Posts filed under Diamine

Cult Pens + Diamine Maureen and Robert Iridescink Review

(Note: I'm not sure I've had a harder time accurately capturing two ink colors than these. It was challenging, and I'm still not happy with the results. No matter the lighting setup, I never fet I did them justice. YMMV.)

Over the past year or two I have taken a passive stance on two of the most popular ink trends: Shimmer and sheen. While I have admired them from afar, I haven’t wanted to use them myself. I’m not a big risk taker when it comes to fountain pen inks, although the siren’s call of their results on the page is breaking me down.

If I am going to head down one of these two shiny paths, sheen seems to be more my thing. And when I saw the first pictures of the new collaboration from Cult Pens and Diamine, I knew I was done for. Maureen and Robert are the ones for me.

Just look at the stock pictures and you will see why I am so enamored. The purple ink of Robert has a beautiful greenish-gold sheen, and Maureen’s deep and saturated blue ink pops with red. And these are not passive, slightly on the edge of the line, sheens. They are full-bore, 50-75% coverage sheens, if not more.

The kicker with these inks is do you like this type of effect when writing? Some people live for it. Others can do without. Big sheening inks have never been a priority for me because of my use of primarily extra fine nibs. Finer lines inherently don’t show off the ink properties as well, but Maureen and Robert are here to change my mind.

I inked up Maureen in my Pelikan M805 Ocean Swirl with an EF nib. This nib is essentially a Japanese Broad in line width, so I knew it would show off most of the ink properties, and it did. This is a rich, saturated blue, and I immediately though of Parker Penman Sapphire. Maureen may be a shade darker, but the way this ink behaves is awfully similar.

Robert was put into use in my Pilot Falcon. I purposely chose this soft fine nib to see how the ink would perform, and I have to say, it’s better than I thought. It may be the two nib choices, but I assumed I would prefer Maureen over Robert. I assumed incorrectly, as I’m enjoying the purple and green sheen out of the Falcon nib more.

To get the full effect of the sheen, you need to use a coated paper - like Rhodia - or the magic capabilities of Tomoe River. Basically, a paper where the ink takes longer to dry than is sometimes acceptable. That is the tradeoff to get the beautiful sheen of these inks to pop. Using them on a faster-drying paper like Leuchtturm deprives you of the main feature of these inks.

With specialty inks like this, my main concern is: “Will I be able to use these for more than special occasions?” For Maureen and Robert, undoubtedly yes. I’ve enjoyed general every day writing with them, but I do make sure to use Rhodia for the most part. When I’ve used them on my favorite Nock and Studio Neat notebooks I haven’t enjoyed them nearly as much. I think you may even be able to get away with these in an office environment - if you bring your own paper.

Finally, and as I mentioned on the podcast recently, I have a soft spot for fun names, and fun stories about how they came to be. Fountain pen inks named Maureen and Robert? Sign me up!

There are many factors to consider when making a buying decision, and these inks tick all of my boxes. They are fun, functional, innovative, and have a great story behind them. They are also priced well, at £9.50 in the UK, or approximately $10.50 per 80ml bottle, minus the VAT. Big thanks to Cult Pens for send these my way for review.

(Cult Pens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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Posted on October 22, 2018 by Brad Dowdy and filed under Diamine, Ink Reviews.

Diamine Arctic Blue Ink Shimmering Ink Giveaway

I did it. I inked up a shimmer ink yesterday, and I liked it! I know many of you already use them, and some of you are interested, so let’s give one away! This Diamine Arctic Blue is a tempting color, and a good place to start with shimmer. I have one bottle to give away to the winner of this giveaway, so read the rules below and enter away!

Posted on July 3, 2018 by Brad Dowdy and filed under Diamine, Giveaways.

Diamine Earl Grey Fountain Pen Ink Review

(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)

(Update: I had no idea the Reddit community /r/fountainpens collaborated with Diamine to make this ink. How cool is that? Read more about it here.)

As we begin to leave winter behind, gray inks may not be what you’re looking for, but they definitely help the spring colors stand out. And, who doesn’t love a good cup of earl grey tea? With Earl Grey, Diamine have created a beautiful gray ink that is delightful to use, even when spring is in the air.

When I first received this ink and looked at the name, I naturally associated it with the color of tea. I was a bit surprised when I got out a sample to swap and saw a beautiful gray swim across the page. While earl grey tea is certainly brown, this ink is certainly not. Gray inks tend to fascinate me at certain times due to the number of colors hidden beneath the surface that make gray what it is. Is it on the blue side? More green or brown? Or maybe it’s an off-black? These subtle characteristics in hue grab my eye and make the color endlessly enjoyable.

Like almost every other Diamine ink I’ve used, this is a well-behaved, predictable ink that flows well, washes out easily, and has nice characteristics. As an added bonus, it also dries really quickly. In my tests with a 1.1mm stub nib, it often dries in under ten seconds, and certainly by fifteen. In the pen, the flow is smooth and well-lubricated, there are no unexpected starting problems or other oddities. It performs well, just as I’d expect from a Diamine ink.

When I look at this ink on the page, I see more of a blue or green tint in the light. Compared with Iroshizuku fuyu syogun, which is more of a purple tint, it has a warm and inviting tone that works well in business or office settings, but really shines when paired with a wide nib. It’s on the medium to dark side, but the shading adds some lighter variations that are pleasant.

What really makes this color pop for me is the wide range of shading it exhibits. This is also the same reason that I love the fuyu syogun ink so much. I really enjoy shading in gray inks, and there’s plenty of it with Earl Grey. On top of that, I’ve noticed a slight amount of sheen on top of the dried ink in certain light. It’s not a stand-out feature, but you can see it if you’re looking for it.

Overall, I’ve been really pleased with this ink. It’s a lovely color that shades nicely and behaves well in my pens. Add on the bonus of a fast dry time, and you’ve got a nearly unbeatable combination provided you enjoy the color. Diamine offer this in two sizes: 30ml or 80ml bottles for around $8 and $16, respectively. It’s a great value, and I highly recommend it if you’re interested in the color.

(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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