The First 100 Inks

This week I posted my 100th ink review. I only started this blog about four months ago, and in that time I have tested some amazing inks, and some rather awful inks. But reviewing a mountain of ink isn't just about the amazing inks, it's about the good, the bad, and the ugly. 

I've had a few people ask me for my current favorites per color, so here are my current favorite inks. The rules: I tried to keep it to less than three inks per color, and they have to be inks I have already reviewed. I know there are a lot of Sailor Jentle and Robert Oster inks in this list. I've been focusing on reviewing Diamine, Robert Oster, and Sailor Jentle inks so far, with a few inks from different brands mixed in, and let's face it, Sailor and Robert Oster inks are amazing. 

I've only reviewed four black inks so far, so picking the three I liked most was easy. Pelikan Edelstein Onyx. Pilot Iroshizuku, and Diamine Onyx Black (which is my least favorite of the three). Of the three, I think Take-sumi is my favorite. You can find all of the black inks I have reviewed here. 

I have only reviewed two grey (yes, I prefer to spell grey with an "e" not an "a") inks so far, but I really liked both of them. Robert Oster Graphite and Organics Studio Arsenic Gray. Both are well behaved and have medium shading. You can find all of the grey inks I have reviewed so far here.

I have reviewed five brown inks so far, you can find them here. Robert Oster Golden Brown and Robert Oster Marrone Mustard both have medium shading. I'm starting to sense a theme here-I love inks with shading.

I've tested 8 reds so far, and the three that have stood out to me are Robert Oster Maroon 1789, Robert Oster Clay Red and Sailor Jentle Grenade. Both of the Robert Osters have medium shading, and Grenade has some amazing green sheen. You can find my red ink reviews here.

So far I've reviewed 11 pink inks, you can find the pink inks here. My three favorites right now are Robert Oster Cherry Blossom, Kobe #30 Oji Cherry, and Callifolio Andrinople. All three have at least some shading.

I'm not crazy about orange inks, it's just not my thing. My three favorites right now are Sailor Jentle Apricot, Papier Plume Sazerac, and Robert Oster Tangerine. You can find the orange inks here.

I've only reviewed three yellow inks so far, which you can find here, and the only one I really liked was Bungubox Sweet Potato Yellow. It's a yellow, but it almost ranges to orange when used in a wet nib. I do have some yellow ink reviews coming up in the next few weeks, and a few of those I really like, so stay tuned.

There are so many good green inks, but my three current favorites are: Sailor Jentle Miruai, which has some amazing sheen, Robert Oster River of Fire, with its shading and sheen, and Robert Oster Verde de Rio, which has some great shading. You can find all of the green ink reviews here.

I have three favorite teals, and one runner up. I love Organics Studio Walden, the sheen is just amazing, but you do have to be careful about smearing it (on Tomoe River paper). Robert Oster Deep Sea is gorgeous, with its sheen and shading. Sailor Jentle Yama-dori has some amazing sheen and is really smooth. Robert Oster Tranquility is my runner up, and is almost as great as Deep Sea. You can find all of the teal ink reviews here.

I have three favorite blues right now, and one runner up: Robert Oster Evening Sapphire, Organics Studio Nitrogen, the sheen monster, and Robert Oster Soda Pop Blue. All three are amazing. Sailor Jentle Sky High is my runner up. It's a fabulous ink, but right now I'm really hung up on the other three. You can find the blue ink reviews here.

For my purples, I like Robert Oster Claret, Platinum Lavender Black, and Sailor Jentle Shigure. You can find the purple ink reviews here.

I'm constantly changing my favorites, one week I'll be into teal, and the next it's all about purple. These are my favorites for right now, and I'll do a new favorites list again when I hit 200 ink reviews. Let me know your current favorite inks in the comments below. 

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