I bought this Deli Honour Fountain Pen Ink in Dark blue colour for ZAR 40 from Mellows Stationery Shop F09 in China Mall, Johannesburg. If you buy 10 pieces of the ink, then it will only cost you ZAR 30 for a 30ml bottle. But I will wait for all the ink colours to arrive before venturing into that. Check it out!
This is a little darker blue colour and can be similar to the one that you would find in the regular Blue-Black ink. I have compared it against so many inks that I have in my collection.
I really loved the bottle of Montblanc 60ml glass ink bottles. The design is really different from all the fountain pen inks available around the globe. It does look really cool on your desk. I got two ink bottles from Facebook Marketplace for ZAR 200 in this Mystery Black colour. One was really new and another one was almost at the finish line which came complementary. I have not mixed both the inks due to their age and using them separately and then I can use the empty ink bottle to create an ink colour of my own. The new ink bottle is priced at ZAR 500 at the Montblanc showroom in Sandton City.
Montblanc Mystery Black is really a dark black coloured ink. There is no grey portion in the same. As I see a lot of black ink swabs in my ink manual, I can see there is a clear colour difference between all the black inks. This Montblanc Mystery Black has some kind of brilliance to the same and it really shines on paper. There is no sheen or shimmer in this ink. Lamy T52 Black comes closer to the same but has a lot of grey in the normal writing zones. Camlin Syah Black and Lamy T53 Agate are more grey as compared to this one. If I compare the same with the Noodler's Bulletproof Black ink, then this ink also looks light in black colour. I don't think comparing this ink with Noodler's ink will be a bit of good advice.
I think you should collect inks based on what kind of bottle inks are coming in. The colour of ink is available from every brand and they do have unique glass bottles that I still need in my life. I love the Ferris Wheel ink bottle, Diamine, Twsbi, Endless, Urushi India and many more that I still need to collect.
Thanks to Uncle Derek and his daughter for passing on his legacy of Montblanc Inks as well as some of the fountain pens which will be revealed in separate videos. Check out this Montblanc Mystery Black 60ml Ink bottle and the ink swatch. Slowly we are creating a nice booklet where ink comparison will become easier and more interesting. I have compared the same ink with other black inks I own. Thanks for watching! Aashish
If any ink brand wants to send us their inks, please contact me at editor@thelifesway.com. Even if they cannot ship to South Africa, I can provide them with the Aramex Global Shopper Address where they can send the same to their local country address as well and I pay the courier charges to get them to South Africa.
Karkos Orange is really a bright orange ink from the Karkos range of inks. I really loved it because I love yellow colour and this is the closest in terms of a combination of orange and red. Yellow-coloured ink is one thing that's needed if you want to experiment with creating your own unique colours. I am still in search of yellow ink and only have some Lamy Mango Cartridges from the sale at Exclusive Books. Those cartridges I used to create some unique ones by mixing them with Green and thereafter with blue or something to get to some unique colours in my Yellow Lamy Safari Fountain Pen.
Karkos Orange is having a little bit of difficulty reading as the ink is a little bit of dull as compared to the other inks. I will have to experiment with this ink with the thick nib may be bold or stub ones as it will leave much more ink on the paper. But one thing is sure the Orange is definitely an ink to have in your collection. It will really help if you love drawing sunrise or sunset and many expensive inks are there in this colour as well like Noodler's Sunset.
After my first order with the Ali Express App, I was glued to the platform mainly because of the two games that give you gold coins that you can pay for your products with. I found some of the fountain pen inks that I wanted to try. Whatever Inks I was getting here in South Africa were very expensive and I thought of not investing that much amount of money into the same.
I bought this Karkos Orange Fountain Pen Ink in a 30ml bottle for USD 1.97 (ZAR 38) each. Express Pencils Store is available on the Ali Express App from where I ordered this ink. Check it out and if you like it, you can also order it.
Also, the South African Post Office charged me only ZAR 36 to release the packet so based on the items inside the package that got equally distributed to all the 6 ink bottles and 1 glass pen. The overall cost of the ink then came to ZAR 45 approximately based on the exchange rate for a 30ml ink bottle.
The ink comes in a plastic bottle with a simple sticker saying the name of the ink. The opening of the bottle is protected by a plastic seal that can be taken in and out to not spill during transport etc. The plastic quality of the bottle is fine. The cap is in the same colour as the ink but it doesn't truly match the same. It takes a little while to take the plastic seal out but on its way from China to South Africa, it's kept in a ziplock bag and there was not even a single drop of ink spill. All the inks came fine and perfect.
If any ink brand wants to send us their inks, please contact me at editor@thelifesway.com. Even if they cannot ship to South Africa, I can provide them with the Aramex Global Shopper Address where they can send the same to their local country address as well and I pay the courier charges to get them to South Africa.
