Ink Review: Iroshizuku Ku-Jaku

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Iroshizuku Ku-Jaku Goulet Ink Drop March 2015
Pen: Lamy Safari EF
Paper: Rhodia Dotpad 80gsm

The final color in this month's Goulet Ink Drop is Pilot Iroshizuku Ku-Jaku (peacock).  It is probably my second favorite in this group.  Iroshizuku inks aren't cheap, but they have a glowing reputation of being some of the most well-behaved inks out there.  Many folks I know say that it makes their pens feel smoother on the page.  They're generally well lubricated and are pH neutral making them great for archival.

Ku-Jaku is a nice blue-green teal color with moderate to high shading.  No feathering, bleedthrough or ghosting are present on my Rhodia pad.  The best part about this ink is the amazing red sheen you get with a wetter writing pen.  The only time I've seen a sheen like that is on a letter I received from Stephen Brown (SBREbrown) where he used Private Reserve Electric DC Blue.

SHEEN!

Ku-Jaku is definitely a great ink with a lot of character.  Add it to your Iroshizuku collection for $28 at Goulet Pens.

Ink Review: Noodler's Purple Martin

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Noodler's Purple Martin Goulet Ink Drop - March 2015
Pen: Lamy Safari EF
Paper: Rhodia Dotpad 80gsm

The 4th ink sample in this month's Goulet Ink Drop is Noodler's Purple Martin.  It is a very well behaved ink, no feathering, bleedthrough or ghosting.  Purple Martin is a medium purple with low to moderate shading.  I probably would prefer a little darker purple than this; it is a medium purple that leans towards the redish pink side rather than the blue end.  For just a regular no frills ink, this is just the ticket.  

You can pick up a bottle of Purple Martin for $12.50 from Goulet Pens

Ink Review: Noodler's Bad Blue Heron

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Noodler's Bad Blue Heron Goulet Ink Drop - March 2015
Pen: Lamy Safari EF
Paper: Rhodia Dotpad 80gsm

Noodler's is a fairly young brand in the fountain pen ink realm, but it's popularity has grown astronomically.  Nathan Tardiff, the lone man behind the Noodler's brand, has attracted attention (both good and bad) for his politically charged ink labels and bold ink colors and properties.  Noodler's inks are always the subject of discussion on forums - usually for Baystate Blue - but in my experience, the inks are spot on and have more variety at a better value than a lot of brands out there.  Nathan always pushes the envelope in regards to his ink properties and coined the term "bulletproof" to refer to his fraud resistant inks.  Head over to gouletpens.com and check out their spreadsheet of all the vast properties of the Noodler's inks.

This ink is by far my favorite ink out of the March 2015 ink drop samples.  It is a deep saturated blue ink that puts a very flowing and thick line on the page.  In my Lamy EF, this gives a line that is slightly thicker than a lot of other inks that I've used.  I would guess that it's more lubricated because of the high saturation.  A lot of people complain about nib creep with this ink, though in my experience most all Noodler's inks have a little bit of nib creep in certain pens - the Lamy nibs especially.  Though I'm not surprised they would say this one is worse because it does appear to be more lubricated than others.

One of the best things about this ink in my opinion (your results may vary) is the smell.  It took me a while to figure it out, but I've decided it smells just like those balloons that you made out of putty that you blew up with a straw. 

All in all this is a fantastic ink.  I got no feathering at all on my Rhodia pad, though I've seen others complain about feathering on less ink resistant papers.  Shading is moderate with no bleedthrough and minimal ghosting.

You can pick up a 3oz bottle of Bad Blue Heron for $12.50 from Goulet

Ink Review: Diamine Woodland Green

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Diamine Woodland Green Goulet Ink Drop - March 2015
Pen: Lamy Safari EF
Paper: Rhodia Dotpad 80gsm

Ink #2 in the March 2015 Ink Drop is Diamine Woodland Green.  Diamine has been around since 1864 and remains one of the largest manufacturers of fountain pen inks.  They have a wide range of colors to choose from, and are very well known for the Registrar's series of inks and their tendency towards deep saturation.

This ink reminds me a lot of the standard greens in some of the Pilot rollerballs and gel pens.  Almost a kelly green.  The shading isn't spectacular, but that's to be expected with a very saturated ink.  Feathering, ghosting and bleedthrough were all non-existent on the Rhodia dotpad.  It behaves very well in my Safari w/EF and cleans out very easily.  If you're into greens, especially ones that you're used to seeing in a lot of the common gel and rollerball pens, then this is definitely for you.

Another great feature of this ink is the hint of a deep red sheen that you get with a very wet writing pen.  When I did the trademark "Desk of Lori ink splatter" I got this great red sheen in the wetter areas.

Sheen!

Diamine Woodland Green is $12.95 for 80ml at Goulet Pens