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ever onward
January 25th, 2014, 05:09 PM
Do you think of your ink samples as part of your collection, or are they simply decision-making mechanisms--a stepping stone to buying or not buying the bottled inks?

I've found that I view samples as simply the means to an end. I test each sample in two pens, and if I like the color, I buy a bottle. If I don't, I get rid of the remaining sample (either passing it along, using it for mixing, or pitching it, if the amount left is very small). I DISlike having a large collection of samples and try to test them quickly so I can move them out.

What about you? How do you consider your ink samples?

best wishes,
ever onward

Laura N
January 25th, 2014, 05:43 PM
Generally I also just use samples to see if I like the ink enough to buy.

I do, however, have a few inks where I keep a large sample or two smaller samples in lieu of a bottle. Those are usually samples from friends or when I like the ink but know I won't use it very often.

As for samples that I've rejected, I usually keep them. They are sometimes useful for reference. And I've been known to change my mind. I only discard the ones I know I will never, ever use because the ink's behavior is so poor or the color isn't for me. If I can, I give those away.

Jon Szanto
January 25th, 2014, 05:47 PM
I use them to make martinis, very colorful martinis. http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb204/EnvoyC/emotes/cocktail.gif

Waski_the_Squirrel
January 25th, 2014, 06:40 PM
I don't keep samples. They're a nice way to test an ink without an overly expensive commitment. Just this week I got 4 samples, and will only purchase one of them for real...and it's one I thought I would hate. It turns out I really love it.

Samples are too hard to keep track of, and I don't think plastic holds water terribly well over the long run.

I'll try an ink sample with a glass pen. Then, if I like it, the ink gets loaded into one of my pens for further testing.

The sample bottles themselves either get thrown away or washed out and saved for use with other inks or in my Chemistry lab. (They're a little small for most uses, but I have found some uses for them.)

Robert
January 25th, 2014, 07:03 PM
For me, a sample is just that: a sample - not part of my "collection." If I like a sample I may buy a bottle of it or at least make a note that the ink has promise; otherwise, I flush the sample and move on.

VertOlive
January 25th, 2014, 07:26 PM
Right now, samples are all I have. Some have gone on my "Buy a Bottle List" as I develop a favorite in a particular color category. Right now they're all in a little rack and it doesn't bug me as"clutter". There were some which delight me which I never would have tried had they not been affordable samples.

So, I guess they're a means to an end...

KrazyIvan
January 25th, 2014, 08:30 PM
Samples are not a part of my collection but I tend to hang on to them. I use them as reference. Once in a while I have a sample for a very long time. I go back to the sample and decide to buy a bottle. I did this recently. My sample of Diamine Twilight is from 2011 I think. I just purchased a bottle last month.

velo
January 25th, 2014, 11:02 PM
I kind of see them as both now. To see if I like the colour enough but also for daily use. My Pilot VP doesn't hold a lot of ink. As it's become a daily pen it helps me use up the samples.

AndyT
January 26th, 2014, 04:19 AM
I have a set of samples from the Akkerman group buy last year: they're definitely a useful reference (especially in view of the need to commit to a 150ml bottle). Otherwise samples add variety to my usual diet of blue-black and are a nice low weight item to exchange between pen friends.

kaisnowbird
January 26th, 2014, 07:15 AM
Since I'd hardly call my inks a collection, I don't always consider the samples to occupy an inferior pedestal than my bottled inks. I wish I can use a lot of ink, but I don't. I would use 0.5 ml on a good day or a slow week. So a 2ml vial, during a dreadfully slow period with a fine or EF nib, could last me a month. In that sense, after the the first fill (typically 0.5 ml), the rest of a sample would not be subject to testing, but rather properly used like any other ink.

After much procrastination, I've just started a spreadsheet to keep track of various qualities of the inks I've used. You see, I'd remember an ink's colour very well long after I finished a sample, but over time, I tend to forget an ink's other important properties - feathering, wetness, shading, water resistance and how easy it is to clean, etc. My spreadsheet will help me recall the properties of not only my bottled inks, but also each of the samples I've tried and inks that I have finished. On that spreadsheet, the samples are given the same attention as the bottles. After all, they are mini bottles in my eyes.