Waterman's Absolute Brown (A.k.a. Havana Brown)

[Intensity]

This is the first fountain pen ink I purchased since becoming interested in fountain pens, and I still like it very much, with a couple of reservations*.

 

Waterman inks are known for being extremely fountain pen-friendly in terms of safety and low maintenance. They are well-lubricated and have an easy flow. I admittedly have not been interested in trying other Waterman inks, but this interesting wine-brown color caught my eye right away.

 

I feel that to get the most out of this ink, it should be used with a high flow pen/nib, where the line becomes more saturated. On some paper you can even get very nice looking outlining this way. My review was done with a Lamy 1.1mm nib that I tweaked to have relatively high ink flow for this reason.

 

In addition, it is my personal subjective opinion, this ink shines on light cream paper with slightly higher absorbency. I love it on Fabriano's Bioprima 85g/m² for example. It looks pretty good on the standard white Rhodia as well as 90g/m² Miquelrius white paper still, just not quite as interesting and lively. It looks anemic and pale, losing its warmth on the lavender-tinted white Clairefontaine, so if that's your paper of choice, you may want to look for other inks.

 

*The reservations being that its water resistance is poor, although a couple of factors enhance it: time passing since writing was finished and also paper absorbency. After 2-3 days of dying or longer, a simple spill or a wet bottom of a tea cup will not wash off the ink line completely, as long as you dab the wet area with a paper towel fairly quickly. This is even more true for lower quality paper. For the glossy very low-absorbency Clairefontaine, the ink washes off quite well even after drying for a few days. However, personally I think this ink looks bad on Clairefontaine anyway.

 

 

 

 

 

[lapis]

Nice review! I especially like your subjectivism!!

[DrDebG]

Very nice review. I love Waterman inks. I have found this one to be a bit drier than other Waterman inks. But this is one of my favorite browns.

[Intensity]

It's interesting about the dry bit. I've found that the pens I use my inks with have a dramatic role in ink flow rate (due to various factors such as the nib, the feed, etc.) and feel on paper. To that extent, I now have to match different inks to different pens for subjectively best combinations. I have yet to really notice high lubrication vs dryness in most inks I've tried, based on others' reports, with one exception: Organics Studio Walden Pond Blue. For instance Pilot's Iroshizuku inks are said to be highly lubricating. I've used up my sample of Fuyu-Syogun, and I noticed a rather liquidy flow, but did not notice any particularly enhanced lubrication while writing. However, Walden Pond Blue is ridiculously lubricating. It can turn a poor flow scratchy nib into a gliding nib. In that regard, all the other inks I have are on the dry side. But going up from the other extreme, I'd give my Absolute Brown about a medium/moderate rating (with the caveat that I'm new to fountain pen inks, so I might be a poor judge of such nuances). I don't like it with a dry-writing pen for the lack of saturation, so perhaps wet writers also give the increased lubrication effect.

Edited November 10, 2017 by Intensity

[gumbomanpat]

Does anyone know why the two different names of this ink. Absolute Brown vs Havana Brown

[praxim]

Havana Brown is the original name, supplanted by Absolute Brown several years ago now. People often use the first name because it sounds nicer, and (including in my case) it is the name to which they have long been accustomed.

 

I call it brown. It is not as if Waterman makes any other brown from which to distinguish it.

 

The same goes for all of their colours. Drop the marketing qualifier and call them by their colour. Mysterious Blue is a form of blue-black, and Inspired Blue is turquoise. The rest are what it says on the label.

[kazoolaw]

In a prior incarnation it was known as "Aztec Brown."

 

gary

[sansenri]

"Mysterious Blue is a form of blue-black" really? I can only see a mucky green colour in it... (sorry for the OT)

 

This is too reddish for me, I prefer Lie de Thé, it's one of the very few non-blue inks I own

[praxim]

I did write, "a form of"

 

I use the fact it shades to green as a reason for keeping it. I have also blue-blacks which better match the label.

 

I did not recall Aztec for brown. Did Florida and South Seas also have even earlier names?

[kazoolaw]

I don't know about those colors, but I have some vintage Waterman ink with boxes. There is a Patrician Purple, Carnation Red, and a Tropic Green.

 

gary

Edited July 16, 2018 by gary

[inkstainedruth]

"Mysterious Blue" is actually a good name for it. It is more pen and paper dependent than nearly every other ink I've ever tried. on the really absorbent Piccadilly sketchbook paper I use for "reviews" and tests it's sort of turquoise. Coming out of the pen I usually use it in, a vintage Parker Vacumatic with an F nib, it's a dark teal-tinged blue black, especially in my Miquelrius journals. But one time several years ago I had people at my local pen club absolutely convinced it was GREEN (don't remember what pen it was in). And I was going "Nope -- Waterman Mysterious Blue! I know what's in the pen...."

As for the changes in name? Marketing.... Purely marketing as far as I can tell, since I gather they didn't change the formulae.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

ETA: If Absolute Brown is as red tinged as the OP's photos suggest, however, it is definitely misnamed IMO....

Edited July 16, 2018 by inkstainedruth

[Cassotto]

ETA: If Absolute Brown is as red tinged as the OP's photos suggest, however, it is definitely misnamed IMO....

 

It is. It's not a favourite of mine, so I'm looking for another brown ink at present. I don't know which one it'll be. I only know I want it to be as different from Absolute Brown as possible (not because I loathe Absolute Brown -I don't-, but because I like to have very different shades of the same colour, mainly when, like here, I've only got one to start with). Lie de Thé is a candidate, though I also like KWZI Honey... And I always consider Diamine inks, though I haven't had a look at their brown inks yet.

[praxim]

Look also at GvFC's Hazelnut Brown.

[dan in montreal]

A lot of good browns out there. I'm currently into Diamine Chocolate Brown.

 

Thanks Intensity for the review. I still have a half bottle of Havana and I'm probably going to take it for a spin this week, because of your post.

[TheDutchGuy]

I now have to match different inks to different pens for subjectively best combinations.

 

 

That's an essential part of the fountain pen hobby, in my opinion. When I started with the hobby, I tried to match the colour of the pen to the colour of the in. Purple pen, purple ink, etc. Didn't work out very well. The pen has a mind of its own.

 

In terms of brownish inks: I'm still very much in love with Diamine Ancient Copper.

 

About Waterman Mysterious Blue: apart from Sailor inks, Mysterious Blue is my favourite. As mentioned above, it is extremely well behaved and will look quite different depending on pen, paper and penmanship. With the right pen and paper, it will look gorgeous.

[Cassotto]

I'll certainly have a look at your suggestions. I think I'll order some samples.