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Nearly 3 years ago I wrote a review for the newly-produced Blackstone Barrister Blue Ink - part of a new line of permanent inks made in Australia (you can find that review at https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/311074-blackstone-barrister-blue-permanent-ink/). It was (and remains) a favourite of mine: a dark, strong blue that wrote well and stayed written no matter how much water you threw at the page! My recollection is that Kevin (the proprietor of Blackstone Inks and Just Write Pens) was not entirely happy with the ink, though - because whereas his black ink relied on a nano-pigment dye, the blue relied on a dye that had iron-gall like properties (though much less corrosive). Which meant that the blue started out darkish, and went almost black with time. Fast forward 18 months, and I found myself looking at a YouTube review of Barrister Blue, on fellow Aussie Mick L's YouTube channel (see link at bottom). Mick's sample looked substantially lighter - so I made enquiries and discovered that Blackstone had reformulated the ink using a newly-available blue nano-pigment. The ink was out of stock at the time, so it was many months later that I finally bought a new bottle - and many months more before a discussion on my old review thread prompted me to re-post. There is also now a Blue-Black ink available from Just Write Pens (www.justwrite.com.au) and (probably) other Blackstone distributors. It took me months to procure a bottle (it was out of stock for a long time), but I now have it, and will review it - another awesome ink. Below is a scan of the new formulation Blackstone Barrister Blue - very happy to answer questions. Disclaimer: I'm a long-time buyer from the JustWrite website, but purchased these inks at full price with my own funds. And a close-up of the Water Test: Mick L's YouTube review from October 2017: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUK-GVIdFuo&t=192s

Hello, This is a first and a mini review. To me personally the colour, shading and sensation are important. Yet, I can forgive many things, if the ink has that ​je ne said quoi factor. In preparing this review, I appreciated many times more, the work of so many reviewers, that I've enjoyed over the years, thank you. From what I understand Red Cashmere, in its powdered form, was the genesis of Black Stone inks, in Australia. I was intrigued by this ink, thinking it would be a nice sheening variation, albeit darker version of Rouge Hematite, but cheaper. My sample came from fountainfeder and it was the first ink I excitedly tried... I was taken aback by the colour as it transformed from a full throated luscious red into dark, almost blackish red. But it grew on me as I played around with it, especially when I could appreciate its shading, which can be quite dramatic, especially in scans. To me it's a reddish version of Ancient Copper. One issue, I found with this ink was startup. Nothing that a dip in a water wouldn't solve, but still. I hope it was a fluke. The ink has low to non water resistance on Tomoe River paper, but can survive pouring taking a short shower on cheap absorbent paper. I used a vintage Conway Stewart with OB flex nib and Jinhao 450, with a medium nib for my testing and Rhodia notebook. I wish I had other dark reds, shading inks to compare with, but I will leave that to the more seasoned members of this forum. Close up photo: Water test on cheap amazon copy paper... Notes that Amethyst de L'Oural with a fude nib, feathered into a bird..... Before After Most survived the water...but with Tomoe River they just washed out..... Before After - Yours ink-ly Bob

A little over a month ago I finally managed to get my hands on a small bottle of Blackstone Barrister Blue Black - an ink I'd been wanting ever since I first saw it come on the market. The new formulation of Barrister Blue (for which I've just posted a review, see https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/346668-blackstone-barrister-blue-permanent-ink-new-formulation/) is a lovely ink, but almost leans turquoise. I really liked the old Blue formulation (and still have a nearly full bottle of it), so was sad to see it discontinued / replaced - and wondered whether this might make for a good replacement. As you'll see from the written review below, I really like this ink. The nano-pigment formulation has been flowing smoothly and trouble-free in my pens for more than a month now, and I love the richness of flow and the 'texture' of the ink. It's not like-for-like with the old Blue - the latter really was a dark blue / blue black, whereas this (in common with a lot of older / vintage Blue-Blacks) has a greenish tinge to it - but I find myself really appreciating it. At the moment it's only available in 25 ml glass bottles (at least on the Just Write website - https://justwrite.com.au/Blackstone-Fountain-Pen-Ink/Waterproof-Fountain-Pen-Ink) - but at AU$16 for a fully waterproof ink, I think it's a pretty fair proposition. Below is a photo of my written review, plus the water test in action - the water had little to no effect on the ink, even though I'd laid the lines down less than 10 minutes earlier. Pretty impressive performance! Standard disclaimer: Though I've occationall received review samples from Kevin / Just Write Pens / Blackstone Inks, I paid full price for this bottle with my own money!

