Mountain of Ink

I think people over-complicate fountain pens a lot.

I have a Lamy Safari that I got in 2012 and works just as well today.

It's what I still recommend to anyone who asks what to get.

Just get the pen, with its cartridge, add more cartridges -- you can stay here and already you're way better than with most standard ball pens that you'd be using otherwise.

Then, get the small converter, plop it in, get your first bottle of ink -- and again you can stay here and enjoy your pen-and-ink experience for a long long time.

Now if you want to try a few different inks, do that next. Maybe get a second pen, see whether 'fine' or 'medium' sized nibs is more your thing.

Go further than that if you want, but you don't have to.

Either way, that first step is enough to improve your life a lot

I have a shelf full of bottles of ink I wouldn't have bought if the site had existed (and/or I had known about it sooner, since that spans years). They've prevented many similar wasted purchases, and guided several delighted purchases.

Very useful!

When it comes to fountain pens and inks, I went down a rabbit hole more than once in the past.

Noodlers makes some unique pens and inks. I have a Noodlers Ahab, for example, that has a very flexible nib. Different than any of the more conventional pens I used before.

But one thing that bothers me about fountain pens is that they are messy. Some of it can be avoided. You don't need a piston filler to dip into your special ink bottle to refill your pen if you don't mind using regular cartridges. But one thing that seems unavoidable is that the "section" (the part where you hold the pen) gets messy when you put the cap on it. I wonder why every fountain pen seems to have this design. One would think that a smaller cap that only covers the nib would suffice.

I wonder if there are fountain pens like this. I feel another rabbit hole calling.

Handwriting seems to be becoming more and more of a niche phenomenon, actually paying attention to what one writes with even more so, and actually using fountain pens yet more so. Still, there seems to be an absurd number of ink makers around, producing an absurd number of inks. I suppose dyes and water are relatively cheap, and can be mixed in buckets...

For Fountain Pens, I stumbled on a YouTube Channel, Hemingway Jones that has some great videos about them. https://www.youtube.com/@HemingwayJones

Of course, all things Stationery, I occasionally continue to watch JetPens. Unfortunately, for my liking, they seem to be more and more Kawaii.

https://www.youtube.com/@JetPens

In the states, Goulet Pens is a wonderful niche retailer of inks and fountain pens. https://www.gouletpens.com/

While the colours and such do look very nice, the "writing samples" images show exactly why I hate using fountain pens. I'm left-handed, so if I try to write prose then my hand will just smudge the writing. I've always found that cheap ballpoints are the least likely to smudge, even if they still leave residue on my hand, and as the pen gets more "premium", the worse the smudging problem gets.

I like to use as fine a pen as possible if I'm just trying to work something out (diagrams, small notes, etc), and I've found that a Unipin Fine Line (currently a 0.03) does work well, though I've been having some issues with ink flow recently (though the pen is probably nearing the end of its life at this point anyway). I have liked the feel of Uniball Eye pens in the past, though they have a similar smudging problem if used for prose. Other than that, the cheapest Bic ballpoints have been the most successful for me, since the ink dries super fast and they feel good enough to write with.

In school I was given a specific left handed fountain pen to write with, but I always had to write at wonky angles to try and keep it legible, and it never really worked very well anyway. Pushing the pen instead of pulling it generally gives bad results. I have experimented with trying to do mirror writing, like Leonardo da Vinci, but obviously nobody else can read it like that

I am a fountain pen convert myself, and use them almost exclusively these days for my algorithmic plotter art. This website is a fantastic resource that I’ve referred to countless times.

I’ve even written my take on why they’re such great devices for machine art: https://lostpixels.io/writings/fountain-pens-plotters

If anyone wants get into the rabbit hole of fountain pens and related items a little deeper, they should check Galen Leather: https://www.galenleather.com

Amazing — this is what I'm here for!

I came across the website a few months ago and bought my first fountain pen and two of the top recommend inks from the site.

Black: Sailor Jentle Black

Blue Black: Sailor Sei-boku

I had some fountain pens over the years, but I was never able to truly enjoy them or recommend them to anyone. I didn't find them practical as daily writing tools and or too fun as a hobby.

I really dislike the feeling that you need to be a bit careful with a tool. I want the peace of mind of being able to drop pens nib-first into the ground. They're also not great for writing on many types of paper and require some care and maintenance.

My experience getting into double-edge razors/nice shaving soaps was much better. They're not just small luxuries, but actually better-performant and more practical than the popular alternatives in almost every way.

(On the pen front, today I'm very satisfied with my "Kaweco LILIPUT Ball Pen Stainless Steel" - it's super compact, has a nice weight to it and just feels well-constructed and solid. I hope to use it for many years to come. (If you want to get one, beware the Aluminium version, which looks identical but is noticeably lighter))

The ads are so obtrusive and overtly excessive in page coverage. Also one of your ad providers are redirecting to “Microsoft support”

One could frame each image and display them all in an art gallery.

For anyone wanting to know and learn more, there's also the r/fountainpens subreddit with 350k subs (because of course there exists a subreddit for every such niche).

I think people over-complicate fountain pens a lot.

I have a Lamy Safari that I got in 2012 and works just as well today.

It's what I still recommend to anyone who asks what to get.

Just get the pen, with its cartridge, add more cartridges -- you can stay here and already you're way better than with most standard ball pens that you'd be using otherwise.

Then, get the small converter, plop it in, get your first bottle of ink -- and again you can stay here and enjoy your pen-and-ink experience for a long long time.

Now if you want to try a few different inks, do that next. Maybe get a second pen, see whether 'fine' or 'medium' sized nibs is more your thing.

Go further than that if you want, but you don't have to.

Either way, that first step is enough to improve your life a lot

As a person who's at the other end of the spectrum, I don't think it's complicating the matter unnecessarily causing us to fall into the rabbit hole.

Many people like to write also like to write with fountain pens a lot, hence we go exploring. Collecting pens, inks and paper.

I carry three pens. Three colors, three widths, three manufacturers (it's not a rule, but my current rotation is like that). What I currently have is a result of my own curiosity, and I would do the same if I have started over.

You are putting rationale and practical thinking up against a classic irrational hobby.

The best hobbies are usually both irrational and completely unnecessary.

the Zebra disposable fountain pens are EXCELLENT for how cheap they are, it's honestly a shame they're not refillable

I carry a few pens with me - different color ink for different days of the week - so I can see how much I wrote in a single day. Started doing it after I read about Neil Gaiman's writing habits.

>Now if you want to try a few different inks, do that next. Maybe get a second pen, see whether 'fine' or 'medium' sized nibs is more your thing.

