Ink Review - FPN Tulipe Noire

Here goes the first review of the week. I've got three planned so be sure to stay tuned for the rest of them!

Dumas Tulipe Noire is a specialty ink made for The Fountain Pen Network by Noodlers. This is a standard Noodlers ink, and is priced at their usual $12.00 a bottle for 3 oz., which I find extremely reasonable.

Ink Review - Noodlers Brown

Ink review time! Noodlers brown is on the plate today. I'm going to use an adapted version of my new review system for this. We'll see how it works out. :)

Noodlers Brown ranks about 65% in my book.


Overview:
Noodlers brown originally got me interested for two reasons:

1) It looked like it shaded really well.

2) It looked like the perfect shade of brown.

Overall I am a little bit disappointed in this ink. Not completely, but it certainly is not exactly what I thought it'd be. It has some major (t0 me at least) downfalls, that I'l hit on in this review.

The good:

• It is a nice shade of brown. Not perfect, but better than most.
• It's a Noodlers ink, so it's not expensive to buy.

The Bad:

• It has some major bleed-through issues. Wait till you see the photos below...
• Color is too dark for me. Sometimes it looks black. It's the right shade of brown, but it needs a touch more light to it.
• Dry time is a bit slow.

All in all, it's a decent ink, but I'd like to find something to replace it. I only bought a sample, in my hunt for the perfect brown. This is not the perfect brown. It's a good one, and some aspects are real close, but it's not there.

Onto the review!

Ink Review: Noodlers Brown

Pen and nib: Lamy 2000 - B nib

Color: Dark Brown

Dry time: 15-20 seconds. Not bad for such a wet pen.

Smear when dry: A tiny bit...

Shading: Low/moderate. I think a less wet pen would actually shade better.

Lubrication: Good.

Bleed-through: Quite a bit actually. I wish it wasn't so...

Feathering: A very small amount.

Here's the scan. I think this one's pretty accurate.

Here is a shot of that bleed-through. Yikes! You'll notice that the bleed-through looks red-ish. It is in person too. It seems that the red-hue of the ink is separating, and bleeding through the paper.

Another shot of the swab...

Overall:

This is an okay ink, but it's poor behavior makes it a no go for me. Again, if these small problems were fixed, this could be a real winner. But until then (or if ever), I will be searching for another brown.

Anybody here got a brown to recommend? Waterman Havana Brown is next on my list to try, thanks to Peninkcillin. :)

Anyone else ever tried this ink before? Did you get the same impression that I got? I'm wondering if it's just my pen and nib combo. I'll try it in my fine nibbed VP, and see what happens.

I hope you enjoyed the review. As always, feel free to leave me a comment and let me know what you think. If you've never left a comment before, now's your chance. :)

Until Wednesday then!

Regards,

Tyler Dahl

Ink Review - Waterman Florida Blue

Waterman Florida Blue is not only a most unique variation of the shade "blue", it is also one of the inks I trust most, as far as stability goes. Waterman has been making inks for a long time now, and though their color selection is nowhere near the top, they have some very shining qualities that should be noted. Read on for the review!

Ink Review - Diamine Oxblood

Diamine Oxblood is a relatively new ink from Diamine, and it has quickly become a very popular one. I finally got a sample, to see for myself what this ink was all about. It certainly lived up to its expectations! For me personally, I prefer a different red color, but I know this one deserves the popularity it has gotten. It is a lovely color.

Ink Review - Iroshizuku Yama Budo

Here's the next ink review from my massive ink sample order. I was really eager to try this one out, and I wasn't disappointed! For certain, this is another winner from Iroshizuku. I really like this ink, a lot! It's color, and superb behavior make it a keeper for sure. Prepare yourself, for Iroshizuku Yama Budo!

Ink Review - Diamine Sunshine!

This ink is the first yellow I have ever tried. I'll reserve my full opinion until I try all my yellow samples I just purchased.

For now, I LOVE this ink! It's a fabulous yellow color with great shading. I've always wanted a yellow ink, and for now, this is it. Again though, I have 5 +- other yellows I need to try before I get a full bottle... :)

Diamine Sunshine really looks like the sun. It's a bright yellow with orange undertones, and is actually not to hard to read. I agree, for a 15 page letter it might be a bad choice, but for quick notes, special cards, and doodling for fun - it's awesome!

