What Do You Think About Montblanc Inks

[donmcnel]

Reading posts in this forum I begin to get impressions of various ink lines. Accurate or not I can't say, but when I think of brands of ink I have some general thoughts. Iroshizuku - saturated, well lubricated, expensive, wide spectrum of colors. Noodlers - wide range of colors, be careful with some. Diamine - Loads of color choices, reasonably affordable, well behaved, widely available. Etc.

 

While I may be way off-base here, these are what I've come to think about these inks; not from actual use but from the discussions I've seen about them.

 

While I see many posters mention individual Montblanc inks, generally favorably, I don't have a good overall impression of this line. So, what do people think about these inks. Are they ones that, as a group, will generally behave well in my pens and provide some interesting color choices? What adjectives might apply to Montblanc inks?

 

Or is this whole topic a very individual thing that doesn't generalize well?

 

PS - I have no personal connection to the brand, just want to broaden my inky knowledge.

[Randal6393]

OK, donmcnell,

 

I'll throw my hat in and give you my 2 cents worth on Montblanc inks. They are my second-choice general inks, not as good as Noodlers inks, but much better than average. A bit on the expensive side but well worth buying. Dependable, good color choice (though I don't always like some of their shades), flow well, no problems with any pen I have had them in. Not overly saturated, still have good, vibrant colors.

 

Montlbanc inks I have or used include Royal Blue, Burgundy, Oyster Gray, Toffee Brown, and Black. Need to try the new Permanent Black, when I get around to it.

 

This is from my personal experience with the inks, your mileage may vary.

 

Best of luck,

[Chrissy]

I love Montblanc inks and think that generally speaking they behave very well.

[evyxmsj]

In a similar process to you, I've got the impression that they are well-behaved 'safe' inks, but nothing particularly special unless you like the colour---LE collecting notwithstanding. The one ink I've tried was perfectly ok (Irish Green), though not a favourite shade.

 

I'd be interested in others' thoughts based a bit more on use.

[Mew]

I don't like Montblanc inks. I tried at least 5 of them including corn poppy red and winter glow, and all of them refused to flow in my Japanese F nib pens.

[zaddick]

I think they are great, though on the pricier side. I like the flow, the colors they do have are nice, and they clean up well. My biggest gripe is the semi frequent discontinuation of colors in the standard line of inks. I'd also be happier with fewer LE inks and more color variety from the series.

[Joane]

In general my adjective for MB ink is "excellent!" It performs well in any pen in which I have used it and the colours fulfill most of my writing needs. I am talking about the regular line and have enjoyed several LEs equally well. The only ones I don't recommend are the Permanent inks. They did not flow well or dry properly.

[ParkerDuofold]

I don't like Montblanc inks. I tried at least 5 of them including corn poppy red and winter glow, and all of them refused to flow in my Japanese F nib pens.

 

Hi Mew,

 

This could be... typically, Asian branded pens are tuned to be a little dryer than your typical Occidental branded pens are, because of Asia's character-based alphabets; which requires a slower, more methodical hand.

 

I liked the Toffee Brown I tried... but I used it in a wet pen... so, I don't know... Have you tried using your MB inks in wetter pens?

 

If you only use Asian branded pens, you might have to add a flow enhancer to the inks; such as Dawn dishsoap; Kodak FotoFlo 200 or a product called "cuddle" something... which I haven't tried yet. Perhaps it gets its name from the Cuttlefish; which is a type of squid... and we all know how slippery they are. (They're good for ink, too).

 

At any rate, I've been experimenting with FF200, but the easiest trick to try is to take a small drop of Dawn dishsoap on the end of a toothpick, scrape it off inside your converter... place your finger over the converter's opening and...

 

http://youtu.be/ZD1VKanLO3I

 

I hope this post has encouraged you to give MB inks another go.

 

Be well and enjoy life.

 

 

- Anthony

Edited July 25, 2017 by ParkerDuofold

[MrsHobie]

Expensive but good quality ...

[Highbinder]

Not half as appealing since they ceased production of BRG.

[DrDebG]

Montblanc inks are excellent! My favorite green ink is Montblanc Irish Green. My favorite purple ink is Lavender Purple. And Royal Blue is a favorite blue.

 

I love Toffee Brown. It is just a bit drier than other Montblanc inks, but then again, most browns I have tried are a bit drier.

 

I also like Corn Poppy Red. Some others have mentioned that they have had issues with this ink. I never have.

 

Burgundy Red is a lovely shade and I use it frequently.