A bit over a month ago now (I think) I placed an order with Kevin from Just Write Pens (www.justwrite.com.au), and with my order received a sample vial of his latest 'Blackstone' branded ink. I've held off on publishing a review until now, because it didn't appear to be have been released yet - but I understand it's now available through Anderson Pens (and others?) in the US. Due to supply issues (of nalgene bottles) the ink is not yet available in Australia, but I'm hoping that will be rectified soon - I'm keen to order a bottle! Like Barrister Black, Barrister Blue is a 'permanent' ink - though as you'll see (when I get around to appending some pictures) it's not completely "bulletproof". A small amount of blue ink washes away in water, leaving a solid line of blue-grey ink. Unlike the 'Colours of Australia' inks (which are non-waterfast), Barrister Blue is a 'serious' ink rather than a vibrant colour. It's a dark blue, almost a blue-black, that tends to darken further as it dries. I've been really impressed with it, though: it doesn't seem to dry out at all in my pens (I've tried it in 3); it's well-lubricated and flows very nicely onto the page; and it's not prone to feather, bleed or spread. Highly recommend this for anyone who wants a permanent / *almost* completely colourfast blue ink. Without further ado, here's a photograph my ink review sheet: Here are two close-ups of the water test grid, both during the test... and after One last picture - here's a close-up of the cotton tip colour swatch:

Australian ink manufacturer, Blackstone Inks, recently released its latest suite: Blackstone Lights, a range of inks designed to appeal to those who prefer less saturated inks than their standard fare. I've been following Blackstone's progress since it released its first inks a few years ago, and have had the opportunity to test some of their inks before they were released to the market. This time around, I didn't see the inks till they were up on the JustWrite.com.au website - and I immediately placed an order for four of them. The proprietors kindly sent me bottles of the two inks I chose not to order (Violet and Black), so I could check out the entire range. My favourite three inks in this range are Blue, green and orange - all of them bright, vibrant inks that stand out on the page. Violet would be my least favourite, and Black I haven't tested yet... which leaves the subject of this review, Blackstone Lights Red. I've struggled to find an ink that I consider to be a "true red" - not pink-leaning, nor orange, but the kind of red my PhD supervisor used to mark up my thesis with when he wasn't happy with my prose or analysis. It somehow seems to be a difficult colour for fountain pen ink manufacturers to replicate! My current favourite reds are Montblanc Corn Poppy red (though it's a bit orange-y), and Diamine Wild Strawberry - and sad to say, Blackstone Lights Red doesn't quite live up to their standard. I'd call it a "true" red, but just a little undersaturated, a little on the pale side. That's especially notable in the Q-Tip swab sample - but (thankfully) somewhat less so in the FPR Triveni pen I tested it in. If you like your reds to shade - and/or if you're more worried about getting a "true" red than a "strong" red, this could be a good option for you. I expect I'll use mine, because it's near enough for me to "true", and the ink flows nicely in my pen without drying out or hard-starting. But I have to say, in honesty, there are other inks in the market that are more bright and more vibrant. A writing sample, photographed in strong (spring) sunlight with my Samsung Note 8, and not retouched or recalibrated [sorry for the stray bits of blue on the page!]: I'll try to get around to black sometime later this week - I'm just having a bit of trouble getting excited about it, given the number of pens I already have inked up with grey, or black, or somewhere in between...

