Inky T O D - Ink Review Series - Next - What Information Do You Want To See?

[amberleadavis]

In the last few weeks, I've been asked about how to do ink reviews. I must confess that I'm far less knowledgeable than our very own Saskia_Madding, Visvamitra, Sandy1 and LGSoltek to name but a few who are on the first page of Ink Reviews.

So, every day (or every few) days, a new topic will post so we can talk about ink reviews. Your actual ink reviews still go in the Ink Review forum, these topics are for us to Ponder the Peculiarities and Think about Ink.

First, which ink do you pick?

Now, which papers do you use?

So, which pen or pens do you use?

What information do you want to see in a review? What is important? What is just nice?

[musicman123]

When I look at reviews, I'm generally looking for hue (color), behavior (feathering, show through, bleed), and any unusual characteristics such as sheen and staining. Those are the most basic ones and I find that they are my major determining factor for picking out a color. Most inks are relatively average in the behavior section, but it's the unusual characteristics that make them stand out. Some days, I want ink with a sheen. Other days, I want to stain my pen permanently.

 

Some extra stuff like chromatography isn't very important to me. Some thing goes for comparisons as I can always do those on Goulet or with my own swabs.

 

Water tests are nice so I know not to spill my coffee on the page when I'm writing, but it isn't of utmost importance either.

[amberleadavis]

I find the comparisons to be really important and when I'm considering an ink, it is the first thing I look for, but I don't always have time to do them.

[sombrueil]

double post.

Edited May 3, 2015 by sombrueil

[sombrueil]

I know this isn't always possible, but when offered comparisons with other inks, I would like to see the very closest in hue that are available. If you don't have near-clones for the ink under review, don't bother comparing it with inks of some other color.

I also would like to see writing samples both in fine and in some nib that shows shading, a stub or flex or broad. On ivory and white papers.

 

Swabs of color are so deceptive that I rarely even look at them. Waterproofness is not an interest but I know it is for many.

[macaddicted]

An add on to the original question:

 

Many of the ink samples seen here are photographed rather than scanned. A reasonable number of these photos are well color balanced. It Is simple even in the most rudimentary graphics apps to sample the color and get an RGB color swatch.

 

Would the addition of a solid color swatch, much like you see on ink labels, be of use in a review?

[dcwaites]

For me, the most important thing is How Does it Work on Paper? If an ink doesn't behave on paper, it is just coloured water.

Then, how does it behave on poor, medium and high quality paper? For example, I only get good results with Everflo True Blue and Noodler's Midway Blue on high quality paper.

 

Next, how does it perform in the pen - is it dry, medium or wet? That will let me know which pen to use it in.

 

Finally I look at the colour. I will then describe it as best I can. My personal colour preferences are of no import in a review. Even if I don't like the colour of an ink (i.e. if it is Teal - blecchhh!) someone else will. They will know from my review how it will behave on whatever paper or pen they want to use. If it happens to match my concept of a Perfect Blue or Black Hole Black, then I will say so, fulsomely and with prolix aforethought, but again, those are my preferences and are not important.

 

Very last will be special features - does it sparkle or sheen, is it waterproof, bulletproof or exploding nova proof, or does it make my handwriting readable? Does it bore holes in paper like some ancient I-G inks? Or does it turn my Lamy Safari into a Lamy 2000?

 

It is because we all have different emphases when we look at a new ink that we need multiple reviews.

[Tessy Moon]

Color, Color, Color, Color, Color, Color, oh and COLOR!

 

I also like to know if it feathers or bleeds, or if it is dry or wet.

 

I don't care about it being water proof or light fastness.

 

I really care about the COLOR! Because if I like the color I will get a sample. Then if I like the way it writes for me in my pens I may buy a bottle.

 

So I would say, over all, COLOR is the most important for me!

 

(And ironically, the most difficult part to communicate on the screen! lol)

[Sandy1]

Every little thang?

[ENewton]

I wish more people included these two items, from the pinned topic on what to include in an ink review:

 

• Does it tend to dry up in pens quickly if the cap is off for awhile?
• Any start-up problems with the pen, either in a short time or if not used for a few days?

 

I understand that such information is difficult to include if one has used an ink just long enough to write a review, as opposed to getting to know the ink over some period of time, but if the reviewer happens to know how the ink behaves in regular use, it would be helpful for the review to reflect that additional perspective.