And that’s the moment you fell into the trap.

I always kinda hated the cartridges and the ink that came in them from day 1.

My second pen was filled by piston and I bought some cheap Diamine samplers, and it was both simple to use and cheap.

I found converters to be often hard to use which results in messes.

> Then, get the small converter […]

E.g.:

* https://www.lamy.com/en-us/p/lamy-z-28-converter

I think this kinda misses the point of what lost modern pen enthusiasts are looking for.

For one thing, limiting yourself to pre-filled cartridges locks you out of 95%+ of the fancy ink out there, which is sold bottled for use with internal reservoirs.

> Either way, that first step is enough to improve your life a lot

Clearly you've never tried being left-handed.

(I joke, but I also wish fountain pens wouldn't fundamentally be incompatible with my way of writing. And I was taught to write with a fountain pen using cursive in school, so it's not like I didn't try.)

You are putting rationale and practical thinking up against a classic irrational hobby.

The best hobbies are usually both irrational and completely unnecessary.

I mean, if using an "irrational" tool to write allows me to write longer, better and helps me think clearer, I'll only call this hobby "irrationally rational" :)

If anyone wants get into the rabbit hole of fountain pens and related items a little deeper, they should check Galen Leather: https://www.galenleather.com

Very useful!

Amazing — this is what I'm here for!

For Fountain Pens, I stumbled on a YouTube Channel, Hemingway Jones that has some great videos about them. https://www.youtube.com/@HemingwayJones

Of course, all things Stationery, I occasionally continue to watch JetPens. Unfortunately, for my liking, they seem to be more and more Kawaii.

https://www.youtube.com/@JetPens

You can also look at Figboot on Pens: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCI1aF4MNqSzKIS2t0KHS1gw

He's a nice guy.

As a fountain pen enthusiast with some beautiful pens that will probably become rare in the future, it makes me somewhat sad that my only son is left-handed.

I'm left handed and I never smudge at all.

I use Iroshizuku Kon Peki, Oxford Optik paper, Pilot Prera and Kakuno in M width.

I'm left handed, I use european fine pens with oxford optik paper and I never smudge. Probably it depends on the ink. I use mostly Iroshizuku inks.

When it comes to fountain pens and inks, I went down a rabbit hole more than once in the past.

Noodlers makes some unique pens and inks. I have a Noodlers Ahab, for example, that has a very flexible nib. Different than any of the more conventional pens I used before.

I wonder if there are fountain pens like this. I feel another rabbit hole calling.

> But one thing that seems unavoidable is that the "section" (the part where you hold the pen) gets messy when you put the cap on it. I wonder why every fountain pen seems to have this design.

FYI, there are fountain pens with a retractable nib that don't have a cap, including for example the:

- Pilot Vanishing Point/Capless/Decimo (there's a cheaper Japanese "Special Alloy" version as well)

- LAMY dialog

- Platinum Curidas

I don't know if they fix your inky fingers issue but if taking the cap on and off is a hassle then these might be worth looking into.

EDIT: formatting

The Ahab nib just gouges tracks into paper, and the pen reeks. Save your money.

I've never ever had a section get messy. Ever.

How do you carry your pens? Do you fly with them a lot?

I came across the website a few months ago and bought my first fountain pen and two of the top recommend inks from the site.

Black: Sailor Jentle Black

Blue Black: Sailor Sei-boku

In the states, Goulet Pens is a wonderful niche retailer of inks and fountain pens. https://www.gouletpens.com/

I am a fountain pen convert myself, and use them almost exclusively these days for my algorithmic plotter art. This website is a fantastic resource that I’ve referred to countless times.

I’ve even written my take on why they’re such great devices for machine art: https://lostpixels.io/writings/fountain-pens-plotters

The ads are so obtrusive and overtly excessive in page coverage. Also one of your ad providers are redirecting to “Microsoft support”

One could frame each image and display them all in an art gallery.

>Now if you want to try a few different inks, do that next. Maybe get a second pen, see whether 'fine' or 'medium' sized nibs is more your thing.

And that’s the moment you fell into the trap.

> Then, get the small converter […]

E.g.:

* https://www.lamy.com/en-us/p/lamy-z-28-converter

> Either way, that first step is enough to improve your life a lot

Clearly you've never tried being left-handed.

I carry a few pens with me - different color ink for different days of the week - so I can see how much I wrote in a single day. Started doing it after I read about Neil Gaiman's writing habits.

As a person who's at the other end of the spectrum, I don't think it's complicating the matter unnecessarily causing us to fall into the rabbit hole.

Many people like to write also like to write with fountain pens a lot, hence we go exploring. Collecting pens, inks and paper.

A good number of the inks are because of artists, hence the wide variety of colors including colors which are not particularly useful for writing. The water based inks used in fountain pens are the primary inks for pen and ink drawing because they allow all of the classic techniques like washes and water brushes which do not work with other sorts of inks. Many of the makers of these inks have started to exploit the fountain pen fad to expand their market.

As a person who writes a lot, "seems" is the important word here.

In IT circles, computers and tablets are the most coveted tools for note taking due to processing flexibility it provides, but while less visible, writing is there, evolving.

From personal experience, writing with pen and paper unlocks a different mode in brain. Personally, I can concentrate better, think deeper and clearer, hence I work with pen and paper a lot, incl. software/architecture/algorithm design, free-form thinking while working on other things. I keep "lab notebooks" for software I develop. I also keep a hand-written diary, which again feels and affects very differently when compared to writing to a text document on screen.

There's another sub-culture who writes for the sake of writing (people generally transcribe books by hand). I don't judge them, but that's not my taste.

Some writing inks are very cheap (Pelikan 4001 / Lamy Standard / Parker / Waterman comes to my mind), but some pigments and dyes are very expensive and inks are produced in limited quantities. Companies like Noodler's produce very interesting chemistries and try to keep their costs low to provide the most ink for the buck, but they also make some exotic inks. It's not uncommon to ask a producer why an ink is not produced anymore, and getting "they don't make the dyes anymore, we got their all stock they produced for the last couple of years" as an answer.

So, tl;dr: Writing has evolved, but it's not going anywhere soon. Some of us are writing a ton, with purpose and intent. And no, some inks are not cheap, but "standard issue" inks are optimized for cost and performance, and they are very good inks, indeed.

If you have any questions, I'd be happy to answer.

