Tag: Montblanc

November 8, 2023

Ink Faves by Color

Posted in Ink

After taking the ink rainbow challenge, I started thinking about what my favorite ink(s) in each color are. I had to expand the color categories, and, even then, I have a couple of honorable mentions. Quick note: I worked through this post without reviewing my ink rainbow post, only comparing the two when I was done. There’s a bit of overlap.

In case you didn’t read the ink rainbow post and are wondering why I’m doing two such similar posts, the main difference is the selection criteria. For the ink rainbow post, I listed the first ink that came to mind. For this post, I’m sharing my favorite inks.

I’ve done my best to photoshop the individual ink swatches to look true-to-life, but that’s easier said than done, especially with any color that has red in it.

Now, enough chatting, on to the inks.

Rachel

Evocative Pens

Posted in Fountain Pens

I’ve been meaning to write this post for a while, but it kept getting pushed back. So, some of these pens are rather old at this point. However, the premise still holds true: all of these pens remind me of of other, non-pen, items.

Please note: I’ve borrowed all of these images, they are not mine. Each image links to the page where I found it. In the future, some of the links likely won’t work.

Rachel

Ridiculous Pens

Posted in Fountain Pens

Today’s post is somewhat inspired by a YouTube video. “Weird pen collabs” seemed like a fun topic, at least until I realized the only one I could find/think of was the Montegrappa & Harry Potter series. And that’s only weird for what Montegrappa chose to draw inspiration from. The Quidditch pitch, really? But I digress.

So, I modified the idea to ridiculous pens. The pens I chose are either ridiculously bad OR ridiculously good. On the bad side of things you have poor design and pricing. On the good side you have amazing showcase of materials and skill. I’m sure there are many other ridiculous pens I’ve missed, but I tried to go for a variety, and I think I succeeded.

Side note before I begin: I’m not judging the artistry or craftsmanship on the “bad” pens, just the decisions.

Now, let’s start small and work our way up, shall we?

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Year in Review – 2021 Pens

January 7, 2022

Rachel

Year in Review – 2021 Pens

Posted in Fountain Pens, and Non-Fountain Pens

DISCLAIMER UPDATE (6/24/22): TWSBI and Narwhal have released a joint statement which I cover in my most recent TWSBIgate post. While not completely satisfied with TWSBI’s response to the situation, I no longer feel the need to dissuade people from purchasing their products.

DISCLAIMER (5/1/22): Since writing this post, TWSBI has been involved in some unsavory actions, and I am currently boycotting them. For more information, refer to the #twsbigate tag page.

Both last year and in 2019 I wrote about my biggest pen wins and regrets. It was fun to look back on my pens, so I decided to do the same thing this year. However, with my 2021 Top Pens post, I basically already did that. So, I decided to do something I’ve seen in the YouTube makeup world — surprise, surprise — and rank all of my pen purchases.

Note: Some of the pens have already been discussed in recent posts. If a description looks familiar, that’s likely why. Also, where possible, I linked to an Instagram photo from the pen maker or store they collaborated with. When that wasn’t possible, I linked to a good photo on Instagram (consider following those fine folks). And, when all else failed, I linked to my own photos on Instagram.

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My 2021 Brand “Discoveries”

December 22, 2021

Rachel

My 2021 Brand “Discoveries”

Posted in Fountain Pens, and Storage

When I sat down to start writing this post, I thought it would be rather short. Then, I looked through my Airtable database and found that I’d purchased pens from 15 new-to-me brands this year! Wow! Now, when I say new-to-me, I don’t mean I’d never heard of them, just that I’d never before purchased a pen made by that brand.

I bought from a decent mix of indie and mainstream brands, which makes me happy. I like supporting indie brands. And I’ve found, especially recently, that my interest is piqued by indie brands more than mainstream brands.

Anyway, let’s start with mainstream brands to get that out of the way, then jump into the indie brands. FYI: The lists are in alphabetical order.

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December 11, 2019

Rachel

2 Comments

25 Days of Dupes – Day 10

Posted in Ink

Day 10 is Winter Miracle, a sheening and shimmer ink. Of the inks I swabbed, Pansy is the best color dupe, and has a decent amount of sheen in the same color, as well.

Comparative swatches for Inkvent Day 10 ink Winter Miracle

The photo below is provided to showcase the sheen.

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November 16, 2018

Rachel

2 Comments

Ink Dupes #1: Montblanc and Diamine

Posted in Ink

Welcome to Ink Dupes. I’ll warn you now, this series will most likely feature fairly irregular posts. Make sure you subscribe to my blog or to the fountain pen category so you don’t miss an issue.

This week, I’m starting with red — my favorite color — with Diamine Matador and Montblanc Corn Poppy Red.

A bit of a backstory — since you all know I’m so fond of stories. I noticed a while ago that some inks are nearly identical to others. When Ink Journal shared an article about chromatography in their Flex Nib Friday newsletter, I was curious to find out just how similar these seemingly identical inks really are.

After the first comparison, it occurred to me that I’m not the only one who’d be interested in knowing which inks are similar (or identical) in color. So, I’ll be sharing my comparisons with you all. I’m hoping it will help those who are looking for expensive or hard-to-find inks.

That said, if you’re curious about how two inks compare, let me know. I may have (or be able to get) both inks for comparison.

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