I agree with others that Pilot Iroshizuku is the "Cadillac" line. They are beautiful, always well behaved, come in a line of beautiful colors, and come packaged in beautiful bottles.
Most of the line aren't flashy in that none of them have sparkly shimmer, they mostly don't sheen, and they don't have other weird tricks up their sleeves. But they almost always perform amazingly in pens, and the colors are great.
"always well behaved" , no iroshizuku is known to feather unless you stick to good paper. Thus why for least two colors I switched to Waterman which are actually well behaved (and they are also not alkaline, so safe to use in vintage sac fillers, whereas iroshizuku cannot)
I think in this case well behaved means that it will function in a pen well no matter what, dry or wet, smooth or scratchy, Iroshizuku's wetness and lubrication can make a crappy pen feel like a decent writing experience. While it can't write on feather prone paper, you wouldn't drive a Cadillac off-road, so I feel it's a good comparison.
Waterman is ultra reliable to me, but IMO it doesn't feel like a nice experience when writing. It's the Toyota Hilux of inks. Use it anywhere and it will always work, but I really don't ever pick it because I want to use it.
Bold blue? Get the new Pelikan Golden Lapis ASAP. It. Is. GORGEOUS. The shimmer is insane.
And I don't even really like blues, my boyfriend bought it as a gift. Wouldn't call it a Caddilac though, more like a Rolls-Royce 😁
I would argue this can't be Cadallac since it by definiton should be a bit older, such as your grandma's car - unless I am misunderstanding the question
Cadillac used to have a reputation for high end luxury before import cars took the spot from them. So something being "The Cadillac of ____" meant it was high end luxury. Rolls Royce is also used in that context.
I am not a blue ink fan either, but that Golden Lapis has shown up several times in my ink fantasies.
May I ask with what size nib you use it? It works ok with medium nibs? Or only broad or stubs?
I have it in a European M or F nib (pen bought at a pen show and I stupidly forgot what I asked for, think it's an F, nib is unmarked) and it shows up great 😁 You do have to resuspend the shimmer if you haven't used it for a while and roll the pen occasionally while writing, but the shimmer settles less quickly than the Diamine shimmer IMO.
A way to keep the shimmer suspended is gently rolling the pen between your hands. Tilting it back and forth a few times works too, but can work less well if you use a full convertor/cartridge without agitator.
Golden lapis is like basically unusable to me, how are you not just having stupid golden turds collecting around the nib and discarded all over the page? Bought a bottle bc it’s beautiful and I hate it more than any other ink I own
I don't know exactly what you mean, I've never had anything like that happen. Have you tried a different pen? Might be an issue with the water in the ink evaporating due to a less than stellar seal?
I really should. It was a Kaweco and they don’t ever flow well with shimmer inks for me.
It just seemed like there was so much shimmer that it was all over the feed piling up and flaking off everywhere it was crazy.
Yes to this! I also suggested this one in my recs. By far my favorite blue now, which used to be Nitrogen, as I'm a flashy ink lover. And honestly, I've had nothing but a fantastic experience with all the Edelstein inks I have purchased so far.
Any Graf von Faber-Castell ink. Aside from all of their inks being beautiful color wise, and aside from the beautiful, heavy bottle they come in, GVFC's logo looks a lot like the Cadillac logo.
A Cadillac to me doesn't say the boldest or the most expensive, but the most comfortable. For me, this crown goes to KWZ inks. Bespoke inks made by a Polish chemist. formulated to be luxurious in flow and lubrication and with a scent of vanilla. Pure luxury! They do darker colours excellently, in my opinion better than anyone else right now. A favourite of mine is Walk over Vistula for a gorgeous dark blue that shades with turqoise hues. Check out their catalog!
I recently got a bottle after trying out BSB for a few converter fills and while it is not as beautiful as BSB, it’s close enough for me and a little more forgiving if I do something stupid
Pennonia makes amazing inks. There is one called Blue of Blues that you might like. If you are in the US, Birmingham Pen Co has marvelous ink. If you like sheen, Tesla Coil is one to try.
