[Ink Test Library] Montblanc Inks Roundup – SFPL Pen Meet May 2015

Wow it’s been a fairly busy weekend, and attending my first Singapore Fountain Pen Lovers pen meet has been quite an experience. With a turnout of over 80 fellow stationery addicts getting a fix at The Tea Party @ Biopolis, one can feel oddly at home. This particular meet was sponsored by Fook Hing of Singapore, featuring a range of Montblanc inks and that lovely Montblanc Starwalker Urban Speed pens. (For those looking for coverage of the event proper, Inkypassion and OnFountainPens have done a bang up job)

For myself, I managed to cop 8 samples of Montblanc inks and would like to share their test results with you:

This would be my first exposure to Montblanc’s offerings, apart from the Corn Poppy Red I’ve tried a goodly time back. Overall, the inks flowed nicely, being neither too wet nor dry. They wrote smoothly enough and I expect they will perform just nicely on an FP friendly paper and most FPs. It is also good news that the inks, when pooled, have proven to be quite resistant to feathering. As always, the tests were performed on Kokuyo’s loose leaf papers.

Montblanc Lavender Purple

This ink is a lovely deep lavender with limited shading. It reminds me of the richness of Pilot’s Yama-Budo from the Iroshizuku ink range, complete with the subtle gold sheen visible when the ink pools wetly. It is a pity that the scanner was unable to pick this up.

Shading – Limited
Bleedthrough – None
Feathering – None
Sheen – Subtle gold sheen on wet writers
Smear Resistance -Driven away by harsh language
Drip Resistance – Nonexistent
Flow – Good/Normal

Montblanc Burgundy Red

This particular Burgundy Red is indeed reminiscent of the color of Burgundy wines, but it lacks a little oomph, coming across as slightly anaemic on drying despite looking right impressive in the bottle and on first contact with paper.

Shading – Limited
Bleedthrough – None
Feathering – None
Sheen – None
Smear Resistance -Limited
Drip Resistance – Nonexistent
Flow – Good/Normal

Montblanc Irish Green

Ah, the green of the Irish. This is a very pure green which is distinctly brightly green but wisely stops short of being garish. I would think that if green were something someone would use in one’s line of work, this would be quite appropriate indeed.

Shading – Limited
Bleedthrough – None
Feathering – None
Sheen – None
Smear Resistance -Limited
Drip Resistance – Nonexistent
Flow – Good/Normal

Montblanc Toffee Brown

Toffee Brown is aptly named, being just that bit lighter than I would term a chocolate brown. At a glance it was reminiscent of Waterman’s Absolute Brown and Pelikan’s 4001 Brilliant Brown, yet manages to maintain that middle ground without tipping into a golden brown or a red brown.

Shading – Limited
Bleedthrough – None
Feathering – None
Sheen – None
Smear Resistance -Limited
Drip Resistance – Nonexistent
Flow – Good/Normal

Montblanc Oyster Grey

I have a soft spot for greys, in that they tend to have more character than pure blacks yet manage to maintain the sombre looks that remind one of pencil lines…except delivered via fountain pen! This particular grey manages to be perfectly neutral, without the characteristic blue or purplish tinge common to many greys out there. Muted and honest, I would call it.

Shading – Limited
Bleedthrough – None
Feathering – None
Sheen – None
Smear Resistance -Some
Drip Resistance – None
Flow – Good/Normal

Montblanc Mystery Black

While I struggle to see the mystery in this black, in wet writing this particular black would do well in delivering a pragmatic black line every time. Those with dry writers should note, however, that there is an ever so subtle purplish tinge to this ink, which may displease purists.

Shading – Limited
Bleedthrough – None
Feathering – None
Sheen – None
Smear Resistance -Some
Drip Resistance – None
Flow – Good/Normal

Montblanc Royal Blue

I would think of this as one from the brighter lineages of royal blue (which, as a color, I tend to expect to be darker). That said, it is the kind of azure blue with a touch of purple which maintains its qualification as a royal blue. It is also good to note that it does have a shiny purple sheen in wet writing, which adds character to this offering (though it never fails to remind me of the purplish sheen common to ballpoint inks too…)

Shading – Limited
Bleedthrough – None
Feathering – None
Sheen – Shiny purple on wet writers
Smear Resistance – It flees at the sight of water
Drip Resistance – Where did the ink go? (seriously, look at the scan)
Flow – Good/Normal

Montblanc Midnight Blue

At first blush one might be forgiven to mistake this ink for a black or grey. As far as this ink goes, it is a deep grey with enough blue to qualify it as a blue-black, if barely so. That said, it is dark enough to hold its own on paper and maintains legibility as a species of blue-black which wanders a bit too close to the darkness. Somewhat my kind of ink, albeit that it does not remind me of the color of midnight.

Shading – Limited
Bleedthrough – None
Feathering – None
Sheen – None
Smear Resistance – Some
Drip Resistance – Limited
Flow – Good/Normal

And this concludes my inaugural (and rather long) detailed entry in the Ink Test Library. Do let me know in the comments below if it’s been useful to you, and if you’ve got ideas to make it better. Cheers, and good hunting!

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