orchidee is closest to Graf von Faber-castell Electric Pink.

Purpur is closest to Pilot Iroshizuku Yama-budo.

Flieder is closest to Diamine Violet.

Aubergine is closest to Diamine Imperial Purple.

Konigsblau is closest to Cross Blue.

Longer Writing:

I used a Taroko Enigma notebook. All of the inks had an average flow except Aubergine which had a wet flow.

Overall, out of the five Aubergine is my favorite, but all five colors look great. Unfortunately, like a lot of the other Octopus Fluids inks I’ve tried they all have more feathering and bleeding than I prefer.

Disclaimer: These inks were provided by Octopus Fluids 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.