My first fountain pen was a Pelikan. I have long since lost it but I have replaced it with another and it is one of my nicer pens. This company makes excellent pens. Whether your budget is for something moderately priced at around a hundred dollars or so, or something more catching, you will not go wrong by picking up a Pelikan fountain pen. I was therefore more than a little excited to try this ink. If their ink is as good as their pens, and it is sure to be, this will be an experience. So I walked into Art Brown's last week, and even though I didn't get the chance to talk to Mrs. Brown I saw this ink and picked up a bottle.
The color is one of the, 'Black- Blacks.' In this goup I would also put Noodlers black, Sailor black, Caran d'Ache Black, and Private Reserve Ultra black. The Pelikan brilliant black is the lightest of these black black inks, which really isn't saying much as they are all dark. I will also reiterate that any of the inks in this group will look very black on your paper. The Private Reserve though will be somewhat darker than the Pelikan.
The most impressive thing about this ink though is the drying time. This is the fastest drying ink I have tested yet. Why is that important, you ask? Well we write, generally with both our hands. One hand holds the pen while the other is on the paper. With a liquid ink pen this makes it easy to smudge the ink if it does not dry quickly. Private Reserve has this problem and it's one reason I really can't recommend it for daily use. A page written with Private Reserve needs to be set aside to dry or it will likely stain the facing page when you turn it over. Too, if you happen to be left handed writing with an ink that doesn't dry quickly can be problematic.
No, make no mistake, this is an excellent ink, easily one of the best I have tested. I can recommend this to anyone. If you are new to fountain pens, make this your first ink. If you are gifting someone with a pen, include a bottle of Pelikan Brilliant Black.
01/28/2011
07:55:05 AM