Montblanc Honore De Balzac: Dandy Turquoise

[lapis]

I got it! I have just cum back from my friendly neighbourhood boutique and now know what it's all about!!

I went there to pick up a bottle of my new MB ink and was explaining to the wonderful sales woman that we all thought the colour is, well, maybe, somewhat weird in conjunction with the name "Balzac" but she filled me in.

Balzac -- as a gentlemen and dandy of the nouveau riche -- used to stroll with his very own, oversized gold and turquoise-studded walking stick, a flashy accessory and phallic symbol of the day in Paris.

I didn't know it (because I wasn't about the buy the pen in the first place) but she very kindly and happily then showed me the whole pen itself, which has on the top of the cap a beautiful ornament in the form of five of those gems. Now we know why the ink has that colour.

[georges zaslavsky]

very nice color , thanks for sharing looks close to private reserve daphne blue

[KJY]

Thanks for sharing your review and pics.

 

My first thought is that it looks like MB "ink of friendship". Do you know that one and does it look like it or is it a bit darker?

[TalkieWalkie]

 

It's certainly a treat to your wallet, if nothing else.

 

Balzac is like cognac VSOP, in my opinion. It's not hors d'âge but it's very palatable.

 

The ink looks okay to me, but it's not something I'd be bidding frantically to buy a bottle of. So perhaps aptly named?

 

I have to disagree. I think that Balzac's works were a great commentary on the age in which he lived. It is so striking to see the similarities in today's world--it is all just a little bit of history repeating. And one must take all of Balzac's works together--forming a magnum opus matched only by a few. While there may have been three distinct classes in his day, those three classes have eroded down to two with the bourgeoisie essentially replacing the nobility.

 

Old Man Goriot or Le Pere Goriot was considered his greatest piece of La Commedie humaine.

[PenTieRun]

... and what colour will that ink have?... (No harm meant)

Ah, well, perhaps by the time they reach Flaubert a brown ink will be due. You can't issue one now after the recent Collodi ink.

[lapis]

Ah, well, perhaps by the time they reach Flaubert a brown ink will be due. You can't issue one now after the recent Collodi ink.

I'll buy that. Actually I already did so a year and a half ago. But maybe they could come up soon with a new, decent, exciting brown like, let's say, "Monument Valley" or "Bryce Canyon"? I'd get it immediately!

[PenTieRun]

I'll buy that. Actually I already did so a year and a half ago. But maybe they could come up soon with a new, decent, exciting brown like, let's say, "Monument Valley" or "Bryce Canyon"? I'd get it immediately!

Good idea, MIke, but I actually like the Toffee Brown and combined with the Colladi, I'd say I'm set for a while.

[Bo Bo Olson]

Colladi to me is a red ink.

I have seen it has doubled on price so I can sell it.

This turquoise ink don't seem to shade enough for me. Looks sort of Lamy.

 

Turns out I never read any Balzac. I thought I might have but having looked him up, didn't.

[Chi Town]

Thanks for the review, I just love turquoise!

[picautomaton]

I really like the shape of the pen body without the cap, nice taper, concave section and tapered end.

[terminal]

This looks a great deal like Waterman Inspired Blue to me... has anyone compared the two?

[Joane]

Thanks for the review. I knew I would find info on HdB ink here. It's very heartening to see a colour I like and to know it has good flow because for the first time ever, I bought an ink blind. I ran out of turquose ink (J. Herbin Lotus Bleu) and suddenly got the urge to use turquoise. I went to the MB dealer to find out if they had any Ink of Friendship. They did not but the saleslady said a new turquoise, Honoré de Balzac, just arrived in their warehouse. Even though I couldn't see it and have to wait a day or so before it arrives, I said I would buy it. Looking forward to picking it up later this week.

[johntdavis]

Is this ink considered waterproof or water resistant at all?

 

Also, I wonder how the shading compares to Iroshizuku Ku-jaku, which has been on my to-buy list for a while.

Edited August 14, 2013 by johntdavis

[deenurse]

Just landed a bottle at a boutique in Palm Beach Gatdens at the Gardens Mall and now at a nearby Whole Foods Market using it. I love this color.

Edited August 20, 2013 by deenurse

[tenurepro]

Thanks for the review!

Curious - is it similar at all to the Ink of Friendship LE introduced a few years ago by Montblanc? I never got a chance to try Ink of Friendship, but based on the few reviews i've seen, it would appear that are very similar....

[Hetty]

Thanks for sharing your review and pics.

 

My first thought is that it looks like MB "ink of friendship". Do you know that one and does it look like it or is it a bit darker?

I bought this ink as I love turquoise inks. My fear was that it would be like Ink of Friendship, as Alfred Hitchcock was very like Ink of Love. My suspicions were confirmed: it seems almost exactly the same as the Ink of Friendship.

[KJY]

I bought this ink as I love turquoise inks. My fear was that it would be like Ink of Friendship, as Alfred Hitchcock was very like Ink of Love. My suspicions were confirmed: it seems almost exactly the same as the Ink of Friendship.

Thank you for your response.

I recently also purchased some bottles.

My first impression is a look a like. Although a little little bit darker (I think).

[Joane]

In another thread Darius just did an update of MB LE inks and next to each other, Dandy Turquoise does look very close but just a tad darker than Ink of Friendship:

 

http://imageshack.us/a/img571/659/3aga.jpg

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/216855-montblanc-inks/page-2

[Joane]

I forgot to report back that I did buy Dandy Turquoise and have been using it with enjoyment. Here is a sample on a grey and rainy day, which I'm sure affects the colour. The paper looks grey and is actually white. So let's call this Dandy Turquoise on an overcast day with thunderstorms. I can take another photo on a sunny day down the road. Anyway, fwiw:

 

[Hellmut]

I've tried both, and Waterman's 'Bleu Inspiration' (formerly 'Bleu des Mers du Sud') seems to display much more shading.

And is much cheaper