Ink Review #2636: Private Reserve Pearlescent Black Silver

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Private Reserve Black Silver is from the Pearlescent collection. You can find these inks for sale at most retailers including Dromgoole’s, who has it on sale for half off right now.

The color:

Black Silver is a medium black with lots of silver 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 sooo much 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: High

Feathering: Medium

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: Medium

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

On 20 lb copy paper the ink had lots of feathering and some bleeding.

Comparison Swabs:

Black Silver is closest to De Atramentis Velvet Black. Click here to see the black inks together.

Longer Writing:

I used a Franklin-Christoph 45 in Charcoal with a broad nib on a Taroko Enigma notebook. The ink has a wet flow.

Overall, I really don’t like this ink. It has a lot of feathering and bleeding and the shimmer clogs and gets everywhere. It wipes off so easy, even onto the opposite page. I can see why this ink is on sale everywhere, because it’s not a good performer.

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 #2635: Private Reserve Black

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Private Reserve Infinity Black is from the Infinity collection. You can find these inks for sale at most retailers including Vanness Pens, who has it on sale right now.

The color:

Infinity Black is a medium black.

*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 black sheen.

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: no shading, low black sheen, and no shimmer.

On 20 lb copy paper the ink worked pretty well, just a little bit of feathering and bleeding in the flex nib.

Comparison Swabs:

Infinity Black is similar to Faber-Castell Carbon Black. Click here to see the black inks together.

Longer Writing:

I used a Pelikan M205 Moonstone with a fine nib on a Taroko Enigma notebook. The ink has an average flow.

Overall, this is an average ink. It’s designed to flow well even when you leave the cap off the pen for a while, but I didn’t notice that it flowed any better than the average ink.

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 #2634: Private Reserve Infinity Red

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Private Reserve Infinity Red is from the Infinity collection. You can find this ink for sale at most retailers including Vanness Pens.

The color:

Private Reserve Infinity Red is a bright teacher 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 it 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: 60 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 the larger nib sizes.

Comparison Swabs:

Infinity Red is closest to Monteverde Valentine Red. 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 has an average flow.

Overall, I could go either way with this ink. It’s fine but not great. It’s supposed to be able to flow even if you leave the cap off for a while, but I didn’t notice that it flowed any better than the average ink.

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.

My 10 Favorite Black Inks

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We’ve been slowly tackling my top ten inks in each color category and today it’s time to have a go at black inks! You can find my top ten by color posts in the favorites tab at the top of the blog. So let’s take a look!

Pilot Iroshizuku Take-sumi is a fabulous dark ink with a nice wet flow.

Sailor Jentle Black is my go-to black ink. I’m so close to finishing the bottle, which doesn’t happen to me often. I keep it in a TWSBI Mini Rose Gold, and I usually refill it once a week.

Sailor Kiwa-guro is one I reach for when I want a water-resistant ink, but it does have a pretty long dry time.

Aurora Black is a good everyday black. I love using it for taking quick notes in a Pilot Vanishing Point.

I love Platinum Carbon Black. I use it often-it has high water resistance and has a nice wet flow.

Monteverde Documental Black isn’t the darkest black ink on this list, but it’s dries fast and is water-resistant.

Cross Black is a nice well-behaved classic black ink.

Platinum Chou Kuro is wet and smooth and a dark black color.

Nagasawa Kobe 05 Tor Black has a nice wet flow and a little bit of shading and sheen.

Pelikan Edelstein Onyx is on the drier side and tends to tame some of my wetter nibs.

What ink would you add to my favorite black inks? Let me know in the comments below!

Ink Review #2633: Private Reserve Infinity Blue

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Today’s ink is Private Reserve Infinity Blue. You can find this ink for sale at Levenger.

The color:

Blue is a deep 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 some 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: 80 seconds

Water resistance: Low

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

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

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

Comparison Swabs:

Blue is a little deeper than Diplomat Deep Blue. Click here to see the blue inks together.

Longer Writing:

I used a Pelikan M205 Petrol Marbled, with a medium nib on a Taroko Enigma notebook. The ink has an average flow.

Overall, this ink is ok but not great. It does have a long dry time, and it didn’t dry out any slower than the average ink like it’s advertised as.

