(Susan M. Pigott is a fountain pen collector, pen and paperholic, photographer, and professor. You can find more from Susan on her blog Scribalishess.)
Pelikan released a new version of green ink to match its M120 Special Edition pen. The ink matches the pen perfectly, so if you've seen a photograph of the M120, its barrel color is the color of this ink.
Although Pelikan named this ink "Dunkelgrün" (Dark Green), I would say it's really more a medium green than a dark green. When I did a chromatograph analysis, the ink tends toward the blue spectrum more than the yellow.
And in some of my photographs it came out looking teal (it really is more green than teal).
But I think of a dark green as more black or olive in color, like one of my all-time favorite inks, Sailor Jentle Epinard which is, unfortunately, no longer available.
Nevertheless, Pelikan's Dark Green is certainly a practical color, perhaps a bit too blue-green for business use, but perfect for letter writing, journaling, and grading.
The ink seems a bit dry to me–much dryer, for example, than Iroshizuku Sho-Ryoku, but not as dry as many J. Herbin inks. Because of this, it dries quickly (at least in the extra-fine and medium italic pens I tested it with). It is not waterproof, nor does it make any claim to be.
The ink exhibits some shading in wider nibs, but in narrower nibs it is pretty flat.
In this picture the ink looks teal, but in real life it is more green
I was able to detect a slight purple sheen in the ink splats, but I didn't see it in any of my written samples. This ink does not demonstrate the impressive sheening qualities of inks like Sailor Yama-Dori, for example.
If you want a medium green ink that flows well and is consistent, then Pelikan 4001 Dark Green is a good choice. For all you teachers/professors out there, it really is a terrific grading ink. If, however, you want a green ink with more character, I'd suggest you consider Iroshizuku Shin-Ryoku or Sailor's Tokiwa-Matsu (their replacement for Jentle Epinard).
You can buy a 2 ounce bottle of Pelikan Dark Green from Goldspot Pens for $13.00.
(Goldspot provided this product at no charge 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, which I am very grateful for.
Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!
