What Is Your Favorite Ink?

[Mongoosey]

 

 

The pen that has worked best for me so far is a rebranded Jinhao x750, with the feed saturated much as you describe. As in your case, the dramatic effect of deliberately saturating the feed lasts for only a short time before the line begins to dim and one has to saturate the feed again.

 

My Platinum Balance M yields a more consistent line, with nice shading, but never the glorious range provided by the Jinhao for the first page or so.

 

Thank you very much for sharing your experience with the TWSBI Eco. I had thought that a TWSBI pen might be a good choice, but it sounds as if the behavior with Scabiosa would be similar to what I have seen with my Jinhao. I also bought a Pelikan 140, about a year and a half ago, with the thought that it might be wet enough to use with Scabiosa, but that pen turns out to need a wet, lubricated ink.

 

The nice thing about the TWSBI Eco is that, it being a demonstrator, you can more accurately see how much the feed is saturated allowing you to precisely and quickly saturate it to the brim before it starts dripping out,

 

and also you don't have to remove the body to adjust the piston knob. It's pretty convenient if your jotting or doing shorter writing sessions. I was using a Broad nib when I was doing this so I don't know how other nibs would fare.

 

I myself have searched for a wet enough pen besides the Eco. And not just for Scabiosa anymore, but also for Sailor Souboku, which also shades too much for me until saturated sufficiently to yield its hidden beauty apart from any other ink near its color.

 

I feel hesitant to say this but Moonman pens are looking pretty wet in the reviews. Though I always have an apprehension that prevents me from purchasing them due to copyright infringement, as you know, and other reasons.

Edited February 23, 2020 by Mongoosey

[amberleadavis]

I just found my favorite red. You are all going to hate me because we can't get it. I'm going to ask my friends at Dromgoole's if they will try and convince NT that we NEED it.

 

[pgcauk]

My inks seem to have sorted themselves into three major groupings:

1) The three or four that I have with me at all times.
2) The ones that have found a permanent place in a pen and my larger pen case (but may not get daily use).

3) The rest rotate, but there are certain pens/color categories that they rotate through.

I made a page or two to show these. Interesting that the core group is a secondary triad, with the next three being somewhere adjacent to altered primaries?

Disclaimer - Scan quality is what my scanner gives me. Rouille D'ancre is impossible!

[ethernautrix]

Oo, Amber! You might have found my favorite red! (Currently, it's KWZ Flame Red, but that Noodler's red is saWEET!)

 

pgcauk -- I really like your list!

 

Me, my favorite ink continues to be Noodler's Black.

 

Also enjoying Noodler's Lexington Gray and KWZ Zielonozłoty galusowy. (Only three pens inked for the time being (which is the year 2020).)

 

Not enjoying in use but still like very much: Pilot Blue, Faber-Castell Stone Grey, (already mentioned) KWZ Flame Red, and... um, others, but I'm naming the inks I use the most.

 

I'd bought Akkerman Blue-Black (possibly #10) several years ago and wasn't impressed. I gave away most of the ink and the bottle (turns out... not a big fan of the bottle. It's the marble, the brilliant marble. I know. I'm being weird about it.), but I'd kept a bit in a small Montblanc bottle (for a Christmas ink, I think), and I tried it recently... and wow, I like the ink after all! Not enough to buy more (I still prefer Pilot Blue or Pilot Blue-Black over the Akkerman, probably), but glad I kept some, and I will probably rotate it in and out over the year.

[amberleadavis]

@ Ether, I just called Luxury Brands and said MAKE THIS red!

[crosshatch]

That is a very nice-looking red.

 

It's a bit of a chameleon, sometimes looking carmine, sometimes leaning brickish, sometimes both at the same time. It has a wonderful depth, so, although it's expensive and I normally don't pay that much for inks, I do for this one.

[inkstainedruth]

@ Ether, I just called Luxury Brands and said MAKE THIS red!

 

How does it compare to Noodler's Park Red? I like that for its water resistance, even though it's a little pinker than what I consider a true red (which would be Diamine Classic Red).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[amberleadavis]

Ruth, it's much pinker. I have pictures side by side and will post when my internet comes up.

[ethernautrix]

@ Ether, I just called Luxury Brands and said MAKE THIS red!

Excellent!

 

*Crossing fingers*

[indyshaq]

Montblanc turquoise - original version

[85AKbN]

This doesn't qualify for the ink review forum, but this is my favorite red, so I'll put this here.

 

https://youtu.be/UZ41_33cquY

 

Nice red. Just found the ink tool at andersonpens. Kitano Ijinkan compared to the 3 reds I have:

 

[AndyYNWA]

Sailor Yama-dori

 

 

But there are lots of really nice inks!

[chromantic]

Wouldn't say it's my new fave but I've been using the new Sailor Yomogi a lot since I got it.

[amberleadavis]

 

HoneyCake, don't say I didn't warn you.... (I blame it on Amberlea Davis myself... and sometimes wonder who SHE blames it on.... )

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

 

UH... you? No, I take the blame. I used it because it could withstand the sand, water and sun at our plant nursery.

[stoof2010]

What an interesting thread! I just joined this group and am learning so much already! I wanted a vibrant orange ink to go with my vibrant orange Pelikan pen but will have to keep trying. Most of the orange inks I've seen are faded and anemic-looking, at least to me. I tried making a mixture by adding some Montblanc toffee brown to a bottle of Edelstein Mandarin orange but I won't say what the new color looked like! So I learned my lesson. And besides, I also learned that the acidity levels and chemistry are so different in different ink formulas that it's evidently not a good idea to try to mix them yourself.

Can't say much for vibrant orange because I only have diamine sunset and Apache sunset and organics studio f Scott Fitzgerald.

But if you haven't tried noodlers Apache sunset, you should for the shading. :-)

[stoof2010]

Right now I'm into turquoise/real inks.

Iroshi ku-jaku, sheaffer turq, lamy turq, Noodlers turq (lot darker but really great color), waterman inspired blue, etc.

 

But all time favs are

 

Noodlers Apache sunset

 

Noodlers liberties Elysium for looks and properties

 

Noodlers baystate blue-no other blue like it (only in dedicated Charlie pen or preppy)

 

Noodlers bad belted kingfisher

 

Diamine oxblood

 

J. Herbin lierre sauvage

 

Noodlers El Lawrence- for when I'm feeling brown

 

Diamine poppy red- in your face red lol

 

And a mix "Binder Burgundy"- 50/50 mix of sheaffer red and waterman purple

[Studio97]

Montblanc Shakespeare Velvet Red is my favorite. After that the Herbin emerald, amethyst and de Chypre shimmering inks.

[ScarletWoodland]

I have at least two answers to this and they'll probably be different in 6 months but it's the thought that counts 😄.

 

The one I could tolerate being un-inked for the least amount of time: KWZ El Dorado

 

The one I could tolerate being my only ink for the longest time: Monteverde Horizon Blue

 

Horizon Blue has been sat in my collection for the best part of a year, gathering dust, as I was on an extra fine kick when I bought it. Filled a medium and a wet fine with it this week, slathered it about on some Tomoe River 68gsm and instantly fell in love.

 

Shading'll get me every time.

[Karmachanic]

This week's favourite ink is Take-Sumi

[Helen350]

My recent favorite is Monteverde Caribbean Blue. I consistently run through bottles of Diamine Sherwood Green and Sheaffer Red.