Posts filed under Ink Reviews

Pairings Party: Retro 51 Coffee House Tornado Fountain Pen and Kobe Kitano Antique Sepia

What kind of party features a coffee-themed pen and Brown ink? My kind of party! The pairing of the Retro 51 Coffee House Tornado Fountain Pen with Kobe Kitano Antique Sepia has been my most used writing combo over the last month, and has taken the clubhouse lead early into September.

The Retro 51 Coffee House is a Goldpsot exclusive, which they kindly sent me earlier this Summer to try out. The black-based pen features chalkboard-style graphics you can find at a coffeehouse - beans, mugs, presses, cups, steam - the works. It’s a cool design for coffee lovers like myself, and I especially like the all-black hardware.

That includes the nib, which is coated black to match the rest of the pen. Retro 51 switched over to Jowo nibs years ago, and this #6 Fine nib writes nicely. The black coating may add the slightest bit of line width compared to a standard uncoated steel nib, or it could be a placebo effect. There are so many variables to take into account beside nib width - ink properties and paper, for starters. Regardless, this one writes smoothly, and the ink flows well.

This pen also fits my hand well. The underlying barrel is stainless steel, but it’s not heavy. There is some weight to it, but it is well-balanced throughout the tapered barrel. The metal section has a slight concave toward the nib for a solid gripping surface. The cap is threaded, taking two turns to remove or replace, and the clip provides a strong attachment.

In choosing an ink, there was no chance I was inking this pen up with anything but Brown. This shade has been edging towards the top of my usage list for the past year, after years of avoiding it. Antique Sepia was recommended to me by a friend after bemoaning the limited nature of Sailor Tea Time Series Fika Coffee Ink, one of my favorites.

This ink is a rich, dark brown that could easily pass a “normal” ink in a business setting. Some lines lean black, and some of the thinner areas of shading bring in the brown. Let’s keep it on theme here and call it a nice Medium Roast. There is a hint of green sheen with the right amount of ink on the right type of paper, but I rarely see it from my standard writing on Bank paper, PLOTTER paper, or Kokuyo paper - all of which I’ve used this combination with heavily.

The Retro 51 Coffee House Tornado Fountain Pen is $119 from Goldspot, and Kobe Kitano Antique Sepia is $30 at Vanness Pens. The Retro 51 is at a premium from their standard offerings, primarily due to the store exclusive/limited edition nature of the pen, plus the awesome artwork and finishes. Standard Retro 51 fountain pens start around $65 if you are looking to try out a great pen, but don’t need a full caffeine fix. $30 for 50 ml of Kobe (ie. Sailor,) ink is fine by me. Yes, it is still expensive/ml but at least the multiplier is 50, instead of the smaller bottles Sailor loves so much.

I drink coffee every day, often many times a day, so this pen and ink combo has been a blast to use. I just had to make sure I had the real thing flowing through my veins before attempting to write with the pen and ink version.

(Goldspot provided this pen at no charge, and Vanness Pens provided the ink at a discount, to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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Posted on September 2, 2024 by Brad Dowdy and filed under Retro 51, Fountain Pens, Kobe, Ink Reviews, Pen Reviews.

Sugar Turtle Studio - Four Ink Reviews

(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!.)

I may have twisted the Bossman’s arm when I said we HAD to get these Diamine exclusive inks from Tom Forsythe of Sugar Turtle Studio. These inks came out in two releases in 2023 and 2024 - the first two inks were Turtle Belly and Wet Turtle and the second two were Cold Blooded and Warm Heart. Given that Tom just released a new set of inks, I knew I had to swatch and review the first four before I could even think about getting the new ones!

*The first four bottles of Diamine x Sugar Turtle Studio inks - Turtle Belly, Wet Turtle, Cold Blooded and Warm Heart. They are currently only available in 30 ml bottles.*

As in the past, all swatches were done on Col-O-Ring cards using a Kakimori steel dip nib, while writing samples were done with a TWSBI Go with a Medium nib and a Lamy Vista with a steel Medium nib. The TWSBI Go is a wetter writer and the Lamy is a drier writer, so these two give me a good idea of how an ink will look from different pens. The notebook used for writing samples is from Endless Recorder with 68 gsm Tomoe River paper. Dry times for the Vista is shown with “(V)” and the Go will be below that and might also be shown with “(T)”. Dry times may be a bit slower on 52gsm TR or faster on paper like Cosmo Air Light, Rhodia, copy paper, or with drier or finer nibs, etc.

Tom’s Etsy page for Turtle Belly describes it as a deep orange with a hint of red, and depending the on the wetness of your pen/nib, it might appear more orange or darker red. It is a fairly quick drying ink, especially in the Vista.

*Writing sample of Turtle Belly on 68 gsm Tomoe River Endless Notebook. You get more shading from the Vista compared to the Go, which leaves a more saturated line.*

*Chromatography of Turtle Belly shows the dominantly reddish orange tones separating at the end to yellow and brown at the edges.*

Inks similar to Diamine Turtle Belly: Not really a surprise that Diamine 150th Blood Orange and Cult Pens Deep Dark Orange (also made by Diamine) would be similar. Monteverde’s Jungle Giraffe is a touch darker, KWZ Flame Red is a touch lighter and Diamine Ancient Copper has a bit more brown.

Diamine Wet Turtle is a green-leaning darker teal and is the only one of the four that is sold out.

Writing sample of Wet Turtle on 68 gsm Tomoe River Endless Notebook. As expected with the drier Vista, the ink is almost a medium-light mint green, while the Go’s wet nib and feed makes it a nice green teal.

