Private Reserve Spearmint

[MyDarnSnakeLegs]

When I first got into fountain pens a few years back, this was the only ink that I used. Their inks served as the foundation of my collection for years. They've changed their bottles since that time, it seems, and I don't much care for the new ones. They're just not as nice-looking.

 

 

Spearmint is a vibrant green that reminds me of that fancy green that you get on golf course grass. It doesn't really have any shading to speak of, but it is a nice consistent green that looks good even in a fine line like the one my Hero 616 lays down. It didn't feather or spread, and it only showed through on a really cheap pad of paper. The rest of the time it was well-behaved.

 

The flow on this one is pretty smooth. It's not a very thick ink, and that's a bit of a surprise since most of the PR inks that I have tend towards the thicker side. They'll coat the inside of the sample (vial or jar) and leave a residue there. Spearmint doesn't do that and, as a result, it was really easy to wash out of my pen.

 

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xaNgKTXZaTA/T5zMbEb4a9I/AAAAAAAAAvo/sOzNy17YFFY/s1600/IMG_7558.JPG

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-csS2DU3ccVc/T5zLOcv7III/AAAAAAAAAvI/l3uum0atMF8/s1600/IMG_7564.JPG

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KexFKIsxMpQ/T5zLQDgp7iI/AAAAAAAAAvQ/vMRhMK6fz88/s1600/IMG_7567.JPG

 

(This was posted on my blog, as well.)

[raging.dragon]

I find that on non-absorbant papers like Rhodia and Clairfontiane this ink dries extremely slowly and smears after drying. On more absorbant papers this isn't a problem. Except for this caveat I like the ink.

[MyDarnSnakeLegs]

Yeah, it dried relatively slowly on the paper that I used, but it seems to dry quickly enough on the office-grade papers that I used it on.

[GradesWithFPen]

It doesn't really have any shading to speak of, but it is a nice consistent green that looks good even in a fine line like the one my Hero 616 lays down. It didn't feather or spread, and it only showed through on a really cheap pad of paper. The rest of the time it was well-behaved.

 

The flow on this one is pretty smooth.

 

I am an English professor and grade with PR Spearmint. Students print out papers (occasionally I will have them write in-class responses on notebook paper), so the quality of paper I deal with in my line of work is poor at best. However, because Spearmint does not shade or feather and just lays down a nice line that everybody can read, it's perfect for me. I use it in my new old Pelikan 400NN, Sheaffer Snorkel, Parker Sonnet, and an old cartridge Wearever that is the best darn writing pen ever for a cheapie.

 

Thanks for the review, and I am glad I can add my 2 cents (they don't even put the cent character on keyboards anymore; I remember when they did...)

[MyDarnSnakeLegs]

I'm a philosophy prof, and I find that I can't grade with just one color. I was grading a batch of exams last week and I switched between Noodler's Tienanmen, Widowmaker, this Spearmint, Pilot's Asa-gao, and Noodler's Hunter Green.

[GradesWithFPen]

I'm a philosophy prof, and I find that I can't grade with just one color. I was grading a batch of exams last week and I switched between Noodler's Tienanmen, Widowmaker, this Spearmint, Pilot's Asa-gao, and Noodler's Hunter Green.

Please, please don't get me wrong - I use Spearmint for my green Snorkel and a black Sheaffer Balance, PR Blue Suede for my blue Esterbrook and Waterman Laureat, J Herbin Rouge Cyclamen for my red Esterbrook and Parker 51 desk pen, Waterman South Seas for my other blueish pens, and Noodler's Kiowa Brown for my golden Parker Sonnet. It's WONDERFUL to see another prof who doesn't use red ink. Hot pink is as close as it gets for me, although Tienanmen is a nice, rich red, not like the red Bics (yes, I'm sorry I had to say it) that I saw way back in the days of high school.

 

Maybe we could discuss the philosophy of different colored inks sometime...

[2GreyCats]

I'm a philosophy prof, and I find that I can't grade with just one color. I was grading a batch of exams last week and I switched between Noodler's Tienanmen, Widowmaker, this Spearmint, Pilot's Asa-gao, and Noodler's Hunter Green.

