Noodler's Liberty's Elysium (Goulet Pens Exclusive)

[RyanH]

A bit of backstory...

 

I've had a complicated history with blue inks. Ever since elementary school I've disliked blue ballpoint pens. Something about them is just... "blah". When I got into fountain pens last year, I carried this prejudice along with me, focusing on purples, greens, browns, grays - pretty much anything other than boring old blue or black.

 

Soon enough, though, I got swept up by sheer variety of blue inks and the enthusiasm people have for them. I started from the edges, with vivid sky blues like Iroshizuku Kon-Peki and subtle blue-blacks like R&K Salix, gradually expanding my comfort zone inward toward the standard, medium blues.

 

While I often find "the one" ink of a certain color (however short-lived the title proves to be), I've never found "the one" blue ink. I've tried many nice blues - Namiki Blue, Waterman Blue, Ottoman Azure, Bad Blue Heron, Eclat de Saphir, Diamine Sapphire, etc, etc - they were all either too light, too dark, too flat, too purple, too green, or just too not-quite-well-behaved-enough to really have the "it" factor I needed to declare them "the one" bottle-worthy standard blue.

 

Until now.

 

Ink: Noodler's Liberty's Elysium

Pen: Pilot Vanishing Point, F

Paper: Staples Sugarcane notebook

 

http://i513.photobucket.com/albums/t331/InkandPaper88/Libertys%20Elysium/Review_zps7f4a26da.jpg

 

Liberty's Elysium is a true blue, leaning neither towards purple, as many standard blues tend to do, nor towards turquoise, as do many sky blues. In keeping with the Noodler's tradition of historically themed inks, this ink is dedicated to those who fought and died for the sake of religious and political freedom in colonial America.

 

http://i513.photobucket.com/albums/t331/InkandPaper88/Libertys%20Elysium/Color_zpsead45cde.jpg

 

This ink is surprisingly close to Sailor Jentle Sky High, but it is a richer, more neutral blue. It also seems to write a bit broader than other inks - a seemingly common characteristic of Noodler's inks. Overall performance is good. It will feather and show through on the worst papers but no more than any other ink that isn't an iron gall or Noodler's Black.

 

http://i513.photobucket.com/albums/t331/InkandPaper88/Libertys%20Elysium/Compare_zpse622cfff.jpg

 

You can see the color and shading here, but there is a depth and vibrancy to the ink that goes beyond what I can be captured in a picture. I think that is what people are seeing when they compare it to Kon-Peki, which also has that quality, despite being much more turquoise than Liberty's Elysium.

 

http://i513.photobucket.com/albums/t331/InkandPaper88/Libertys%20Elysium/Detail_zps5771827b.jpg

 

As it was quickly (and loudly) discovered following this ink's release, Liberty's Elysium is not a true "Bulletproof" ink. That said, it is *highly* water resistant, and, given the quirky tendencies of other Bulletproof inks, I think this is actually just fine.

 

http://i513.photobucket.com/albums/t331/InkandPaper88/Libertys%20Elysium/Waterproof_zps56aa92eb.jpg

 

Add to all of the above that it is one of the cheapest inks by volume that you can get in the US, and Liberty's Elysium is a no-brainer for me as my "the one" workhorse blue.

 

Of course, being "the one" is a far thing from being "the one and only". In particular, Eclat de Saphir gives a nice change of pace, and Kon-Peki is a delightful indulgence. Sky High is also a nice compromise between indulgence and practicality. And there are times when the sheer brazen dullness of Namiki Blue or Waterman Blue is charming in its own way...

 

I guess what I'm really saying is that if feels good to pretend that I've settled something.

[ravantra]

Elysium is my favorite blue along with Kon Peki.

[Jamerelbe]

I'm a fan of Liberty's Elysium, but have found that some of my pens experience hard starts with it - may just be the pens I've been using, but it's a little frustrating! I agree with you though, it's a wonderful shade of blue, writes nicely... and will remain legible (though not truly 'bulletproof') under the assault of water. I also like Baystate Blue - a more vibrant (but less well-behaved) ink; and from the scans above, I'm suddenly keen to try out J.Herbin Eclat de Sapphir.

 

Thanks for putting up this review!

[RyanH]

Tbh, I have really only used Liberty's Elysium in my Vanishing Point, which is a pretty consistent performer. It is entirely possible that it does get quirky in other pens/nib sizes. Noodler's inks are nothing if not idiosyncratic.

