As a practitioner of the “Matchy Matchy” lifestyle, I am proud to say I have come up with a real winner here. It’s almost like the beautiful blue black of Lennon Tool Bar Indigo Tiegan was waiting to fulfill it’s destiny of flowing through the nib of the TWSBI 580 AL in Prussian Blue.
I like to have fun with product reviews, especially when the target is something as traditional as a blue black fountain pen ink. What Lennon Tool Bar is, and what they have made with this ink, is something special. Not in a drop everything and buy it kind of way, but more of a pure enjoyment when the color hits the page feeling. Especially when you are as big of a fan of this shade as me.
Based in Taiwan, Lennon Tool Bar began life as an indigo dyeing shop, which is a traditional, respected craft. When they decided to launch an in-house fountain pen ink lineup, their initial colors were based on the colors found in the indigo dyeing process they were familiar with.
Indio Tiegan represents when the dyeing process is freshly completed, and before it is first washed. It has some dark components, but shows a lightness in the shading that comes through on the page. It is a good middle ground compared to many of my favorites. For example, it’s darker than Pilot Iroshizuku Shin-Kai, but lighter than Sailor Blue Black.
The ink flows wet from my 1.1 mm stub TWSBI Nib. I need to try it in finer nibs to get a great feel for it, but I think the wetness will show up anywhere. Given that, I’ve found it takes a bit longer to dry on the Clairefontaine Triomphe paper I used for the written review. Comparable to Rhodia, Indigo Tiegan is on the longer side of dry times, but not enough to cause any problems.
I’ll be the first to admit I am swayed by brand and product stories, especially ones coming out of the Asian market that I am so fond of. So it comes as no surprise that I love this ink. At $20 for a 30 ml bottle it’s not cheap, but I think it is a fair price considering the fact that this is a small company, and has to be imported.
The challenge now is to decide which Lennon Tool Bar ink will be next for me, and how it will compare to Indigo Tiegan, which has quickly become a favorite.
(The Pen Addict purchased this ink at full price from Shigure Inks.)
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