Montblanc Mystery Black

Fountain Pen Ink

- Handwritten Review -

Pen: Montblanc 149, Medium Nib
Ink: Montblanc Mystery Black
Paper: Rhodia dotPad, No. 16 - Top Spiral Bound

Notes: First thing’s first, I got the bottle of ink through the TRADING POST (a place to host your list of fountain pen goodies that you would like to trade, click the link for more info). A big thank you to Wilfred E. for trading with me, I’m enjoying the ink quite a bit. I’ve heard some not-so-great things about Montblanc inks in general, mainly that they’re expensive for what they are. Since I got this bottle in a trade, the price of the ink doesn’t play into my review too much. The ink performs well, it’s nice and smooth with a good, consistent flow. I take it with a grain of salt when a pen manufacturer says only to use their ink, but I felt like loading up my 149 for the full experience. The lubrication in the ink is supposed to keep the piston in good working order, but I can’t comment on that because this is the first time I’ve had MB ink in my MB pen.

The inkwell that this ink comes in is really, really classy looking. The metal / shiny plastic cap looks great and the shape of the bottle is convenient for filling and looks great on my desk. The only thing that may not be for everyone is the lower saturation. I understand some people like their black inks to look like a void in the universe (myself included), whereas some people prefer black inks that tend to be more grey. This one falls in the middle of the line and is actually capable of some minor shading. There are certainly other options at a lower price point that can achieve pretty much the same results, but then again, they don’t come with the great inkwell (wow, I really didn’t take a picture of it…sorry!). If you’re into Montblanc and like what you see, by all means check it out, but there are certainly better black inks out there for a fraction of the price.

Thanks and enjoy!

Thanks Wilfred! Don’t forget to go check out the Trading Post, there are tons of ink samples, ink bottles, and pens up for trade right now.

MB Mystery Black exhibits some slight shading, this could be a make-or-break characteristic for black ink.

Excuse my poor attempt at a Montblanc logo, those things are tricky.

Here’s a few black inks for comparison. I’ve actually been enjoying the Pilot Iroshizuku take-sumi quite a bit.

Further Reading:

• Noodler’s Borealis Black (another black ink I reviewed)
• Weekly Loadout – 12/10 (if you want to see my Montblanc 149)
• The Trading Post (to get your trade on)

Left to Right:

• Sailor Professional Gear Imperial Black Edition - Fine Nib – Pilot Iroshizuku Take-Sumi
• Parker Vacumatic Major – Grey – Extra Fine Nib – J. Herbin Eclat de Saphir
• Pilot Vanishing Point, Gun Metal / Matte Black - Fine Nib – Pilot Blue Cartridge
• 1950′s NOS Sheaffer Snorkel Admiral – Grey – Medium Nib – Pilot Iroshizuku Kon-Peki
• Lamy Vista – Demonstrator – Extra Fine Nib – Noodler’s Cayenne
• Lamy 2000 - Medium Nib – Parker Quink in Black – Binderized Medium Nib
• TWSBI Vac700 – Smoke Demonstrator – Medium Nib – Pilot Iroshizuku Fuyu-Syogun

Notes: Once again, I’ve been slacking with these posts pretty hard. Honestly I haven’t really been changing pens or inks around too much with my busy schedule. I recently did a mass cleaning of every pen that I have that’s not put away in a box to prepare for the Long Island Pen Show. Something told me that I didn’t need 6 Safaris / Al-Stars loaded up with different ink if I was going to be bringing some new stuff home. Anyway, into the carry… I’ve really been enjoying the Iroshizuku Take-Sumi, it’s a nice dark shade of black with good flow and saturation. It follows suit with the rest of the Iroshizuku line, I just don’t know if I want to spend $20+ on a black ink (again.). Next in line is the Parker Vacumatic, which I picked up at the show. I’ve already written/doodled around 10 pages with this pen and it’s great. The nib is super smooth and provides a small amount of flex. Next up is the Gun Metal / Matte Black VP I picked up from Richard Binder’s table. Since I saw the announcement of the new colorway, I knew I had to have it. I already had an extra nib unit so I opted for body-only. It’s a great pen, I just think I need another nib unit, this time from Richard Binder as opposed to Amazon. Next in line, another pickup from the LI Pen Show, a NOS Sheaffer Snorkel Admiral. This pen looks brand new, and still has the sticker on it. It writes wonderfully and the snorkel works great. Honestly, the only reason I wanted a Snorkel was for the filling mechanism, but this one happens to write great too. Onward to the Lamy Vista. I was lucky enough to be the winner of the Office Supply Geek / Goldspot Pens monthly newsletter giveaway. In the package, I chose the Vista, Noodler’s Cayenne ink, a Rhodia Large Webbie in dotPad, and they were nice enough to throw in some free Ink Journal notebooks. My Lamy 2000 is in rotation because while at the show, I got it adjusted by Richard Binder (Binderized, if you will…) and it writes simply perfect. The flow is great and the nib is smoother than it was before. Overall, the pen performs much better than it did, and I couldn’t be happier with it. Expect a review of the Lamy 2000 this upcoming week. The last pen I’ve been carrying is my new TWSBI Vac700. I was really interested in getting a vac filler and the TWSBI fit the bill. The new JOWO nib writes super smooth and lays down a consistent line. I’m in the process of reviewing this one, so keep an eye out in the coming weeks. Overall, I’m really happy with the all-star lineup I have going on right now. I think all of my needs are covered and I’ll be keeping this configuration for a while. Thanks for reading!

