Ink Review #1486: Colorverse 005 Milky Lavender

Colorverse 005 Milky Lavender is from the Project collection and comes in 65ml bottles. You can find this ink for sale at Pen Chalet (aff. link) or Vanness Pens.

The color:

Milky Lavender is a medium matte lavender.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink looks darker than it does in writing.

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: 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 feathering in all nib sizes as well as some bleeding.

Comparison Swabs:

Milky Lavender is closest to Troublemaker Foxglove, but it lacks Foxglove’s cool shading. It is pretty close to Pilot Iroshizuku Murasaki-shikibu as well. Click here to see the Colorverse 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 a slightly dry flow.

Overall, I could take or leave this ink. It’s a lovely purple color and great for spring but it’s a bit drier than I prefer. There just isn’t anything about it that grabs me. It’s close enough to Pilot Iroshizuku Murasaki-shikibu that I don’t need both and I prefer the wetter flow of Murasaki-shikibu.

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

Ink Review #1485: Van Dieman's Tasmania Vine Purple

Van Dieman’s Tasmania Vine Purple is from the Colours of Tasmania series and comes in 30ml bottles. You can find this ink for sale at Pen Chalet (aff. link) or Vanness Pens.

The color:

Vine Purple is a deep blue violet.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink looks less saturated.

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: Medium

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: Low

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

On Staples 24 lb copy paper there was feathering in all nib sizes but only a few dots of bleeding.

Comparison Swabs:

Vine Purple is more blue than Sailor Shigure but not as blue as Noodler’s Kung Te-Cheng. Click here to see the Van Dieman’s 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, the color is nice but there is way too much feathering for me. I would stick to Tomoe River paper with this ink or Cosmo Air Light.

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

TRU RED Graphed Journal

The TRU RED Graphed Journal is a recent release from TRU RED. It’s designed as a business essential for everyday use. The notebook measures 5.5 by 8 inches. Thanks to TRU RED for providing these products for review! Last week I reviewed the TRU RED Starter Journal and Rollerball pens, congratulations to Batsheva who won the giveaway!

Front Cover:

The front cover is a flexible black cover with an elastic closure.

Inside Cover:

The front inside cover is a black and grey pattern with a small pocked that would easily fit business cards.

The Paper:

There are 256 ivory pages with a 5mm graph ruling.

The pages are not embellished in any way and are not paginated.

Writing Samples:

This paper did not handle fountain pens well-every nib feathered, bled or both. The paper is so absorbent that it made the nib and ink feel super dry and scratchy.

The paper handled some pens and pencils okay but the TRU RED rollerball pens bled through. Some ball-points and rollerball pens felt scratchy on this paper.

Rollerball Pens:

In the same collection with the Graphed Journal is this pack of Quick Dry Gel Pens in 0.7mm. The pens are green, teal, purple, red and orange.

These gel pens work okay but definitely aren’t the best gel pens I’ve ever used. They did okay in the graphed journal but skipped when used in my hobonichi.

Overall, I had hoped I would enjoy this notebook since I liked the TRU RED Starter Journal I reviewed last week but this paper is only good for ballpoints, gel pens and pencils. I didn’t enjoy the paper because it’s so absorbent and made all pens feel dry and scratchy.

Disclaimer: Both products were provided by TRU RED for the purpose of this review. All photos and opinions are my own. This post does not contain affiliate links and is not sponsored in any way.

Ink Review #1484: Colorverse 003 Deep Purple

Colorverse 003 Deep Purple is from the Project collection and comes in 65ml bottles. You can find this ink for sale at Pen Chalet (aff. link) or Vanness Pens.

The color:

Deep Purple is a medium aubergine purple.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink has some interesting shading and 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: Medium

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: Low

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

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

Comparison Swabs:

Deep Purple is similar to Krishna Sea & Storm. Click here to see the Colorverse inks together, and click here to see the purple inks together.

Longer writing:

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

Overall, this is a nice purple ink-it dries quickly and has a little bit of shading and sheen, but there is a bit more feathering and bleeding than I like to see. I could go either way on this one-it performs well on nicer papers but not all of them and the color isn’t unique enough for me to prefer it over others that perform better.

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

Ink Review #1483: Van Dieman's Spotted Sun Orchid

Van Dieman’s Spotted Sun Orchid is from the Wilderness series and comes in 30ml bottles. You can find this ink for sale at Pen Chalet (aff. link) or Vanness Pens.

The color:

Spotted Sun Orchid is a medium purple haze.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink looks moody and interesting.

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: Low

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

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

On Staples 24 lb copy paper there was feathering in all nib sizes but only a few dots of bleeding.

Comparison Swabs:

Spotted Sun Orchid is closest to Robert Oster Purple Jazz. Click here to see the Van Dieman’s inks together, and click here to see the purple inks together.

Longer writing:

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

Overall, I love the color of this ink and it’s generally well behaved, they only thing I don’t love is the dry time. 60 seconds is a rather long dry time but other than that it’s a good ink.

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

Ink Review #1482: Kyo-no-oto 09 Keshimurasaki

Kyo-no-oto 09 Keshimurasaki. It’s available in 40 ml bottles. You can find this ink for sale at Vanness Pens.

The color:

Keshimurasaki is a pale purple-grey.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink has some pretty 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, tiny grey sheen, and no shimmer.

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

Comparison Swabs:

Keshimurasaki is a lighter than Diamine Vivaldi. Click here to see the Kyoto inks together, and click here to see the purple inks together.

Longer writing:

I used a Sailor Pro Gear Slim Purple Cosmos with a zoom nib on a Taroko Enigma notebook. The ink had a dry flow.

