Pelikan Edelstein Topaz Ink Review

Image via JetPens.

Did you know that "Edelstein" is German for gemstone? It is obvious now looking at the color names - Ruby, Sapphire, Jade, Onyx, etc. - but somehow I remained oblivious. Tell me I'm not alone!

Edelstein Topaz is a wonderful shade of blue. It has great depth with lighter shades showing through that make it pop off the page. It has none of the green tones found in many turquoise inks either, which is something I prefer not to see in my bright blues.

What is does have is an excellent sheen, something all Edelstein inks are known for. Topaz has a reddish-purple tone on top of the ink when it dries. It was hard to capture on my writing sample but look at the bottle rim in JetPens picture above and you can barely make it out. That's all it is on the page too. Subtle and beautiful.

While it didn't make my Top 5 fountain pen inks it makes the next five without question. It is silky smooth in all nibs, even fine ones like in my 03 Platinum Plaisir. I ink it up whenever I get the chance.

(JetPens is an advertiser on The Pen Addict and I received this product at no charge.)

Lamy Blue Ink Review

There is no such thing as the perfect blue ink. Some blue inks come pretty close to perfection, but you'll have a need or a desire to try others. It comes with the territory.

I was recently on a crusade to find a favorite blue ink for my fountain pens. I was naive enough to believe that I could settle on just one ink. Now I know better. I ordered many samples from Goulet Pens and had an absolute blast trying them all out. It didn't take long before I realized that I wouldn't be able to settle, and I might be better off just owning all of them. That makes sense, right?

It was through this blue ink voyage that I realized I had never even tried a particular blue ink of which I had several cartridges lying around. Lamy fountain pens generally come with a blue cartridge, but I had never once tried one. I guess I thought it was a "freebie" and it wouldn't be worth trying. When I got around to trying it, I was very pleased to be so wrong.

There's nothing particularly special about this blue, but it's a very steadfast and dependable ink. It won't turn heads and garner complements. It's well-behaved and predictable. In my mind, I think of it as my default, professional blue. And while that might sound boring, it's also a very high complement. Each ink has a purpose, and this one fills a very specific need.

I bought a bottle of Lamy Blue from JetPens on a whim. I was intrigued by the bottle and the tape attached to the bottom, and I knew I didn't want another bottle of black ink, so blue it was!

The bottle is larger than I expected. 50 ml is the same size as my Iroshizuku ink, but the Lamy bottle is larger in order to accommodate the roll of tape on the base. As you'd expect, the bottle works great for filling pens. What more can I say? What I find interesting is the blotter tape. This is extremely handy for cleaning up a pen after filling it. The tape has two sides: an absorbent side and a water-proof side. The absorbent side does an excellent job of soaking up any ink droplets on the pen, while the water-proof side prevents the ink from soaking through to your fingers. You can clean up the pen without staining your fingers!

I've found myself reaching for this tape when I fill pens with other inks, just because it makes the clean-up so much easier than using a tissue or paper towel. I can never manage to fill a pen without getting some ink on my fingers, but maybe I'm just clumsy.

Overall, this is a great everyday ink and the blotter tape is a very useful bonus.

Rohrer & Klingner Scabiosa Review

I don't ever think I have seen a picture of Rohrer & Klingner Scabiosa that accurately reflects what it looks like in person, the above picture included. That is why it took me so long to get on the bandwagon quite honestly. It never looked like a good fit. A sample vial from my friend Thomas changed all of that.

From the very first time I inked it up I was hooked. I talk a lot about products that get everything "just right" and Scabiosa is one of them. The color - a dusty purple with hints of brown and grey - is just right. The amount of shading is just right. The dry time is just right. The ease of cleaning, even for an iron gall ink, is just right.

I like blue black fountain pen inks because they look classic - even historic - on the page. Scabiosa gives that same look. It stands out from the crowd while remaining professional enough to use in any situation. I have been keeping my TWSBI Mini 1.5 mm stub nib inked with it recently as my letter writing pen (this is also the pen used for this review). What a wonderful combination!

I owe everyone a Top 5 fountain pen inks list, which I promise I will get to very soon. Look for Rohrer & Klingner Scabiosa to rank highly when it comes out.

(JetPens is an advertiser on The Pen Addict and I received this product at no charge.)