Akkerman Dutch Masters 6, 8 & 10

/

Let’s take a look at three Akkerman inks from the Dutch Masters collection. You can find these inks for sale at most retailers including Vanness Pens.

Swabs:

Left to right: 06 Lievens, 08 Rusidael’s and 10 Van Huysum’s.

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: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

Other properties: Low-medium shading and 08 had low copper sheen.

On Walmart Pen + Gear copy paper there is some feathering in every nib size but no bleeding.

Comparison Swabs:

Lievens is less saturated than these other red inks.

Ruisdael’s is similar to Octopus Blue Chameleon.

Van Huysum’s is close to Inkebara Highlands Green.

Longer Writing:

All of the inks had dry flows.

Overall, all three are well behaved, but a bit dry for me. I wish they were a bit wetter, but other than that I enjoyed them.

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

BENU Talisman Cat's Eye

/

At the San Francisco Pen Show 2023, Luxury Brands of had a display of BENU pens. I found the Talisman Cat’s Eye fountain pen and immediately knew I needed one. This is the first BENU pen I have seen that actually appealed to me-most are too glittery or showy. Thanks to Luxury Brands for providing one of these pens for review! You can find these pens for sale at most retailers including Vanness Pens.

The pen is made of resin and is 5.45 inches long when capped. The cap is a screw cap. The pen weighs 20 grams.

The pen is 6.56 inches when posted.

The cap posts nicely.

The cap is 2.5 inches long and super sparkly.

Here’s a close up of the cap.

The medium steel nib is engraved with Schmidt Iridium Point.

The section is 10mm and has a very small step to the threads and barrel.

The nib is smooth and didn’t have any issues. It’s a very stiff steel nib, no softness or flex to it.

When inked with Diamine Aurora Borealis (one of my favorite teal inks) the writing was smooth and enjoyable.

With cursive again I had no issues with the nib.

The section is a good fit for my hands-not too big or too small. I love how sparkly the pen is and how well the steel nib performs. I would absolutely buy another BENU pen-perhaps the Tiger’s Eye next time.

Disclaimer: This product was provided by Luxury Brands for the purpose of this review. All photos and opinions are my own. This post is not sponsored in any way.

Ink Review #2323: Colorverse Green

/

Colorverse Green is from the Office collection. You can find this ink for sale at most retailers including Vanness Pens.

The color:

Green is a classic medium 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 a little bit of 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: 40 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 just a little bit of feathering and a few dots of bleeding.

Comparison Swabs:

Green is a little bit darker than Robert Oster Elf’s Cap. Click here to see the green inks together.

Longer Writing:

I used a Pelikan M605 Green White with a medium nib on a Taroko Enigma notebook. The ink has an average flow.

Overall, this is a good office-appropriate green, but there’s nothing about it that makes it stand out from all the other green inks out there.

Thanks to all my Patrons! I couldn’t do these reviews without you! You can find my Patreon page here.

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

Ink Review #2322: Colorverse Blue

/

Colorverse Blue is from the Office collection. You can find this ink for sale at most retailers including Vanness Pens.

The color:

Blue is a classic medium blue.

*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 a little bit of 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: 40 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 just a little bit of feathering and a few dots of bleeding.

Comparison Swabs:

Blue is lighter than these other blues. 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 has an average flow.

Overall, this ink is a good basic blue but there are so many good blue inks out there that this one doesn’t stand out from the crowd.

Thanks to all my Patrons! I couldn’t do these reviews without you! You can find my Patreon page here.

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

Colorverse Kingdom Part 2

/

Let’s take a look at three more Colorverse inks from the Kingdom collection. You can find these inks for sale at most retailers including Vanness Pens.

Swabs:

Left to right: Tang Pyeong, Kyujang Gak and Daehan Jeguk.

Writing samples:

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

Dry Time: 40-50 seconds

Water Resistance: Low-Medium

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

Other properties: Low-Medium shading, no sheen and no shimmer.

On Walmart Pen + Gear copy paper there is some feathering in every nib size and some bleeding.

Comparison Swabs:

Tang Pyeong is a little cooler than Robert Oster Muddy Crown.

Kyujang Gak is less saturated than PenBBS Before the Break.

Daehan Jeguk is lighter than Monteverde Documental Black.

Longer Writing:

All of the inks have average flows.

Overall, all three are well behaved, but Tang Pyeong is my favorite out of the three. It’s a little smoother than the other two.

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

Ink Review #2318: Colorverse Brown

/

Colorverse Brown is from the Office collection. You can find this ink for sale at most retailers including Vanness Pens.

The color:

Brown is a medium red-brown.

*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 looks much darker.

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: 40 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 just a little bit of feathering and a few dots of bleeding.

Comparison Swabs:

Brown is a little deeper than Diamine Terracotta. Click here to see the brown inks together.