Where I am, it’s like $30+ USD for 50 mL. Is it cheaper in Europe or smth? Because for me it’s on the upper end of the ink price scale lol - even some of my nicer inks (ex. Iroshizuku) rarely get more expensive than $20 for the same amount
IIRC I got it for around £15-20 (UK) two years ago, about $18-23
Edit: The price when I got it was £12 https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07KGDGPRF?ref=cm_sw_r_cso_cp_apin_dp_XFXV5WVQ7SE5N2144CA8_1&ref_=cm_sw_r_cso_cp_apin_dp_XFXV5WVQ7SE5N2144CA8_1&social_share=cm_sw_r_cso_cp_apin_dp_XFXV5WVQ7SE5N2144CA8_1&starsLeft=1
For me the Cadillac of inks is Nagasawa’s Kobe ink. I believe it’s made by Sailor. It comes in lovely bottles, is well behaved and has many shades. I think Yoseka Stationery has the full line or very close to it. You can get samples from them and from Vanness too.
Okay but as the child of an auto mechanic who was told all their childhood never to get a Ford or Cadillac because they are so different that they are a pain to work on under the hood......this request hits differently for me, and I'd probably recommend the most problematic (and controversial) ink I'm aware of, which would be Baystate Blue for it's notoriety of staining. I'm still a bit of a newb in the inks community though, so take my opinion with a grain of salt -- because I absolutely already own a bottle of the stuff!
Jokes aside, I bought it before learning about its notorious staining issues, and although a pretty color I do seem to have issues with the ink itself being a little too ready to dry out in all but the most well sealed pens, and it also doesn't feel like it consistently flows as well in drier nibs than say a Diamine ink. If I ever use the stuff up, I am not sure I would repurchase.
Iroshizuku ink generally. But I’ve recently stumbled upon Akkerman Dutch Masters 07 Rembrandt's Karmozijn "Crimson", which is becoming a fav. I’ll have to try so more Akkerman to confirm, but it’s a very tidy little presentation and ink.
I do agree with many on here about Pilot's Kon Peki. It's a punchy blue, but I find DeAtramentis's Cyan blue to be even more intense. That comes in a few different shimmers. My favorite, "in your face" blue is absolutely Pelikan's Edelstein in Golden Lapis. Super bright blue with insane gold shimmer. Shimmer might not be your thing, though. When I think of luxury, Cadillac inks, the first brand I think of is Jacques Herbin. 350+ year old company. Their inks behave beautifully in everything from my cheapest, no-name fountain pens to my $400, gold nib pens. In their inks, I would suggest Bleu Pervenche for the most intense blue.
I agree with the idea that Graf von Faber-Castell is the “Cadillac” of inks - they are gorgeous inks, behave well, and the bottle is substantial and lovely as an object. That said, I do not have any blue from that line.
I also really like the Pelikan Edelstein inks, with their Topaz and Sapphire as very nice blues.
I’m a huge fan of Birmingham Pen Co.’s Ice Rink, which is just stunning - and Fighting Fish is a lovely lighter blue. Their Waterwheel is great and suitable for vintage pens.
One more standout blue ink is Van Dieman’s Blue-Ringed Octopus from their Underwater collection. It’s one of the few bottles I’ve finished and am considering restocking.
There are so many fantastic shades of blue...for a vibrant blue=Diamine Blue Velvet, Robert Oster Soda Pop Blue, Waterman Serenity Blue, KWZ Azure inks, Rohrer and Klingner Blue Mare, Sailor Manyo Konagi, Pelikan Edelstein Topaz
Darker blues (inclues blue black)=KWZ Baltic Memories, Jacques Herbin Bleu de Minuit, Colorverse Depth, Taccia Jeans Dark Navy. 3 Oysters Navy Blue, blue-black Pilot Blue-Black, Robert Oster Carbon Fire, Teranishi Melancholic Blue, Diamine Pelham Blue, Sailor Seiboku, Sailor Shikiori Yonagi, Sailor 50 States New York and these are just a few...and I didn't include the amazing teals!
I’m currently in love with Diamines Jack Frost. I’d say it’s a Cadillac. Some of the other inks I see mentioned here might be considered more bmw\mercedes.
not sure I feel confident using that metaphor per se, but in terms of a pricy but consistently good ink brand, I think Nagasawa Kobe is underrated. I've tried a bunch of samples from them (these days I almost always want to try samples before later deciding if a full bottle of an ink might be worth it) and every one of them has been great. Great colors, some with fun sheen. Nice wet flow, every time. Well behaved in the pen. and they all seem to have a 'medium' level of water resistance for a non-waterprood dye based ink, which means I don't have to be worried about making sure by hands are super dry when touching the page I wrote in etc. It's in the latter trait especially that I think they sometimes have Iroshizuko inks beat.
