Saturday, July 30, 2016

Waterman Carene Pen Review

This week I found myself at a pen store, yeah crazy right? I had my eye on a pen before walking into the store and they happened to have the exact pen I was looking to try. I liked it so much, I bought it and now I am going to give you my thoughts on the Waterman Carene.


This is my first venture into the Waterman brand and I will say I am impressed. This pen's finish is a rich amber lacquer speckled with brown and is quite lovely to look at. 




The pen itself has a nice shape and a decent heft at 33g which I prefer. The finish is beautiful with the lacquer in amber and the gold accents but the real treat is when the pen is uncapped.


The Carene has what is called an "inlaid" nib where it is fashioned into the section where the feed is hidden. this nib is a medium and is 18kt gold. The whole appearance gives me a vintage feel and looks stunning. The writing experience is smooth with very little feedback and no hard starts or skipping.

The Carene is a nice dependable writer that puts out a line that leans towards the wet side but not by much. I would not say it is not dry at all nor is it a gusher.


My only complaint is that for the price, it is a cartridge/converter pen. Rather than coming with 1 or 2 cartridges, it comes in a 6 pack of Serenity Blue.


Pros:
  • Dependable writer
  • Gorgeous Amber lacquer finish
  • 18kt gold inlaid nib
  • Weighs 33g


Cons:
  • Pricey
  • Cartridge/Converter filler for the price

This review is based solely from my experience and opinions. I do not represent Waterman nor am I being compensated in any way.

Monday, July 25, 2016

J. Herbin 1670 Caroube de Chypre Review

I must admit, I was very anti-sparkle inks but I decided to get a bottle of this and give it a go. 


This is the 5th 1670 Anniversary ink from J. Herbin and has been the talk of the town so to speak in the ink world. People love these inks and I decided to see why. I went with this particular one as it is new and I am a sucker for darker brown ink.

First off, I took a swap out of the bottle before I shook up all of the gold speckles that were resting at the bottom of the bottle.


What I got was a decent darker brown which has hints of red. This color is supposed to be the color of the carob pod and it looks rather like cocoa.

Now, when the bottle is shaken, and then you put 2ml of this ink in a syringe and squirt it on the paper, here comes the gold sheen for days.



Ok, this is gorgeous, I cannot lie. Very nice, rich color and the sheen is fun. Is this ink practical, nope but it does have its place. I think that is why I have been so against glitter inks as they are not practical. I can see using this ink when letter writing for some flair and whimsy. I could see using the ink for art or creative writing. There are many uses for ink outside the professional realm and I need to remind myself that.


I really like this ink and I have changed my tune. I am a believer and a glitter ink convert, under certain circumstances. The clean-up was not horrible either but this is not the type of ink to let sit in a pen. If you are vigilant, this ink is for your whimsical side.

This post is based off of my opinion and experience. I am not being compensated by J. Herbin nor do I represent them in any manner.

Thursday, July 21, 2016

IKEA A5 Notebook Review

I may be late to the party here, but who knew IKEA offered notebooks? Anyone? I recently acquired one from friend and am here to tell you what I thought.



This is an A5 sized notebook and has a hard spine. The paper is 80g/m2 which is the same paper weight as Rhodia but without the ceramic coating. The paper is white and is smooth to the touch with a faint bit of tooth to it.

There is a clasp mechanism on the book to keep it closed which is a tad unsightly but very functional. It is constructed by a paper rivet, an elastic yet taught band and the circular "hook" as it sits.



The binding is such that it appears sturdy and the book can lie flat which is definitely a plus for a hard bound notebook.




The paper is not bad but it seems to have a little bit of issue with fountain pen ink. The paper is nice to write on, little feedback and overall a nice experience. I used a medium nib, a very wet broad and a 1.1mm Stub on the test.



There is a small amount of feathering on the wetter nibs, but it is very minimal and I did not notice any spread. What I did notice was bleed through and echo which I was surprised by due to the weight of the paper. The scrubbies definitely bled and if you look, it also bled in spots of normal writing. 

If using a normal medium or finer nib, I believe all would be fine with this notebook and would suit normal notebook needs quite well. If you were going to use this as say a bullet journal and doodle in it, then this may not be the book for you. I will personally be able to use this book and I look forward to it. 

This post is based off of my opinion and experience and I am not being paid to represent IKEA in any manner. I also do not represent IKEA in any way.

Monday, July 18, 2016

Currently Inked Up

I generally have quite a few pens inked up at a time and I decided I would share what I carry on a daily basis and what inks I am using at the moment.


21 pens inked up right now, yeah I know that sounds insane but it is true. Here they are listed:

Pilot Vanishing Point - M nib - Noodler's Heart of Darkness
Edison Collier Blue Steel - 1.1mm Stub - Private Reserve Black Magic Blue
Quill and Nib Custom pen - M nib - Noodler's Bad Black Moccasin
Visconti Rembrandt - M nib - Diamine Red Dragon
Sheaffer Taranis - B nib - Noodler's Bad Black Moccasin
Lamy Studio - B nib - Private Reserve Ebony Purple
Karas Kustoms Ink - B nib - Montblanc Oyster Grey
Twsbi Diamond 580 - 1.1mm Stub - Private Reserve Sherwood Green
Monteverde Invincia - 1.1mm Stub - KWZ Hunter Green
Platinum 3776 Century - B nib - Private Reserve Ebony Blue
Twsbi Vac 700 - B nib - Noodler's Ottoman Azure
Jinhao x750 - M nib - Pilot Iroshizuku Asa-Gao
Jinhao x450 - 1.1mm Stub - KWZ Honey
Faber Castell Loom - M nib - Diamine Midnight
Jinhao x750 - B nib - J. Herbin Stormy Grey
Pilot Metropolitan - M nib - Noodler's Air Corp Blue Black
Lamy Safari - 1.9mm Stub - J. Herbin Stormy Grey
Montegrappa Copper Mule - M nib - Diamine Ancient Copper
Pilot Falcon - SFM nib - Pilot Iroshizuku Fuyu-Syogun
Edison Mina Extended - B nib - Private Reserve Ebony Brown
Visconti Homo Sapiens Steel Age - M nib - Private Reserve Ebony Brown


Sunday, July 3, 2016

A look into the Grey Matter

Grey inks are out there and some of them are great. I own some bottles of these grey inks as well as having acquired some in sample form. Do I have all of the grey inks out there? I do not. I do have enough greys to make a decent comparison though.

The inks we will be looking at today are:


  • Pilot Iroshizuku Kiri-Same
  • Pilot Iroshizuku Fuyu-Syogun
  • Noodler's Lexington Grey
  • Montblanc Oyster Grey
  • Private Reserve Grey Flannel
  • DeAtramentis Fog Grey
  • DeAtramentis Sahara Grey
  • DeAtramentis Frankincense
  • Faber Castell Stone Grey

Pilot Iroshizuku Kiri-Same


This ink is light, I mean graphite light. Kiri-Same is a Japanese ink and translates to Autumn Shower. This grey is light in value much like a washed out grey autumn day. It is a little light for my tastes.


Pilot Iroshizuku Fuyu-Syogun


This grey is a more prominent blue-grey offering. Fuyu-Syogun is another Japanese ink and translates to Old Man Winter. This grey I do enjoy as it shades quite nicely and gives a great ombre effect between grey and blue.


Noodler's Lexington Grey


This grey is very interesting. When looking at the swab, it appears light in value but when you write with it, it is nice and dark. This is one of my favorite grey inks as it is dark and does not come out too weak and watered. The swab is misleading.


Montblanc Oyster Grey


Montblanc is a name associated with luxury in the pen community and this grey is much like Noodler's Lexington but reversed. The swab comes out darker than Lexington Grey but it is substantially lighter when written with. It is a decent grey and is most likely my third or fourth favorite grey in this lineup.


Private Reserve Grey Flannel


This is more of a greenish grey and has a bit of a wool like texture which I could see being flannel like I guess. This ink is ok but definitely anything I would purchase. I don't care for the color all that much as it does write darker than the swab but the consistency is too watered for me.


DeAtramentis Sahara Grey


How is this a grey? anyone? I put it in here as it is classified as a grey but seriously?


DeAtramentis Frankincense


This is decent. It is a solid grey color, nice in value. What I do not understand is DeAtramentis' naming conventions much like Sahara Grey. Frankincense is from a certain tree and is used mainly in fragrances but it naturally yellow/orange in hue, not grey. Where these names come up with DeAtramentis is beyond me.


Faber Castell Stone Grey


I really enjoy this grey and this is definitely my second favorite of this lineup eventhough it is a bit watered as most Faber Castell inks are. This is a solid grey hue and medium in value all around. A great grey offering.


DeAtramentis Fog Grey


A blue grey but very heavy on the blue. It is a decent color and very dark, which is nice but still heavy on blue rather than a bluish grey. Out of the three DeAtramentis grey inks here, this is actually a decent offering, if you like blue.

I do not have a writing sample of this one and I apologize.

There they are. These are the grey inks in my possession. If I were to rate them in order of my favorites with 1 being top and 10 being ick, it would look like this:

  1. Noodler's Lexington Grey
  2. Faber Castell Stone Grey
  3. Montblanc Oyster Grey
  4. Pilot Iroshizuku Fuyu-Syogun
  5. Pilot Iroshizuku Kiri-Same
  6. DeAtramentis Frankincense
  7. Private Reserve Grey Flannel
  8. DeAtramentis Fog Grey
  9. DeAtramentis Sahara Grey
This review and comparison is based solely off of my opinion and experiences. I am not being compensated in any way nor do I represent any of the above companies.