Longer Writing:

I used a Pelikan M400 White Tortoise with a medium nib on a Taroko Enigma notebook. The ink has an average flow.

Overall, this ink is a nice, well-behaved brown. I don’t love it enough to need a full bottle, but it’s nice.

Thanks to all my Patrons! I couldn’t do these reviews without you! You can find my Patreon page here.

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

Colorverse Kingdom Part 1

/

Let’s take a look at three Colorverse inks from the Kingdom collection. You can find these inks for sale at most retailers including Vanness Pens.

Swabs:

Left to right: Gae Guk, Nalasmalssami, and Taepyeong.

Writing samples:

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

Dry Time: 60-80 seconds

Water Resistance: Low

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

Other properties: Gae Guk has low shading and low red sheen. Nalasmalssami has low shading and low pink sheen. Taepyeong has low shading.

On Walmart Pen + Gear copy paper there is some feathering in every nib size and some bleeding.

Comparison Swabs:

Gae Guk is a little darker than Taccia Ruri.

Nalasmalssami is close to KWZ Foggy Green.

Taepyeong is lighter than Birmingham Stormwater Runoff.

Longer Writing:

All of the inks have average flows.

Overall, all three are well behaved but have long dry times. Nalasmalssami is my favorite out of the three just because teal is my favorite color.

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

Waldmann Xetra Vienna

/

At the San Francisco Pen Show 2023, Waldmann had Stefanie Ottilie, an expert engraver, hand engraving the Waldmann Xetra Vienna pens. It was amazing to watch her work. She was so focused, even in a ballroom full of people and noise. Thanks to Luxury Brands for providing one of these pens for review! Most retailers carry this pen, but in different colors. You can find the White and Rose Gold at Goulet Pens. Atlas Stationers carries the Pink, Blue and Green.

The pen is sterling silver and 5.4 inches long when capped. The cap is a screw cap. The pen weighs 40 grams.

The pen is 6.5 inches when posted.

When posted the cap does not attach to the pen completely, there is a little gap in-between.

Now let’s talk about the cap. It’s gorgeous. It’s 2.4 inches long with a clip, hand-engraved.

The cap is so pretty that it deserves another close-up.

The medium steel nib is engraved with the Waldmann logo and the date 1918.

The section is a slip 8mm and has a very discreet step to the threads and barrel.

The nib is smooth and didn’t have any issues. It’s a very stiff steel nib, no softness or flex to it.

When inked with KWZ Chicago Blue (one of my favorite blue inks) the writing was smooth and enjoyable.

With cursive again I had no issues with the nib.

The section is a bit slim for my hands but that didn’t keep me from enjoying writing with it. I love the engraving and the length of the pen. I would absolutely purchase this pen, but probably in white or pink next time.

Disclaimer: This product was provided by Luxury Brands for the purpose of this review. All photos and opinions are my own. This post is not sponsored in any way.

Taccia Hiroshige Inks

/

Let’s take a look at four Taccia inks from the Hiroshige collection. You can find these inks for sale at most retailers including Vanness Pens.

Swabs:

Left to right: Ainezu, Asahanada, Ruri and Naka Murasaki.

Writing samples:

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

Dry Time: 20-50 seconds

Water Resistance: Medium

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

Other properties: Ainezu and Naka Murasaki had low shading. Asahanada had medium shading. Ruri had medium shading and medium red sheen.

On Walmart Pen + Gear copy paper there was some feathering in every nib size and some bleeding.

Comparison Swabs:

Ainezu is a bit more grey than these other blue black inks.

Asahanada is lighter than Birmingham Monongahela.

Ruri is brighter than Diplomat Deep Blue.

Naka Murasaki is a bit more red than Birmingham Corona.

Longer Writing:

All of the inks had average flows.

Overall, Ainezu is my favorite out of the four, but I enjoyed all of them. They are lovely and well-behaved.

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

Akkerman 6-10 Inks

/

Let’s take a look at five Akkerman inks. You can find these inks for sale at most retailers including Vanness Pens.

Swabs:

Left to right: 06 Binnenhof Blues, 07 Koninginnelnach, 08 Diep Duinwaterblauw, 09 Laan Van Nieuw Oost, 10 Ijzer Galno.

Writing samples:

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

Dry Time: 50-60 seconds

Water Resistance: Medium

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

Other properties: All five had low shading.

On Walmart Pen + Gear copy paper there was some feathering in every nib size and some bleeding.

Comparison Swabs:

06 is a bit brighter than Octopus Blue Koi.

07 and 09 are pretty similar to each other.

08 is brighter than Monteverde Zebra.

10 is lighter than KWZ IG Blue #2.

Longer Writing:

All of the inks had average flows.

Overall, I enjoyed all five of these inks. They are great basic blues, and you can’t go wrong with any of them.

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