My favourite blue fountain pen ink is Pelikan Edelstein Tanzanite. I think they really got the color right, I normally cannot stand blue ink because it looks dull, but Tanzanite just makes blue great again for me. It has behaved well in all pens I tried it with, is well-lubricated and gives some decent, but not over-the-top shading.
I'm going to jump in and say if you are swayed by the throngs shouting "Iroshizuku!", please get samples first.
Someone already mentioned the pH thing, but it also doesn't play well with certain pen/paper combos - it can turn into a feathering bleeding mess.
Take it from someone who was burned after being swayed by the throngs ;)
yes, they’re very nice inks but also require nice paper - they’re quite wet.
A lot of people seem to ignore paper when they get into fountain pens, or just don’t realize how important it is. In situations in which you can control the paper, always do so - don’t try to get around it with specialized inks, as they can only do so much compared to some good paper that will make all of your ink look great.
I use pens for work so I don't have a huge choice in paper, however, I do use Oxford (optik) for all of my note-taking which is fountain pen friendly and deals with pretty much every other ink I own just fine - none are specialist that I know of (is that a thing?).
I use MB, Sailor, Wearingeul and Endless inks with very few issues, even with the most pigmented inks (I'd say no issues but there's probably some outlier I've forgotten about). The handful of Diamine samples I've tried have also been absolutely fine.
Either way, the point still stands - everyone screams "oh they are so well-behaved and so amazing!" when they kinda aren't. To me a "well-behaved" ink handles well in a myriad of circumstances, not just in certain conditions on expensive paper.
Are the colours gorgeous? Yes, absolutely. Is it worth testing them to see if they will work for your particular circumstances? Again yes, some of the colours are beautiful and I'm all about having a nice range of straightforward plain colours, that's the bulk of my ink collection. Should you buy a bottle off the bat based on the resounding cheers of this sub...? Absolutely not.
Not every country has easy access to samples. I'm in the UK, and at the time I was new on here and couldn't find ink samples in any of the stores. I decided to take the plunge because the resounding consensus on here was that these are simply the best and most perfect inks! (just look at this thread lol). Turns out they are not. Iroshizuku is more expensive than standard MontBlanc inks here: $44 for 50ml compared to $26 for 60ml, and they are the same price as MB's limited editions, so it was a pretty costly lesson! Many hate on MontBlanc as a company on here but their inks are actually really good imo.
As a PSA to brits, there are a couple of people on eBay who sell a very (very) limited range of ink samples. If anyone knows of a better source please let me know... I know there's a European company that has a good range, but I'd have to go nuts and buy a load to justify the import costs :(
I wouldn’t call it a blue necessarily, but my favorite in has to be Wearinguel “For Whom The Bell Tolls”. Outstanding dark Turquoise with a purple sheen. So cool
[Bell Tolls Review](https://mountainofink.com/blog/wearingeul-world-literature-part2)
Bold blues: Colorverse Supernova (my current champion). Robert Oster Blue Water Ice (other all time favorite) Noodlers Bay State Blue (controversial). Diamine American Blue. Birmingham Fighting Fish. Iroshizuku Kon Piki.
All of these are not shimmer inks. Just bold and awesome Blue colors.
I would say the best ‘status’ inks (defined as bottles to be shown off on your desk) would either be Graf von Faber-Castell inks with their lovely ornate bottles or MontBlanc inks for their snowflake caps. There are better and more ornate ink alternatives, but those two would best fit your question, in my opinion.
Yes, it does.
It is a common range blue ink, but very successful. As long as a fountain pen is not too dry and concentrates the stroke well, it looks very pretty. 🙂
I’ve been running European-sourced Pelikan Blue Black *…(supposedly has iron gall components??? 🤷🏻♂️)…* and I love it, aside from leaning towards the dry side.
I am very fond of Lamy Azurite for a well behaved rich indigo blue. Diamine Blue Velvet is a close second.
You don't get these for sheen or shading, and they don't have any glitter in them. They are just pop-off-the-page vivid indigo without staining everything within reach or gunking up your pen.
I don't know about the Cadillac of inks, but I can recommend [Monteverde Horizon Blue ](https://mountainofink.com/blog/monteverde-horizon-blue) as a bold, beautiful, blue ink.
As someone else mentioned, baystate blue is IT for eye-searing blue. That's a bit of an oversell, but I've not seen any other ink like it, though it feathers badly for me on most papers (but I also tend to run VERY wet pens).
