Current Most Popular Post

Sunday, July 31, 2011

Ink Review - Diamine Syrah

Now this is an ink that is a must have for everyone! I've wanted this ink for a while, and I was not disappointed when I finally got it. It's a fabulous color, and it's also well behaved too. Prepare you wallet as you read this review. - You may end up buying more than one bottle. ;)

Again, I'm going to keep saying this for a little while, so bear with me: All the reviews will now include a typed portion for those who cannot read my handwriting. This allows me to make changes and/or add information to my reviews after I'm done with them. Any part that has been changed or added on will be underlined for your convenience.

Enjoy!



Ink review: Diamine Syrah


Pen and nib: Pelikan M805 with a 777 custom ground B stub


Color: A gorgeous shade of deep, red, burgundy! This is a really pretty color...


Dry time: 20 seconds. Not bad at all, not amazing either.


Smear when dry: NO


Lubrication: Very good, as are most Diamine inks. Very free flowing too!


Shading: This is an odd ink in this respect. It does not have massive amounts of shading... But, there is good shading, and what shading there is, is so gorgeous looking! I love it!


Feathering: Not much at all. On good paper, none. On super-cheap paper, moderate.


Bleedthrough: Very good! Much less than most Diamine inks and my other inks too.


Notes: Overall I really like this ink! The color, shading, and behavior of it have really won me over. I got this as a sample vial but I think I'm going to buy a full bottle when money permits. I highly recommend Diamine Syrah to any fountain pen user! Get a bottle, you won't be disappointed. And if you are, buy some strange chance, I'm certain you won't have trouble selling it off! :)


Now for the scanned images of the review:



A swab for color accuracy.

I hope you've enjoyed this review! Most of all, I hope you'll get yourself a bottle of this awesome ink. Really, it's worth a try if you never have.

Please leave me a comment and tell me what you think of this review. You're comments are more than welcome, and we all benefit from the discussions in the comments area.

Also, I encourage you to subscribe to my website. It will keep you updated on the latest reviews, videos, and other cool stuff that I'm constantly putting out for my followers. 

Regards,
777 - Tyler Dahl

8 comments:

  1. I completely agree with your review.  When I first saw this color for sale, I didn't even bother getting a sample; I just purchased a bottle of it.  I certainly have not been disappointed in that decision and always have at least one pen inked up with it.  In fact, come December, I'm even considering writing out and addressing my holiday cards with Syrah. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  2. I really like the writing sample but I don't like the swab so much. Too much red shows in the swab, while the writing sample is the perfect shade of burgundy.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Yup, it's really an ink that needs to be tried and seen in person, to really get a full idea of how it looks.

    I'll bet it would make a great holiday-card ink!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Yea, the swab did turn out really pinkish. I don't like it to much either... But in person, I assure you it is much different looking. Just like the writing sample... :)

    Really, just try a sample bottle and you'll see!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Never tried the Syrah, but I have a sample of the Red Dragon and I noticed something interesting about it.  I have two scribble pads to test out pens and inks--a Rhodia with white paper and a Mead with ivory.  The Dragon shows two different aspects of its' personality on different colored paper.  I don't know which I like better.  Why don't you try that with your inks? You might get some unexpected results!

    ReplyDelete
  6. If i understand (and more importantly recall it) correctly, this new ink was the result of Richard Binder turning over to Diamine his recipe for "Binder Burgundy". They are supposedly the "same" inks. So keep in mind that if you want to try it, you may already have the component inks for it on hand. The original recipe was a 50/50 mix of Waterman Violet and Skrip Red.

    Good review Tyler!

    ReplyDelete
  7. A very good idea Karen. I better try that out, but my question is: where can I find FP friendly off white paper. and for cheap?

    I once got a note written with Diamine Oxblood on off-white paper. It was gorgeous!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hey, Tyler. Paper for cheap, eh?  Well, I can't give you a source, but I can give you some ideas.  First, no matter where I shop, the first thing I do is head for the clearance section.  You never know what you'll find.  The clearance section in the bookstores always have journals marked down.  You can tell by the feel of the paper if it's too thin.  Of course, the saturation of the ink and the width of the nib has a profound effect.  Even 90g paper can bleed many inks and broader nibs can bleed even dry inks.  If you don't mind writing on one side you can cut pages out of journals with a blade and use them to send letters.  Also check the craft and art stores like Michael's and A.C.Moore.  They have lots of art paper (think watercolors) that would stand up to ink; and the links on many blogs will connect you with lots of retailers. Try the Goulets, too.  I wish I had a reliable inexpensive source myself.  Just keep looking.  It's out there.  Somewhere. 

    ReplyDelete