Posts filed under Ink Reviews

Colorverse Brunch Date - An Ink Review

(Kimberly (she/her) took the express train down the fountain pen/stationery rabbit hole and doesn't want to be rescued. She can be found on Instagram @allthehobbies because there really are many, many hobbies!.)

As I mentioned in the 2023 Atlanta Pen Show Recap, I had the pleasure of meeting Akhila Sheth who is the driving force behind Smruti Pens. Brad and I also got to meet her “assistant” (and husband) Nirmal and their two kids at the show, and they provided this Colorverse Brunch Date ink for us to review.

Colorverse Brunch Date is No. 80 in the Colorverse lineup and is part of their Season 6 - Earth Edition. It is part of the Joy in the Ordinary series along with No. 76 Under the Shade, No. 77 Walk the Dog, No. 78 Rainy Day, No. 79 Coffee Break, and No. 81 Delicious Sleep. I had heard that this could be a good match for some rose-gold trim pens so I was eager to test and review it.

*A-ha! Now we know how the bread got stolen!!*

Since my TWSBI Go pens were already inked up, I picked the TWSBI Swipe with a Medium nib and used that for the writing samples in the notebook. For the other writing samples, I used the Kakimori steel dip nib on the Col-O-Ring cards, as well as the 52 gsm, 68 gsm Tomoe River and Cosmo Air Light 75 gsm papers.

*Writing sample and swatch on 68 gsm Tomoe River Paper.*

*Writing sample and dry times on 68 gsm Tomoe River Paper.*

*Chromatography showed a pink with hints of orange on the upper portion, which I didn’t expect.*

Brunch Date had an average flow, though it felt wetter than I expected based on what a lovely shader it is. Shading inks are usually drier than their more saturated counterparts, so I was a little surprised that it took ~30 seconds to dry on 68gsm TR, which is neither too fast nor too slow given the wet TWSBI Medium nib. It would definitely dry faster like Rhodia, copy paper, Cosmo Air Light or with drier or finer nibs.

Inks similar to Brunch Date: Robert Oster Melbourne, Kobe #54 Goshikiyama Ocher, J Herbin Rouille D’Ancre, Sailor Ink Studio 273, Papier Plume Maroon, Ferris Wheel Press Lady Rose, PenBBS #178 Rose Quartz.

This category of inks is so hard to describe and match! It’s sort of pinkish, brownish and in some cases, almost orangish. It really depends on what other pens or inks are next to it and then you can see how it differs. It is definitely not as orange as the Robert Oster Melbourne, nor as pink as the FWP Lady Rose or PenBBS Rose Quartz, nor is it as brown as Sailor Ink Studio 273 or Papier Plume Maroon (which is much lighter than I expected a Maroon to be). The two that are the most similar to it are Kobe #54 Goshikiyama Ocher and J Herbin Rouille D’Ancre - both of which are my favorite inks to match with rose gold trimmed pens.

*Just for funsies, here are some Kawecos (AL Sport Ruby, AL Sport Rose Gold, and Sport Macchiato) that could work with Colorverse Brunch Date.*

Colorverse Brunch Date, along with the other Colorverse Joy in the Ordinary series inks, can be purchased for $14 for 30 ml at Smruti Pens. You can also purchase 3ml or 5ml samples from them for $3 and $5 respectively. I am glad I have now added another option for matching with my rose gold pens!

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

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Posted on May 19, 2023 by Brad Dowdy and filed under Colorverse, Ink Reviews.

Robert Oster NYC Pen Show 2022 Ink Review

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

Combining three things that you love into one thing is quite a challenge, but that's what I have in the Robert Oster NYC Pen Show ink from 2022. This special edition ink from Robert Oster hits three positive notes for me out of the gate: Robert Oster inks, pen shows, and NYC. Even though I've never attended a pen show in New York, this ink caught my attention.

Robert Oster NYC Pen Show 2022 is a sky blue ink that leans toward the darker side of this particular hue. In a word, it's gorgeous. It's a lovely color with the shading goodness I've come to expect from Oster inks. And of course it's also well-behaved and easy to use and clean. The one thing I can find wrong with this ink is the simple fact that I already have so many similar inks in my collection. Sky blue or turquoise is something I'm drawn to by forces I can't explain, but despite that self-admitted problem, this ink still stands out as a unique shade of this lovely blue color. It's darker than some of my favorites — like Lamy Turquoise or Iroshizuku kon-peki — but still has enough brightness to scratch the itch I have for this color zone.

