10. Diamine

Diamine is a tried-and-true brand with a huge range of colors and multiple lines: the standard line, the 150th anniversary collection and the new Inkvent collections. The prices for each of the collections are so reasonable that I think the inks are often overlooked — and sometimes overwhelming. Diamine has often worked with fans like FPN and Reddit to create custom limited edition inks too. The most recent Celadon Cat was a Reddit fans collab.

The standard line of inks are available in 30ml (about $8 each) and epic 80ml bottles (about $17 each). The 150th anniversary line come in 40ml pie-wedge shaped bottles and sells for about $18 per bottle. Many colors can even be purchased in standard international cartridges (18 cartridges for approx.$9) .

If you’re just looking into Diamine inks and haven’t fallen down the rabbit hole of the Inkvent inks yet, one of the most popular colors is Red Dragon, a deep red with a bit of gold sheen. Ancient Copper is also a popular choice.

9. Pen BBS

Pen BBS is a Chinese online fountain pen community much like FPN in the West. They started creating their own inks and pens pre-2016 (thats the earliest date I have on a bottle of ink) and has continued to produce new colors ever since then. Originally, Pen BBS inks came in massive 60ml faceted bottles with engraved logo caps. As new series have been released the bottles have changed size and shape but the quality and wide range of color options have continued. When the shimmer inks trend first took off, Pen BBS lead the way with the finest shimmer particles and remains one of my favorite options for shimmer inks. June Pearl No. 226 is a delightful pale purple with silver shimmer. If you can find a bottle, I highly recommend it.

Lily of the Valley No. 507 is a great option as well, its a watery green with just a hint of blue. Its another one to keep a look out for. Vanness is clearing out the Pen BBS inks so what’s left is marked down considerably. Get a bottle while you can!

8. Pelikan Edelstein

Pelikan 4001 is a classic ink but when Pelikan introduced the jewel-inspired Edelstein line, they really helped to launch a new era of fountain pen ink fans. As a result of being one of the earliest to create new inks in a wider range of colors, Pelikan Edelstein is often overlooked until they announce their “ink of the year”. The 2023 color is Rose Quartz. Each bottle is 50ml for about $28 per bottle. It’s not the most affordable ink in this list but its a good ink in a beautiful, desk-worthy bottle.

One of my favorite Edelstein colors is Jade, a bluish green. It’s a very pretty, unusual shade. But if you are purchasing your first Edelstein ink, Smoky Quartz is also a great option.

7. Callifolio

Callifolio is an ink made by a French art supplies company.  Each of their ink colors come in a 40ml pie-shaped bottle (just like the Diamine 150th Annivesary inks for about $13 per bottle) or a 50ml refill pouch for about $10.25USD. The palette of colors (or should  say “colouers”) is truly sophisticated and refined.  Inti and Heure Doree (Golden Hour) were early alternatives to the coveted but hard to get KWZ Honey for a short time but now I think that the Callifolio options are a better option for those golden-y yellows without the controversial fragrance of the KWZ inks. Don’t get me wrong, I still like the way KWZ Honey smells but I think I might be in the minority.

If you’re looking for a gateway color from Callifolio, I recommend Gris de Payne (Payne’s Grey), a smoky steely blue-grey color. The previously mentioned Inti and Heure Doree are also solid first-time Callifolio options.

6. Papier Plume

Papier Plume is a small New Orleans pen shop that makes their own inks. They have made many standard colors as well as New Orleans-themed colors and many, many special editions. Their standard 30ml bottles sell for $8 to $10 per bottle.

Get in touch with your inner Nawlins with one of the New Orleans collection colors like one of my favorites, Sazerac, a deep orange that makes me thirsty just looking at the swatch.

5. De Atramentis

DeAtramentis offers over 475 (actually 492 inks according to Vanness Pen Shop) different ink colors including the most insane array of scented inks. If you’ve ever participated in one of the Vanness open house events during the Arkansas Pen Show, you might have been forced to endure one of our “guess the ink stink” games and been forced to sniff Leather, Motorbike, Cannabis, or help us all, Horse. No joke.

