Most Expensive Ink Line?

[TSherbs]

I am just curious: what is the most expensive commercially (and currently) available line of inks? I really don't know, and a quick search here did not reveal a thread of the same title (my apologies if I missed it).

[amper]

Which ever ink you buy and never use is the most expensive.

Which is, considering my history, almost every ink I've ever bought.

[JakobS]

This can be dependent upon location, as many inks are far cheaper in their home country than those they export the ink to, but a few for consideration based on availability to those in the US are:

 

Montblanc Colorist collection at $71.50

 

Montblanc special edition inks at $43

 

Bungubox inks at $39-$43

 

Maruzen Athena Ink at $42

 

Akkerman Dutch Masters line at $38 (though per ml, cheaper than Cda, or standard Montblanc bottles which are similarly priced)

 

There are a few topics on per ml or Oz cost, which again can be dependent on vendor and location, but the first four inks mentioned have pretty low volumes per price so I expect would still be pretty high on the list.

Edited October 5, 2018 by JakobS

[A Smug Dill]

… and a quick search here did not reveal a thread of the same title (my apologies if I missed it).

 

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/242025-ink-made-from-real-gold/?p=2629651

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/221520-whats-the-most-expensive-ink/

 

The thing is, niche product lines from niche manufacturers looking to elbow in on a very narrow target market can come and go. I assume you actually mean well-known lines from major fountain pen and/or ink manufacturers, but it certainly isn't to them I'd look first, if I was approaching your question from a trivia-pursuit or academic perspective.

 

Then there is the whole, "it cannot be assumed that the answer is US or North American consumer-centric," it terms of who can get their hands on what for how much, on an international forum such as FPN, so again looking at minor players who either don't export their product themselves at all, or somehow manages to maintain strict control on every importer or distributor in every geographical region, would be the way to get to the pinnacle of uneconomical inks.

[TSherbs]

This can be dependent upon location, as many inks are far cheaper in their home country than those they export the ink to, but a few for consideration based on availability to those in the US are:

 

Montblanc Colorist collection at $71.50

 

Montblanc special edition inks at $43

 

Bungubox inks at $39-$43

 

Maruzen Athena Ink at $42

 

Akkerman Dutch Masters line at $38 (though per ml, cheaper than Cda, or standard Montblanc bottles which are similarly priced)

 

There are a few topics on per ml or Oz cost, which again can be dependent on vendor and location, but the first four inks mentioned have pretty low volumes per price so I expect would still be pretty high on the list.

Cool. Thanks. Some of these I have not ever heard of, but that is not surprising. Wow, that Colorist line is expensive!

[migo984]

Hieronymus Inks are pretty expensive at 48 CHF (Swiss Francs). On top of that the shipping is a killer. As far as I know they don’t use distributors.

 

https://www.hieronymus-cp.com/store/t/product-catalogs/sortiment/tinte

[jmccarty3]

Louis Vuitton inks are expensive--I'm not even sure they're still making them. The Pilot cartridges marketed by Hermès for their vanishing point pen have got to be on up there, as are the Caran d'Ache inks.

[zaddick]

The MB golden elixir ink was $4300 for 4 ML of ink when released a few years ago. It is sold out I believe as it was limited to 100 bottles.

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/305774-montblanc-golden-elixir-collection/

[TSherbs]

The MB golden elixir ink was $4300 for 4 ML of ink when released a few years ago. It is sold out I believe as it was limited to 100 bottles.

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/305774-montblanc-golden-elixir-collection/

Yikes

 

Liquid gold, literally.

 

.

Edited October 5, 2018 by TSherbs

[TSherbs]

Hieronymus Inks are pretty expensive at 48 CHF (Swiss Francs). On top of that the shipping is a killer. As far as I know they dont use distributors.

 

https://www.hieronymus-cp.com/store/t/product-catalogs/sortiment/tinte

Interesting. Never heard of them.

[vicpen123]

Questions from a lifetime user of Parker Quink exclusively.

 

Do these inks make your handwriting look prettier and/or do they improve the quality of your prose?

 

If yes, great. If not, why bother?

 

Comment.

[A Smug Dill]

Do these inks make your handwriting look prettier ...

You/I won't know until you/I try it. Some people find shading, sheen, shimmer and what-not make their handwriting more visually attractive or interesting. (I'm loath to use the word 'expressive' there, because I daresay few – if any – of the fans of the three S's have fine-grained control over the visual effect in 'expressing' themselves through handwriting, and could direct whether the shading, sheen or shimmer goes along a line or stroke when putting down a letter or a word.)

 

If yes, great. If not, why bother?

I cannot speak for anyone else, but I find it fun to find and acquire a variety in the above-average end of a given category of products, even if I'm unlikely to have time or occasion to use them all now and then (other than for experimentation, testing and/or review purposes), let alone extract a full measure of value from them through frequent application. I have at least eight different running jackets (all coming up top in comparative reviews in one attribute or another), fourteen pairs of running shoes, maybe two dozen compression tops for 'training', and plenty more other athletic gear – and I don't actually run all that much these days. I mightn't wear them all, but I enjoy owning them, and paying for them is no issue.

 

I now have over one hundred different colours of commercially available inks in their retail bottles (as in not 2ml samples). That's easily over $1,500 spent on inks, and some of them are still unopened; with some others I have barely written more than the brand and name of the inks and perhaps a couple of sentences/versus from (the papal bull) Inter Gravissimas and Hannya Shingyo on the page for testing.

[lapis]

Taken from: https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/334840-pelikan-edelstein-olivine/ (in Euros -- in Germany -- including our 19% sales tax.)

 

-----------------------------------------------------

Ink List Price Bottle Price/ml

-----------------------------------------------------

Montblanc Elixir Parf. 70.00 50 ml 1.40

Montblanc Colorist 60.00 50 ml 1.20

Hieronymus 48.20 50 ml 0.96

Vuitton 36.00 50 ml 0.72

Montblanc (LEs) 35.00 50 ml 0.70

Caran d'Ache (new) 29.90 50 ml 0.60

Montblanc (LEs) 17.00 30 ml 0.57

Iroshizuku 24.90 50 ml 0.50

Montblanc (LEs) 17.00 35 ml 0.49

Caran d'Ache (old) 13.95 30 ml 0.47

Graf von F-C (new) 27.00 75 ml 0.36

Herbin 10.00 30 ml 0.33

Montegrappa 14.00 42 ml 0.33

Pelikan Edelstein 16.50 50 ml 0.33

Montblanc (regulars) 19.00 60 ml 0.32

Online 3.95 15 ml 0.26

Akkerman (60 ml) 15.00 60 ml 0.25

Graf von F-C (old) 13.75 62.5 ml 0.22

Standardgraph 6.45 30 ml 0.21

Stipula (Calamo) 14.00 70 ml 0.20

Lamy T52 8.50 50 ml 0.17

L'Artisan Pastellier 6.50 40 ml 0.16

Pelikan 4001 4.75 30 ml 0.16

Waterman 7.90 50 ml 0.16

Rohrer & Klingner 6.50 50 ml 0.13

Akkerman (150 ml) 16.50 150 ml 0.11

Parker Quink 6.00 57 ml 0.11

Seitz-Kreuznach 8.99 100 ml 0.09

-----------------------------------------------------

Updated 09 Nov 2018

[TSherbs]

Questions from a lifetime user of Parker Quink exclusively.

 

Do these inks make your handwriting look prettier and/or do they improve the quality of your prose?

 

If yes, great. If not, why bother?

 

Comment.

I asked out of simple curiosity for the facts. I have no interest in buying any of these offerings. Gosh no.