 

I'd definitely recommend trying Eclat de Saphir, especially if you like the more purple-y blues, as you seem to. I'm generally not so much a fan of them (I like my blues blue and my purples purple), but even so there is something about EdS that keeps drawing me back. Herbin inks in general seem to have a sort of "happiness" to them that makes me feel like writing a children's book or a friendly letter to no one in particular every time I use them.

[Shaun500]

Any idea how the shading is in a flex pen?

[RyanH]

Sadly no; I don't have a flex pen to test it with. If the calligraphy nib samples from other reviews are any indication, though, I wouldn't expect anything super dramatic.

[The Good Captain]

I think that this is a really nice shade of blue and my only regret is that I don't use it enough!

[Brian C]

I experience hard starts in every pen I put this in. It's a no go for me.

[RyanH]

After trying Liberty's Elysium out in several other pens, I can confirm that I did experience hard starts with some - particularly my Lamys. I would always suggest trying out an ink sample before committing to an entire bottle, and that goes doubly so for Noodler's, which while generally good are terribly idiosyncratic in how they choose to behave with particular pens and papers.

[LWJ2]

I've had good results with it, as far as 'bulletproof' goes, I tried it on a cheque, before the ink was gone, the cheque itself was almost worn through. Good enough for me.

[pico]

I tried a sample of this in two pens. Both are normally well behaved pens, but with this ink I needed a separate note pad just to keep it flowing. Constantly tapping it out and getting it started. Maybe diluted it may work better, but I fear the great color would be lost. To bad, it is a great color ink.

[cjr]

Strange, LE is one of my better flowing inks. I use it in my Namiki VP with a fine nib as well as in a Pilot Metropolitan with medium nib. I never have hard starts when I'm using the pens daily. However, after about 4 or 5 days, it might take a fraction of a stroke to get the ink flowing again. As a daily writer ink, LE is one of my favorites.

[iveyman]

Liberty's Elysium is one of my favourite blue inks. I write with it daily. Goulet Pens is also one of my favourites to buy from.

They pack the inks extremely well and ship them out very quickly. Very dependable company. Highly recommended.

[mknoblauch]

Thanks for this review, and the comments of all who have posted. I have been in love with this blue for some time, as well as Noodler's Baystate Blue. However,I have heard so many horror stories about the latter ink, that they have made me gunshy about even pulling the trigger on Liberty's Elysium, or any other Noodler's "bulletproof" variety for that matter. I'll have to order a sample from Goulet Pens and give it a shot.

[Jamerelbe]

I use both Baystate Blue and Liberty's Elysium - and I think they're both great inks!

 

Baystate Blue you need to be careful what pens you use (I've got a Platinum Preppy inked up with it, using a cheap converter I bought on eBay, also a Hero 616 and a Pilot Vpen / Varsity), and it'll feather on cheaper paper - but boy oh boy what a vivid colour!

 

Liberty's Elysium I've had some issues with hard starts in 2 or 3 pens - but once it's flowing (which isn't hard to accomplish!), it's a great ink, and much 'better-behaved' than BSB. I think there is a slight issue here with the ink being more prone to dry in the nib - again, that simply means you'll need to be a little more selective as to which pens you use. No problem with cleaning the ink out, it's just you'll have fewer problems in a pen with a good tight seal when capped.

 

That said, I can only agree that buying a sample's a good idea when you're not sure. Minimum $10+ postage fee to Australia makes that impractical for us antipodeans (unless we're already placing an order for something else!).

[amberleadavis]

I experience hard starts in every pen I put this in. It's a no go for me.

 

 

I just inked with it again and I'm having the same trouble. I think it's a combination of our arid conditions and high altitude.

[IndigoBOB]

I like the color, but I get bad hard starts with this ink.

[inkstainedruth]

I think that this is a really nice shade of blue and my only regret is that I don't use it enough!

 

Agreed. Liberty's Elysium is a keeper. I remember when it was first released there were complaints that it wasn't fully waterproof, as hoped, but it's certainly water-resistant, and is a pretty color.

@ RyanH, thanks for the review. I have so many new samples to try that I forget about the keeper inks sometimes, and this is certainly one of them that has been neglected of late.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[jmccarty3]

The addition of distilled water <10% or some Organics Studio Cuddles Flo-Plus should solve the hard starts.

[IndigoBOB]

could the flo-plus alone fix the problem?

 

For legibility I need all the saturation I can get from it. I don't like the idea of diluting it.

Edited October 16, 2017 by IndigoBOB