I just wanted to add that in the video during the comparison panel, Birmingham Allegheny River Twilight was really appearing more purple than it does to the eye -- it was WAY off the charts. I messed with the color setting but just couldn't get it to come across accurately!
Oh my, I would have never imagined that a gray ink would be so different. WOW!!! It is beautifully different for sure! And so glad your Sojourner is bringing you much happiness!!
Thank you Sharon! :) It is my favorite of my notebook covers/TNs! A dream come to true to have something nice covering the Cafe Note. Yes this ink is quite interesting - I liked seeing it next to the more traditional greys - thats where I saw how unusual it is next to Diamine Grey and Silver Fox! :)
After thinking that the only ink I would ever need was black I discovered that the contrast can be a strain and tiresome to the eyes and so I have now decided that a grey is probably a better way forward. I am pleased that you are also a great fan of this Diamine Earl Grey ink as I have just ordered an 80 ml bottle. I think this is a very fortunate coincidence. I was pleasantly surprised by the complexity of the chromatography as illustrated by your test. Your work has become a valuable resource for us so please continue. Many thanks.
Hi Antonio -- thank you + I'm glad the video helped you! I love grey inks -- they are one of my absolute favorite color groups. I already bought more Earl Grey as I had run thru my first bottle!!!!
@@ChrisSaenz13 I think I have finally combined the perfect ink, pen and paper combination. Earl Grey, Bock #6 F on Jinhao, 2022 diary (W.H. SMITHS). Handwriting nirvana.
Chris, I do have a favorite grey - but I haven’t found it in an ink yet! I’ve seen it in a car color and in a fountain pen that I had in grade school but no longer have :( still on the hunt......
Thank you for reviewing this ink! It looks interesting and I was curious about it. I like your reviews, all the tests and experiments give a very complete picture of the inks and their performance. 😊👍❤️ Have a great weekend!
Hi - oh I like your You Tube Handle!!! :) It's really a pretty grey and I was SURE before I tried it for myself that it was too dark - but I was wrong about that!
A lovely gray, and the water solubility makes it a candidate for ink washes. For anyone who wants an absolutely waterproof, archival satisfying gray, I recommend Noodler’s Lexington Gray. Unlike some Noodler’s inks, it is very well-behaved and is great for both writing or drawing.
Hi Catherine -- Lexington Grey is really a great ink -- I can't remember if I already had my bottle at the time I did this video or not. :) I like how Lexington Grey almost looks like a pencil in a medium nib!
@@ChrisSaenz13 yes! In some ways it’s even better than pencil: - It won’t muddy overlying washes like drawings with too much pencil. - it’s transparent, so you can repeat layers and go all the way to black if you want, unlike pencils. - it works well when loaded into a waterbrush and so do dilutions. Or you can bring one of those little multiwell watercolor mixing palettes, a dropper bottle of water, and a brush. Either way, it’s really easy to do value studies quickly. And add watercolor washes or white gel pen strokes later if you want. You probably already know all this, but I am venting a bit of my enthusiasm.
You are very welcome Donna! I've found it to be an ink I write with daily! :) It is also an example of one I would have "known" I didn't liike if it hadn't come in sample form in the ink flight. That gets me to try inks outside what I assume I'd like. :)
@@ChrisSaenz13 Diamine Damson was that ink for me. I just knew I wouldn't like that color (I was looking for a dark purple) but when I tried it, that quirky color really grew on me.
Chris Saenz I am sure that I will. Keep me posted if you do the Pokka pens link cause I am ready to order and would love for it to give you $10 to use on their site.
Diamine Earl Grey looks almost psychedelic the way it comes across on camera, doe sit do the same during writing with it as well? might get myself a sample or two... along with maybe J Herbin Stormy Grey! God bless you Chris, so glad youre happy for losin 55 lbs, you earned it!