[dcwaites]

In general, it is a pen problem if an ink dries up in the nib. Generally, open nibs will dry up in 3~5 minutes and properly hooded nibs like Parker 51 will take 5~15 minutes to dry up.

 

However, if the tines of a nib just touch, that drying can happen in 30 seconds, regardless of the ink.

[ENewton]

Interesting. When a person complains of ink drying in the nib, I usually assume that the person has used other inks in that same pen without problems. Certainly, that has been the case with me--that I've used a pen for many years without trouble, had drying problems with a certain ink, then no such problems with other inks. A few months ago, I had drying problems with the same ink in two pens, neither of which has had flow problems with any other ink.

[amberleadavis]

  On 5/17/2015 at 5:56 PM, ENewton said:

I wish more people included these two items, from the pinned topic on what to include in an ink review:

 

• Does it tend to dry up in pens quickly if the cap is off for awhile?
• Any start-up problems with the pen, either in a short time or if not used for a few days?

 

I understand that such information is difficult to include if one has used an ink just long enough to write a review, as opposed to getting to know the ink over some period of time, but if the reviewer happens to know how the ink behaves in regular use, it would be helpful for the review to reflect that additional perspective.

 

 

  On 5/17/2015 at 7:57 PM, dcwaites said:

In general, it is a pen problem if an ink dries up in the nib. Generally, open nibs will dry up in 3~5 minutes and properly hooded nibs like Parker 51 will take 5~15 minutes to dry up.

 

However, if the tines of a nib just touch, that drying can happen in 30 seconds, regardless of the ink.

 

 

@ENewton, while I agree with David (DCWAITES), I have also discovered some inks are just no fun because I'm still thinking and the pen stops writing. In my reviews, I always document that feature (bug), because it makes me INSANE.

[ENewton]

Thank you, Amber, both for confirming my experience and for including the information in your reviews.

[by_a_Lady]

[font='times new roman']I admit that I'm not really a fan of extremely detailed reviews like [member='Sandy1'] does them (I usually skip all the writing samples and scroll right down to her personal opinions about the ink, those are always extremely informative). Experience has shown that there can be extreme fluctuations in the recipe or manufacturing of an ink, so all the fancy standardised testing methods are pretty much useless in my eyes. What I fix the value and relevance of a review on are three things:[/font]

• [font='times new roman']The actual review.[/font]
• [font='times new roman']The comments underneath.[/font]
• [font='times new roman']More reviews of the same ink, and their comment sections.[/font]

[font='times new roman']When I research an ink, I usually first google it and have a quick look whether the writing samples and scans seem to be consistent in colour. Then I open every review I can find on the Internet and search for common denominators - again, to find out whether the product appears to be consistent. The comment sections oftentimes yield more minireviews or at least remarks about some characteristics of the ink. Only after I've found out the most common characteristics do I look at the colour more closely and decide whether I want and need it.[/font]
 
 

[font='times new roman']Dominique[/font]

Edited June 16, 2018 by by_a_Lady

[Flaxmoore]

  On 5/4/2015 at 12:43 AM, dcwaites said:

For me, the most important thing is How Does it Work on Paper? If an ink doesn't behave on paper, it is just coloured water.

Then, how does it behave on poor, medium and high quality paper? For example, I only get good results with Everflo True Blue and Noodler's Midway Blue on high quality paper.

 

Next, how does it perform in the pen - is it dry, medium or wet? That will let me know which pen to use it in.

 

Finally I look at the colour. I will then describe it as best I can. My personal colour preferences are of no import in a review. Even if I don't like the colour of an ink (i.e. if it is Teal - blecchhh!) someone else will. They will know from my review how it will behave on whatever paper or pen they want to use. If it happens to match my concept of a Perfect Blue or Black Hole Black, then I will say so, fulsomely and with prolix aforethought, but again, those are my preferences and are not important.

 

Very last will be special features - does it sparkle or sheen, is it waterproof, bulletproof or exploding nova proof, or does it make my handwriting readable? Does it bore holes in paper like some ancient I-G inks? Or does it turn my Lamy Safari into a Lamy 2000?

 

It is because we all have different emphases when we look at a new ink that we need multiple reviews.

