Well, here’s another handwritten review, this time on a Maruman Mnemosyne B6 notebook. This time it’s for one of my favorite pens, and my smoothest writer, the Pilot Vanishing Point in Matte Black. I was immediately drawn to this pen because of it’s stealth finish. As time goes on, you’re probably going to notice I have an affinity towards all black everything. I’ve had this pen for about six months, and I plan on adding more to my collection (the gunmetal grey with matte black trim).

Anyway, this pen is a step above the rest. I purchased the medium nib unit from RichardsPens.com (no affiliation, he just does great work), where he smooths and adjusts every nib prior to sending it out. This thing is really like butter. Or a hot knife through butter. Or ice. Or something else that’s really really smooth. The clicking mechanism is totally solid, and provides a satifying “CLICK” when extended or closed. The convenience factor of a fountain pen with a retractable nib is way up there. I find myself using this for both quick notes because of it’s convenience, and longer writing sessions because of it’s smoothness, weight and balance.

Enjoy the review!

The Matte Black Pilot Vanishing Point and the Maruman Mnemosyne Notebook. They make a great combo.

There have been complaints about the durability of the finish of this VP model. You can see the brass underneath starting to show through. Personally, I don’t mind it, but it may bother others.

Here, you can see the finish has gotten a bit shiny. This is more than likely due to carrying it around in my pocket. If you’re more careful than I am with it, I’m sure this can be avoided. Once again, I kind of like that the pen shows wear with use.

A head-on shot of the VP’s tiny nib. It took some getting used to at first, but it makes this pen a stand out piece in my collection. The ink seen here is Noodler’s Bad Blue Heron.

Exploded view of the VP. The nib unit can be swapped easily. This must also be done in order to fill the pen. It’s nice that it’s able to be filled without getting ink all over the place too.

Very subtle branding, just a small logo below where the pen comes apart.

The VP’s clip placement has a love/hate relationship through the fountain pen community. Some like the placement because it gives your index finger and thumb somewhere to rest. Others with less traditional grips find it to get in the way. If you’re one of the latter, the older version of the VP has a clip thats tapered into the pen, and tends to be less obtrusive.

Pen: Lamy Safari, Medium Nib
Ink: Noodler’s Cayenne
Paper: Rhodia dotPad

Notes: I wasn’t the biggest fan of orange inks, but this one really stands out. The only other orange ink I have extensive experience with is Pilot Iroshizuku Yu-Yake. Both of these inks are great shaders, but the Noodler’s is a little bit darker, therefore being a bit easier on the eyes. I think I could take notes with this stuff without getting a headache, which is a good thing. The ink is super smooth and well lubricated with the Lamy Medium Nib. The Lamy Medium tends to be my favorite for testing out inks because it’s wide enough to shade yet it still suits my handwriting style. This ink may be bottle-worthy, especially because it’s substantially cheaper than the Iroshizuku line. I also prefer it slightly more than the Iroshizuku because of the darker shade. I’ve also started doing a bit of fancier lettering on the bottom of the second page of my reviews so there’s more of the ink on the page, I think I’m going to keep doing that like I did here and on my Diamine Ochre review.

Happy reading, enjoy the review.

Pen: Lamy Safari, Limited Edition 2012, 1.1mm Italic
Ink: Diamine Matador
Paper: Rhodia dotPad

Notes: As much as I love Diamine inks, this one didn’t do much for me. While I have no complaints, I just don’t think there was anything unique about it. I think it’s a really classic red. When I think of the color red, this is pretty much what pops into mind. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a nice ink, but nothing crazy. I have four bottles of Diamine, and I’ve sampled countless others, it’s hard to find something to complain about. They’ve all been well behaved and work well on pretty much any paper, nib depending. Even this stuff wasn’t bad on regular copy paper with the 1.1mm italic, very minimal feathering, if any. Also, I chose to throw this ink in my Lamy Limited Edition 2012 Green Apple pen because it’s almost Christmas. I think my daily carry of mostly matte black pens needed a little red and green cheer.

Enjoy the review.

First page of the review. The Safari Ltd. Ed. looks nice when some light shines through the viewing hole.

Page 2. Got extra fancy with the name of the ink this time. I screwed up the “O” a bit. Whoops.