Hi Robert - Earl Grey comes off the nib looking very dark grey - of course anytime you introduce water to it it reacts really cool with the pinkish and turquoise hues coming out! It's quite nice! Thank you for the congrats - I never thought I'd conquer my "weight issues" ... my belief had always been that it was something very addiction related or something .... I never dreamed I was just eating the wrong food and too often (not fasting between days enough). :) I like to spread the word any way I can since I thought I'd tried everything .... then came the final "new" thing for me to try and it worked = low card/intermittent fasting! :)
I tried Earl Grey, and it's just a little too dark for me. Especially where it shades We all have different eyes,, and to mine it looked too much like some of the black inks I've used. After some experimentation, I mixed it three parts Earl Grey, and two parts distilled water. It's just right for my eyes now. One of the things I loive about Diamine and Noodler's inks is that they're saturated enough to allow mixing distilled water. Several of the Noodler's inks actually should be lightened. They're super saturated intentionally. Some can be mixed up to fifty fifty before your get a significant color change. Most I've used, though, do best at about twenty-five percent distilled water. This not only brings many inks, mostly purples and greens, up to true green and not like a black with hints of green. Some of the Diamine inks are the same way. To me, this not only brings out the true color of the ink, it gives me a lot more ink for my money.
I have a bottle of Earl Grey and it is my favorite grey. I never use black inks, preferring the various hues that show up in greys. I tried Silver Fox once in a Metro with Medium nib and it wrote too light for me; so, never used it again. Fabre-Castel has a nice one you might enjoy: Stone Grey.
Hi, Chris, thanks for the review. In fact, after much delay (couple of years?) I ordered this ink this week - it may even be at the post office already! I'm looking forward to playing with it in a nice wee stub nib to wring out as much character as possible!
Hi Margret -- oh good - I think you'll love it! I had it in my TWSBI Go 1.1 stub for a long time (smoke Go) lol and now that I think of it - I've wanted to put it in my Lamy Safari with the 1.1 stub - even though my writing is quite childish looking in a stub nib. :) Somewhere I read this ink came out in 2017.
@@ChrisSaenz13 I've got them, I've got them, I've got them. You'll be amused to hear that I tried to fill the Go by stuffing the nib in the ink and then pressing the plunger to expel the air - instant over-burden of unwanted ink all up my fingers and onto surrounding items! If I hadn't been so stupid, I'd have laughed out loud. ... I suppose that means if it had been someone else ... Anyway, wasn't to difficult to mop up and since I had a lump of kitchen towel nearby (fortuitously - if I'd planned to need it I wouldn't have needed it!) Filled with the Earl Grey and written a tiny bit. It IS a lot darker than the silver fox, and too early yet to say which I prefer. The EG might be a preference in a fine nib, perhaps the SF in a stub? I will scientifically assess the two. (No I won't I'll just play with them!) 😃
@@ChrisSaenz13 BTW, nothing wrong with childish writing so long as it's readable, and yours always is. Mine can be ver' elegant or like drunken spider tracks
@@Maraaha55 Oh I've been waiting for myself to do that mistake one day because I do it often with the bulb syringe when taking up water for cleaning my pen and it makes a disgusting noise. So I fear forgetting to depress the plunger on the Go pen one of these days. Ugh. I hope you find a nib you really like the Earl Grey in -- it's interesting how it looks on Tomoe River paper coming out of a broad nib! I'm on the other end where I need to find some inks that I like enough in an EF nib. Especially my one really good EF nib - the one in my F/C Loom. The Shark Pens write more like a F/M. :) Have fun with your experiments!!!!
I've been looking forward to this profile. I got a big bottle of Earl Grey with a gift card that my daughter gave me for Mother's Day. I love how it looks after it dries, but it looks so watery as I write with it and it makes my pens feel draggy. I got some White Lightning ink additive from Vanness and I'm curious to see if it helps.
Hi gadgetstop321 - I'm using my Earl Grey primarily in a medium TWSBI nib or fine Lamy nib on Leuchturrm paper -- I don't know if that accounts for part of my enthusiasm about it - I also LOVE how it is on the Tomoe River paper! I've been curious about that ink additive. That will be interesting for you to try - I hope it works!
Hi Carla - the Sojourner folio is amazing - it's outside my area of knowledge and one of my nicest accessories I own (and it was a gift) one day I might try reviewing it! :)
Thanks for sharing your low carb/fasting journal :) You are doing fantastic!!! I have a ways to go, but I am doing well on it too. I have a similar ink: Stipula Fading Grey and have been using it quite a bit. I am one of those weirdos who like the lighter "pencil" colors too. I have a sample of Pilot Iroshizuku Kiri-Same that I am favoring right now (way too light for you though LOL). -- Tim
Hi Tim -- I ran across that Stipula ink in a blog once and thought about trying it -- after I've worked my way thru the samples I have! Thanks! And good luck to you with your low carb & fasting!!!!!
