Do you like the way it looks?
It feels like it’s been awhile since I’ve been able to say this – I LOVE this ink.
Diamine Poppy Red fountain pen ink is a pure, bright red ink with a teeny tiny bit of potential for shading. The ink dries faster than average on the page and doesn’t feel dry (nor too lubricated) in the pen. There is not much water resistance, but I didn’t expect there to be. There were no hard starts, no ghosting, no bleeding, no problems. Just plain ole happy red RED saturated ink.
Check it out . . .
The swabs above are 1, 2, and 3 passes with a super-soaked cotton swab.
And here’s a close-up of some handwriting with it . . .
Seriously, I have nothing but good things to say about Poppy Red from Diamine. This review is from a sample I bought from Goulet Pens. I will have a full bottle of it in the very near future. Love, love, love.
Here’s the full review . . .
If you want to see the full-sized version of the handwritten review, here’s a link for you. (It’s huge.)
What do you think? Love it? Maybe you have another go-to favorite red ink?
How was your Thanksgiving? Mr. Pentulant and I were at the beach for the long weekend. We had a great time. So relaxing.
xoxox
I’ve been on an orange kick. It all started innocently enough back in May, and then over the last few days, I’ve inked seven pens with seven different orange inks. CrAzY!
I won’t have room to go into great detail on each ink here, but let’s explore a little, shall we?
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| Pilot Iroshizuku Fuyu-gaki Writing Sample |
Pilot Iroshizuku’s Fuyu-gaki runs a bit toward the red side of orange. It writes wonderfully, doesn’t display much shading, and is an all-around nice ink.
Fun with ink splatters. I did these on Word Cards that I got from Jet Pens. The paper is more like a thin watercolor paper than writing paper.
Moving on . . .
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| Montblanc Gandhi Writing Sample |
Montblanc Gandhi fountain pen ink is no longer available. It can be found on eBay (I’ve been thinking about selling my spare bottle, but I’m not sure I want to let it go, you know?)
The ink is such a pretty pretty orange, lots of good shading, and is definitely one to try if you can find it.
Spatters, anyone?
Diamine Amber is next on our hit list . . .
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| Diamine Amber Writing Sample |
Diamine Amber is just so light and feels a bit dry. This ink is in a Lamy with extra-fine nib and that may be part of the issue, but I’ve had other orange inks in the same pen and they’ve not been this light. I like inks that work in all of my pens (makes life easier, you know?) and with so many orange options available, I’m not so keen on this one. Others seem to like it.
And look at the spatters – good saturation there, friends.
Montblanc Gandhi isn’t the only game in town . . .
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| De Atramentis Gandhi Writing Sample |
This was my first time using this ink and for some strange reason, I didn’t have high expectations. Silly me – it’s a perfectly fine ink. Some shading, writes quite well. No reason to be concerned. It’s really not like Montblanc Gandhi – not that it matters, I think it would be a little silly to compare the two just because they share a name. I like it.
I also think I did a pretty good job on the spatters here . . .
Next up . . .
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| Noodler’s Apache Sunset Writing Sample |
People are generally coco-crazy for Noodler’s Apache Sunset. Even using an extra-fine nib, I can see the potential here. Absolutely insane shading. The color is very orange. People who don’t like this ink seem to say that there is no practical application for it – I’m not sure I understand. Maybe they feel that way about all orange inks?
So . . . check out the spatter. See the streak? Please know that I waited a full 24 hours after creating the spatters before scanning. THE INK WAS STILL WET! Insanity. (Even more insane – you can see this streak on other images, too…arrrgh. I need to figure out how to clean my scanner.)
Anyway . . .
Dude. Check out Pilot Iroshizuku Yu-yake . . .
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| Pilot Iroshizuku Yu-yake Writing Sample |
Shading, saturation, great orange color – maybe a little red in there. Yu-yake is bright and cheerful. Writes like a dream. A new favorite of mine.
I’ve had good experiences with all Pilot Iroshizuku inks. They are a bit more expensive than other brands, but they are incomparable in terms of overall brand quality.
Last, and certainly not least: Noodler’s Habanero.
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| Noodler’s Hanbaero Writing Sample |
It’s been awhile since I’ve had Noodler’s Habanero in a pen. I’m not sure why. I fall in love with it every time. The beautiful shading, the gorgeous orange that reminds me of autumn. Yum.
The only issue is that it seems to stay wet forever. Though, apparently, not as long as Noodler’s Apache Sunset.
That’s it!
Which are your favorites?
xoxo
I’m happy to say that Francesca is the big winner of the bottle of Diamine Sepia ink pictured above. Francesca was randomly chosen from all of the entrants and I’ve already contacted her to arrange getting the bottle of ink off to her. Yaay!
Here’s some of what I’ve been reading this week . . .
Well Appointed Desk and how Crayons are Made. I love crayons. The smell.
Fountain Pen Physicist unboxed her Hobonichi. I did, too, I just didn’t get pictures 😉
Inkdependence reviewed Caran d’Ache Ultra Violet ink. I’d expect SCREAMING color with that name, yes?
Inklode showed us Pelikan Edelstein Turmaline. Not really a color I’d considered before seeing this review.
Pen Addict took a close look at the Sailor Lecoule. I have one of these and had it inked last week – it was a terrible writing experience. Maybe I’ll have a look at the nib and see if I can do anything about that.
The Unroyal Warrant had a paper review for us. I think paper isn’t given nearly the attention it deserves in the pen community. Oh..and did you get your Unexposed Field Notes?
The Clicky Post asked Hobby or Obsession? Yes.
Hope you all have a great weekend!
xo
Today, I’m giving away a full-sized bottle of Diamine Sepia Fountain Pen Ink. I know, I know you were hoping it was the pen. Sorry. #sorrynotsorry
When I learned that Goulet Pens was sending me the Fall 2014 Edition of Edison Nouveau Premiere and a bottle of ink, I suggested that they could also send me a sample of the same ink. “I’ll use the sample and giveaway the bottle.”
Of course, you can always order Diamine Sepia from Goulet Pens.
xo
I was thinking the fall edition might be conservative and concerned that could mean that it wouldn’t have been. . . uh . . . as wonderfully special as those two. CraZy!
Shades of brown mixed with hues of gold – light mixed with dark – flecks and flakes mixed with discreet swirls.
This is a fountain pen that can go anywhere with anyone and fit in comfortably. It can be dressed up with a business suit or go casual with jeans.
Gold-tone trim (fancy people call this the pen’s “furniture”). Two-toned steel nib (mine is a broad and I think you should go broad, too).
It has an almost vintage feel to it, yes? Vintage, but not old. The design is so modern.
This isn’t your grandpa’s fountain pen (not that there’s anything wrong with that!).
OK, so it’s pretty handsome, but how does the Edison Nouveau Premiere Autumn Harvest (Fall 2014 Special Edition) Fountain Pen write?
Click here to see the full-sized handwritten review.
Things to know . . .
. . . . Goulet Pens graciously sent me this pen in exchange for my honest review. As a special edition, they are predicting that the pen will be available through November 2014. If sales are greater than expected, they could be out of stock sooner. You can get yours for $149 right here.
. . . . I have a giveaway (and more pictures of this beauty) coming up on Wednesday – hoping you’ll come back and check it out.
Your turn . . . love it? hate it? Does it make you look froward to fall?