Equivalent To Mb Jfk?

[ahtzib]

Despite being met with decidedly mixed reviews, Montblanc's JFK ink immediately became one of my favorites. I use it all the time but, it turns out, a 30ml bottle doesn't last very long. I'm looking to find a good regular-production ink that is similar to JFK, and likely to remain available more or less indefinitely.

 

Does anyone have any recommendations for an ink that is basically equivalent to JFK but in regular production?

 

Thanks for any suggestions!

 

 

 

[Chrissy]

I think Montblanc JFK is still reasonably easy to find, so I would buy that. However, Diamine make a good selection of dark blue inks that are available in 80ml bottles

[jmccarty3]

JFK appears to be "out of stock" almost everywhere now, and it's offered on eBay for very high prices, which would suggest that it's pretty much gone. I don't know of anything readily available that matches it closely, but Diamine Regency (perhaps diluted a bit with distilled water), would look fairly close.

[ahtzib]

Thanks! I figured there was probably something in the Diamine lineup, but was having a hard time determining which one. Prussian Blue is kind of similar, as well, but lighter than the JFK.

[PS104]

Very appropriate. JFK wasn't around very long either.

[ink-syringe]

I also MUCH preferred JFK to MB regular Blue-Black, new or old formula. A lot of Blue blacks are just grey and some are just very dark navy blues and no black at all. JFK seemed like a cross between the two. Like a standard blue black that got just a dash of blue mixed in. Pretty and subtle but just enough blue in there to look nice, imo. I really dug the color and have 2 bottles of JFK. One almost gone already. I would love to find something that is the same shade as well.

 

JFK is by far the nicest blue black I have found, color wise. If it was regular production it would be all I would need for BB.

[OCArt]

Less than three weeks ago I called my local MB boutique asking for this ink. They made some calls to other dealers and had two bottles in my hand within a few days.

Hey, it's worth a call!

[ahtzib]

I also MUCH preferred JFK to MB regular Blue-Black, new or old formula. A lot of Blue blacks are just grey and some are just very dark navy blues and no black at all. JFK seemed like a cross between the two. Like a standard blue black that got just a dash of blue mixed in. Pretty and subtle but just enough blue in there to look nice, imo. I really dug the color and have 2 bottles of JFK. One almost gone already. I would love to find something that is the same shade as well.

 

JFK is by far the nicest blue black I have found, color wise. If it was regular production it would be all I would need for BB.

 

Yes, I agree - if JFK went into MB's regular ink lineup, it's likely the only BB I would use. They really got this formula right! I wish that MB would consider leaving in production for at least a while longer. Unfortunately, I'm losing hope that there is an equivalent to take its place once it's gone...

[torstar]

Very appropriate. JFK wasn't around very long either.

 

too soon....

 

I think any thick navy black ink will do for actual writing purposes

 

if you put any brand of that colour into a JFK mini-bottle it would fool 98% of those insisting on JFK ink

[ahtzib]

Less than three weeks ago I called my local MB boutique asking for this ink. They made some calls to other dealers and had two bottles in my hand within a few days.

Hey, it's worth a call!

 

My supply is actually OK for the moment, so I'm really looking ahead to that inevitable time when JFK is no longer available at all through retailers. (Also, my "local" MB Boutique is several hundred miles away, posing a bit of a logistical challenge for an ink run!)

[ahtzib]

 

too soon....

 

I think any thick navy black ink will do for actual writing purposes

 

if you put any brand of that colour into a JFK mini-bottle it would fool 98% of those insisting on JFK ink

 

I know - it seems like it wouldn't matter, right? And for actual writing purposes, it probably doesn't - though I do prefer MB's ink formula to some others.

 

But I guess I'm in that other 2% - not insisting on JFK, of course (it's going out of production), but looking for a close (if not exact) replacement once it does. And honestly, a larger, more economical, and more useful bottle would even be preferable.

 

By comparison, Waterman Blue-Black dries too teal and Scrip Blue-Black is too gray.

[perfaddict]

...Montblanc's JFK ink immediately became one of my favorites. I use it all the time...

 

What is your opinion of the colour of MB JFK, looking at your earliest writing samples of the ink? I was surprised to come back to a sample i made and posted just over a month ago, only to find it had turned greyish. When i get to the office tomorrow i will post a then-and-now comparison of the same sample.

[ahtzib]

 

What is your opinion of the colour of MB JFK, looking at your earliest writing samples of the ink? I was surprised to come back to a sample i made and posted just over a month ago, only to find it had turned greyish. When i get to the office tomorrow i will post a then-and-now comparison of the same sample.

Interesting observation. I found that Pelikan Blue-Black was/is (depending on where you are, I guess) especially prone to changing over time: in my experience, it would go on fairly bluish (bluer than JFK), then turn to a charcoal gray after a relatively short amount of time.

 

I've gone back and looked at some writing I did with JFK about six months ago. It seems to have retained its bluish hue - certainly better than my Pelikan Blue-Black did over a similar amount of time. I look forward to seeing your examples - I was hoping that the JFK was more colorfast than some of the other blue-black inks I've tried.

 

Who knows? Maybe the yet-to-be discovered/identified replacement for JFK will have a more stable dye formulation!

Edited October 8, 2015 by ahtzib

[swanjun]

The closest I've found to a match for JFK is Diamine Chopin, but that's not exactly regular production. You can buy 30 ml bottles of it on the Diamine site now, instead of having to get the whole Music Set, so that's a plus, but it's not available in one of those huge 80 ml bottles, alas.

[ahtzib]

The closest I've found to a match for JFK is Diamine Chopin, but that's not exactly regular production. You can buy 30 ml bottles of it on the Diamine site now, instead of having to get the whole Music Set, so that's a plus, but it's not available in one of those huge 80 ml bottles, alas.

 

Thanks for the suggestion!

[Chrissy]

 

My supply is actually OK for the moment, so I'm really looking ahead to that inevitable time when JFK is no longer available at all through retailers. (Also, my "local" MB Boutique is several hundred miles away, posing a bit of a logistical challenge for an ink run!)

 

Any Montblanc boutique will mail you bottles of ink. That's the way I regularly buy it and my boutique is less than 50 miles away.

[perfaddict]

Then:

 

 

Now:

 

Couldnt remember the exact scan properties of the original, so please discount.

[Padawan]

Sailor Jentle Blue-Black is very close if not indistinguishable.

[lapis]

Sailor Jentle Blue-Black is very close if not indistinguishable.

Distinguishable is the great smell (of phenol) which MB doesn't cough up.

 

Mike

[ahtzib]

Alas!

 

I've obtained some Sailor blue-black and run it through a couple of pens to get a good baseline comparison to JFK. Unfortunately, the Sailor bb, while a very nice flowing ink, lacks the definitive blue of of JFK. Indeed, Sailor actually goes onto the page looking mostly gray and only becomes more gray once dry. In wet pens, Sailor often looks dark gray, The JFK seems to do relatively well maintaining its bluish hue over time -- the Sailor, by contrast, actually ends up looking more like a faded black over the same time period.

 

And the Sailor ink, as mentioned above, does smell...a lot.

 

So, the search continues...

Edited January 16, 2016 by ahtzib