Esterbrook Aqua & Aqua Shimmer

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Let’s take a look at Esterbrook Aqua & Aqua Shimmer. Both inks have the same base but the shimmer version has gold shimmer added. You can find these inks for sale at most retailers including Vanness Pens.

The color:

Aqua is a medium blue.

Shimmer Version:

Aqua Shimmer is the same medium blue but 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 just a little bit of red 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: Medium

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

Other properties: medium shading, tiny red sheen, and gold shimmer.

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

Comparison Swabs:

Aqua is similar to PenBBS Su Wu. Click here to see the blue inks together.

Aqua Shimmer is a little bit darker than Diamine Jack Frost.

Longer Writing:

I used a Lamy Safari Turquoise with a medium nib on a Taroko Enigma notebook. The ink had an average flow.

Overall, they’re a good basic blue. The shimmer version didn’t have any clogs. There’s nothing about these inks that makes them stand out from the crowd. I could take or leave them.

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