Hi D -- Earl Grey is such a pretty ink!!! I still do Intermittent Fasting 20:4 everyday but I am in need of getting my carbs back lower and under better management. :)
I've always hated gray ink because every sample I've tried looked like washed out, faded black ink. I'll have to give this a try, though. On the monitor, at least, it looks like a true, rich gray.
@@ChrisSaenz13 II bought a bottle, and you're right, it doesn't look like a black ink. Another reason I hate gray fountain pen ink is because there are gray inks made for dip pens that are so think they're almost creamy. More paint than ink, I believe. I guess it's impossible to capture that consistency and steady color with fountain pen ink. There is another gray ink I now like. To shorten it a bit, it's a Montblanc special edition called "Wood & Tobacco scent".. I love the way it smells, and the way it looks on paper. But it cost eighty dollars for 50ml, so I think I'd love it and use it, even if I hated it and didn't want to use it, if that makes sense. I know I'm not going to waste a drop. I really didn't want to buy it, but the name finally got to me, and I couldn't resist.
wish diamine inks were waterproof! I not only have problems with the waterproofness/permanency but they also smudge on tomeo river and nice paper when you rub them if you're in a moist weather
Hi Amelia -- I ended up liking Graf Von Faber Castell Stone Grey best after some time with grey inks. It's not completely water proof but has a lot more water resistance. But yes I can definitely relate on the smearing on TR paper and wanting to find more permanent qualities.
@@ChrisSaenz13 yeh my pigment ink never smudges on tomeo! wish we had more pigmented inks! one I get out of my country i'll try a few more :) I had to import that ink from another country with help
Thank you Chris . I can send you a few vial of earl grey if you like i have an 80ml bottle, which is much cheaper here in the UK , i love the colour also . I'm happy to send you a few vials if that helps 80 ml will last me for a long time.I don't mind it not being permanent i have permanent inks, De-Atramentis Document inks are good and well behaved, the dark blue does stain convertors sometimes but 20% bleach solution will clear that out easily, i used document inks for year at work and my pens were fine , except for a little staining like i said in the converter which was not an issue.Ive used the pens with other inks since and they are fine. Pegs i think is what you meant for the chromatography.
Hi Matthew - I'm going to order more Earl Grey - it's such a daily writing ink - I have that on my pen allowance plans but thank you anyway! That's a kind offer. Oh is that what they are called in your area "pegs"? I was trying to think of "clothes pins". My words were not coming at the right time yesterday! :)
Hi Bilal - I was pretty sure a lot of people would want more water resistance - for that I guess we have to look at the Noodler's inks ... and/or DeAtramentis. Noodler's Lexington Grey is dark and very permanent but I imagine there are others out there waiting to be discovered. I'd like to find one that isn't totally bullet proof but maybe hangs around readable if we accidently spill water upon it. I'll be looking for one as I sort thru samples! :)
@@ChrisSaenz13 It would be very nice. Still, I think I'll get a bottle. I was looking for grey ink, and this one looks very nice on paper: it's not too light nor too dark; and your comparison sheet helps a lot. The other one that caught my eye was Moon Dust; either of those would be very nice to have.
I just wanted to add that in the video during the comparison panel, Birmingham Allegheny River Twilight was really appearing more purple than it does to the eye -- it was WAY off the charts. I messed with the color setting but just couldn't get it to come across accurately!
You're forgiven ❤️
Pro tip: watch movies at flixzone. Been using them for watching loads of movies lately.
@Chaim Maddux yea, I have been watching on Flixzone} for years myself =)
Oh my, I would have never imagined that a gray ink would be so different. WOW!!! It is beautifully different for sure! And so glad your Sojourner is bringing you much happiness!!
Thank you Sharon! :) It is my favorite of my notebook covers/TNs! A dream come to true to have something nice covering the Cafe Note. Yes this ink is quite interesting - I liked seeing it next to the more traditional greys - thats where I saw how unusual it is next to Diamine Grey and Silver Fox! :)
Substantial and impressive interrogation of the ink Earl Grey. Well done.
Thank you Peter!
Wow your review is thorough and even enjoyable to watch. Thank you thank you
Hi @fugazi1479 -- thank you I'm glad it was enjoyable ... such a beautiful ink and of course I love grey inks in general!!!