They have lovely floral scents as well. And document inks, artists inks, shimmer inks, . But the array of colors is why I stick with DeAtramentis (40ml bottles for about $14) after all these years. My favorite ink from my earliest days of fountain pens in Pigeon Blue but the Deepwater Obsession Black Edition series is a great collection of dark colors. I especially like Black-Red.

4. Kaweco

While the Kaweco ink line is a little smaller than most with just 10 colors, it’s a classic assortment. Previously, the inks came in the 30ml bottles shown above but now the inks ship is square shaped jam jars. These 50ml bottles sell for $11 per bottle.

The Summer Purple, Smokey Grey and Paradise Blue are my favorite shades in the line so if you’re trying to decide where to start with Kaweco inks, I recommend one of these three.

3. Lamy

Lamy’s stock ink line (AKA T52, approx. $12.50 per bottle) comes in the most unique 50ml bottle. The exterior of the bottle includes a channel with an absorbent tape to wipe off your nibs after filling your pen. While there are not a ton of colors in the line, if you need a staple ink, having one of the colors available from Lamy is a great addition to your collection.

Lamy has their posher T53 “Crystal Ink” line but these come in smaller 30ml bottles for approx. $16 each. The colors are more sophisticated but the bottles don’t have the tissue tape.

Both the Crystal Inks and the standard line offered the Vibrant Pink color which is one of my favorites. It’s not super vibrant but provides a stunning pink color. The Vibrant Pink was a limited edition color for 2018 and can still be found if you look around for it. The Vibrant Pink contains some gold flecks which gives off a fabulous gold sheen. Rhodonite from the Crystal Ink line is the same color if you can’t find it in the T52 bottle.

2. Waterman

Waterman inks are the inks I most recommend to people looking for inks that are “safe for vintage pens”. But Waterman inks aren’t just for vintage pens. The line of 10 classic colors have some hidden features at a price that won’t shock your wallet. Several of the 10 colors have some sheening properties including Serenity Blue Audacious Red and Tender Purple. Each 50ml bottle costs about $12. If you’re looking to have a couple tried-and-true inks that can be used in any pen, you can’t go wrong with Waterman.

…and finally…  1. Monteverde

Monteverde is by far one of my favorite inks. It’s well-behaved and some of my favorite ink colors are from Monteverde. Its not an ink that people talk about in rhapsodic tones but I do. It’s inexpensive, there are some amazing colors. The box sets of 10 colors in 30ml bottles ($100 pr set)  are great gateways for new ink collectors too.

Monteverde inks are available in 30ml (MSRP $10)  and 90ml bottles (MSRP$20) so ints relatively inexpensive to purchase a small bottle and, if you really love an ink, 90ml for $20 (or less) is a deal. A couple years ago, Monteverde had a brief issue with a couple colors of ink having mold or scumming issue but those have been resolved. Unfortunately, it has given a lot of folks pause before purchasing. I spoke with a representative from the company earlier this year and he assured me the problems have been resolved and any bottles with issues were replaced with no questions — even when people insisted they had issues with bottles that were not actually from the affected batches. That said, there’s no reason to hesitate in purchasing ink from Monteverde.

Monteverde inks are also available in standard international packs of 12 for approx. $6 each, not all colors are available in cartridges but this gives some great color options for on-the-go needs.

If you’ve not tried a Monteverde ink before, I recommend either California Teal, a great green-teal with sheen or, my favorite ink, Birthday Cake.

California Teal was a favorite sheening ink a couple years back but as more ink makers have created sheening inks, people have forgotten about California Teal. I still think its one of the best sheeners. Its a deep green that has a hint of blue and a red sheen. It looks good, even in fine nibbed pens.

Birthday Cake is a deep, muted purple ink is the perfect balance between a unique, unusual color and a good everyday writer, even subdued enough for the office. Birthday Cake has been my go-to ink all year and I may have to invest in one of the 90ml bottles.

There are lots of other ink brands I could have mentioned here. Which under-appreciated inks would you include in a list like this?

The post Top 10 Under-Appreciated Ink Brands appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

Blue Sky Shimmer is a light powder blue, with silver shimmer. It shades quite a bit, and while it is lovely in every application. I do think in writing it’s a bit light for my tastes.