Recent Posts & Reminders:

• My write-up of The Long Island Pen Show along with my haul. (click here for more.)
• A review of Noodler’s Apache Sunset – a high shading orange ink. (click here for more.)
• A review of Montblanc’s Mystery Black – a black ink on the lighter end of the spectrum. (click here for more.)
• I am still taking submissions for your Weekly Loadouts! Click here if you would like to share what you carry!
• The “TRADING POST” is still being populated with lists. The Trading Post is a place where you can submit a list of pen stuff you want to trade, complete with a custom contact form to make life easier!

Bonus Pictures: The TWSBI VAC700 vs. The Sailor Professional Gear Imperial Black

The nibs are roughly the same size (#6).

Now the Sailor is bigger. I had to use a bobby pin to keep the TWSBI from rolling, that’s not a clip or anything!

The nibs look more gold than they really are, courtesy of the sun.

Clairefontaine Classic Side Wirebound

• Manufacturer: Clairefontaine
• Weight: 90g
• Size: A4 (8.25” x 11.75”)
• Number of Sheets: 50 (100 Pages)
• Retail Price: Around $5.00 (USD)

Appearance and Construction

The Clairefontaine Classic Side Wirebound notebook pretty much looks like your basic stationery store notebook. They come in a variety of colors, all having a silver double wire spiral binding on the side. The front and back of the notebook are gloss coated heavy cardstock, which can be a bit flimsy. This could easily pass for your basic $1.50 notebook in Staples in the looks department, but it’s what’s inside that makes this notebook shine. It’s a relatively cheaper notebook, so the bells and whistles are at a minimum. It’s a nice looking notebook, and is by no means an eyesore, but I much prefer the look and feel of a black Rhodia.

Performance and Feel

The paper in this notebook is what I would call extremely fountain pen friendly. Clairefontaine and Rhodia paper are both manufactured by the same parent company, so they use almost the same paper. Rhodia is actually 10g lighter than the Clairefontaine paper used in this notebook, but to me it’s not that noticeable of a difference. Since this paper is slick and smooth, the dry times for the test inks were slightly longer than they would be on standard copy paper. J. Herbin’s 1670 Rouge Hematite took the longest to dry (still not fully dry at 30 seconds) while Sailor’s Kiwa Guro Nano Black had the shortest dry time (around 10 seconds). Every one of the test inks performed as expected on this paper. The nib test showed that nothing feathered, even the 1.5mm stub. There was no feathering across the board and hardly any show through, even in the broader nibs. Overall, the paper performed very well. It provided a nice smooth surface for even the finest nibs. The Lamy extra fine glided effortlessly across the page with minimal drag. In terms of performance and feel, I would rate the Clairefontaine Classic notebook as being fountain pen friendly, even for the widest and wettest nibs.

Show Through / Bleed Through Test

The Clairefontaine Classic notebook performed very well on both the show through and bleed through tests. With all three of the test inks, the show through started between three and four passes and didn’t bleed through and affect the next page until 5 passes. This paper is highly resistant to showing and bleeding, which is great considering it allows you to use both the front and back of each sheet. These results are much better than the standard 20lb copy paper that I also tested. Realistically, most people will never do 4-5 passes of ink in rapid secession like I did on this test, and won’t have to worry about the showing and bleeding of ink. After my tests, I’m confident that this paper will do a great job at holding up to both wet writers and flex nibs. The Clairefontaine Classic passed the tests in this category with flying colors and the evidence is clear on the test scans.

Overall Thoughts and Recommendation

The Clairefontaine Classic notebook does much more than just get the job done. It performed very well on all of the tests it was put through. The only negative thing worth noting is that dry time is going to be a little longer than standard copy paper due to the smooth finish and ink resistant characteristics of this paper. It’s a relatively cheap notebook filled with great paper for fountain pen users. The only area in which it fell a little short for me was the appearance and construction. For around $3.00 more, you can get a Rhodia notebook in the same size, except it has 30 more sheets of paper and a water resistant front and rear cover. The Clairefontaine is still a great notebook at a great price. It’s an excellent way to try out Clairefontaine paper before committing to a more expensive offering from the brand. It’s a huge plus that both sides of a sheet can be used due to its show through resistance. I would definitely recommend picking up one of these notebooks as an introduction to the brand.

Gallery with Handwritten Review Scans:

Hey! Here’s another Weekly Loadout submission, this time from Aleks G.

If you would like to submit your Weekly Loadout of pens, ink, and paper, please share by clicking here!

Submission by Aleks G.
(aleks111 on Instagram)

Aleks’ Description (Left to Right):

• Kaweco AL sport (F) + Sailor Blue-Black
• Sailor ProGear Imp. Black (M) + Sailor Nano Blue-Black
• Pilot Vanishing Point (M) + Noodler’s Purple Heart
• Omas 360° (M) + Montblanc Lavender Purple
• Twsbi Vac700 (M) + Diamine Eau de Nil

Editor’s Note:

WHAT A TERRIBLE LOADOUT. I’m kidding of course, as I have and love 3/5 of these pens in the exact color myself. I also really like three of the inks that you have in there too (Sailor Nano, Purple Heart, and Eau de Nil). I don’t really know what else to say about the loadout, other than that you have really good taste. I have a Kaweco myself (unfortunately not the aluminum version) and I kind of wish I went with the AL-Sport instead of the standard Sport. The Sailor Imperial is a GREAT pen, as is the Vanishing Point. I haven’t spent that much time with my TWSBI Vac700 yet, but so far I’m really liking it.

