Where Do You Draw the Line? Price per Milliliter Threshold for Ink Purchases

[RJS]

What do people here make of the Stipula iron gall ink pricing? €48/$52. It contains 70ml... does the larger than average quantity make the price easier to stomach?

 

https://www.stiloestile.com/en/inks/iron-gall/stipula-calamo-iron-gall-impruneta-red-ink-bottle-70-ml

[inkstainedruth]

I have not tried that ink, but after a bottle of Akkerman Izjer-Galnoten went bad on me (and that was only 60 ml) I'd be really hesitant to buy larger size bottles of ANY IG inks.  And why I am really hesitant to try ESSRI for the same reason -- even if it was the ONLY ink I used, I'd be afraid of not getting through a bottle fast enough (starting to wonder a little at this point over my KWZI IG inks -- and even more so over the bottles that FPN member Pharmacist used to make; especially since they came in plastic bottles, not glass ones). 

Speaking of which, has anyone heard from him over the last several years?  I know that he had some family issues at one point, and then had a batch of the IG inks go bad on him, and then he seems to have off the planet entirely (about the same time that there were a bunch of bombings in Brussels, possibly over the "Charlie Hebdo" incident in 2006).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

ETA for typos

[arcfide]

On 4/6/2024 at 1:51 PM, RJS said:

All the fragranced inks I've ever smelt were disgusting and distracting, thus far.

 

The J. Herbin ones might still be disgusting, and they'll definitely be noticeable, potentially to the point of distraction (although in some respects that's almost the point). They're strong enough that if you didn't like the scent, I don't think you could ignore it. But at least they actually do seem to resemble "real" perfumes and colognes, to the point where they actually go from "scented" ink to "perfumed" ink. 

[RJS]

2 hours ago, arcfide said:

 

The J. Herbin ones might still be disgusting, and they'll definitely be noticeable, potentially to the point of distraction (although in some respects that's almost the point). They're strong enough that if you didn't like the scent, I don't think you could ignore it. But at least they actually do seem to resemble "real" perfumes and colognes, to the point where they actually go from "scented" ink to "perfumed" ink. 

I've always been fascinated by real fragrances and perfumes... it's been suggested I have the nose of a dog... 😅 These do sound interesting. The most recent fragranced ink I tried was a coffee one from De Attramentis... it did not smell good or smell like coffee at all to my mind, and it smelt strong. A pity, because the colour is actually nice.

[AndyYNWA]

On 4/6/2024 at 9:57 PM, txomsy said:

Some people is more demanding than others to properties of inks. Some may derive value just from the fact an ink is expensive. Or a given brand. Some prefer to get the same brand as their pen out of fear or any other reason. Some like the bottle the ink comes in. Some would pay for luxuries they do not need (gold particles in the ink? An ink specially designed with a purpose?). Some may look just for the right hue of their preferred color and only find it in a given ink...

 

Or maybe they just don't care about the price or only prefer to buy the ink available at their closest B&M store out of laziness or comfort, or because they can try it, or they want to support their local business... or because it is vegan, or animal based, or synthetic.

 

There are many factors other people may value more than oneself. All of them may be valid. I don't discuss them, only point them out.

This! 👆

[Bo Bo Olson]

€20 per bottle is my normal limit. MB gouging inks are more than that.

Lamy tiny bottles of Crystal inks are more than that, if looking at 50ml.

 

*At my B&M Having been told that certain Lamy Crystal inks can't be had in Germany, I broke my limit and got a bottle of great shading MB oyster gray/now cool Gray.

 

I will have problem with my next PE ink...in I ordered my last bottle through my B&M who is not doing well enough to have new Edelstein in on hand. and it was 20.50.

 

R&K Verdrua is @€10.00 vs MB Irish €23, and Verdura is a nose better...same 50ml.

Herbin hs jumped it's price form €7 to 10. DA was always a bit expensive at €12-15...now 13.50 for 45ml.

 

My Kon-piki wa bought to see what Japanese inks that are so raved about are...€25!!! A good ink, but not worth €25. IMO. But I'm not into blue inks so can't measure it against other Euro blue inks....there are 5-7 ink companies that have come on big in the last decade.

I got a GvFC Moss ink, only because I had a gift certificate for €25 and risked ten out of my pocket.

But GvFC and Cd'A inks are way out of my price range, at €30-35 or so.

I have some of the old small bottle Cd'A bottles that would have been in the ml range, but had cost only €8, when discontinued..........I'd never looked until too late in everyone in the States were complaining big time about the high price of it...I didn't realize they were talking about expensive imported inks. Tax, and mailing.

 

Noodlers has finally dropped to about €15 on German Ebay...a couple years ago 19 and a couple before that in the middle 20's.

