Ink Review: Diamine Scarlet

[Chrissy]

Today I'm reviewing Diamine Scarlet

A bright pink ink from the standard range. ‘Scarlet’ might make you think of bright red berries, but this Scarlet ink is definitely pink. The colour band on the bottle label is pink. Imagine this Scarlet as a raspberry colour.
Pink inks are notoriously difficult to reproduce online, and I’ve seen some online swabs and writing with Scarlet that look quite different to my sample. So, as usual, I have colour corrected my writing to resemble as closely as possible the shade that I can see on the paper. This messed up all of the comparison inks, so I corrected all of those separately as well as I could.


Flow Rate: Good. Not too wet in the pen & paper combinations I used.
Lubrication: Good with the M nib on several different papers, a bit more would have been nice with the Safari F nib.
Nib Dry-out: Not noticed.
Start-up: Immediate.
Saturation: Good.
Shading Potential: Some shading seen.
Sheen: None seen, although it might be a sheener if I splatted an ink spill.
Show-Through:

Rhodia Clic Bloc pad.
CiAK by InTempo
Field Notes
Cheaper generic 80 & 90gsm printer papers & lined pads.


Spread / Feathering / Woolly Line: Only a little seen on Field Notes.
Nib Creep / “Crud”: Not seen, even after over 1 week in the pen
Staining (pen): Not seen after several days - easy clean-up
Staining (hands): Easy clean-up with bar soap. Two washes required with liquid soap.
Clogging: Not seen. Seems unlikely.
Water resistance: Not sold as waterproof, but shows reasonable water resistance.
Availability: Available from Diamine Inks (http://www.diamineinks.co.uk/listings.aspx?catid=14#) web-site and many other outlets.


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[nomdeplumevapors]

Ooo it reminds me of watermelon!

Sent from my ONEPLUS A3000 using Tapatalk

[Chrissy]

Ooo it reminds me of watermelon!

Sent from my ONEPLUS A3000 using Tapatalk
I never thought of watermelon. :)

[grainweevil]

You are very much in the minority of users. There are hundreds if not thousands of very happy Diamine ink users worldwide who don't share your particular experiences. :) I could say that all Sailor inks are even more saturated than Diamine inks, because in my experience they are, but it's not a generalisation that I need to make so it's not necessary for me to say it. I therefore tend to follow previous advice I've had, that I have nothing good to say, then I prefer to say nothing. :)

Of course it's possible that any number of Diamine users may be following the mantra of saying nothing if you have nothing good to say. ;) I would be amongst their number when it comes to certain colours, but do not desire the ensuing need to defend myself for so saying, and thus keep my counsel.

And of course, what I should be saying is Thank you for the review, Chrissy. I think, on the whole, not one for the ink cellar here in the Burrows.

[Chrissy]

Of course it's possible that any number of Diamine users may be following the mantra of saying nothing if you have nothing good to say. ;) I would be amongst their number when it comes to certain colours, but do not desire the ensuing need to defend myself for so saying, and thus keep my counsel.

And of course, what I should be saying is Thank you for the review, Chrissy. I think, on the whole, not one for the ink cellar here in the Burrows.

You're welcome. :)

[migo984]

In the words of Mark Twain “Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect”.

Having a minority point of view doesn’t, and shouldn’t, make it wrong or unworthy of consideration. Personal experiences are always of value and I find it more interesting to hear alternative perspectives than entrenched opinions.

[ian1964]

Chrissy I want to thank you for all these wonderful in depth reviews. I don't post much but get huge pleasure from reading your posts.
This is an ink I have been waiting for and will buy to match my Pelikan M205 solid red pen

[Chrissy]

Chrissy I want to thank you for all these wonderful in depth reviews. I don't post much but get huge pleasure from reading your posts.
This is an ink I have been waiting for and will buy to match my Pelikan M205 solid red pen
Thank you. :)

[RocketRyan]

Never had an issue with a diamine ink, and I have used about 20. Maybe it's a user error, reaction to an old ink not cleaned out properly.

[inklord]

Thanks for your review and comment responses, Chrissy! I believe that Diamine simply makes such a huge array of inks that they (knowingly) may also include some formulations that perform in a pleasing manner for many users, but still require a bit of extra care; I use many "TLC-demanding" inks from Diamine as well as from other makers, and while I have to invest a bit of extra care, I gain some spectacular effects in return (Diamine "Sargasso Sea" as well as Sailor "Rikyu Cha" come to mind). Likewise, Diamine also manufactures a host of easy-maintenance, carefree and super well-behaved inks. After all, variety is the spice of life!
Also: looking at you and other member's expertise I am constantly reminded how presumptuous my nickname on this forum is :)

[migo984]

Never had an issue with a diamine ink, and I have used about 20. Maybe it's a user error, reaction to an old ink not cleaned out properly.

Not the case where I’ve had issues. I practise exemplary pen hygiene, even if I say so myself.

[RocketRyan]

Never had an issue with a diamine ink, and I have used about 20. Maybe it's a user error, reaction to an old ink not cleaned out properly.

Not the case where I’ve had issues. I practise exemplary pen hygiene, even if I say so myself.

What pens/inks were you using? Just for reference purposes.

[Chrissy]

Thanks for your review and comment responses, Chrissy! I believe that Diamine simply makes such a huge array of inks that they (knowingly) may also include some formulations that perform in a pleasing manner for many users, but still require a bit of extra care; I use many "TLC-demanding" inks from Diamine as well as from other makers, and while I have to invest a bit of extra care, I gain some spectacular effects in return (Diamine "Sargasso Sea" as well as Sailor "Rikyu Cha" come to mind). Likewise, Diamine also manufactures a host of easy-maintenance, carefree and super well-behaved inks. After all, variety is the spice of life!

I believe this balanced post is accurate. I've deleted the rest of my post.

[migo984]

Never had an issue with a diamine ink, and I have used about 20. Maybe it's a user error, reaction to an old ink not cleaned out properly.

Not the case where I’ve had issues. I practise exemplary pen hygiene, even if I say so myself.

What pens/inks were you using? Just for reference purposes.

As I’ve had the experience over an extended period (i.e. many years) of fountain pen use I can’t recall all specific pens other than Faber-Castell, Platinum, Pilot & Franklin Christoph. They certainly included Japanese, European & British pens, both vintage & modern, of a variety of materials. Main problems were with staining, clogging & gloopiness. And I have had five bottles develop SITB or stringy sediment. Only other brand to do that, in my experience, was Montblanc.

I certainly wouldn’t say that such issues are “common” with Diamine inks. After all they have an extensive range. I have checked my ink spreadsheet tonight & I have over 90 Diamine inks, and some are very nice, well behaved inks. In fact I have 3 pens inked right now with Diamines. But they are certainly not a trouble-free brand & it’s iniquitous to assert otherwise. I do feel it is only right to be honest about when I have experienced problems with certain colours.
I’m certainly more wary these days about which Diamine I use in which pens......

Edited for addendum:
Examples of some colours I’ve had problems with: Scarlet, Sargasso Sea, Bilberry, Majestic Blue, Maroon, Ancient Copper, Grape, Chocolate, Red Dragon, Crimson.

[Lady Onogaro]

It seems to me that most of this discussion belongs in a new thread on Diamine Inks and possible staining/problems. The topic of this thread is Ink Review: Diamine Scarlet. Maybe someone can start a new thread discussing this question.