Esterbrook Aqua & Aqua Shimmer

/

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.

Thanks to all my Patrons! I couldn’t do these reviews without you! You can find my Patreon page here.

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

Ink Review #1922: Esterbrook Ebony

/

Esterbrook Ebony is from the Esterbrook Standard collection. You can find this ink for sale at Vanness Pens.

The color:

Ebony is a deep black.

*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 lots of bleeding and feathering.

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: 5 seconds

Water resistance: High

Feathering: High

Show through: High

Bleeding: High

Other properties: no shading, no sheen, and no shimmer.

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

Comparison Swabs:

Ebony is similar to Colorverse Selectron. Click here to see the black inks together.

Longer writing:

I used a Lamy Safari Petrol with a medium nib on a Taroko Enigma notebook. The ink had a wet flow.

Overall, this ink dries quickly and is water resistant, but it also comes with lots of issues: high feathering and bleeding, even on Tomoe River paper and the ink spreads so a medium nib feels more like a broad or double broad. I wouldn’t recommend this ink to anyone.

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

Ink Review #1842: Esterbrook Tangerine & Shimmer

/

Esterbrook recently released their own line of inks. Some of the inks have a shimmer and a non-shimmer version. Let’s take a look at Esterbrook Tangerine and Tangerine Shimmer. You can find these inks for sale at Vanness Pens.

The color:

Tangerine is a bright medium orange.

Shimmer:

Tangerine Shimmer is the same bright medium orange 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 shading.

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: 30 seconds

Water resistance: Low

Feathering: Low

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: Low

Other properties: medium shading, no sheen, and gold shimmer.

On 20 lb copy paper there is some feathering and bleeding in all nib sizes.

Comparison Swabs:

Tangerine is closest to Robert Oster Peach. Click here to see the orange inks together.

Tangerine Shimmer is closest to Diamine Citrus Ice.

Longer writing:

I used a TWSBI Eco Transparent Orange with a medium nib on a Taroko Breeze notebook. The ink had a slightly dry flow.

I used a Pelikan M600 Vibrant Orange with a medium nib on a Taroko Breeze notebook. The ink had a slightly dry flow.

Overall, there’s a little more bleeding and feathering than I prefer, but it’s not too bad. There’s nothing about either one that wows me, and there are some better orange inks out there.

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

Ink Review #1783: Esterbrook Lilac Shimmer

/

Today’s purple ink is Esterbrook Lilac Shimmer. You can find this ink for sale at most retailers including Vanness Pens.

The color:

Lilac Shimmer is a medium purple 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 some shading and gold shimmer.

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: 40 seconds

Water resistance: Medium

Feathering: Low

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: Low

Other properties: medium shading, no sheen, and gold shimmer.

On 20 lb copy paper there is some feathering in all nib sizes and a few dots of bleeding.

Comparison Swabs:

Lilac Shimmer is closest to J Herbin Amethyste de L’oural. Click here to see the purple inks together.

Longer writing:

Somehow my longer writing sample disappeared and I don’t have enough ink to do another one.

Overall, there’s a little more feathering and bleeding than I prefer, but the color is nice and the shimmer is pretty. I prefer J Herbin Amethyste de L’oural over this one.

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

Ink Review #1723: Esterbrook Scarlet

/

Esterbrook Scarlet is from Esterbrook’s new collection of inks. You can find this ink for sale at most retailers including Vanness Pens.

The color:

Scarlet is a bright but unsaturated red orange ink.

*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 feathers and bleeds.

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: 40 seconds

Water resistance: Low

Feathering: Medium

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: Medium

Other properties: low shading, no sheen, and no shimmer.

On 20 lb copy paper there is some feathering and bleeding in all nib sizes.

Comparison Swabs:

Scarlet is closest to Robert Oster Direct Sun. Click here to see the red inks together.

Longer writing:

I used a Franklin-Christoph 45L in Italian Ice with a medium nib on a Taroko Enigma notebook. The ink had a slightly dry flow.

Overall, the performance isn’t quite there for me. There’s too much feathering and bleeding to be called well-behaved. The color isn’t unique enough to put up with how temperamental it is.

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

Ink Review #1714: Esterbrook Evergreen

/

We are continuing on with another green ink today, Esterbrook Evergreen. You can find this ink for sale at most retailers including Vanness Pens.

The color:

Evergreen is a medium classic green.

*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: 40 seconds

Water resistance: Medium

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

Other properties: medium shading, tiny red sheen, and no shimmer.

On 20 lb copy paper there is some feathering and a little bit of bleeding in all nib sizes.

Comparison Swabs:

Evergreen is more blue than Diamine Sherwood Green but less green than Colorverse Laurel. Click here to see the green inks together.

Longer writing:

I used an Esterbrook Estie Montana Sapphire with a broad nib on a Taroko Enigma notebook. The ink had an average flow.

Overall, this is a nice green ink, but there’s nothing about it that stands out from a lot of the other green inks I already have.

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