Thanks for submitting!

If you would like to submit your Weekly Loadout of pens, ink, and paper, please share by clicking here and filling out the form!

Further Reading:

• My review of the Pilot Vanishing Point
• My review of the Sailor Professional Gear Imperial Black
• Weekly Loadout with the TWSBI Vac700

Iroshizuku Ink Mix

- Handwritten Review -

Pen: Lamy Safari, Fine Nib
Ink: Iroshizuku Fuyu-Syogun X Kon-Peki
Paper: Rhodia dotPad, No. 16 - Top Spiral Bound

Notes: I was lucky enough to get an ink mixing kit for Christmas, BUT I was not lucky enough to have two or more inks from the same brand that would mix to make a pleasing color. Something tells me that Diamine Oxblood and Diamine Evergreen wouldn’t make the best of browns. The natural choice was to use my Iroshizuku inks, the idea of a blue-grey sounded good, so I went to work mixing. After some back and forth, I ended up with 3 parts fuyu-syogun and 1 part kon-peki. The result was still very blue, but was muted down a bit. Below, I compared it to Diamine’s Eau de Nil, as that was the closest ink I had to the color that came out of the mix. The mix performed well (just like Iroshizuku usually does) and I didn’t have any problems with clogging or clumping or any of the other bad things that tend to come along with mixing inks. I would recommend trying it out, it’s nice to be able to get another color out of two already expensive inks that I had. It’s almost like it’s stretching them further.

Disclaimer: If you are going to try mixing inks, please do not try in your vintage Montblanc 149 that your great grandfather gave you, maybe try it out in a Lamy Safari (or better yet a Platinum Preppy) first. Even inks of the same brand can not get along, so beware.

Check out my individual reviews of fuyu-syogun(click) and kon-peki(click) so you know what you’re dealing with too!

Comparison with Diamine Eau de Nil. It was the closest color I had handy, but the mix has far less green.

Some really nice shading from this mix.

Like the Iroshizuku inks it came from, this mix layered really nicely. It was easy to achieve a darker color with more passes of the nib.

J. Herbin : Vert Empire Fountain Pen Ink

Pen: Sailor Professional Gear Imperial Black, Fine Nib / Lamy Al-Star 1.1mm Stub
Ink: J. Herbin Vert Empire
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.

I feel like I’m drowning in green inks. Is this a bad thing? I don’t think so. Before receiving a bottle of this ink, I had purchased a sample a while back and remembered enjoying it quite a bit. I can say that I was happy when I got the bottle. Vert Empire isn’t your brightest green, which is a nice thing. It’s not quite as dark as Diamine Evergreen, but has some of the same tones going on. The ink shades pretty nicely and as far as medium-dark green go, this one’s  a winner. As with all of my experiences with J. Herbin, the ink performs well, cleans out nicely (okay, Rouge Hematite doesn’t clean out too easily, but it’s totally worth using), and is an all around good ink. The shade of green isn’t too crazy, and you can probably get away with it in more formal situations, but it can be a bit light on the page with a finer nib. The only thing that leaves something to be desired is the shape of J. Herbin’s small bottles. While I like the shape and the aesthetics of the bottle, function usually wins out over form. They can be a bit hard to fill when the ink level gets low, but hey, that’s what they sell syringes for.

Enjoy the pictures, and check out Exaclair for all your J. Herbin, Rhodia, and Clairefontaine needs.

Some pretty nice shading from this one, I need to check it out in a flex nib.

The Vert Empire builds up on the page nicely. It’s easily darkened with a few passes of the nib.

A bit lighter than Diamine Evergreen and Private Reserve Sherwood Green.

Family portrait.

Related Reading:

• Review of Diamine Evergreen
• Review of Private Reserve Sherwood Green
• Review of Diamine Eau de Nil
• Review of Sailor Pro Gear Imperial Black

After seeing a few different places where people posted their desk setups (FPN and Deskography.org) I figured I would share mine with you. I’ve made several changes to my desk since filming this, and they have worked out really, really well. Check the video below to see the old setup.

Desks don’t have to be crazy-expensive to get the job done or look nice (in my opinion). I sourced the desk from Ikea, and everything came out to well under $100, which certainly isn’t bad considering the amount of desk space I have.

Enjoy the tour, and feel free to post your desks in the comments, I would love to see them!

If you’ve taken the liberty of watching the video, you can see that quite a few things have changed. I added a shelf for ink / skulls / Star Wars stuff above the desk which has come in wildly handy. Having all of that stuff off of the desk adds so much more room on my main surface. I now also run my Macbook Pro in clamshell mode, keeping it closed with the video and audio going out to the new 23″ ASUS IPS monitor. The monitor is on an articulated mount that can swing out into the middle of the desk if need be. I have the audio running out of my monitor into a Denon amplifier and two Paradigm Atom v.4s that get the job done.

I added another section to the desk, from Ikea that matches the exisiting desk for around $30. I used to have a giant old red chair that, but that thing got in the way (don’t worry, it’s in storage). The extra table gives me a place to keep more stuff, but not clutter up my main area. It’s nice to have somewhere to be able to put stuff that I’m working on, but don’t want in my face. You can also kind of see my little stationery cabinet underneath the desk.