With the extraordinary high US mail priced for overseas shipping, I had to wait until I flew to the States some 12 years ago, to have Goule(sp) pack a bomb drop proof package of two shading Noodler inks.

There were a couple Noodler shading inks on my some year list, that could now be afforded with the price of many inks having increased to where €15 is not expensive. forgot to add in the mailing price....So that iwll be very close to a €20 ink.

[RJS]

1 hour ago, Bo Bo Olson said:

R&K Verdrua is @€10.00 vs MB Irish €23, and Verdura is a nose better...same 50ml.

 

This threw me a bit... isn't Verdura a €5 ink across Europe while Montblanc contains 62ml? 😅 I only spotted this because they're two favourites of mine- I lean towards Irish Green because of the slight water resistance- it leaves behind what look like pencil lines. It's the only €20+ bottle I'd buy again of the ones I already own. (Japanese inks at European prices not included, because I visit Japan about once a decade and will merrily stock up there at 1/4 or a 1/3 of the Western price.)

 

Have you seen the crazy prices Caran d'Ache inks have started costing in bricks and mortar stores? I saw them for €46 in Nürnberg a couple of weeks ago. I didn't even think they were particularly good!

[Bo Bo Olson]

I only have 5-6 old discontinued Cd'A inks.

When one is retired 3€ makes a difference at 23 over 20. I did pick 20 as a retired man's price..........one has to put a limit on inks that can be matched by good but more inexpensive inks...not cheap inks but cheaper.

 

Here in Germany they give you enough for a 2 pack of beer with the occasional inflation increase for retired,. Of course the cost of insurance and old folks home insurance increases. That the question has not reached ink or beer, but being a pessimist, it's coming.

R&K is €10 now, when I was buying them 5-6 years ago they were 6-7€..back when 4001 was still a slight tad under €5...4.75 or so.

[RJS]

11 minutes ago, Bo Bo Olson said:

I only have 5-6 old discontinued Cd'A inks.

When one is retired 3€ makes a difference at 23 over 20. I did pick 20 as a retired man's price..........one has to put a limit on inks that can be matched by good but more inexpensive inks...not cheap inks but cheaper.

 

Here in Germany they give you enough for a 2 pack of beer with the occasional inflation increase for retired,. Of course the cost of insurance and old folks home insurance increases. That the question has not reached ink or beer, but being a pessimist, it's coming.

R&K is €10 now, when I was buying them 5-6 years ago they were 6-7€..back when 4001 was still a slight tad under €5...4.75 or so.

I'm pleased to say you can get R&K cheaper than that 😀

 

€6 https://www.fountainfeder.de/Rohrer-Klingner-Verdura-50ml/SW11067 

 

€5.50 https://www.papierundstift.de/products/schreibtinte-verdura

 

€5.50

https://www.stiloestile.com/en/inks/bottled-inks/rohrer-klingner-verdura-ink-bottle-50-ml

 

It's common to get discount codes that'll bring those numbers under €5 too 😀. I can't think of the name of the shop annoyingly, but I bought an R&K bottle in Berlin for €4.90 last month when I was up there. Home is Nürnberg, but I've lived all over the place. 🙂

 

 

 

[Bo Bo Olson]

I'm more or less up to date on R&K (5-6 inks)...but it's good to know you were right and me wrong...4 €is a beer, or a beer and half a schnaps.

I've not been bar hopping in a while so I'm out of date there too.

[RJS]

1 hour ago, Bo Bo Olson said:

I'm more or less up to date on R&K (5-6 inks)...but it's good to know you were right and me wrong...4 €is a beer, or a beer and half a schnaps.

I've not been bar hopping in a while so I'm out of date there too.

Inflation has been scary for the last couple of years- chicken breast for €21 a kilo in Edeka, beers for €4.75 in average Franconian bars, passport photos in a booth now €10 a pop rather than €5, pretzels going up another 5 cents seemingly every week...

[Bo Bo Olson]

1 hour ago, RJS said:

€4.75

That shows me, how often I get out of the house, lately. I tend to stop at Subways for the chocolate chip cookies than hit the bars when I go to town...Subways is on my way to buy ink, if I go two blocks out of my way.

 

(There is of course the basic tourist attractions. in Bamburg..Ancient churches, ancient gasthauses.. a couple good museums.

 

Bamburg is a grand place to stagger from one grand old Gasthus to the next, each with a different great beer. I was there only once...being three hours flying low on the autobahn drive away.at €7/$7.60 a gallon.

There is a famous old Gasthouse in the middle of town, that serves the worlds best crispy, crunchy, thick skinned, roast pork roast. I knew of that, so I stopped there first, great beer too. In it's only an hour out of my way to Nuremberg I will make that deture. It too has great beers and a couple of places one has to have a Nurenberg sausage....and a few other things they developed over the centuries.

