Hey, I have and use both of those pens extensively as well! I love both, with different primary uses for each. I like carrying around the Lamy a little better cuz it's lighter and I feel I can toss it around a bit more. The Invincia I actually keep in a leather slip, and it more or less stays put.
I have a medium Falcon myself, and I find it to be the most 'versatile' if you want to use it for normal non-flex writing. If you want the most dramatic flex, then go with the fine (or extra-fine, if you're able to spring for the Pilot Metal Falcon). The Prima's not bad either! That's a pen I think is worth more than it costs.
You can check out the TWSBI Mini or Vac-700, those are definitely a step up. I'm a big fan of the Monteverde pens, too, they have a few pens in that range. Lamy Studios are nice, too.
I do unscrew it. I have a degree in Physics, and this is what inspired my interest in these pens. I switched out the Noodler's with Iroshizuku in my Pilot Custom 823 and the problem ended. My TWSBI Vac 700 still has Noodler's and still has this problem. My hypothesis is the viscosity of the inks. The good thing about this is that I discovered that I like Iroshizuku ink as much as Noodler's. It's more expensive, but will make for some variety if I purchase some more.
Ah, okay. Noodler's inks are pretty heavily saturated with dye, so if you need to, you can always cut them down a bit with some distilled water (10% or so) to help the flow, that's another option. But yeah, Iroshizuku, though expensive, really is a great ink. It's not just a nice bottle, the ink itself really is good stuff.
I have recently bought and tried this ink in several pens. It works ok in most of my pens, but it seems to dry very quickly and caused my Montblanc medium to skip. It worked well in Japanese pens. Beautiful ink but not for all pens, I think.
If it's your first pen, you don't even need to spend that much, honestly. The Pilot Metropolitan for $15 is the best fountain pen value today, I'm also a big fan of the Lamy Safari/Al-Star, and the TWSBI Minis. Personally, I think you should get a couple of less expensive pens, and spend the rest on ink ;) But I'm a bit of an inkophile!
I'm glad you like this ink. Do you unscrew the back of your vacuum pens when you write with them? That's how they need to be in order to keep from drying out, not a lot of people realize that. Try that if you don't do it already, and you'll probably find it's less of an issue.
Daniel, I second the Namiki Falcon, in soft medium nib or soft broad, keeping in mind they are finer nibs than the equivalent western nib gauge. The Monteverde Prima is also a nice intro pen.
StoryMing It's not quite as wet as Aurora Black, and is fairly similar to Namiki Black. I haven't tested namiki black for waterproofness though. -Brian Goulet
That is also not a bad choice. You have good taste! Just a heads up though, there's a worldwide shortage on Namiki Falcons right now, we've been backordered for months. I don't know why, but it seems that pen has skyrocketed in popularity recently, even though it's been around for a while. Great pen though!
I really enjoyed my Monteverde invincia, I also own the lamy al-star and have to say i really enjoy it comparatively. The pen is still only like 80$, but i feel it's an awesome buy. I have really no complaints. The pen looks stunning in Rose Gold and the nibs are interchangeable and feel very smooth in my Quo Vadis habbana. In the end, pick whatever really floats your boat haha
I was interested in your review of this ink. I had already bought it (even though I am happy with Noodler's Black). I own two vacuum filler pens and I discovered that bubbles would form above the feed as I wrote in these pens and the bubbles wouldn't float to the top. The result was the feed would dry out and writing would stop. I realized Noodler's was too viscous. So I bought this ink and the problem is solved. It seems to be less viscous. It's nice, but I prefer my Noodlers in most pens.
If you really want to put down more, I'd suggest getting the Namiki Falcon. Bryan's site sells the black resin version for $144 and you get yourself a 14 karat gold nib and a very nice, classic-looking pen, but with a nib that has a little flex. I use the metal version, but the resin one is very nice, too.
My take-sumi is actually quite resistant to water. Yeah, there is a certain dye component that washes away under running water but once that part has washed away the writing still stays very legible on the paper. Could anyone else confirm? I did not expect this ink to have kind of document proof qualities to it...