Aum Namah Shivay!
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After my first order with the Ali Express App, I was glued to the platform mainly because of the two games that give you gold coins that you can pay for your products with. I found some of the fountain pen inks that I wanted to try. Whatever Inks I was getting here in South Africa were very expensive and I thought of not investing that much amount of money into the same.
I bought this Karkos Bordeaux Fountain Pen Ink in a 30ml bottle for USD 1.97 (ZAR 38) each. Express Pencils Store is available on the Ali Express App from where I ordered this ink. Check it out and if you like it, you can also order it.
Also, the South African Post Office charged me only ZAR 36 to release the packet so based on the items inside the package that got equally distributed to all the 6 ink bottles and 1 glass pen. The overall cost of the ink then came to ZAR 45 approximately based on the exchange rate for a 30ml ink bottle.
The ink comes in a plastic bottle with a simple sticker saying the name of the ink. The opening of the bottle is protected by a plastic seal that can be taken in and out to not spill during transport etc. The plastic quality of the bottle is fine. The cap is in the same colour as the ink but it doesn't truly match the same. It takes a little while to take the plastic seal out but on its way from China to South Africa, it's kept in a ziplock bag and there was not even a single drop of ink spill. All the inks came fine and perfect.
This is one of the most loved inks from my perspective. It really shines on the paper not in terms of sheen or shimmer but in terms of the beauty it brings to the blank paper. The place where the ink is wetter, I really love those words. This ink is water-based so it's really wet. The ink looks like writing with the red wine. Even the name Bordeaux represents the world capital of wine in France. If you only want to buy one ink from Karkos then this should be the ink you should look for.
Currently, the situation of SAPS (South Africa Post Office) is not good and the Benmore Post Office has closed so I am not sure if I can order more stuff from the Ali Express app or not. But maybe I will try to once I finish some of the inks and I get good views on my video then I can order more inks from Ali Express to test and review with all of you.
If any ink brand wants to send us their inks, please contact me at editor@thelifesway.com. Even if they cannot ship to South Africa, I can provide them with the Aramex Global Shopper Address where they can send the same to their local country address as well and I pay the courier charges to get them to South Africa.
Aum Namah Shivay!
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Noodler's Ink is a brand built by Nathan Tardif in Massachusetts, United States of America. It now has more than 100+ inks that have gained much popularity. They all are 100% handmade in the USA and no material is procured from China and totally made in the USA. I got these from my brother who brought them from the USA to India and I brought them here to South Africa. It's also available at Applebee pens and WriteGear online stores. Check this solid black ink in this video.
Noodler's has around 15 range of inks that I told you in this video and this Black forms part of their second range named Bulletproof inks. This ink is water resistant to the most and it was so difficult to take it out from my Glass pen as well. It still reflects the blackish tint and I have done some more writing with other inks with the glass pen thereafter.
It's really strong in terms of being bulletproof which makes it the most popular Black ink amongst the collectors and users of fountain pens. All the portions on the ink swabs looked like water dipped in some black material and on the wetter portions, the paper was totally black.
My only problem is that I have to commit a pen to this ink and then I can't use that pen to any other colour ink. Coming to that one pen is the main issue and though I have many pens, I have to identify the one that will always be filled with this ink. As I am writing this, I think the Parker Vector XL will be best suited for this ink as it has a medium wider nib and the body colour is also matt black. The pen writes a little wetter as well so more ink means more black legible writing on the paper. Hence, I can now definitely go ahead and finish the already installed ink in the pen and clean the same for this ink to take over the beautiful body of Parker Fountain Pen.
It's also available at Applebee pens and WriteGear online stores. The price ranges from ZAR 360 to ZAR 560 but you will get them locally in South Africa. WriteGear currently have no stock as of date but maybe they will have the same in future. Between Applebee and WriteGear, there is hardly any change in the prices so if you are in Cape Town, you should travel to the Write Gear shop and if in Johannesburg, travel to the Applebee collection point for pickup as then you don't pay for the courier charges.
The ink in the Noodler's ink really spoils your hands etc so be careful with this ink. The bottle doesn't help as well as it's filled to the top and has a wide opening. That's done by the brand to provide a lot of value to its customers which I totally respect.
This ink is also water resistant and can sustain a lot of water on the paper and retain your writing. Also, all the drawings on the ink bottles are made and that makes each bottle unique. I totally loved the Noodler's range of inks and if I could find money I would definitely invest more money into their smaller bottles.
What are your views on a single person's started brands similar to Organics Studio and Noodler's Inks? These are not corporate style or branded inks and need the support of all the users to buy and share their inks with the world.
If any ink brand wants to send us their inks, please contact me at editor@thelifesway.com. Even if they cannot ship to South Africa, I can provide them with the Aramex Global Shopper Address where they can send the same to their local country address as well and I pay the courier charges to get them to South Africa.