The reason I love PENBBS inks so much is that I think they do shimmer just right for my tastes. They use the finest particles I’ve seen, and I’ve not had one clog up a pen. Their light touch gives the ink just the right amount of shimmer so that I don’t feel like a super sparkly vampire when I’m writing on business documents or signing checks with my fountain pen!

In terms of the recent inks I’ve reviewed, Blue Sky Shimmer is a bit like Vinta Ink Salimbay in terms of intensity. But Salimbay leans a bit more purple, and that shimmer is all pink. Between the two, I might be partial to Salimbay. These two are definitely the lightest and most ethereal looking of the inks I’ve tested so far, and probably come closest to Pantone’s Very Peri. What do you think?

• Paper: Maruman Mnemosyne N182A Inspiration Notebook A5 ($10.50)
• Pen: Delike Glass Signature Pen ($37.80)
• Swatches: Col-o-Ring Ink Testing Book ($10) and Col-o-Dex Rotary Cards ($15)
• Inks: PENBBS #273, Blue Sky Shimmer (60mL for $16.00)

DISCLAIMER: Some of the items included in this review were provided to us free of charge for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.

The post Ink Review: PENBBS #273, Blue Sky Shimmer appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

For today’s Inkmas, I finally get to recommend an ink that is still available: (I lied. It’s out of stock. I am THE WORST!) Pen BBS No. 401 Afternoon Ink ($8 for a 15ml bottle). This color was part of a series of daylight and nighttime colors that included the Pen BBS 398 Morning Ink featured earlier in Inkmas.

Afternoon Ink represents afternoon skies as I’ve only ever seen in very hazy places like China. Due to smog and pollution, this is what the sky often looked like when I was in China. Descriptions of smoggy skies aside, Afternoon Ink is one of the most unusual ink colors in my collection.

Afternoon Ink is a warm, reddish brown ink but very light. It shades beautifully. Because it is so light, I recommend using it with a wider nib or it could be too light to read.

Today it’s really easy to see that Rhodia paper looks warmer (almost pink) under my lights and the Tomoe River paper looks cooler (more green) — the Tomoe River is more of an off-white and that is a hard color to photograph accurately and get to display correctly on all monitors.

The ink color does darken a bit as it dries which makes it appear deeper than when I was writing with it.

When comparing Afternoon Ink with other inks, I noticed someone in the comments on the Vanness Pen Shop site suggest a similarity between Afternoon Ink and Montblanc Swan Illusion.

I think Swan Illusion is much darker but is also an unusual color. Ferris Wheel Press Cream of Earl is too light (honestly, its too light to be usable) but was the closest I could find in terms of hue and lightness in my collection. Colorverse Jupiter Fly By from the Voyager I limited edition set was the only other ink in a similar range. Many inks were much darker, redder or yellower.

So, yes, Pen BBS No. 401 Afternoon Ink is a unique color worth seeking out if you like these sorts of not-quite one color or another sorts of inks. Pen BBS inks are priced right and behave well so it’s certainly a better option to try to track down a bottle of No. 401 Afternoon Ink then to try to get a bottle of Swan Illusion or the Color Voyager I set.

Tools:

• Paper: Rhodia Uni-Blank No. 16 with 6mm guide sheet and Elia Notebook with 68gsm Tomoe River paper (RM145.00 MYR)
• Pens: Midori bullet pencil modified dip nib holder with Zebra G titanium nib ($33.50 per 10-pack), Acrylic dip nib pen (Approx. $15), Pensive Pens Serendipity hybrid dip pen ($79 AUD)
• Swatches: Col-o-Ring Ink Testing Book ($10) & Col-o-dex Rotary Cards ($15)
• Brush: Scharff 3000 Fineline Round #3 ($34.50 — my favorite paintbrush)
• Ink:  Pen BBS No. 401 Afternoon Ink ($8 for a 15ml bottle)

The post 12 Days of Inkmas: Day 11 Pen BBS No. 401 Afternoon Ink appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

All that to say, if you’ve been reading this blog for any time you’ll know that green is my favorite color (see the header above) so I’m always looking for the perfect green ink. Not too light, not too bright, not too dark. Finding the perfect green has been the most challenging ink to find.

