J. Herbin Eclat de Saphir Ink Review

If Iroshizuku Kon-peki is my favorite blue ink, then J. Herbin Éclat de Saphir is my close second.

Éclat de Saphir is a gorgeous, vibrant blue ink with lots of character and depth. I love how it pops off the page when I’m writing and even after it’s dried. I'm very pleased when inks retain the same level of saturation when they dry as when the ink is wet, and this ink is no exception.

Before I dive into the detailed notes, I do have some general comments about this ink. I love the color and shading qualities of this ink, but you really need to try it in a fine or larger nib (or medium and larger for Japanese nibs) to get the full effect. After playing with this ink for a while, I really want a stub nib. Secondly, many reviews I've seen on this ink praise its fast-drying property, as well as many other J. Herbin inks. This has not been the case for me with this ink. I don't know if I'm doing something wrong or if I'm just using wet nibs on heavy paper, but I would not say it's fast to dry. In my tests, it took about 20 seconds to dry to a point where it would not smudge when I brushed my finger across it. With that being said, it's still an excellent ink that I highly recommend.

This is one of the most well-behaved and easy to maintain inks I've tried. I currently only have cartridges, but will buy a bottle very soon so as to use it in even more pens. It's extremely easy to clean out of pens and washes off my fingers easily.

My favorite quality of this ink is the color. It's a medium to dark blue, very similar to what I think of as "royal" blue. It's nice and saturated, which is something I long for in inks. It has good lubrication and excellent flow in the handful of pens I've used so far.

On nice paper, this ink does not feather or show through the page. Sure, it does feather on cheap paper, but what ink doesn't?

The shading properties are fantastic. Again, I see a stub nib in my near future just so I can play with this beautiful ink some more.

Overall, this is one of my favorite inks and I can't wait to introduce it to more of my pens. Aside from my quibble with the drying time, it's close to a perfect ink for me. I'd like to hear from you if you have some information about the drying time or have advice on performing ink drying tests. Next time you're looking for a nice blue ink to try, grab some Éclat de Saphir.

(You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution, Twitter, and App.net.)

J. Herbin Gris Nuage Ink Review

Ink reviews are intimidating to me. I read all of these amazing ink reviews from my pen friends, on FPN, and elsewhere, and my mind is blown. The depth and breadth of knowledge these reviewers have on fountain pen inks is impressive.

One of these days, I hope to get there myself. Like with anything else, getting started is the first step, but repetition is the key. I still think I am at the novice level in my fountain pen knowledge, but I worked on that area a lot in 2012 and believe I made strides. I plan on expanding that knowledge in 2013, not just in the realm of pens but in inks as well. (I have a favor to ask of you - see the bottom of this post)

A bottle of J. Herbin Gris Nuage found its way into my stocking on Christmas. I had been eyeing this particular shade for some time and was eager to get it loaded up. I syringe filled one of my Pilot Namiki ink cartridges, popped it in to my Pilot Prera M nib fountain pen, and got to writing.

The ink went on light and thin - it was fun to see the ink flow through the lines after writing them - but dried darker to the shade you see in the image. If you look closely you will notice a repeatable issue I was having: The tops of my rounded letters were lighter. I chalk this up to the Prera nib and/or my writing stroke, although I don't recall this being a problem in the past with this pen. Maybe I need to pick a better ink reviewing pen?

Regardless, I am happy with this ink. I don't think I will go as far as putting it in the every day rotation but it will see regular use.

2013 is going to be the year of the fountain pen ink, and I am kindly requesting your help.

It is time to start a new list. And this list, it will be an awesome list. For this list will be a shopping list for all of the fountain pen inks that you, my dear readers, have tried and love. Will you help me fill out this list?

Leave a comment, Tweet me, or click the Contact button and let me know what ink I should try. I'll add them to this awesomest of lists and warm up the credit card. There is just one rule: You can only give me one name. I will compile this list and share it with all of you in a week or so.

Thank you!

J. Herbin Vert Pre Fountain Pen Ink Cartridge Review

If I am branching out into more fountain pen inks using cartridges still counts, right? I think so, especially if those cartridges are of the J. Herbin variety. These cartridges are the international short size, which are a perfect match for all of my favorite Kaweco pens. First on the docket for me is Vert Pre.

Being essentially an ink newbie, one of the terms I have not been able to use in previous reviews is shading. Shading, in my own layman’s translation, refers to the differentiation of color within the lines laid down on the page. Since I use mostly darker inks, I haven’t noticed much shading previously. But this Vert Pre - wow - this is what shading is all about!

I wasn’t sure how much I liked it at first in all honesty. I couldn’t focus on my writing for continually looking at the ink on the page. Once I took a step back and looked at the results though I loved it. The color variation even in single letters is something to behold. (Pro Tip: You can always click through my photos to their respective Flickr page to view them in their original size).

This is why branching out into different fountain pen inks is so much fun. I have learned something new by trying this ink out, and discovered how cool a non-traditional ink color can be.