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My brother also bought one of the standard inks from Noodler's Ink range of products. He also loved this particular ink introduced in the 2020 Baltimore Pen Show and since then it's been going on strong. I too loved the colour and you will too. This Noodler's ink is water resistant and is available at Goulet Pens for USD 22 for a 3oz (90ml) bottle on this day.
Noodler's Ink is a brand built by Nathan Tardif in Massachusetts, United States of America. It now has more than 100+ inks that have gained much popularity. They are 100% handmade in the USA; no material is procured from China and made in the USA even the stickers and glass bottles. I got these from my brother who brought them from the USA and I brought them here to South Africa. It's also available at Applebee pens and WriteGear online stores. The price ranges from ZAR 360 to ZAR 560 but you will get them locally in South Africa. WriteGear currently have no stock as of date but maybe they will have the same in future. Between Applebee and WriteGear, there is hardly any change in the prices so if you are in Cape Town, you should travel to the Write Gear shop and if in Johannesburg, travel to the Applebee collection point for pickup as then you don't pay for the courier charges.
If any ink brand wants to send us their inks, please contact me at editor@thelifesway.com. Even if they cannot ship to South Africa, I can provide them with the Aramex Global Shopper Address where they can send the same to their local country address as well and I pay the courier charges to get them to South Africa.
I really loved this ink in this nice blue colour. I think I have developed a fascination for blue-coloured inks. I want them more and more in my arsenal now. This has a really dark aspect to the blue and doesn't turn into any other colour or black in its darker wetter portions. The inks are the main aspect of the fountain pen collection because you need to fill inks into your writing instruments. I feel that the brands should also sell 10ml or 5ml bottles as well at cheaper prices because it's really difficult to finish the 90ml bottles. If you don't like the colour, then the whole bottle goes to waste as it's difficult to find other ink collectors or fountain pen users in general.
The ink in the Noodler's ink really spoils your hands etc so be careful with this ink. The bottle doesn't help as well as it's filled to the top and has a wide opening. That's done by the brand to provide a lot of value to its customers which I totally respect.
This ink is also water resistant and can sustain a little bit of water on the paper and retain your writing. Also, all the drawings on the ink bottles are made and that makes each bottle unique. I totally loved the Noodler's range of inks and if I could find money I would definitely invest more money into their smaller bottles.
What are your views on a single person's started brands similar to Organics Studio and Noodler's Inks? These are not corporate style or branded inks and need the support of all the users to buy and share their inks with the world.
I thought of also marking the stationery review posts to maintain continuity as well. This will take a while to post for all the YouTube videos I have shot which are more than 500+ for long format and 1200 + for Shorts format. I love stationery products and I am sure you also must have fallen in love with them during your life.
When you have a lot of pens, the next item is to buy the inks in different colours. I really love the colour of inks that get popped out and are reflective/brilliant in nature, by which I mean that they should shine on the paper whether they have shimmer or not, doesn't matter. It should really have a personality of its own. To pursue this passion, I have bought numerous colours of inks which will be showcased to you in my YouTube videos as well as in blog posts.
Lamy Germany is one of my favourite brands in terms of the range of products they offer. They have a unique style and owning a Lamy Safari Fountain Pen was one of my dreams. It all started when I bought one in Yellow colour during 2022 from Sandton Stationery & Print shop in Sandton City Mall. I got it for around ZAR 280 and then the ink converter cost me about ZAR 120 more so overall I paid ZAR 400 for the pen and got my EF nib as well. Now I am looking for a black F nib to fit my Safari Fountain Pen.
My second reason to love Lamy Germany is also due to its limited range of products, not in terms of the colours that they keep bringing but in terms of the designs of the products. The writing instruments range they offer starts from Safari, 2000, Aion, Studio, Swift, Vista, Ideos, al-Star, LX, Logo, Cp 1, Scala, Nexx, Accent, Joy, Dialog, Imporium and some more. The same models are also available in Rollerball and ballpoint pens as well. I am in pursuit of owning Lamy 2000 and Lamy Dialog.
If we talk about the inks, they only have two ranges - T52 (50ml) and T53 Crystal Inks (30ml) bottles. T52 are normal day-to-day inks that are cheaper as compared to crystal inks and come with tissue paper to take care of any stains or extra ink on the body of the pen.
T53 are expensive crystal inks that have sheen and shimmer built into the same and really reflect the quality Lamy offers. The design of the bottle is awesome as you unbox the ink. The bottle has a big opening that is both beneficial in terms of filling the ink in any kind of pen as well as the same can lead to accidents in case you drop it and the whole ink will be on the desk or ground.