Pen BBS does make one of my favorite greens thus far, No. 224 Tolstoy. It matches my Ranga Bamboo pen perfectly and the two have become an inseparably pair. For everyday use, Tolstoy is a little darker than my dream green so my hunt has continued. Pen BBS No. 398 Morning Ink (15ml bottle for $8) was my next foray into citrus greens. It’s a much brighter green. Why it’s “Morning Ink” I can’t fathom. No. 398 is a brighter, lighter citrus-y green with lots of shading though.

In writing, there are points where the shading is a little too light for my liking however. If I were to use a more cream or ivory colored paper stock, I think I’d lose the writing altogether.

On Tomoe River 68gsm, Morning Ink looks a tiny bit lighter than on our standard Rhodia testing paper.

When compared to some of the myriad of other citrus green inks in my stash (a term stolen from my knitting posse), you’ll see I have several that are quite similar.

When spread out, it’s a little easier to see the subtle differences in the inks. Pen BBS No. 159 Bitter Herb is another citrus green ink that I really like from Pen BBS. It’s a bit darker than No. 398 Morning Ink which is a little more festive. Pen BBS No. 398 is probably closest in color to Diamine Light Green. Robert Oster Australis Tea is a little muddier version of a very similar color.

I think Pen BBS No. 398 is a fun, citrus green but not my “grail green”.

Do you have a color that you are always on the hunt for the perfect ink to match? The color of your childhood roller skates? The color of your grandmother’s wallpaper? The color of the flowers in your wedding bouquet?  Have you found it yet?

Tools:

• Paper: Rhodia Uni-Blank No. 16 with 6mm guide sheet and Elia Notebook with 68gsm Tomoe River paper (RM145.00 MYR)
• Pens: Midori bullet pencil modified dip nib holder with Zebra G titanium nib ($33.50 per 10-pack), Acrylic dip nib pen (Approx. $15), Pensive Pens Serendipity hybrid dip pen ($79 AUD)
• Swatches: Col-o-Ring Ink Testing Book ($10) & Col-o-dex Rotary Cards ($15)
• Brush: Scharff 3000 Fineline Round #3 ($34.50 — my favorite paintbrush)
• Ink:  Pen BBS No. 398 Morning Ink ($8 for 15ml bottle)

The post 12 Days of Inkmas: Day 6 Pen BBS 398 Morning Ink appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

The sparkle is actually incredibly hard to capture. It’s easily seen as you look at the ink swatches, but I have to turn the camera just right in the light to get that sparkle and shine there.

I think this one would be a fun one for the holidays; especially to address your holiday card with? It’s bright and cheerful and the hint of gold makes it feel super festive.

In terms of what it compares to in my ink stash, I was sure I had lots of comparisons and then didn’t find as many as I thought. It’s a little more orange than PenBBS #220, Watermelon Red, and parts of it actually look quite close to J. Herbin Corail des Tropiques which I really didn’t expect. I was eager to compare it to Papier Plume’s Heart of Gold, but I found that Heart of Gold was much more tomato/orange.

My only complaint about Bloom is that it comes out fairly lightly in writing – I wish I could get more of that color saturation. Maybe I’ll throw it in a wider, wetter nib and give it a try on this year’s holiday cards!

• Papers: Maruman Mnemosyne N182A Inspiration Notebook A5 ($10.50), Crossfield Journal ($24.00), 
• Pen: Delike Glass Signature Pen ($37.80)
• Swatches: Col-o-Ring Ink Testing Book ($10) and Col-o-Dex Rotary Cards ($15)
• Inks: PenBBS #140 Bloom (60mL for $16)

DISCLAIMER: Some of the items included in this review were provided to us free of charge for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.

The post Ink Review: PenBBS #140, Bloom appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

I thought for Inkmas, I’d make another attempt. Initially, I was planning to just review thePen BBS 342 Matcha Ice Cream ($16 for 60ml bottle) and then I decided it might be more interesting to review the Lennon Tool Bar 2019 Pomelo ($24 for 30ml bottle) . Finally, in a moment of indecision, I decided to include them both. They are quite similar in color with some slight differences.

First, notably is the price. The PenBBS ink is  almost half the price for twice as much ink. All things being similar, that would and should have made my decision for me.

In swatches, Lennon Tool Bar is a little lighter overall and slightly more yellow.

