Ink Review: Diamine Grey

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Diamine Grey
Pen: Lamy Safari EF
Paper: Rhodia Dotpad 80gsm

Number 2 in the Perfect Grey Countdown is Diamine Grey.  After my tough breakup with Noodler's Lexington Grey, I did quite a bit of research on gouletpens.com and FPN (Fountain Pen Network) on grey inks - if you haven't checked out the reviews on Goulet's website, you definitely should! They have details on all aspects of inks, from shading, feathering or bleedthrough.  I wanted a true medium grey with no hints of blue or green, that did not feather.  Based on the reviews from other users, I chose Diamine Grey and I instantly loved it.

Diamine Grey, like most other Diamine inks, is well behaved in all aspects.  It does not feather, bleed or ghost.  Dry time is a bit on the long side at 10 seconds for my EF nib.  I love that this is a true grey and really no hint of another color exhibits itself.  I do notice a faint red sheet on the ink splatter, though you don't see it with normal writing.

I highly highly recommend this ink, especially for it's price.  Compared to the #1 ink in the countdown, it's about half the price, so if you're on a budget or plan to run through bottles pretty quickly, this is a great option for you.  You can pick up a bottle at Goulet or a similar retailer for $14.95 for 80mL.

Ink Review: Noodler's Lexington Grey

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Noodler's Lexington Grey
Pen: Lamy Safari EF
Paper: Rhodia 80gsm

Number 3 in the Perfect Grey Countdown is Noodler's Lexington Grey.  This was the first grey ink that I purchased, and I thought it would be my last.  I love the shade of grey and the fact that it is bulletproof; however, the bulletproof aspect also caused it to feather, sometimes even on my Rhodia pad, and that was ultimately what caused me to look further.  With finer nib pens it's not as big of an issue, but with wetter writing nibs, the problem does present itself.  If you can put up with a little bit of feathering, it's really a great ink.

Lexington Grey does not bleed in my experience with it, though some ghosting shows up with heavier lines, likely due to its bulletproof properties which cause it to seep into the paper to bond with the fibers.  Dry time isn't too bad at 9 seconds with my EF Lamy nib.

You can pick up a bottle at Goulet or a similar retailer for $12.50

Ink Review: Iroshizuku Fuyu-Syogun

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Iroshizuku Fuyu-Syogun
Pen: Lamy Safari EF
Paper: Rhodia Dotpad 80gsm

Number 4 in the Perfect Grey Ink countdown is Iroshizuku Fuyu-Syogun.  Fuyu-Syogun or, "Old Man Winter," is a blueish-grey ink that is lightest in color of the 5 inks I tested.  Not unlike De Atramentis Charles Dickens, Fuyu-Syogun is not quite as grey as I would have liked.  There is a very prominent blue hue, which reminds me of rain clouds - the name Old Man Winter suits this ink well.

Like all Iroshizuku inks, Fuyu-Syogun is nicely lubricated and behaves well.  Similar to Iroshizuku Ku-Jaku, this ink has a nice red sheen around the edges of the ink splatter.  It has moderate shading and does not feather or bleed.  Dry time was slightly longer than De Atramentis Charles Dickens at 7 seconds.

You can pick up a 50mL bottle of Iroshizuku Fuyu-Syogun at Goulet or a similar retailer for $28.

Ink Review: De Atramentis Charles Dickens

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De Atramentis Charles Dickens
Pen: Lamy Safari EF
Paper: Rhodia Dotpad 80gsm

Number 5 in the Perfect Grey Ink coundown is De Atramentis Charles Dickens.  Charles Dickens is part of the Great Writers collection and is classified as "Cement Grey." Even though this was my least favorite of the grey inks that I tried, that's not to say that it's not a great ink.  My reasoning for its place in the list is that it is the least grey of the 5 inks.  Charles Dickens has a very prominent shade of green in it, that almost makes it a dusty green rather than a grey.  Despite that, I still am a fan of it, just not as a grey.  It's a remarkably well-behaved ink, no feathering even on cheap paper.  There was considerable bleedthrough from the ink splatter compared to the other inks, but the regular text produced none.  There is very minimal shading with an EF nib, but there is enough to make me believe that with a wider nib, there would be more.  Dry time was spectacular, at around 5 seconds with my EF nib.

All in all, Charles Dickens is another great ink from De Atramentis.  Since it's not the shade of grey that I'm looking for, the search continues.  Keep an eye out for #4 in the countdown tomorrow!

You can pick up a bottle of De Atramentis Charles Dickens at Goulet or a similar retailer for $12.95.