Stipula Calamo Sapphron - 2018 Review

[DrDebG]

Ink Review: STIPULA CALAMO SAPPHRON

 

I have wanted to try several of the Stipula Calamo inks for some time after hearing about them. The inks are handmade in Italy and come in this great 70mL bottle.

 

 

The Review above was scanned, and the color is "washed out". The ink color is closest on the writing sample on Tomoe River.

 

I wrote the Review portion several days after receiving the ink sample. At first, I wasn't sure if I would like it. Since that time I have used this ink for a couple of weeks in several pens and it behaves wonderfully in all of them. I have been pleasantly surprised that this ink feathers very little even on cheap papers with minimal showthrough and minimal bleedthrough. The color is a warm yellow-orange that is just soft enough to be pleasant. It lays down light but darkens as it dries.

 

Sold in 70mL light resistant glass bottle for $17.10 to $19.00 depending upon dealer.

 

PROS:

Well behaved on all papers

Shading is wonderful

Color is nicely saturated IMO

Dries fairly quickly

 

CONS:

For some it may be undersaturated

Not water resistant

Not a versatile color (I doubt many would use this in a business office)

May be too light in an EF/F nib

 

Caution: While I only bought a sample of Sapphron, I did buy several bottles of other colors of Stipula ink. When first opening the ink, there is a plastic stopper in the neck of the bottle. I would recommend when loosening the stopper to place a large paper towel over the bottle and gently and slowly loosen the stopper out in order to equalize air pressure (think opening a bottle of champagne). The first bottle I opened I started to loosen the stopper and it popped out along with drops of blue ink everywhere. Thankfully I did over the bathroom sink and was able to clean all the ink up. The second bottle I opened I put a paper towel over the bottle as I gently and slowly loosened the stopper. It again popped out, but this time with less mess.

 

Overall Score: 8+

 

Conclusion: This is a very nice ink. It is very well behaved in every pen I have used it in. It can be a bit light in EF/F nibs, but even in a fine nib this ink shades beautifully. The color is fairly light, much lighter than Pilot Iroshizuku Yu-Yake. Even though it is not an ink I would use everyday, I will be purchasing a full bottle.

 

 

 

 

 

[chromantic]

Thanks for the excellent review, DrPen. I've had my bottle about 10 days now and am using it in an M300. I was actually hoping it would be on the dry side, to perhaps tame wet Souverans, and am pleased in that regard; the line is sufficiently wet without being the usual gusher that Sailor inks, say, can make it. In other aspects, it is indeed very well-behaved.

 

I find the color very intriguing. It shades nicely, as you say and the color, while not terribly dark, offers decent contrast, dark enough to be easily readable where enough ink is laid down (although the lighter parts such as the beginning of strokes can be very light).

[DrDebG]

  On 5/11/2018 at 7:42 AM, chromantic said:

Thanks for the excellent review, DrPen. I've had my bottle about 10 days now and am using it in an M300. I was actually hoping it would be on the dry side, to perhaps tame wet Souverans, and am pleased in that regard; the line is sufficiently wet without being the usual gusher that Sailor inks, say, can make it. In other aspects, it is indeed very well-behaved.

 

I find the color very intriguing. It shades nicely, as you say and the color, while not terribly dark, offers decent contrast, dark enough to be easily readable where enough ink is laid down (although the lighter parts such as the beginning of strokes can be very light).

 

Thank you for your comments. Very well stated. I also find the color pleasantly intriguing. Generally, I do not care for yellow or orange inks, but the softness coupled with the ink behavior make it very enjoyable.

