Ink Review #826: Vinta Armada

Vinta Aegean Armada 1944 from the Pastels collection is a really interesting color. It’s green when wet, then dries to a grey with a strong purple tone and a little bit of blue as well. According to Vinta’s website, “Armada is a fleet of warships. Throughout time, we've seen how the multitude of ships on sea can transform its color from grey to blue to everything in between. The biggest naval war in history is the Battle of Leyte in 1944.” Thanks to Vanness Pens for sending a sample in for review.

The color:

Armada is a greyish-purple. Depending on the lighting it can look more grey or purple.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper you mostly see the purple, not much grey.

Writing samples:

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

Dry time: 20 seconds

Water resistance: Low

Feathering: Low-there was some feathering in the flex nib on Rhodia and Leuchtturm

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: Low-there was some bleeding in the flex nib.

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

On Staples 24 lb copy paper the ink feathered in all nib sizes and had a little bit of bleeding.

Comparison Swabs:

Armada is similar to Colorverse Anti-matter, but it is a bit lighter. In writing it does remind me a bit of Sailor Ink Studio 123, but it has more blue than green in it. Click here to see the Vinta inks together, and click here to see the grey inks together.

Longer Writing:

I used a Franklin-Christoph 45 Italian Ice with a medium nib on Tomoe River paper. The ink had a slightly dry flow.

Overall, from the Vinta pastel inks I’ve tried so far this one is the most useable. I love that the ink has so many undertones: purple, blue and green, as well as some pretty shading. I think I might need a full bottle of this ink just because the color is so interesting.

Disclaimer: A sample of this ink was provided by Vanness Pens for the purpose of this review. All photos and opinions are my own. This page does not contain affiliate links, and this post is not sponsored in any way.