 

I have just ordered bottles of Midnight Blue and Oyster Gray and am looking forward to trying them for the first time. You may ask "Why didn't you order a sample first?" It is because I am confident that I will like them.

 

I use mostly medium to broad widths and stubs and most of my pens are fairly wet. I have a few Japanese and Chinese pens (fine and medium nib widths) that are quite a bit drier. My Montblanc inks work very well in them.

 

Yes, Montblanc inks seem expensive, but, like GvFC inks, you get a lot of ink in the bottle.

[Ron Z]

I like the blue-black for documents. Though I use Pelikan blue most of the time, this is the ink that I use when I want a permanent ink.

[Randal6393]

Thanks, ParkerDuofold,

 

Shake It Up went over well -- fun, fun, fun!

 

@RonZ: And that's a great endorsement, I am sure your experience with inks is much greater than most of us see.

 

Enjoy,

[C-town]

Montblanc inks are pricey but when you consider the quality and beauty of the bottle (you can refill it when you run out) and the quality of the ink, it isn't that bad IMHO. I love and use all the regular line inks as well as any of the special edition inks. However, for whatever reason, I can't seem to get Oyster Grey to work out for me. It always seems to be dry and gritty in any pen/paper combo I've tried it in. This is my only gripe though and a small one at that, I think all the colours are vibrant, understated and beautiful.

[senzen]

The colours I like seem to be special editions, so I won't consider buying them, don't want to get used to an ink only to then find there is no way of restocking.

[Sandy1]

Hi,

 

I really like their Royal Blue and T. Brown.

 

I've been ticked at MB since they discontinued the iron-gall BlBk, to the extent that I haven't tried their 'permanent' inks - I've enough Noodler's cellulose-reactive inks for practical purposes.

 

Of their Limited Edition inks, the only one that impressed me was a Red Xmas ink from several years ago.

 

Take your time. Read the Reviews, then pick and choose.

(Not sure if any Vendor has MB samples on offer.)

 

Bye,

S1

[Randal6393]

Montblanc inks are pricey but when you consider the quality and beauty of the bottle (you can refill it when you run out) and the quality of the ink, it isn't that bad IMHO. I love and use all the regular line inks as well as any of the special edition inks. However, for whatever reason, I can't seem to get Oyster Grey to work out for me. It always seems to be dry and gritty in any pen/paper combo I've tried it in. This is my only gripe though and a small one at that, I think all the colours are vibrant, understated and beautiful.

Yes, I forgot to mention that I always keep the bottle and refill it with another ink. The shoe bottle makes filling a pen so easy.

 

As for Oyster Grey, I keep two wet Noodler Konrads filled with it. If you have good flow, it looks nice and loses that gritty quality. And, I have had OG in a TWSBI 580 -- too dry and a Lamy Studio -- works quite well.

 

Best of luck,

[C-town]

Yes, I forgot to mention that I always keep the bottle and refill it with another ink. The shoe bottle makes filling a pen so easy.

 

As for Oyster Grey, I keep two wet Noodler Konrads filled with it. If you have good flow, it looks nice and loses that gritty quality. And, I have had OG in a TWSBI 580 -- too dry and a Lamy Studio -- works quite well.

 

Best of luck,

Thanks for that tip! I truly do love the colour and shading and I would love to be able to use it more!

[ENewton]

Montblanc Lavender Purple is one of my favorite inks. I use it in vintage and modern pens, including my Pilot Prera fine. And given that I can walk into a store and purchase it, it turns out to be less expensive for me than other inks, for which I have to pay shipping in addition to the price.

 

It didn't occur to me that having a slow hand would make a difference with a Japanese nib. I do have a very slow hand.

[888007888]

I am a fan of Montblanc inks. Great bottle design and a very high quality safe ink. I noticed this at my first pen show in 2013. All the dealers had Montblanc inks to dip test their pens. Not a single one used any other brand as a dip tester bottle for the oens they were selling, except of course the brand dealers selling their own brand of pens and ink.

 

My favorites are their Lavender Purple, Toffee Brown, JFK Navy Blue, and William Shakespeare Velvet Red. Honorable mention goes to Midnight Blue for its great shading characteristics.

 

I should also mention they I've had my Visconti Homo Sapiens London Fog inked with MB Oyster Grey for over a year with zero issues and zero stains. Haven't cleaned it out. Not even worried about it. Excellent inks.

 

I view them as reasonably priced. Less than J Herbin 1670, Pilot Iroshizuku, CaD, etc.