The 'Blackstone Lights' are a new range of 6 inks (thus far) from Blackstone Inks / JustWrite Pens. As the name suggests, these inks are designed to be lighter and less saturated than the inks the company is becoming well known for - though some of them are still quite vibrant in their own right. Blackstone Lights Orange is a good example of what I'm talking about - along with the green and blue inks, it's quite bright and cheery. Add to that its wetness and flow, and you have the makings of a really good ink. Won't bore you with additional details - here's a photo, taken in full sunlight with my Samsung Note 8, no attempt to adjust the colours:

This is the second in a series of reviews, looking at the Blackstone Lights inks that were released in recent weeks. If you're familiar with Blackstone you'll know that their previous ranges of inks were highly saturated inks with bold, strong colours. This range was designed to appeal to those who prefer their inks lighter, and/or brighter, and generally less saturated. It certainly succeeds in that aim - especially with their Violet colour, which is the most delicate / least saturated in the range. Kevin from JustWrite.com.au very kindly included a bottle of this ink with my order - I didn't order it, because I didn't expect to enjoy it. Violet is a pale lavender colour, and in all honesty, it's not a shade I'm drawn to. But it's a more pleasant shade than I was expecting, and as with the other inks in the range, it has a very pleasant flow. So, if you're into delicate lavender shades... this might be just your thing!

This is my third review of a new range of inks manufactured by Blackstone Inks, and distributed through JustWrite Pens - based in Blackstone, Qld. When I saw these on the JustWrite website, I placed an order for 4 of them - Kevin, the 'brains trust' of the operation, kindly sent me the other two so I could check out the complete set. Blackstone Lights Green is one of the four inks I ordered and paid for - and it's already rocketing to the top of my list of favourites. If you're familiar with the inks produced by Blackstone in the past, you'll know that they're mostly highly saturated, smooth-flowing inks - which, in the case of the reds, can sometimes need a little coaxing to get started (I have no such problems with the blues, browns, yellows or greens!). The Lights range is designed to fill a gap in the line-up - inks that are less saturated in colour, but still relatively bright. These inks are smooth and well-lubricated, with no tendency towards drying out, and are a pleasure to write with (check out https://justwrite.com.au/Blackstone-Fountain-Pen-Ink/blackstone-lights-fountain-pen-ink for the manufacturer's summary). At this stage I'd say Blackstone Lights Blue is my favourite - a vibrant, bright blue that 'pops' off the page - but Green is a close second. Though not heavily saturated, it's a very bright, light green that likewise stands out on the page and is easy to read. At AU$7 for a 30 mL bottle (plus postage!), it's reasonably priced, and well worth a look! Feel free to ask if you have any questions - either about this ink, or about the Blackstone range. Disclaimer: I have no affiliation with the company, but have received samples from Kevin in the past, both to test and review, in addition to the inks I've purchased with my own money. All opinions expressed are my own!

A couple of weeks ago, while trawling the internet for pens and inks, I discovered that Blackstone Inks have come out with a new range of inks. Their "Colours of Australia" and "Scents of Australia" collections feature intensely coloured, highly saturated inks, some of which (mostly the blues!) produce a fair degree of sheening. The "Lights" range is designed to cater to the tastes of those who prefer their inks to be less saturated - but with smooth flow and reliable performance. I immediately placed an order for four of the colours (Blue, Green, Orange and Red) - and Kevin, the brains behind Blackstone, very kindly included the other two colours (Black and Violet) for me to try out. I've received free inks from Kevin in the past, but as always, my opinions are my own. The first cab off the rank in this multi-part review is Blackstone Lights Blue - which I have to say has become an instant favourite. It reminds me of Toucan Bright Blue (I understand the ink is made using dyes provided by the manufacturer of Toucan - so perhaps that shouldn't be a surprise!) - but the colour saturation factor is higher, and the ink flow is much wetter and smoother. Overall it's a delight to write with. The following photo was taken in full (late spring) sunlight with my Samsung Note 8 and, apart from cropping, has not been colour-adjusted. The AU$7 plus postage I shelled out for this ink was worth it - I'm looking forward to using up the bottle! [Which won't take all that long, sadly, as I lost more than half of it in an accidental spill.... ]