I need a proper chair. Also, Darth Vader is full of pens and pencils. The clock is very old, very heavy, and unfortunately very broken.

A sweeping shot of where I spend too much time. I’m pretty psyched that it only took me three full months to hang up my 2013 calendar.

The second add-on table is great, but it can collect junk pretty quickly. My extreme surgical cleanliness kind of went out the window when I got my dog, but I try to keep things as un-cluttered as possible.

The fun part. This is where about 75% of my fountain pen stuff lives. I keep most of my inks on the shelf, and some more in the back of that fake writing slope. I say fake, because when it opens, it does not provide a flat surface to write on. It’s more or less a decorative piece that I custom cut some foam for to securely hold some pens. The pen cup is a bit full, and nothing more valuable than a Safari goes in there. All pen cup overflow is transferred to the Darth Vader bank based on usage.

After living with it for a while,  I think I’m going to cut some new foam. I don’t think I need quite as much space in between pens and I could definitely fit a few more in there with some tighter tolerances. To think, my girlfriend was going to throw this thing out. Keep in mind, I have two four-pen holders that are also both full, and an entire draw full of ink samples, pens I don’t use often, and pen boxes.

Thanks for reading, hopefully you have a bit more insight about me and where 90% of the work that goes into this website happens. If no insight was gained, at least you got to see a whole bunch of pens. I plan on doing a post about pen storage in the future, so look out for that one as well.

Please feel free to leave pictures of your workspace in the comments, I would love to see them!

Related Reading:

• edjelley.com video – The Process
• The TRADING POST reminder
• Lamy 2000 review

Parker Quink – Black

Fountain Pen Ink

- Handwritten Review -

Pen: Lamy 2000, Medium Nib
Ink: Parker Quink – Black
Paper: Rhodia dotPad, No. 16 - Top Spiral Bound

Notes:
Parker Quink has been around for decades, which says a lot about a company. Usually when they’ve been making something for so long, that’s a good sign. While there’s nothing crazy about this ink, it’s a solid performer that gets the job done. Since it’s creation, Parker Quink was advertised as a fast-drying ink that required little maintenance. It’s a smooth writer that flows nicely. I think the saturation could be a bit better and there’s a bit of a greenish tinge to the ink, which I don’t know how I feel about. I prefer my black inks to be black, with no shading. I’ll use a grey if I want some variation, but I like my black to be black. My experience with Parker’s Quink was not bad, but there are definitely other black inks that I would reach for first.

Thanks for reading and enjoy the review!

I swear, that “Q” looked way cooler in my head.

Quink did have some shading going on. Like I mentioned before, I prefer my black inks with no line variation, but this one certainly isn’t bad.

As I’ve been finding with most shading inks, they tend to get darker with more layers. Some inks just go on the page the first time the same as the third time, but this one does get darker with each pass.

Further Reading:

• Noodler’s Borealis Black (another black ink I reviewed)
• Montblanc Mystery Black (yet another black ink review)
• The Trading Post (to get your trade on)

Pen: TWSBI Diamond 540, Medium Nib
Ink: Diamine Soft Mint
Paper: Rhodia dotPad, No. 16 - Top Spiral Bound

Notes:

Wow, I took a lot of pictures for this review. I received a sample of Diamine Soft Mint in this month’s Ink Drop, and I figured it would be a good fit for a demonstrator. Into the TWSBI it went, and out came the review. I feel a bit repetitive at this point, but it performed well like every Diamine I have tried. At this point, I’ve tried dozens of their inks and own several bottles and I can say with confidence that Diamine makes some of my favorite inks. Soft Mint was smooth, had good flow, and there was some nice mild shading in the pen I was using. The only thing I could list as a negative is the name, I’m not a huge fan of “soft mint”, but it does describe the color well. I feel like the dry time was a bit on the slower side, but that all depends on what pen/nib/paper it’s on. While not an everyday color, and not something I’ll be buying a bottle of, I definitely enjoyed my sample. Enjoy the pictures, there’s a lot of them.

‘

Gallery:

Related Reading:

The Comparison Inks:

• Diamine Eau De Nil
• Noodler’s Bad Blue Heron
• J. Herbin 1670: Bleu Ocean

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

Notes:

More pictures, and more Diamine ink this week. I’ve been looking to try out this ink for some time now, and I’m glad I finally did. It’s a heavily saturated medium blue that really jumps off the page. On top of the vibrant color, the ink has a great red sheen to it. I’m getting a similar vibe from this ink as the J. Herbin 1670: Bleu Ocean. The blues are similar, but the red sheen in this one puts it ahead of the pack. I tried my best to capture some of the red sheen in the pictures below, but it’s much more impressive in person. The ink writes super smooth, especially in my Binderized Lamy 2000. There’s a pretty good chance that I’ll end up with a bottle of this. Also, I went a little crazy with the comparison inks, I realized I have way too many blues currently inked up. The only thing worth noting is that due to the high saturation, I suspect this might be a little tricky to clean out. I haven’t done so yet, but I have a hunch. I’m really enjoying the ink so far, it’s definitely worth checking out.

Thanks for reading, and enjoy the review!

Not much on the shading front, but it does make the red sheen more apparent in areas of higher ink buildup.

Sargasso Sea is pretty close in shade to J. Herbin’s 1670 Bleu Ocean and J. Herbin’s Eclat de Saphir. The red sheen puts it ahead of the pack for me though.

