Posts filed under Ink Reviews

Robert Oster Signature Ink Review: Soda Pop Blue

(Susan M. Pigott is a fountain pen collector, pen and paperholic, photographer, and professor. You can find more from Susan on her blog Scribalishess.)

I love Robert Oster inks, and I know I’m not alone. I am especially fond of blue inks, so it’s no surprise that when Soda Pop Blue came out, I wanted some. Soda Pop Blue is a cross between a blue and a turquoise ink. And, like many Robert Oster inks, it has lovely shading and sheen.

I tested Soda Pop Blue on Maruman Septcouleur 75gsm paper, which is a smooth, true white paper. I used a Parker Premier fountain pen with a medium nib. This nib doesn’t exhibit much shading, but in broader nibs (see below) the shading is excellent. Soda Pop Blue isn’t as wet as other Robert Oster Inks I’ve tested, drying quite quickly. But that doesn’t mean that it’s too dry—in fact it flows nicely. The ink is definitely not waterproof.

My chromatography test demonstrates that the ink contains quite a bit of pink, turquoise, and blue.

Robert Oster produces so many beautiful blues. I did a comparison of the colors I have on hand so you can see the subtle variations. The closest match to Soda Pop Blue is Bondi Blue. But do you see that Blue Denim? Yum!

Soda Pop Blue is a gorgeous, saturated blue with stunning pink sheen. I used my Handwritmic Brody Neuenschwander Ruling Pen pen on Midori MD Cotton paper with excellent results as you can see in the photo below:

You can purchase a 50 ml bottle of Robert Oster Soda Pop Blue from Vanness Pens for $17.00 or you can get a 4 ml sample for $2.50.

(Vanness Pens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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Posted on December 15, 2017 by Susan Pigott and filed under Robert Oster, Ink Reviews.

Diamine Bilberry Ink Review

(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)

Inks are like restaurants in a big city — there's so many worth trying, but not nearly enough time or money for one person to give them the chance they deserve. This time around, I'm back on a purple kick with Diamine Bilberry.

Diamine Bilberry is a dark purple ink with deep saturation and good shading characteristics. Being as dark as it is, it really benefits from a larger nib to show off the complex shading and sheen hidden in the depths. I've used this in a couple of pens so far, and I've enjoyed using it much more in the 1.1mm stub nib. The additional line width shows a lot more of the ink's character. In certain light, the ink has a definite blue hue, but it's still unmistakably purple.

As far as shading goes, Bilberry isn't a top performer. It certainly shades easily, but the variation is minimal. Even so, it's a pleasant effect. What really stands out with this ink is the golden sheen that appears after the ink dries. When you talk about sheen characteristics, some inks require a good hard look in the right light before you notice it. Bilberry has sheen that is incredibly easy to see. If I didn't know better, I'd say this ink has some sort of shimmering ingredient. The golden sheen in this ink is a real treat.

For a deeply saturated ink, Bilberry dries really quickly. In my tests, the ink is normally dry in about 10-15 seconds. This isn't noteworthy as far as dry times go, but it's not bad either.

Flow and lubrication with this ink are superb, along with the ease of clean-up. I wouldn't expect anything less from a Diamine ink.

It also stands up well to different types of paper. Bleeding, feathering, and show-through are minimal, if noticeable. Even when I've used a large nib, I rarely see any signs of feathering on mediocre paper. It's a solid performer across the board.

Like most Diamine inks, you have a few choices in terms of format and quantity. Bilberry is available as an 18-count pack of cartridges, a 30ml bottle, or an 80ml bottle.

If you're looking for a business-friendly, dark purple ink to add to your rotation, Bilberry is a great choice.

(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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Posted on December 6, 2017 by Jeff Abbott and filed under Diamine, Ink Reviews.

Lamy Petrol Ink Review

(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)

Every year, Lamy introduces new colors for their Safari and AL Star pens, along with corresponding ink colors. And, every year, they eventually sell out. In the case of Lamy Petrol, the rate at which the pens, ink bottles, and ink cartridges sold out was phenomenal. At this point, it's difficult to find a retailer that sells the ink, and there's slim pickings when it comes to the pen. Earlier this year, the Pacific Blue edition AL Star and ink and it had a similar effect. All that to say that people really love the Lamy special editions.

If you're in the market to pick up some Petrol ink from the used market or for samples, here's what you can expect. If you're familiar with Lamy Blue-Black, Petrol is nothing like it. Petrol is described as a dark teal, but it's really more of a teal-black. Unlike Lamy Blue-Black, Petrol actually lives up to the "teal-black" name I've given it. Saturation is dark and luscious, and there's not much shading at all. Light that falls on this ink hardly escapes. The light that does escape does so through the fairly high amount of sheen, which casts a red shade in the certain light. Overall, it's a fascinating ink and one that I wish Lamy would keep in stock.

Like all other Lamy inks, this one is well-behaved and predictable. I haven't had any issues with show-through, bleeding, feathering, or skipping. It's a balanced ink when it comes to lubrication and flow, and it suits any nib with similar results due to the dark saturation. As someone who enjoys lighter inks that shade profusely, Petrol is a bit out of my comfort zone...but in a very good way.

Dry time for Petrol can be a bit long. I've measured anywhere from 15 to 35 seconds using a fine nib. Results aren't much better in a smaller nib, and they're understandably worse in larger, wetter nibs. If quick-drying inks are your thing, this one won't hit the spot.

Like I mentioned a bit earlier, there's not much shading with this ink when writing. The only time I've noticed shading is when doing swabs. Even then, it's fairly mild. The surprise feature, however, is the sheen that pops off the page. It's really easy to see the red sheen when there's indirect light on the paper. Sheen always fascinates me because it makes the ink appear wet and also gives the illusion of a different color in the right light. It's a fun effect, and Petrol has gobs of it.

As far as color and darkness, I don't really have anything close that I can compare to. Both Franklin Christoph's Midnight Emerald and Oster's River of Fire are notably teal. Midnight Emerald is fairly dark, but it's very easy to distinguish the green and blue. Petrol, on the other hand, is incredibly easy to mistake as black.

Overall, Petrol is a pretty ink with some awesome sheen. I just wish it resembled the color of the pen more, which is the same color lightened up a bit. When I think of dark teal, I think of Midnight Emerald. With Petrol, we get a black with a bit of teal mixed in that sometimes pops up above the black surface.

(Goldspot provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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