Most Disappointing Ink Buy

[inkstainedruth]

All these people who are disappointed with Iroshizuku inks scare me... I wanted to pick up a bottle of one...

 

Well take heart. I gave Kosumosu another try today, based on a new review. It does better in broader nibs (it's very nice in my Guanleming 193 calligraphy pen). I also discovered that it is *extremely* subject to the type of lighting. In daylight, looking at it today, my ink journal shows it as a bright, clear pink, whereas in incandescent light it was that weird watermelon-pink I didn't like.

Go figure.

It still is a very expensive ink in the US, but it's now back on my Amazon wish list....

The moral of this story is that sometimes it takes a while to find the right pen/ink/paper combination....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[terminal]

All these people who are disappointed with Iroshizuku inks scare me... I wanted to pick up a bottle of one...

 

I wonder if part of that is because of the price. Maybe it's not that the inks are bad, per se, but that the expectations are higher because it's just so expensive.

[XiaoMG]

I wonder if part of that is because of the price. Maybe it's not that the inks are bad, per se, but that the expectations are higher because it's just so expensive.

I'm tempted to say that both a lot of the praise and a lot of the disappointment are a result of the price, which is greedily inflated in markets outside of East Asia. It's not too expensive for me, but I've been a little let down by some of the colors. Performance has always been decent, so no major complaints there.

 

That promotional video that was shared not too long ago made me lose a bit of my respect for the Iroshizuku line, and I have started slowly replacing Ku-jaku with De Atramentis Steel Blue, which I may like equally if not slightly more.

[annettefhorn]

kestrel wrote:

 

The original formulation of Noodler's Highland Heather. It had everything going for it. Beautiful color, link to my Scottish heritage, a brand I was usually happy with. Everything.

Then, I ruined all those happy feelings by loading it into a fountain pen. Shame on me. Poor flow, very long drying time, and it eventually clogged the Estie 2668 nib I was trying to write with.

 

My experience exactly, and I was far less patient than you.

 

Others I've had problems with:

 

- many of the Levenger second-generation inks (e.g., Skies of Blue). Terrible feathering.

- J. Herbin browns other than Lie de Thé: dryness and skipping.

 

No problems, but somewhat disappointed:

 

- Some of the Iroshizuku inks. I love Tsuki-Yo, Syo-Ro, and the winter persimmon one. Others I've tried (Asa-Gao, Ajisai, the forest green one) --- there's nothing wrong with them, but to me there is nothing particularly special either.

[olivier78860]

Herbin Gris Nuage : this one is barely grey. Hard to read anything you write with it, and I have 10/10.

Herbin 1670 : The ink in itself could be good. I don't know, the bottleneck is far too tiny to put any pen in it.

All in all, I find Herbin inks quite average.

 

Iroshizuku : I received three bottles from my brother for my birthday. Only Kon Peki was really nice, the other two (Kiri Same and Tsuki Yo) certainly aren't worth the money he spent. And how am I supposed to tell him ? heh. Sure I'm not interested in testing the other ones they offer.

 

I tested quite a few inks, but I can't seem to use anything else than erasable blue ones on the long run.

[senzen]

Disappointing:

 

Lamy red, looks pink to me. Tried different sized nibs, no dice.

Lamy turquoise. Tried to like it, couldn't.

Skrip brown. Looks like milk chocolate, flabby.

Pelikan 4001 brilliant green. Too bright, not much character.

 

On the road to disappointment:

Violette Pensée. Too light, too girly. What was I thinking? Probably about it in a much darker shade, or even a different colour altogether: violet vs purple.

 

Disappointing at first but eventually rose to the occasion:

Bleu Myosotis looks nothing like I had in mind, but it's a good colour. Very close to Skrip blue which was a positive revelation.

Rouge Hematite: Flows when it wants to, high maintenance, but when it does it's stunning.

[Zeph]

The two that stick out for me would be the Lamy Blue-Black and the J. Herbin 1670 (Red).

 

The Lamy BB was the first bottle of ink I bought and I found it too washed out and dry for my liking. I use the bloating paper more than then ink inside...

 

The color of the 1670 was disappointing to me. Whenever I wrote with it I felt like I was marking test papers. I expected something a little darker. I don't regret this purchase as much as the Lamy because the bottle is amazing looking and I got the bottle for 30% off .

[chelsa]

Noodlers Pasternak. Dry and pale.

[Jared]

PR Copper Burst has to be my most disappointing buy. Not only was it not the color I expected, but it later turned a sickly green color. It went right down the drain.

