Unexpected Favourites

[smiorgan]

So, I bought the Cult Pens DD Red to round out my purchase -- already had blue, green and brown so couldn't buy purple and not get the red, eh?

 

I thought red would be my least favourite. It's not quite the colour of Oxblood, which is, or was my best red.

 

But.... writing on index cards just now, it blew me away. Such contrast, such a clear red tone, dark but not brown and not black... it may be my favourite of the bunch after all.

 

Ever buy an ink that you weren't expecting to like as much as your current favourites, only for it to exceed expectations?

[migo984]

Yes. I was a long-term Eclat de Saphir fan. It was my go-to blue. Then I bought Sailor Jentle Ultramarine on a whim..............

 

ps Red is my favourite of the Deep Darks too. I love it.

[Sandy1]

Hi,

 

Even after reading two excellent Ink Reviews, Noodler's 54^th Massachusetts seemed to have little appeal: a high maintenance Teal-leaning near-Black that runs on rails. Then a friend gifted me with a rather large sample. And I diluted it, which launched me on a rather enjoyable inky adventure, depicted in my wee IR, which includes off-label use of bagpipes.

 

I'm not sure if the adventure will continue after the bottle runs dry, but N54M certainly exceeded expectations.

 

As Member lapis described it, "love at second sight."

 

Bye,

S1

[inkspot]

Diamine Pumpkin was an unexpected favourite. I bought a few 30ml bottles of Diamine a couple years back to try some new colours. When the package arrived there was this bottle of orange ink. I didn't recall ordering it, as I was very much a purple and green ink kind of girl. I figured I'd give it one test run before I gave it away...

 

Turns out I loved the brightness and punch of the ink! It's now my favourite grading ink, and it has launched a complete obsession with all things orange. I even bought that ink its very own orange Visconti pen... I think I might actually have a problem...

[Centopar]

Sailor Jentle Grenade. I'm not usually particularly into dark reds (despite the avatar pic); but the green sheen on it is so lovely I almost always have a pen filled with it.

[martinbir]

Diamine Damson.

 

Bought on a whim with every expectation of being a disaster, it ended up as my main ink for months and is also responsible for weaning me off a diet of blue blacks.

[doggonecarl]

I picked up a bottle of Waterman's South Sea Blue, as it was the discontinued packaging and thought it would be neat to have. I was surprised how much I liked the color and how the ink behaved.

[Bigeddie]

I have just got round to trying Pilot/Namiki Blue-Black, the shading is superb. Really enjoying it. Sources seem to be disappearing though

 

J Herbin Perle Noire, there are better blacks on paper (water resistance, 'blackness', etc.), but I really like this one

[FountainPenCowgirl]

I'm expecting a samples shipment of inks with this potential tomorrow. I was in a wild mode when I placed that order.

 

I may have an addition or two this weekend. But in terms of inks currently in rotation, I'll offer one that doesn't seem to get much (recent) visibility: Noodler's Nightshade. The selling point for me was the fantastic shading that I get with my pen/ink combos. While it comes a little close to a couple of other favorites, they're far more saturated. With a basic Safari fine nib, Nightshade's shading has been glorious for me. A keeper.

 

Was not at all sure I'd go for Yama-Budo, but wow. And I was open to Salamander because of the positive feedback here, but it wasn't normally a color I'd gravitate to otherwise. Love, love, love.

 

Oh! And how can I forget Noodler's Hananero. Bought on a whim, looking for a non-pink accent color. Moved it to a pen that would do it justice (and eventually a broader nib). Can't stop picking that one up. Suddenly. I'm a doodler...

[apkayle]

Black Swan in Australian Roses recently captured my attention. It's a nice rich pinkish red that's still dark enough to not be considered a bright red and it shades beautifully. (I use BSER on a daily basis and in comparison it is darker, has less shading, but is more work/school appropriate.)

 

Waterman Black unexpectedly became my favorite black ink. It flows well, cleans out of pens nicely, and has a tinge of blackish gray shading. I always thought a black ink would be boring but the idea of a black ink with some shading qualities really made me reconsider my stance towards black inks.

[PrintersDevil]

Hi,

 

Even after reading two excellent Ink Reviews, Noodler's 54^th Massachusetts seemed to have little appeal: a high maintenance Teal-leaning near-Black that runs on rails. Then a friend gifted me with a rather large sample. And I diluted it, which launched me on a rather enjoyable inky adventure, depicted in my wee IR, which includes off-label use of bagpipes.

 

I'm not sure if the adventure will continue after the bottle runs dry, but N54M certainly exceeded expectations.

 

As Member lapis described it, "love at second sight."

 

Bye,

S1

Amen!

[flyingfox]

Parker Blue Black and 54th Mass.

 

I am totally NOT a "blue black" type... I generally respond to bright colors, especially purple, green, pink, turquoise, burgundy, and so on.

 

Then... I bought a bottle of 54th Mass. for addressing envelopes and other tasks that I care more about the function than the color. Then... I found out that I enjoy the traditional-looking color! I initially had it only in a Nib Creaper that I bought specifically for the pen (figured- if it clogs or something, I can disassemble the whole thing and wash it off, And I really cannot care less if it stains permanently or whatever, it is cheap, and while it is a good, functional pen, it is not my favorite or anything) but now it found its way into some others, depending on my mood, and I actually use it for the content of the letters.

 

Same as Parker- I don't even know why I picked it up. But- after replacing the sac of my Esties that I found at flea market and trying to pick out the ink, the old-fashioned color seemed like a good match for the silver-grey one. And again- I just LOVE the color, especially a few days afterwards, when the color is a beautiful teal!

[inkstainedruth]

Like flyingfox, I found that I liked 54th MA better than I expected. I thought it would be leaning too teal/green for me, but found that it grew on me. And the bottled ink was brighter and less green than the sample. Another one was Noodler's El Lawrence. I mean, really: I am the pink/purple/blue/silver grey ink girl -- but I saw a review of it a while back and I just kept reading and looking at the photo, and reading and looking. It was like being at the scene of a car wreck, where you just cannot "Look Away"; but there was just *something* about that dirty motor oil color that just made me keep looking, and looking, and LOOKING.

The third was J Herbin's 1670 Anniversary ink, Rouge Hematite (one of the earlier -- but not LE -- bottles, with the gold flecks in suspension). One of my LEAST favorite colors on the Planet; and then there all those gold flecks, threatening to clog the feed. And it was moderately expensive, besides .... And then I tried the sample I got, just to see what all the fuss was about. And WOW....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[amberleadavis]

Blue Steel... I am not a blue black fan, but it was a gift and I was very pleased. Then I tried it. WOW WOW WOW it is such an awesome performer. I will never be without it again.

[ethernautrix]

Never thought I would enjoy writing with a brown ink until I had been using Noodler's Walnut for a little while. Don't even remember why I kept using it. I suppose I didn't dislike it enough to clean the pen, and then it just grew on me, and now in addition to Noodler's Black and at least one blue or blue-black ink (gotta have my black and my blue inks), I have Noodler's Walnut and Pelikan Brown (a while other surprise, that one) - and currently Caran d'Ache Grand Canyon and Conway Stewart Kingsand. Who am I anymore?!

[Koyote]

I have just got round to trying Pilot/Namiki Blue-Black, the shading is superb. Really enjoying it. Sources seem to be disappearing though

 

J Herbin Perle Noire, there are better blacks on paper (water resistance, 'blackness', etc.), but I really like this one

 

Excellent ink. Waterproof, too. Seems to only be available in Pilot's cartridges, which I can live with since I have a couple of their pens.