Posts filed under Ink Reviews

Anderillium Purple Gallinule Purple 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 as fall is starting to appear and leaves falling, I'm already feeling the need to throw a bright ink into a pen and enjoy some nice pops of color as the last of summer for 2022 fades away. Anderillium Purple Gallinule Purple (or Purple Gallinule from here on) is a delicious purple ink that flies off the page and brings a smile to my face.

Just like other inks in the Avian Collection, Purple Gallinule is named after a real bird. The purple gallinule is a crane-like bird that has beautiful purple plumage along with some nicely contrasting green and turquoise. The bright purple is a great representation of the bird.

Like other Anderillium inks I've tried before, this ink is really well-behaved. The purple color is rich and consistent, the ink makes crisp lines that don't bleed or feather, and there's not much show-through on the back of the page even though this is a bright and fairly dark ink.

I'm a little disappointed that this ink doesn't have any sheen because I discovered that the purple plumage on the bird can actually change to green and turquoise in different lights. Seems like a great opportunity to add some green and/or turquoise sheen to this ink! That said, I don't have the first idea of how to add sheen to an ink, and the brilliant purple really nails the plumage coloration for a bird that, after all, has purple in its name.

One thing that shocked me about this ink is the dry time. I couldn't believe what I kept seeing when I starting timing the ink. I thought that surely I didn't get a good line or something. But after several more tests, I confirmed that this ink does dry extremely fast! When using a 1.1mm stub Monteverde nib, the ink was normally dry within 3 seconds, and always dry within 5 seconds. That's seriously impressive.

Whether you're looking for something that looks good during the fall or you want something to brighten up the upcoming dreary months, Anderillium has a color that can suite your tastes. And, for left-handed writers, this purple ink is stellar. Take a look at all the great inks that Anderillium have to offer. Purple Gallinule is a fantastic purple, and I look forward to having it in the rotation.

(This ink was purchased for retail price at the 2022 Atlanta Pen Show.)

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 14, 2022 by Jeff Abbott and filed under Anderillium, 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.)

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.