Overall, it’s a lovely purple-grey ink but the flow is very dry. I added a drop of White Lightning (ink additive) to it after doing all the writing samples for this review and liked it much better that way.

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

Ink Review #1481: Kobe 09 Suma Purple

We are kicking off Purple Ink Week (two days late…) with Kobe 09 Suma Purple from Kobe’s standard collection. It’s available in 50 ml bottles. You can find this ink for sale at Vanness Pens.

The color:

Suma Purple is a deep, unsaturated aubergine purple.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink looks very different than it does on the Col-o-ring swab above. It’s more blue with some 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: Low

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: Low

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

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

Comparison Swabs:

Suma Purple is more red than most of these other purple inks. Click here to see the Kobe 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 a wet flow.

Overall, this is a lovely dark purple ink. It has a nice wet flow but it has a little more feathering and bleeding than I prefer. It’s a good ink, but not a must-have for me.

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

Colorverse Hippocamp & Comet SL9

Colorverse Hippocamp & Comet SL9 are from the new Colorverse Season 7: Eye on the Universe. Hippocamp comes in a 65ml bottle and Comet SL9 comes in a 15ml bottle. You can find this ink for sale at Pen Chalet (they still have some in stock right now!)

Swabs:

Left to right: Hippocamp is a medium sky blue and Comet SL9 is a light tawny brown.

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper both inks have 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: 30-40 seconds

Water Resistance: Low-Medium

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

Other properties: high shading (both), no 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:

Hippocamp is lighter than Noodler’s Revolution Blue, but has a similar matte finish.

Comet SL9 is a little darker than Colorverse Brunch Date.

Longer Writing:

Hippocamp: I used a Pilot VP Twilight with a broad nib on a Taroko Odyssey Notebook (Cosmo Air Light paper). The ink had an average flow.

Comet SL9: I used a Lamy Al-star Bronze with a medium nib on a Taroko Odyssey Notebook (Cosmo Air Light paper). The ink had an average flow.

Overall, out of the two Hippocamp is my favorite. The color is lovely, but both have high shading and can be a little too light for me in smaller nib sizes so I plan on sticking to the larger nibs. So far these two are my least favorite from Colorverse Season 7, they just aren’t as amazing as the others.

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

TRU RED Starter Journal

The TRU RED Starter Journal is a recent release from TRU RED. It’s designed as a business essential for notetakers. The notebook measures 8x10 inches.

Front Cover:

The front cover is a textured grey that boasts a pen loop on the spine, a card pocket (perfect for holding business cards) and an elastic strap for keeping the notebook closed.

Back Cover:

On the back cover is an elastic strap, perfect for holding your phone.

Inside Cover:

The front inside cover has a lovely list of note-taking ideas.

Inside Cover:

The opposite inside cover has a spot for basic contract information.

The Paper:

There are 192 lined white pages. The standard pages are a basic narrow rule.

Every 5 pages alternates between a to-do list page with a perforated tear-off and a mostly blank page to sketch out ideas.

Each page has a discreet number in the bottom corner. Page numbers are my favorite detail!

Writing Samples:

This paper handled fountain pens quite well, there was a bit of feathering in the largest nib sizes but only the zoom nib bled through. It handled extra fine and fine nib extremely well, medium nibs well and broad nibs okay.

The paper handled all pens, pencils and highlighters well with no issues.

Rollerball Pens:

In the same collection with the Starter Journal is this pack of rollerball pens. They come in 0.5 tips in black, blue and red. I love the ink window so you easily know how much ink is left.

These rollerballs work well, and feel nice and smooth on the Starter Journal. They aren’t the best rollerballs I’ve ever used, but they aren’t the worst either. They are a comfortable middle-of-the-road at a nice price.

Overall, I enjoyed both the journal and the rollerball pens. I like how well the paper handles fountain pens and the details such as page numbers and to-do lists are lovely. I’m giving away one Starter Journal and Rollerball 3-pack below so be sure to enter! (The giveaway is limited to those in the Contiguous United States.)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclaimer: Both products were provided by TRU RED for the purpose of this review. All photos and opinions are my own. This post does not contain affiliate links and is not sponsored in any way.

Colorverse Crab Nebula & Horsehead Nebula

Colorverse Crab Nebula & Horsehead Nebula are from the new Colorverse Season 7: Eye on the Universe. Crab Nebula comes in a 65ml bottle and Horsehead Nebula in a 15ml bottle. You can find this ink for sale at Pen Chalet.

Swabs:

Left to right: Crab Nebula is a dark grass green and Horsehead Nebula is a medium mauve pink.

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper, Crab Nebula has lots of red sheen and Horsehead Nebula has shading and multi-colored shimmer (I promise it’s multi-colored, it’s just super hard to photograph).

Writing samples:

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

Dry Time: 30-40 seconds

Water Resistance: Medium

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

Other properties: high shading (Horsehead), high red sheen (crab) and multi-colored shimmer (Horsehead).

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

Comparison Swabs:

Crab Nebula is closest to Octopus Fluids Moosgrun.

Horsehead Nebula is closest to Krishna Black Rose.

Longer Writing:

Crab Nebula: I used a Franklin-Christoph 45 Spanish Moss with a broad nib on a Taroko Odyssey Notebook (Cosmo Air Light paper). The ink had an average flow.

Horsehead Nebula: I used a Lamy Al-star Purple with a broad nib on a Taroko Odyssey Notebook (Cosmo Air Light paper). The ink had an average flow.

Overall, out of the two Horsehead nebula is my favorite. It has some fabulous high shading and multi-colored shimmer. Crab Nebula is perfectly lovely as well, so I’m glad I bought full bottles of both. I’m looking forward to spending more time with both of them!

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