Ink Review #2019: Pilot Iroshizuku Hotaru-bi

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Last year Pilot came out with three new Iroshizuku inks so today let’s take a look at one of them-Hotaru-bi. You can find this ink for sale at Vanness Pens.

The color:

Hotaru-bi is a bright spring green.

*For my swab cards I use a Col-o-ring by Skylab Letterpress, a medium Pilot Ishime and a Mabie Todd Swan.

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.

*For my writing samples I use:

Dry time: 20 seconds

Water resistance: Low

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

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

On 20 lb copy paper the ink had some feathering and some bleeding in all nib sizes.

Comparison Swabs:

Hotaru-bi is similar to Tono & Lims Hyogo: True Story. Click here to see the green inks together.

Longer writing:

I used a TWSBI Eco Glow Green with a broad nib on a Taroko Enigma notebook. The ink had an average flow.

Overall, the color is a bit bright for me, but it’s well-behaved.

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

Ink Review #2018: Robert Oster Venom

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Robert Oster Venom was created for Vanness Pens for the DC Pen show in 2022. You can find this ink for sale at Vanness Pens.

The color:

Venom is a medium green gold with gold shimmer.

*For my swab cards I use a Col-o-ring by Skylab Letterpress, a medium Pilot Ishime and a Mabie Todd Swan.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink has plenty 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.

*For my writing samples I use:

Dry time: 30 seconds

Water resistance: Low

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

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

On 20 lb copy paper the ink had some feathering and some bleeding in all nib sizes.

Comparison Swabs:

Venom is closest to Colorverse Gluon. Click here to see the green inks together.

Longer writing:

I used a Pelikan M600 Vibrant Green with a medium nib on a Taroko Enigma notebook. The ink had an average flow.

Overall, this is a lovely ink. I love the color and shading-it has character.

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

Diamine Inkvent 2022 Days 21-25

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It’s time to take a look at the Diamine Inkvent 2022 Calendar, days 21-25. You can find the Inkvent Calendar for sale at a few different places, including Goldspot Pens.

Swabs:

Left to right: Cosy Up, Deck the Halls, Celebration, One More Sleep and Best Wishes.

Writing samples:

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

Dry Time: 40-60 seconds

Water Resistance: Low-Medium

Feathering: Best Wishes had medium feathering.

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

Other properties: Cosy Up had low shading. Deck the Halls had copper shimmer. Celebration had low shading and pink shimmer. One More Sleep had medium shading. Best Wishes had low shading, medium red sheen and green shimmer.

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

Comparison Swabs:

Cosy Up is less saturated and lighter than Diamine Tulip.

Deck the Halls is closest to Diamine Mystique.

Celebration is closest to Diamine Pink Champagne.

One More Sleep is lighter than Diamine Night Shade.

Best Wishes is darker than Diamine Serendipity.

All the inks had an average flow except One More Sleep, which had a slightly dry flow.

Overall, One More Sleep is probably my favorite out of the five. It has some nice shading and is a lovely blue color.

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

Ink Review #2012: Robert Oster No Fixed Address

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Robert Oster No Fixed Address is from Robert Oster’s Shake ‘N’ Shimmy collection. You can find this ink for sale at Vanness Pens.

The color:

No Fixed Address is a bright cherry red with blue shimmer.

*For my swab cards I use a Col-o-ring by Skylab Letterpress, a medium Pilot Ishime and a Mabie Todd Swan.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink has plenty of blue shimmer.

Writing samples:

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

*For my writing samples I use:

Dry time: 30 seconds

Water resistance: Low

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

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

On 20 lb copy paper the ink had some feathering and some bleeding in all nib sizes.

Comparison Swabs:

No Fixed Address is closest to Robert Oster Sparkling Cranberry. Click here to see the red inks together.

Longer writing:

I used a TWSBI Eco Blossom Red with a medium nib on a Taroko Enigma notebook. The ink had a dry flow.

Overall, this is a nice well-behaved red. The flow is a little dry due to the amount of shimmer, but I didn’t have any issues with clogging.

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

Vinta Holiday 2021 Inks

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Last year Vinta released two inks for the 2021 holiday season: Carol Red Karol 1990 and Jewel Green Parol 1908. These inks are still available at Vanness Pens.

Swabs:

Left to right: Karol and Parol.

Writing samples:

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

Dry Time: 30-60 seconds

Water Resistance: Low

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

Other properties: Karol had low shading, medium green sheen and copper shimmer. Parol had low shading, medium pink sheen and gold shimmer.

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

Comparison Swabs:

Karol is similar to J Herbin 1670 Rouge Hematite.

Parol is darker than Diamine Golden Ivy.

Longer Writing:

Both inks had an average flow.

Overall, both are lovely inks with a lot of interesting properties. These are perfect for the holiday season!

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

PenBBS Season 28 Part 1

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Let’s take a look at four inks from PenBBS Season 28. My inks came from Vanness Pens, but they are no longer carrying PenBBS, so I’m unsure where you can find some.

