PenBBS Season 13

Let’s take a look at 4 inks from PenBBS Season 13: 183 Platycodon Grandiflorus, 184 Cane Yellow, 233 Nanjing and 235 Mandarin Duck Female. I got these inks from Vanness Pens, but they no longer sell them so I’m not sure where you can pick some up.

Swabs:

Left to right: 183 Platycodon Grandiflorus, 184 Cane Yellow, 233 Nanjing and 235 Mandarin Duck Female

Writing samples:

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

Dry Time: 30-70 seconds

Water Resistance: Low-Medium

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

Other properties: All 4 inks had medium shading and Mandarin Female had green shimmer.

On Staples 24 lb copy paper there was lots of feathering in every nib size as well as some bleeding.

Comparison Swabs:

183 is similar to Montblanc Tolstoy.

Cane Yellow is close to Ferris Wheel Press Buttered Popcorn.

Nanjing is close to Monteverde Turtle.

Mandarin Female is close to Diamine Brandy Dazzle.

All the inks had an average flow except Mandarin Female which had a dry flow.

Overall, I think 183 is my favorite out of the four, but none of them are must-haves for me.

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