Herbin Blues - 6 Blues Compared

[danieln]

Very cool to see them all side by side, thanks for posting. The 1670 Bleu Ocean is my absolute favorite, it has become THE ink for me right after the first inking.

[bstnnyc]

 

Bah, I still owe a bloke money from when he sent a vintage pen over before I was able to pay for it! And not to mention, I have a bunch of modern ones on the to-buy list as well (the modern W.Eversharp's ceramic-coated nib is a wonder; a local seller let me try them out, and I freaking fell for the nib after a line of writing!). Still, Gris Orage isn't likely going anywhere, and there'll be less of a tussle to grab a bottle of Bleu Ocean; I'll wait for the more rabid members of the local FP-holics to grab their share of gold and grey before moving in, since I'll eventually be getting them all anyway

 

But yeah, the blue 1670 could give my standby Iro ink a run for its money! I really like the darker blues of that brand, and use them as my baseline for colour and performance. I can get them for cheaper than the J. Herbin, though (hooray for friends who travel a lot XD), so it'll be a close call.

 

 

Cheers!

 

Kevin

I'm in a similar situation! After Gris Orage, I’m done with full bottles for the year, because I (unfortunately ) still have my eye on a couple vintage and modern pens too. I actually don't have any full bottles of Iro in my ink stash only samples at the moment but with the US retail that's one brand that would def eat away at this small pen fund! haha

 

Nice comparison, thanks.

Thank you Diderot!

 

Very cool to see them all side by side, thanks for posting. The 1670 Bleu Ocean is my absolute favorite, it has become THE ink for me right after the first inking.

I’m happy you liked the side by side danieln! After reading your message, I just switched the ink in my daily writer to Bleu Ocean ; I've been cheating on it with Pelikan Edelstein Tanzanite lately haha

[prf5]

Hi prf5 that’s good to hear about Bleu Nuit; I haven’t been using it much recently, but I will give it a shot on really bright white paper!

 

 

There are several excellent reviews of Bleu Nuit on this site. In sum, they portray it as an enigmatic ink. The color is difficult to describe, seems to change over time, responds differently to media, and there is no accord about its consistency. Bleu Nuit does not appeal to everyone. Some people like it a lot, others find it rather blah, and still others are outright disappointed. The best advice is not to rely on single attribute, single media, comparisons.

 

There's another thread running on this site that asks, what should someone do with all of the inks that they have collected? That's a good question because ultimately, after doing your homework, you may want to buy a sample. Sometimes the trial works out; sometimes it doesn't.

[VivienR]

Thank you for your review. I have Eclat de Saphir and Bleu Pervenche both are amazing ink, and well will have Bleu Nuit, and 1670 Ocean Blue too. Those are also interesting ones. Although not a big blue consumer myself, but I like variations. Not mention Herbin inks are absolutely fantastic, with wonderful properties, plus one for really easy to clean them,

[bstnnyc]

Thank you for your review. I have Eclat de Saphir and Bleu Pervenche both are amazing ink, and well will have Bleu Nuit, and 1670 Ocean Blue too. Those are also interesting ones. Although not a big blue consumer myself, but I like variations. Not mention Herbin inks are absolutely fantastic, with wonderful properties, plus one for really easy to clean them,

Thank you VivienR! I agree these Herbin inks are wonderful and every time I use an ink that is more challenging to clean or has a hard start after being in a pen for 2 days, I am reminded why I love Herbin

[amberleadavis]

Thank you for the great comparison. This is wonderful and a lot of work. An excellent contribution.

[bstnnyc]

Thank you for the great comparison. This is wonderful and a lot of work. An excellent contribution.

Thank you! I'm very happy you liked it Half of these have been my go-to inks for so long that I wanted to share how good they've been to me

[Anne-Sophie]

Thank you so much for the lovely review!

[bstnnyc]

Thank you so much for the lovely review!

Thank you Anne-Sophie!

[LittleLion]

Thank you for the wonderful review. I'm extremely fond of J. Herbin ink, and I'm always looking to add to my collection. My absolute favorite is Bleu Myosotis for many of the reasons you described. It is so amazing after it has had a chance to sit for a few days. Its mercurial qualities often remind me of the sky or sea on a stormy day. I'm a little embarrassed to admit that I have mild separation anxiety with that ink - it must be in one of my pens at all times or I get a bit fidgety. I rather enjoy Bleu Nuit for the shading and changeability depending on pen and paper combinations, and also for the brilliant way it washes in ink drawings. Based on your review, I think I might have to get a sample vial of Éclat de Saphir. I always thought it was a bit too bold for my taste, but it looks beautiful in your notebook.

 

Also, I just wanted to say that the sample sentence you used in your test is one of my favorite lines from Le Petit Prince. You have fantastic taste in books, sir.

 

- Kimberly

[AlejoPlay]

I need another bottle of Bleu Nuit. I also enjoy Eclat de Saphir. Currently using it in a Noodler's Konrad.

[Tanzanite]

J Herbins Bleu Nuit and Eclat de Saphir are beautiful. They are the inks that I use for dry orskipping nibs because they are wet and make wonders for those nibs.

[PerryJ]

Awesome review thanks !

 

Two of these are my go to inks, first is Bleu Pervenche, which is my favorite ink, and my second go to is Eclat de Saphir when I need a break from from Pervenche.

