J. Herbin is a french company which makes fountain pen inks among many other fining writing related products. I got this ink from Overjoyed for about SGD$14. This is a bright purple ink that is slightly too saturated for my everyday use. The dry time on my old review paper (Muji notebook) is excellent but it is just regular on the new review paper (Kokuyo loose leaf). There is some shading visible on the wider nib sizes. There is no show through or bleed through.

Similar Inks
* OMAS Purple
* Pelikan 4001 Violet

Bungbox Blue Black is also known as 4B is a Sailor ink made exclusively for a fountain pen store located at Hamamatsu, Shizuoka. Bungbox has a series of inks, 4B is the deep dark blue ink of the series. The bottle is a vase shaped glass bottle. The label has 4 bees (a pun?) on it and it looks almost handmade. I am sorry to say that it is not easy to get a hold of Bungbox inks. Plus, it is anything but afforadable.

Similar Inks
* Lamy Blue Black
* Noodler's 54th Massachusetts
* Pelikan 4001 Blue Black

The time for InCoWriMo (International Correspondence Writing Month) is here again! This is my second year taking part and I have written a guest post about it on On Fountain Pens. Do check it out.

Pssst! Though it is 31st January I have made a head start on my letters. Plus I have purchased a stack of envelope and stamps in preparation for InCoWriMo. Join me in InCoWriMo 2015.

J. Herbin Perle Noire is a deep dark black on poor quality paper but it is more grey than black on good quality paper. Strangely, it dries faster on good quality paper than on poor quality paper. Shading is really obvious on the 1.1 stub nib.

Is there less ink on the paper when I use a 1.1 stub nib vs. a board nib?

Similar Inks
* Noodler's Bernanke Black
* Pelikan 4001 Brillant Black
* Sailor Jentle Black

In the recent episode 137 of the Pen Addict podcast, Brad and Myke spoke about how many note books they have in action at any one time and what they use the note books for. During episode 140, listeners reached out and shared how they use their note books. Here at Alt Haven I've never reviewed or written about note books, but today I thought I shall share how I use my note books.

Currently I have 4 note books in action. My main notebook is a A6 size Midori MD note book which I had purchased from Tokyu Hands when it firths opened in Singapore. That is my Bullet Journal where I track my to-dos. I keep my calendaring events up to date on my phone using Readdle's Calendar 5 app. I follow the Bullet Journal method and write up only the month's event down in my note book. The back of the note book is my pen and ink testing ground. They get filled up when I go for the monthly pen meets or when I just want to doodle.

My second note book is my blogging notebook. I write my thought about the pens or inks that I am currently reviewing. Currently I am using an A6 Banditapple lined note book for that purpose. The first portion of the note book is dedicated to the drafts of my ink reviews. The middle portion for random thoughts that pop into my head about the ink or pen I am using. The back portion is dedicated to the measurements of various pens. I cross them out once I am done with the review so that acts as a to-do list as well.

My 3rd note book is used strictly as an ink journal. I am using a A6 Muji notebook for that purpose currently. Every 1st day of the month, I would write what pens are inked with which ink. I will fill it up as the month goes as I fill a pen with a new ink. This helps me pick out what ink I would fill the next pen. I try not to have 2 pens with the same colour. This also helps to know what ink is in my pen. It's especially helpful when you have too many pens inked up.

My 4th note book is used in my office. I use it to track my time. I am required by my office to track how long I spend on each project so that they can charge the clients accordingly. I tend to reserve my worst performing notebook for this. Currently I am using a Field Notes craft memo book. Though my ink tend to feather when I use Field Notes memo book I like that the dry time for all my inks is just excellent.

I purchase note books as and when I find one that's interesting and I always finish my note books cover to cover before opening a new one. I also never keey any note book around once I am done. This probably not what everyone does but that's my note book workflow. What's yours?

Diamine Bilberry is distinctly more purple than blue. It is a very dark saturated ink that is well behaved. The shading is very subtle on the narrower nib sizes. I had initially felt that it was a boring ink but now I am re-evaluating my opinion of this ink.