After thinking that the only ink I would ever need was black I discovered that the contrast can be a strain and tiresome to the eyes and so I have now decided that a grey is probably a better way forward. I am pleased that you are also a great fan of this Diamine Earl Grey ink as I have just ordered an 80 ml bottle. I think this is a very fortunate coincidence. I was pleasantly surprised by the complexity of the chromatography as illustrated by your test. Your work has become a valuable resource for us so please continue. Many thanks.
Hi Antonio -- thank you + I'm glad the video helped you! I love grey inks -- they are one of my absolute favorite color groups. I already bought more Earl Grey as I had run thru my first bottle!!!!
@@ChrisSaenz13 I think I have finally combined the perfect ink, pen and paper combination. Earl Grey, Bock #6 F on Jinhao, 2022 diary (W.H. SMITHS). Handwriting nirvana.
I like this grey but would choose the plain grey for writing - really nice in the art journal. Thanks, Chris.
Hi Sue -- do you have a favorite grey?
Chris, I do have a favorite grey - but I haven’t found it in an ink yet! I’ve seen it in a car color and in a fountain pen that I had in grade school but no longer have :( still on the hunt......
Thank you for reviewing this ink! It looks interesting and I was curious about it. I like your reviews, all the tests and experiments give a very complete picture of the inks and their performance. 😊👍❤️ Have a great weekend!
That's a really pretty gray. I just added this to my wishlist
Hi - oh I like your You Tube Handle!!! :) It's really a pretty grey and I was SURE before I tried it for myself that it was too dark - but I was wrong about that!
@@ChrisSaenz13 Thank you ! The only gray I have right now is Pilot Fuyu-Syogun but I feel like it's too light, sot his Diamine looks perfect tome
A lovely gray, and the water solubility makes it a candidate for ink washes. For anyone who wants an absolutely waterproof, archival satisfying gray, I recommend Noodler’s Lexington Gray. Unlike some Noodler’s inks, it is very well-behaved and is great for both writing or drawing.
Hi Catherine -- Lexington Grey is really a great ink -- I can't remember if I already had my bottle at the time I did this video or not. :) I like how Lexington Grey almost looks like a pencil in a medium nib!
@@ChrisSaenz13 yes! In some ways it’s even better than pencil:
- It won’t muddy overlying washes like drawings with too much pencil.
- it’s transparent, so you can repeat layers and go all the way to black if you want, unlike pencils.
- it works well when loaded into a waterbrush and so do dilutions. Or you can bring one of those little multiwell watercolor mixing palettes, a dropper bottle of water, and a brush. Either way, it’s really easy to do value studies quickly. And add watercolor washes or white gel pen strokes later if you want.
You probably already know all this, but I am venting a bit of my enthusiasm.
A great review of a beautiful ink. This one has been on my wish list for a while now. I just need to break down and purchase it! Thanks, Chris.
You are very welcome Donna! I've found it to be an ink I write with daily! :) It is also an example of one I would have "known" I didn't liike if it hadn't come in sample form in the ink flight. That gets me to try inks outside what I assume I'd like. :)
@@ChrisSaenz13 Diamine Damson was that ink for me. I just knew I wouldn't like that color (I was looking for a dark purple) but when I tried it, that quirky color really grew on me.
Great review. You’re very thorough. I am going to get some of this one.
This one is now a daily writing ink for me! I hope you like it too!
Chris Saenz I am sure that I will. Keep me posted if you do the Pokka pens link cause I am ready to order and would love for it to give you $10 to use on their site.
Diamine Earl Grey looks almost psychedelic the way it comes across on camera, doe sit do the same during writing with it as well? might get myself a sample or two... along with maybe J Herbin Stormy Grey! God bless you Chris, so glad youre happy for losin 55 lbs, you earned it!
Hi Robert - Earl Grey comes off the nib looking very dark grey - of course anytime you introduce water to it it reacts really cool with the pinkish and turquoise hues coming out! It's quite nice! Thank you for the congrats - I never thought I'd conquer my "weight issues" ... my belief had always been that it was something very addiction related or something .... I never dreamed I was just eating the wrong food and too often (not fasting between days enough). :) I like to spread the word any way I can since I thought I'd tried everything .... then came the final "new" thing for me to try and it worked = low card/intermittent fasting! :)
Hell yeah! I've wondered about the performance of this ink.
