INK REVIEW: BIRMINGHAM PEN COMPANY NEW FORMULATION JADE INFERNO (SWIFT FORMULA)

[DrDebG]

INK REVIEW: BIRMINGHAM PEN COMPANY'S NEW FORMULA JADE INFERNO

Ink Review: Birmingham Pen Company JADE INFERNO – Swift Formula

 

 

Background:

Birmingham Pen Company (BPC) started as the brainchild of two brothers – Nick and Josh. Initially, Nick and Josh worked with third party ink producers in England and Germany to produce their inks. BPC started making their own inks over a year ago. While some changes have been made, their new formulations include “Crisp” inks designed for everyday use on all papers, “Swift” inks that are a bit wetter, starts up quickly and works well on premium papers, “Rich” inks which have high sheen and saturation, “Everlasting” inks that have high water resistance, “Twinkle” inks with shimmer and “Wishy-Washy” inks that are designed for performance but a washable from fabrics and surfaces.

The glass bottles with tight-fitting plastic lids bottles are very nice and functional. My largest pen fits nicely into the bottle for a full fill. BPC offers three sizes: 30ml, 60ml and 120ml for all inks except the Twinkle inks which are only available in 60ml. The 120ml bottles have an eye-dropper lid instead of the regular lid.

Review in Brief:

Saturation: moderate saturation
Sheen: some nice red sheen
Shading: medium shading from fine to wider nibs
Haloing: low
Lubrication: medium lubrication
Wetness: moderately wet
Water Resistance: Not resistant; some color left
Feathering: minimal feathering on lower quality papers
Bleedthrough: minimal only on lower quality papers and with high ink application
Showthrough: medium showthrough on 52gsm Tomoe River, minimal on Kokuyo and Cambridge, and Rhodia papers.
Price: reasonable for 30mls, very good for 60ml and exceptional for 120ml which is the best value.

While some inks retained the same name (or an abbreviated version), they may be slightly different. Ana at the Well Appointed Desk discussed this very well in her January 2021 blog (https://www.wellappointeddesk.com/20...-company-inks/)

It appears that the new version is very similar to the older version. The only difference is that the new version is the “Swift” formula.

Pens: Conklin Duragraph 1.1 stub nib and Waterman Charleston with fine nib.
Papers shown: Rhodia Dot pad, Tomoe River 52gsm sheet paper, Cosmo Air Light notebook, Cambridge and Kokuyo notebook papers

Rhodia Dot Pad

The ink is nicely saturated with some red sheen when pooled. The ink flows wonderfully in both pens. The ink worked well in both pens, gliding effortlessly across the page. The ink does dry fairly quickly on all papers tested but is slower on Tomoe River and Cosmo Air Light (20-25 seconds).

 

Cambridge Notebook Paper - Action Planner Notebook

Feathering and bleeding are not seen on Rhodia, Tomoe River, Cosmo Air Light. There is some feathering on the Cambridge and Kokuyo papers, but less than expected. Only the Cambridge showed small amounts of bleedthrough in heavy applications of the ink. Because this is a fairly saturated ink, there is showthrough on Tomoe River, Rhodia, and Cambridge, but surprisingly less so on Kokuyo notebook papers, even with the 1.1 stub nib.

Tomoe River 52 gsm sheet paper



Cosmo Air Light Notebook (photo taken in bright light in order to show sheen



Kokuyo Campus Notebook Paper

Color Comparisons:
 

 

 

Overall this is a very nice ink that behaves very well in both pens and on the papers tested. It is a delight to use, and I highly recommend it.

Disclaimer: I purchased this ink directly from Birmingham Pen Company. Any photos, opinions and thoughts regarding the ink are my own and are not sponsored by Birmingham Pen Company and do not necessarily reflect their opinions.

[lapis]

Nice! Also funny because I've never yet really liked any "teal" or turquoise, although the actual colour of the head on a male mallard duck always did fascinate me. Also good IMO is the company's offer of three bottle sizes although that might contribute to the price in general. PENNA on the label looks good (considering what's in the bottle). I've not yet ever seen that abbreviation, but instead PA or pa. etc.

[namrehsnoom]

Much better than I expected from the name… with “Jade” I always think  about Pelikan Edelstein Jade (which I abhor), but this is a teal that looks really great. I’m normally not a fan of high-contrast shading, but with this ink it somehow works. It makes the writing look more multidimensional. Nice!

[yazeh]

Thanks for this excellent review. The packaging and bottle are very elegant.

[LizEF]

Thanks for the review!  Not my color, but enjoyed the thorough review and great photos.

[Carrau]

Thanks Deb, nice review. It does appear quite saturated.

[DrDebG]

8 hours ago, lapis said:

Nice! Also funny because I've never yet really liked any "teal" or turquoise, although the actual colour of the head on a male mallard duck always did fascinate me. Also good IMO is the company's offer of three bottle sizes although that might contribute to the price in general. PENNA on the label looks good (considering what's in the bottle). I've not yet ever seen that abbreviation, but instead PA or pa. etc.