This is the fourth of five reviews I'll be posting today and tomorrow, for one of six new inks about to be available from Just Write Pens / Blackstone Inks - so I'll keep it brief! The 'Scents of Australia' inks are made from similar components to the already-available 'Colours of Australia' line, and share their properties, with one key difference: all six inks are scented, with odours evocative of the Australian 'aromascape'. Here's a visual of the bottles that arrived last week (minus Australian Bush): http://i.imgur.com/LE5ZB3E.jpg Red Kunzea is formulated to resemble the flowers of the Kunzea ambigua plant - a tall shrub round in cool coastal areas of Australia. I'll let you read the hand-written reviews for more information - suffice to say this is a dark, saturated red - maybe half-a-shade lighter than Diamine Red Dragon. Its flow characteristics are great, and I haven't had problems with feathering and blessing - at least on the photocopier paper I used for the review. It doesn't appear to sheen, at least on the papers I've tried it on. A scan and photo of the review sheet: http://i.imgur.com/dShTykH.jpg http://i.imgur.com/4VcGHAT.jpg And a 'live' photo of the Water Test: http://i.imgur.com/QeOfsw5.jpg

New at Justwrite: Blackstone Clipless Brass Fountain Pen From $AUD89.00 OEM or JoWo nibs Click here for full details.

I wanted to fill my new pen with ink, and wanted to use a Blackstone Colours of Australia ink. However, Sydney Harbour Blue was too dreary, and Barrier Reef Blue was a bit bright, so I made a blend of the two. Herewith, for your delectation... Recipe: Blackstone Sydney Harbour Blue : 1 part Blackstone Barrier Reef Blue : 2 parts And now, for extra sheen -- As is usual for my images, click on them for a full size view. PS, the smudge in the first image, between and above 'my' and 'new' is some chocolate chip cookie that made its way to the back of the paper...

My second CRV ever. Thank you, amberleadavis! I'm glad I got to see so many inks. I had never seen any of them on paper in person. These are not all the pages, I'm trying to come up with things to doodle in the other pages. Seitz-Kreuznach Palm Green and Pelikan 4001 Dark Green. Seitz-Kreuznach Palm Green + Rohrer & Klingner Verdigris

It seems Blackstone inks are a product of FPN - their origin can be traced back to 2013 when some of ink-testers (Amberlea minions) started discussng powdered inks. Soon after many of us had a chance to review / try the original SuSeMai powdered inks. The powders are gone but in the meantime they evolved into Blackstone ink concentrates and recently the line called Colours of Australia was created (based on those concentrates). Recently new colors were added to Blackstone lineup. Mishka from BureauDirect sent me samples. Thank you I'll start with Australian Bush as it displays the hue I like a lot in inks. The color is fantastic. The ink feels rather smooth and well lubricated. It's also quite heavily saturated. Sadly it has a big issue - it causes strong nib crud. Here's the picture of Jinhao nib after just 30 hours of leaving the pen capped and unused. For me it's a deal breaker sadly. I love the color but I hate when an ink does it. Drops of ink on kitchen towel Color ID Color range Oxford, Jinhao 866, medium nib Rhodia, Jinhao 866, medium nib Midori, Jinhao 866, medium nib Water resistance

It seems Blackstone inks are a product of FPN - their origin can be traced back to 2013 when some of ink-testers (Amberlea minions) started discussng powdered inks. Soon after many of us had a chance to review / try the original SuSeMai powdered inks. The powders are gone but in the meantime they evolved into Blackstone ink concentrates and recently the line called Colours of Australia was created (based on those concentrates). Recently new colors were added to Blackstone lineup. Mishka from BureauDirect sent me samples. Thank you Blue Gum isn't really the color I would use on daily basis. I'm not keen on similar hues. It doesn't make me clench my teeth in pain but I don't find it enjoyable. The ink is heavily saturated and offers good level of flow and lubrication. I haven't experienced any issues like clogging or nib crud with this one. If you like similar hues this one may be interesting to you. Drops of ink on kitchen towel Color ID Color range Oxford, Jinhao 866, medium nib Rhodia, Jinhao 866, medium nib Midori, Jinhao 866, medium nib Water resistance

