Standard Bindery Road Trip Ink Review

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

Like a lot of you, it's been weeks since I've really been outside to enjoy nature and take in the scenery of spring. If it's not raining, I've either been working or just too bummed out by the news to bother going for long strolls to enjoy the weather. In times like these, it's great to keep a stash of happy things nearby to inspire some hope and remembrance of the good things. These things are typically small, but small things matter!

In this case, the little push of positivity I needed came in the form of Standard Bindery's Road Trip ink. I've always enjoyed using green inks — mostly for their ability to embody feelings of spring-time and renewal. Road Trip does exactly that, and I'm really grateful for it. It's like a taste of spring on paper.

I haven't used any Standard Bindery inks before, so I was really eager to try it out and put to the test. From Australia, Standard Bindery is a fairly small production that only offers six inks at the moment. If the other five inks are anything like this one, then these folks really know what they're doing.

Road Trip is an electric green that reminds me of fresh grass stains. It's not quite lime, and it's also light enough to carry a lot of joy. Darker greens have their place, but they're a lot more subdued and reserved on the page. And, minty colors are nice, but they're also a bit cooler with their blue hues. This green has plenty of yellow mixed in with it, and I think that's what allows the sunshine to come through and make it look like this ink is glowing a bit. In my book, the color is awesome.

Another feature that I love about this ink is the shading. There are some beautiful shades in this ink that range from medium green to a sparkly light green that looks like fresh cilantro. The range of greens is so refreshing, and I'm delighted whenever I see the variation of colors on my different papers.

I don't normally hold the "dry time" of an ink in high regard (I have right-handed privilege, and I'm so sorry...), but I definitely take notice when an ink exhibits quicker than ordinary dry times. Road Trip caught my attention because it seemed to dry almost instantly. After getting the stopwatch ready, I discovered that most strokes were dry to the touch in around ten seconds. Darker spots with more ink were dry in 15 or 20 at the most. In terms of fountain pen inks, and certainly paired with a 1.1mm stub nib, this is incredibly fast!

Feathering and bleeding is non-existent on my Rhodia, Leuchtturm, and Clairefontaine paper, and it's not bad on normal paper either. Overall, it's a great performer in all respects! From what I can tell, the ink is also well-balanced when it comes to flow and lubrication. It feels smooth in the pens I've tried it with, and the flow is great. I haven't had any problems with hard starts, skipping, or dryness.

Obviously, this ink basically disappears if it gets too wet, but that's not surprising for such a light green. It's dye-based, so it won't wash away entirely, but you won't be able to read the smudges if it's exposed to much water (like a water glass spill).

Road Trip is available from Vanness Pens for a little over twenty bucks (when it's in stock). These are really popular inks, so it can be hard to find! Even though this is a tad expensive, keep in mind that you get 60ml in the bottle, which is a little more than other comparable inks in terms of price. Of course, you can also opt for a small sample before going all in on a bottle.

If you need a pick-me-up for the quarantine blues, give the Road Trip green a try. It's sure to lift your spirits!

(This ink was purchased from Vanness Pens at a discount.)

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Posted on May 6, 2020 by Jeff Abbott and filed under Standard Bindery, Ink Reviews.

Esterbrook Camden Composition Fountain Pen Giveaway

We have a good one today readers, courtesy of my friends at Kenro Industries. They just released the Esterbrook Camden Composition Fountain Pen, which is a fun throwback in style to the composition notebooks of my youth. So here is the deal: They sent me two pens - one in Back to School Black, one in Spring Break Fluorescent Green. The winner will get to pick the barrel color of their choice, and I will keep and review the one not picked in the future. So, read the rules below, and enter away!

If you would like to check out the Esterbrook Camden Composition, you can see them at site sponsors Goldspot and Pen Chalet.

Posted on May 5, 2020 by Brad Dowdy and filed under Esterbrook, Giveaways.

Montegrappa Elmo Fantasy Blooms Blue Cross Gentian Fountain Pen Review

The Montegrappa Elmo is one of “those” pens. No, not the ones with the interminably long names, but rather, one of the ones that lands in the $150-$200 price range that I have been discussing so much recently.

While the Montegrappa Elmo Fantasy Blooms Blue Cross Gentian Fountain Pen might be the new product name length record holder, it’s also a heck of a good pen.

I’ve had my Elmo inked up and in use for several weeks to get a good feel for it, and I’m having a hard time coming up with a narrative thread to weave in this review. That’s a good thing, because that means that it just works. It looks great, feels great, and writes as well as any other out of the box experience I’ve had.

The standout feature of the Fantasy Blooms series is the materials used. I chose the vivid Blue Cross Gentian - named after a plant with vibrant blue flowers - but Iris Yellow and Black Star Calla Lilly are equally as bright and fun.

Based on the product images, I thought the Blue Cross Gentian would have more purple in it, but there are only a few swirls present. I noticed that Ana’s was almost identical to mine. I’m good with that because of how unique this material is. It’s more of an overhead shot of the Caribbean Sea, with the Mariana Trench added in for good measure. It’s a great look.

The Montegrappa Elmo has a great feel too. This model was first introduced in the early 1900’s, and enjoyed a long run as one of Montegrappa’s most popular every day writing instruments. The Elmo made its way back into the lineup in 2019 with a basic black barrel, but the standout of the return are certainly these Fantasy Bloom editions.

If there is one particular thing to consider when purchasing this pen it’s that the section is not overly long, so the back side of your fingers on the grip will rest on the barrel transition. That part of the pen is metal, but it is rounded and smooth. I have a low grip on most pens so it is a non-issue for me, but it is something to think about if you grip the pen higher on the section.

The steel Extra Fine nib in my Elmo, manufactured by Jowo, was wonderful out the box, and continues to be great the more I write with it. It’s firm, and surprisingly wet for a steel EF. I inked up this pen with Kobe NOLTY 70th Anniversary Blue, so it could be the ink that is responsible for this wonderful flow. Whatever it is, I’ll take it.

And I’ll take the Montegrappa Elmo, now, and in the future. At $200, it bumps right up against the ceiling of my new favorite price point, but this is a new realm for Montegrappa. I was a fan of the brand already, but if they continue to dedicate catalog space in this price point there will be more Montegrappa pens in my future.

(I purchased this pen at a discount from Vanness Pens.)

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