For me, an ink that only presents a single color on the page is kind of boring. Sometimes that's exactly what you want out of an ink, but I tend to lean toward inks that have noticeable shading effects. This ink shades nicely between a medium and light sky blue even with smaller nibs. It's just enough variation in color to attract the eye and drop plenty of hints about the type of pen being used to make the marks. It's elegant and happy, and that's why I like using it.

In terms of performance, it's top-notch. No feathering or bleeding, and minimal show-through on the back of the page when writing with a wet 1.1mm stub nib. This is exactly what I've come to expect from this ink brand and why I never hesitate to try out new colors that look interesting. I know they'll at least perform well even if I don't love the color!

Dry time isn't phenomenal, but it's respectable. It dries for me in under 15 or 20 seconds in most cases, and even faster with a finer nib (I used a 1.1mm stub in the photo writing sample). Still, this won't be a good option for writers that drag their hand across the left side of the page while writing.

I'm sure that you can find another ink (probably several) that match this ink in terms of hue and shading properties. There really are so many ink options in this spectrum (bordering on too many), and you'll likely know immediately if it's too similar to something you already have. For me, it looked a little darker than anything else I had in my collection, and I was lucky enough to have guessed right in this case.

Robert Oster NYC Pen Show 2022 is a special edition ink that I'm glad to have in my collection. It's a beautiful medium sky blue with lovely shading properties. If you can't snag this limited edition, I'm sure we can find something very similar or identical to this one. And I bet I'll have an inexplicable urge to buy that ink too! At $21 for 50ml, this ink is priced a few bucks higher than the standard inks, and I imagine this has something to do with the limited nature and smaller scale. The price and quantity is still reasonable for the beautiful color and excellent performance, so don't hesitate if you love the color and need another sky blue ink in your life.

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

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Posted on May 17, 2023 by Jeff Abbott and filed under Robert Oster, Ink Reviews.

Colorverse Long Trail Ink Review

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

In most parts of North America, plants are blooming and there's plenty of rich green and other vibrant colors popping up everywhere (along with the not so desirable pollen). With the latest Colorverse ink that I'm trying out, its name pays tribute to a hiking trail in Vermont. Perfect forest green color to pair with a long hike in rural Vermont.

Colorverse Long Trail is named after the oldest long-distance hiking trail in the US. Located (and spanning) Vermont, this trail winds 273 miles through the longest part of the state. Tackling the trail in one go often takes weeks, and there are countless awe-inspiring vistas along the way. All that to say, this ink has quite a heritage to live up to in its namesake.

I have several Colorverse inks in my collection, and I've always had really good experiences with them. I love how specific and intentional their ink names are — I always learn something new when researching where the name came from. Long Trail is a deeply saturated forest green ink that fits the landscape of lush forest and dewy undergrowth perfectly. Upon first inking and trying this ink out, I was really happy with the deep green lines that came out of the pen.

As far as forest green goes, this is a dark one. It's so dark that you could definitely use this in an office setting where they frown on bright or non-standard ink colors. There's just enough enough color in the depths to quickly let you know that this isn't a black ink. The rich color also gives way to some shading that adds a little character to the lines.

The ink also behaves well. It's well-lubricated and flows easily. With the Monteverde Omniflex nib I used in the photos, the ink has no trouble keeping up with the wet nib even when the tines are spread to the max. The lines are also crisp and sharp — no feathering or bleeding in sight. Dry time is a little slow — somewhere between 15 and 30 seconds in this wet medium-ish nib, but your results will vary between different nibs and paper types. Despite whatever pen and paper combinations you try, this likely won't be a good pick for lefties.

The saturation in this ink is so rich and deep — it's really beautiful (especially when using a paint brush to swatch the ink), but it can be a little annoying to clean out of pens. It washes out easily, but it takes several rounds of flushing to get it all. Definitely plan on taking the pen apart to really clear out the feed if you can. If you can't, it's really not a big deal — just means you'll spend an extra minute or two flushing it out. I have zero concerns with putting this ink in any pen I own.

Long Trail comes in a 15ml bottle for around $13.50, which is right on target for Colorverse inks. Their inks are high quality, so the price is great. And I love that the bottle is so small because I really have no need for large amounts of ink when I already have so many bottles.

I have a handful of dark green inks, and I enjoy using them from time to time. Out of all of them in my collection, I think Long Trail is my new favorite. It really is a beautiful forest green with lots of murky character.

(Goldspot 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!