Similar Inks
* OMAS Blue
* Pilot Iroshizuku Tsuki-Yo
* De Atramentis Atlantic Blue

I've purchased Diamine Graphite thinking it is a gray ink. I even expected it to be lighter than Pilot Iroshizuku Fuyu Syogun (which I have complained being too light.) However, Graphite turned out to be a very dark green. The green is very subtle on the fine nib but obvious on the 1.1 stub nib. Regardless, I enjoy this ink very much though the colour has taken me by surprise. There is no bleed through or show through.

Similar Colours:
* Diamine Salamandar
* Pilot Iroshizuku Fuyu Syogun
* Sailor Chu Shu

Diamine Damson is a dusty purple that reminds me very much of Rohrer and Klingner Scabiosa. Diamine Damson has much more blue to it while Scabiosa is much redder. The muted tones of Damson reminds me very much of a musty old library filled with tomes of knowledge. I enjoy the shading that Diamine Damson offers. This is fast becoming one of my stapble inks.

Similar Inks
* Rohrer and Klingner Scabiosa
* Pelikan 4001 Violet

The Numbers:
Weight: 34g
Length (capped): 137mm
Length (uncapped): 123mm
Length of cap: 58mm
Price: Various on Ebay
Material: Metal and plastic
Filling Mechanism: Cartridge and converter (Included)
Colours: Gold, Silver and Bronze

Intro:
Before I go into the review of the Baoer 507 I would like to give my thanks to Maybelline of On Fountain Pens for the loan of the pens for review. Do check out her website for more reviews of pens and inks.

Appearence:
The Baoer 507 is a black pen with gold accents. I really enjoy the barrel design with the chinese style painting of horses. The clip is very stiff and you can't use it one handed. The grip section is a black ridged plastic material. It is nothing fantastic or special but I like the ridges on the grip section as they help with the grip.

The pen is front heavy when unposted which helps with the ease of writing. The cap posts securely on the back of the barrel but that makes the pen back heavy and uncomfortable for me to use properly. The snap on cap closes with a satisfying click. Though the cap is made of cheap plastic there is a metal insert at the top of the cap which adds with the weight of the cap. The Baoer 507 is tipped with a gold shiny finial while the brand name is emblazoned around the top section of the cap. The Baoer 507 is a hefty pen, it feels a little too heavy for my liking. Overall, all these elements add to the premium feel to the pen.

Performance:
The Baoer 507 comes with a two tone nib. Mine writes very much like a stub nib, with the vertical strokes are thinner than the horizontal strokes, though I suspect Bao Er doesn't offer any nib options for their pens. I am putting it down to poor QC but it is a happy conincidence for those who prefer a stub over other nib sizes. Given the stub-ish nature of the nib, it has a reasonable amount of line variation. The nib is smooth doing horizontal and vertical strokes but it has a little feedback when doing diagonal strokes. Other than that oddity, the nib writes reasonably well.

Also when I first fill the pen, I had a hard time getting the nib to pen. I tried pushing the ink out till it flows out of the nib but it still didn't write. However, after a couple of tries doing that, the nib wrote without problems after that.

Conclusion:
The Baoer 507 is a surprisingly well made China fountain pen. it is a value for money cheap fountain pen. You can find one on eBay easily to add one to your collection. Once again my thanks to Maybelline of On Fountain Pens for the loan of the pens for review

Pros:
* Value for money
* Snap on cap
* Beautiful barrel design
* Post-able

Cons:
* Heavy
* Weird QC on the nib
* Hard to get ink to the nib

The name Eau De Nil when translated from French means water of the Hile. From my simple Google search I can't quite tell if the name is accurate. Personally I think it reminds me of the calming colour of the deep sea. The cool tones of green blending with a touch of blue, combining into a soothing shade of turquoise that looks good on paper. Plus, it isn't too loud. It also brings to mind Pilot Iroshizuku Ku-Jaku except Diamine Eau De Nil has a matte finish.

Siimilar Inks:
* Pilot Iroshizuku Ku-Jaku
* Sailor Jentle Yama Dori
* Pilot Iroshizuku Syo Ro

I love Pelikan Edelstein Mandarin. It's up there with Noodler's Apache Sunset. This is a bright orange ink with tons of shading, from a pale orange all the way to a bright strong orange. This ink is part of Pelikan Edelstein series - Pelikan's high end series of inks. Mandarin is a drier ink just like Pelikan's affordable series - Pelikan 4001. As a lefty, I prefer drier inks. The bottle is also just gorgerous just like the Pilot Iroshizuku bottles, it's another extremely collectible worthy series of inks.