I wanted to go into the crystal range of inks so I kept waiting for the Black Friday sale at Lamy Online shop because the price kept on increasing at all the online stores. I thought the same would be offered at a discount like last year when T52 ink bottles were sold for ZAR 99 only. The price of the T53 was the same as the T52 ink bottle last year in 2022. But the black Friday sale this time has very limited pens on discount and no ink formed the part of the same so I had to take a plunge to buy the inks at the price mentioned on the website. My good luck was that there was a 25% discount that was applied store-wide on all the products so it cost me a little bit less than the retail price of ZAR 299 (USD 16).
I bought this Azurite T53 Crystal Ink from Lamy Online Shop for ZAR 224 (USD 12) only. Lamy Azurite is also called Deep Blue and the ink is really nice tilted towards the darker purple shades as well. I am sure you won't miss the letters written in this ink as it's really dark and makes you wonder if this is black or blue or what? I am not sure why Lamy is calling the same as Crystal ink when there is no brilliance in the colour on the page.
I have not seen any of the Lamy inks feature in the top inks on the famous stationery shops videos on YouTube. There was also a problem with the ink bottle as most of the ink came out of the box and fell on other ink packets as well. The brands replaced the bottle but the same happened with the other Azurite bottle as well. The rest of the colours I bought have no leakage. Also, the packaging was different in all the T53 bottles I bought.
Overall, I am not clear about this ink as it should have been bought in the first place or not and now I have two bottles to finish. If anyone wants the same, I can sell the same for ZAR 200 cash in Johannesburg, South Africa. I will definitely try different pens and use this ink more as I just bought it before I went on holiday to India and since that time I have not used it. I will definitely try to use this ink in my new Fountain Pens from Kanwrite. More about the same in the next video so keep watching my YouTube channel!
Hereby I am starting to promote all my YouTube content on my blog as well. I am not satisfied with <10 views on my channel so I need to do a snowball effect using all the backlinks to my videos and shorts so that I can get a decent amount of views. Let me know if you have any questions regarding any products or services showcased in the videos.
As you know I have restarted my hobby of using Fountain Pens and collecting them as well. The pens need inks so you have to get them as well. I am not satisfied with a single colour of ink which I used for the last 4 years and that was Parker Quink Blue so I ventured into a range of inks already available in the country and the world over.
I made a list of all the inks that I wanted in my life and slowly and steadily I am buying them or getting them. This particular ink was not available in South Africa so I asked my brother for the same and as luck followed, he was also using fountain pens and is currently in love with TWSBI Diamond 580AL in Blue colour. The pen is lovely and he mixes some coloured inks into his special TWSBI ink bottle as well.
My brother bought me Organics Studio's most famous ink Nitrogen, a Royal Blue ink with a red sheen. Thanks to him for getting it from the USA as it was unavailable in South Africa. The same is priced at around USD 13 at Goulet Pens. Checkout the video about the ink swab on my platform -
Organics Studio is a brand started by a biochemistry student from University of Maryland in United States. They have five range of inks -
Elements - Less Saturated Soft Inks. This Nitrogen is also part of this series.
Masters of Writing - Highly saturated unique colours themed after famous book authors.
Master of Science - Pigmented or iron gall archival inks.
Darwin Inks - Quick drying inks and this is best for lefties.
Solid Red Sheen thought the ink is in Royal Blue colour.
No Shimmer and No shading.
Looks really good in the light with its dual colours.
The bad part about this ink is-
Stains your hands badly
After drying also, if you put your hands on the paper, you will get stains
High-maintenance ink as it's really hard to clean your pen.
Not water resistant
These inks are packed in 55ml plastic bottles which are then packed in a cardboard box with a sticker pasted on the same.
After writing with the ink and then checking the change of colours, I feel that there is some kind of chemical reaction that oxidizes when it comes in contact with the paper and air and turns the top layer into a red colour. If you wipe it then you will have a turquoise colour underneath. This test was done on my table, where some drops fell and I could analyze the process.
When I washed my glass pen then the water turned into a turquoise colour so this ink has some kind of chemical composition that's based on that colour and gives a red sheen when dried.
.png "Stationery Review 16: Montblanc Mystery Black Fountain Pen Ink (60ml) ZAR 200 (Used)")
.png "Stationery Review 10: Karkos Orange Fountain Pen Ink (USD 1.97) 30ml Bottle")
.png "Stationery Review 9: Karkos Bordeaux Fountain Pen Ink (USD 1.97) 30ml Bottle")
.png "Stationery Review 6: Noodler's Black Bulletproof Ink (90ml) USD 14")
.png "Stationery Review 5: Noodler's Baltimore Canyon Blue Ink (90ml) USD 22")
.png "Stationery Review 2: Lamy T53 Crystal Ink - Azurite (Deep Blue) 30ml Bottle")
.png "Stationery Review: Organics Studio Nitrogen - Royal Blue Fountain Pen Ink #TheLifesWay")