*Chromatography of Wet Turtle shows some yellow followed by a turquoise blue. It’s always fascinating to see the different colors which are often not obvious in the final product.*

Inks similar to Diamine Wet Turtle: Hard to tell from the photo, but Montegrappa Green is pretty close in color. Diamine Holly from the 2019 Inkvent is just a touch darker, while Pelikan 4001 Dunkelgrun (or Dark Green) is a bit lighter in swatches and despite the name, a touch bluer. Robert Oster Peppermint was a bit darker and greener too.

Diamine Cold Blooded is a bright blue with a hint of purple and some red sheen on wetter swatches/writing samples. This ink is almost an ultramarine or blurple in color.

*Writing sample of Wet Turtle on 68 gsm Tomoe River Endless Notebook. The ink is almost “school blue” with moderate shading in the Vista but a much darker, more saturated line from the Go.*

*Zooming in on the writing sample, you can see the light red, almost copper sheen on the edges of the letters.*

*Chromatography of Cold Blooded is predominantly blue but you can see hints of purple in the mix.*

Inks similar to Diamine Cold Blooded: Not a big surprise that two of the similar inks are also made by Diamine - Thunderbolt from Inkvent 2021 and Festive Cheer from Inkvent 2019. Taccia Ao Blue is also very similar. These inks all have a hint of red sheen, but it’s the bit of purple to them that distinguishes them from many of the other blue-with-red-sheen inks.

Diamine Warm Heart is a light, slightly dusty pink in drier pens and a darker vibrant pink that’s almost fuchsia, but not quite.

Writing sample of Wet Turtle on 68 gsm Tomoe River Endless Notebook. It is surprising how different the ink is in a dry vs wet writer! Bright cotton candy pink in a dry pen and darker hot pink in a wetter one.

*Zooming in on the writing sample, you can see the pretty dramatic difference between the two writers. I didn’t see any sheen despite the description on the Etsy page.*

*Chromatography of Warm Heart starts out with bright pink and faint yellow before separating into purple/magenta.*

Inks similar to Diamine Warm Heart: Pelikan Edelstein 2019 Ink of the Year, Star Ruby aws the closest match. It is not quite as electric as GvFC’s Electric Pink or Kyo-no-oto’s Imayou-iro. Iroshizuku’s Tsutsuji is also similar and has more sheen. Akkerman’s #20 Pulchri Pink is a touch too red.

Diamine x Sugar Turtle Studio inks can be found on Tom’s Etsy shop for $8 for a 30 ml bottle and Wet Turtle the only one that isn’t available any longer. The upcoming Slowpoke series will be making their way to his Etsy shop as well.

(Disclaimer: All 4 bottles of ink were purchased at last year’s DC and this year’s Baltimore pen shows.)

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Posted on August 9, 2024 by Kimberly Lau and filed under Sugar Turtle Studio, Diamine, Ink Reviews.

Vinta Inks Azure Maharlika Ink Review

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

It's always exciting to discover new ink brands, even after all these years of trying new things. No matter what it is or how seemingly similar it is to something you already have, the unique take from a different person or brand is interesting and worth checking out. This week, I'm trying out an ink from a new-to-me ink maker called Vinta Inks.

Based in the Philippines, Vinta Inks is passionate about creating unique, high-quality fountain pen inks that we can all enjoy, but their mission goes deeper than just the ink they sell. They also partner with Teach for the Philippines to donate part of each sale to the betterment of their fellow Filipinos. It's a worthy cause, and you get great ink as a bonus!

The first ink I'm trying from Vinta is called Azure Maharlika, and it's a deep azure blue with light shading characteristics and a beautiful pink/red sheen that glistens on top of the ink once it's dried. In most scenarios, this looks like a typical dark blue when writing with a standard fountain nib (anything broad and smaller), but it really shines when paired with a larger nib. In areas where the ink pools, you'll notice a pink or red sheen after the ink dries. It's a beautiful effect, and I really can't get enough of it.

I'm a sucker for inks that have a good deal of shading, but this one just doesn't quite do it for me. There is some shading, but it's minimal and difficult to notice when writing. It comes out more in wider nibs, but I typically write with nibs that fall between EF and M. With those size nibs, it's difficult to see any shading, but it's there even though it's subtle.

Writing with this ink has been a pleasure. It behaves very well in my pens and I haven't had any complaints so far. The ink flows immediately and smoothly, and the lines it creates are crisp and deeply saturated. The dark blue color looks great on paper, and it could even pass in more professional settings due to how dark it is. I wouldn't call it a blue-black; it's definitely a blue ink, so don't expect anything darker than a deep blue.

Dry time is a little difficult to describe with this ink. The majority of a stroke is dry enough to resist smudging after just a few seconds, but any areas of pooled ink can take up to 30 seconds to fully dry. If you're using a small nib, you'll notice that the ink is smudge-resistant after 10-15 seconds. Larger nibs require more dry time, but only for small spots where the ink has pooled a bit. Based on how quickly you write and what pen/nib you are using, this could be sufficient for quick-drying requirements. It's not quick enough or consistent enough to recommend as a good leftie ink, but it does a better job than most.

What really sets this ink apart for me is the lovely sheen that appears shortly after the ink dries. It's a beautiful red/pink color that pairs so well with the dark blue. I just wish it showed up more in smaller lines. This just gives me a reason to use my larger nibs more often!

Vinta Maharlika is available from Vanness Pens for $14.50 for a 30ml bottle. And if you're not sure you want a whole bottle, you can also pick up a small sample vial. I really appreciate Vinta Ink's mission and look forward to supporting them in the future. If all of their inks perform like this one, I'm excited to try more colors!

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

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