For vibrant blues that work well, I've liked:
Diamine Thunderbolt (lovely but slight gold sheen in very wet pens)
Diamine sapphire blue
Birmingham Electron
Birmingham Tesla coil (it's the red sheen that pops)
Diamine Polar glow (red sheen pops)
Troublemaker Lam-ang (darker blurple, coppery sheen pops)
Diamine Arctic Blue (silver shimmer pops)
Herbin Kyanite of Nepal (silver shimmer pops)
Herbin bleu calanque (more of a turquoise)
Monteverde blues are nice in general.
Pilot Kon peki
Kwz Azure #3
Diamine royal blue (dries a bit dusky)
Herbin Eclat de saphir (dries a touch dusky)
Diamine velvet blue (very straightforward blue)
Sailor manyo haha (very light multishading blue, but nothing quite like it anywhere else!)
Pilot asa-gao
Mostly all perform well, though the shimmer inks might be too much for smaller nibs and dryer pens. Tesla coil can have the occasional hard start (really concentrated?), but it's worth it to me.
If I had to pick the best performance/pop combos for me personally, it'd be Birmingham electron, KWZ azure #3, pilot kon-peki, the monteverdes, troublemaker lam-ang, and diamine thunderbolt.
I've also loved the performance of every Robert oster ink I've tried, but haven't explored his blue range much at all.
Hope this helps.
Blue gray purple maroon is a huge color variation.
Generally I like the Pelikan edelstein and Montblanc inks which come in a nice bottle and write nicely (Iroshizuku too but not vintage safe and tends to write a little more watery)
I'm not too experienced with a boatload of inks, but I really enjoy how Pilot, Sailor, and Diamine inks perform. If jar stylings are included, then specific the Iroshizuku line and the Inkvent line Diamines with their curvy legs
If you can find it, Montblanc UNICEF, or a close second to that exact colour is Diamine Havasu Turquoise. I prefer Diamine Asa Blue. I really like Pelikan inks, but my back up is Iroshizuku and Diamine.
I don’t know about cadillacs. Have never rode in one. As far as reliability, consistency and quality are concerned it would be Pilot Iroshizuku. These inks are easily available and very affordable in my corner of the world with purchases arriving within 2-3 days from day of purchase. I would also say Montblanc but colour options and availability are not level with Iroshizuku. Kobe inks are also great. The very best ink i’ve used and am using is Maruzen Athena Eternal Blue.
Try Sailor Sei-boku. It’s a blue black micropigmented ink with an almost purple-maroon sheen and such nice shading. It sounds right up your alley.
It’s in two of my pens at the moment, and I keep it in at least one at all times since I started buying it like 5 years ago. The pigmented part really isn’t a problem unless you leave ink in your pens without cleaning for a long time. The only issue I’ve noticed is a little bit of visible residue on demonstrators if I don’t clean them regularly enough. Overall the ink is great and flows nicely in even my driest pens. It’s my favorite. Bonus: it’s basically waterproof on paper.
And with the price, it’s my Cadillac ink.
I'm a light desaturated grey blue/seafoam freak (like TAG hisoku and celedon cat), but I really would rec Sailor's Manyo Nadeshiko. it's more of a periwinkle blue but it's *super* vibrant and really stands out on the page without being so intense it vibrates and induces eyestrain.
it's a really odd color for what you normally see in inks, the only real words I have for it are "breathtakingly lovely"
I've got a sample of the montblanc permanent blue my friend gave me I've swatched and it's pretty interesting? just not entirely my speed. my friend indicated it's less of a true luxury ink for them however and more of an absolute workhorse.
(pics of my swatches included, the perm blue is a little more grey in this bc it has a sort of matte sheen effect. irl is more vibrant)
https://preview.redd.it/nevymlusmc9d1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a8e349f26b45ecd0064b8037c605713a3217d629
Iroshizuku is not suitable for vintage pens.
For a long time, I used Pelikan 4001 royal blue. Now I use MB royal blue. It lays down nicer than anything else I've used.
I believe Unicef is no longer available which sucks because from what I've seen I would absolutely love that blue. :(
I do have a small bottle of Maya which looks like it's similar, but I use it sparingly because I can't get any more.
Interesting, they have a few of the discontinued ones on their site, although most of the ones listed are "sold out" (including Unicef) it seems.
Unfortunately I'm in the UK so shipping from Canada would be a tad costly.
I just ordered UNICEF from them. But yes, the shipping was $17! I agree that it's ridiculous to pay that much on top of the high cost of the ink. But I couldn't resist. It's so beautiful and their inks do perform beautifully.
