I wasn't all that excited about these inks when Brian Anderson sent them to me. I was like "Cross? I guess I'll try them out." Snooty. I know.
My attitude changed when I swatched these inks. The blue black is solid (as you'll see today), the red looks promising, and the violet looks really great.
I decided to try this one first because I had a bunch of greens and reds and oranges in pens, and I wanted something a little more staid. The flow on this ink is good, maybe a little wet. The performance on copy paper is pretty good, though there was some really minor bleed from the broad stub.
The best things here might be that it's a real blue-black. Lots of "blue-black" inks are actually green or slightly purple. This one goes on to the page a little bit purple, but it dries to blue-black. It's not the flashy-est ink, but it's gonna really good for those who need a more serious ink for the workplace.
Write Up!
Close Ups!
Man. I really love this Franklin-Christoph nib. That Mike Masuyama is darn good at nibs.
Color Comparisons!
Yeah. I got some Baystate Blue. Its in a Platinum Preppy. I think I like it so far. The jury is still out on the Yard-o-Led ink.
Chromatography!
Copy Paper Test!
This is pretty minor bleed from the medium nib, and the bleed from the broad stub isn't terrible either.
Video Review and Water Drop Test!
So, in the final analysis, I like this ink. It's probably not going to go into my regular rotation of inks, but I can totally imagine it making the short list for people who have more restrictive work environments and need a more somber ink. I'm lucky enough to be able get away with most any color I want, but I know that's not the case for everyone.
You can find this one at Anderson Pens for $15 in a 62.5ml bottle. You can also get it in 3ml samples. It's a little on the pricey side, so get a sample if you're unsure.