You will like “Carbon Black CHOU Kuro.” It is, I think, currently the father of all Black Inks. If you wish to read up, here is an article I found searching — it compares Chou Kuro’s Platinum against the Carbon Black.

https://www.penchalet.com/blog/platinum-chou-kuro-vs-carbon-...

I've been buying from Goulet for years, but lately their service has taken a major nosedive. I recommend people stay away from them now.

The last pen I received from them was broken. They would not take it back, asked me to deal with the manufacturer directly. Horrible customer service. After so many expensive pens (Pelikan, Pilot and Visconti), I won't be buying from them again.

Though many people avoid Goulet due to the anti-LGBT stance of their owners.

Strong recommend. Brian's a friendly and diligent guy, always ready to help research and solve customer problems. The only fountain pens I don't get from Goulet Pens are the ones they don't sell.

I see you were bit by the Iroshizuku bug

Blissfully ad free with Firefox and uBlock Origin. If ads annoy you, I would suggest fixing your browser.

I had some fountain pens over the years, but I was never able to truly enjoy them or recommend them to anyone. I didn't find them practical as daily writing tools and or too fun as a hobby.

> My experience getting into double-edge razors

It’s called safety razor, if I understood you correctly.

Also, it’s quite hard to write with it, I’ll stick to fountain pens.

> They're not just small luxuries, but actually better-performant and more practical than the popular alternatives in almost every way.

Most of us who use fountain pen feel this way too.

I literally just an hour ago tried picking up a gel pen for writing and 3 minutes later it went back into storage. It's Uniball One so it's not a bad gel pen either.

For anyone wanting to know and learn more, there's also the r/fountainpens subreddit with 350k subs (because of course there exists a subreddit for every such niche).

It's a good place to get a sense of the hobby's breadth, as people post hauls of freshly bought pens and ink they'll never use. As with all else on Reddit, you're wise not to stay long.

Also there is Fountain Pen Network. (https://www.fountainpennetwork.com)

True. When I mentioned this on an FP Discord, people actively shared tips about content blockers.

I mean, if using an "irrational" tool to write allows me to write longer, better and helps me think clearer, I'll only call this hobby "irrationally rational" :)

That's a good story but people know good hobbies are not about the tools but the skill.

the Zebra disposable fountain pens are EXCELLENT for how cheap they are, it's honestly a shame they're not refillable

I always kinda hated the cartridges and the ink that came in them from day 1.

My second pen was filled by piston and I bought some cheap Diamine samplers, and it was both simple to use and cheap.

I found converters to be often hard to use which results in messes.

I think this kinda misses the point of what lost modern pen enthusiasts are looking for.

For one thing, limiting yourself to pre-filled cartridges locks you out of 95%+ of the fancy ink out there, which is sold bottled for use with internal reservoirs.

Excellent starting point but they are sooo scratchy. It made me doubt if fountain pens were for me, but I bought some cheap pens that were less fine and it was a dream.

You don’t fill a “converted” different from a piston one. Both operate exactly the same. Why the mess?

Some fancier inks also comes in cartridges though. Most of Diamine's collection, Kaweco, Montblanc, Graf von Faber Castell and Waterman comes in international standard cartridges too.

Yeah, Waterman is not that "fancy", but being able to carry 8 long cartridges of Serenity/Florida blue with a dependable pen is hard to beat if you are on the go.

You can also look at Figboot on Pens: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCI1aF4MNqSzKIS2t0KHS1gw

He's a nice guy.

I'm left handed, I use european fine pens with oxford optik paper and I never smudge. Probably it depends on the ink. I use mostly Iroshizuku inks.

The Ahab nib just gouges tracks into paper, and the pen reeks. Save your money.

I've never ever had a section get messy. Ever.

> But one thing that seems unavoidable is that the "section" (the part where you hold the pen) gets messy when you put the cap on it. I wonder why every fountain pen seems to have this design.

FYI, there are fountain pens with a retractable nib that don't have a cap, including for example the:

- Pilot Vanishing Point/Capless/Decimo (there's a cheaper Japanese "Special Alloy" version as well)

- LAMY dialog

- Platinum Curidas

I don't know if they fix your inky fingers issue but if taking the cap on and off is a hassle then these might be worth looking into.

EDIT: formatting

> They're not just small luxuries, but actually better-performant and more practical than the popular alternatives in almost every way.

Most of us who use fountain pen feel this way too.

I literally just an hour ago tried picking up a gel pen for writing and 3 minutes later it went back into storage. It's Uniball One so it's not a bad gel pen either.

As a fountain pen enthusiast with some beautiful pens that will probably become rare in the future, it makes me somewhat sad that my only son is left-handed.

Don't feel sad. I'm left handed, too and use fountain pens specifically. I hold my pens as a right handed person would, so my hand is very far from what I write, and I never smudge anything.

Hopefully you can impress on him that they are important to you, and rare, and while he may not use them, he can still respect them for what they are, and look after them

Hoping not to be culturally-deaf, you have an arabic sounding username, so maybe there is still hope for him if he decides to learn the language

I'm left handed and I never smudge at all.

I use Iroshizuku Kon Peki, Oxford Optik paper, Pilot Prera and Kakuno in M width.

What hand position do you use? The equivalent of a right handed person, or a specialised one to move your hand away from the writing?

Also there is Fountain Pen Network. (https://www.fountainpennetwork.com)

> My experience getting into double-edge razors

It’s called safety razor, if I understood you correctly.

Also, it’s quite hard to write with it, I’ll stick to fountain pens.

It's a good place to get a sense of the hobby's breadth, as people post hauls of freshly bought pens and ink they'll never use. As with all else on Reddit, you're wise not to stay long.

Excellent starting point but they are sooo scratchy. It made me doubt if fountain pens were for me, but I bought some cheap pens that were less fine and it was a dream.

Though many people avoid Goulet due to the anti-LGBT stance of their owners.

I see you were bit by the Iroshizuku bug

True. When I mentioned this on an FP Discord, people actively shared tips about content blockers.

If you like to write your ransom notes in blood it’s just the thing.

How do you carry your pens? Do you fly with them a lot?

Not at all. But it seems that the inside of the caps gets messy anyway. Probably from the nib making contact when capping.

Some fancier inks also comes in cartridges though. Most of Diamine's collection, Kaweco, Montblanc, Graf von Faber Castell and Waterman comes in international standard cartridges too.

Yeah, Waterman is not that "fancy", but being able to carry 8 long cartridges of Serenity/Florida blue with a dependable pen is hard to beat if you are on the go.

None of those I would really class as "fancy". Good ink, yes. Fancy, no.

They're not (except maybe Diamine occasionally) making shimmer inks, or glitter inks, or color shift inks, or ...