There’s maybe a tiny bit of shading here. In smaller nibs, I doubt it’ll show up.

Close up on the fancy writing. Pretty happy with this one. The design overall reminds me of a Matador, sans bull-related violence.

Comparison with a few of my favorite reds.

Pen: Noodler’s Ahab Flex in Medieval Lapis
Ink: Diamine Oxblood
Paper: Rhodia dotPad

Notes: This was definitely my most used pen/ink combination of the week. You can check out the other stuff I’ve been using over in the Weekly Loadout section. I recently got fed up with the Ahab not working, and started tweaking. I shortened the tube that goes into the feed inside the converter, and increased the bore that it goes into. I carved out the channel with a razor blade a bit, and properly adjusted the nib. Now, this thing works wonderfully. It definitely didn’t before. Now, onto the ink. Diamine Oxblood is probably my favorite ink of all time. The name suits it perfectly. It’s got that deep reddish brown tinge that reminds me of dried blood. It’s well behaved, cleans out relatively easily, and dried quick. I’ve gone through two converters full this week alone. This ink usually has a permanent spot in my daily carry. Enjoy the review!

Depends on the nib and the paper, but this ink shades a bit. Not much color variation, but it does have a bit of gradient going on.

Getting flexy with it.

::Bonus Pictures::

Page of Miscellaneous Junk.

Lyrics by The Get Up Kids

Julianne.

I know, there are tons upon tons of reviews out there of the Lamy Safari. However, I don’t think I’m wasting my time by adding one more. The Safari is not only a great beginner fountain pen, but a great addition to any collection. At any given time I usually have three inked up. The fact that the nibs are easily swappable makes this pen super versatile. Taking into consideration the durability, versatility and overall fun level, the Safari is a great pen that deserves a place in everyone’s collection. There are legions of loyal fans with huge collections of the Safari and I can understand why.

I went about this review a little differently. Since I usually have a few of them inked up, I decided to use a few different nib / ink combinations for the review. It’s not uncommon practice for me to switch out nibs in the middle of the day because it’s just that easy. If you’re careful about it, it can be done with little to no mess and the only thing needed is a paper towel to quickly clean off the nib. Also, I assigned numerical score values to each section of the review. I wrote this review out a while ago and have since decided to discontinue the numerical scores. I think that being more specific with my writing can be just as helpful as a number.

The Lamy Safari is strongly recommended as both a beginner and every day pen. The price point, swappable nibs, and build quality make this purchase a no-brainer.  I use the Safari on a daily basis and I highly recommend adding one, or two, or ten to your collection. They’re a great pen for trying out new inks too. They can be used with Lamy’s proprietary T10 cartridges or with their Z24 converter, making life easier.

Onto the reivew…I wrote this review on the Maruman Mnemosyne B6 notebook that I use for all my in class notes. This review is also pretty picture heavy, so I apologize  in advance. Or you’re welcome in advance. Either way.

Pen: Lamy Safari

Inks / Nibs: Extra Fine with Diamine Evergreen, Medium with Pelikan Edelstein Aventurine, 1.1mm Stub with Scribal Work Shop Siren

Enjoy!

Handwritten Review Scans:

LIne up. For some reason the red one doesn’t like to line up. Usually the fit on these are dead on. Maybe I over tightened it at one point and damaged the threads?

Uncapped. Personally, I like to write with the Safari posted. It’s still comfortable to write with it uncapped, the body is a good length, not too long, not too short. Since the pen is on the lighter side, the balance isn’t thrown off by posting the cap.

The Safari’s clip is a tank. It’s really secured well to the cap and has a great grip. I usually keep one in my front pocket of my jeans, and the clip does a great job of holding on, even with thick denim. Of course it works well on paper or a notebook cover too.

Nib shot. The interchangeability of the nibs makes the Safari a versatile every day pen. It takes only a few seconds to switch them, and at ~$10 a piece, there’s no reason not to have all of them in your collection.

My first fountain pen. The one that started it all. I feel like this one needed it’s own picture.

For the sake of readability and not to overstuff everyone’s RSS feeds with pictures, there are a bunch more pictures in the gallery below. Feel free to sound off in the comments on your love/hate for the Lamy Safari.

