Van Dieman's Wilderness Series Ink: Devil's Kitchen Review

Van Dieman's is a totally new ink maker to me, and before I received several sample vials from Vanness to try out, I had never heard of them. It's fascinating now to see so many small ink shops popping up around the world offering so much variety and vitality to the fountain pen ink market. It was tough to pick one to start, so I really just picked one at random and came out with Devil's Kitchen — part of the Wilderness Series.

The Wilderness Series is a collection of ten inks that are, in the words of the creator, inspired by the "majestic, beautiful and ofttimes humbling wonders that await in the Tasmanian wilds." The description of Devil's Kitchen had me itching to try it out in a pen.

The Devil’s kitchen, where The Great Southern Ocean smashes into scattered inlets lining the Eagle Hawk Neck cliff face on the eastern side of the Tasman Peninsular, creating a violent churn and the rich vibrantly cool teal which inspires this colour. Tasmania’s wilderness of this caliber is breath-taking.

With a description like that, I can't decide if I want to try out the ink or plan a trip to Tasmania to see this in person.

Since traveling is a joke right now, I guess my decision is an easy one. Devil's Kitchen is a lovely dark teal with a great deal of green covering up slight hints of blue. There's a good amount of shading, but not so much to be dramatic. It's well-behaved and would look great on business papers and journals alike. Using this ink has been really enjoyable because of the slight amount of drama the murky shading adds to the page.

The ink is dye-based, which makes it more robust than your typical fountain pen inks. Despite that, the ink is still very well lubricated and flows quite nicely. I haven't had any issues with dry starts or scratchy nibs. Even after being capped for a while in a pen that usually has trouble regardless of what ink I'm using, it does just fine starting after being dormant for a few days.

There's no shimmer in this ink, but there's a rare sheen that I've only noticed a couple of times in areas that the ink has a chance to pool up significantly. The sheen is hard to detect, requiring perfect lighting and near impossible conditions — but it's there if the conditions are perfect.

I've really enjoyed using this ink over the past couple of weeks. I didn't expect much because I had never heard of Van Dieman's before, but the name has quickly rocketed to the top of my list. A 30ml bottle costs $12.95 from Vanness, but you can also pick up a small sample vial for under $3 if you're unsure. If, like me, you haven't heard of Van Dieman's yet, make sure to add it to your list when you're next in the mindset to do some ink shopping.

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

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Posted on March 10, 2021 by Jeff Abbott and filed under Van Dieman's, Ink Reviews.

Staedtler Pigment Liner Pens and Uni Alpha Gel Mechanical Pencil Giveaway

I have a TON of awesome stationery that I haven’t cracked open yet. I give a lot of it away on Twitch each week, but there is even more where that came from. This week, one winner will take home both the Staedtler Pigment Liner Marker Pen - 0.3 mm - 6 Light Color Set and a Uni Alpha Gel Slim Mechanical Pencil - 0.5 mm - Soft Grip - White / Pink. How are those for product names? Read the rules below, and enter away!

Posted on March 9, 2021 by Brad Dowdy and filed under Giveaways.

Kaweco Sport x Goldspot Classic Blue Fountain Pen Review

In the world of stationery Pokemon products - the ones where you gotta catch ‘em all - The Kaweco Sport reigns supreme. While they are certainly a personal favorite of mine, I’ve avoided wanting to chase them all down. That said, I wasn’t going to let this Classic Blue with Silver trim Sport pass by without adding it to the collection.

I generally go for the brighter color barrels, but this translucent navy blue is just about perfect for me, especially with the trim. The Goldspot logo is stamped nicely on one of the cap facets, and doesn’t overwhelm the pen, which can be a concern on some branded models.

Where does a model like this fall in with Kaweco’s new changes around limited/special editions? Since this is clearly a branded model, it is just that, not part of their new Collection series, which are released from Kaweco themselves. Brands have more freedom now to choose the colors they like, without having to have the barrel color name printed on the pen. It’s a good change in my book.

Quality-wise, the Kaweco Sport provides a good bang for the buck. Even the limited editions, like this one, will only set you back around $25. I’ve put several of my other models through a ringer of pockets, bags, backpacks, and plenty of drops onto the floor. It just keeps going no matter what or where. Never a crack, ding, or dent to be found. I have scratched some up beautifully though, which is part of the fun of a pocket pen. Use your pens!

The fine steel nib in this pen writes wonderfully. I tend to go for an extra fine, but I’m impressed with the line from this nib. It is neat and clean, and fine enough for me. Instead of going for a matchy matchy look with a blue black ink, I opted to go with the complimentary brightness of Kaweco Turquoise. It’s a great setup.

I don’t review every Kaweco Sport I pick up, but when I do, it’s because I have added another cool color to the collection. The Classic Blue from Goldspot is exactly that.

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

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