26 Browns - Or At First Expected To Be Brown

[Veltri]

Here are what I expected to be 26 browns compared.

I would argue at most 20 of them can still be considered brown.

 

There are 33 comparisons, but some are doubled up since the first test either didn't conform to what was expected, or was done with the pen either too wet or too dry. Where there's a difference the second test is the more accurate.

 

My favourites are Caran D'ache Grand Canyon and Louis Vuitton Brun Tenebreux. The first test was done with the pen very wet while the second test was done when drier.

Diamine Chocolate Brown, Saddle Brown and Macassar, Waterman Absolute Brown, Noodlers Kiowa Pecan, well I guess most of the darker browns are the ones I like best.

 

Noodlers Beaver was a nice surprise, a bit toward purple.

Antietam I don't know why I expected it to be brown. Maybe it was categorized that way.

 

Diamine Ancient Copper and Private reserve Copper burst were also unlike my expectations, one too red, the other too brown.

 

KWZI Cherry and Orange went on close to the named colour, but dried much darker.

 

Here are the scans:

 

http://i.imgur.com/MK88DOQ.jpg

 

http://i.imgur.com/H1RoAlh.jpg

 

http://i.imgur.com/0ACAzHf.jpg

 

http://i.imgur.com/Whh4JrC.jpg?1

[Barkingpig]

This is the first time I have seen anyone mention the Vuitton ink! I ordered the brown, gold & marron last year. I liked them all & noticed they have added some new colors this year. The Grand Canyon still looks might fine! I have been saving my bottle until I get the nibs switched on the CaD pens. Probably silly but I figure if you have the ink & pen why not?

 

Thank you for this post. There are several nice browns there.

[Veltri]

I'd love to see a sample of Marron. If you have a chance, post it in here.

[visvamitra]

Nice and informative comparison. Brun Tenebreus looks nice but it's price.Wow, just wow.

[Veltri]

Yeah, luckily for me I got it in Canadian dollars and free shipping, so it's nearing comparability to other inks I get from the US with their $20 shipping.

 

A couple of notes, the pen used is a TWSBI 580 Rosegold bold and the paper is a cheap office pad. The thinner swabs were done with a few drops on a qtip while the thicker ones were using cotton pads.

 

Here's some of the mess/work of art:

 

http://i.imgur.com/WGriCGW.jpg

[aardvarkbark]

I use Toffee Brown and Ochre. Ochre is one of my favorite of all inks; it goes through a nice change as it dries. It's been leaving a little crud on the nib, much like Ancient Copper, though.

[BobR]

Thanks for this terrific review, I have several but don't use my brown inks enough. As for Antietam, when I purchased a bottle a few years ago, it was a unique brown-reddish orange (at least unique for then--so many more choices now). However, within in year, the red element became stronger and it's now completely red--a very attractive dark red in fact, similar to your sample. But I considered it a funky shade of brown when new.

[Veltri]

Aardvarkbark, I liked Toffee Brown a lot too and filled another pen with it. On some papers it appears dark brown and others a more caramelly (toffee!) shade, while on another it was more reddish. Quite a special ink.

 

BobR, that's some good info on Antietam! I must have gotten an old sample as it looked red even in the bottle.

It's a pretty good candidate for one of those sought after Bloody inks!

[Frank C]

Thanks for the comparison. I like the idea of brown ink, but I rarely use it. Maybe I just need to fill up a pen or two.

[The Good Captain]

The only two brown inks I have are Montblanc Toffee Brown and Cult Pens/Diamine Deep Dark Brown. That will do for me but I like your comparison review a lot.

[zuerincolour]

Lie de The looks so gorgeous! I bought J Herbin's Terre de Feu hoping it'd have a bit of red in it, but nope, it looks just like a faded version of Lie de The. Should have gotten that instead (or will do so next... )

Thanks for the comparisons!

[pyramidValley]

A little sad Noodler's Walnut wasn't included (understanable though, you compared so many), it never gets any love haha! It's waterproof, doesn't feather or bleed, good drying time and a tad bit wet. I would highly recommend. I would say it looks lie Noodler's #41 brown but a little bit darker. Or Kiowa Pecan but without shading.

Edited April 2, 2015 by pyramidValley

[amberleadavis]

Thank you, this is wonderful.