I'm talking mostly about small boutique makers.

> A good number of the inks are because of artists

I actually think you have it backwards. Hobbyists drive the economics of almost all gear used for creative pursuits. For every artist making meaningful objects and sharing them with the world, there are a 100 dabblers who fantasize about being that, buy a bunch of stuff, but never really use it.

This is a strange but ultimately harmonious economic arrangement. Hobbyists increase scale, which helps gear producers lower costs, which benefit actual artists.

As a person who writes a lot, "seems" is the important word here.

In IT circles, computers and tablets are the most coveted tools for note taking due to processing flexibility it provides, but while less visible, writing is there, evolving.

There's another sub-culture who writes for the sake of writing (people generally transcribe books by hand). I don't judge them, but that's not my taste.

If you have any questions, I'd be happy to answer.

I think hand-writing is gone already, save a few hipsters who like it more for the calm and repetitiveness than because they actually need to write what they are writing.

I can write 20x faster with a keyboard and I won't have cramps after a few minutes. And I don't think painful hands are a prerequisite for deep thought.

https://www.penchalet.com/blog/platinum-chou-kuro-vs-carbon-...

Don't know how much weight to attribute to a sole review, but it was a 1 star:

https://www.amazon.ca/PLATINUM-Ink-Bottle-Carbon-Black/dp/B0...

I've been buying from Goulet for years, but lately their service has taken a major nosedive. I recommend people stay away from them now.

Potential buyers should also be aware the fountain pen community on Reddit has soured massively on Goulet.

In addition to deteriorating service and slow shipping concerns compared to alternatives, there’s a view that purchasing from the company directly funds anti-LGBTQ owners and organizations. The owners cofounded a branch of a church whose pastor made wildly anti-LGBTQ remarks. The response to the controversy was not well handled by the Goulets (essentially radio silence then an highly misleading statement). The controversy came around the same time a well beloved podcast employee Drew was fired.

There was also the prior controversy with Noodler’s Inks and the Gaulet’s rehabilitating him after anti-Semitic imagery was placed for a second time on his bottles.

Because so much of the original megathread was deleted (whole lot of subreddit moderation drama occurred because of this incident) I’m linking a later summary for those curious.

https://www.reddit.com/r/fountainpens/comments/1heveiu/the_2...

Oh wow. That's sad to hear. I bought pens, inks, and parts from them for years, but the last purchase was about 8 years ago.

Strong recommend. Brian's a friendly and diligent guy, always ready to help research and solve customer problems. The only fountain pens I don't get from Goulet Pens are the ones they don't sell.

Once I bought something from them and they shipped it here, overseas. The packaging arrived perfectly. I really wish them all the best.

If you talk with him, and if you can relay this, I'd be glad.

Blissfully ad free with Firefox and uBlock Origin. If ads annoy you, I would suggest fixing your browser.

Even the neutered uBlock Origin Lite on Chrome is enough to make the ads go away.

You don’t fill a “converted” different from a piston one. Both operate exactly the same. Why the mess?

That's a good story but people know good hobbies are not about the tools but the skill.

Piston pens have the filling system fully contained. The only place ink can come out is the nib. Converters, in my limited experience, don't always have a perfect fit or come loose during the filling process.

More deft hands probably don't have this problem. I would come out with inky hands no matter the filling system when I first started using fountain pens. Look ma', no (stained) hands!

They’re sort of similar, but also opposite. A convertor twists up the pen pulling ink into the chamber. A piston twists down the pen creating a vacuum first. When it gets to the bottom the vacuum is exposed to the nib and the ink is rapidly sucked up. I definitely find the piston less messy.

I also write way more legible with fountain pens and can also maintain/repair my pens, too.

I also take photos and dance. Does this fulfill your criteria for good hobbies? :)

Don't feel sad. I'm left handed, too and use fountain pens specifically. I hold my pens as a right handed person would, so my hand is very far from what I write, and I never smudge anything.

Hopefully you can impress on him that they are important to you, and rare, and while he may not use them, he can still respect them for what they are, and look after them

What hand position do you use? The equivalent of a right handed person, or a specialised one to move your hand away from the writing?

This is why I can't get into fountain pens (also left handed). I want to hold a pen like a right handed person does. I want to use the inks, pens, and papers that everyone else uses without taking special consideration for my being left handed. Why should I have to learn to write underhand or to hook my wrist or to tilt the paper when I write, just to avoid smudging? I don't see right handed people doing it.

My pinky rests just above the line I'm currently writing on — the line I just finished. You'd expect that to cause the most smudging, since the ink is still fresh, but surprisingly, it doesn’t.

Hoping not to be culturally-deaf, you have an arabic sounding username, so maybe there is still hope for him if he decides to learn the language

FYI Al-Khwarizmi was a famous Persian mathematician from the Islamic Golden Age. The word "algorithm" is derived from his name.

If you like to write your ransom notes in blood it’s just the thing.

Eh. I think I see where you're going but that spacing is really hard to get right and it would clog like nobody's business, you're better off just going with regular ink in the 6mm Parallel.

None of those I would really class as "fancy". Good ink, yes. Fancy, no.

They're not (except maybe Diamine occasionally) making shimmer inks, or glitter inks, or color shift inks, or ...

I'm talking mostly about small boutique makers.

Fancy has a lot of meanings. For me, fancy means higher quality, for you means glitter/shimmer inks, which I personally don't prefer to use. However, having different opinions are OK, though, this is how it should be.

For me, a good permanent or IG ink is fancy enough, because I can use them in my lab notebooks and be sure to open and re-read it five years later. For you, a fancy ink brings you joy and has different tricks IIUC, and is equally valid.

> A good number of the inks are because of artists

This is a strange but ultimately harmonious economic arrangement. Hobbyists increase scale, which helps gear producers lower costs, which benefit actual artists.

Not at all. But it seems that the inside of the caps gets messy anyway. Probably from the nib making contact when capping.

I think hand-writing is gone already, save a few hipsters who like it more for the calm and repetitiveness than because they actually need to write what they are writing.

I can write 20x faster with a keyboard and I won't have cramps after a few minutes. And I don't think painful hands are a prerequisite for deep thought.

Potential buyers should also be aware the fountain pen community on Reddit has soured massively on Goulet.

There was also the prior controversy with Noodler’s Inks and the Gaulet’s rehabilitating him after anti-Semitic imagery was placed for a second time on his bottles.

Because so much of the original megathread was deleted (whole lot of subreddit moderation drama occurred because of this incident) I’m linking a later summary for those curious.

https://www.reddit.com/r/fountainpens/comments/1heveiu/the_2...