Pen: Lamy Al-Star, Broad Nib
Ink: Noodler’s Bad Blue Heron
Paper: Rhodia dotPad, No.16

Notes:  Noodler’s Bad Blue Heron was one of the first inks I tried out when I got my first Safari. The ink introduced me to what a fountain pen ink could really be. The ink exhibits great shading properties, it’s practically bulletproof, and is a unique shade of blue. It’s borderline blue-black, but with the shading, there are lighter highlights that stand out, making this ink a pleasure to look at. Bad Blue Heron not only looks great, but it is an absolute pleasure to write with. This is probably the best flowing and the best lubricated ink I own. It’s a dream to write with in my Binderized Pilot Vanishing Point Medium Nib, and can be seen in that review. It is usually in at least one of my daily carry pens as well. The only “downside” to this ink is that with most of the pens I have tried it in, there is a considerable amount of nib creep. This bothers some people, but I don’t mind it. Other than that, there isn’t really anything else I can say that’s bad about this ink. If there was one ink I would recommend, it would be this one. The shade of blue is perfect for everyday writing, but the shading properties make it less boring than a normal blue. Definitely add this stuff to your next sample haul.

Enjoy the reivew, I really love this ink.

The Lamy broad nib + Noodler’s BBH = heaven. It lays down a nice, wet line with great shading.

make it shade.

This ink can practically be layered. It’s fun to draw with, it gets darker the more you use.

Pen: Pelikan Souveran M605, Fine Nib
Ink: Pilot Iroshizuku Kon-Peki
Paper: Rhodia dotPad

Notes: I received this ink for Christmas (I asked for it) and I couldn’t have been happier opening it up. I have tried out a few Iroshizuku inks before and liked their overall performance, the colors, and their presentation. The ink comes in a very minimalistic box that’s silver with a block of color that matches the ink. Open the box though and this is where the real fun stuff starts. The bottle is absolutely beautiful. It is slim in width, but has a taller and wider profile than most of my ink bottles. It has a great textured paper label with very minimal print on it. There’s a silver cord tied around the neck of the bottle which just adds some class to the overall appearance. A nice bottle is great to look at, but it’s even better when the ink inside is just as nice.

Kon-Peki is a vibrant blue with lots of shading qualities. It dries nice and fast. So far I’ve had it in my new Lamy 2000 and the Pelikan, and it was great in both. The color pops without being obnoxious and I’m glad I have an entire bottle. The Iroshizuku line doesn’t come cheap at around $28.00 US per bottle, but I think it’s worth it. I also received a bottle of Fuyu-Syogun as a gift from my girlfriend. I didn’t even have to ask her for it, she just happened to pick it out. I’ve gone through three samples of the Fuyu-Syogun and had been debating a bottle for a long time. Check back soon for a review of that!

Enjoy!

P.S. – Just a reminder, I am taking submissions for your Weekly Loadouts! If you want to share what pens, ink and paper you’re using this week/month/whatever, please share!

The flow and shading of this ink are great. At first, I thought it was a bit watery. After writing some more and noticing the quick dry time with the wonderful shading, all negative thoughts went away.

This ink can be built up on the page. With three passes it darkens up nicely.

Close up of the shading test. This stuff would really shine in a broader nib. I can’t wait to get some in my 3.8mm Pilot Parallel.

More nice shading from Kon-Peki

Rhodia dotPad, Pelikan M605, and the bottle of Pilot Iroshizuku Kon-Peki. A wonderful combination.

Pen:Lamy Safari, 2012 Limited Apple Green – 1.1mm Stub
Ink: Diamine Majestic Purple
Paper: Rhodia dotPad, No. 16 - Top Spiral Bound

Notes: Usually I’m not the biggest fan of purple inks, but this one was actually pretty nice. It’s not my favorite  color in the world, but this one is a nice shade. Personally, I don’t have much use for a purple ink but since it came in the January Ink Drop from Goulet Pens, I figured I’d load it up and try it out. I decided to put it in the Apple Green Safari because I was immediately reminded of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The mix of the purple and green were the perfect mix for Donatello’s colors. Anyway…back to the ink. As with all the Diamine inks I’ve tried and reviewed, this ink is a solid performer. It had a little bit of shading, nothing crazy. I liked the level of saturation too. When I went over the ink a few times, it didn’t really get that much darker. I think I just ended up more thoroughly filling in the blocks I had drawn. The smoothness and flow were exactly as expected from Diamine. They’re one of my favorite brands of ink due to their consistency across the line, the reasonable price, and the huge offering of colors. If you like purple inks, I would definitely recommend checking this one out.