This post rounds out my review of the newest four inks to be commercially released by Blackstone Inks - a 4-pack of mixable "primary" colours. Black is the least interesting of the lot - for the obvious reason that it's black. It doesn't have any "special" qualities such as waterproofness - it's designed to mix with the other inks in the range, rather than to serve as a stand-alone ink. That said, this is a very "honest", well-performing ink. It's a "pure" black that washes out to produce a grey colour, and (depending on the pen) tends to dry as a "grey-black" rather than a straight black. I wouldn't have bought this ink if it wasn't part of the package - I already have another 3 bottles of black, at least! - but it's actually pretty good in its own right. In a wet enough pen (my Pilot Metropolitan seems to qualify), and on a coated-surface paper like Rhodia, I managed to get an almost pure black patch of ink with "shiny" (not sheeny) finish. Not bothering with the photo this time, just the scan:

A few weeks ago now, I noticed that the folks at JustWrite Pens / Blackstone Inks had released a new line of mixable inks - available in 30 ml dropper bottles. The four base colours - cyan, magenta, yellow and black - are sold together, at this stage they're not available for individual purchase. I purchased a Mixing Kit (which includes the four inks, plus vials, bottles, syringes etc) with my own funds, and have not been compensated in any way for this series of reviews. I do receive sample and prototype inks and pens from JustWrite/Blackstone from time to time, but I didn't get a preview set of these inks, so this is the first I've seen of them. So far I've tested three of the four inks - I've only just inked up a pen with Black, so that'll come a little further down the track. Three of the four base inks I believe can be used as inks in their own right - Cyan (see below) is a pleasant, moderately-saturated turquoise colour, magenta is quite a vibrant reddish-pink, and on first inspection the black looks fairly black! Yellow, on the other hand... you can wait for the review to see how that looks! These inks have all of the characteristics I appreciate in the other three Blackstone ranges (the Barrister inks, Colours of Australia, and Scents of Australia): they have smooth flow and good lubrication, and are completely trouble-free in my pens. They are formulated from a completely different set of dyes, though, to facilitate their mixing qualities - I didn't ask for more detail than that, but it goes without saying, you mix *between* the colour ranges at your own risk. These inks are highly water soluble, and therefore not very waterfast. In every other respect I think they're great - and I'll look forward to experimenting with mixing colours down the track. In the meantime, and without further ado, here's Cyan - a scan (which on my screen is just a bit more "true to life"), and a photo taken with my Sony xPeria: Congratulations to the Blackstone team on this new line of inks - feel free to ask any questions, and I'll do my best to answer them!

This is my second review in the new line of Blackstone CMYK Fountain Pen line of inks, that are designed for mixing - and to date it's probably my favourite (unmixed, i.e. base) ink in the range. Magenta is a strong, reddish-pink colour that's clearly visible on the page. It's a smooth, lubricated ink that's very well behaved in the pen and on the page. For more information on the ink range, and full disclaimers (I bought these inks with my own money!), see my earlier review of the Cyan ink at https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/327635-blackstone-cmyk-inks-cyan/ - or you can check out the product range at the Blackstone Inks website (http://www.blackstone.ink/index.php/blackstone-cmyk-ink-mixing-set). Here's a scan and a photo of my written review - I think the scan is a little more accurate for colours.

This is the 3rd of 4 inks that make up the Blackstone CMYK Ink kit - designed so you can mix your own custom colours. At the moment I'm just reviewing the 4 base colours (cyan, magenta, yellow and black)... Maybe later I'll mix some custom colours and post on the 'Inky Recipes' forum (?). Yellow is the least usable of the base colour inks - for obvious reasons. I'd call this a 'pure' yellow, as compared with the stronger, slightly orange yellows I've compared it to (Blakcstone Golden Wattle and Diamine Sunshine Yellow). I'm sure it'll mix in a treat with the other colours - just don't expect to get much use of this ink on its own, unless you're wanting to cause eye strain! [To be fair, it dries a little darker than it appears while writing - though this means it's harder to see what you're writing than to read what you've written, which causes some hassles of its own...] These are not my first mixable inks - I bought the whole Toucan range when Kevin from Just Write Pens (and now also Blackstone Inks) first started spruiking them. The Toucan inks are highly mixable, but aren't the most lubricated of inks - they tend to need a fairly wet pen to get reasonable flow and saturation. These inks, by contrast, have excellent 'inky' qualities, and play very nicely with my 'regular' pens. By way of disclaimer, I purchased the CMYK mixing kit with my own funds, but have received complimentary ink samples (and prototype pens) from the manufacturer in the past. I have not received any financial compensation for putting up this review - it's entirely my own initiative. For more comments , see my first review of the range (https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/327635-blackstone-cmyk-inks-cyan/). You can check out the manufacturer's summary at http://www.blackstone.ink/index.php/blackstone-cmyk-ink-mixing-set. A scan and a photo (please forgive the inconsistent lighting for the latter):