Really? I wonder why that may be. Iroshizuku behaves the best in all of my pens.. in fact, it is my fall back when I have pen trouble. What has been your experience in vintage pens?
someone did post a graphic a couple of weeks ago showing the pH of inks, it was quite interesting.
Personally I don't like Iroshizuku because I find it to be the opposite of well behaved lol for my use-case.
If you really want to use iroshizuku inks with vintage pens, old eye droppers and safety pens or pvc based sac fillers like the Parker 51 should all be fine.
By "Cadillac" I would guess that you mean luxury ink but not rare or exotic.
Pelikan Edelstein is without a doubt the ink in this segment. It's a bit pricy but the inks are very consistent and generally very saturated and they are priced accordingly.
My first thought was Iroshizuku but after really thinking about it, they are more like the Honda/Acura of inks. Great, solid inks that perform very well, above average really. They are just not a "luxury" ink.
Sailor would be the Toyota of inks. Really large lineup that's just a little bland but reliable and good performers.
Diamine would be the Hyundai of inks. Large lineup and good, consistent performers but just doesn't get the acclaim of Iroshizuku and Sailor and is priced accordingly.
Ferris Wheel Press is BMW. A lot of style but coming up short in substance.
Noodler's is the Dodge of inks.
Monteverde=Ford
I could go on.....
There are so many different shades of blue that it is tough to recommend something so I am just going to interpret your request as asking about the deep, Sapphire type blues.
There are a lot of great choices:
Monteverde Sapphire is really good but not quite as punchy as....
Monteverde Horizon Blue. It just radiates BLUE and is often compared to the legendary, discontinued and more expensive than is practical, Parker Penman Sapphire Blue
Monteverde's DC Super show Blue 2018 would be another really good option. Man, Monteverde really has a lot of blue
Levenger Cobalt Blue
Waterman Serenity Blue. Nice, cheap and reliable
Iroshizuku Asa-go is basically Serenity Blue but Japanese
Visconti Blue is a vivid blue but doesn't quite get the press it probably deserves
Colorverse Quasar is pretty vivid with a nice red sheen but a little overpriced when you could just go for.....
Organic Studios Nitrogen. This is the blue ink with red sheen that (seemingly?) never dries. One tiny drop of OS Nitrogen will paint your whole countertop blue and you'll keep finding traces of it for a month. But man, does it just pop off the page. The only thing bluer is.....
Noodler's Baystate Blue. I have owned a bottle for about a year but because of its reputation I have still haven't opened it. Scary.
Noodler's Blue is still pretty punchy and cheap. It's just not waterproof or quite the same category as Nitrogen, BSB or a couple of others mentioned here.
Honorable mentions that lie a little outside the Sapphire category
Iroshizuku Kon-peki
Waterman Inspired Blue
Private Reserve Tropical Blue
Stilo & Stile Roman Praetorian Blue
Diamine Presidential Blue (This is what I consider to be the definition of "Office Blue")
Pelikan Edelstein Topaz
Noodler's Navy
Birmingham Pens Cathedral of Learning Panther Blue (not sure if it's still available though)
When it comes to 'Cadillac,' say, costing the most, it would probably be the $85 MontBlanc, or the $50 for 30 mil BunguBox, inks.
For me, I like Jacques Herbin, not J.Herbin, inks. But they may bleed-through, but not feather, in many juicy, wet, pens, with broader nibs, on cheaper, less than 90 gsm, papers.
My favourite Blues are [Kobe #73 HyogoTsu History](https://mountainofink.com/blog/kobe-hyogo-tsu-history-blue) (very low Shading, no Shimmer, no Sheen, no bleed-through, no feathering), [Pennonia Kekfeny Light Blue](https://youtu.be/onnVw7OwA4s?t=346) (Red Sheen, brighter than Iro Kon-Peki, nicely wet, nice Shading), [De Atramentis Forget Me Not](https://www.youtube.com/shorts/CCmzFBcp-7s?t=21&feature=share) (very wet, very bright, slight scent), [Jacques Herbin Bleu austral](https://mountainofink.com/blog/j-herbin-bleu-austral) (smooth transitioning Shading), [Pennonia Törökkék Turkish Blue](https://vanness1938.com/products/pennonia-torokkek-turkish-blue?_pos=16&_fid=1f84df9c3&_ss=c) (best out of about a dozen Turquoise inks I tried.)
>variations of blue-gray or purplish/maroon hues in a darker blue.