Similar Inks:
* Noodler's Apache Sunset
* Diamine Blaze Orange

Pen Chalet is giving away 3 pens as part of their March Giveaway. You stand a chance to win one of 3 pens.

1st Place: Conklin Herringbone Fountain Pen
2nd Place: Sheaffer 300 Ferarri Ballpoint Pen Gift Set
3rd Place: Monteverde Artista Crystal Series Fountain Pens

The Conklin Herringbone fountain pen looks particularly interesting. Go over to Pen Chalet's blog to find out how to win one of these pens. I will be dropping my name into the pot, you can be sure of that. The giveaway ends March 9th, 2015 at 10PM MST.

Noodler's Bernanke Blue is one of two Noodler's fast drying inks. The other being Noodler's Bernanke Black. I found that Noodler's Bernanke Blue dries faster than the black. Other than being a fast drying ink, Bernanke Blue has a rather regular bright blue shade. It is a saturated ink like all other Noodler's inks that I've tried. Bernanke Blue's shading is visible from the medium nib and larger.

Similar Inks:
* Diamine Royal Blue
* Pilot Iroshizuku Asa Gao
* Private Reserve Naples Blue

The Numbers:
Weight: 53g
Length (capped): 142mm
Length (uncapped): 125mm
Length of cap: 65.8mm Price: less than SGD$30 on eBay
Material: Metal and plastic
Filling Mechanism: Cartridge / Converter
Colours: Black, red, white (as far as I can find)

Intro:
Before I go into the review of the Jinhao 3000 I would like to give my thanks to Maybelline of On Fountain Pens for the loan of the pen for review. Do check out her website for more reviews of pens and inks.

My first impression of the Jinhao 3000 is what a gaudy pen. I can picture a fat chinese boss chomping on the end of huge cigar as he hold a glass of alcohol on one hand while the other hand signing a contract using the Jinhao 3000 in a sleazy nightclub with loud music blaring. Maybe I have watched too many Hong Kong gangster movies but I think you get the idea.

Appearence:
The Jinhao 3000 is a huge and heavy pen in a cigar shape. It weighs a hefty 53g. I think this is the heaviest fountain pen I have had the chance to use for any reasonable length of time. The silver metal juxtapose against the black plastic barrel in a net like design and a silver tiger. The tiger is seen clearest against the black plastic barrel though the pen is also available in red and white as well.

The JInhao 3000's cap snaps on with a click but it didn't feel very secure because the catch is pretty shallow. However the cap hasn't fall off accidentally as yet. The clip though stiff wasn't too hard to clip onto my Nock Co Lookout. The grip section is smooth and the step down is gentle. Though the Jinhao 3000 is heavy, the pen's balance tips towards the nib so the weight works in its favour. It takes a standard international cartridge and converter. I am surprised to see that the pen comes with an included converter given its price. More expensive pens didn't even bother to include a converter.

Performance:
The Jinhao 3000 nib is a huge ass two tone nib. It is stiff and writes similar to a Japanese medium or a German fine nib. It writes surprisingly smooth. Thankfully it doesn't write too wet. However, I realised that the vertical strokes are drier than horizontal strokes. I am not sure if this is a common issue for Jinhao or not. I had a hard time getting the ink into the feed. Though I had draw ink up into the converter via the traditional method and not syringe filling the converter, I have also pushed ink out via the nib but still the feed isn't saturated and the nib doesn't write. However, this is solved once I repeated the steps a couple of time. I had encountered this with the Baoer 507 fountain pen as well. Is this a chinese fountain pen quality control issue or is it just me?

Conclusion:
The Jinhao 3000 is an afforadable fountain pen if you can get over its gaudy design. Personally I probably can never over look its design. The nib writes pretty smooth once you get it going.

Once again, I would like to give my thanks to Maybelline of On Fountain Pens for the loan of the pen for review.