Thanks for reading!

I really like the way this page turned out. Something about the color palette in the comparison inks went very nicely with the Majestic Purple.

This photo made the shading appear to be a little bit more intense than it is in person. The color is pretty much dead on, but I don’t think it shaded quite as much.

Diamine Majestic Purple is indeed pretty majestic. It writes like a dream. The real test is going to be cleaning it out of the converter. I’ve had a few purples stain before. (I’m looking at you Noodler’s North African Violet…)

Pen: Pilot Metropolitan, Matte Black with Dots, Medium Nib
Ink: Diamine Eau De Nil
Paper: Rhodia dotPad, No. 16 - Top Spiral Bound

Notes: I feel like I’ve been slacking with my reviews lately. I’ve been doing them, it’s just the whole photographing, formatting and posting thing I’ve been bad at. I just started my last semester of college, so things have been a bit hectic. Anyway, here’s my review of Diamine’s Eau de Nil. I know most of my reviews tend to be positive, but 90% of the reviews I’ve done, I’ve bought the items in them, so from the start I’m hoping that I will like them. I’ve been wanting to try out Eau de Nil (means “Water of the Nile”) for a long time now, and I was ecstatic when it showed up in last month’s Ink Drop. I this ink has moved it’s way up the ranks into my top ten favorites. It is a great shade of blue/green and has really nice shading. I’ve been taking a lot of notes with it, and the color is easy on the eyes, yet unique. Diamine is one of my favorite brands of ink, and for good reason. All the Diamine inks I’ve tried and reviewed perform wonderfully. I will surely be taking advantage of the Ink Drop discount and be picking up a bottle of this stuff. It’s great.

Eau de Nil has great shading, even in the finer Japanese Medium on the Pilot Metropolitan. It’s very smooth, and the flow is right in the middle where I like it. Do yourself a favor and check out the full size image for a close-up of the shading.

The fun part. I know the wave is Japanese, and the name of the ink is French and the meaning is referring to a river in Egypt. I’m just going to classify this one as being multi-cultural.

I especially liked the color palette of the comparison inks. Eau de Nil goes great with the Pilot Iroshizuku fuyu-syogun. If you put it in a fancier bottle and doubled the price, it could 100% pass for an Iroshizuku ink.

Pen:Lamy Safari, Red, 1.5mm Stub Nib
Ink: J. Herbin 1670 Rouge Hematite
Paper: Rhodia dotPad, No. 16 - Top Spiral Bound

Notes: J. Herbin’s 1670 Rouge Hematite. That is a mouthful, but such an impressive ink deserves an equally impressive name. This ink was released for the 340th Anniversary of J. Herbin. Wow. 340 years of ink manufacturing is absolutely crazy. There are few things in the world that can say they’ve been doing something for that long. The ink itself is really, really nice to look at and write with. Rouge Hematite can be roughly translated to “Blood Red”. Going back to the days when I had a rock and mineral collection (I was eight years old, cut me a break) there were several pieces of hematite in my collection. Hematite is a dense, very dark grey stone that when polished gives off almost a black chrome appearance. This ink is not to be confused with the mineral. The Greeks used the word hematite for blood, and the color sure does look like it. It’s a deep, dark red with great shading and a golden sheen. Initially, it was this golden sheen that had drawn me to the ink, on top of that it’s blood red. Really, what more could I ask for? There are a few things about the ink that I don’t necessarily like, but they are easily overlooked when seeing the final product.

See what I mean? It’s stare-worthy.

