Ink Review #88: Diamine Red Dragon

Diamine Red Dragon is one of those inks that I hear recommended often. Red ink always reminds me of mistakes at school, but I've been using it a bit more often lately. I love the name of this ink. I purchased my bottle at Cult Pens. 

The color...

Red Dragon is a dark red with low sheen.

The Tomoe River swabs doesn't show much shading, and just a bit of sheen. 

The ink drops show off the low sheen.

Dry time: 35 seconds

Water resistance: low

Feathering: low feathering on Baron Fig paper.

Show through: medium

Bleeding: Only on Baron Fig paper, and the large swab on Tomoe River paper.

Other properties: Low sheen, and very low shading

Ink swabs for comparison, left to right (top to bottom for RSS): Diamine Matador, Diamine Red Dragon, and Diamine Oxblood. To see the Diamine ink swabs together, click here. Matador is a bit lighter, and Oxblood is darker. 

Robert Oster Astorquiza Rot, Robert Oster Maroon 1789, and Robert Oster Clay Red. To see the red ink swabs together, click here. Clay Red is a bit darker than Red Dragon.

Longer writing:

I didn't have any flow issues in longer writing. I used a medium nib on Tomoe River paper.

Overall, Red Dragon is a nice dark red, but it does have a longer dry time. If you want to coax some shading or sheen out of it, you need to use a broad or a flex nib. 

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