Edited December 19, 2014 by PerryJ

[FPgal]

Very helpful! Blue is one of my favorite colors. Where is a good place to buy Herbin? Or rather, where do you prefer to buy your ink?

[bstnnyc]

Thank you for the wonderful review. I'm extremely fond of J. Herbin ink, and I'm always looking to add to my collection. My absolute favorite is Bleu Myosotis for many of the reasons you described. It is so amazing after it has had a chance to sit for a few days. Its mercurial qualities often remind me of the sky or sea on a stormy day. I'm a little embarrassed to admit that I have mild separation anxiety with that ink - it must be in one of my pens at all times or I get a bit fidgety. I rather enjoy Bleu Nuit for the shading and changeability depending on pen and paper combinations, and also for the brilliant way it washes in ink drawings. Based on your review, I think I might have to get a sample vial of Éclat de Saphir. I always thought it was a bit too bold for my taste, but it looks beautiful in your notebook.

 

Also, I just wanted to say that the sample sentence you used in your test is one of my favorite lines from Le Petit Prince. You have fantastic taste in books, sir.

 

- Kimberly

Thank you Kimberly! Every time I read that book I fall in love with it more and it has so many good quotes. If you are a sucker for Le Petit Prince like me, you might like the website http://www.laboutiquedupetitprince.com/fr/ which has tshirts, notebooks and other fun memorabilia that brighten the day . I had the fountain pens when I was little haha

 

I need another bottle of Bleu Nuit. I also enjoy Eclat de Saphir. Currently using it in a Noodler's Konrad.

I need to give Bleu Nuit another shot now that I have some new nibs to test it in!

 

J Herbins Bleu Nuit and Eclat de Saphir are beautiful. They are the inks that I use for dry orskipping nibs because they are wet and make wonders for those nibs.

Eclat de Saphir has been my go to ink for all new pens, because if they skip or don't write smoothly with EdS we've got issues haha

 

Awesome review thanks !

 

Two of these are my go to inks, first is Bleu Pervenche, which is my favorite ink, and my second go to is Eclat de Saphir when I need a break from from Pervenche.

Thank you PerryJ! You have good taste in blues Have you tried the 1670 yet? Since I first did the comparison I think it has become my favorite of the three.

 

Very helpful! Blue is one of my favorite colors. Where is a good place to buy Herbin? Or rather, where do you prefer to buy your ink?

Thank you FPgal I'm happy to hear that it was helpful! You can find Herbin inks at http://gouletpens.com/ , http://andersonpens.net/ or http://jetpens.com/ . I order from all three depending on the products, but usually get the Herbin inks from the Goulets. Blue is my favorite color family to write with too and I've recently fallen in love with the Sailor blue selection as well, so I definitely recommend looking at those in addition to the Herbins. I would love to hear which blues you get and which ones end up being your favorites!

Edited December 19, 2014 by bstnnyc

[Guest Gracie]

I bought a bottle of Bleu Azur a few months ago, and have kept it dark and cool with my other inks. Today I took it out to use for only the second time (not really a daily colour) and when I opened the bottle discovered a layer of mould over the top of the ink. Has anyone else had this problem with Bleu Azur? Will a store take it back?

 

I think I'll go back to Sheaffer Turqoise, or Iro Ku-Jaku, or one of the many other options out there. We are so spoiled!

[torstar]

Mould happens. They should help you out.

 

Great review, bought a bottle of Myosotis at a surprising location and have enjoyed it for a few weeks as my daily writing ink.

[bstnnyc]

I bought a bottle of Bleu Azur a few months ago, and have kept it dark and cool with my other inks. Today I took it out to use for only the second time (not really a daily colour) and when I opened the bottle discovered a layer of mould over the top of the ink. Has anyone else had this problem with Bleu Azur? Will a store take it back?

 

I think I'll go back to Sheaffer Turqoise, or Iro Ku-Jaku, or one of the many other options out there. We are so spoiled!

 

Hi Gracie,

 

I'm sorry to hear that you ended up with a moldy bottle. It was a problem that occurred in a couple Herbin batches around 2012. Check the below thread from Karen from Exaclair; you may be able to ship her the bottle for a replacement. Her address is included in the thread. Hope this helps!

 

Bahij

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/213803-update-on-j-herbin-ink-problems/

[FPgal]

Have your feelings/reactions to 1670 Ocean Bleuchanged, with the new formulation that's out? I have been mulling over the Massdrop with two bottles of Ocean Bleu (plus 1 bottle of your choice, either Stormy Grey or Rouge Hematite). I have to admit that I am really drawn to the offer because the reformulated Ocean Bleu looks really intriguing to me. I know that some other folks on the thread devoted to discussing this reformulation aren't so sure, but of course taste differs. My only experience with J. Herbin so far has been with Bleu Myosotis, and it's been a very dependable blue. I have not had a chance to try out these fabulous 1670 inks, and if I did the Massdrop I'd end up with three bottles! A little nervous about that prospect but I feel as though a magnet is drawing me to the Ocean Bleu bottles on the screen... and perhaps that bottle of Stormy Grey....

[lgsoltek]

I received my bottle of Bleu océan (with gold particles) yesterday. I never thought I'd love this colour but turns out I do! The shading is great, and it feels sooooooo smooth just as you described. I love smooth and wet inks...