Pros:
* Afforadable
* Snap on cap

Cons:
* Heavy, huge pen
* Gaudy design

Additional reading:
SBRE Brown's review

Chu Shu is part of the autumn season limited edition of Sailor Jentle inks. It is a grey ink that has a purple tone to it. It reminds me of a muted Diamine Damson. It is not a true grey ink. Overall, this is an interesting colour. It is dark enough for some corporate use yet has some subtle colour which makes it interesting plus it has some shading.

Sailor inks comes in a simple low, round bottle. Nothing as onate as the Iroshizuku or Edelstein inks. The design of the bottle might make it hard to get the last drops from the bottle. However, Sailor has a plastic reservoir. Just turn the bottle upside down (capped, of course) and let the reservoir fill up and then fill the fountain pen from there!

Similar Inks:
* Diamine Damson
* Diamine Graphite

Yama Dori is mountain bird in Japanese. Yama Dori is part of the new Jentle series after Sailor has discontinued a number of beloved inks. It is a vibrant turquoise ink that reminds me of Iroshizuku Ku-Jaku. Sailor inks that I've used so far are well behaved and have wonderful shading. I think I am favouring Sailor inks over Iroshizuku because of the great shading. Yama Dori has a red sheen when the ink pools. Yama Dori is defintely going to be one of my favourite ink.

Similar Inks:
* Pilot Iroshizuku Ku-Jaku
* Pilot Iroshizuku Syo Ro
* Diamine Eau De Nil

This ink is a part of the re-release of Sailor's 2010 limited edition seasonal inks. Now it has been made part of Sailor's standardn ink lineup after they had discontinued a number of well loved inks. It is no wonder I had such a hard time sorting out if the inks were new or old. Oku Yama translate from Japanese to English as deep mountains. This is one ink that should be used on good paper. The ink shades very well from a brighter pink purple to a deep wine red on good quality paper. However on a medicore paper, it dulls into a red-brown and shading is all but gone. There isn't any bleed through on bad paper though. This shade of red reminds me of Pilot Iroshizuku Yama Budo. Oku Yama is also known to have a green sheen from a few examples I've seen online. This is a well behaved ink that has many sought after properties by many ink lovers.

Additional reading:
Crónicas Estilográficas Jentle 2014

Similar Inks:
* Diamine Syrah
* Pilot Iroshizuku Yama Budo
* Noodler's Black Swan in Australian Roses

The Numbers:
Weight: 46g
Length (capped): 144mm
Length (uncapped): 121.4mm
Length of cap: 67.25mm
Price: USD$299 on eBay.com
Body Material: Brass coated with titanium oxide
Nib Material: 14k or 18k Gold
Filling Mechanism: Cartridge and Converter
Colours: Titanium, Matte Black, Platinum and Matte black with Palladium cap

Intro:
This beautiful vintage Lamy fountain pen is loaned to me by a member of the Singapore Fountain Pens Lovers. My thanks to him for his trust in me to take good care of his baby.

The Lamy Persona until its recent discontinuation at 2004 was Lamy's flagship luxury pen. It is designed by Mario Bellini and he was known for his architectural designs. The pen comes in 4 different finishes with the platinum plated edition being the most expensive. The one pictured in this review is the Lamy Persona Titanium.

The Lamy Persona has two different versions. The first version didn't come with an anti-rolling device. The device is just a small little protuding bump on the clip that helps to stop the pen from rolling off the table. However if the pen has got momentum going I doubt that small little bump would stop it. The version I am reviewing is one without the anti-rolling device. The Lamy Persona comes in either the 14k or 18k gold nib. The earlier models came with the 18k nib while the later ones had the 14k nibs.

Performance:
The first thing you notice about the Lamy Persona is the striking Art Deco design it has. I can see the architectural influences in the design of the Lamy Persona. The Lamy Persona Titanium has a smooth domed cap with a gold clip sitting in the middle of it. It looks almost like a cyclops with its singular long eye looking at you. The clip is ridged at the top of the clip. Normally the clip retracts flush against the cap but with just a little push upon the ridges the clip will extend. It is an easy one hand operation to clip the pen on even your jeans pocket. As your eye travel down the pen you will notice the fluted barrel that looks just like a Greek column. The barrel is of a slightly lighter shade than the cap. The entire pen is made of brass contributing to the heft of the pen. It is also coated with titanium oxide. The Lamy Persona Titanium has a dull silver finish which adds to the sense of mystery it holds.