Hi TheMartialist - it's a great ink in my opinion!
I tried Earl Grey, and it's just a little too dark for me. Especially where it shades We all have different eyes,, and to mine it looked too much like some of the black inks I've used.
After some experimentation, I mixed it three parts Earl Grey, and two parts distilled water. It's just right for my eyes now.
One of the things I loive about Diamine and Noodler's inks is that they're saturated enough to allow mixing distilled water. Several of the Noodler's inks actually should be lightened. They're super saturated intentionally. Some can be mixed up to fifty fifty before your get a significant color change. Most I've used, though, do best at about twenty-five percent distilled water.
This not only brings many inks, mostly purples and greens, up to true green and not like a black with hints of green. Some of the Diamine inks are the same way. To me, this not only brings out the true color of the ink, it gives me a lot more ink for my money.
Hi James -- wow that's interesting - I really need to do some more ink experimenting!!!!
I have a bottle of Earl Grey and it is my favorite grey. I never use black inks, preferring the various hues that show up in greys.
I tried Silver Fox once in a Metro with Medium nib and it wrote too light for me; so, never used it again.
Fabre-Castel has a nice one you might enjoy: Stone Grey.
Hi honeydooda - Stone Grey even sounds great! I'll have to check that out! :)
Hi, Chris, thanks for the review. In fact, after much delay (couple of years?) I ordered this ink this week - it may even be at the post office already! I'm looking forward to playing with it in a nice wee stub nib to wring out as much character as possible!
Hi Margret -- oh good - I think you'll love it! I had it in my TWSBI Go 1.1 stub for a long time (smoke Go) lol and now that I think of it - I've wanted to put it in my Lamy Safari with the 1.1 stub - even though my writing is quite childish looking in a stub nib. :) Somewhere I read this ink came out in 2017.
@@ChrisSaenz13 I've got them, I've got them, I've got them. You'll be amused to hear that I tried to fill the Go by stuffing the nib in the ink and then pressing the plunger to expel the air - instant over-burden of unwanted ink all up my fingers and onto surrounding items! If I hadn't been so stupid, I'd have laughed out loud. ... I suppose that means if it had been someone else ... Anyway, wasn't to difficult to mop up and since I had a lump of kitchen towel nearby (fortuitously - if I'd planned to need it I wouldn't have needed it!)
Filled with the Earl Grey and written a tiny bit. It IS a lot darker than the silver fox, and too early yet to say which I prefer. The EG might be a preference in a fine nib, perhaps the SF in a stub? I will scientifically assess the two. (No I won't I'll just play with them!) 😃
@@ChrisSaenz13 BTW, nothing wrong with childish writing so long as it's readable, and yours always is. Mine can be ver' elegant or like drunken spider tracks
@@Maraaha55 Oh I've been waiting for myself to do that mistake one day because I do it often with the bulb syringe when taking up water for cleaning my pen and it makes a disgusting noise. So I fear forgetting to depress the plunger on the Go pen one of these days. Ugh. I hope you find a nib you really like the Earl Grey in -- it's interesting how it looks on Tomoe River paper coming out of a broad nib! I'm on the other end where I need to find some inks that I like enough in an EF nib. Especially my one really good EF nib - the one in my F/C Loom. The Shark Pens write more like a F/M. :) Have fun with your experiments!!!!
I've been looking forward to this profile. I got a big bottle of Earl Grey with a gift card that my daughter gave me for Mother's Day. I love how it looks after it dries, but it looks so watery as I write with it and it makes my pens feel draggy. I got some White Lightning ink additive from Vanness and I'm curious to see if it helps.
Hi gadgetstop321 - I'm using my Earl Grey primarily in a medium TWSBI nib or fine Lamy nib on Leuchturrm paper -- I don't know if that accounts for part of my enthusiasm about it - I also LOVE how it is on the Tomoe River paper! I've been curious about that ink additive. That will be interesting for you to try - I hope it works!
Another great review. Have been wanting this grey for some time. Speaking of wants, I'd love your opinion of the Sojourner folio, a complete review!