So many comparisons…

I tried my best to capture the red sheen. It’s more obvious on the smaller writing and much more impressive/interesting to look at in person.

This ink is capable of being layered upon. Usually that translates to some nice shading, but there really wasn’t much going on. Sargasso Sea is pretty bleed-resistant too, even the third pass didn’t make it to the page beneath.

More attempts at showing off the red sheen. I really messed up that “S”.

Sargasso Sea looks pretty great on super bright Rhodia.

Medium Lamy 2000 nib, Binderized for extra smoothness. The combo of the pen and ink is one that I will be using again.

Gallery:

Related Reading:

The Comparison Inks:

• Diamine Eau De Nil
• Noodler’s Bad Blue Heron
• J. Herbin 1670: Bleu Ocean
• Iroshizuku Kon-Peki
• Lamy 2000 – Fountain Pen Review

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

Notes:
Well, there’s a pretty good chance that if you’re a teacher, and you want to make your students know how bad they did on an exam, nothing says “this is wrong” better than Diamine’s Wild Strawberry. Now, don’t take that comment as a bad thing, because this is a super bright, vibrant red ink that’s well behaved and cleans out relatively easily. It goes on the paper nicely, but it’s very transparent. There’s some shading, but it’s not typical to what you think of when you hear the word shading. It’s a super bright red that is not going to be for everyone, but there’s no mistake that this is pretty much as red as they come. I feel like I’m being repetitive at this point, but as with every Diamine ink I have tried, this stuff has good flow, writes smooth, and is well behaved with no feathering or bleed through on Rhodia. It’s also worth noting that Diamine Wild Strawberry was pretty easy to clean out of the Lamy 2000 I had it in. No staining, and after a few minutes, the water was running clear out of the pen. While I don’t see myself buying an entire bottle of it, it was nice to try out a sample with a few fills worth.

Also, I would like to thank Brad Dowdy (aka The Pen Addict, @dowdyism) for sending me this sample!

Thanks for reading, and enjoy the review.

 Also, if you haven’t heard, I am doing an Ink Sample Giveaway this week,

 there are just over 4 days left, and nearly 200 entries.

 Head over the the Ink Sample Giveaway Post to enter!

Why is my script so sharp today? Weird.

Adding on more layer of the ink didn’t have the biggest effect. It started to bleed at three passes, but keep in mind this was in a Lamy 2000 with very generous flow. The color appears to be darker, but it’s really just more and more thoroughly covering the paper.

A fun ink, but it can be pretty harsh on the eyes when in full-page form.

As you can see, this is a bit brighter and more red than Noodler’s Cayenne. It’s does do a good job at bringing out the red tones in Diamine Oxblood though.

Here’s the “shading”. It’s hard to tell, but it is very slightly darker where the shading should be.

Gallery:

Related Reading:

The Comparison Inks:

• Diamine Oxblood
• Noodler’s Cayenne
• Enter the April 2013 Ink Sample Giveaway!

So, a few months back, Exaclair, the US distributor of Rhodia products contacted me to make some videos for them. A couple dozen notebooks later, here’s the final product. You can check out Rhodia pads here, and Exaclair here! Thank you to Karen and Sunny over at Exaclair for choosing me to do these videos!

Thanks and enjoy!

Related Reading:

• The Process – Video
• Rhodia Classic – No. 16 – Graph
• R by Rhodia – No. 18 – Lined

J. Herbin : Terre de Feu Fountain Pen Ink

Pen: Pelikan Souveran M605 – Fine nib
Ink: J. Herbin Terre de Feu
Paper: Rhodia dotPad, No. 16 - Top Spiral Bound

Pros:

• Unique Color
• Great Shading
• Good Performance

Cons:

• Unique Color
• Bottle Shape

Notes: If you notice that I put “unique color” as both a pro and a con. The ink is definitely a different color from the offerings out there. I didn’t pick this ink out, and it’s not something I usually would. I’m actually pleasantly surprised by how much I’ve been enjoying it though. It’s especially good (due to the great shading) in a Pilot Parallel 3.8mm, the shading is incredible. It also dries nicely on the page. I would call Terre de Feu (Land of Fire) a medium reddish brown. When you translate the name from French, it does a pretty good job of describing the ink. I particularly like this ink on ivory paper, as it cuts down on some of the red and looks almost like a sepia. Like most J. Herbin inks, the performance is good but the bottle is poorly designed. I like the ink quite a bit and use it on a regular basis. Overall, it’s definitely worth checking out.

Thanks for reading, and enjoy the review!

Gets much darker with more passes. The ink layers quite nicely and is a very capable shader.

Not as intense as it is in a broader nib, but for being in a German fine, this shades quite nicely.

This ink compliments my go-to photo background (a tile) pretty well.

The shading doesn’t get in the way of reading what’s written, but it’s still apparent enough to be noticed.

Terre de Feu almost looks like a very watered down Oxblood.

Comparison inks. If anything, it’s closest to the Diamine Oxblood, but much, much lighter.

