Goes well with my Oysterdate. I really need to get a green refill for it, I have enough blue ballpoints as it is!
Just got a couple of pens in the post today. Jinhao 159 fountain pen and rollerball (heavily /*ahem*/ inspired by the Mont Blanc 149): They are HUGE. Comparison to a couple of other pens: Compared to a Monteverde Invincia Titanium: And to a Parker Jotter ballpoint: The fountain pen is sooo smooth to write with, inked it up with some Waterman Florida Blue and it writes really nicely, Weight isn't too bad, I was expecting them to be heavier and they don't feel too chunky. The rollerball is a little more disappointing, it feels a little gritty and the line is not as consistent as it could be. Still, that is easily fixed as it takes Mont Blanc refills and those are awesome.
Nice stuff! I've been further trying out this Caran D'ache Rolex ballpoint and it is amazing! Although it's a thin barrel which I'm not overly keen on, it's one of the smoothest pens I've ever used. The Caran D'ache refills are sublime!
That's pretty much been the general consensus when I have seen anyone talking about Caran D'ache, whether it be inks, pens or refills. Might have to pick one up at some point, definitely want to grab some of their ink. Tanking of inks, I filled up my Parker 45 with the Mont Blanc Midnight Blue and once everything came through it has transformed that pen. The ink contains a lot of shellac solids and they seem to have 'lubricated' the feed somewhat. Can't see much blue in the ink though as it is extremely dark but the writing is so much nicer than the 45 has been with other more conventional inks.
Be careful with it as it is an Iron-gall ink. A very (very very very) old formula similar to what was used in the middle ages. It is exceedingly nasty to clean, highly waterproof and a little corrosive (ferric chloride or similar is used in its manufacture - same stuff as is used for etching pcbs). The advice I was given in the shop was to use it in a pen that you can either dismantle very easily for a very thorough cleaning every couple of fills or a cheap pen (which I thought was highly ironic with it being a Mont Blanc ink...) If you want an ink that flows well in just about anything then grab a bottle of the Waterman Florida blue. Not met a pen yet that doesn't like it.
Same as me! (My first MB ink) and I've still yet to try it in my Scheaffer 100. I can't wait, it looks an astounding colour from what I've seen! Otherwise, next on the list is Irish Green which looks another awesome special one, and Midnight Blue/ Oyster Grey which will be more general purpose.
I've read a couple of reviews of the red and they all say the same thing: it's like writing with red wine. Can't wait to give it a try
I'll take a look, thanks! I need sme varous use pads. Soon™. I only own one fountain pen at the moment! I have managed to get much more in to ballpoints.
It's not doing much for me i'm afraid. Sure it's a nice looking design but it's nothing that different. German iridium point nib, just like those which can be found on any number of sub $7 Chinese pens and comes with a converter, again hardly a selling point. Like I said, looks nice but that's about it.
So, in what seems like an age of owning the stuff, I've finally got round to sticking some MB Burgundy Red in to my Scheaffer 100 and giving it a go. The results have stunned me. For a start, the ink is gorgeous! The depth of colour and gradients varying by pressure give an edge to writing that I've just never seen with ballpoints. Text is beautiful! What has made this even better for me is that within just a couple of minutes of getting used to the way the pen works and where to apply pressure and all that, my handwriting has improved massively. I've always had a very tight wrist when writing which has always been quite painful. Upon getting used to the way the pen writes, I have already naturally loosened my wrist and find myself writing much more freely- curving letters nicely and adding serifs to letters without noticing as I let the pen do the work. Although I knew I was missing out something not trying this, I wasn't expecting this kind of result and have been left in awe. Suffice to say, I won't be adding any more ballpoints to my collection for the time being. But I'll certainly be getting a couple more fountain pens and starting a nice collection of MB ink- which has already amazed me for sheer quality after just one colour. If they're all like this, I cannot wait to get more!
