J. Herbin Eclat de Saphir

[dizzypen]

I received this ink as a sample from a member on FPN. I confess, I never thought of buying it because it seemed too similar to Quink Washable Blue and De Atramentis Sapphire, both of which I have. Let me tell you, there is just something about this ink that sets it apart from the rest in its class. I think it's the vibrancy of this ink. This is hard to capture in the picture, but this ink jumps off the page at you. As mentioned below, It goes down with a hint of purple, but dries to a very nice medium blue. I definitely recommend this ink, and plan to buy a bottle once I've worked my way through the sample.

 

Now the specifics:

Flow and Lubrication are both great.

Drying time is average: 10 secs. with the broad nib and 5 secs. with the XF nib.

Shading is amazing especially with a broad nib.

There is no bleedthrough or feathering

Lefties should watch out for smearing until the ink is completely dry.

It's not waterproof but can survive a quickly cleaned up spill.

Saturation is not high but is still good so far as I'm concerned.

Great all around ink!

 

http://images52.fotki.com/v1552/photos/4/1482744/7318469/HerbinEdSTop-vi.jpg

 

If you have a Fotki Account you can click the image below for a larger view.

http://images49.fotki.com/v394/photos/4/1482744/7318469/HerbinEclatreview-vi.jpg

[Ondina]

Very good review of a great ink, Dizzypen. It certainly is one that stands out without hurting your eyes. Impeccable behavior and scent.

[HenryLouis]

smells very nice...

[Thornton]

Wow, I do like this ink better in a broad nib. Other samples look much too purple for my tastes.

[Ghost Plane]

I was gifted a bottle for Bastille Day. Can't wait to load it in my B nibs and compare it to Bleu Nuit.

[Ann Finley]

Yes, this ink, with many pens, almost pops off of the page . In a snail I demonstrated to another FPNer how Herbin Eclat de Saphir, Diamine Sapphire, and Noodler's Baystate Blue can look very similar, with the latter having just a bit of an edge. (But Baystate Blue is a high maintenance ink.)

 

Eclat de Saphir is always loaded in my blue translucent Pelikan M200 and another pen, which varies, with an italic nib. I've not had a smearing problem as a lefty overwriter, even with an italic nib on Clairefontaine or Rhodia. But I do write more slowly with an italic nib.

 

I really love Eclat de Saphir.

 

Best, Ann

[HenryLouis]

Yes, this ink, with many pens, almost pops off of the page . In a snail I demonstrated to another FPNer how Herbin Eclat de Saphir, Diamine Sapphire, and Noodler's Baystate Blue can look very similar, with the latter having just a bit of an edge. (But Baystate Blue is a high maintenance ink.)

 

I don't know about that. To me, BSB is very, very saturated while the other two exhibit a lot of shading.

[ksskss]

I've been using it in a Sailor Zoom Nib lately (a real firehose compared to the XFs and finer nibs I usually use)

and really enjoy it. I'm overdue to put out some reviews, but I really enjoy the vibrancy of this ink.

 

---

Ken

[Nitesiter07]

I love this blue. I did notice that it does look very purple when wet on the paper, but dries into a very nice blue that does indeed jump off the page.

 

 

-Dave

[dannyboy]

I'm a big fan of Diamine Sapphire Blue so I guess I'm going to have to try this one! Thanks for the review.