Please, please don't get me wrong - I use Spearmint for my green Snorkel and a black Sheaffer Balance, PR Blue Suede for my blue Esterbrook and Waterman Laureat, J Herbin Rouge Cyclamen for my red Esterbrook and Parker 51 desk pen, Waterman South Seas for my other blueish pens, and Noodler's Kiowa Brown for my golden Parker Sonnet. It's WONDERFUL to see another prof who doesn't use red ink. Hot pink is as close as it gets for me, although Tienanmen is a nice, rich red, not like the red Bics (yes, I'm sorry I had to say it) that I saw way back in the days of high school.

 

Maybe we could discuss the philosophy of different colored inks sometime...

Okay, apparently I'm an odd duck (well, we knew that already... ;-)), but I DO grade with red ink where there's *definitely* a right and a wrong answer -- say, on a grammar quiz where a student has answered, "Tim have wrote three emails this week", or something like that. But on compositions, I use green to mark grammatical errors such as typos, fragments, run-ons, missing words, etc., but purple or violet or something else for comments in the margin (e.g., 'I really like the simile you used there').

 

Speaking of a red ink for grading, I'd love to find a deep red (oxblood? claret? dianthus?) or else a vermilion (like Flanders poppies). 'Pink-ish' cold reds do nothing for me at all. Funny how atavistic we are about colors

[Jimmy Joe]

Speaking of a red ink for grading, I'd love to find a deep red (oxblood? claret? dianthus?) or else a vermilion (like Flanders poppies).

Diamine's Poppy Red is my red for grading. It's bright and bold but still, to my eye, pleasant to look at.

[MyDarnSnakeLegs]

I'm a philosophy prof, and I find that I can't grade with just one color. I was grading a batch of exams last week and I switched between Noodler's Tienanmen, Widowmaker, this Spearmint, Pilot's Asa-gao, and Noodler's Hunter Green.

Please, please don't get me wrong - I use Spearmint for my green Snorkel and a black Sheaffer Balance, PR Blue Suede for my blue Esterbrook and Waterman Laureat, J Herbin Rouge Cyclamen for my red Esterbrook and Parker 51 desk pen, Waterman South Seas for my other blueish pens, and Noodler's Kiowa Brown for my golden Parker Sonnet. It's WONDERFUL to see another prof who doesn't use red ink. Hot pink is as close as it gets for me, although Tienanmen is a nice, rich red, not like the red Bics (yes, I'm sorry I had to say it) that I saw way back in the days of high school.

 

Maybe we could discuss the philosophy of different colored inks sometime...

Okay, apparently I'm an odd duck (well, we knew that already... ;-)), but I DO grade with red ink where there's *definitely* a right and a wrong answer -- say, on a grammar quiz where a student has answered, "Tim have wrote three emails this week", or something like that. But on compositions, I use green to mark grammatical errors such as typos, fragments, run-ons, missing words, etc., but purple or violet or something else for comments in the margin (e.g., 'I really like the simile you used there').

 

Speaking of a red ink for grading, I'd love to find a deep red (oxblood? claret? dianthus?) or else a vermilion (like Flanders poppies). 'Pink-ish' cold reds do nothing for me at all. Funny how atavistic we are about colors

 

I do grade in red (as well as all of the others), and I don't have a good justification for what color I use in any particular case. I just get bored easily and I like to use lots of different colors. When I take notes on things I'm much more disciplined, and I use one color to reflect the argument of a particular author, another for my thoughts on those arguments, a color for things I want to make sure to teach in class, and another for vocabulary that I'm pretty sure they won't know.

 

I posted reviews of Tiananmen and Widowmaker on my blog last week, but I haven't transferred them over here yet.

[dcpritch]

I'm so glad you did this review. Spearmint is one of my favorite colors - I've been through a couple of bottles and always like to have a pen inked with it. Here's a photo I posted in another thread that shows the depth of color in PR Spearmint (and notice you can get some shading on better paper - I used a Rhodia dotpad for this writing sample). Sorry, I don't do any grading, I just like to write with this ink.

 

[MyDarnSnakeLegs]

That's a really nice picture, dcpritch! I like the shading, there. I should get my hands on a Rhodia pad, I think. I didn't get much shading on anything I used that ink on. Paper can make such a difference. I also notice that you have a broader nib on that pen. I was using it in a pretty fine-tip Hero.

