Comments on: Top 10 Under-Appreciated Ink Brands

By: Stephanie J

Stephanie J — Mon, 17 Jul 2023 16:32:25 +0000

I’ve been trying to appreciate my current ink and not go tearing off after the next shiny/shady/sheeny thing on the market. I don’t have a lot of Diamine, but I do have some old Waterman (back when they had names like South Seas Blue!) I need to re-examine and a lot of Levenger ink, back when that was the “boutique” brand I could get ahold of.

My fave under appreciated brand is Rohrer and Klinger. It consistently works well for me. Alt-Goldgrun has been in my finicky Leonardo for months and months with no issue!

By: David

David — Sat, 15 Jul 2023 15:07:51 +0000

Trust me. The BEST fountain pen ink in the world at any price hands-down is Pilot-Namiki Blue. Abeautiful 60 ml unlabeled oval bottle with a plastic filling-basket insert costs $12.00 – $13.00 ea. off the shelf in the U.S. The bottle you buy must be imported from Japan. Only buy Japan-direct or from a reputable importer outside Japan. A good indicator the ink is real is a musty odor from the chemical Phenol (carbolic acid), which is added in small amounts as a preservative (biocide). When I say “Trust Me”, I mean it. I know all about fountain pen inks. I’m well past my collecting phase.

By: Derek

Derek — Wed, 12 Jul 2023 21:34:36 +0000

Excellent choices (Not sure about Monteverde though.Just not worth the risk imo, especially since there’s apparently still a lot of the contaminated charges around).
I’d add L’ Artisan Pastellier (essentially the basic Range with the Callifolio inks being their premium line), Rohrer & Klingner, Birmingham Pen Company and Anderillium. Montblancs standard inks and Graf von Faber-Castell are also really underrated premium inks.

By: Ana

Ana — Wed, 12 Jul 2023 11:14:13 +0000

In reply to G. Inks like so many things, go through phases of popularity. Right now, so much attention has been focused on the newer ink makers like Dominant Industry, Tono & Lims, Wearinguel, etc that I felt like some inks were being overlooked in favor of the "hot, new thing". Are any of these inks actually "under-appreciated"? Probably not but I wanted to give them some well-deserved praise.

By: G

Tue, 11 Jul 2023 22:30:50 +0000

What makes an ink under-appreciated? Diamine is constantly mentioned around the internet for price, colours, inkvent, and being one of the best options for vintage pens. I would’ve thought it’d be at or near the top for most appreciated.

De Atramentis scents have an allure, but the smell disappears so quickly.

By: Lori

Lori — Tue, 11 Jul 2023 02:36:27 +0000

Very timely post. I placed an order last night with Cult Pens. The order includes two bottles of De Atramentis ink, one is a document ink, and one of the 30ml Diamine inks. When I find a pen I want, and Cult Pens has it at a similar or better price, I place the order with them to get Diamine inks for under $3 for a 30ml bottle. I was glad to see you included Waterman. I’ve recently filled several pens with De Atramentis ink. The only one I had an issue with is Maron. It’s supposed to be a chestnut brown, but the last time I used it, it looked gray.

By: Ana

Ana — Mon, 10 Jul 2023 21:22:31 +0000

In reply to Taylor. I use it in an opus 88 eye dropper filler almost exclusively so maybe that’s why I’ve never had flow issues. If it’s too dry, try a drop of White Lightning from Vanness Pen Shop. Works great with finicky inks.

By: Carolee

Carolee — Mon, 10 Jul 2023 19:34:00 +0000

I was today years old when I learned that some people don’t like the scent of KWZ inks (I love it)!

Some of my favorites profiled here in this post. Thanks for validating my stick-in-the-mud ways, Ana!

By: Taylor

Taylor — Mon, 10 Jul 2023 19:31:28 +0000

Diamine is so easy to take for granted. But lately I’ve been really appreciating it more, especially in contrast to more expensive ink brands.

For some strange reason, I consistently have ink flow issues with Monteverde California Teal, even though I want to love it. But it’s beyond dry in every pen I own…

By: Lola

Lola — Mon, 10 Jul 2023 19:28:35 +0000

Tono & Lims, Pennonia, Van Diemans and my personal favorite Birmingham Pen Company (their newer stuff that they make in house — not the older ones made by Diamine ).