MY TOP 10 MOST USED INKS OF 2021.

[DrPenfection]

Looking ahead to 2022, I took a little time to think about the pens and inks that I used in 2021. In 2021, my ink collection topped over 100 bottles of ink, which isn’t nearly as many as some of you inkophiles out there. But I have noticed that I tend to use certain inks more than others. I will leave the pen discussion to a later time, but I thought it might be interesting to share the inks which inks I used the most in 2021.

Every two or three weeks, I clean all of the fountain pens that I have inked. I usually have between 10 to 15 pens inked at a time depending on what I anticipate my writing needs to be. In most cases, I have used up the ink in them, or they are very close to being empty. The pens get a thorough cleaning and then allowed to dry. I then select the pens that I will be using for the next two to three weeks, and I select appropriate inks. My ink selection will vary between new inks that I want to try and inks that I know are reliable for the work that I do. After filling the pens, I write down the pen/ink combination in both my ink journal (Rhodia 80 gsm paper in Rhodia Reverse Notebook) and my regular journal (Tomoe River 52 gsm paper in Nanami Seven Seas notebook).

Earlier today, I tallied up the ink that I used through 2021 and compiled my top ten list of inks used. This isn’t a list of my favorite inks, just those that I used most through the year. All of these inks are standard inks, without shimmer, water resistance (in most cases), luminescence or any other special property. Most of these are what I call “workhorse” inks. A few are relatively new to me, but all of them are very well behaved and were used frequently throughout the year.

These were three inks that came very close to making “10 most used” list. They almost tied for the No. 10 spot, and I would like to briefly give them an "Honorable Mention":

HONORABLE MENTIONS:
(Due to image limits, photos of these won't be posted)

Waterman Harmonious Green
This is a medium green that is moderately wet and useful with any pen/nib combination in my collection. Because it is so reliable, this is also one of the inks that I use with new pens to evaluate how well the pen performs.

Birmingham Pen Company Twilight
In 2021, I discovered Birmingham Pen Company inks. Twilight was one of the first inks that I purchased, and it has been in one of my pens ever since. This dark burgundy ink with gold sheen is nicely wet and very well behaved. It is dark enough to be useful in business applications yet versatile for everyday use.

Birmingham Pen Company Provence Lavender
I purchased this lovely “periwinkle” lavender last summer and it is stayed in one of my pens ever since. It is not a lubricated ink and is moderate in terms of wetness, but it is a very soothing color and is a joy to write with.


Now for the Top Ten inks used in 2021:


#10: Birmingham Pen Company Ice Rink

BPC Ice Rink 1K.jpg

This is a very nice saturated medium blue that leans toward turquoise. Nicely lubricated and moderately wet, this ink has performed well in all of my pens, but especially in my fine and medium nibbed pens. I discovered, after a slight upset of my tea, that the ink is somewhat water resistant as well. It does not bleed or feather on most papers that I have used. There is some showthrough on lighter weight papers.



#9: Waterman Tender Purple

Waterman Tender Purple 1K.jpg

This is an iconic medium purple ink, well deserving of its reputation. It is moderately wet with minimal spreading, feathering, or bleeding. It is well behaved on most papers and a joy to write with. There are few inks that are as trouble free.



#8: Birmingham Pen Company Victorian Plum

BPC Victorian Plumb 1K.jpg

This was the first Birmingham Pen Company ink that I purchased in 2021. I was looking for a pleasant light purple ink with an antique feel that was soothing to the eyes yet pleasant to write with. No sheen, no shimmer, but tons of shading. Victorian Plum met my criteria, and has delivered a pleasant writing experience ever since. This is not a lubricated ink and is moderate in wetness. Since I purchased this ink, it has been consistently filled in my Lamy 2000 with medium nib.



#7: Sailor Manyo Konagi

Sailor Manyo Konagi 1k.jpg

This is an outstanding ink. It is a moderately saturated medium blue that leans ever so slightly to purple because of the light red sheen. It dries moderately quickly and has some water resistance, and shades very well. There are few inks that I would rate a “10” and this is one of them. It is nicely lubricated, moderately wet, well behaved in every way, and cleans very easily from my pens and converters.

#6: J. Herbin Eclat de Saphir


J. Herbin Eclat de Saphir 1K.jpg

This is another very nice ink. It is a lightly saturated blue-purple ink, that is quite wet and somewhat watery. For some pens, it can be too wet. But some new pens that just need a bit of head-start, this ink is well suited. It dries fairly quickly and works well with most papers. It does have a tendency to spread and feather a bit on lesser quality papers. It is not water resistant but cleans up easily.

#5: Pilot Iroshizuku Murasaki Shikubu


Pilot Iro Murasaki-shikubu 1K.jpg

This is another outstanding ink. It is a moderately saturated medium purple color with a transparency akin to watercolor. It does not sheen but shades very well. It is very well behaved on all papers I have used it on. It is not water resistant, but does extremely well in illustration. In fact, using this ink inspires me to draw my African Violets on my windowsill (yes, they are all in bloom now in spite of the snow and cold outside).

#4: Montblanc Swan Plume Illusion


Montblanc Swan Illusion 1k.jpg

People who know me know that I prefer cooler blues and purples. So what is a brownish-beige ink doing in my top 10 line-up? It is an ink that would likely be in my very top 10 favorite inks of all time!. I love this ink! This is a “master shader”. It taught other inks about how to shade! And it taught them how to do it without a lot of shimmer, glistening, pearlescence or gobs and gobs of sheen. This is a truly graceful ink. It is very well behaved. It has some feeling of lubrication and is not wet or dry. It does not need to be water resistant to behold its beauty and charm. It is simply a beautiful swan among the geese and ducks.



#3: Montblanc Royal Blue

Mont Blanc Royal Blue 1K.jpg

This ink is, and always will be, a staple in my ink collection. It does everything right and checks all of my boxes. It is, however, only somewhat water resistant. But I love the rich royal blue color which leans toward purple. I love that it is moderately saturated with only a small amount of sheen, but still shades nicely. It plays very nicely with every one of my pens, and also the papers that I use. It is a great ink, and one that is almost always in my ink “line-up”.



#2: Sailor Manyo Nadeshiko

Sailor Manyo Nadeshiko.jpg

This is another ink that would likely make my top 10 favorite inks – which is why I seem to use it a great deal. It is a lighter medium shade of blue, but is multichromatic with pale turquoise, pink and pale purple shading. It is not a lubricated ink, unlike many of the Sailor inks, and some consider it a bit on the dry side. I generally use it in a wider nib – which is most of my pens – that are a bit wetter anyway. But in spite of its demure color, this ink performs very well on any paper I have used it on. No feathering, no bleeding, and little ghosting except on light weight papers. Shading is exceptional and this ink halos very nicely. Absolutely excellent ink!



The next ink is not only the most used ink in 2021, but it is likely the ink that I have used the most of and my favorite ink of all time. It is . . .

Drum roll please!


#1: Pilot Iroshizuku Tsuyu-kusa

Pilot Iro Tsuyu-kusa 1k.jpg

This moderately saturated medium blue ink, with a light amount of lovely red shading is one of the very best inks I have used. It is, again, a perfect “10” for me. But it is not water resistant, so if that is important to you, then this may not be a perfect “10” for you. This ink is slightly lubricated and moderately wet. It looks great in all nibs sizes, but especially in wider nibs. It does not bleed, feather, spread and has little showthrough even on lighter papers. If I was stranded on a desert island with only one ink, I would want it to be PI Tsuyu-kusa.
Now for the bad news: Pilot has decided to discontinue this ink. So, if you like it, get it now. Otherwise, it will be gone soon (think Parker Penman Sapphire) . (I already have several bottles tucked away until I can find a suitable replacement.)


So, that is my top 10 most used inks for 2021 list. As I said, this list only contains a few of my favorite inks. And perhaps someday, I will share my GOAT (Greatest of All Time) inks. But for now, I would like to know what inks did you use the most in 2021?