The screw on cap disengaged from the barrel with just half a turn unlike most other pens. The grip section has a ribbed design which provides sufficient grip to hold onto the Lamy Persona easily. Though the pen weighs a hefty 46g, it is well balanced. This is especially important for a heavy pen. However if you feel the need to post the cap, the cap snaps onto the back of the barrel easily. Plus I particularly like that the grip section tappers down to a narrower width. There is almost no step from the barrel to the grip section.

Like most of Lamy's modern pens, the Lamy Persona has cartridge and converter system. The barrel unscrews to reveal the Z25 converter. The catridge and converter system helps with the easy clean up of the pen.

The nib is an 18k gold nib. However it doesn't have much spring to it, the later 14k gold nib are reputed to have a slight springy-ness to it. I like the beak like design of the nib. The nib wraped almost all the way round the feed. A quick search on the Fountain Networks reveals that the nib can be removed the same way the Lamy Safari nib is removed. The advantage of having interchangable nib is tempered by the fact that it isn't all that easy to buy nibs by themselves.

The nib lays a thick wet line. The ink flow is generous and I had to increase my writing size to not have them all turn into unreadable globs. The sweet spot on the Lamy Persona is narrower than my experience with modern Lamy pens. If I stray from the sweet spot, I can feel a slight feedback when I write. However this could be a lefty problem.

Conclusion:
I am sad that Lamy has discontinued the model because the Lamy Persona is a great writer with a distinctive look and innovative clip design. I particularly enjoy the 1/2 turn to uncap the pen. The weight of the pen might be a bit much for me but if the pen came in a lighter model I would be hunting the pen down on the forums. If you can get your hands on this at a reasonable price, the Lamy Persona is a worthy addition to your collection.

Once again my thanks to my fellow Singapore Fountain Pen Lover for loaning me the pen.

Pros:
* Striking design
* Innovative clip design
* Well balanced
* 1/2 turn to uncap
* Post-able
* Interchangable nibs

Cons:
* Too heavy for me

Additional Reading:
KMPN
The Pencil Case Blog

My thanks to Sunny of Straits Pen for a sample of the ink. My thanks to Fook Hing for the bottle of mini Pilot Iroshizuku bottle for the giveaway. Details for the giveaway is at the end of the review. Now with graditude out of the way onwards to the review.

This is one of 2 grey inks in the Pilot Iroshizuku series. The other grey ink being Fuyu Syogun. I have purchased Pilot Iroshizuku Fuyu Syogun very early in my foray into the world of fountain pens. My verdict of it was far from favourable. My main complaint was the colour was too light. Fuyu Syogun is a grey with cooler undertones while Kiri Same has warm undertones. That's about the main difference between the two grey inks.

Kiri Same is too light for my taste and I don't recommended for everyday use. I prefer my greys darker like J. Herbin Stormy Grey. Regardless, Kiri Same is well bahaved and easy to wash out from the pen. It shades from a light warm grey to a darker grey.

Similar Inks:
* Pilot Iroshizuku Fuyu Syogun
* Mont Blanc Permanent Grey
* Sailor Jentle Chu Shu

Though this isn't my favourite grey I am sure there are others who disagree to that end I am giving away a mini bottle of 15ml Pilot Iroshizuku Kiri Same. This giveaway is limited to people residing in Singapore. All you have to do is leave a comment below, telling me what is your favourite grey ink. The giveaway ends 30 March midnight.

Diamine China Blue goes down on the page dark and wet at first before drying to a pale, less saturated shade. There isn't much shading visible even on the colour swatch. It reminds me of Pelikan 4001 Royal Blue. I am realising that I need my blue inks to be more interesting and special than any other colours with the exception of black. Somehow a prefectly serviceable blue feels utterly boring to me. Diamine China Blue is one such blue.

Similar inks:
* Pelikan 4001 Royal Blue
* Pilot Iroshizuku Ajisai
* Diamine Presidential Blue