Oh wow. That's sad to hear. I bought pens, inks, and parts from them for years, but the last purchase was about 8 years ago.

Even the neutered uBlock Origin Lite on Chrome is enough to make the ads go away.

More deft hands probably don't have this problem. I would come out with inky hands no matter the filling system when I first started using fountain pens. Look ma', no (stained) hands!

I also write way more legible with fountain pens and can also maintain/repair my pens, too.

I also take photos and dance. Does this fulfill your criteria for good hobbies? :)

I did not say "professional artists," I said "artists" which includes the dabblers with the dreams of becoming professional artists but does not include pen collectors with a cabinet full of ink whose lifetime of ink purchases might reach the yearly ink purchase of anyone remotely serious about their art.

Sometimes fountain pens "spit". This happens more frequently if the ink is low, the pressure changes or the pen get rocked a bit more than their liking.

Carrying pens nib up, in a pocket or bag helps. Also some pens are more resistant to this. From my experience Lamy, Faber Castell and Kaweco makes most spit-resistant and accessible pens. I can recommend Lamy Safari, Kaweco Perkeo or Faber Castell Grip 2011 (basically a Perkeo in a different shell), if you want to explore further.

If you have any questions, I'd be happy to help.

I'll kindly disagree here, because I both type and write a lot. Yes, typing is faster than writing, but that's not the point of writing.

Writing's speed and correction limits makes me think and filter before I actually write. This allows me to form clearer thoughts in less time. I arrive to a better place, faster.

Also, neither writing nor typing cramps my hands, and I do both of them for hours if I need to. That's interesting.

I'm slowly collecting research focusing on differences on typing and writing, but the landscape is barren. I'll publish a list when I have sufficient resources at hand.

If the business is going downhill then that's one thing. I wouldn't know; I am not in the habit of asking retailers to price-match a 33% discount and it was an impulse buy in any case, so it's been a couple years since I ordered a pen from Brian. If his company disappoints me, of course I will say so.

Beliefs in public are another matter in the United States, where I have spent my life a citizen. It is for like cause my privilege to take this rather childish campaign of character assassination exactly as seriously as it deserves.

Oh sure, the SBC has been industriously covering a Catholic-grade child sex abuse scandal since some time early last year. But the SBC also by design, being effectively a 501(c) something-or-other front and to my view encompassed by RICO, isn't really capable of responding; the appropriately equipped organizations would be the Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Absent their involvement, and even in light of their present and ongoing compromise, am I meant to imagine Reddit is better in this regard? Good grief, that place has been as bad as the worst you hear of Discord now, and nothing out of Reddit's ownership or the regulatory environment suggests meaningful intent to do better.

But what do I know? I'm just a dumb old redneck homo who came out of Mississippi, 'trade' being one term I have heard along the way. Of course it's the just role of the fancy folk with leisure for literacy, like you, to instruct my brute if decent kind of our proper role in things. You know, like your intellectual forebears, the antebellum Southern planters who so cozened my own poor ancestors and maintained them in their useful ignorance. I like to hope we're a little more clever this generation. Or more continent in where we place our trust, at least.

Don't know how much weight to attribute to a sole review, but it was a 1 star:

https://www.amazon.ca/PLATINUM-Ink-Bottle-Carbon-Black/dp/B0...

Well, 40 other reviews seem to like it more to be giving it 4+ stars. https://www.amazon.com/PLATINUM-Ink-Bottle-Carbon-Black/dp/B...

Once I bought something from them and they shipped it here, overseas. The packaging arrived perfectly. I really wish them all the best.

If you talk with him, and if you can relay this, I'd be glad.

We're not quite that close, sad to say; for the most part I'm just a very happy customer, and past that we once collaborated via email to find and source a suitable replacement part for my Decimo, when it extruded its body joint o-ring a few years back. But I'm sure he'd be glad to hear from you!

It was a Visconti Opera Master. Comes with a power reservoir filler that detached from the nib assembly within five days of purchase. Turned out the threads were completely mismatched, that pen should have never been sold. Now, granted Visconti has serious QC issues, but this was a limited edition and not only did Goulet fail to catch the issue during testing but they also refused to do anything about it except refer me to the manufacturer.

I ended up fixing the pen myself. It works well now, but after that experience, I am done with Goulet.

My pinky rests just above the line I'm currently writing on — the line I just finished. You'd expect that to cause the most smudging, since the ink is still fresh, but surprisingly, it doesn’t.

FYI Al-Khwarizmi was a famous Persian mathematician from the Islamic Golden Age. The word "algorithm" is derived from his name.

Eh. I think I see where you're going but that spacing is really hard to get right and it would clog like nobody's business, you're better off just going with regular ink in the 6mm Parallel.

Vacuum based filling systems are called “vacuum fillers”, like Pilot Custom 823.

A piston pen is exactly same as a converter one. For example Pelikan M605, Twsbi Eco, Lamy 2000, etc.

Vacuum pens are nice, but need more care during filling and need deeper bottles since the process is somewhat more violent.

It'd be easier to learn to write right handed. It takes about 3 months, speaking from personal experience, to change your dominant hand.

Sometimes fountain pens "spit". This happens more frequently if the ink is low, the pressure changes or the pen get rocked a bit more than their liking.

If you have any questions, I'd be happy to help.

Thanks for the advice!

I think another reason for messy fingers is the way I hold the pen. It's easy to come into contact with the nib or the exposed part of the feed when you're not careful.

I might just be a bit clumsy. :)

I was born with hands, I know how having hands feels.

I'll kindly disagree here, because I both type and write a lot. Yes, typing is faster than writing, but that's not the point of writing.

Writing's speed and correction limits makes me think and filter before I actually write. This allows me to form clearer thoughts in less time. I arrive to a better place, faster.

Also, neither writing nor typing cramps my hands, and I do both of them for hours if I need to. That's interesting.

I'm slowly collecting research focusing on differences on typing and writing, but the landscape is barren. I'll publish a list when I have sufficient resources at hand.

Well, 40 other reviews seem to like it more to be giving it 4+ stars. https://www.amazon.com/PLATINUM-Ink-Bottle-Carbon-Black/dp/B...

I ended up fixing the pen myself. It works well now, but after that experience, I am done with Goulet.

Eh, it's a thousand-dollar Italian statement pen. If the guy doesn't really want to run a Lambo dealership, I get it, and I can see where you might be annoyed to have helped find that out. For those of us with less rarefied tastes, I think things are probably pretty different on a lot of axes, but all it takes to spend money is money.