The ink dries pretty slow, and with Rhodia or any slicker paper, the ink doesn’t really like to stay put. If some smearing on the page (which is practically inevitable unless you’re surgically precise with your writing and hand position) and some red-stained hands here and there bother you, I would suggest checking out a sample before committing to an entire bottle. Which brings me to the bottle. It’s looks absolutely stunning. It’s taller than J. Herbin’s other ink bottles, and much more square. It has a golden ribbon that’s held down by a gold wax seal. The cap is coated in red sealing wax as well. The bottle is a great piece to have on my desk along with my other more visually pleasing bottles. The only thing about the bottle is that the mouth isn’t very wide, and pens with a thicker grip could have trouble filling. It’s a small trade off, plus, it’s up to the Germans to provide form and function, the French just make everything look pretty (from a design standpoint anyway).

Enjoy the review, this is an ink I always have in at least one of my pens.

Great shading here, however be careful with a broader nib. The dry time can be pretty long depending on the paper.

I opted to compare my other blood red ink with this one. While oxblood is much darker (perhaps a less oxygenated blood), Rouge Hematite is a brighter shade of red with less blue and more yellow. Either way, they’re both great inks.

Pen: TWSBI Diamond 540 – Medium Nib
Ink: Sheaffer Turqouise, Sheaffer Peacock Blue
Paper: Rhodia dotPad, No. 16 - Top Spiral Bound

Notes: I ordered this sample of Sheaffer Turquoise because I wanted to compare to the bottle of vintage Peacock Blue that I have. They’re pretty close, but the Peacock Blue has a little bit more green in it, and doesn’t shade as much as the Turquoise. The Turquoise performed very nicely, had great shading, and wrote nice and smooth. The color was pleasing as well. I used all of the blues I had inked up in the comparison section to give a better idea of what the shade was. While I don’t think it’s a direct replacement for the discontinued Peacock Blue, it’s pretty darn close.

This ink can really shade. It’d be nice to see what it can do with a broader nib, or something with some flex.

Side by side, you can see that the Peacock Blue has a little bit more green in it than the Turquoise.

Left to Right:

• Pelikan Souveran M605, Black & Rhodium – Fine nib – Pelikan Edelstein Aventurine
• Lamy 2000 – Medium Nib – Pilot Iroshizuku Fuyu-Syogun
• Sailor Professional Gear Imperial Black Edition – Fine Nib – J. Herbin Vert Empire
• Pilot Vanishing Point, Matte Black - Fine Nib – Pilot Blue Cartridge
• Pilot Metropolitan, Matte Black with Dots – Medium Nib – J. Herbin 1670 Bleu Ocean
• Kaweco Sport, Burgundy – Fine Nib – Noodler’s Bad Belted Kingfisher

Notes: Wow, I have seriously been slacking on these. It’s turned into more of a bi-weekly, sometimes three weekly, maybe monthly loadout? I haven’t been changing inks all that much because I’ve been stupid busy with school, work, and other work, and the dog. So I apologize for not posting these weekly, but changing the name is too much work. SO. This Weekly Loadout has a pretty serious amount of matte black going on. I’m pretty much settled in with everything I have. Also, if something in the list doesn’t have a link associated, there’s a pretty good chance that there’s a review coming in the very near future. I would give some opinions if everything wasn’t already being reviewed / in queue to be posted, so I’m going to save myself some time, and possibly build up some hype/excitement for new stuff. I apologize if the pictures aren’t as great as they could be. I used my new Nexus 4, and I’m not totally thrilled with the camera. It’s a great device, but the camera definitely leaves something to be desired. I feel like a walking contradiction, I need the latest phones / technology, yet I prefer a fountain pen and NEED a mechanical watch on my wrist.

Also, I opened up a new feature on the site called the TRADING POST. It’s a way for readers of the site to post up their lists of pen goodies that they wish to trade. It’s similar to the ink swap threads on the popular forums, but the difference here is that you get your own page, I host your list, and I create a custom contact form that emails you directly with any trade requests. Thanks to the few people who have submitted lists! If this is something you may be interested in, check it out! Also worth noting, you do not have to have a list on the site to trade! It’s encouraged, but if you want something in one of the lists, and want to trade, by all means!

Reminders:

• I am still taking submissions for your Weekly Loadouts! Click here for instructions on how to do that!
• I also started the “TRADING POST” where you can submit a list of pen stuff you want to trade, complete with a custom contact form to make life easier!

Keep Calm and Write On.