IMO Franconia has the best beers in Germany.

 

[amper]

I don't know? The last inks I purchased were two TWSBI inks at $9.50 for 18 mL, so that's $0.527 USD per mL. Before that, I purchased two Teranishi inks at $14.40 for 40 mL, or $0.36 USD/mL, and I might buy another color at $17.00, or $0.425/mL. But the ink I use for my daily writers is available from Amazon for $6.04 for a 237 mL bottle, so that's only $0.025/mL. I've bought empty ink bottles for more money than I've bought full ink bottles, which works out to be a "divide by zero" error.

[Bo Bo Olson]

The Japanese inks jumped €5 at my B&M...€30 for a bottle of ajisai and €30 for Asa-gao.....I'd only bought one, but my wife said, it's your birthday buy two...

1.6666 a ml.............and I can not understand at all why folks rave about them...neither shades worth a darn. The colors are OK. But I'm sure there are a hundred inks as good for $10 or less.

 

I do like Kon-piki....but have no intention to buy another very, very expensive bottle of it...unless I hit the lottery.

 

MB, Graf Von Faber Castel and Cd'A inks at Japanese ink prices are out of my reach....and only because I have some 12 bottles not counting doubles, of Edelstein...if the ink is grand will I crack my €20 limit for one..

MB died for me when they jumped from €16 one year to 19, then to 23 the next...after all they had to keep up with the Jones...Japanese inks, GvFC and Cd'A.

 

OK, ok...I did buy MB Cool Gray/Oyster, at €23 but that is a Shading Monster.

[RJS]

35 minutes ago, Bo Bo Olson said:

The Japanese inks jumped €5 at my B&M...€30 for a bottle of ajisai and €30 for Asa-gao.....I'd only bought one, but my wife said, it's your birthday buy two...

1.6666 a ml.............and I can not understand at all why folks rave about them...neither shades worth a darn. The colors are OK. But I'm sure there are a hundred inks as good for $10 or less.

 

I do like Kon-piki....but have no intention to buy another very, very expensive bottle of it...unless I hit the lottery.

 

MB, Graf Von Faber Castel and Cd'A inks at Japanese ink prices are out of my reach....and only because I have some 12 bottles not counting doubles, of Edelstein...if the ink is grand will I crack my €20 limit for one..

MB died for me when they jumped from €16 one year to 19, then to 23 the next...after all they had to keep up with the Jones...Japanese inks, GvFC and Cd'A.

 

OK, ok...I did buy MB Cool Gray/Oyster, at €23 but that is a Shading Monster.

If you want to try dozens of inks at a low price, do an order of tons of Diamine inks from Cult Pens... ~€3 each for 30ml. In my opinion, Diamine make inks of the same quality as any of the "luxury" brands. The only thing they haven't done is develop pigment inks (to my knowledge).

[Bo Bo Olson]

I've got a couple threads running about that Polish Kxxx ink and Diamine for shading monsters.

[RJS]

I know they're expensive, but have you tried Sailor's Seiboku and Souboku? They both (can) shade heavily... They're also waterproof.

[Bo Bo Olson]

After wasting €60 I have to wait until my wallet gets out of traction in the hospital to buy anything. When retired  injuries take longer to heal....especially to wallets.

 

I expect to start flinching at €10....and i also wasted €15 plus mailing on each of two Octopus sheen inks.

I get advice that says mostly it's tilt to be happy with sheen; or use bleed through 70g Tomoe River paper.

 

I do have some very good to better papers.

 

The two Octopus shading inks I got, Karmal and Bronze shade well. €10 each.

 

So I will go shading, and look for a lot.

 

I did go over my €20 budget for MB Cool Gray/Oyster (€23), but it is as shown in the Ink review...A SHADING MONSTER.

[welch]

I don't take the time to price ink by the ounce or ml. A bottle of ink should be about 2 ounces and I won't buy an ink for much more than $25, although I might have paid about $40 a bottle for two bottles of Parker Penman Sapphire about 15 years ago. Otherwise, Iroshizuku Asa Gao is the most expensive, and most beautiful, ink I will buy. 

 

And a bottle of ink lasts a long time with the way I use ink now. When I was a kid in the early 1960s, and used Sheaffer ink all day -- except for math class -- I would probably use a couple bottles of ink a school year. Now I have (too) many bottles of ink, so each bottle lasts a long time. 

 

As someone mentioned above, I spend little on ink when ink is compared to things like eating out, or beer, or subway fare. 

[RJS]

I bought a few inks today, and it does feel kinda silly paying €76 to try some inks, when I could just get samples for maybe €15inc postage. But my annual spent on inks is under €200, and it's diminishing as I have "enough" colours to play with for many years... a few lifetimes worth. Sometimes it feels like I'm a bottle collector 😂