Diamine 150th Anniversary 1864 Blue Black Ink Review

Image via JetPens.com

I was excited when Diamine announced their 150th Anniversary inks, especially because I would be able to add a new blue black ink to my ever growing ink inventory. Blue black inks are my favorite of course, and I couldn't wait to see how it stacks up with the rest of my stash.

Diamine inks are some of the most user friendly inks on the market. They flow well in a wide range of nibs and maintenance is a breeze. They offer up a massive range of colors, and are very well respected in a sometimes crowded market. The 150th Anniversary lineup fits in well with their other offerings, albeit a touch more expensive due to the "Limited" tag.

When I first inked it up I was concerned with how dark the ink was, and that feeling did not pass the more I used it. It is very pretty, but very dark with minimal shading. I prefer lighter, or at least more shaded blue blacks. If you like darker blue black you should give this a shot because, as expected, it performs wonderfully.

Like Montblanc Midnight Blue, I inked it up expecting to love it, but it is just average for my tastes. My current Top 5 Blue Black inks would look something like this:

1. Montblanc JFK
2. Akkerman #10 Diep-Duinwaterblauw
3. Pilot Iroshizuku Shin-kai
4. Sailor Blue Black
5. Sailor Bung Box Blue Black

I could run another five to seven honorable mentions too, as there are a bunch of great blue black inks on the market. What are your favorites?

(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

Diamine Bilberry Ink Review

The Bilberry is a wild-growing fruit found mainly in northern and central Europe and is a close relative to the blueberry found in North America. It is also the name of an extra-funky fountain pen ink made by Diamine.

While the ink is sometimes referred to as Bilberry Blue, in my short time with it I have found it to be distinctly purple. An electric purple at that. Breakin' 2: Electric Purple Boogaloo.

Like most Diamine inks I have used, Bilberry is well behaved. The color is rich, the shading is nice, and in this particular case there is a slight sheen left behind which you can see in the image below. Dry time is nothing special - average at best on my Rhodia DotPad.

When I did the handwritten part of the review I was enamored with the ink. I still am, but I haven't found it to be an every day go to ink like I thought it might be. Still, it is nice to have around and I thank Thomas for sending me this sample.

You can pick up a bottle of Diamine Bilberry at JetPens for $12.50.

As an added bonus, here is Bill Berry back on drums with some of his R.E.M. bandmates at Peter Buck's wedding this summer:

Diamine Salamander Ink Review

Diamine Salamander is one of the latest inks to be introduced by the venerable British manufacturer. While you wouldn't be incorrect that the name harkens to the amphibian found in various regions around the globe, there is actually a little more behind the name. The Good Captain, a member of the Fountain Pen Network, was actually involved in the naming:

Working in collaboration with Phil Davies at Diamine I was asked to come up with a name for a sample of the ink he'd sent me to have a look at, labelled 'No 93'. I was intrigued and Salamander was born. It reminded me of the colours of Royal Flying corps bi-planes during WWI so I had a look for some more information.

It is cool to be able to read behind the scenes notes like these. Check out the link for more details.

Salamander surprised me once I inked up my TWSBI Mini 1.5 mm stub to test with. I was expecting kind of a dark olive black ink, and while those colors come through, the depth of the color was intriguing. There is a lot of brown, a wide range of green, and a nice sheen that shows on the Rhodia paper I tested on. I tried to get a close-up of the sheen and only partially succeeded. It is not always immediately apparent, but after drying it does show up in certain light. Very cool.

The real gauge for me is if the ink will crack my every day rotation. Right now, Diamine Salamander is a no, but it is a close second tier color, around the Noodlers 54th Mass level. It will see intermediate action for sure. Well worth checking out if you are a fan of greens and browns.

(JetPens is an advertiser on The Pen Addict and I received this product at no charge.)