Platinum Blue Black Ink Review

Platinum Blue Black is an ink I should have loved right out the gate, but it has taken me some time to come to grips with it. There is nothing inherently wrong with the ink. It flows well, dries fast, has some shading, and is a nice color. But it's not a blue black, and that bothered me more than it should.

Do you ever get hung up on something silly like that? I'm my own worst enemy when it comes down to the minutia of things. I've talked about my eye-opening experience with tip sizes recently and the enjoyment I am getting from branching out. I need to apply that type of thinking more often.

Like in the case of Platinum Blue Black. Despite high recommendations, I have barked about it in the past about not being a blue black ink, but almost a traditional blue or even royal blue instead. I don't even consider it a dark blue. But does it matter? If you ask me for a blue black ink recommendation I'll never mention this one but if you ask me for a good blue ink it ranks pretty highly for all of those reasons I stated in the first paragraph.

In fact, once I got over being a dummy about this ink I have committed to using it full time. In cartridge form. In my Kikyo Blue Nakaya Piccolo. Call me insane, but it seems like a perfect fit and I have been enjoying this combo for a month now, with no end in sight.

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

Organics Studio Blue Merle Ink Review

I didn't go to this years Atlanta Pen Show with much of a shopping list but one ink was definitely on the radar: Organics Studio Blue Merle. I assumed the Anderson's would have it at their table, and with an exchange of American currency a bottle was mine.

Organics Studio bills Blue Merle as a recreation of vintage Carter's ink. I'll admit I have no idea what Carter's ink is/was, but the goal was to create an ink with very few ingredients that behaves well and is easy to clean. In my testing so far, all of these things are true.

What drew me to Blue Merle, of course, is that is a blue black ink. Yet another one added to my collection! Blue Merle leans heavy on the grey side of the spectrum, making for a nice rain cloud type of color. Grey is one color I can handle in my blue black inks and this one is nice.

The behavior of this ink is a huge selling point. It flows great (I used my Pilot Custom Heritage 92 with a bold CI nib), shades wonderfully, dries reasonably fast, and cleans well. I've used it in a range of pens so far and have had zero issues wherever I have tried it.

In the grand scheme of things, Blue Merle probably will not crack my Top 5 blue black inks, but that's not a mark against it. It is a fun ink that is in the rotation often and always provides a great writing experience.

Organics Studio Edgar Allen Poe Ink Review

Say hello to one of my new favorite inks. Edgar Allen Poe is part of the Masters of Writing Series from Organics Studios. This is my first time trying any inks from Organics, and I'll definitely be trying more after this. In short, this is a dark red, bloody ink that can be used in most occasions, behaves well, and just looks awesome.

I was given a sample of this ink by Joe Lebo, a gentleman extraordinaire (Thanks, Joe!). He sent a couple of other samples as well, but the E.A. Poe sample was a surprise. Joe has great taste.

So, how does this ink perform? It's been fantastic in the few pens I've tried and I've had no complaints so far about how it behaves on paper. Let's get into the details.

The color is subtle, but deep. At first glance, you know it's a deep red with some brown hints, but then you start to notice the character. It's similar in color to a lot of the oxblood inks out there. If you like dark reds, you'll probably like this.

In the pens I tried, this ink had very good flow. It's a tad wet, but it doesn't create pools of ink when writing slowly. It's right in the middle of the scale for me. I haven't seen any bleeding with this ink, and show through is minimal. There's no sheen to the ink once it dries, which is a shame because it looks better when it's wet. This ink dries with a nice color though, unlike some inks that dry lighter or less saturated than when they are wet.

A favorite quality of the ink for me is the shading. There isn't a ton of shading -- it's subtle, but I love it. Dark red to lighter red and brown, and sometimes just a hint of pink in some situations. It's a lovely characteristic, and it does well in special nibs (stubs, italics).

Overall, this is a great ink. It's well-behaved and has great characteristics. It's a new favorite for sure!

If you're interested in trying this ink yourself, Goulet and Anderson both stock full bottles as well as samples. At somewhere around $14 for a 55 ml bottle, that's a pretty good value. It's not cheap, but it's also not expensive. Definitely worth it.

I'll be purchasing a bottle of E.A. Poe as well as a few more samples from Organics very soon.