Ink Review #1432: Cross Green

Cross Green was sent in by a reader quite a while ago, and green ink week is the perfect time to finally review it! Thanks to the reader who sent this ink in for review. You can find this ink for sale at Vanness Pens.

The color:

Cross Green is a bright shamrock green.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink looks cooler-toned.

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: 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:

Cross Green is a little darker than Diamine Apple Glory. Click here to see the Cross inks together, and click here to see the green inks together.

Longer writing:

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

Overall, it’s well-behaved but very average. There’s nothing about it that jumps out at me, just a good basic green.

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 #1431: PenBBS 159 Bitter Herb

We are continuing on with green inks this week, today is PenBBS 159 Bitter Herb from PenBBS Season 12. You can find this ink for sale at Vanness Pens.

The color:

Bitter Herb is a medium pea green.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink has some nice 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: 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:

Bitter Herb is closest to Octopus Fluids Lindgrun. Click here to see the PenBBS 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 pretty well behaved and an interesting color. There’s nothing about it that jumps out at me but it’s a good basic green ink.

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 #1430: Aurora Green

Aurora Green is from their 100th Anniversary collection. You can find this ink for sale at most retailers including Pen Chalet (aff. link) and Vanness Pens.

The color:

Aurora Green is a medium classic green, it reminds me of green rollerball refills.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink has a little bit of dark 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: 10 seconds

Water resistance: Medium

Feathering: Low

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: Low

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

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

Comparison Swabs:

Aurora Green is similar to Backpack Ink Dublin Green. Click here to see the Aurora inks together, and click here to see the green inks together.

Longer writing:

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

Overall, the color is nice and it dries quickly, but it’s too dry for me. It was very similar to the Kaweco Palm Green that I reviewed yesterday except that this one has a little less sheen.

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 #1429: Kaweco Palm Green

Kaweco Palm Green is from Kaweco’s standard lineup. You can find this ink for sale at most retailers including Vanness Pens.

The color:

Palm Green is a bright grass green.

Swabs:

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

Water resistance: Medium

Feathering: Low

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: Low

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

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

Comparison Swabs:

Palm Green is similar to Monteverde Yosemite Green. Click here to see the Kaweco inks together, and click here to see the green inks together.

Longer writing:

I used a Franklin-Christoph 46 Diamondcast Green with a broad nib on a Taroko Enigma notebook. The ink had a dry flow and really struggled to keep up with the broad nib. I had to prime the nib to finish out the last paragraph.

Overall, the color is nice and it dries quickly, but it’s too dry for me. It could benefit from a drop of ink additive.

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

March Greens

It’s March so bring on all the greens! It has been a long winter and one thing I’m looking forward to this spring is when the local farmers market starts up. I love using fresh local produce and can’t wait to find some again! Monteverde Moonstone is a long-time favorite of mine.

I am missing all the green! Last summer we moved from a very wet climate to the desert and I’m missing the green landscape more than I thought I would. I reach for Robert Oster Caffe Crema at least once a month, it’s a great brown.

We have been spending some of our weekends out hiking. We’ve been finding local trails out in the desert where it’s rare for us to run into another hiker. The kids can only handle so much school during the week before they are craving a full day spent outside. Sailor Jentle Tokiwa-matsu has really grown on me over time and I use it often.

My oldest sister hates succulents-who knows why, but she does. Anytime I see them it makes me think of her and how much she hates them. I love the range of color they have, especially the pops of blue and green. Sailor Ink Studio 264 is an ink I reach for again and again, I just love the color.

I hope everyone is having a great March! 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.

Sailor 50 States

Sailor has been putting out more inks from their 50 States collection. Let’s take a look at Texas, Virginia, Oregon, New York and Illinois. I purchased my bottles of ink from Pen Chalet. Sailor has been naming some inks for this collection on their Instagram page-keep an eye on their Insta stories to vote on names.

Swabs:

Left to right: Texas-inspired by the state’s history of making leather goods, Virginia-inspired by the state bird the cardinal, Oregon-inspired by the state tree the Douglas Fir, New York-inspired by the baseball team, and Illinois-inspired by the Chicago skyline.

These inks come in square 20ml bottles. (My site host is being a bit of a pain right now so I’m having to change up format a bit).

Writing samples:

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

Dry Time: 15-40 seconds

Water Resistance: Medium

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

Other properties: low shading, 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:

Texas is closest in color to J Herbin Lie de The.

