EFNIR: KWZ Honey

[LizEF]

Extra Fine Nib Ink Review: KWZ Honey

This is review #112 in my series.  Here's the YouTube video:

Post-recording notes: I'm certain the 20-second mark, had I done one, would not have smeared - the smear on the 15-second mark was almost impossible to see.  The color looks too red in the video (left the room lights on when they should have been off). The absorbent paper and zoom image have pretty good color reproduction; the scan is too red in the smear and too neony elsewhere, and seems to have some green that doesn't belong; the screen capture isn't too bad, maybe just a bit too dark or not quite yellow enough.  As you might expect, cleaning was quick and easy.

And here is a screen of the final result, for those not interested in the video:

Scan of Completed Review:

Zoomed in photo:

Absorbent Paper Closeup (top is puzzle paper like thick newsprint, bottom is old 20lb copy paper):

Images also available on Instagram: @zilxodarap

Previous Review: Rohrer & Klingner Aubergine.

Want to influence the inky sequence?  Take the "next ink" poll.

Need to catch up on The Adventures of Quin and Makhabesh?  Find the whole story here.

Hope you enjoy.  Comments appreciated!

[Ergative]

I'm very fond of this ink. It's not terrific for EF nibs because it's a bit pale, but in my TWSBI F on TRP the line is broad enough to show the shading and it looks wonderful.

 

I also love the scent! 

[LizEF]

5 minutes ago, Ergative said:

I'm very fond of this ink. It's not terrific for EF nibs because it's a bit pale, but in my TWSBI F on TRP the line is broad enough to show the shading and it looks wonderful.

 

I also love the scent! 

  My nose doesn't function properly, so I wouldn't know about the scent, but I agree with your assessment - unless you're specifically looking for a paler ink, this one belongs in a broader and/or wetter nib.

[yazeh]

Great job Liz  I can't associate this ink with honey really... it reminds me more of whisky  Love the quote....

 

I thought Makhabesh was composing his will with Quin's fountain pen?

 

[mizgeorge]

I have this ink, and whilst I like it, I don't love it - and I don't know why. I think I may have developed a totally irrational and only very slight dislike of the brand as a whole - no idea why, perhaps the packaging? the smell? - and as a result it's one I tend to reach for only if I don't have any other option for a colour I want to use. 

 

The one comment I will make is that I find it has a definite green undertone when compared to other, similar inks, and I can see this clearly in the scanned version.

[LizEF]

24 minutes ago, yazeh said:

Great job Liz

  Thank you!

 

24 minutes ago, yazeh said:

I can't associate this ink with honey really... it reminds me more of whisky

I suppose it depends on the honey - it comes in many shades - though I suspect a broader and wetter nib would do a better job in this regard.

 

24 minutes ago, yazeh said:

I thought Makhabesh was composing his will with Quin's fountain pen?

He was hiding in the pack, writing his will and a letter to his mom, while Quin and Marsell yammered.  Quin and Marsell are done yammering, and Marsell is now going to poke around in the pack...

[LizEF]

17 minutes ago, mizgeorge said:

the smell?

My nose doesn't work properly, so if there's a smell to this ink, I don't notice it.  I seem to recall someone saying KWZ inks have a vanilla scent.

 

18 minutes ago, mizgeorge said:

The one comment I will make is that I find it has a definite green undertone when compared to other, similar inks, and I can see this clearly in the scanned version.

Yes, I noticed that in this and in Old Gold.

[Sailor Kenshin]

I MIGHT have this ink...in a sample.  If I do, I use it in a honkin' big italic nib.  

 

I do have your comparison inks, though.  Do I get points for that?  😜

 

If I do actually have KWZ Honey your review makes me want to fill a pen right now.  Thanks! 

[mizgeorge]

What I forgot to say (and I have slapped my own wrists for this) is thank you! As ever, a super review

[Ergative]

31 minutes ago, LizEF said:

My nose doesn't work properly, so if there's a smell to this ink, I don't notice it.  I seem to recall someone saying KWZ inks have a vanilla scent.

 

 

I don't think all KWZ inks have a vanilla scent---I have one of the IG greens and it has a more chemical scent to it--but this one definitely smells sweet.

