Posts filed under Ink Reviews

Pelikan Edelstein Apatite Ink Review

Pelikan Edelstein 2022 Ink of the Year Apatite

(Sarah Read is an author, editor, yarn artist, and pen/paper/ink addict. You can find more about her at her website and on Twitter. And check out her latest book, Out of Water, now available where books are sold!)

Pelikan's gemstone ink of the year is a light turquoise color called Apatite. Compared to past blue-green shades, it's lighter than Aquamarine and bluer than Jade. It's a lovely shade that will no doubt delight fans of the blue-green ink family.

Chromatography on this ink shows a basic cyan base color with a splash of bright green mixed in, which gives it a cooler aqua undertone. Think 1990s swimming pool. It shows some shading in print writing, but almost none in cursive writing. It does not have any sheen. Overall, it's an unfussy color. It's dark enough to read on the page without too much trouble, but it's too pale and fun to pass as a businessy color.

The closest color match I found was Colorverse Eagle, part of the Apollo 11 series, which has the same cooler blue undertone. They're not quite twins, but so close that they'd be difficult to tell apart in writing. Other colors in my swab collection all skew much greener.

I would consider this a dry ink. It flows well in the pen, but writing with it has a dryer feel, and the ink on the page dries completely in 20 seconds. This would make a good ink for lefties, or for writing quick notes where you want to turn the page or close the book as soon as possible.

There's no water resistance to the ink. There's no trace of a line left even when a water drop is quickly and carefully removed with blotting. When water is wiped away, it erases the ink completely.

The gemstone line comes in a 50ml glass bottle that sells for around $28, which is a fair price for a bottle of this size. The bottles are steady and easy to fill from, with wide mouths and a solid base, so there's little risk of spilling and even big pens can be easily filled.

I'm a big fan of the gemstone inks from Pelikan, and while this shade isn't my favorite from this line, its swimming pool summer vibes will be much needed in the winter months to come.

(Vanness Pens provided this product at a discount to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, for which I am very grateful.

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!

Posted on September 8, 2022 by Sarah Read and filed under Pelikan, Edelstein, Ink Reviews.

Inkebara Deer Brown Ink Review

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

We've looked at Inkebara inks previously, an ink company based in the Czech Republic, and today we have the pleasure of talking about Deer Brown. Deer Brown #610 is a mustard brown that shows up as a pleasant green-brown in most nibs. The mustard yellows and greens don't really shine through unless you're swabbing the ink.

I've always been intrigued by brown inks. They might sound boring compared to bright oranges, blues, and purples, but brown inks offer a level of subtlety and intrigue that bright inks just can't compete with. This ink is easy to recognize as brown, but it's the green hints and barely-there yellow sheen in the wetter spots that set this ink apart. It isn't simply a brown ink, and that's what I love about it.

The more inks you try, the more you realize that color is just one factor to consider when buying an ink — and a fairly unimportant one at that. What good is the perfect color if it feathers on every type of paper you use? The way the ink behaves and how it interacts with nibs and paper is so much more important. If an ink company gets those things right, then the color can really shine. In the case of Inkebara, they nailed the performance of this ink. It's smooth, flows easily, and stays crisp on the page. There's nothing I would change about the performance of this ink.

Dry time leaves a little to be desired, though. In most of my tests with the Monteverde Omniflex nib, the ink was usually dry by 30 seconds — 40 max. On the Vanness page, it says the ink dries in 50 seconds, though I think this is on the extreme side for really wet nibs. Either way, this is a fairly slow drier, so beware if you need an ink that dries quickly!

Deer Brown shades wonderfully. The dominant color is a rich, deep brown, and there are hints of dark green that come through in the thinner areas. The movement between the different shades is beautiful. I know that deer in Czech Republic are a different species than the North American deer I see where I live — and this ink color makes me want to see one of these deer in person. It's a beautiful, dark color with plenty of personality.

I'd recommend Inkebara Deer Brown to anyone looking for a luxurious brown ink. It behaves well, looks great, and cleans out of your pen easily. It takes a while to dry, but not to the extent that it stands out against other inks. It's definitely not an ink you should consider if you require a fast-drying ink. At $15.40 for a 40ml bottle, it's also a good value. If you're not sure you want a whole bottle, Vanness also offer a 4ml sample vial for a few bucks.

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

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!

Posted on August 17, 2022 by Jeff Abbott and filed under Inkebara, Ink Reviews.

Anderillium Shoebill Stork Grey Ink Review

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

Just a few weeks ago, I looked at an Anderillium ink that was quite interesting, but only had limited use cases for me. Today, I'm excited to be talking about another Anderillium ink -- and this one is great for all writing purposes.

Anderillium Shoebill Stork Grey is a beautiful gray ink with a lot of great shading behavior. In most cases, ink descriptions in the marketing materials are brief, but I recommend reading about the bird that serves as a namesake for this broody ink.

Naming and birds aside, this is a solid ink. It comes in the same jam jar as other inks in the same Avian series, which makes it incredibly easy to fill pens due to the large mouth. The small glass jar and flat lid also make it easy to store. At 1.5 oz or 42 ml, it holds a good amount of ink as well. You likely won't run run out quickly.

Anderillium Shoebill Stork Grey Ink Comparison

Looking at the color of this ink, it's really similar to Diamine's Earl Grey or Robert Oster's Chicago. It's in the same family of hue, and looks fantastic on paper. The shading is the real star of this ink, though. The main color is a medium-dark gray, but the thinner areas have a delightful light gray that adds a lot of visual interest to your writing.

Another surprise that definitely goes on the "pro" list for this ink the amount of time it takes to dry. In my tests with a fairly broad nib, the dry time hovers around the 10-second mark. Not bad at all. You can find other inks that dry faster if that's what you need, but this performance is nothing to criticize.

The other characteristics of how this ink performs are excellent as well. There's no feathering or bleeding, and there's only minimal show-through on the back of the page. It's well-behaved and easy to clean out of your pen when it's time for something new.

What I especially about this gray ink (or any gray ink, for that matter) is that it's decidedly gray. Even in the wettest areas, you can tell it's a gray ink. This isn't a gray-black or a gray-brown. It's simply gray, and it provides several different shades of beautiful gray that remind me of a bird's plumage.

This is a fantastic gray that goes well in any collection. If you'd like to try some out, head over to Anderillium's site to pick up a bottle. At $14.50 for a 42ml bottle, it's a pretty good value. The shading and excellent performance make this an easy choice if you like the color.

(Brad purchased this ink at regular price from Anderillium Ink at the 2022 Atlanta Pen Show.)

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!