Gallery:

Related Reading:

• Review of Diamine Oxblood
• Review of Noodler’s Cayenne
• Review of J. Herbin 1670 Rouge Hematite

Noodler’s Ink – Ellis Island
Blue Black

Handwritten Review

Pen: Lamy Al-Star – Graphite – EF nib
Ink: Noodler’s Ellis Island Blue Black
Paper: Rhodia dotPad, No. 16 - Top Spiral Bound

Notes: I should probably stop using EF nibs for ink reviews, but this ink was just so smooth in the Lamy EF that I decided to continue anyway. Noodler’s Ellis Island Blue Black is a Fountain Pen Hospital exclusive ink, so if you like what you see, you know where to go. The color is very interesting for a Blue Black, because this one has a hint of teal. It reminds me a bit of Rohrer & Klingner’s Verdigris, but this ink is a bit darker. The ink also has an interesting smell to it, almost like licorice. Ellis Island Blue Black is nothing crazy, but it’s a good smooth ink. I’ll definitely use up the rest of the sample I have, but it’s just not unique enough to purchase a bottle.

Pros:

• Very smooth in EF nib
• Unique color

Cons:

• Nib Creep

Related Reading:

• Submit your article for the June Carnival of Pen, Pencil, and Paper here!
• Other Noodler’s Ink Reviews
• TWSBI Vac 700 Fountain Pen Review

Hey! Here’s another Weekly Loadout submission, this time from Chris S.

If you would like to submit your Weekly Loadout of pens, ink, and paper, please share by clicking here!

Submission by Chris S.

Chris’ Description (Left to Right):

• Lamy Safari Green : Lamy Turquoise : 1.1 stub nib
• Platignum Studio Lime green : Noodlers Dragons Napalm M nib
• Pelikan 140 : Akkerman South Forest Green O nib
• Pilot 78G Green : Noodler’s X Feather B (stub) nib
• Noodler’s Ahab Orange : Diamine Imperial Purple Flex nib
• Faber Castell Basic Carbon Fibre : Mont Blanc Toffee Brown M nib
• FP Revolution Dilli Blue : Akkerman Deep Sea Blue M nib
• Jinhao 186 Silver hatch : Pilot Apricot Regular nib
• Paper: Pukka Pad 80gm Vellum

Favorite Combo:

•  Pelikan 140 – Forest green, so retro!

Least Favorite Combo – Did something just not click? :

• Noodlers ahab, still struggling with scratchy flex nib

Editor’s Note:

Here’s a bunch of nice pens I really don’t have much experience with! I have a ton of Safaris (Apple Green LE included) that I use on a daily basis, and love. There’s no way I could hate on that old Pelikan, it looks great, and I’m a bit jealous of the oblique nib. I haven’t tried a 78G yet, but I hear good things! I totally agree with you on the least favorite Ahab, I finally got mine to write decently, but it was more of a hassle than anything and I can’t say I’m the biggest fan. I like your choice in inks, and the different nibs really balance this loadout.

Great pens, thanks for submitting!

If you would like to submit your Weekly Loadout of pens, ink, and paper, please share by clicking here and filling out the form!

Further Reading:

• My most recent Weekly Loadout
• Noodler’s Ellis Island Blue Black – Ink Review
• My review of the Sailor Professional Gear Imperial Black

Rhodia Large Webnotebook

-Handwritten Review-

Specs: 

• 5.5″ x 8.25″ (A5)
• Lined ruling
• 90g ivory, acid free, ph-neutral paper
• 96 sheets (192 pages)
• Pocket inside back cover
• Leatherette Cover with elastic closure
• ~$25.00 USD

Review Supplies: 

• Lamy 2000 – Medium Nib
• Pilot Iroshizuku Fuyu-Syogun 

Notes: Let me start by saying how much I love this notebook…a lot. Rhodia is without a doubt my favorite paper for fountain pen use, and the way this notebook looks is just icing on the cake. The combination of the great looks, convenient size, durability and great paper make this notebook a no brainer. Between writing the review and formatting it here, I’ve acquired another Rhodia Large Webbie (orange cover, dotPad ruling). This has the same paper as the R by Rhodia pad I previously reviewed, which is really good stuff. Check out that review HERE to compare/contrast/read! Thanks and enjoy the review!

*The pictures I took of this notebook make the paper look slightly more yellow than it really is. This paper is not white, but more of a darker ivory, see the R by Rhodia review for a more accurate color depiction*

Appearance and Construction:
I opted for the large Webbie in black. It’s available in orange as well, but if you haven’t noticed my preference for all-black everything, just check out a few other posts and it will become evident. The cover of the Rhodia Webnotebook is a soft-touch leatherette that feels great. The notebook has some weatherproof qualities, which is nice. This notebook will definitely survive a trip through the rain outside of a bag without getting all wavy and warped like cardboard/cardstock tends to get. An important part of the construction of the notebook is how it lays flat. Many bound notebooks have problems laying flat on a writing surface, making it hard to write in. There is no such problem with the Webbie. Another nice touch is the ribbon in the binding that’s used to keep your place in the notebook. The placeholder makes the notebook open up nice and easy to the intended page without being so long that it hangs out of the notebook. The size of the notebook makes it great for throwing in a bag, but not taking up the entire thing. There’s a small enough footprint to where it doesn’t take up too much valuable bag space and it’s constructed well enough to last a long while.

Performance and Feel:
Across it’s entire line, Rhodia is probably the most fountain-pen friendly paper out there. I’ve tried countless Rhodia products and all of them perform great. Most Rhodia products have their 80g bright white paper with violet ruling, however, the Webnotebooks have 90g ivory paper with grey ruling. It’s hard to judge the performance difference between 80g and 90g paper, but both perform well with no bleeding or showthrough with most inks. The lack of bleed/show makes every page of this notebook usable, which is great if you want to get the most out of your notebooks. The paper is very smooth, especially with the gold-nibbed Lamy 2000. Dry time on Rhodia is a bit longer than standard copy paper, but the end result is definitely worth the wait.