As I said nearby [1], when I had Decimo trouble, he not only got hold of Pilot to find out they don't sell an OEM o-ring, but after that spent the day back and forth with me via email, making and giving accurate measurements of an intact part, all kinds of things. The end result is still the first pen I reach for all day, every day. I don't know what was really so different between your case and mine, but I doubt it had that much to do with Brian.

[1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44757775

Vacuum based filling systems are called “vacuum fillers”, like Pilot Custom 823.

A piston pen is exactly same as a converter one. For example Pelikan M605, Twsbi Eco, Lamy 2000, etc.

Vacuum pens are nice, but need more care during filling and need deeper bottles since the process is somewhat more violent.

It'd be easier to learn to write right handed. It takes about 3 months, speaking from personal experience, to change your dominant hand.

Thanks for the advice!

I think another reason for messy fingers is the way I hold the pen. It's easy to come into contact with the nib or the exposed part of the feed when you're not careful.

I might just be a bit clumsy. :)

You're most welcome. :)

> I might just be a bit clumsy. :)

We all are, don't feel bad about it.

Lamy Safari, Kaweco Perkeo and Faber Castell Grip 2011 have triangular grips which forces you to hold the pen correctly. Many people find these uncomfortable, but I love them. Because it allows me blindly open them (i.e.: Oh I need to take note of this, where's my pen?) while looking to the screen or elsewhere.

We all start from somewhere. Using fountain pens is not an instinctual thing. Also, even after trying these and decide that fountain pens aren't for you, that's perfectly OK, too.

From my experience, when you get used to fountain pens, they're not messier than a ballpoint pen.

Hope these tips help,

Have a nice day! ;)

I was born with hands, I know how having hands feels.

As well say you were born with the ability to acquire language, so you know how it feels to speak every language in the world. Have fun with that.

[1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44757775

Oh I wish I got that kind of service. How long ago was this?

You're most welcome. :)

> I might just be a bit clumsy. :)

We all are, don't feel bad about it.

We all start from somewhere. Using fountain pens is not an instinctual thing. Also, even after trying these and decide that fountain pens aren't for you, that's perfectly OK, too.

From my experience, when you get used to fountain pens, they're not messier than a ballpoint pen.

Hope these tips help,

Have a nice day! ;)

As well say you were born with the ability to acquire language, so you know how it feels to speak every language in the world. Have fun with that.

Oh I wish I got that kind of service. How long ago was this?

Oh, just a couple years ago. But it does exemplify the quality of service I've seen since I began shopping with them in 2018.

Ashera Oleatus Review

March 03, 2026/ Kelli McCown

I reviewed the Ashera Aeon in Holly last year, so I was excited when I found out that Ashera had released a new fountain pen model-the Oleatus. Ashera was very kind and sent me an Oleatus in Yew Burl with a 14k gold medium nib to try. The Oleatus is available in 8 different woods. This material/nib combo retails for $870.

The pen comes in a gorgeous wood box with the Ashera name engraved.

The finish is oiled rather than lacquered, which gives the pen a fabulous feel in hand.

This is a very large pen when compared to other popular pen models.

The yew burl material is so pretty!

The cap is a twist-on, but it only takes one twist to remove, rather than the multiple turns some pen caps take.

The 14k medium nib is very juicy and slightly bouncy.

Yes, the nib is very dirty, but that just makes me like it more. She’s pretty, juicy, bouncy goodness. Sailor Black is the first ink I usually put in a pen and this combo did not disappoint.

You can see the ink on my fingers from where I made a mess when I refilled the pen.

More close-ups of the pretty nib. I love that it doesn’t have a ton of engraving or logos on it.

She’s definitely classy, but with plenty of personality.

The nib is just a little bit wider on the downstroke than the sidestroke.

The pen works well with both cursive and print writing.

Overall, this is a fabulous pen. It writes well, feels great in the hand, and looks gorgeous.

Disclaimer: This pen was provided by Ashera for the purpose of this review. All photos and opinions are my own. This post is not sponsored, and does not contain affiliate links.

February 25, 2026

Ink Review #2902: Caran d'ache Electric Orange

February 25, 2026/ Kelli McCown

The color:

Electric Orange is a medium red-orange.

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink has some shading.

Dry time: 30 seconds

Water resistance: Low

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

On 20 lb copy paper the ink had feathering in all nib sizes and just a few dots of bleeding.

Comparison Swabs:

Electric Orange is closest to Scribo Arancio di Sicilia. Click here to see the orange inks together.

Longer Writing:

I used a Kaweco Al-sport Red with a medium nib on a Taroko Enigma notebook. The ink has an average flow.

Overall, this is a good solid orange ink. I didn’t have any issues with performance and the color is lovely. The $37 price tag is a bit steep for this ink though.

Thanks to all my Patrons! I couldn’t do these reviews without you! You can find my Patreon page here.

Disclaimer: All photos and opinions are my own. This page does not contain affiliate links and this post is not sponsored.

February 23, 2026

Ink Review #2901: Colorverse No. 012 a Ori

February 23, 2026/ Kelli McCown

The color:

a Ori is a bright red-orange.

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink looks more red than on the Col-o-ring swab.

Dry time: 40 seconds

Water resistance: Low

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

On 20 lb copy paper the ink had feathering in all nib sizes and some bleeding.

Comparison Swabs:

a Ori is closest to Robert Oster Rust Orange. Click here to see the orange inks together.

Longer Writing:

I used a TWSBI Eco Transparent Orange with a medium nib on a Taroko Enigma notebook. The ink has an average flow.

Overall, this is a nice ink. The color is bright and interesting and it performs well.

Thanks to all my Patrons! I couldn’t do these reviews without you! You can find my Patreon page here.

Disclaimer: All photos and opinions are my own. This page does not contain affiliate links and this post is not sponsored.

February 16, 2026

2900 Inks!

February 16, 2026/ Kelli McCown

Recently we hit 2900 ink reviews so it’s time for another favorites post! My favorites change often, sometimes weekly or daily, but there are some that are constants. I’m sticking to only inks that I’ve already reviewed.

Black Inks:

Sailor Jentle Black-This is my favorite everyday black. I often have multiple pens inked up with it.
Taccia Black Jeans-When I first reviewed this one I didn’t think that it stood out from other black inks, but the more I use it the more I love it. I need a full bottle of it soon!
Pilot Iroshizuku Take-sumi-This is probably my second most used black ink. It flows really well.
Platinum Carbon Black-This is the ink I reach for when I want a water-resistant black.