It seems Blackstone inks are a product of FPN - their origin can be traced back to 2013 when some of ink-testers (Amberlea minions) started discussng powdered inks. Soon after many of us had a chance to review / try the original SuSeMai powdered inks. The powders are gone but in the meantime they evolved into Blackstone ink concentrates and recently the line called Colours of Australia was created (based on those concentrates). Recently new colors were added to Blackstone lineup. Mishka from BureauDirect sent me samples. Thank you You know that I loathe similar colors? Loathe not love? It is true. I absolutely despise then and find them disturbing. I do realize though that some of you have terrible taste in colors.* If you're in this group be assured that Blue Cypress behaves well. I haven't observed any issues with it. The saturation is high, lubrication pleasant. It tends to smear and bleedthrough on cheapest papers but the same is true for most inks. There's no water resistance. *It's just a joke. Drops of ink on kitchen towel Color ID Color range Oxford, Jinhao 922, fine nib Copy paper, Jinhao 866, fine nib Midori, Jinhao 866, medium nib Water resistance

It seems Blackstone inks are a product of FPN - their origin can be traced back to 2013 when some of ink-testers (Amberlea minions) started discussng powdered inks. Soon after many of us had a chance to review / try the original SuSeMai powdered inks. The powders are gone but in the meantime they evolved into Blackstone ink concentrates and recently the line called Colours of Australia was created (based on those concentrates). Recently new colors were added to Blackstone lineup. Mishka from BureauDirect sent me samples. Thank you Boronia Brown is least saturated Blackstone ink. It doesn't look bad but it lacks charisma. Drops of ink on kitchen towel Color ID Color range Oxford, Jinhao 866, medium Copy paper, Jinhao 866, medium Midori, Jinhao 866, medium nib Water resistance

This is the second of five reviews I'll be posting today and tomorrow - for one of six new inks about to be available from Just Write Pens / Blackstone Inks. These inks arrived last week - an unexpected birthday present! The 'Scents of Australia' inks are made from similar components to the already-available 'Colours of Australia' line, and share their properties, with one key difference: all six inks are scented, with odours evocative of the Australian 'aromascape'! Here's a visual of the bottles that arrived last week (minus Australian Bush): http://i.imgur.com/LE5ZB3E.jpg An additional five inks were slated for release - and as of mid-June (the time I'm posting these reviews), the inks are ready to be released. Kevin kindly sent me full 30ml bottles of the five new inks - with permission both to test and to post reviews. I want to be up-front in acknowledging I haven't paid for these inks - but as with his previous releases, I've been really impressed with their colour, saturation and performance. Thus far, none of the 6 new inks show the problems I encountered early on with Uluru and, to a lesser extent, Daintree - both of which showed a tendency to become 'stringy' due to problems with the lubricant. These inks are well-behaved, smooth-flowing, richly coloured, and beautifully scented - and, in the case of the blue inks, are prone to produce a wonderful reddish sheen. Blue Cypress is on the same colour spectrum as Blue Gum - but whereas Blue Gum is a dark blue-green, Blue Cypress sits closer to the green end of the spectrum. The following are a scan and a photo - the 'true' colour probably sits somewhere in the middle (at last on my screen!). http://i.imgur.com/MeoPw7C.jpg http://i.imgur.com/MeoPw7C.jpg The sheen on Blue Cypress is pretty impressive - though I think Blue Gum may have a slight edge, based on my experience thus far? http://i.imgur.com/1cJLhCk.jpg Thanks to Kevin for providing these inks for free - I'll certainly be purchasing bottles down the track, when these are empty!