[lapis]

Thanks for your nice review of a nice ink. I have all of these "normal" Calamos, all in their weird 70-ml bottles. Sure, the neck is wide enough for any pen nib in the world (I think) but the plastic stopper is, just like you say, a bummer. Hard to get off and then hard to get back on. Towels and the kitchen sink are advisable but rubber gloves are too. And what's the best place to rest that stopper when it's off work? A saucer or a 250-ml beaker plus tweezers are necessary too. The worst thing about all of these inks is that there is no wording on the label saying who's who. Sometimes there is on the bottle's label a mild splash of an ink which may have some resemblance to the actual ink inside, sometimes not. In earlier times that wasn't the case. Ditto labelings on the box. Nowadays there is sometimes -- but not always -- a swab and a hand-written naming of the ink in the real color on a white slip glued onto the box which is usually brick-red, however sometimes white. But... the inks themselves are good inks....

[chromantic]

Was I supposed to keep the stopper? I assumed it was just there to prevent leakage during shipping and threw it away.

[DrDebG]

  On 5/11/2018 at 8:00 PM, lapis said:

Thanks for your nice review of a nice ink. I have all of these "normal" Calamos, all in their weird 70-ml bottles. Sure, the neck is wide enough for any pen nib in the world (I think) but the plastic stopper is, just like you say, a bummer. Hard to get off and then hard to get back on. Towels and the kitchen sink are advisable but rubber gloves are too. And what's the best place to rest that stopper when it's off work? A saucer or a 250-ml beaker plus tweezers are necessary too. The worst thing about all of these inks is that there is no wording on the label saying who's who. Sometimes there is on the bottle's label a mild splash of an ink which may have some resemblance to the actual ink inside, sometimes not. In earlier times that wasn't the case. Ditto labelings on the box. Nowadays there is sometimes -- but not always -- a swab and a hand-written naming of the ink in the real color on a white slip glued onto the box which is usually brick-red, however sometimes white. But... the inks themselves are good inks....

 

Yes! The stoppers are fun to get off! And the extra pressure at 5000' ft elevation made it real fun. But once I encountered it the first time, I knew what to do the second time. But honestly, I see no reason to keep the stoppers in the bottle since the cap does fit rather tightly, so I have left them off, and just put them back in the original box. I do keep all my inks in their original boxes, but I did put a label on the outside of the box as to what the ink is inside. Yes the little ink blot isn't terribly descriptive.

 

Thank you for the great comments. In needed a good laugh tonight.

Edited May 12, 2018 by DrPenfection

[DrDebG]

  On 5/11/2018 at 10:19 PM, chromantic said:

Was I supposed to keep the stopper? I assumed it was just there to prevent leakage during shipping and threw it away.

 

Yes, I wondered the same myself. I have kept the stopper, but just didn't put it back in. I think the lid is sufficient to keep most evaporation from occurring. But truthfully, I don't know.

 

What do other Stipula users think?

[Chrissy]

Thank you for the review.

 

I only have one bottle of Stipula ink, but not only kept the stopper, I put it back in after use. Seals it better?

[lapis]

Oops, see, I forgot that about the stopper, too....

After putting on my gloves and getting the whole jazz onto a big plate, I then need a dull knife to wedge the stopper off. There was a whole post about these shenanigans about 6 months ago but I forget where. Many of us chuck out the stopper but some leave it in/on because they are not sure whether or not the cap will fit tight enough.

I guess the only way to really check that is to take two bottles, each filled to the same amount. One with and one without the stopper and leave them standing around for a year or so, and then see if any evaporation has resulted.....................................................................

[amberleadavis]

Great review.

[RoyalBlueNotebooks]

  On 5/11/2018 at 8:00 PM, lapis said:

The worst thing about all of these inks is that there is no wording on the label saying who's who.

Seriously? Oh Stipula, why.

[DrDebG]

  On 5/14/2018 at 8:10 PM, amberleadavis said:

Great review.

 

 

Thank you, amberleadavis! This is an ink worthy of review.

[DrDebG]

  On 5/15/2018 at 7:25 PM, RoyalBlueNotebooks said:

Seriously? Oh Stipula, why.

 

 

Yes! The bottle does not have a label. Only the box contains a label. I carefully removed that label and put it on the bottle.

[senzen]

Thanks for this review, I keep coming back to this ink but never quite make the jump, I might get it eventually just to stop thinking about it.