Blue Black Inks:

Kobe #51 Kanocho Midnight-I love the wet flow and green and silver sheen.
Bungubox 4B-I’ve had great luck with this ink drying fast (around 15 seconds) so it’s one I use if I’m taking fast notes.
Cross Blue Black-This is a great everyday, office appropriate ink!
Sailor Nano Sou-boku-I love this ink for when I need an office appropriate color. It’s water resistant but well behaved.

Grey Inks:

Octopus Document Grey-I really like Octopus Fluid’s pigmented inks. They perform well and generally have a wetter flow.
Monteverde Smoke Noir-I enjoy this ink for its color and flow.
Pilot Iroshizuku Kiri-same-I’m still sad that Pilot discontinued this ink. I haven’t found the perfect replacement for it yet.
Pilot Iroshizuku Fuyu-syogun-I don’t think I’ve found a Pilot ink so far that I don’t like. This one is a great color and flows well.

Brown Inks:

Monteverde Moonstone-I love the cool tone of this ink. It’s so pretty.
Pilot Iroshizuku Tsukushi-I really like that this ink looks different depending on which paper you use it on.
Teranishi Guitar Nostalgic Honey-I’ve been crushing on this ink hard for months. It’s a fabulous color with fabulous shading. Why aren’t more people trying Teranishi inks???
Taccia Tuchi Golden Wheat-I love the color of this ink and it flows so well.

Red Inks:

Teranishi Guitar Classy Burgundy-This is such a good dark red.
Teranishi Guitar Modern Red-I love writing with this ink. It performs well and is a fabulous color.
Kobe Luxury Red-I love the color of this ink and it flows so well.
Sailor Jentle Irori-Irori has been a long-time favorite of mine.

Pink Inks:

Monteverde Garnet- A lot of people ask if I’ve had issues with Monteverde inks and I haven’t. The ones I’ve gotten have performed really well.
Pilot Iroshizuku Tsutsuji- This is one of the first fountain pen inks I tried, and it’s still one I use regularly!
Bungubox Mother Pink- This is such a classy pink. I love the color and the good flow.
Pilot Iroshizuku Kosumosu- This color is helping me get ready for spring!

Orange Inks:

KWZ Grapefruit- This is a wonderful dark orange.
Jacques Herbin Orange Soleil- I like the Jacques Herbin inks way more than the standard J Herbin inks. They are smoother and feel more premium.
Pilot Iroshizuku Yu-yake- I love Pilot inks. I haven’t tried one yet that didn’t perform well for me.
Pilot Iroshizuku To-ro- It’s so bright and happy!

Yellow Inks:

KWZ Honey- I wasn’t sold on this one the first few times I tried it, but over time I have come to absolutely love this ink! The only thing I don’t love is the vanilla smell, but since it’s only obvious when I fill the pen I’m okay with it.
Franklin-Christoph Honeycomb-
Bungubox Ebisu Gold- I love this shade of dusty yellow.
Colorverse Adobe-I don’t always love traditional yellow shades because I have a hard time reading them, but this one performs well.

Green Inks:

Teranishi Guitar Gentle Green- Teranishi inks have my heart! They are so good!
Diamine Pine Needle- I love this color! It’s not your average green shade and it has some character.
Diamine Noble Fir- This is one of my favorites from the past few Diamine Inkvent Calendars. I could take or leave the shimmer but I love the base ink.
Bungubox Kaoru- This is one of my favorite Bungubox inks! The color is fabulous. I always wince a bit when I use it because it costs so much per bottle, but I’m big on using what you love and not keeping expensive things just for special occasions.

Teal Inks:

Sailor Jentle Yama-dori- I have been a fan of this ink since I tried it for the first time 9 years ago. It’s still fabulous.
Robert Oster Marine- This color is helping me look forward to summer this year. It’s bright and happy.
Teranishi Guitar Brilliant Mint- This is a must-have teal for me. It’s so good!
Diamine Marine- This is the first ink I ever tried so it’s a bit nostalgic for me.

Blue Inks:

Teranishi Guitar Smoky Navy- I seriously need a full bottle of every Teranishi ink, but especially this one!
Teranishi Guitar Melancholic Blue- Gorgeous color!
Robert Oster Blue Water Ice- I love most of Robert Oster’s blue inks, but I come back to this one again and again.
R&K Salix- I’ve been loving this ink for my daughter’s schoolwork. I wrote a Patreon post all about it.,

January 27, 2026

Ink Review #2900: Colorverse 010 a Cygni

January 27, 2026/ Kelli McCown

The color:

a Cygni is a pale baby sky blue with blue shimmer.

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink shades almost to a green.

Dry time: 40 seconds

Water resistance: Low

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

On 20 lb copy paper the ink had feathering in all nib sizes and some bleeding.

Comparison Swabs:

a Cygni is lighter than Diamine Glacier. Click here to see the blue inks together.

Longer Writing:

I used a TWSBI Eco-T Mint with a broad nib on a Taroko Enigma notebook. The ink has a dry flow.

Overall, this is a lovely pale blue ink, but it can be hard to read in smaller nib sizes. It’s also drier than I prefer, so it’s not an ink I’m in love with. It’s okay, but not great.

Thanks to all my Patrons! I couldn’t do these reviews without you! You can find my Patreon page here.

Disclaimer: All photos and opinions are my own. This page does not contain affiliate links and this post is not sponsored.

January 14, 2026

Ink Review #2899: De Atramentis Saddle Brown

January 14, 2026/ Kelli McCown

We are so close to 2900 ink reviews! Today’s ink is De Atramentis Saddle Brown from the Standard collection. My sample of ink came from Vanness Pens. This ink is also known as De Atramentis Walt Whitman.

The color:

Saddle Brown is a very unsaturated cool-tone brown.

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink looks much grayer than it does on the Col-o-ring swab.

Dry time: 40 seconds

Water resistance: Low

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

On 20 lb copy paper the ink had some bleeding and feathering in all nib sizes. I don’t use this ink on cheap paper.

Comparison Swabs:

Saddle Brown is darker than Tono & Lims Nara: Dear Sakura, but is lighter than Ferris Wheel Press Beaver Dam Brown. Click here to see the brown inks together.

Longer Writing:

I used a Franklin-Christoph 45L Italian Ice with a medium nib on a Taroko Enigma notebook. The ink has an average flow.

Overall, this is a nice overall brown. It’s mostly well-behaved, but it does not perform well on copy paper, so I stick to the nicer papers.

Thanks to all my Patrons! I couldn’t do these reviews without you! You can find my Patreon page here.

