Ink Review #192: Diamine Majestic Blue

Today's ink is Diamine Majestic Blue. I have been looking forward to trying this ink and comparing it to Akkerman #5 Shocking Blue, since I frequently hear about how similar they are. I purchased my bottle of ink from Cult Pens. 

The color:

Majestic Blue is a dark blue with plenty of pink sheen.

There is so much dark pink sheen.

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

Dry time: 30 seconds

Water resistance: Medium

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: Low

Other properties: No shading, high pink sheen, and no shimmer. 

On 20 pound copy paper there is a tiny bit of feathering but other than that the ink behaves very well.

Ink swabs for comparison, left to right (top to bottom for mobile RSS): Akkerman #5 Shocking Blue, Diamine Majestic Blue, and Organics Studio Emerson. Click here to see the Diamine inks together. I frequently hear how similar Shocking Blue and Majestic Blue are. After extensive testing of both, using the same pens and paper, I can say they are very close, but not exactly the same. Shocking Blue takes 10 seconds longer to dry, has lower water resistance, and less bleeding. Majestic Blue is a little bit wetter than Shocking Blue and just a touch darker. I even compared their hex numbers in photoshop. They aren't the same, but they are close enough that I don't think you need bottles of both. 

Diamine Florida Blue, Papier Plume Calle Real, and Diamine Oxford Blue. Click here to see the blue inks together. 

Longer writing:

I used a medium Edison Nouveau Premier Delphinium on Tomoe River paper. The ink has a wet flow.

Overall, I really like this ink. It is very similar in color to Akkerman #5 Shocking Blue. Majestic Blue is a little bit better behaved than Shocking Blue is, but Shocking Blue has the pretty bottle. Which do you prefer, Shocking Blue or Majestic Blue? Let me know in the comments below!

Disclaimer: I purchased this ink myself, and all photos and opinions are my own. There are no affiliate links on this page.