 

Thank you for your comment.  Isn't it wonderful that there are so many colors to choose from?  I love pure, clear colors with some vibrancy, and don't really enjoy "murky" colors.  But many others prefer them above anything else.  It is wonderful that ink manufacturers make so many different colors!  

[DrDebG]

7 hours ago, namrehsnoom said:

Much better than I expected from the name… with “Jade” I always think  about Pelikan Edelstein Jade (which I abhor), but this is a teal that looks really great. I’m normally not a fan of high-contrast shading, but with this ink it somehow works. It makes the writing look more multidimensional. Nice!

 

Thank you for your comment.  I would agree.  I do like shading if it doesn't not detract from readability, but I really enjoy that multidimensional effect which you describe. 

[DrDebG]

4 hours ago, yazeh said:

Thanks for this excellent review. The packaging and bottle are very elegant.

Thank you for the comment.  The bottles are excellent and I really appreciate being able to get a full sized nib into the bottle without constraint.  

[DrDebG]

3 hours ago, LizEF said:

Thanks for the review!  Not my color, but enjoyed the thorough review and great photos.

Thank you for your comment! 

[DrDebG]

3 hours ago, Carrau said:

Thanks Deb, nice review. It does appear quite saturated.

 

You are very welcome, Mike!  It is nicely saturated but not oversaturated like some dark teals.   

[inkstainedruth]

Like LizEF, not a color for me, but thanks for the review.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Audrey T]

On 9/5/2021 at 12:01 AM, DrDebG said:

INK REVIEW: BIRMINGHAM PEN COMPANY'S NEW FORMULA JADE INFERNO

Ink Review: Birmingham Pen Company JADE INFERNO – Swift Formula

 

 

Background:

Birmingham Pen Company (BPC) started as the brainchild of two brothers – Nick and Josh. Initially, Nick and Josh worked with third party ink producers in England and Germany to produce their inks. BPC started making their own inks over a year ago. While some changes have been made, their new formulations include “Crisp” inks designed for everyday use on all papers, “Swift” inks that are a bit wetter, starts up quickly and works well on premium papers, “Rich” inks which have high sheen and saturation, “Everlasting” inks that have high water resistance, “Twinkle” inks with shimmer and “Wishy-Washy” inks that are designed for performance but a washable from fabrics and surfaces.

The glass bottles with tight-fitting plastic lids bottles are very nice and functional. My largest pen fits nicely into the bottle for a full fill. BPC offers three sizes: 30ml, 60ml and 120ml for all inks except the Twinkle inks which are only available in 60ml. The 120ml bottles have an eye-dropper lid instead of the regular lid.

Review in Brief:

Saturation: moderate saturation
Sheen: some nice red sheen
Shading: medium shading from fine to wider nibs
Haloing: low
Lubrication: medium lubrication
Wetness: moderately wet
Water Resistance: Not resistant; some color left
Feathering: minimal feathering on lower quality papers
Bleedthrough: minimal only on lower quality papers and with high ink application
Showthrough: medium showthrough on 52gsm Tomoe River, minimal on Kokuyo and Cambridge, and Rhodia papers.
Price: reasonable for 30mls, very good for 60ml and exceptional for 120ml which is the best value.

While some inks retained the same name (or an abbreviated version), they may be slightly different. Ana at the Well Appointed Desk discussed this very well in her January 2021 blog (https://www.wellappointeddesk.com/20...-company-inks/)

It appears that the new version is very similar to the older version. The only difference is that the new version is the “Swift” formula.

Pens: Conklin Duragraph 1.1 stub nib and Waterman Charleston with fine nib.
Papers shown: Rhodia Dot pad, Tomoe River 52gsm sheet paper, Cosmo Air Light notebook, Cambridge and Kokuyo notebook papers

Rhodia Dot Pad

The ink is nicely saturated with some red sheen when pooled. The ink flows wonderfully in both pens. The ink worked well in both pens, gliding effortlessly across the page. The ink does dry fairly quickly on all papers tested but is slower on Tomoe River and Cosmo Air Light (20-25 seconds).

 

Cambridge Notebook Paper - Action Planner Notebook

Feathering and bleeding are not seen on Rhodia, Tomoe River, Cosmo Air Light. There is some feathering on the Cambridge and Kokuyo papers, but less than expected. Only the Cambridge showed small amounts of bleedthrough in heavy applications of the ink. Because this is a fairly saturated ink, there is showthrough on Tomoe River, Rhodia, and Cambridge, but surprisingly less so on Kokuyo notebook papers, even with the 1.1 stub nib.

Tomoe River 52 gsm sheet paper



Cosmo Air Light Notebook (photo taken in bright light in order to show sheen



Kokuyo Campus Notebook Paper

Color Comparisons:
 

 

 

Overall this is a very nice ink that behaves very well in both pens and on the papers tested. It is a delight to use, and I highly recommend it.