Swabs:

Left to right: 393 Midniight, 394 Break, 395 Morning and 396 Before the Break.

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: All four inks had low shading.

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

Comparison Swabs:

Midnight is similar to Wearingeul Henry Jekyll. Before the Break is lighter and less saturated than Midnight.

Break is lighter than Kyo-no-oto Aonibi.

Morning is lighter than Taccia Grey Jeans.

All the inks had an average flow.

Overall, Midnight is my favorite out of the four and Morning is my least favorite (it’s way too pale).

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

Ink Review #2005: Scribo Rosso Chianti

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Scribo Rosso Chianti is from Scribo’s standard collection. You can find this ink for sale at Vanness Pens.

The color:

Rosso Chianti is a deep wine red.

*For my swab cards I use a Col-o-ring by Skylab Letterpress, a medium Pilot Ishime and a Mabie Todd Swan.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink is darker, almost purple.

Writing samples:

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

*For my writing samples I use:

Dry time: 50 seconds

Water resistance: Medium

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

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

On 20 lb copy paper the ink had some feathering and some bleeding in all nib sizes.

Comparison Swabs:

Rosso Chianti is a bit more saturated than Monteverde Napa Burgundy. 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 slightly dry flow.

Overall, I love the color and it’s well behaved, I just wish the flow was a bit wetter.

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

Diamine Inkvent 2022 Days 16-20

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It’s time to take a look at the Diamine Inkvent 2022 Calendar, days 16-20. You can find the Inkvent Calendar for sale at a few different places, including Goldspot Pens. (It seems Arctic Blast and Pick Me Up got switched in my advent. By the time I realized it, the reviews were already done so I’m just gonna run with it.)

Swabs:

Left to right: Serendipity, Flame, Olive Swirl, Silent Night and Pick Me Up.

Writing samples:

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

Dry Time: 40-60 seconds

Water Resistance: Low-Medium

Feathering: Pick Me Up had high feathering.

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: Pick Me Up had high bleeding.

Other properties: Serendipity had low shading, medium red sheen and copper shimmer. Flame had low shading. Olive Swirl had medium shading and green shimmer. Silent Night had medium shading and low red sheen. Pick Me Up had a little bit of green sheen and is scented.

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

Comparison Swabs:

Serendipity is similar to Colorverse NGC 1850.

Flame is close to Montblanc Lucky Orange.

Olive Swirl is a little bit bluer than Diamine Razzmatazz.

Silent Night is close to Standard Bindery Luna Tone.

Pick Me Up is similar to Diamine Chocolate Brown.

All the inks had an average flow except Pick Me Up, which had a wet flow.

Overall, I don’t like Pick Me Up-there’s way too much bleeding and feathering for me (this is common for scented inks, they just don’t perform well). Olive Swirl and Silent Night are my favorite out of the five.

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

Ink Review #1999: Van Dieman's Sailor's Delight

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Van Dieman’s Sailor’s Delight is from the Midnight Collection. My ink sample came from Vanness Pens. (This is the original formula, not the reformulation.)

The color:

Sailor’s Delight is a deep red-orange. It’s a little bit more red than it is orange.

*For my swab cards I use a Col-o-ring by Skylab Letterpress, a medium Pilot Ishime and a Mabie Todd Swan.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink is less orange than it is on the Col-o-ring.

Writing samples:

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

*For my writing samples I use:

Dry time: 20 seconds

Water resistance: Medium

Feathering: Medium

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: Low

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

On 20 lb copy paper the ink had some feathering and some bleeding in all nib sizes.

Comparison Swabs:

Sailor’s Delight is similar to Van Deman’s Bay of Fires. Click here to see the red inks together.

Longer writing:

I used a TWSBI Eco Blossom Red with a medium nib on a Taroko Enigma notebook. The ink had a slightly dry flow.

Overall, the color’s too orange for me and there’s too much feathering and bleeding. I don’t like anything about this ink.

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

Ink Review #1998: Van Dieman's Bonfire Night

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Van Dieman’s Bonfire Night is from the Midnight Collection. You can find this ink for sale at Vanness Pens. (This is the original formula, not the reformulation.)

The color:

Bonfire Night is a deep red-orange with gold shimmer.

*For my swab cards I use a Col-o-ring by Skylab Letterpress, a medium Pilot Ishime and a Mabie Todd Swan.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink has lots of shimmer.

Writing samples:

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

*For my writing samples I use:

Dry time: 20 seconds

Water resistance: Medium

Feathering: Medium

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: Medium

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

On 20 lb copy paper the ink had some feathering and some bleeding in all nib sizes.

Comparison Swabs:

Bonfire Night is closest to Diamine Rockin Rio. Click here to see the orange inks together.

Longer writing:

I used an Esterbrook Estie Maraschino with a broad nib on a Taroko Enigma notebook. The ink had an average flow.

Overall, there’s too much feathering and bleeding, but it is a nice color.

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