Upcoming Ink Reviews - The Perfect Grey

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There is something about grey fountain pen ink that appeals to me.  I like them better than black inks because they have a bit more character in my opinion.  Oddly, I have always loved the color grey - I understand how a lot of people think that's weird - but I have always gravitated toward grey items.  I have been on a hunt for my favorite grey ink, and I believe I may have found it!

Along this journey, I experimented with 5 different grey inks, all of which were really great inks.  Over the next week or so, I'll be posting reviews of each of these inks, counting down from my least favorite to my favorite.  Be sure to check them out and let me know in the comments or on Twitter what your favorite is!

Ink Review: Noodler's Nightshade

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Noodler's Nightshade
Pen: Pilot Metropolitan M
Paper: Rhodia Dotpad 80gsm

I love Noodler's Nightshade.  This ink has such a unique character - I've yet to find another ink that exactly matches it.  It is a deep maroon color, but in certain lighting it can give off a dark greyish-purple look.  For a dark and fairly saturated ink, it gives quite a bit of shading with my Metro's medium nib.  

Aside from the amazing color, Nightshade is a wonderfully well-behaved ink.  I was able to get some feathering on a cheap post-it note, but aside from that there are no negative effects.  Even the ink splatter had no bleedthrough on my Rhodia pad, and even minimal ghosting.

The Nightshade bottle has a picture of the Solanaceae, or Nightshade flower.  It is a very diverse species of purple flower that grows on every continent except Antarctica, and has some 2700 species.

This will continue to be one of my favorite inks; the more I use it, the more I love it.  If you're a fan of the old version of Noodler's Black Swan in Australian Roses, this isn't TOO far off from that.  You can pick up a bottle from Goulet or a similar vendor for $12.50.

Ink Review: Diamine Red Dragon

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Diamine Red Dragon
Pen: Lamy Safari EF
Paper: Rhodia Dotpad 80gsm

Diamine Red Dragon was the second contender in my quest to purchase a bottle of red ink.  I ultimately chose Diamine Oxblood over Red Dragon, however that decision shouldn't deter you from this awesome ink.

Red Dragon is a highly saturated deep, vibrant red ink with minimal shading.  Like a lot of Diamine inks, it behaves well on a lot of different papers.  Even on absorbent copy paper, Red Dragon had minimal feathering in my experience.  I tend to really dislike "pinky" reds that have very low saturation and give a "watery" look on the page; Red Dragon is a really great option if you happen to agree with me on that, because it is quite the opposite of a pinky red.

What is unfortunate about the Diamine inks is that they recent underwent a price increase, and a fairly significant one at that.  The 80ml bottles are now $14.95 as opposed to $12.95, so that may very well be a deal breaker for a lot of you.  To me, it's still a lot more affordable than some of the "designer" inks like Iroshizuku and the Pelikan Edelstein line, so I'm willing to spend the $15.  Diamine has a massive variety of color and the properties are awesome, and the large bottle size will last you quite a while.

Ink Review: Rohrer & Klingner Salix

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Rohrer & Klingner Salix (Iron Gall)
Pen: Lamy Safari EF
Paper: Rhodia Dotpad 80gsm

Salix is another amazing iron gall ink from the German based ink company Rohrer & Klingner.  It is part 2 of 2 in the "Scabix" mixture that I reviewed recently.  Salix is a muted grey-blue ink after it has hit the air and began to oxidize like all iron gall inks do.  Though, when it first comes out of the pen, it is a more traditional royal blue color.  I am typically not a huge fan of blue inks, however I am a big fan of Salix after it has dried. I love inks that almost look as if they're faded out a bit - this one definitely fits that bill.

Like the other R&K iron gall ink, Scabiosa, Salix is a pretty well behaved ink.  I got a tiny bit more feathering with Salix on cheaper papers than I did with Scabiosa, however on a Rhodia pad there is none.  Dry time is about a second longer than Scabiosa, though the difference is subtle enough to call it the same.  Shading is fairly moderate which was a plus.  

If you're a fan of blue inks and want something permanent with lots of character, go try out Rohrer & Klingner Salix.  You'll thank me later!  You can pick up a bottle from Goulet or a similar retailer for $12.00.