[mizgeorge]

The original version had a very strong phenol-type smell, which a lot of people found very unpleasant. When the ink was reformulated, the scent was changed too - I guess it's meant to smell like honey. Perhaps that why I don't warm to it? I dislike the smell (and taste) of honey quite a lot.

[Sailor Kenshin]

29 minutes ago, Ergative said:

 

I don't think all KWZ inks have a vanilla scent---I have one of the IG greens and it has a more chemical scent to it--but this one definitely smells sweet.

 

I also have a sample of KWZ Grapefruit.  It smells like birthday cake.

[LizEF]

57 minutes ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

I MIGHT have this ink...in a sample.  If I do, I use it in a honkin' big italic nib.  

Good plan!

 

57 minutes ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

I do have your comparison inks, though.  Do I get points for that?  😜

Yes, you get karma points.  They're only slightly less useful than reddit karma points...

 

58 minutes ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

If I do actually have KWZ Honey your review makes me want to fill a pen right now.  Thanks! 

You're most welcome!  Hope you enjoy it (if you have it)!

[LizEF]

42 minutes ago, mizgeorge said:

What I forgot to say (and I have slapped my own wrists for this) is thank you! As ever, a super review

  You're most welcome!  And thank you.

[LizEF]

25 minutes ago, Ergative said:

 

I don't think all KWZ inks have a vanilla scent---I have one of the IG greens and it has a more chemical scent to it--but this one definitely smells sweet.

 

18 minutes ago, mizgeorge said:

The original version had a very strong phenol-type smell, which a lot of people found very unpleasant. When the ink was reformulated, the scent was changed too - I guess it's meant to smell like honey. Perhaps that why I don't warm to it? I dislike the smell (and taste) of honey quite a lot.

 

Interesting.  I can't say I've ever noticed a scent to honey either, but then, my nose hasn't worked right since Halloween of 1990, so I suppose that's no surprise.  Fortunately, there are lots of inks in this color space, so I don't suppose it would be hard to find a variant you like that doesn't smell like honey.

[LizEF]

2 minutes ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

I also have a sample of KWZ Grapefruit.  It smells like birthday cake.

 

Fascinating.  I didn't realize "birthday cake" was a smell either...  Fortunately, my sense of taste was not negatively impacted, so I can enjoy birthday cake regardless of whether my nose knows what's happening.

[chromantic]

3 hours ago, mizgeorge said:

I have this ink, and whilst I like it, I don't love it - and I don't know why. I think I may have developed a totally irrational and only very slight dislike of the brand as a whole - no idea why, perhaps the packaging? the smell? - and as a result it's one I tend to reach for only if I don't have any other option for a colour I want to use. 

 

The one comment I will make is that I find it has a definite green undertone when compared to other, similar inks, and I can see this clearly in the scanned version.

 

A great color and a great scent, thanks for the review, Liz.

 

I do understand mizgeorge's ambivalence. I've found that some of the colors I've tried - Brown/Pink, Maroon, even Honey, to some extent - that look really good on slick, FP-friendly paper can look flat and lifeless on copy, which is what I mostly write on.

[LizEF]

1 minute ago, chromantic said:

thanks for the review, Liz

You're very welcome!

 

2 minutes ago, chromantic said:

I've found that some of the colors I've tried - Brown/Pink, Maroon, even Honey, to some extent - that look really good on slick, FP-friendly paper can look flat and lifeless on copy, which is what I mostly write on.

Yes, the ink-paper combo is so important.  And I think this is a side-effect of FP use - once you've learned there's something other than flat colors, flat colors are suddenly boring, and it's hard to give up the more interesting inks!

[chromantic]

Because I use mostly copy, I've learned to look for inks that look as/almost as good on it as on better papers. My Stipulas are by far  the best, followed by Sailor and Diamine, so those are the ones I use the most.

[PithyProlix]

Thanks for another great review!

 

I have KWZ Honey, Brown Pink, (both samples) and IG Violet #3 (a bottle) - the color of those inks are not terrible but they don't appeal to my taste (though I kind of like Honey with a very broad nib). While I shouldn't generalize based on such a small sample of their inks, I'm hesitant to buy more.