Virginia is closest in color to Sailor Shikiori Yodaki.

Oregon is a little warmer in tone than Diamine Deep Dark Green.

Illinois is close to Diamine Midnight. New York is a little darker than Colorverse Apollo 11.

Longer Writing:

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

Overall, out of the five inks New York is my favorite but I enjoyed all five of them. The only thing I don’t love is the price-$1/ml is rather dear for everyday use.

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

Ink Review #1423: Jacques Herbin 350 Vert Atlantide

Jacques Herbin recently started a new shimmer collection called 350 with a debut ink called Jacques Herbin 350 Vert Atlantide. I purchased my bottle of ink from Pen Chalet (aff. link).

The bottle:

Vert Atlantide is available in a square 50ml bottle.

The color:

Vert Atlantide is a dark forest green with both gold and silver shimmer.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink looks darker with some 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: 15 seconds

Water resistance: Medium

Feathering: Low

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: Low

Other properties: medium shading, tiny black sheen, and gold and silver shimmer.

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

Comparison Swabs:

Vert Atlantide is a little darker than Robert Oster Peppermint Candy. Click here to see the J Herbin inks together, and click here to see the green inks together.

Longer writing:

I used a Pilot Custom 74 Forest Green with a medium nib on a Taroko Enigma notebook. The ink had an average flow.

Overall, I kinda love the gold and silver mixed shimmer. It performed pretty well while being a nice dark green. The shimmer is more subtle than J Herbin’s other inks but I kinda love it.

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

Robert Oster Arizona Inks

Pen Chalet recently came out with a few Robert Oster exclusive inks based on the Arizona Desert. I have three so far: Sedona Red, Saguaro Green and Monsoon Sky. I purchased my bottles of ink from Pen Chalet.

Swabs:

Left to right: Sedona Red, Saguaro Green and Monsoon Sky.

The bottles:

All three inks come in 50ml plastic bottles.

Ink drops:

Monsoon Sky has some pretty pink sheen.

Dry Time:

All three inks dried in 30 seconds.

Water Resistance:

All had low 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: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

Other properties: medium shading, Monsoon Sky 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:

Sedona Red is a little darker than Monteverde Cherry Danish.

Saguaro Green is closest to Vinta Leyte.

Monsoon Sky is closest to Noodler’s Turquoise.

Longer Writing:

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

Overall, out of the three Monsoon Sky is my favorite-I wasn’t sure about it at first swab but after playing with it I’m quite in love with it, but I enjoyed all three. I’m looking forward to trying the other ink from this collection called Antelope Canyon.

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

Ink Review #1419: Monteverde Citrine

Monteverde Citrine is a late addition to the Monteverde Gemstone collection. I purchased my bottle of ink from Pen Chalet (aff. link).

The bottle:

Citrine is available in both 30ml and 90ml glass bottles. I love the 30ml size, enough to play with but not so much that I’m stuck with the bottle for years.

The color:

Citrine is a dark orange-red.

Swabs:

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

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: 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 but just a few dots of bleeding.

Comparison Swabs:

Citrine is more red than Monteverde Joy but less saturated than Monteverde Copper Noir. Click here to see the Monteverde inks together, and click here to see the orange inks together.

Longer writing:

I used a Lamy Safari Mango with a medium nib on a Taroko Enigma notebook. The ink had a slightly dry flow.

Overall, the color is great for fall and it is generally well behaved, but I wish the flow was just a little bit wetter.

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

Ink Review #1418: Robert Oster Rose Gold Antiqua

I saw a picture of Robert Oster Rose Gold Antiqua on Instagram recently and I knew I had to try it! I purchased my bottle of ink from Pen Chalet (aff. link).

The color:

Rose Gold Antiqua is a deep rose pink.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink looks less saturated with copper 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: Low

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

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

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

Comparison Swabs:

Rose Gold Antiqua is darker than Robert Oster Rose Gilt Tynte. It’s very similar to Robert Oster Australis Rose except that it has copper shimmer. Click here to see the Robert Oster inks together, and click here to see the pink inks together.

Longer writing:

I used a Diplomat Aero Antique Rose with a broad nib on a Taroko Enigma notebook. The ink had a slightly dry flow.

Overall, I love this ink in a wet broad nib. It’s a lovely pink and well behaved too!

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