Once it’s inked up in an EF nib though, the slight differences become almost imperceptible. Both inks appear a bit lighter when wet and dry a bit darker. The both have lovely shading and I expect that in a wider nib, the colors will be a bit darker and the differences in the hues may be more evident.

That said, in identical pens, the Pen BBS ink is a bit drier which might work to your advantage in wider nibs and the Pomelo is a bit wetter. The Lennon Tool Bar makes the line widths of the EF nib appear a but wider.

As you can see, I have quite a few other inks to compare the Matcha Ice Cream and Pomelo against. The Kobe 43 Gakuen Toshi Fresh Green is probably closest in color and, as its a Sailor ink, is probably the most consistent in performance. Robert Oster Sublime is a close second though it may be a bit more vibrant.

Overall, I’d be inclined to either purchase the reasonably priced PenBBS Matcha Ice Cream or stick with the Kobe 43 which is a high quality lubricated ink from a well-known ink producer. Pomelo is lovely but all things being remarkedly similar, it’s not quite worth the price.

Tools:

• Paper: Rhodia Uni-Blank No. 18 with 7mm guide sheet
• Pens: Midori bullet pencil modified dip nib holder with Zebra G titanium nib ($33.50 per 10-pack), Acrylic dip nib pen (Approx. $15), Wing Sung 3008 EF
• Swatches:  Col-o-dex Rotary Cards ($15)
• Ink:  PenBBS 342 Matcha Ice Cream ($16 for 60ml bottle) and Lennon Tool Bar 2019 Autumn Pomelo ($24 for 30ml bottle)

DISCLAIMER: Some items included in this review were provided free of charge by Vanness Pen Shop for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.

The post 12 Days of Inkmas: Day 10 – Lennon Tool Bar 2019 Autumn Pomelo and PenBBS 342 appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

By Jessica Coles

Black Friday (and the related Small Business Saturday, In-Between Sales Sunday, Cyber Monday…) has come and gone and packages ordered online last week are now being delivered. During these sale days, I happened to see a few new inks pop up on Vanness Pens – all Penbbs inks. Ok, I admit it was more than a few. It was 34 new inks. Luckily, I have amazing willpower; I only purchased samples of each.

One downside of ordering this time of year is that the Post Office is rather busy. Typically packages from Vanness arrive at my home within three (sometimes only two) days. I didn’t receive my ink this time until yesterday afternoon, so I had a busy evening swatching inks! Fortunately, this is one of my favorite things to do.

I do admit, though, that 34 inks is too much for me to review one by one. But how can I best show these ink colors if readers are curious and can’t tell the colors from the bottle labels? Rather than trying to review every ink, I have grouped them. These first six photos are the swatches in numerical order.

#381 through #392 are the large style hexagonal bottles, have no particular theme that I could see and cost $16 for a 60mL bottle.

#501 through #509 are themed on flowers and cost $18 for 35mL square bottles.

#510 through #524 are not named (please ignore the Midnight Blue label on #515) and also cost $18 for 35mL bottles.

I this second group of photos, I have grouped the inks by color and added a swatch of inks that are familiar to most people and can be found online easily if not. Hopefully these will give a reference to place these colors in the mind of the readers.

My favorites: #381 – an orange-yellow coral color, #501 – an opaque true yellow that doesn’t fade into the paper, #505 Azalea – a dusty pinkish purple, #507 Lily of the Valley – a dusty teal, #511 – purple, of course, #514 – a bright turquoise that has a faint halo in writing, and #516 – even on a paper towel, this black didn’t break down into separate colors.

I hope this presentation helps to show the colors of these inks. Pick out your favorites – samples are $3.50 or $2.50 for 4mLs so it is plenty of ink for trying out the ink – or pick a couple of bottles. Penbbs inks are one of the best value inks for the money!

Tools:

• Paper: Musubi Tomoe River Refill ($30-35 USD)
• Ink:  Penbbs Season 26 and Flower series (Vanness Pens, $18 for 35mL or $16 for 60mL)
• Swatch Cards: Col-o-ring ink testing cards ($10 for 100 card pack)

DISCLAIMER: All materials used in this review were purchased by me. Please see the About page for more details.

The post Ink Review: Newest Penbbs Inks appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.