 

I like most of your points. One big one for me is how well the ink plays with the pen. I've a few inks that I can't use in some pens as it's too dry, or too wet.

[cattar]

Is the ink wet or dry compared to other inks the reviewer knows?

Is the ink lubed compared to other inks the reviewer knows? (Are any other inks out there lubed like Sailor? Is this something only I want?)

Is the ink at all water resistant?
What paper did the reviewer use to test?
What did the the reviewer do with water to test?

I like chromatography--
the color scan graphics with rgb, cmyk stats,
and
the water spreading the ink on the paper towel that shows the ink dyes separating.

I like the ink comparisons, even when it's dissimilar colors, and all the inks labeled.
I can more easily decide yes/no on the color when I see it next to an ink I know.

I like to see writing and those long lines of close scribble, rather than swabs.

I write, I don't swab.

Love the detailed reviews by saskia madding, visvamitra, sandy1, lgsoltek, white lotus,
and the color comparison reviews so many others do, and the co-razy pages.

 

Thanks to all who do this.

 

 

eta. and crahptacular's drawing reviews, and....

Edited June 16, 2018 by cattar

[amberleadavis]

Thanks, Cattar.

[Torrilin]

Dry time. While I loathe Rhodia paper, the dry time is consistent enough that I can estimate whether an ink is a likely yes or likely no from a Rhodia drying test. It’s finicky to do but critical for us lefties. Sandy1’s reviews with dry time testing on a range of paper are so helpful.

 

Cap off time and dry out issues also matter. See, you can actually have the nib dry out if the pen is actively being used. It shouldn’t happen, but it can. The old Lamy blue black with iron gall can do that, and so can Pelikan Font India. In both cases it’s definitely not a pen problem. Just sometimes the combination of ink, pen and paper really don’t get on. The more usual sorts of dry out are heavily pen dependent. Not 100% but definitely test to make sure it’s not the pen. And if you determine an ink misbehaves in that way, people need to know. Gotta be ready for the degree of clean up needed.

 

I don’t exactly care one way or the other about waterproof. I happily use lots of ink that isn’t water resistant at all, and the shading effects when an ink responds to water can be fun. But don’t describe an ink as waterproof if it’s just surviving a soak test. I need to know how an ink takes punishment like watercolors and markers (yes yes I already know statistically the answer is badly).

[lgsoltek]

Apart from looking at the writing sample for the colour, things I look for (and try to include) in (my) reviews are info about its behaviour (especially lubrication and wetness) and comparison with other inks.

 

I have a penchant for very wet and smooth inks. These give me joy to write with. For me dry inks are painful to use (eg. most of the dozen RO inks I've tried), and sufficiently wet inks but with little lubrication are not really enjoyable either (eg. Callifolio inks). Of course, impressions of the wetness and lubrication of an ink are all subjective, so it's probably better to compare with other inks. I admit in my reviews I only state whether an ink is wet and lubricating or not, without reference to other inks. But if you know me well enough you'll know when I say an ink is wet and smooth, it IS really wet and smooth!

 

Some mentioned dry time. Personally I don't care about dry time a lot, except when it's really terribly slow (eg. many Noodler's). I don't do dry time tests in my reviews. I don't "count" their dry time since it's all dependent on paper and the wetness of your pen. But I do mention it when it dries really slow.

 

As for water resistance, it's not something I really care about either. I know I'm using fountain pen inks and all the weaknesses that comes with. But I recognise it's useful information for some people, so I usually add a small part about it in my reviews. Plus it's interesting to see what colours each ink separates into when in contact with water.

 

Comparisons with other inks are of course very useful. It helps to see what the colour really looks like, especially given all those differences in camera and monitor calibration. Knowing how an ink looks different from another familiar ink helps a lot. Personally what I think is the most accurate is to do the comparisons of inks using the same pen and nib on the same paper, but that really needs a lot of work. I'm too lazy for that. That's why I'm always in awe of Visvamitra's comparisons.

 

With all this what I mean to say is that it's very helpful to have more comparison, comparison of colour, of behaviour, etc. More comparison means more information. Not only comparisons done by the same person, but by other reviewers. That's why it's always nice to see another review of an ink, new or old, even when it's been done by many other people. And those lovely CRVs.

Edited June 16, 2018 by Lgsoltek