[jgrasty]

PR Copper Burst has to be my most disappointing buy. Not only was it not the color I expected, but it later turned a sickly green color. It went right down the drain.

 

When I got my bottle of PR Copper Burst, it was my favorite color of all. And then, in less than a year, turned an ugly greenish gray. But I've ranted on this before... :bonk:

[dunhamsa]

My first two bottles of ink were Waterman Florida Blue and Blue-black. The latter looked more green than blue or black, and so I tried to darken it up myself a few years later without success. The Florida Blue was very light and unappealing. Waterman is not on my radar anymore.

 

---

[brh]

I have tried to like La Reine Mauve, but I just can't. It's just the wrong type of purple to me, very grape soda. It has no romance to it whatsoever!

 

I initially liked Rouge Hematite very much, but I've found if I'm not careful about what pen I put it in, I get way too much of that magical golden sheen, and it just ends up looking muddy. It has its place, but I'm sure I don't need that second bottle.

 

I'm torn about Iroshizuku Fuyu-gaki. I guess it's darker and easier to read, but it lacks a certain something that (say) Orange Indien has. Not sure I'll keep the bottle, pretty sure I'd say it's not worth the price I paid.

 

Edelstein Tourmaline is another that I actually like pretty well, but the price? Nothing has convinced me it's worth it, unfortunately. Don't plan to get rid of the bottle, however.

[cocojj]

Like Vistafan, I did not like Diamine's Woodland Green which leans towards blue. Thankfully, I did not order a bottle, I just received a cartridge sample. But I did look forward to using it so I still got a bit disappointed.

 

I was also a bit disappointed by Noodler's X-Feather as it was not as feather-proof as I expected (then again, some of office paper really sucked). It's still good, though, it's my daily ink for signing and official communication.

 

I recently ordered Diamine Aqua Lagoon, I think it is too light to be of any use to me.

Edited September 5, 2012 by cocojj

[Plumdragon]

 

I recently ordered Diamine Aqua Lagoon, I think it is too light to be of any use to me.

I LOVE my Aqua Lagoon, that's too bad! Lovely ink.

 

I'm also amazed by how many people don't like Rouge Hematite/1670. It's really pretty but if i don't stick it in something broad it's not as nice. It does dry like glue in the pen, tho...

[JoeyZ]

Just had my first disappointment. Marched into a store that sells Noodler's and grabbed the bottle that I was certain I wanted. Sadly, I had mixed up which black swan I really was after. I will have to live with English roses for a while until I make the trek back for the Australian roses I had really wanted. BSIER is fine I suppose, just doesn't have the "pop" I was hoping for. A little too much like Kiowa Pecan on paper after it dries.

 

Next time I will bring a list if there is any chance of a mix up with a similarly named product.

Edited September 6, 2012 by JoeyZ

[mhphoto]

Just wrote out my review of Noodler's Concord Bream. I've been wanting to try this ink for about a year now and finally got a sample. I'm glad it was just a sample… It feathers and bleeds through Rhodia.

[akustyk]

My only ink disappointments have been from Noodler's. I want to think it's a coincidence. Red-Black, Kiowa Pecan, and Apache Sunset are rather dry, though I have seen reviews that rank them as wet, especially AS. Not sure why mine is dry.

[dannyboy]

Herbin's Vert Empire was a favorite color and ink for a while UNTIL I discovered sediment in the bottle, a great glob of slimy stuff. Bought two more bottles and found the same thing. No more. The End.

[jgrasty]

My only ink disappointments have been from Noodler's. I want to think it's a coincidence. Red-Black, Kiowa Pecan, and Apache Sunset are rather dry, though I have seen reviews that rank them as wet, especially AS. Not sure why mine is dry.

 

Apache Sunset is definitely a dry ink, but most orange inks tend to be dry (dunno why). I have a sample of Kiowa Pecan, but I don't recall it being particularly dry or wet. I've not used Red-Black.

[Dave Johannsen]

I keep reading threads about favorite inks, best blue inks, etc. I was just wondering what ink(s) have been the most disappointing to you, and why?

 

Noodler's El Lawrence (first batch). I just loved the color, but the performance was just too much trouble. Any pen inked with it was a very hesitant starter when first uncapped. If a pen was left uncapped for any period at all, the ink would dry in the feed. Being enamored with the color I desperately wanted to make this ink work, trying it in a wide variety of pens over a (frustrating) period of several months. Trying so hard and repeatedly being frustrated is why I would label it "most disappointing."

 

 

Dave