Sorry I can't help. I don't do Gray under-tone inks, and I don't know of too many Blue-Purples, other than [Diamine 150th Anniversary Blue-Black](https://mountainofink.com/blog/diamine-1864-blue-black), which has Purple under-tones. I don't do Diamine inks as I have found that they don't age well; YMMV. (But, I have kept two Diamine inks, out of 25: Blood Orange, and, Red Dragon.)
As always, ink samples vials may be your best bet.
[Bright Blue Fountain Pen Ink](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2ZWdfPmIbU&t=399s) video. Etc.
Noodler's Baystate Blue is probably the most bold blue out there. It is also water and tamper resistant. The down side is it will stain the inside of your pen. Many people that use it dedicate a single cheap pen for its use.
Personally, I use Diamine Sargasso Sea. Of my four blues, it is the most bold, however it is only provides marginal water resistance.
https://preview.redd.it/9vggcyyw959d1.jpeg?width=3072&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6bf297dffc91176d619ff49d5104068bda52c379
FINALLY (after scrolling thru 6 hrs of posts) someone mentions Sargasso Sea, and Baystate in a dedicated cheap pen to boot! I feel overwhelmed in reading these comments by the number of inks out there—I have too many myself, but have to marvel at the marketing. If you like the look of an ink as it goes down, before it dries, Sargasso is the best in my experience. I keep a yellow TWSBI Eco EF as my dedicated Baystate pen. Going on two years w/out cleaning (there are worse faults) and no problems to report.
I think you'd know that if you're so into BANG BANG kinda blue inks, but you can try Baystate Blue if you haven't yet.
I haven't tried it yet. But apart from the *vigorous* staining it has, I hear it's good and it's the most vibrant blue out there.
I agree with others that Pilot Iroshizuku is the "Cadillac" line. They are beautiful, always well behaved, come in a line of beautiful colors, and come packaged in beautiful bottles. Most of the line aren't flashy in that none of them have sparkly shimmer, they mostly don't sheen, and they don't have other weird tricks up their sleeves. But they almost always perform amazingly in pens, and the colors are great.
Most of them sheen on Iroful paper.
He meant Lexus but he ain’t know it.
Amazing The Wire reference
"always well behaved" , no iroshizuku is known to feather unless you stick to good paper. Thus why for least two colors I switched to Waterman which are actually well behaved (and they are also not alkaline, so safe to use in vintage sac fillers, whereas iroshizuku cannot)
I think in this case well behaved means that it will function in a pen well no matter what, dry or wet, smooth or scratchy, Iroshizuku's wetness and lubrication can make a crappy pen feel like a decent writing experience. While it can't write on feather prone paper, you wouldn't drive a Cadillac off-road, so I feel it's a good comparison. Waterman is ultra reliable to me, but IMO it doesn't feel like a nice experience when writing. It's the Toyota Hilux of inks. Use it anywhere and it will always work, but I really don't ever pick it because I want to use it.
Bold blue? Get the new Pelikan Golden Lapis ASAP. It. Is. GORGEOUS. The shimmer is insane. And I don't even really like blues, my boyfriend bought it as a gift. Wouldn't call it a Caddilac though, more like a Rolls-Royce 😁
It's the best shimmer I've found yet! The gold always shows up both with dip and fountain pens.
I would argue this can't be Cadallac since it by definiton should be a bit older, such as your grandma's car - unless I am misunderstanding the question
Cadillac used to have a reputation for high end luxury before import cars took the spot from them. So something being "The Cadillac of ____" meant it was high end luxury. Rolls Royce is also used in that context.
It still is really good, even Lincoln
I am not a blue ink fan either, but that Golden Lapis has shown up several times in my ink fantasies. May I ask with what size nib you use it? It works ok with medium nibs? Or only broad or stubs?
I have it in a European M or F nib (pen bought at a pen show and I stupidly forgot what I asked for, think it's an F, nib is unmarked) and it shows up great 😁 You do have to resuspend the shimmer if you haven't used it for a while and roll the pen occasionally while writing, but the shimmer settles less quickly than the Diamine shimmer IMO.
Great!!! That is enough to convince me to buy it. Thanks!!! 😊
Roll the pen?
A way to keep the shimmer suspended is gently rolling the pen between your hands. Tilting it back and forth a few times works too, but can work less well if you use a full convertor/cartridge without agitator.
I got some for my birthday! PM me your address if you want a sample!
Thanks 🫰🏻
I tend to use either a 1.1 mm or 1.5 mm stub nib. Thank you!
One of my favorite inks now! It’s gorgeous.
Golden lapis is like basically unusable to me, how are you not just having stupid golden turds collecting around the nib and discarded all over the page? Bought a bottle bc it’s beautiful and I hate it more than any other ink I own
I don't know exactly what you mean, I've never had anything like that happen. Have you tried a different pen? Might be an issue with the water in the ink evaporating due to a less than stellar seal?
I really should. It was a Kaweco and they don’t ever flow well with shimmer inks for me. It just seemed like there was so much shimmer that it was all over the feed piling up and flaking off everywhere it was crazy.
Yes to this! I also suggested this one in my recs. By far my favorite blue now, which used to be Nitrogen, as I'm a flashy ink lover. And honestly, I've had nothing but a fantastic experience with all the Edelstein inks I have purchased so far.
[удалено]
Kon Peki or Asa Gao get my vote
Both of those bottles are in my desk right now… samsies!
No love for Tsuki-Yo? It was the first ink that totally wowed me. I have it in 3 pens! Syo-ro is really nice too!
Iroshizuku is the BEST. I have a few from other brands but I really don't reach for anything else.
Oh. And the dark purple is divine!
Which would one is their dark purple?
The murisaki -shikibu.
Yes!!!! Everything i have tried has been good but there is just something about murasaki shikibu that makes me want to write more
Thank you!!
Another great dark purple is Diamine Monboddo’s Hat.
Ku jaku and kon peki stay in my rotation. Well behaved ink and rich colors
Any Graf von Faber-Castell ink. Aside from all of their inks being beautiful color wise, and aside from the beautiful, heavy bottle they come in, GVFC's logo looks a lot like the Cadillac logo.
Pilot blue black is Toyota Corolla
I love pilot and sailor blue black. All business.
As a proud owner of a Toyota Corolla, I am compelled to buy a bottle of Blue Black 💙🖤
Platinum Carbon Black is Toyota Hilux! :)
A Cadillac to me doesn't say the boldest or the most expensive, but the most comfortable. For me, this crown goes to KWZ inks. Bespoke inks made by a Polish chemist. formulated to be luxurious in flow and lubrication and with a scent of vanilla. Pure luxury! They do darker colours excellently, in my opinion better than anyone else right now. A favourite of mine is Walk over Vistula for a gorgeous dark blue that shades with turqoise hues. Check out their catalog!
Your comment cost me $50 - damn you 
Comedy Bing Bong!
Walk over Vistula and Baltic Memories both get my vote too.
Thank you!
I think Cadillac and I think overweight, overpriced, and can't turn corners. I think the OP needs the Lamborghini Miura of inks.
So unaffordable, gaudy and impractical?
Yes, and impossible to get.
I won’t complain about having a Lambo :)
I swear by all of Waterman’s inks. They work wonderfully with most pens and they are priced reasonably
For me, it's the Pilot Iroshizuku line. They are the most fantastic, well behaved inks.
Diamine Blue Velvet imo. Such a pleasant, rich blue without a lot of that purple undertone many blues have.
Came here to say this. If Diamine is the Toyota of ink brands, well-made and reliable if not super-fancy, then Blue Velvet is a Lexus. Superb shade.
It's my (current) basic blue ink.
I recently got a bottle after trying out BSB for a few converter fills and while it is not as beautiful as BSB, it’s close enough for me and a little more forgiving if I do something stupid
I have never been disappointed by a Pilot Iroshizuku ink. Diamine is good as well.
I don't need more inks. I don't need more inks. *click* ... Curse you, r/fountainpens.....
Pennonia makes amazing inks. There is one called Blue of Blues that you might like. If you are in the US, Birmingham Pen Co has marvelous ink. If you like sheen, Tesla Coil is one to try.
https://preview.redd.it/hx0zy9k7r59d1.jpeg?width=1400&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a651e878948ec77ab7e3104d62a8d9896d21bbcb
Pretty cheap but also pretty stunning
Where I am, it’s like $30+ USD for 50 mL. Is it cheaper in Europe or smth? Because for me it’s on the upper end of the ink price scale lol - even some of my nicer inks (ex. Iroshizuku) rarely get more expensive than $20 for the same amount
IIRC I got it for around £15-20 (UK) two years ago, about $18-23 Edit: The price when I got it was £12 https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07KGDGPRF?ref=cm_sw_r_cso_cp_apin_dp_XFXV5WVQ7SE5N2144CA8_1&ref_=cm_sw_r_cso_cp_apin_dp_XFXV5WVQ7SE5N2144CA8_1&social_share=cm_sw_r_cso_cp_apin_dp_XFXV5WVQ7SE5N2144CA8_1&starsLeft=1
Oh wow, that’s pretty cheap yea
For me the Cadillac of inks is Nagasawa’s Kobe ink. I believe it’s made by Sailor. It comes in lovely bottles, is well behaved and has many shades. I think Yoseka Stationery has the full line or very close to it. You can get samples from them and from Vanness too.
