Pen Review: Pilot Custom 74

May 21, 2015 by Lori Beck in Pen Review

Pilot Custom 74 - Smoke (M)
Length capped: 142mm/5.6"
Length posted: 154mm/6"
Length unposted: 135mm/5.3"
Weight w/full converter: 23.7g
Pros: Looks, converter type, buttery smooth nib
Cons: None. Seriously!

I've had my Pilot Custom 74 for quite a while now, I wanted to spend some time with it before reviewing it because it's truly one of my favorite pens, if not THE favorite. I'd learned of the Custom 74 from watching some of Brian Goulet's videos. His blue Custom 74 with a Medium nib has long been his favorite pen and he's raved about it on multiple occasions. After hearing this several times, I decided to take a look. I really loved the look of the pen, and realized how big of a sucker I am for demonstrators. It was tough to choose, but I ultimately chose a Smoke color with a Fine nib.

Upon receiving the pen, I was instantly in love with it. The Smoke color demonstrator barrel was an amazing color - and very unique. I've not found a pen that's currently being made with this color which is a shame honestly. It's a classic design with a modern twist which I very much appreciate. Also amazing, was the nib itself. Pilot's nibs are Japanese made, so they run finer than their German counterparts. It was very fine but smooth and felt great on nearly every paper I tried.

Over time, I realized that my tendencies toward finer nibs were fading as I'd fallen in love with inks as much as I had fountain pens. The Fine nib was great and I had no complaints about it other than it just didn't put enough ink down on the page to show off my ink color. I opted to order a Medium nib after Pen Chalet had an amazing deal on the Custom 74 with the Pen Addict Podcast discount. My boyfriend and I ultimately gave my Fine Custom 74 to Josh for his birthday, who you may remember from my story on the counterfeit Lamy Safari.

For every time I'd raved about how amazing the Fine nib was on the Custom 74, I was astonished but how much MORE amazing the Medium was. The thing glides across the page, like butter on a hot plate coated in oil. Writing with this pen has never been a disappointment to this day. To date, it's the only pen I have that I'm convinced could not be improved with a little bit of smoothing.

The section of the pen has a nice taper to it that flares back out, making it comfortable to write with for long periods of time. The taper is not too thin and accommodates my grip perfectly, so that makes it especially comfortable for me personally. For those who tend to choke up on their pen as they write, the threads are not harsh at all, so you shouldn't experience any discomfort with that.

The weight is fairly light, but not too light, so it doesn't fatigue the hand either. The length unposted is more than long enough to make it comfortable - posted is almost too long for my taste and I have fairly large hands; about 7" from the tip of my middle finger to the base of my palm.

The Pilot Custom 74 truly is an amazing pen. The praise that it receives is well deserved, and the nib is something to be marveled. If you've been considering one, do yourself a favor and pick one up!

Ink Review: Diamine Registrar's Blue Black (Iron Gall)

May 19, 2015 by Lori Beck in Ink Review

Diamine Registrar's Blue Black (Iron Gall)
Pen: Lamy Al-Star EF
Paper: Rhodia Dotpad 80gsm
Shading: low to moderate
Saturation: high
Flow: medium to wet
Dry Time: 20 seconds

After trying out my two favorite iron gall inks, Rohrer & Klingner Scabiosa and Salix, I figured it was time to try out Diamine Registrar's. I'd heard that Diamine Registrar's was a lot more harsh than either of the Rohrer & Klingner inks, so I decided I'd put it to the test.

Registrar's is a deep blue black color once it dries. One of the coolest things about iron gall inks is their tendency to change color slightly, usually darkening, once it oxidizes on the paper for a few days. This is a property of iron gall inks, and is what also gives them their permanent characteristics. Registrar's is no exception, however since the ink is already fairly dark, there wasn't a drastic change, though it was evident.

1. Registrar's after 5 days; 2. Registrar's fresh & dry; 3. Registrar's wet

You can also see the change in the ink splatter.