Yeah, I think this ink review agrees with you. It'll smear a bit right away with water, but it still remains legible, and isn't completely washed away like some inks. - Colin
+kuhataparunks I'm new to fountain pens but decided to buy the fancy stuff, and I'm really enjoying it. The bottle is gorgeous and the ink colors are really deep and vivid in person.
Many Recommend the Safari but I have the dough and I want to get up 1 or 2 levels from that you know? Is there anything worth buying in my budget range?
I'm using a Lamy Safari B Nib, wanted to know which ink would be the best for daily use in India, confused between the pilots iroshizuku black or Pelikan 4001 black! Any other recommendations ?
I am beginning to get into the scene of fountain pens so to speak, and I have around $100~$150 for a pen and about $15 for ink. What would you recommend for me? I would like a fine or med. nib.
![[LIVE] : ONE ลุมพินี 88 | คู่เอก "ป้อมเพชร vs อัสลามจอน"](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/1ZqTVVbMgbo/mqdefault.jpg)
Watching it 10 years after it was posted. What a great video and ink swatch comparisons at the end ! ❤
Still an outstanding and relevant video 10 years later!
You're welcome! I know this was the most anticipated of the 3 inks, that's why I posted it last...to build up anticipation!
The comparison session gives me a great amount of information. Thank you for the review. ♡
Thanks so much! I have fun putting these together...they're a bit of work, but I do have fun. I'll try to keep them coming!
Hey, I have and use both of those pens extensively as well! I love both, with different primary uses for each. I like carrying around the Lamy a little better cuz it's lighter and I feel I can toss it around a bit more. The Invincia I actually keep in a leather slip, and it more or less stays put.
Thanks for always doing these reviews. I'm sure I speak for more than just myself when I say I really enjoy these!
I have a medium Falcon myself, and I find it to be the most 'versatile' if you want to use it for normal non-flex writing. If you want the most dramatic flex, then go with the fine (or extra-fine, if you're able to spring for the Pilot Metal Falcon). The Prima's not bad either! That's a pen I think is worth more than it costs.
You can check out the TWSBI Mini or Vac-700, those are definitely a step up. I'm a big fan of the Monteverde pens, too, they have a few pens in that range. Lamy Studios are nice, too.
You're very welcome! I try to be thorough :)
I like the way you've jazzed up your videos.
I do unscrew it. I have a degree in Physics, and this is what inspired my interest in these pens. I switched out the Noodler's with Iroshizuku in my Pilot Custom 823 and the problem ended. My TWSBI Vac 700 still has Noodler's and still has this problem.
My hypothesis is the viscosity of the inks.
The good thing about this is that I discovered that I like Iroshizuku ink as much as Noodler's. It's more expensive, but will make for some variety if I purchase some more.
it is the interplay between the viscosity and surface tension (the capillary number) not just the viscosity alone.
Ah, okay. Noodler's inks are pretty heavily saturated with dye, so if you need to, you can always cut them down a bit with some distilled water (10% or so) to help the flow, that's another option. But yeah, Iroshizuku, though expensive, really is a great ink. It's not just a nice bottle, the ink itself really is good stuff.
Thanks for the recommendation ;)
Thanks! I'm just trying to keep things fresh...after a few hundred videos I tend to get bored even with my own intros ;)
Was looking forward to this! Thank You!
I have recently bought and tried this ink in several pens. It works ok in most of my pens, but it seems to dry very quickly and caused my Montblanc medium to skip. It worked well in Japanese pens. Beautiful ink but not for all pens, I think.
If it's your first pen, you don't even need to spend that much, honestly. The Pilot Metropolitan for $15 is the best fountain pen value today, I'm also a big fan of the Lamy Safari/Al-Star, and the TWSBI Minis. Personally, I think you should get a couple of less expensive pens, and spend the rest on ink ;) But I'm a bit of an inkophile!
I'm glad you like this ink. Do you unscrew the back of your vacuum pens when you write with them? That's how they need to be in order to keep from drying out, not a lot of people realize that. Try that if you don't do it already, and you'll probably find it's less of an issue.
Which is the fastest drying ink you've used? I'm asking for my friend who is left handed, I used Noodler's black and that takes a while to dry.
