Ink Review: Graf Von Faber-Castell Deep Sea Green

[Chrissy]

Today I'm reviewing a new ink that I have just received. Graf von Faber-Castell Deep Sea Green.

This was the previous new addition to the G.v.F.C family before they issued their latest colour, Violet Blue. It's been out of stock for a short time, so that's why I didn't manage to review it before I went on holiday to Florida.

The first thing I must mention about this ink is the absolutely fabulous bottle. It's based on an Art Deco design, and I think it is the best of all of the ink bottles I have, and those of you who know me will know that I have a few.

This bottle is sophisticated and sumptuous, so heavy, and as steady as a rock, so that it will never accidentally tip over. Even for clumsy people like me. The cap goes on tightly and solidly and fits the bottle cap like a glove. So you don't get so much messy and wasted ink around the glass bottle threads, or inside the cap threads. No ink was was in those threads anywhere when I received my bottle in the mail. I'm quite picky about keeping the tops and caps of my ink bottles clean, so this one saves me the effort of wiping it when I use it. I suppose that weight of the bottle does make it more expensive to ship anywhere, but in my humble opinion it is so worth it. Also, this bottle holds a huge 75ml of ink, so it's much bigger than many others on the market.

Now I've admired the bottle so much, let me talk about the Deep Sea Green ink. I really like the colour. It's like a greyish/blue-green teal. It's bluer than Pelikan Edelstein Aquamarine, and is a cooler colour. However, it fits it's name very well. It may not be the most saturated ink, but it's not at all not watery in use, and it has lots of great shading and some natural sheen. I found drying time relatively slow by comparison to some other inks I've recently reviewed, but I didn't find that a problem. It performs very well. Feeling smooth and lubricated when flowing from the nib onto the paper. It was a pleasure to write with as it feels reasonably wet while you write, and I like that in an ink.

According to the information I have read about Graf von Faber-Castell inks, they are all indelible and waterproof. My water test just managed to smudge it a little.

Bearing in mind the 100gsm paper I use is thick with a shiny surface, and I used a Pilot M nib, and a Lamy 1.1mm nib, this ink took 20-22 secs to dry. This dry time was reduced on different papers.

It flows through the pen very well and lubricates the nib very well. I saw no skips or hard starts while I did swabs and dry time tests.

It is currently available in 75ml glass bottles and International sized cartridges.

Within the UK it usually sells at £25 in many online outlets.

[zaddick]

Thanks for the review. I agree the bottles are nice. I still prefer the MB bottles myself, but these are nice for display.

[praxim]

On screen I do not like this colour. My green preference is more for their Moss or else a lighter more green-saturated ink. No arguments about the bottle though, and the three GvFC inks i do have are all well-behaved and very satisfying to use so I expect this will be pleasing for anyone who demurred from my opening sentence.

[jmccarty3]

I concur with Praxim that Moss is a more attractive color, but the bottles and behavior of the GvFC inks are exemplary. Their new Midnight Blue is especially fine.

[KKay]

Chrissy that was an excellent review, as always. I am going to have to try this ink in the future. Thank you!

[PS104]

A great review worthy of another great looking ink in the GvFC offerings. All of their inks ooze quality and perform accordingly

I have a bottle and glad I have it. Haven't seen it in my B&M since

​Thank you

[CS388]

Thanks, Chrissy. Nice review.

 

A friend brought me a bottle of this from FPH (NYC).

There is a lot about it that I like - but it's too washed out for me. I'm currently experimenting and have had some success by adding ku-jaku (Iroshizuku) and Waterman's Turquiose. The experiment continues - I'm aiming for a more saturated/darker version of the original.

 

Yes, the bottle is impressive and very stable (full marks to GvFC), but is slightly over the top for my tastes. I prefer a simpler style and especially like the manufacturers who have gone the extra mile and added a feature which allows users to get the last drip out of the bottle - eg. the Montblanc 'shoe' bottles, or the dip in the middle of the Iroshizuku bottles.

 

Thanks.

[chromantic]

Nice write-up, Chrissy. I really like this ink. The color I get (on good paper) is close to your Tomoe sample; the laser and the Rhodia look too green on my monitor. On regular paper, it's close to PS104's sample.

 

Very well-behaved, always starts right away in the Pelikan P450, no matter how log it's sat (though I think that's partly due to the pen itself as I have similar results with other inks in these), no show or bleed. Looking forward to trying the two new ones I've ordered.

[Chrissy]

Nice write-up, Chrissy. I really like this ink. The color I get (on good paper) is close to your Tomoe sample; the laser and the Rhodia look too green on my monitor. On regular paper, it's close to PS104's sample.

 

Very well-behaved, always starts right away in the Pelikan P450, no matter how log it's sat (though I think that's partly due to the pen itself as I have similar results with other inks in these), no show or bleed. Looking forward to trying the two new ones I've ordered.

 

You're welcome.

On my monitor the ink looks quite blue. I always correct colours using Curves layers in Photoshop before I post, so that they look as close to the colour on the paper as it's possible for me to get. In fact for me to get the ink colour right on the Tomoe River paper, the paper had to look a bit darker than it actually is. Some ink shades need correcting more than others.

[inkstainedruth]

Thanks for the review. Not a color for me. I don't really like blue/teal ieaning greens, but seeing the review means that it's an ink I can avoid (better for my bottom line).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth