What ink surprised you, that you liked it?

[sharmon202]

I was washing inky fingers this morning and was thinking how much I like Diamine Denim but did not think that I would. (I decided to try it because of reviews and comments on this forum) I did not think it would be dark enough or saturated enough for me. I mean, the color of denim blue jeans is not exciting or different, right? I was wrong, I really like it so I will be going from a Goulet sample to a bottle when I can.

Did any inks surprise you that you liked them enough to go ahead and spring for a bottle?


I did not see a thread like this but please ignore it if it is a duplicate.
Sandy

[Chrissy]

I once won a PIF (a couple of years ago on the other place) and received 2 cartridges of J Herbin Rose Cyclamen in a small tin. I thought I would never like such a bright pink ink, but I really did, so I bought a 30ml bottle, not just a small 10ml sample bottle.

I must admit I haven't used it much so far though. I should dig it out and do a review of it!

[inlovewithjournals]

When I purchased my Monteverde Prima in Turquoise Swirl I thought J. Herbin's Bleu Pervenche would look good in it (I had not tried that colour before, thinking it would be too bright). It did and I fell in love. I bought a full size bottle and have never inked that particular pen with anything else. :)

[naimitsu]

I was hesitant to try Iroshizuku Momiji because of the reported pink tones in the ink. Anyone who knows me knows that I am not a pink person and that I go to great lengths to avoid that color.
Anyway... I decided to give it a shot, and it's a fantastic color. Yes, there are some pink tones to the ink, but with an Asian Fine/Extra-Fine, it isn't as noticeable and in fact gives it that more accurate Japanese Maple Leaf in Autumn color! If it wasn't for that ever-so-slight pink tone, I don't think the color would be quite right!

[Silverbreeze]

Diamine Syrah and Noodlers Black Swan

[migo984]

Blackstone Blue. It's a classic blue/black, shades beautifully, behaves well even on cheap paper, cleans easily and is a very reasonable price.

[Laura N]

I was hesitant to try Iroshizuku Momiji because of the reported pink tones in the ink. Anyone who knows me knows that I am not a pink person and that I go to great lengths to avoid that color.
Anyway... I decided to give it a shot, and it's a fantastic color. Yes, there are some pink tones to the ink, but with an Asian Fine/Extra-Fine, it isn't as noticeable and in fact gives it that more accurate Japanese Maple Leaf in Autumn color! If it wasn't for that ever-so-slight pink tone, I don't think the color would be quite right!

So, you will not be surprised to hear that I am a pink person, and I don't like Momiji? :) I was sure I'd love it, based on how it looked in friends' letters. But it just never looks right for me from my pens.

My ink that I was surprised to like was Diamine Tropical Green, or Mystery Ink No. 1, which I thought I'd hate and ended up loving.

[Uncle Bud]

I was persuaded after much time to try Pelikan 4001 Blue/Black, and immediately loved it. It's now the only Blue/Black I own, and it tends to tame gushers. Love it.

[mhosea]

I'd have to say Pelikan 4001 Turquoise. I liked nothing about Pelikan Royal Blue, but Pelikan Turquoise is a delightful ink and with normal wetness, not dry writing, at least not by my reckoning.

[naimitsu]

So, you will not be surprised to hear that I am a pink person, and I don't like Momiji? :) I was sure I'd love it, based on how it looked in friends' letters. But it just never looks right for me from my pens.

That's rather fitting ;)

[tiffanyhenschel]

Sheaffer Blue Black

I thought it would be boring, but it turned out to be a favorite. It has a vintage look and shades from a soft gray blue to almost navy.

[Waski_the_Squirrel]

My most miserable ink has been Noodler's Manjiro Nakahama. I just hate that ink. It dries up in the pen too quickly, writing is a struggle after a day or two, etc.

Then, for some reason I tried it in a pen I don't like: the Lamy ABC. To my surprise, it's a great combination. The ink doesn't dry up and it writes a nice color line.

[velo]

There was a time when I thought any ink colour besides blue or black was a little OTT. Now I use greens, burgundies, browns, orange, ambers, reds and so on.

[The Good Captain]

Noodler's Prime of the Commons; the UK version of Legal Lapis, I believe. A great ink, if a little prone to bleed on some papers.

[Costanza]

I'm rarely a fan of anything but blue, but occasionally I will use some green or burgundy tones. I'm definitely not a fan of browns or oranges. So imagine my surprise when I tried a sample of Diamine Coral and ended up buying a bottle.

[caribbean_skye]

if it had to choose one it would be Rohrer and Klingner Alt Gold-Grun. If blue is my favourite colour, green is my least favourite. That being said, this ink was my gateway to green inks. While there are plenty i still dont care for, I have found some green inks that i truly do like. There are more inks that i i am surprised that i dislike but thats for another thread.

[TAYLORPUPPY]

For me, the brand of ink that I was pleasantly surprised to find that I like is Noodlers. When I first became interested in pens, I went straight for the 30 dollar+ inks. I swore I would not even touch a bottle that had the word, Noodlers on it. The thing that made me change my mind was seeing Nathan's passion for his inks and even his passion for the labels he creates. And then there's Bay State Blue.

[ac12]

I bought a bottle of Private Reserve Black Cherry, with a mistaken idea of what it looked like.
After months of using it, I am liking it.
I'm not sure if this is really more just getting used to it, but it does not bother me like it did when I first used it.

[southpaw52]

I was pleasantly surprised with my recent purchase of Iroshizuku Yama-Budo. I love the richness and depth of the color. It seems to pop off the page.

[Crazyorange]

I fell in love with one of the MI - de atraments black brown. I love the brown purple undertone. I would have never bought it from looking at the sample on the net. In person, it's so lovely.

[sharmon202]

I fell in love with one of the MI - de atraments black brown. I love the brown purple undertone. I would have never bought it from looking at the sample on the net. In person, it's so lovely.

Thanks for the great description, now on my sample list. I really appreciate all the effort people put in pictures and scans of inks and it gives me an idea what I might like. However, over time, I have found I really do not know until I try it, in person. They can look so different in my pen, on my paper, and people who post say that it is difficult to get an exact representation of an ink as they see it.

[FredRydr]

What ink surprised you, that you liked it?

Montblanc Toffee. I like inks that have a vintage look to them when I write on old postcards with my EF flex nibs, and Toffee surprised me that it fit the bill, yet had a hint of color for a bit of pizazz.

Fred

[sharmon202]

What ink surprised you, that you liked it?

Montblanc Toffee. I like inks that have a vintage look to them when I write on old postcards with my EF flex nibs, and Toffee surprised me that it fit the bill, yet had a hint of color for a bit of pizazz.

Fred

This ink was pictured in this forum several times showing shading so I picked it up, knowing I probably would not use a wide enough nib to show it, but it shows on anything I have used it with so far. I like it for a lot of reasons including yours FredRyder. By the way, is that you in your Avatar pic, I hope not.

[FredRydr]

By the way, is that you in your Avatar pic, I hope not.

That was my father. He died instantly.

Fred

[Quantum Sailor]

Diamine Syrah, I am not really into red inks much but I tried it out of a desire to do something I wouldn't normally do. Turned out I really enjoy the color and using it.

[StacyBean]

I was unexpectedly delighted by Lamy Copper Orange. It's a wonderful rich color and shades beautifully.

[sharmon202]

Just tried Sheaffer blue-black, surprisingly nice. I like blues and blue blacks and was looking for something more permanent than what I have been using (Iro, Diamine blue-black). Thanks to Tiffany H for the tip!

[tiffanyhenschel]

Just tried Sheaffer blue-black, surprisingly nice. I like blues and blue blacks and was looking for something more permanent than what I have been using (Iro, Diamine blue-black). Thanks to Tiffany H for the tip!

You're welcome. Sheaffer inks are under appreciated.

[Newjelan]

I was unexpectedly delighted by Lamy Copper Orange. It's a wonderful rich color and shades beautifully.

Well I'm happy about that because I bought it on the spur of the moment today while out shopping (for clothes!).

[Empty_of_Clouds]

So far I have been surprised by everything. This is because I had zero experience of any modern inks. I went and purchased about a dozen 30ml bottles of Diamine when they were offered cheaply from Niklas in Sweden. That was at the beginning of this little journey. Since then I have acquired some J. Herbin Eclat de Saphir, R&K Salix, Lamy Black and Private Reserve Electric Blue. All were new to me, all were interesting in one way or another. More recently a couple of Mystery Inks and a clutch of samples from makers I had never even heard of (cheers, Migo!) have been added, though I have not yet had time to try everything.

Having said all that, the most surprising ink (for a given value of surprising) has been Walnut Ink for dip pens. It's a nice soothing brown colour, easy on the eye, and when swells are done it retains a quite pleasing sheen even after drying completely. The only other ink that I have tried that has sheen is the PR Elec. Blue. but I'm a bit concerned about putting it into any vintage pens with sacs.

I am currently looking to downsize my collection a bit (from about 30 pens to 7 or 8 ) so I can acquire a personal custom pen (probably a Scriptorium) and then start exploring the world of inks properly. There are so very many that I have yet to see.

And I haven't even got around to paper yet - Rhodia, Midori (traveler notebook), and Tomoe River (Hobonichi) are all I have seen or tried thus far.

This is an expensive hobby, yes?

[RayCornett]

Diamine Rustic Brown. I'm not a brown ink person but it's my favorite ink. I think it's because of the tinge of red.

[Feathers]

Iroshizuku Ina-ho surprised me. I ordered it on a whim, and wasn't wowed by the scans, but I have come to love it in person.

[VertOlive]

Having grown up wearing school uniforms, each version prominently blue, I'm not much for blues and blacks. But I purchased a bottle of De Atramentis for the name: "Sherlock Holmes", and wound up having it become one of my favorite blues. A deep royal denim with crisp look.

[Lady Onogaro]

I really like DeAtramentis Sherlock Holmes, too. Have you tried their Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle? It's a lovely red. I was surprised by how much I liked it.

[migo984]

I really like DeAtramentis Sherlock Holmes, too. Have you tried their Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle? It's a lovely red. I was surprised by how much I liked it.

If people can't find these inks in the "People" topics bottles, I believe these two inks are the same as Night Blue and Oriental Red in the Standard Range.

[Neo]

DA Arthur Conan Doyle is on sale right now here. http://www.gouletpens.com/sale-items/c/65

[Lady Onogaro]

Yes. That's right.

[reprieve]

Montblanc Racing Green.

It was the first murky ink that I really loved, after years of thinking that murky inks just weren't for me. It got me started on the blue-greens and purple-pinks and orangey reds and brown-greens and every other moody, mysterious, complex, and hard-to-define shade out there.

[The Good Captain]

Montblanc Racing Green.

It was the first murky ink that I really loved, after years of thinking that murky inks just weren't for me. It got me started on the blue-greens and purple-pinks and orangey reds and brown-greens and every other moody, mysterious, complex, and hard-to-define shade out there.

I take it that you've looked at Diamine Salamander?

[reprieve]

Montblanc Racing Green.

It was the first murky ink that I really loved, after years of thinking that murky inks just weren't for me. It got me started on the blue-greens and purple-pinks and orangey reds and brown-greens and every other moody, mysterious, complex, and hard-to-define shade out there.

I take it that you've looked at Diamine Salamander?

Yes! And I love Salamander!

Diamine has many beautifully murky inks -- one of my favorites from them is Handel, which is a strange and dusky pink/purple/brown/grey/rose shade. I've never seen another ink like it.

[VertOlive]

My favorite Murky: Noodler's "VMail Road to Burma".