(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)
Fall is officially here, and even though the temperatures in north Alabama are still arguing over that fact, I've already settled it in my mind by picking a nice fall colored ink to focus on for a while. I've only tried one or two other inks from Private Reserve, so I thought it was time to give them another try since they have such a large catalog. Orange Crush is the ink I chose for the new fall season, and I'm pretty happy with the color (not so much the name) and especially the performance.
Orange Crush is a dusky orange/brown color with some hints of red in some areas. It's not orange enough for me based on the name alone, but it's still a pretty color in its own rite. To me, Orange Crush makes me think of the soft drink brand, which is a really bright and cheerful orange. There's nothing wrong with the color of this ink, but the name was misleading for me at least.
Being a dark orange ink, it shows up really well on paper. Some orange inks can be so light that they look more like a highlighter ink than something you'd write with. The dusty orange/red hues look fantastic, and there's even a bit of shading that happens with larger nibs that uncovers some additional red, orange, and brown hues.
The inks feels well-lubricated and writes smoothly. I haven't had any issues with ink getting stuck or dried up in the nib, and it starts off beautifully after being capped for a while.
One area that I've had a little trouble with different types of paper is feathering/bleed. This ink tends to feather and bleed a bit on certain papers — even Rhodia. It also tends to bleed through to the other side of the page if you're using a really wet nib. It's not terrible, but definitely worth mentioning.
A different area where this ink excels is dry time. Using the 1.1mm stub nib for the writing sample, the ink was normally dry between 10 and 15 seconds, but it's even faster when using a smaller nib. I was surprised by how quickly it was dry to the touch!
Private Reserve Orange Crush comes in a stout 60ml bottle with an incredibly wide mouth. There's plenty of space for filling your pens, but that also means there's even more opportunity to make a giant orange mess. I like the extra wide bottle mouth, but I was definitely more careful when handling this open bottle!
At just under $16 for a 60ml bottle, it's a fantastic value. If you like the color and don't mind having a large amount on hand, it's a great deal. It's not my favorite orange ink, but it's certainly a solid dark, dusty orange if that's your thing. Aside from the feathering/bleed issues, it's also a great performer with quick dry times.
(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)