Disclaimer: All photos and opinions are my own. This page does not contain affiliate links and this post is not sponsored.

January 13, 2026

Ellington Pens Midnight Rose Fountain Pen

January 13, 2026/ Kelli McCown

The pen comes in a classy box inside another cardboard box.

There is a converter and 3 cartridges. They appear to be proprietary cartridges and not standard international.

The barrel is made of stainless steel, and the accents are made of brass. Here’s some measurements:

Pen Length: 14.2 cm
Diameter: 1.2 cm
Weight: 32.5 g

The Midnight Rose is about the same size as a TWSBI Eco.

It’s a pull cap rather than a twist cap, which I actually prefer in most use cases. I like the details on the cap-it has an octagon shaped section in the middle of the cap finial, with the top shaped to a point. While I love the look of this, it does make the cap rather heavy. This is not a pen I would post while using.

Here’s a close up of the top of the cap.

Since the section is made of brass it can get a little slippery from hand oils the longer you write. The pen is very prone to fingerprints, so if that bothers you I would suggest keeping a polishing cloth nearby.

The steel nib is engraved with the Ellington logo and the nib size.

The feed worked well, I didn’t have any issues with standard inks, but I did have clogging with shimmer inks.

The nib is marketed on the Ellington website as “The nib is crafted for smooth, consistent ink flow — a symbol of thoughtful craftsmanship in every stroke.” I always use Sailor Black ink when I test out a new pen for the first time-it’s my go-to testing ink. The nib did have a good consistent flow, but I did notice more feedback than I expected-not as much as a Sailor pen, but not super smooth either.

The nib size worked well with my writing style in a 3.9mm grid. The Ellington Pen website mentions that an extra fine nib is between 0.38-0.45mm. I found it to be just a little bit broader than that-closer to a 0.5mm.

The pen wrote in cursive well, no sharp edges.

Overall, this is a lovely pen. It worked well for my handwriting style and had a good consistent flow with multiple inks. It also has some pretty details on the cap. I do wish that the cap was a little bit lighter, and that the section was a little less slippery. This pen currently sells on the Ellington Website for $49.95, which I think is a very fair price for this pen. They are in the middle of a winter sale, so you can pick up this pen today for 25% off!

Disclaimer: This pen was provided by Ellington Pens for the purpose of this review. All photos and opinions are my own and this post is not sponsored in any way.

January 12, 2026

Ink Review: Akkerman 26-30 Inks

January 12, 2026/ Kelli McCown

It’s been a while since I posted. Not only did I have the flu for two weeks, but my kids have had a lot of health problems crop up and that needed to be my focus for a few weeks. If y’all have any recommendations for dealing with Type 1 Diabetes in teens please send them over (my email is mountainofinkreviews@gmail.com). Today we are looking at four of the Akkerman standard inks: 26 Groenmarkt Smaragd, 27 Bezuidenwoud Groen, 28 Hofkwartier Groen and 30 Het Zwarte Pad. You can purchase some Akkerman inks from Vanness Pens.

Swabs:

Dry Time: 50-70 seconds

Water Resistance: Low-Medium

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

Other properties: All five had low-medium shading.

On Walmart Pen + Gear copy paper there was some feathering but no bleeding.

Comparison Swabs:

I used a Taroko Enigma notebook. All five had average flows.

Overall, I like all four of these inks. #26 is my favorite today, just because I’m loving the color right now, but you can’t go wrong with any of them.

Disclaimer: All photos and opinions are my own. This page does not contain affiliate links, and is not sponsored in any way.

December 16, 2025

Ink Review #2894: 3 Oysters Americano

December 16, 2025/ Kelli McCown

The color:

Americano is a deep walnut brown.

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink looks darker and more flat than it does on the Col-o-ring.

Dry time: 40 seconds

Water resistance: Medium

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

On 20 lb copy paper the ink had some bleeding and feathering in the larger nib sizes.

Comparison Swabs:

Americano is lighter than Franklin-Christoph Dark Chocolate. Click here to see the brown inks together.

Longer Writing:

I used a Pelikan M400 White Tortoise with a medium nib on a Taroko Enigma notebook. The ink has an average flow.

Overall, I would say this is an average brown ink. It has a little bit of shading, which is nice, but it’s not an ink that stands out from all of the other brown inks I’ve tried.

Thanks to all my Patrons! I couldn’t do these reviews without you! You can find my Patreon page here.

Disclaimer: All photos and opinions are my own. This page does not contain affiliate links and this post is not sponsored.

December 15, 2025

Ink Review #2893: De Atramentis Coral Red

December 15, 2025/ Kelli McCown

Today’s ink is De Atramentis Coral Red from the standard collection This ink was also released under the names: Pope Julius II, Peter I of Russia, and Recorder. You can find this ink for sale at some retailers including Vanness Pens.

The color:

Coral Red is a deep maroon red.

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink has some green sheen, but it’s hard to see in photos.

Dry time: 40 seconds

Water resistance: Medium

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

On 20 lb copy paper the ink had some feathering and bleeding in all nib sizes.

Comparison Swabs:

Coral Red isn’t a perfect match for any of these reds, but it’s closest to Franklin-Christoph Sweet Maroon. Click here to see the red inks together.

Longer Writing:

I used a Kaweco Al-sport Ruby with a medium nib on a Taroko Enigma notebook. The ink has an average flow.

Overall, I like the color. I did have some issues with it burping with a fresh fill, but a sentence or two in it always stopped. I could take or leave this one.

Thanks to all my Patrons! I couldn’t do these reviews without you! You can find my Patreon page here.

Disclaimer: All photos and opinions are my own. This page does not contain affiliate links and this post is not sponsored.

Hacker Times

Hacker Times

Discussion

Discussion

Ashera Oleatus Review

Ink Review #2902: Caran d'ache Electric Orange

Comparison Swabs:

Longer Writing:

Ink Review #2901: Colorverse No. 012 a Ori

Comparison Swabs:

Longer Writing:

2900 Inks!

Ink Review #2900: Colorverse 010 a Cygni

Comparison Swabs:

Longer Writing:

Ink Review #2899: De Atramentis Saddle Brown

Comparison Swabs:

Longer Writing:

Ellington Pens Midnight Rose Fountain Pen

Ink Review: Akkerman 26-30 Inks

Swabs:

Comparison Swabs:

Ink Review #2894: 3 Oysters Americano

Comparison Swabs:

Longer Writing:

Ink Review #2893: De Atramentis Coral Red

Comparison Swabs:

Longer Writing: