P.W. Akkerman #28 Hofkwartier Groen Fountain Pen Ink Review

P.W. Akkerman #28 Hofkwartier Groen is my favorite green ink, and it’s not particularly close.

It also falls into the category of products that I love and talk about constantly, but have never reviewed. It’s time to correct that.

Akkerman #28 is a bright green ink, with a healthy dose of yellow undertones. Inks with that color definition don’t always have the best readability on the page, but I’ve never had a problem with this one. It pops off the page, even in my finest nibs.

Of course, a wide, wet nib will show off the feature that this ink is known for most: Shading. It’s subtle when you are writing, but after a few sentences, the range of shades between dark and light begin to appear on the page.

I used a Sailor 21k Medium Fine nib for this review, and the ink performed flawlessly. That’s the thing about all Akkerman inks - they behave perfectly. Good flow, good lubrication, good saturation, good dry time - good all of the things. These inks are right in the middle of all of those ranges, which, in my mind, makes for a great quality, every day use, fountain pen ink.

I think the only question left to ask about any Akkerman ink is does the ink bottle design sway how I feel about the ink itself? Yes. Yes it does. Sure, I could get a similar color ink (say, from Diamine,) in a more traditional bottle shape (like the ones Diamine uses,) at a lower price per ml (around Diamine’s price point,) and be perfectly happy. But have you SEEEEEN this bottle? It makes all the difference in the world.

And Hofkwartier Groen makes all the difference in the world to me in the world of green inks. From a usage standpoint, it is right up there with Pilot Iroshizuku Shin-kai and Robert Oster Fire on Fire as my most used ink. In fact, I have to actively choose not to use it so other inks get the chance. It’s that good.

At $30 for a 60 ml bottle, Akkerman inks fall on the higher side of ink prices. I find the cost to be completely justifiable for the ink quality, plus the amazing bottle that certainly comes at no small cost. At least that is what I tell myself as the owner of five bottles of this awesome ink.

(I purchased this ink at a pen show a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away. I probably paid full price for it.)

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Akkerman #12 Mauritshuis Magenta Fountain Pen Ink Review

The correct order of operation when you buy a new pen you immediately buy a new ink to go with it, right? And there are bonus points if the ink matches the pen? I’m pretty sure these are the rules, but if not, I’m making them official today.

I bought the Leonardo Momento Zero Fountain Pen Lavande Rose Gold from Dromgoole’s Pens at the 2020 Baltimore Pen Show. I’m a Leonardo fan, and this new color spoke to me, so I went for it. I had two decisions to make after purchase: One, do I get the nib ground because they only had Medium in stock, and two, what ink will go with this pen the best because I am here, and this is now?

Being the matchy-matchy person that I am, I wanted a color close to the Lavande of the pen barrel, but no normal pink or purple would do. I pored through the large swatch books at Vanness Pens rejecting colors left and right, until it hit hit me. Doesn’t Akkerman have a nice magenta? Why yes, they do! Akkerman #12 Mauritshuis Magenta is the exact color I was looking for.

Many of you may be yelling at the screen by now, “Brad, I love pink-purple-magenta inks, and there are a TON of great ones out there.” Yes, I admit I’m a little bit late to the party with this shade, but with my already-professed love for all things pink and purple, it was only a matter a time before I combined the two into a new love.

My main question is this: What do you call this color? Magenta seems right. I see Rose used a lot, or maybe it’s Purply Pink? Regardless, it’s great, and I’m glad I added a new Akkerman to the collection, which now totals six.

Mauritshuis Magenta is a classic Akkerman mix of quality, performance, and color. There are inks out there that will out-sheen this classic, but for pure writing with a decent amount of shading, Akkerman more than holds its own. Plus, they have the coolest ink bottles in the world, and are reasonably priced at $30 for a 60 ml bottle.

The cursive italic grind I had put on this nib by Gina at Custom Nib Studio shows off the shading well in the vertical strokes, and the ink flow never skipped a beat when writing. I think that is my favorite feature of Akkerman Inks - they just work.

And they look great too. I may not be able to pronounce their names, but at least I have a number to work off of. Welcome home #12!

(Vanness Pens provided this ink at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes. I purchased the Leonardo from Dromgoole's at a discount.)

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P. W. Akkerman SBRE Brown Ink: A Review

(Susan M. Pigott is a fountain pen collector, pen and paperholic, photographer, and professor. You can find more from Susan on her blog Scribalishess.)

Oh, how I adore brown inks. I’m not sure why. Maybe it’s because they remind me of chocolate and horses and fall (my favorite season). Maybe it’s because there are so many luscious shades that make me think of the browns, tans, and red dirt colors of New Mexico, my homeland. I honestly don’t think of myself as a brown ink sort of person, but when I find a brown I love, it’s what goes in my Nakaya Naka-ai Heki-Tamenuri or my Franklin-Christoph Coco and Creme or Autumn Oak pens.

I also love me P.W. Akkerman inks (though SBRE Brown is actually made by Diamine). Not only are the inks absolutely amazing (Shocking Blue, for example) but the bottles--oh, my, the bottles! Why can’t all inks come in bottles that look like a genie could emerge if you rubbed the top? Plus, the Akkerman bottles have a really cool system for drawing the ink into the bottle stem with a glass marble. Dutch engineering is awesome-sauce.

SBRE Brown Ink is, of course, named for Stephen BRE Brown, a well known ink aficionado with a popular YouTube video series. He discusses the ink in its current Akkerman Dutch Masters Bottle format here.

Akkerman SBRE Brown is a gorgeous brown that leans toward the orange spectrum. It is rich and wet with lots of shading and a bit of sheen.

As you can see in my ink test (on Maruman Septcouleur paper), the ink shades nicely even in a medium stub nib. The swab shows the richness of the color. It is not waterproof.

The chromatography test confirms that the ink contains mostly tan and orange colors.

In a super wide nib (I used my Handwritmic Pen), the ink shades beautifully and pools with lovely brown sheen.

Akkerman SBRE Brown fills a niche in my brown ink collection. It is unlike any of my other browns, as you can see in this comparison on Col-o-dex cards.

Akkerman inks are not cheap. You are paying a premium for the amount of (ink 60ml) and the heavy glass bottle. I think it’s totally worth it, as these inks are stellar in quality and color. Shocking Blue remains one of my all-time favorite inks. SBRE Brown is now my first choice for any of my brown pens.

You can purchase Akkerman SBRE Brown ink from Vanness Pens for $32.00.

(This ink was purchased from Vanness Pens with a reviewer’s discount.)

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Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!