Penman is it really this good?

[andyk]

Hi,

 

Just came across this on UK ebay, the seller has been selling various colours for some months (I bought a bottle of Sapphire some months back for about £12 I think) he must be running out now as prices have been increasing but now seem to be getting silly.

 

But if anyone is interested feel free to bid, I won't be.

 

300248588046 (ID number for auction)

 

 

Andy

[Richard]

Is it really that good? No. It is not.

 

But it's difficult to obtain, and that fact invokes the "forbidden fruit" response, which brooks no budgetary limitations in its foolishness.

[jdboucher]

Is it really that good? No. It is not.

 

But it's difficult to obtain, and that fact invokes the "forbidden fruit" response, which brooks no budgetary limitations in its foolishness.

 

Whats bad about it?

[GirchyGirchy]

Whats bad about it?

Do a search...this has been discussed quite a bit. Apparently it's prone to clogging pens if left in them too long, but many people disagree.

 

I disagree with Richard, at least for the Penman Sapphire ink....it's simply gorgeous, and nearly as vivid at Baystate Blue. I ended up with some cartridges of it from a batch I bought from Pendemonium and fell in love, and was able to obtain a full bottle from an FPNer. I've used it in a few pens without issue.

[Spats McGee]

I have to agree with GirchyGirchy. I always heard that the Penman black used to clog pens, but I never used it myself, so I can't speak from experience. The Sapphire, on the other hand, was gorgeous. I used it for a while in several different pens without any problems. I still have the bottles . . . just no ink.

[twdpens]

This is what I wrote about Penman last year.

 

One important thing to remember is that Parker is not a specialist writing equipment brand and that Penman ink was on sale in a variety of different stationery outlets, mostly staffed by people who knew very little about fountain pen care. Therefore, it is not difficult to imagine fountain pen owners buying this ink to use on those odd occasions only to find that in between uses their pen has become clogged. Parker doesn't really want lots of warranty issues connected with a product that contributes very little to their turnover so Penman is withdrawn. Parker had Quink anyway and sister company Waterman produces ink as well.

 

Contrast that situation with pen use and care by those that contribute to this board. If any of us experienced such an issue we would either try a different pen or just put it down to experience, knowing that some pen/ink combinations don't work as well as others.

 

HTH,

 

Martin

[petra]

I've been using Penman ruby for over 20 years and have never had a single problem. I just like the color and I haven't found another ink that duplicates the color, although Cartier bordeaux comes close. I don't think there's anything special about Penman other than the colors, which people seems to like a lot. I wouldn't pay ridiculous prices for it.

[dcwaites]

I used to use Penman Ebony when it came out some years ago, in a Sonnet that had the leaky cap problem. As a result, if I didn't use the pen for several days, it dried up in the nib. I believe that many of the problems noted with Penman inks are due to a non-sealing inner cap, combined with Penman Ebony, which was a bit thick.

 

I don't believe that Penman Sapphire had the same problem, but it is a shame that it is tarred with the same brush as Ebony.

 

Parker are re-issuing Penman Ebony, calling it Penman Black. I got three bottles from Melpens. The mix of dyes seems to be the same, but the new Penman Black seems to be a bit thinner than my old remaining Ebony. That could be because Parker have re-jigged the formula, or my old bottle of Ebony has dried out some.

 

The blurb in the box of new Penman Black implies that Parker is planning to bring out a Penman Blue, which may be a re-jigged Sapphire, hopefully.

 

In the meantime, I have been trying to make a Faux Sapphire mix, and have had some success.

 

1) Take 5 parts of a pure, dark blue like PR American Blue

2) Darken it with 1 part of a nice neutral Blue-Black

3) Shift it to green a little with 1 part of a nice green, like Diamine Aqua or Waterman Green

 

 

 

[simonrob]

Depends what you mean by "good". Leaving aside the clogging problems (which I've experienced with their Mocha, but not otherwise), and the fact the bottles are very attractive (if not the most practical), if it's the colours you're interested in, you can come very close via other brands. I.e., I guess it depends how much you want, and are willing to pay for, those precise colours. (If they were available in every stationer's for $2 a bottle, I suspect interest would diminish....)

 

Simon

[JJBlanche]

I've heard a lot of talk about the Penman inks. I visited with a local collector not so long ago, who had the full line of Penman inks. He did a dip test on each one for me, and provided a sample card. Honestly, I don't see what all the fuss is about. There are so many colors available from the various manufacturers today, that someone could reasonably find one as good or better than what's offered in the Penman line.

 

I'll have to agree with Richard on the forbidden fruit assessment. I fell victim to it myself, actually. I managed to get a sample of Dupont Blue-Black (no longer in production), and thought it was a grail ink. After using it for a while, and comparing it to other blue-blacks, I realized that there are others just as good, or better, commonly available.

 

One needs to keep in mind, these are Parker inks. Parker is good at producing average or above average inks, but nothing beyond that in my opinion.

[PAKMAN]

Penman Sapphire is a spectacular ink to me. When I first tried it I just loved the color. When your pen is getting low it turns into an even funkier shimmering looking deep blue. I got lucky several years ago and found it at around $20 a bottle (not bad with many noodlers inks selling for $18). I bought up a lifetime supply (about a dozen bottles). I never really cared for the other Penman colors but have a bottle of Ruby, Mocha and Emerald.

[KCat]

I'm a big fan of Penman Emerald and have not yet found an exact macth, OOtBottle. Closest has been PR's Ebony Green and if I run out of Emerald, I'll be satisfied with EG. If it weren't for that, I'd feel lost because there simply isn't another ink out there that matches it's luster and depth in that particular shade of green.

 

However, I've never paid more than $16/bottle and I've seen the prices go up on these inks to the point that I would not buy them. If something were to happen that we needed the money, I'd put them on ebay and let people go nuts over them, though. Someone wants to spend $50 on a bottle of ink, that's their nutty prerogative.

[RevAaron]

Does the Sapphire stain? I've seen an Aero 51 with a blue-stained sac before. Was that the likely cause, or perhaps just letting some ink dry in it? Water or ink didn't flush it out. It was a very pretty color of blue too.

 

Aaron

[Parker Ruby]

Hi,

 

Just came across this on UK ebay, the seller has been selling various colours for some months (I bought a bottle of Sapphire some months back for about £12 I think) he must be running out now as prices have been increasing but now seem to be getting silly.

 

But if anyone is interested feel free to bid, I won't be.

 

300248588046 (ID number for auction)

 

 

Andy

 

roshkay's prices have always been on the high side. There are other sellers, and some who sell Sapphire...