That was my initial thought when I was given the idea of grey ink. A friend of mine obviously knew better than I did. :)
He sent me two grey ink samples - Diamine Grey, and later-to-be-reviewed, Noodlers Lexington Grey. I was very curious to try one out, so I immediately inked my Parker 51 with Diamine Grey.
Initial impression: WOW! Hey, that looks really nice. I never would have thought so, but I like this grey ink.
A grey ink never appealed to me before, as I thought of it in the same way I look at watery black inks. Ugly. But Diamine Grey is not like a watery black ink - it is distinctly, and decidedly GREY. Not blackish-grey. This actually appeals to me greatly. Just like my friend who sent me the samples said: It's easier on the eyes than a solid black ink. Indeed I find it very pleasant to stare at for extended periods. It makes my handwriting look less "blocky" and formal than when I use Noodlers Black.
That being said, let's move onto the review! First, the typed-review:
Ink review: Diaimine Grey
Pen and nib: Parker 51 aero - factory B nib
Color: Quite simply, light-grey
Dry time: 15 seconds and it's dry. Pretty good, but not amazing.
Smear when dry: NO And you'll notice I forgot to write that in the written review. Sorry!
Lubrication: Like most Diamine inks - a bit watery, but not bad. I find the watery-ness of Diamine inks to be a good trait in most situations. It's especially useful in that they wash out very easily, and do note stain easily either.
Shading: Minimal. Very minimal...
Feathering: None!
Bleedthrough: Once again - none!
Notes: Wow! I really love this ink. I would never have thought of using grey, but when I was given a sample, I fell in love with the color! It is very gentle on the eyes, and I find it pleasing overall.I will be buying s bottle of this one!
A special thanks to Freddy for the ink samples, and making this review possible!
Now for a photo of this beautiful ink.
So there you go - a review of an ink I never would have thought to try be myself. But I love it! And I really will be adding a bottle to my next ink order. I find the color of it, and it's behavior, perfect for notes, but mostly for writing letters. That's just what I use it for though. It functions well in any scenario that I can put ink into, except something involving close-contact with water.
I recommend you try a sample. It is really worth looking into. Even my picture does not do the ink justice. It is far better looking in person than you see here.
I do hope you've enjoyed this review! Please leave me a comment and let me know what you think. I always love to hear from you!
Be sure to subscribe to keep on top of all the latest ink reviews, and pen review coming up. Pretty soon I'm going to finish my review of the pilot vanishing point! You won't want to miss out on that!
Thanks for reading!
Regards,
Tyler Dahl
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Tyler, I'm so pleased that you like the Diamine Grey. I have my TWSBI Diamond 540 (fine nib) filled with it and the combination, for me, is just about perfect for writing a letter to a friend. :-)
ReplyDeleteTyler great minds must think alike, as I'm trying my first grey today! But my try is the Lexington Grey, so wondering what your comments will be when you try it.
ReplyDeleteGhostly
ReplyDeleteThat's an interesting description. Isn't it funny how we can come to the same color of ink from a completely different perspective?
ReplyDeleteTyler take a look at the photo of your Diamine Grey ink review - not the actual ink review page - I think the shading is medium rather than minimal. Thank you for your review - you do a good job.
ReplyDeleteYes, it is a great ink, and I'm so glad to have tried it! I'm still intent on getting a full bottle next time I order inks.
ReplyDeleteI need to try it in my TWSBI. Sounds like a good combo. :)
Hey Ernie,
ReplyDeleteI will do a review of the lexington grey very soon, and then perhaps a comparison of the two!
How do you like the lexington grey?
Hey Pamela,
ReplyDeleteThe shading does look a bit more pronounced in the scan than in real life. Perhaps I out to take a photo, to more properly depict it.
You're welcome for the review, and thank you for the kind words. :)
Like it a lot so far, I have limited history with various inks, but it flows well looks good on a variety of papers I've tried it on, especially on off white or ivory paper. I think it's darker than the Diamine, by a good bit, but looks grey not "washed out" black. I look forward to keeping it on rotation for a bit.
ReplyDeleteInteresting grey. Is there a little brown in there or am I seeing things?
ReplyDeleteThe scan does have a brownish hue to it. It's not so in real life. I wish I had a better scanner. :)
ReplyDeleteGood eyes though.