The general consensus with Diamine Registrar's ink is that it can be hard to clean, so I figured I would test that theory. After writing up my review, I left the ink in my pen and converter for about a month without touching it. I picked up the pen and was able to write with it, so it hadn't dried up; though the big test would be trying to clean it out. I emptied the ink out of the converter and immediately noticed that it had stained it (I couldn't capture a picture that showed it well unfortunately). I went ahead with my normal routine and cleaned it with water, and it didn't budge. So I grabbed my Goulet pen flush, filled the converter and let it sit overnight. The next day the staining was gone, to my surprise. I was impressed with how easily it came out, despite how long I'd left it sitting in there. Not sure if that's a bigger testament to the ink or the pen flush, but I'm inclined to say a little of both.

All in all, I really enjoyed using Diamine Registrar's. It behaves really well on most of my papers, even the cheaper stuff. No feather or bleedthrough was apparent, but dry time was a bit on the long side at 20 seconds. Like some iron gall inks, it does have a distinct smell that's quite a bit stronger than the Rohrer & Klingner inks. I didn't find it overwhelming with normal use. I don't know that I would pick up a bottle of Registrar's just because of it's tendency to stain converters, and lackluster color. I definitely prefer the R&K inks to this one, and I think Salix is close enough in color to be a suitable replacement. Nonetheless, it's still a good ink; so if you'd like to pick up a bottle, you can get 30mL for $16.95 or 100mL for $33.95.

Ink Review: Noodler's Army Green

May 17, 2015 by Lori Beck in Ink Review

Noodler's Army Green
Pen: Lamy Al-Star EF
Paper: Rhodia Dotpad 80gsm
Shading: moderate to high
Saturation: medium
Flow: moderate
Dry Time: 11 seconds

Apparently I'm on an olive green kick these days, because I've been using Diamine Safari, Rohrer & Klingner Alt-Goldgrun, and Noodler's Army Green. I love all three inks, though I think I will still always return to Alt-Goldgrun as my favorite olive green. Army Green is still an awesome ink.

You may remember when Nathan Tardiff changed the color of Army Green to be a more kelly green color after some customer suggestion/complaints. Brian Goulet put out a video soliciting feedback on the new color. Like most people, I liked the old color better, and luckily enough people agreed that Nathan ultimately changed the color back.

Army Green is a very well-behaved ink that does not feather or bleed. It has a good amount of shading, even with an EF nib, and flows well like most other Noodler's inks. It's not as highly saturated as some of the other Noodler's inks, but it's not muted by any stretch. Dry time was 11 seconds, so not short, but not terrible either. Still may not be idea for some left handed writers, especially on ink resistant paper. All in all, a great ink with a unique color!

If you're interested in a bottle, you can pick one up from Goulet or a similar retailer for $12.50.

Ink Review: Diamine Safari

May 14, 2015 by Lori Beck in Ink Review

Diamine Safari (150th Anniversary Series)
Pen: Lamy Al-Star EF
Paper: Rhodia Dotpad 80gsm
Shading: moderate
Saturation: moderate
Flow: medium
Dry Time: 12 seconds

I picked up Diamine Safari on a whim thinking I'd like to try a brownish colored ink. Based on the swab from Goulet's site, I thought it would be a sandy-brown, but as you can probably tell from the photo, it's closer to an olive green. I actually really like the color, as it reminds me of a cross between Rohrer & Klingner Alt-Goldgrun and J. Herbin Vert Olive. I actually just picked up a sample of Noodler's Army Green, and I have a feeling it will end up being closest to that color. More on that in a future review!

Safari is an ink from Diamine's 150th Anniversary series. It's one of eight total inks in the series, which come in cool triangular shaped bottles that, when placed flush to one another, make a cool circle of ink bottles. Not a bad marketing ploy to get folks to buy all of the inks!

I was really pleased with Diamine Safari when I used it at work for a few days. I had worried it would be too light for practical use, but that isn't the case at all. It's a nice medium shade of olive green that has a good bit of shading. I did not see any feathering on my Rhodia pad and had no problems with bleedthrough or ghosting. Dry time was a bit on the long side at 12 seconds, so it may not be a great ink for some left-handers.

All in all I was glad that I picked up a sample of Diamine Safari to try out. I probably wouldn't get a full bottle, just because I have other green inks that I like better. If you like the color, I would definitely recommend it! You can pick up a 40mL bottle from Goulet or a similar retailer for $15.95.