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 #2632: Private Reserve Infinity Turquoise

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Today’s ink is Private Reserve Infinity Turquoise. You can find this ink for sale at Noteworthy Stationery Supplies.

The color:

Turquoise is just that-a bright turquoise.

*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 just the tiniest little bit of pink sheen.

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: Low

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

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

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

Comparison Swabs:

Turquoise is similar to Conklin Antique Turquoise. Click here to see the blue inks together.

Longer Writing:

I used a Leonardo x Figboot pen, with a medium nib on a Taroko Enigma notebook. The ink has an average flow.

Overall, this ink is unnecessary for me. It’s fine but there’s nothing about it that stands out, and there are so many similar inks out there. It’s supposed to have an extended cap off time, so it doesn’t dry out as fast as other inks, but I didn’t notice any difference between this ink and the average ink.

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 #2631: Private Reserve Fast Dry American Blue

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Today’s ink is Private Reserve American Blue from the Fast Dry collection. You can find this ink for sale at JetPens.

The color:

American Blue is a bright classic 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 pink sheen.

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: Low

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

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

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

Comparison Swabs:

American Blue is a little bit brighter than Taccia Ruri. Click here to see the blue inks together.

Longer Writing:

I used a Pilot Custom 74 Teal, with a broad nib on a Taroko Enigma notebook. The ink has an average flow.

Overall, this is a nice ink, but it dries in 50 seconds, which is not a fast dry ink to me. If it’s advertised as fast dry then it should be fast drying.

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 #2630: Private Reserve Fast Dry Midnight Blue

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Today’s ink is Private Reserve Midnight Blue from the Fast Dry collection. You can find this ink for sale at JetPens.

The color:

Midnight Blue is just that-a midnight 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 coppery sheen.

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: 60 seconds

Water resistance: Low

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

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

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

Comparison Swabs:

Midnight Blue is a little deeper than Private Reserve Infinity Blue. 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 has an average flow.

Overall, this ink is lovely, but it’s absolutely not a fast dry ink like the name implies. It took quite a long time to dry at 60 seconds, which is fine, but it’s not what it’s advertised as.

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 #2629: Wearingeul Enki

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Today’s ink is Wearingeul Enki from the World Myth collection. My sample came from Vanness Pens.

The color:

Enki is a cotton candy blue that shades to pink.

*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 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: 40 seconds

Water resistance: Low

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

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

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

Comparison Swabs:

Enki is a little darker than Wearingeul Wendy Darling and Colorverse Han Bit. Click here to see the blue inks together.

Longer Writing:

I used a TWSBI Eco Cement with a medium nib on a Taroko Enigma notebook. The ink was so pale and dry! I did not enjoy the pen/ink/paper combo.

Overall, this ink is way too pale and dry for me to use again. It is darker than some of the other similar inks, but it’s still too pale for me.

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.

Vinta Hello Rain Inks

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Today’s inks are from the Vinta Hello Rain collection. You can finds these inks for sale at a lot of retailers, including Vanness Pens.

Swabs:

Left to right: Arnibal, Tuwing Umuulan, Badya, Holen and Amihan.

Writing samples:

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

Dry Time: 30-50 seconds

Water Resistance: Low

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

Other properties: All have low shading, Arnibal has low green sheen. Arnibal, Badya and Amihan have gold shimmer. Tuwing Umuulan has silver shimmer and Holen has blue shimmer.

On Walmart Pen + Gear copy paper there was some feathering and bleeding in the larger nib sizes.

Comparison Swabs:

Arnibal is darker than Diamine Yule Log and warmer than Robert Oster Terra Australis.

Tuwing Umuulan is lighter than Ferris Wheel Press Cabernet on the Lake.

Badya is closest to Birmingham Southshore Luster.

Holen is a little darker than Van Dieman’s Morning Frost but a little lighter than Kyo-no-oto Ginkaisuoku Silver.

Amihan is lighter than Robert Oster Faith, but darker than the rest.

Longer Writing:

I used a Taroko Enigma notebook. All four had average flows.

Overall, these are lovely shimmer inks. They are well behaved and nice colors. I would say these are average-lovely, but not must-have inks for me.

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