Pelikan 4001 Brilliant Green

[Ozzy]

Pelikan 4001 Brilliant Green

Ink bottle (no inkwell).

Bought from a highly un-specialized stationary shop

 

Octopian greetings,

 

This is the first ink review, by this octopus. This is my first tentacle thrown into ink-reviewing, so it's not a very experience tentacle yet.

 

Well, I reviewed this Pelikan Brilliant Green, because, I couldn't find any reviews of it. I've always used the 4001 Blue/Black and I absolutely love it. For this review I chose to write some words from a song by the band YES, called Close To The Edge.

 

Pen: Parker 51 (Brown)

Paper: I have no idea, ordinary paper sold in plastic bags.

 

Drying: The ink dries quickly, or as I'd like to say; Three Words Later.

 

Flow: it's hard for me to decide, because the pen is old and it's probably not in good shape, plus it's very cold; the weather that is. But when things are normal, it flows well. The nib runs smoothly, neither skates nor fights with the paper.

 

Smudging: I wiped it with my fingers several times later, it didn't smudge.

 

Concerning paper and other things: The ink doesn't bleed through the paper. I've tried it on ordinary writing paper, printer paper, a notebook that uses recycled paper, a Canson sketchbook. They all look the same. Out of experience, the 4001 is pretty gentle on paper, and keeps to itself.

 

Color: well, I would've liked a darker shade of green. At times it expresses darker tones, and sometimes lighter ones. An effect of how much ink is flowing I guess. Somehow I felt the color of the ink complemented the pen. It kind of makes me feel, I'm writing something in a notebook while sitting with the hobbits in the shire, listening to YES music of course. You will find the wavy strokes I made for the ink. I made them with old wooden calligraphy pens. Quills, if you may.

 

I wasn't enthusiastic about the color, and I thought I'd try it because I found the bottle lying around. But I love it! I love Pelikan's Blue-Black and I think I'll be using the Brilliant Green as much.

 

 

[rroossinck]

Well done, Ozzy. That's one ink I've never tried yet...on my list, though. I like the other Pelikan inks; can't imagine why this one would be the exception.

 

 

[Martius]

I have a bottle of this myself and I like it. It is very well behaved, but use in it a wettish writer or it might be too bright. (When they say "Brilliant-Gruen," they do mean it.)

 

Summer Greer

[cmonkee]

Just tried this. In a Waterman Phileas (med. nib)

 

My experience was the same and the colors look nearly identical to your posted example. when the pen was flowing heavy, it seemed like the ink I wanted but when dry it just looked almost like a pastel or watercolr and was far to light. It just didn't seem crisp. Not feathering or bleeding but softer than i'm used to.

 

It's the only Pelikan I've tried and wasn't impressed. I'm gonna give it another go when I refill my Parker Sonnet. It is a really wet writer so I'll see if that makes a difference. Also want to try it with my fine Namiki VP just to see if the thinness will give that crispness.

 

Great review.

 

C

[vagabond]

I use this ink in a little Pilot Petit1 (apple green flavor) that I converted to eyedropper. It improved the flow and smoothness of the Pilot Petit1, and it seems well behaved on almost any paper. I find the color a little lighter than ideal for me but very attractive nonetheless. Thanks for your review!

[chkuo]

Well done.

 

I use several Pelikan 4001 inks regularly, including the Brilliant Green. They all behave really well in the pen/paper combinations that I've tried (good flow, quick drying, no feathering, etc). I share the feeling that Brilliant Green is too bright to write a full page of text, a darker green (such as Noodler's Forest Green) would work better for that purpose.

[georges zaslavsky]

my question concerning that ink is, is it an iron gall ink?

[Discordianist]

This ink becomes wonderfull dark green with 1/4th of Pelikan bright black That's one of my favorite greens. Also with 1/2th of bright brown makes it quite moss green (with added black you can make it darker). Best quality of Pelikan inks is mixability.

[Gran]

I also mixed the Pelikan green with some black, and got a nice dark green. It mixes well.

[Peter from Sherwood Park]

This was my first venture into the world of coloured inks (those not blue, black or blue-black). Sometimes I put it away for a while, but I always bring it back. I see something new in it every time I try it.

[coco]

This is the one Pelikan ink I've struggled liking, but now that I see others are happy with its mixing results, I'll trying combining it with black or brown.

[somnath1077]

I also mixed the Pelikan green with some black, and got a nice dark green. It mixes well.

 

Did the same. Added a bit (didn't make any measurements) of Pelikan Brilliant Black to Pelikan Brilliant Green. The color is a darker shade of green which I like very much. The color is very close to pine green. However I find Pelikan inks rather dry and whenever I buy a bottle of Pelikan ink, I add a tiny drop of dish-wash to it to increase wetness. Now I have a wet free-flowing dark-green ink.

Edited May 8, 2010 by somnath1077

[delphi303]

Nice succinct review.

 

Reminds me that I have some long cartridges of Pelikan Green that I have yet to try.

[Feanor]

Nice review. Pelikan Brilliant Green is my favorite green. You should also try their Violet.

[Ed Ronax]

Thanks for the review. I've a bottle of this and found it to be a very well behave ink plus its a real nice colour to use.

[Ozzy]

I had actually reviewd the violet as well. You'll find it somewhere around here.

[Bo Bo Olson]

Well making darker colors gives me something to do with my Pelikan black that I don't use. Just got the brown too.

 

It shades...according to the picture.

 

I'm not so sure I want to start "mixing" so early in inky life...being a seven ink noobie.

Edited May 13, 2010 by Bo Bo Olson

[Bo Bo Olson]

Now have 33 or so inks, not counting some cartridges including vintage cartridges.

Still an ink noobie.

 

Some how one gets the impression Pelikan Green is a ho hum ink.

I got some on sale for half price...and a few other stuff I'd not have bought at full price.

I was in no rush to test it...I'd just cleaned 10 pens and was down to 17 inked.

 

I bought two more inks today the Pelikan Aventurine and DA Aubergine. Filled enough to write with, 10 pens for the three inks.

 

I used Strathmore 100% cotton, Conqueror @100g, HP 32 pound premium laser and Oxford Optic 90 g , papers.

 

Pelikan Green won going away. Less feathering, more shading. Tone was ok too. Sort of a middle regular green, but on good to better paper shades very nicely .

Edited February 5, 2012 by Bo Bo Olson

[ink mixer]

Bo Bo,

Thanks for causing me to look at this color again. The first time around I was kind of bored, but I put it on some Crane paper yesterday, and the shading was nice. I'm kicking myself for missing it the last time around. I'll have to look at the HP premium choice tonight.

[prinzhernan]

I just got brilliant green and brilliant brown today. Followed your advice and mixed 1/2 of both. It produced a nice moss green! Exactly like Herbin Vert Empire but cheaper.