Disclaimer: I purchased this ink directly from Birmingham Pen Company. Any photos, opinions and thoughts regarding the ink are my own and are not sponsored by Birmingham Pen Company and do not necessarily reflect their opinions.

Very helpful, thank you -- looking into this right now.

[Matthew TWP]

I bought this ink when it was released in Feb. of 2020, but at that time, it was categorized as part of the "Rich" series, and I expected it to be a heavy sheener. And of course, it does sheen a bit, but not a lot... which is, I assume, why they moved it into the "Swift" category. I took a shot of my bottle to show the "Rich" designation, but I see that the store photo that you posted still says Rich, too.  This change occurred after Birmingham had moved all of their ink manufacturing in-house, so I don't know if there's any difference between the "Rich" version and the "Swift" version beyond the name. Do any of you know?

 

 

[DrDebG]

On 1/30/2022 at 11:23 AM, Audrey T said:

Very helpful, thank you -- looking into this right now.

 

Thank you very much!  

[DrDebG]

1 hour ago, Matthew TWP said:

I bought this ink when it was released in Feb. of 2020, but at that time, it was categorized as part of the "Rich" series, and I expected it to be a heavy sheener. And of course, it does sheen a bit, but not a lot... which is, I assume, why they moved it into the "Swift" category. I took a shot of my bottle to show the "Rich" designation, but I see that the store photo that you posted still says Rich, too.  This change occurred after Birmingham had moved all of their ink manufacturing in-house, so I don't know if there's any difference between the "Rich" version and the "Swift" version beyond the name. Do any of you know?

 

 

Thank you for mentioning this, MatthewTWP!  

 

I noticed this as well when I was putting this review together, but I did not elaborate.  

 

The photo of the bottle that I used for the review was the stock Birmingham photo which shows that the in is in the "Rich" formula.  My bottle shows it as a "Swift" formula.  I have many BPC inks now, including the Crisp, Swift and Rich formulas.  As you know the Rich formulas are the heavily sheening inks, whereas the Swift formula is intended to be a low to moderate sheening ink with a bit more lubrication and wetness over the Crisp formula inks.  Comparing Jade Inferno with other Rich and Swift inks, I would definitely put Jade Inferno into the Swift category.  It does sheen, but not heavily as some of the other Rich inks do, but more than many of the Swift inks.  

 

Interestingly, as I continue to use my BPC inks and add others, I am finding that there is a noticeable difference between the formulas and most follow the descriptions that BPC gives for each type of ink.  Of the formulas, I prefer the Swift inks over any others.  The Everlasting inks are also quite nice, but I generally don't use pigmented inks very much.  The formula that seems to vary is the Crisp formula inks.  Some are quite dry (i.e. Pennsylvania Fieldstone) and some are much wetter (Provence Lavender).  

[Audrey T]

3 minutes ago, DrDebG said:

Thank you for mentioning this, MatthewTWP!  

 

I noticed this as well when I was putting this review together, but I did not elaborate.  

 

The photo of the bottle that I used for the review was the stock Birmingham photo which shows that the in is in the "Rich" formula.  My bottle shows it as a "Swift" formula.  I have many BPC inks now, including the Crisp, Swift and Rich formulas.  As you know the Rich formulas are the heavily sheening inks, whereas the Swift formula is intended to be a low to moderate sheening ink with a bit more lubrication and wetness over the Crisp formula inks.  Comparing Jade Inferno with other Rich and Swift inks, I would definitely put Jade Inferno into the Swift category.  It does sheen, but not heavily as some of the other Rich inks do, but more than many of the Swift inks.  

 

Interestingly, as I continue to use my BPC inks and add others, I am finding that there is a noticeable difference between the formulas and most follow the descriptions that BPC gives for each type of ink.  Of the formulas, I prefer the Swift inks over any others.  The Everlasting inks are also quite nice, but I generally don't use pigmented inks very much.  The formula that seems to vary is the Crisp formula inks.  Some are quite dry (i.e. Pennsylvania Fieldstone) and some are much wetter (Provence Lavender).  

Also very helpful -- thank you! What do you think of the Provence Lavender?

[DrDebG]

5 minutes ago, Audrey T said:

Also very helpful -- thank you! What do you think of the Provence Lavender?

Provence Lavender is another favorite.  It is similar to Victorian Plum in that it is not heavily saturated.  It is more saturated than Victorian Plum, but leans more towards blue.   While it does not have the lubrication many of the Swift formula inks have, I believe it to be wetter than most of the Crisp inks I have tried.  

[Audrey T]

2 hours ago, DrDebG said:

Provence Lavender is another favorite.  It is similar to Victorian Plum in that it is not heavily saturated.  It is more saturated than Victorian Plum, but leans more towards blue.   While it does not have the lubrication many of the Swift formula inks have, I believe it to be wetter than most of the Crisp inks I have tried.  

That's very helpful. Thank you for the good details, @DrDebG.

[DrDebG]

4 hours ago, Audrey T said:

That's very helpful. Thank you for the good details, @DrDebG.

 

You are very welcome!