 

Thanks for adding your picture here!

[dcpritch]

... Paper can make such a difference. I also notice that you have a broader nib on that pen ...

 

Thanks for adding your picture here!

 

Thanks for not being offended - I certainly didn't intend to steal your thunder by adding a photo to this review. Its just one of my favorite inks.

 

Paper makes a huge difference, too, not just with Spearmint but with almost any ink. I've heard people say that the writing experience is 1/3 nib, 1/3 ink and 1/3 paper. I'm not sure I could quantify the aspects of writing like that, but there is much truth to the concept that paper, ink and nib all work together. I am a lover of large nibs on pens, and also flexible nibs - and you will find the shading characteristics differ dramatically between pens based on nib size and flexibility, and also based on ink flow.

 

Sorry, I'm getting long winded so I'll stop now. Thanks again for your review.

[MyDarnSnakeLegs]

Offended? No way.

 

I don't actually have anything broader than a Lamy M, and that's not particularly broad. One of my favorite things about reviews on the FPN is that there are lots of them, and each will show something a little different. I should find a broad nib for reviews, but I don't really like writing with them. I'm a fine-line sort of guy.

[GradesWithFPen]

Okay, apparently I'm an odd duck (well, we knew that already... ;-)), but I DO grade with red ink where there's *definitely* a right and a wrong answer -- say, on a grammar quiz where a student has answered, "Tim have wrote three emails this week", or something like that. But on compositions, I use green to mark grammatical errors such as typos, fragments, run-ons, missing words, etc., but purple or violet or something else for comments in the margin (e.g., 'I really like the simile you used there').

 

Speaking of a red ink for grading, I'd love to find a deep red (oxblood? claret? dianthus?) or else a vermilion (like Flanders poppies). 'Pink-ish' cold reds do nothing for me at all. Funny how atavistic we are about colors

 

2GrayCats and MyDarnSnakeLegs, you guys have convinced me to revisit using red to grade. I have been judgmental about red in the past, but all that is over now. I now need suggestions: I like to grade with fine points since I have to write in between double-spaced typing and sometimes get wordy in my comments. Any thoughts about a nice darkish red that would flow well with firm fine points? I don't use my flex nib pens because I have to write a lot and write in a hurry; I like to keep those beauts all to myself and my innermost thoughts.

Edited May 7, 2012 by GradesWithFPen

[MyDarnSnakeLegs]

Noodler's Widowmaker. It's my favorite red so far, but I have several more that I want to test.

[GradesWithFPen]

Noodler's Widowmaker. It's my favorite red so far, but I have several more that I want to test.

 

Thanks, SnakeLegs - I have three Noodler's Bulletproofs (Iraqi Indigo, Dostoyevsky, and Hunter) but not in red. My next ink purchase will definitely be a red!

[MyDarnSnakeLegs]

Man, I love Hunter. That's my favorite green.

[raging.dragon]

Speaking of a red ink for grading, I'd love to find a deep red (oxblood? claret? dianthus?) or else a vermilion (like Flanders poppies).

 

Diamine Red Dragon is a nice dark red that leans toward brown instead of purple, pink or magenta. Diamine Oxblood may have too much brown for marking. Or if you'd prefere a purplish dark red instead of a brownish dark red, there's Diamine Syrah. Noodler's Widowmaker and Tiananmen are also dark reds worthy of consideration.

[raging.dragon]

Noodler's Widowmaker. It's my favorite red so far, but I have several more that I want to test.

 

Thanks, SnakeLegs - I have three Noodler's Bulletproofs (Iraqi Indigo, Dostoyevsky, and Hunter) but not in red. My next ink purchase will definitely be a red!

 

The Noodler's reds mentioned so far in this thread are all part of the standard line with no claims of water proofness, archival durability or fraud resistance. I believe Empire Red is Bulletproof (waterproof, archival and fraud resistant) and Fox Red is Eternal (waterproof and archival).

Edited May 7, 2012 by raging.dragon

[georges zaslavsky]

lovely color, it is very close to mb irish green

Edited May 8, 2012 by georges zaslavsky