Great review. Very informative. Thanks!
Daniel, I second the Namiki Falcon, in soft medium nib or soft broad, keeping in mind they are finer nibs than the equivalent western nib gauge. The Monteverde Prima is also a nice intro pen.
Thank you! That's great to hear, even though I already know it ;)
Hi! Thanks for the great review!
I'd love to know more about how take-sumi compares with aurora black, as well as namiki standard black.
StoryMing It's not quite as wet as Aurora Black, and is fairly similar to Namiki Black. I haven't tested namiki black for waterproofness though. -Brian Goulet
That is also not a bad choice. You have good taste! Just a heads up though, there's a worldwide shortage on Namiki Falcons right now, we've been backordered for months. I don't know why, but it seems that pen has skyrocketed in popularity recently, even though it's been around for a while. Great pen though!
I really enjoyed my Monteverde invincia, I also own the lamy al-star and have to say i really enjoy it comparatively. The pen is still only like 80$, but i feel it's an awesome buy. I have really no complaints. The pen looks stunning in Rose Gold and the nibs are interchangeable and feel very smooth in my Quo Vadis habbana. In the end, pick whatever really floats your boat haha
Oh, man, check out that buzz!
You're very welcome : )
Thanks for the review!!
I was interested in your review of this ink. I had already bought it (even though I am happy with Noodler's Black). I own two vacuum filler pens and I discovered that bubbles would form above the feed as I wrote in these pens and the bubbles wouldn't float to the top. The result was the feed would dry out and writing would stop.
I realized Noodler's was too viscous. So I bought this ink and the problem is solved. It seems to be less viscous. It's nice, but I prefer my Noodlers in most pens.
Noodler's black is still my choice, but this stuff still does look cool!
Would you please tell me what nib size you used for writing the top area of the “test” paper. Thanks
If you really want to put down more, I'd suggest getting the Namiki Falcon. Bryan's site sells the black resin version for $144 and you get yourself a 14 karat gold nib and a very nice, classic-looking pen, but with a nib that has a little flex. I use the metal version, but the resin one is very nice, too.
My take-sumi is actually quite resistant to water.
Yeah, there is a certain dye component that washes away under running water but once that part has washed away the writing still stays very legible on the paper.
Could anyone else confirm? I did not expect this ink to have kind of document proof qualities to it...
Yeah, I think this ink review agrees with you. It'll smear a bit right away with water, but it still remains legible, and isn't completely washed away like some inks. - Colin
That intro... Daaaang.
But really, could someone say if this ink is TRULY worth such an exorbitant price!!?!
kuhataparunks you could argue either way. To some, definitely no. Others, totally. -Brian Goulet
+kuhataparunks i dont see why not
it is smooth
it works well on both fountain and dip pens
it dries reasonably fast
and the bottle looks great.
+kuhataparunks I'm new to fountain pens but decided to buy the fancy stuff, and I'm really enjoying it. The bottle is gorgeous and the ink colors are really deep and vivid in person.
Many Recommend the Safari but I have the dough and I want to get up 1 or 2 levels from that you know? Is there anything worth buying in my budget range?
I'm using a Lamy Safari B Nib, wanted to know which ink would be the best for daily use in India, confused between the pilots iroshizuku black or Pelikan 4001 black!
Any other recommendations ?
Any thoughts on a good black ink (looks nice on paper) and also drys really fast? Needed for a medium nib fountain pen. What would you suggest?
Noodler's Black is literally the best black ink out there.
Pilot iroshizuku take-sumi and pelikan edelstein onyx. Which one would be better?
성엽조 did you get your answer,i do have this doubt now.
B ma Well, my favorite one is Ama-iro ,Iroshizuku, Pilot, so I just bought parker quink black and used it. Cheap, but useful.
I am beginning to get into the scene of fountain pens so to speak, and I have around $100~$150 for a pen and about $15 for ink. What would you recommend for me? I would like a fine or med. nib.
Did you really call mead 1 dollar paper? Mead 1 subject note books are like 5 or 6 bucks now. My 3 subject Mead notebook cost 16 bucks.
They have different grades. Some are 10 cents some are a dollar etc