Ink Review - Noodlers Black (Bullet-Proof)

This is an ink I am very happy about. I know it's not the most interesting ink. It's not really even a fun ink. What it is however, is a true performer! This ink is built to work. It's fairly well-behaved, business-worthy, and bullet-proof to boot. "What exactly is bullet proof?" - good question. Let me explain. :) From the Noodlers website:

“Bulletproof” refers to any Noodler’s Ink that resists all the known tools of a forger, UV light, UV light wands, bleaches, alcohols, solvents, petrochemicals, oven cleaners, carpet cleaners, carpet stain lifters, and of course…they are also waterproof once permitted to dry upon cellulose paper. Some inks are more bulletproof than others – generally in descending order (most bulletproof with the most testing – to less bulletproof): blacks, blues, yellows, invisible (“blue ghost” and “White Whale”), greens, browns, purples, reds….all are equally bulletproof with one exception: the resistance to strong industrial bleaches to the point where the paper structure itself decomposes. Reds are prone to more fading when exposed to strong bleaches (sometimes fading to a yellow) than the other colors.

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 Marine

Well, on a lazy summer Saturday, what better thing to do than review an ink! Today's ink is really in the "spirit of summer". It has a clean, fresh, cool feel to it that I just love. I only have a sample vial of it right now, but this ink is one that has made it to my "must-buy" list. It's a fabulous color... Stay tuned, for Diamine Marine!

For those who haven't been following my blog recently, I'll explain the review "text". I provide the review in a typed format for those who cannot read my handwriting. This format also allows me to add edits to whatever I said in my review. Any part that is edited, added, or otherwise changed is underlined for your convenience.

Enjoy!

Ink Review - Noodlers Black Swan in English Roses

Here's another ink that was given to me as a gift, and therefore, I decided to review it!

This is a fairly new ink from Noodlers, and I think it's going to be quite popular with the release of their new "flex pens". This ink is made for flex pens, providing lots of shading with the variation that comes from a flex nib.

As a normal thing now, I'm going to add a text version of the review since my handwriting is so bad. :) The underlined parts are afterthoughts. Things I may have forgotten, or changed my mind on since the original review.

Enjoy!

Ink Review - Private Reserve Purple Mojo

Here's an ink that was given to me as a gift by a very kind person. I thought I should do a review of it for this reason, and because I really like it. The ink I speak of is Private Reserve Purple Mojo! This is a really pretty ink color, and is fabulously vibrant.

I've decided to "translate" my handwriting into computer text for you. Mainly, since it's pretty unreadable at times. :) The parts that are underlined are notes that have been added to the review since I wrote it.

Ink Review: Iroshizuku Kon-Peki

Here's an ink that I've always enjoyed, but in a different way than my other inks. Most of my inks, I love the color and I think Iroshizuku Kon-Peki is a nice color, but that's not exactly why I like it. Here's what I love about it: Mainly, it has a feeling of quality that's evident in every aspect of the ink. From the packaging, the bottle shape, and the ink itself it all seems like an extremely well put together package. The ink is so extremely well behaved too! That's why I love it. I can always count on this ink to not give me any flow problems, drying issues, skipping, etc. It just works. On top of that the color isn't bad at all. It's a very true shade of blue which is perfect in all settings, business and home alike.

My only gripe with this ink is that it costs around $25.00 a bottle! Ouch! Yea, those of us who enjoy Noodlers at $12.00 for a 90ml bottle will be pretty bummed about the Iroshizuku 60ml for $25.00...

Anyhow, here goes my handwritten review of this ink:

I love the packaging on these inks. It's really superb.

And the back of the box is just as cool as the front. Stickers are even in Japanese for the most part.

There's the bottle! Gorgeous! This is a bottle you will want to display on your desk for all to see.

Another shot showing the instruction pamphlet. The whole thing is in Japanese so you don't get the pleasure of reading it unless you can speak and read the language... Oh well, it looks really cool anyway!

I  hope you've enjoyed this review of an ink I really like. Please, leave me a comment below and tell me what you think about this ink and this review.

Best Regards,

777 - Tyler Dahl

Ink Review - Private Reserve Sherwood Green

This is a handwritten review of an ink that I really enjoy. The best part of this ink is the color! It's a deep, rich, dark, forest green color that really stands out among other inks.I like to use it for everyday writing and I think it's not to bright or flashy for use in business settings. Remember, just click on the picture for a super-sized view of it!

Also, please leave me a comment below the post and tell me how you like this ink color! I'd love to hear some feedback from you on the review!

Regards,

777 - Tyler Dahl

Ink Review - Noodlers Cayenne

This is a handwritten review of a personal favorite ink of mine! Noodlers Cayenne is a beautiful orange-red with excellent shading and good dry time. I like to use it for everyday writing though for business writing it may not be appropriate in some situations. Remember, just click on the picture for a super-sized view of it!

Please, leave me a comment below the post and tell me how you like this ink color! I'd love to hear some feedback from you!