Bonus Dog Gallery:

Leuchtturm 1917 – Jottbook

-Handwritten Review-

Specs: 

• 5.79″ x 8.23″ (almost A5) Side-Stitched Pad
• 80g ivory paper
• Micro-perforated for easy removal
• 30 sheets (60 pages)
• Pages are numbered, table of contents, included stickers for labeling
• ~$6.00 USD

Review Supplies: 

• Sailor Professional Gear Imperial Black Edition – Fine Nib
• Noodler’s Dark Matter

Notes: This paper is quite unique. I don’t think it behaves like any other paper I’ve tried before. There’s an odd amount of feathering, but it’s like only certain fibers in the paper pick up the ink. This notebook is listed as being fountain pen friendly, but there’s a fair amount of show through, a lot of feathering, and even some bleed through. I understand the marketability of a fountain pen friendly paper, but I just wish it was truly fountain pen friendly. Don’t get me wrong, some ink and nib combinations work great, but most of the time there were unwanted results. Check the gallery at the end of the post for some more close up shots of the feathering too!

Handwritten Review Reads:
First thing’s first, this paper is weird. It’s supposedly “fountain pen friendly”, but I can’t really agree. The writing experience is okay. It’s decently smooth. I like the narrower ruling, the pager numbering and table of contents. Unfortunately the things I like stop there. This paper has some very weird feathering going on. Only some of the fibers spread the ink, making letters look “hairy” (for lack of a better word). The bleed through is also pretty bad. It’s nice that the pages are numbered, but not when the evenly numbered pages are unusable [due to bleed through]. I enjoy the look and form factor of the Jottbook, but the paper inside falls short, especially because there is a picture of a fountain pen nib on the packaging.

I really like the way the notebook looks. The subtle camel color is quite nice. The size of the pad is also nice too. A lot of care was definitely put into the details with this notebook. The notebook has a table of contents, numbered pages, and a specific spot for the date which are all very nice touches, especially for a $6.00 notebook. The side-stitched binding allows the Jottbook to fold very flat, which makes it easy to write on both sides of the page. With the amount of show though, this isn’t always possible, or legible.

Here’s the table of contents page. There is an owner information page on the sheet before, but I didn’t post that because it has my phone number on it, and I didn’t feel like firing up Photoshop just to blur it out. You can see how the paper is quite see through. This can be pretty hard on the eyes when trying to re-read what you’ve written.

From the close up shot, you can see how the ink only gets picked up by certain fibers in the page. It’s a pretty weird phenomenon (can I call it that?) and from my experience, regular copy paper doesn’t even do this.

Writing with a flex nib was pretty out of control. There was rampant feathering, and it makes the writing look blurry. I can’t say I recommend this paper with a flex nib.

J. Herbin 1670: Bleu Ocean Fountain Pen Ink

Pen: Pilot Metropolitan, Medium Nib
Ink: J. Herbin 1670 Bleu Ocean
Paper: Rhodia dotPad, No. 16 - Top Spiral Bound

Notes: Part of being a responsible blogger is being honest. Exaclair was nice enough to supply me with this bottle of J. Herbin, and I couldn’t be more appreciative. Keep in mind that this does not change my opinion of the ink, I stand by my review.

Lots of people aren’t big fans of the ink for a few different reasons. Mostly it’s that the ink doesn’t have any sort of sheen like it’s partner, Rouge Hematite. In a perfect world Bleu Ocean would have a silver sheen, but it doesn’t. I found it to be super saturated (which is nice) and super smooth. The ink performs absolutely wonderfully, especially in my Pilot Metropolitan. It dries faster than the Rouge Hematite, which is infamous for being a slow dryer. The bottle is great to look at, the ink is great to write with, and I like the color, what more could I ask for?

