How Wet Are Waterman Inks

[donmcnel]

As a newbie I'm not really knowledgeable about the general characteristics of various ink brands. I've heard that Irosihzuku inks are generally thought to be "wet" inks and I would agree with this based on my limited experience.

 

How do you think Waterman inks compare with Iroshizuku inks in wetness? Are there other brands that are generally thought of as being wet or dry? I'd appreciate hearing your experience.

 

Thanks very much.

[dk76]

I can't comment on it compared to Iro inks.

 

I have Noodler's, Diamine, Private Reserve and J. Herbin. Compared to those, I find Waterman to be a really dry ink. I bought my Waterman Intense Black and Serenity Blue in November 2015 if that makes any difference.

[evyxmsj]

I personally find Florida Blue pretty wet (manly compared to my Diamine inks). It burps a bit out of my Vac, and not many inks do.

 

Edit: that's with a medium nib in case it makes a difference to anyone.

Edited April 5, 2016 by evyxmsj

[ac12]

As dk76 said, I found my Noodler's inks to be more wet than my Waterman inks. And even within their line of inks, some are more wet than others. But, realize that Noodler's has a huge line of inks with different characteristics. So my small sample of Noodler's inks is not representative of their entire line of inks.

 

Unfortunately, I have not had the pleasure of using Iroshizuku inks, so I cannot comment on the comparison to Waterman ink.

Edited April 5, 2016 by ac12

[Sandy1]

 

Hi,

 

I haven't explored all the inks from either Waterman or the Pilot iroshizuku series. I am quite hesitant to generalize an ink's characteristics based on Brand, especially when we have Co.s who are inky innovators and/or have a vast range of offerings.

 

That said, it seems to me that the Waterman inks are pretty much in the middle. I use Waterman Serenity (nee Florida Blue) as a 'standard' ink for evaluating pen+paper combos. iroshizshizuku inks tend to have a somewhat more generous flow, but very well mannered - no gushers.

 

Over time I have become less concerned with the wetness of ink, and more inclined to address how an ink is delivered by a pen then absorbed by the paper.

 

Enjoy!

 

Bye,

S1

[Randal6393]

 

Hi, Don,

 

My experience with Iroshizuku is that they are wet -- but very well-behaved -- inks in general. Nice but there are other inks I like better. Waterman, on the other hand, especially the Black, is a "standard" ink. As Sandy1 says, sort of middle of the road, well-behaved, great for everyday performance. Other inks that roughly equate are Aurora Black, Noodler's -- Black, Navajo Turquoise, and Walnut. All good inks that work out well for everyday writing. All are wet but not what I would call gushers.

 

Dry inks? Pelikan 4001, Parker Quink, most of the iron galls, etc. Wetter inks? Noodler's Eternal and Warden line. Mostly, an ink is valuable to you or not. The best way to check out an ink is to order a sample vial from an online site, say Goulet Pens (my go-to guys), fill a pen or two, and write. Keep careful records. After a while, you will develop your own database of inks you like and ones you can't stand. Oh, yes, do read the Ink Reviews on this site. Valuable resource for adding to your knowledge.

 

Enjoy,

[Witsius]

I find Waterman inks to be somewhere in the middle in terms of wetness. Diamine is generally wetter and Pelikan 4001 inks are dryer (although that's not a negative). I'm not sure how to compare Waterman inks to Iroshizuku. I've had two Iroshizuku inks, and they exhibit very different flow properties. One was tsuki-yo, and it flowed similarly to Waterman but has a more intense color. I also have shin-kai. Shin-kai seems to flow readily but feels dry as I write. In fact, I prefer Pelikan 4001 inks to shin-kai.

 

Also, Waterman inks aren't all the same. Serenity Blue and Mysterious Blue are pretty nice flowing inks that feel smooth when writing. Absolute Brown has a rather stingy flow in my experience.

 

If you're in doubt, get a bottle of Waterman Serenity Blue. You really can't go wrong. It's a very standard blue ink that flows well but not gushy. I've not tried Waterman's black ink, so I can't comment on that one.

[Ardakilic]

I own a bottle of purple, black and brown.

 

Purple and black are juicy wet inks, however, brown is one of the driest inks I've ever used.

[Runnin_Ute]

My experience with Waterman inks is limited to Serenity Blue (formerly Florida Blue), and it is drier than the Iroshizuku inks I have tried. I actually find it better behaved. 

 

There was a day when Waterman was considered a wet ink, but with advent of some of these inks that have been introduced it has become more of a midrange ink in wetness. 

Bo Bo Olsen refers to our time as the Golden Age of Inks. So many choices.