I think this ink was labelled as super secret something or other. It's a powdered ink from Australia as far as I know. I was very kindly given an email address that I sent a begging email to for a powdered ink by the name of Red Cashmere which had the most incredible sheen and a beautiful deep red colour, but I got not response. I was just wondering if there was any news on this new to the market ink producer?

Scents of Australia Blackstone Inks have released a set of inks called Scents of Australia. FPN member Jamerelbe has already done a set of reviews on them, as has member Lgsoltek, so I thought I would do a comparative review, between the six inks, and a couple of others for comparison. The six inks are Australian Bush (khaki green), Blue Gum (dark teal blue), Blue Cypress (greeny blue), Red Kunzea (red), Wild Orange (orange) and Brown Boronia (brown). The scents are floral, but apart from the Wild Orange (which has a citrus-y smell) I can’t vouch for the accuracy of the other scents. The Aus. Bush definitely has a scent of clean, mild Eucalyptus. The scents are not intense. You can smell them when you open the lid of a bottle, and if you hold the nib up to your nose, but once the ink has been written and dried, you can’t smell anything. What has taken some time has been working up a suitable method to do the comparisons. I have a set of 3 Jinhao X-750 pens, all adjusted to be similar in wetness, and with Asian Medium nibs, so I did three inks at a time. I wrote samples on 4 different papers — old stock Reflex (OSR) to demonstrate a poor quality paper, Fuji-Xerox Sustainable Earth (FXSE) and J. Burrows Premium (JBP) for medium quality office paper and Japanese Muji paper to show shading and sheen. Because I had three similar pens, I did three inks at a time, starting with the Blue-Green inks, followed by the Red-Orange inks. Above the Blue-Green I did a comparative sample of Monteverde Horizon Blue (a well-behaved Medium-Wet ink) and below a sample of Pelikan 4001 Royal Blue (a Medium-Dry ink). The Australian Bush sample came as a pre-release version called Gum Trees. The other five samples are retail versions. Results The Scented Inks are, generally, wettish inks, but they are quite well behaved on modern papers. Most of them are wetter than the Monteverde Horizon Blue, but there is some spread between them. The Australian Bush is the wettest of the six inks, and the Brown Boronia is definitely the driest. The other four — Blue Cypress, Blue Gum, Red Kunzea and Wild Orange are in between, and pretty much the same degree of wetness. None of the scented inks showed any feathering on any of the papers, although the Monteverde H.B. showed a little on the old stock Reflex. All of the inks showed some degree of bleeding on the OSR, with the Pelikan 4001 Royal Blue, the Brown Boronia and the Wild Orange showing the least. There was no bleeding on any of the other papers. The only ink to show any spreading at all was the Australian Bush, the wettest of the inks. The Blue-Green inks all showed noticeable shading on all the papers except the OSR. The Blue Gum showed the greatest degree of shading. As well, examination of the edges with a loupe show a degree of sheen. There was little to no shading or sheen demonstrated by any of the Red-Orange inks. The inks are all far too wet to be used in a dip pen – they need to be used in a fountain pen with a proper feed. Five of the six inks appear to be quite saturated, the exception being the Brown Boronia. I can’t tell if it is the dyes used, or the concentration, but the Brown Boronia doesn’t appear to be much more intense than the Pelikan Blue. The Scans There are lots of images here, because I scanned on four types of paper, and showed the back of two of them. First, the best paper, Muji Refill paper. I only did the front, because there was nothing to show on the back. Muji Front Next, the worst paper, old stock Reflex, showing the front, and bleeding on the back OSR Front OSR Back Finally, the middle-of-the-range paper, J.Burrows Premium JBP Front JBP Back I haven't included the Fuji-Xerox sample because it duplicates the J.Burrows Premium results.