Noodler’s Borealis Black

Fountain Pen Ink

Handwritten Review

Pen: Lamy 2000, Medium Nib
Ink: Noodler’s Borealis Black
Paper: Rhodia dotPad, No. 16, top spiral bound

Notes: So after trying easily 20+ black inks, I finally got around to properly reviewing one. When I got into fountain pens, my first task was to find the perfect black ink. I never did formal reviews, but there are pages upon pages UPON PAGES of Rhodia completely filled with doodles, notes, opinions, etc. on different black inks. This particular sample came with my Goulet Pens ink drop, and I figured why not give it a try. I wasn’t a huge fan of the Borealis Black. It tends to feather, even on Rhodia. The flow and smoothness were nice but I also had some problems with dry time (as you can see below). What really stood out was the deeply saturated black and the smoothness of the ink. It was a pleasure to write with, but I couldn’t see myself with a bottle when there are black inks out there I much prefer. Enjoy the review. I think I’ll be doing more reviews of black inks, depending on how this one goes.

Enjoy!

I figured I would show it next to my current go-to black, the Sailor Kiwa Guro Nano Black (wow, mouthful). The Borealis Black looks like a black hole in the page, while the Sailor dries on top of the page with a nice matte finish.

Well. Not much to say here. This ink is BLACK.

Something about black inks that just aren’t as fun to review, yet it’s my favorite color to write with and I always have at least two pens inked up in black.

R by Rhodia No. 18 Lined Notepad

-Handwritten Review-

Specs: 

• 8.25″ x 11.75″ Top Staple Bound Pad
• Lined ruling
• 90g ivory, acid free, ph-neutral paper
• Micro-perforated for easy removal
• 70 sheets (140 pages)
• ~$13.00 USD

Review Supplies: 

• Pilot Metropolitan - Medium Nib
• J. Herbin: 1670 Bleu Ocean - Ink

Notes: Before trying this pad out, I had no idea that there was different paper in it. Turns out I was missing out. A lot. I went pretty in depth, so I’m going to keep the notes section light. Enjoy the review!

Appearance and Construction:
The R by Rhodia line is marketed as a higher end, premium pad. After finally handling one, I understand why. Available in black or orange, the R by Rhodia pads are adorned with a premium soft-touch cover. The ultra smooth, almost rubber-like cover is a nice preview for the exceptionally smooth paper that’s inside. It’s almost like neoprene rubber and feels much like the “soft-touch rubber” on the sides of my Nexus 4 (phone). The R by Rhodia feels great under the hand and great to the nib. The construction is solid, and I have no concerns of durability. I didn’t try, but I believe the cover has some water resistance, and could easily survive a quick carry through the rain. I can appreciate the small details like the micro-perforated pages, the foldable cover, and the soft-touch treatment on the outside of the pad.

Performance and Feel:
This notepad is marketed as “premium” and I totally understand. The R by Rhodia line uses 90g ivory paper, whereas the standard Rhodia pad uses 80g bright white paper. I believe this paper is smoother than the standard Rhodia pad (which is saying a lot). The paper provides a smooth writing experience. Something else I immediately noticed was how smooth the paper felt under my hand while writing. The pad performs wonderfully under everything from an Extra Fine Nib to a 1.5mm Italic. There’s no show through, no bleed through, and the ink settles into the page reasonably quick.

Color & Ruling:
Another characteristic that sets the R line apart from the standard line of products is the use of ivory colored paper. It’s a nice shade of ivory that is easy on the eyes, and doesn’t appear to be too yellow. It compliments most inks very well, but I still wouldn’t use it for ink reviews, as the ivory does change the appearance of ink a little bit. It’s miles above a yellow legal pad, and looks much nicer too. The color of the ruling is also different from the rest of the Rhodia line. The light violet lines are replaced with a subtle grey, which compliments the ivory paper better than a violet one would.

Overall Thoughts and Recommendation:
The No. 18 R by Rhodia notepad is great. The 90g ivory paper is very smooth, and is as fountain pen friendly as it gets. There’s no feathering with this ink, very slight show through and no bleeding. I can appreciate a paper where both sides can be used. The soft touch cover is a nice detail that helps differentiate the R by Rhodia line. If you’re already a fan of Rhodia paper, you have to check this one out!

Disclaimer: This pad was given to me free of charge by the fine people over at Rhodia. Huge thanks to Karen at Exaclair (the US distributor of Rhodia) for the paper goods! Even though the pad was provided for this review, I still stand by everything I have said in my review 100%. I have been, and will continue to be a Rhodia user, it’s some of the best stuff out there.