Color & Ruling:
From the R by Rhodia review: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 Rhodia Large Webnotebook is a great notebook. It’s solid construction and durable cover combined with the great paper make it a great addition to my collection of paper and notebooks. The 90g paper is a nice departure from Rhodia’s standard bright white. The light grey ruling is easy on the eyes too. It’s really hard to find something about this notebook that I don’t like. I haven’t had any complaints, and I’m about a quarter of the way through the notebook. The Rhodia Webnotebook is available in three different rulings (lined, dot, and blank) in either black or orange, in either large or small sizes. The wide array of configurations are sure to appeal to everyone. I’m really enjoying my Webbie, and I couldn’t recommend it more, especially if you’re a fan of Moleskine notebooks, but want to actually be able to write in them with a fountain pen without making a feathery mess.

Thanks for reading!

Related Reading:

• R by Rhodia No. 18 Notepad Review 
• Clairefontaine Classic Pad Review
• Rhodia No. 16  Graph Pad Review

 
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.

Rohrer & Klingner Alt-Goldgrun

Handwritten Review

Pen: Lamy 2000, Binderized Medium Nib
Ink: Rohrer & Klingner Alt-Goldgrun
Paper: Rhodia dotPad, No. 16 - Top Spiral Bound

Notes: Pea Soup? Bile? I don’t know. I’ve this ink twice and I still don’t know how I feel about it. It performs well on Rhodia, but lesser-quality papers tend to feather and bleed quite a bit. I like how the ink looks on nice paper, and it dried nicely on the page. No hate towards R&K as a brand, but they have some borderline ugly inks. They also have some really nice ones (like Verdigris and Verdura). This color definitely isn’t for everyone, but if you’re looking for a unique ink with nice shading, then definitely check it out and make sure you have some good paper on hand. Another thing worth noting is that the ink is pretty thin (watery?) but when it’s in a pen with a smooth nib, you can really appreciate the nib.

Thanks for reading!  

Also: All of the images in the review are clickable, and come up supersized. It takes up a lot of storage, but it’s worth seeing everything nice and close up!

Certainly a unique ink.

Nice shading all around.

Here’s some exaggerated shading (more pressure on the nib).

Smudge on the “o” – dry time isn’t that bad though, I should have been more careful.

Layered the heavier lines in the cursive section, the ink layers nicely resulting in a darker green color.

Very similar to Franklin Christoph’s new Olde Emerald ink.

Related Reading:

• June 2013 Carnival of Pen, Pencil and Paper
• Rhodia Large Webbie Review
• J. Herbin Terre de Feu Review

After responding to a thread on Reddit in the fountainpen subreddit (reddit.com/r/fountainpens), I decided to do a little breakdown of my opinion on Noodler’s Black inks. While there are several other resources and scattered reviews out there, I figured it would help out to have a few thoughts all in the same place with the inks on the same page. I have a hard time reviewing black inks in depth because I’ve already found my go-to black (Sailor Kiwa-Guro Nano Black), which reminds me, I should really do a review of that. Anyway, here’s some quick thoughts on the differences between the four most talked about Noodler’s blacks!

After looking through my ink sample drawer, I found that I had some Dark Matter, Heart of Darkness, Borealis Black and X-Feather. Here’s an album of some quick swatches I made dipping a Lamy Safari Broad Nib:

The Dark Matter is definitely more of a very dark grey-black with some nice shading. I really like this ink in an extra fine nib. It’s nice when you don’t want a black that’s too dark. I’ve gone through several samples of this ink, but after owning a few different blacks, and a few grey inks, I deemed purchasing a bottle as unnecessary (for me at least).

Noodler’s X-Feather is definitely not my favorite. It’s a dark black that was meant to not feather on lesser-quality papers. I’ve had it feather on Rhodia, which is definitely not preferable. Nothing really unique about the color, it’s just kind of black. Probably my least favorite of the bunch due to the weird qualities. I usually don’t write on non-fountain pen friendly papers so this ink wouldn’t see much use, although keep in mind your mileage may vary.

Heart of Darkness is supposed to be the darkest, but it’s really hard to tell the difference between that and the X-Feather. There is a bit of a different sheen to this ink though when compared to the other three. Definitely a good, solid, dark black that’s available in a nice, big bottle.

Borealis Black (check my review here) is similar in shade to the X-Feather, but with no sheen like the Heart of Darkness. The ink is definitely the smoothest writing out of the four, but I wasn’t thrilled with the performance. Check the review to see more about this ink.

Thanks for reading, hope this could help some of you out there trying to choose a Noodler’s black!

P.S. – A big milestone on this blog is coming up really soon, and I have something really cool to give show you!

Seven Seas
Tomoe River Paper Pad

-Handwritten Review-

Specs: 

• 6.5″ x 9.8″ (B5)
• Blank Ruling
• 52gsm, ultra light, cream colored paper
• 100 sheets
• Red, heavy cardstock cover, bound with glue.
• Easily removable pages
• $12.99 USD from Nanami Paper (no affiliation, but fast shipping and nicely packaged!)