Hi Carla - the Sojourner folio is amazing - it's outside my area of knowledge and one of my nicest accessories I own (and it was a gift) one day I might try reviewing it! :)
Thanks for sharing your low carb/fasting journal :) You are doing fantastic!!! I have a ways to go, but I am doing well on it too. I have a similar ink: Stipula Fading Grey and have been using it quite a bit. I am one of those weirdos who like the lighter "pencil" colors too. I have a sample of Pilot Iroshizuku Kiri-Same that I am favoring right now (way too light for you though LOL). -- Tim
Hi Tim -- I ran across that Stipula ink in a blog once and thought about trying it -- after I've worked my way thru the samples I have! Thanks! And good luck to you with your low carb & fasting!!!!!
Great review! Just got a small bottle of Earl Grey. I treat samples poorly currently. Congrats on your low carb lifestyle. Keeping up with it?
Hi D -- Earl Grey is such a pretty ink!!! I still do Intermittent Fasting 20:4 everyday but I am in need of getting my carbs back lower and under better management. :)
Thanks for this Chris: have been looking for darker grey - been using Iroshizuku Fuyu-syogun but it’s too light for me:)
Hi Angus!
Lovely! Can you use this ink with a dip pen?
Hi Cassie - yes!
I've always hated gray ink because every sample I've tried looked like washed out, faded black ink. I'll have to give this a try, though. On the monitor, at least, it looks like a true, rich gray.
Hi James - Diamine Earl Grey truly is a nice rich grey color! Yet to my way of seeing it - it does'nt look black in the nib. Which is such a benefit!
@@ChrisSaenz13 II bought a bottle, and you're right, it doesn't look like a black ink.
Another reason I hate gray fountain pen ink is because there are gray inks made for dip pens that are so think they're almost creamy. More paint than ink, I believe. I guess it's impossible to capture that consistency and steady color with fountain pen ink.
There is another gray ink I now like. To shorten it a bit, it's a Montblanc special edition called "Wood & Tobacco scent".. I love the way it smells, and the way it looks on paper.
But it cost eighty dollars for 50ml, so I think I'd love it and use it, even if I hated it and didn't want to use it, if that makes sense. I know I'm not going to waste a drop. I really didn't want to buy it, but the name finally got to me, and I couldn't resist.
wish diamine inks were waterproof!
I not only have problems with the waterproofness/permanency but they also smudge on tomeo river and nice paper when you rub them if you're in a moist weather
Hi Amelia -- I ended up liking Graf Von Faber Castell Stone Grey best after some time with grey inks. It's not completely water proof but has a lot more water resistance. But yes I can definitely relate on the smearing on TR paper and wanting to find more permanent qualities.
@@ChrisSaenz13 yeh my pigment ink never smudges on tomeo!
wish we had more pigmented inks! one I get out of my country i'll try a few more :) I had to import that ink from another country with help
Thank you Chris . I can send you a few vial of earl grey if you like i have an 80ml bottle, which is much cheaper here in the UK , i love the colour also . I'm happy to send you a few vials if that helps 80 ml will last me for a long time.I don't mind it not being permanent i have permanent inks, De-Atramentis Document inks are good and well behaved, the dark blue does stain convertors sometimes but 20% bleach solution will clear that out easily, i used document inks for year at work and my pens were fine , except for a little staining like i said in the converter which was not an issue.Ive used the pens with other inks since and they are fine.
Pegs i think is what you meant for the chromatography.
Hi Matthew - I'm going to order more Earl Grey - it's such a daily writing ink - I have that on my pen allowance plans but thank you anyway! That's a kind offer. Oh is that what they are called in your area "pegs"? I was trying to think of "clothes pins". My words were not coming at the right time yesterday! :)
@@ChrisSaenz13 yeah we call them pegs :-)
Thanks for the review. Nice color but I wish it has - at least a bit - water resistance.
Hi Bilal - I was pretty sure a lot of people would want more water resistance - for that I guess we have to look at the Noodler's inks ... and/or DeAtramentis. Noodler's Lexington Grey is dark and very permanent but I imagine there are others out there waiting to be discovered. I'd like to find one that isn't totally bullet proof but maybe hangs around readable if we accidently spill water upon it. I'll be looking for one as I sort thru samples! :)
This a perfect gray; regrettably it completely disappears with water!
Yes it would be so nice if it had partial water resistance. :)
@@ChrisSaenz13 It would be very nice. Still, I think I'll get a bottle. I was looking for grey ink, and this one looks very nice on paper: it's not too light nor too dark; and your comparison sheet helps a lot. The other one that caught my eye was Moon Dust; either of those would be very nice to have.