Private Reserve

Sherwood Green

Fountain Pen Ink

Handwritten Review

Pen: Pilot Vanishing Point, Matte Black, Binderized Medium Nib
Ink: Private Reserve Sherwood Green
Paper: Rhodia dotPad, No. 16, top spiral bound

Notes: This is the second sample I’ve ordered and gone through completely of Private Reserve’s Sherwood Green. It’s a vibrant medium green with amazing shading properties. The bulk of the line does down dark, but the shading is practically neon green. The ink is smooth, and a pleasure to write with. Only thing worth noting is that it can be a bit slow to dry, but taking the extra care is definitely worth it. The shading wasn’t as intense in the Vanishing Point Medium as it was in a Lamy Medium Nib, so your results may vary. Even though it’s close to Pelikan Edelstein Aventurine, they’re two different animals. For the price difference, I would have to recommend the Private Reserve over the Edelstein  because I can’t see having both in your collection as 100% necessary. However, I think I may eventually end up with a bottle of this ink in the near future.

Thanks for reading and enjoy the review!

The Sherwood Green layers up pretty nicely. Usually inks that do that tend to shade well, this ink is no exception.

As you can see, it’s pretty darn close to Pelikan Edelstein Aventurine. The Private Reserve is a bit darker, and the shading is a bit more pronounced.

I probably should have used a different pen. The shading can get even more intense. For best results, try a Lamy Steel Medium.

Nothing too crazy in the doodle section this time. I really, really like this ink though.

Related Posts:

• De Atramentis Fir – Ink Review
• Pelikan Edelstein Aventurine – Ink Review
• Pelikan Souveran M605 – First Impressions

Pen: Lamy 2000, Medium Nib
Ink: Diamine Evergreen
Paper: Rhodia dotPad, No. 16 - Top Spiral Bound

Notes: Well, I guess I need to get myself back in the ol’ photo studio, because I only have green inks photographed and ready to go. ACTUALLY WAIT, THIS WAS TOTALLY ON PURPOSE FOR ST. PATRICK’S DAY! Look at that, a new feature is born, just like that. Anyway, Diamine Evergreen. This is one of the first inks that I had purchased when getting into the fountain pen world. I really liked the idea of having a dark green ink, that could almost pass black, but still have that hint of green in there. Depending on the flow of the pen and the nib, this ink can either look black or very, very dark green. This is an interesting ink because it seems to get greener as time goes by. I’ll write out a few pages, the ink will look black, and then when I go back a few days later, the ink has settled into the page and appears more green. The ink performs well, as do all of the Diamine inks I have tried and own.

Enjoy the review, this one’s another one of my favorites!

Not sure if black…or just really dark green…

Can’t find anything to complain about with this one, it’s definitely a great ink.

In the lighter areas, the real color of Evergreen stands out nicely. I think this one can get away with office use without looking like a crazy person. The comparison inks also bring more of the green out.

Evergreen does shade, but it’s very faint. Once the ink is thoroughly settled into the page, the shading becomes slightly more apparent.

The dark green color of Evergreen nicely compliments Diamine’s Oxblood. They’re in the same family of muted, darker colors, and you can definitely write one depressing Christmas card with the both of them.

Noodler’s Ink – Apache Sunset

Handwritten Review

Pen: Noodler’s Ahab Flex, Fine Nib, Medieval Lapis
Ink: Noodler’s Apache Sunset
Paper: Rhodia dotPad, No. 16 - Top Spiral Bound

Notes: I’ve been wanting to try this ink for quite a while. I don’t know why I waited so long because it’s amazing. There are a few things about the ink that are less than ideal, but they are easily overshadowed by how this ink looks on the page. Orange is actually one of my least favorite colors (not just ink, but everything) but the intense shading from orange to yellow drew me in. The ink performs well, although it’s a bit slow drying. I went a little picture heavy here, because this ink deserves it. Apache Sunset can be a bit difficult to read at times because of the shading. Sometimes the yellow is a bit tough to pick out. But, this isn’t really an everyday writing ink, and it’s right at home in a flex pen. Overall, I liked the ink, and I would definitely consider picking up a bottle. Enjoy the review, the pictures speak more than my words with this one.

Thanks!

Related Reading:

• Noodler’s Cayenne
• All Posts with Noodler’s
• Diamine Ochre – Another Shader