Diamine Matador

April 15, 2012

This is a short review of the new Matador color by Diamine. I got this ink as a sample from Goulet Pens. The first thing I noticed was the smoothness and easy feeling on paper; this must be a well lubricated ink. Nevertheless, as can be seen in the image below the dry time is pretty fast, even from a wet broad (ok, a Japanese broad) nib. That property makes it a good choice for sinister writers. Initially, the color did not inspire me much, and I could not place it. I don't think I have another red like it, which is good in that it fits in the extensive ink lineup, and bad because now I have to buy a whole bottle.

Without bothering to make a direct comparison, this ink makes me think most of Caran d' Ache Sunset, but they are only similar, not identical. I found myself thinking about this ink when I was not using it, and it actually brought me back away from my lovely iron gall inks. It is that good.

Diamine has had so many winners of late that one could easily stick to the Diamine brand alone. Indeed, it seems that the extensive choice of excellent inks from all manufacturers is the greatest it has been in history. Good times. Good for pens. Good for writers. Bad for shelf space.

This ink does not care what paper you use. It flows easily and wet, but dries fast. Show through is minimal and feathering is basically nonexistent. Color is pure red, no special secondary dies, no halos, no glitter or sheen, just red. Put it down thick and it almost looks black, almost. Shading is there if you look. Basically, a great, very usable, pure red ink. Highly recommended. Oh, and unlike say J. Herbin 1670 Rouge Hematite (which I also love) it cleans easily from pens, and it won't remind you of blood at all.

Waterproof? Are you kidding. Not at all.

Water resistant: Sort of, it mostly disappears under a stream of water in under a minute. But, if you got something important wet I bet it would survive enough so that you could copy your notes down elsewhere.

April 15, 2012

Thanks for this review. I'll buy that (the ink) although for me it is much redder than my Sunset. As usual, I'll have to compare both with one pen on the same paper....

April 16, 2012

Thank you for the review!! Now I am totally stumped as to which of the reds to opt for with Diamine . As you say, great for the pen... not so good for storage space. However, I NEED a red, and I much prefer the deeper hues that are highly saturated!