Review Supplies: 

• Pilot Vanishing Point, Gun Metal/Matte Black, Fine Nib
• De Atramentis Silver Grey
• Various other ink / nib tests

Notes: Well…this paper is really, really great. Like, may be my new favorite paper great. This review is going to be more focused on the paper inside rather than how it’s put together. The pad is simply 100 sheets of this great paper, glued to some cardboard with some unmarked red cardstock protecting it. Ultimately, it gets the job done and protects the delicate paper inside. I hope you enjoy the review as much as I’m enjoying this paper, it’s just that great. It’s been a while since I’ve tried any new paper that was this good, and now I need more. Thanks for reading, and enjoy!

I placed a heavy sheet of white paper behind these, so the review could be read more easily. If you look in the pictures below, you’ll see the page behind it showing through.

Appearance and Construction:
Like I mentioned above, this review is not really about the appearance and construction, because they could both use some work. It’s a notepad in it’s most basic form, and I have absolutely no problem with that because of what’s inside. I’m fairly confident that the binding will hold up for the life of the paper, but it’s a bit fragile and I would be careful about willy-nilly throwing it into a bag. I like the blank red cover, and it has a nice texture to it too. Other than what I’ve mentioned, it’s a simple looking pad that’s very unassuming until you try out what’s inside.

Pretty basic in terms of appearance, but I like the lightly textured red cover.

The cardstock ends, and the cardboard begins. Basic construction here; this pad may not be the best for traveling.

Oh, the paper.

Performance and Feel:
Here is what sets this pad apart…the paper. The Seven Seas notepad is filled with Tomoe River paper that is absolutely great. Tomoe River nailed it in terms of smoothness and fountain pen friendliness. This 52gsm (very light, Rhodia is 80gsm, Clairefontaine, 90gsm) paper is really a fountain pen’s best friend. The paper is so thin and light, yet nothing feathers or bleeds through. Yes, there is quite a bit of show through, but it doesn’t even matter to me. The smoothness of the paper is remarkable too. It has the perfect amount of texture that allows you to feel the nuances of the nib when you are writing. This paper is a MUST try. It reminds me of a lighter weight cross between Leuchtturm, Maruman, and Rhodia. The only thing about using the paper that is worth mentioning is that it is fragile. I would recommend placing a thicker sheet of paper under the one you’re writing on, as to not damage the paper underneath. For this review, I cut a piece of Rhodia graph paper to fit the notepad, and used the lines as a writing guide.

You can see the page behind this one, which I happen to like. After spending more time with the Leuchtturm Jottbook (that kind of has the same see through effect) I like it.

Some basic dry times. Sailor may be a bit long due to the fact that it doesn’t absorb into the page. Good dry times on the Iroshizuku and Noodler’s (considering the Noodler’s is in a super wet, Binderized medium).

Color & Ruling:

The Tomoe River paper is a nice light cream color with no ruling. The color of the paper nicely compliments all of the inks I’ve tried, but it may not be the case for others. Since the paper is so thin, it’s very transparent. This makes it very easy to print out a guide sheet, use some graph paper, or even regular lined paper. Since the transparency of the paper allows for the use of guidelines, you can print one out that’s custom to your liking. Boom. Instant customizable ruling. This paper keeps getting better. It’s not common that you come by a paper that has transparent qualities that plays nice with a fountain pen.

A sheet of Rhodia 5mm graph paper underneath the sheet that’s to be written on.

Back of the page. No bleed through in sight, even with a 3.8mm Pilot Parallel. I’m thoroughly impressed.

Overall Thoughts and Recommendation:
I really appreciate that you’ve made it to the end of the review without leaving to go buy some of this paper. It’s really that good, and I can’t stress that enough. It’s an absolute joy to write on. This is a paper that I’m going to always have to have on hand, and it will have a permanent spot on my desk. Since this paper isn’t just tied down to one brand, I hope it makes its way out there into other formats and notebooks. I can’t wait to see what notebook companies do with it and I’m excited to hopefully see different rulings, other formats, and notebooks this great paper shows up in.

Thanks for reading!

Related Reading:

• Brad Dowdy (The Pen Addict) reviews Tomoe River Paper
• Azizah Asgarali (FP Geek / Gourmet Pens / Feline Enthusiast) reviews Tomoe River Paper

Pen: Parker Sonnet Cisele – EF Nib
Ink: Diamine Denim
Paper: Rhodia dotPad, No. 16 - Top Spiral Bound

Reminder: Today is the last day to enter to win a new Pilot Prera, courtesy of Goldspot Pens!

Head over to this post to enter.

Notes:
Another Diamine review, another one of my favorites. Overall, I think Diamine is my favorite brand of ink. There. I said it. Diamine is my favorite. Every ink I’ve tried, purchased, and seen has been great. They’re super well behaved, clean out easily, and there are more than enough color choices to please practically everyone. Diamine’s Denim is no different, and does not disappoint. This is definitely one of my favorite inks that I do not yet have a bottle of. I’ve gone through three samples, and I think it’s time. After being drawn in by the name, I knew I had to have it. The subtle shading of this dark blue ink is reminiscent of a pair of nice japanese denim that’s just starting to fade. There are slight hints of light blue, and where it’s dark, it’s dark. I really like this ink, and after typing up this review, I think I’m going to go order some.

Pros:

• Name

• Great Color

• Super Smooth

Cons:

• None!

Gallery:

Related Reading:

• LAST DAY TO ENTER TO WIN A PILOT PRERA!
• Diamine Soft Mint
• Pilot Iroshizuku Kon-Peki Review
• After 100 Posts – Top posts, commenters, referrers!