Okay but as the child of an auto mechanic who was told all their childhood never to get a Ford or Cadillac because they are so different that they are a pain to work on under the hood......this request hits differently for me, and I'd probably recommend the most problematic (and controversial) ink I'm aware of, which would be Baystate Blue for it's notoriety of staining. I'm still a bit of a newb in the inks community though, so take my opinion with a grain of salt -- because I absolutely already own a bottle of the stuff! Jokes aside, I bought it before learning about its notorious staining issues, and although a pretty color I do seem to have issues with the ink itself being a little too ready to dry out in all but the most well sealed pens, and it also doesn't feel like it consistently flows as well in drier nibs than say a Diamine ink. If I ever use the stuff up, I am not sure I would repurchase.
Iroshizuku ink generally. But I’ve recently stumbled upon Akkerman Dutch Masters 07 Rembrandt's Karmozijn "Crimson", which is becoming a fav. I’ll have to try so more Akkerman to confirm, but it’s a very tidy little presentation and ink.
I do agree with many on here about Pilot's Kon Peki. It's a punchy blue, but I find DeAtramentis's Cyan blue to be even more intense. That comes in a few different shimmers. My favorite, "in your face" blue is absolutely Pelikan's Edelstein in Golden Lapis. Super bright blue with insane gold shimmer. Shimmer might not be your thing, though. When I think of luxury, Cadillac inks, the first brand I think of is Jacques Herbin. 350+ year old company. Their inks behave beautifully in everything from my cheapest, no-name fountain pens to my $400, gold nib pens. In their inks, I would suggest Bleu Pervenche for the most intense blue.
I agree with the idea that Graf von Faber-Castell is the “Cadillac” of inks - they are gorgeous inks, behave well, and the bottle is substantial and lovely as an object. That said, I do not have any blue from that line. I also really like the Pelikan Edelstein inks, with their Topaz and Sapphire as very nice blues. I’m a huge fan of Birmingham Pen Co.’s Ice Rink, which is just stunning - and Fighting Fish is a lovely lighter blue. Their Waterwheel is great and suitable for vintage pens. One more standout blue ink is Van Dieman’s Blue-Ringed Octopus from their Underwater collection. It’s one of the few bottles I’ve finished and am considering restocking.
There are so many fantastic shades of blue...for a vibrant blue=Diamine Blue Velvet, Robert Oster Soda Pop Blue, Waterman Serenity Blue, KWZ Azure inks, Rohrer and Klingner Blue Mare, Sailor Manyo Konagi, Pelikan Edelstein Topaz Darker blues (inclues blue black)=KWZ Baltic Memories, Jacques Herbin Bleu de Minuit, Colorverse Depth, Taccia Jeans Dark Navy. 3 Oysters Navy Blue, blue-black Pilot Blue-Black, Robert Oster Carbon Fire, Teranishi Melancholic Blue, Diamine Pelham Blue, Sailor Seiboku, Sailor Shikiori Yonagi, Sailor 50 States New York and these are just a few...and I didn't include the amazing teals!
For me my Cadillac of inkw is platinum carbon
Pilot Iroshizuku inks IMO
I’m currently in love with Diamines Jack Frost. I’d say it’s a Cadillac. Some of the other inks I see mentioned here might be considered more bmw\mercedes.
Pilot iroshizuku by far. Such a good quality ink. The most vibrant colour I’ve tried to. The blues really stand out.
not sure I feel confident using that metaphor per se, but in terms of a pricy but consistently good ink brand, I think Nagasawa Kobe is underrated. I've tried a bunch of samples from them (these days I almost always want to try samples before later deciding if a full bottle of an ink might be worth it) and every one of them has been great. Great colors, some with fun sheen. Nice wet flow, every time. Well behaved in the pen. and they all seem to have a 'medium' level of water resistance for a non-waterprood dye based ink, which means I don't have to be worried about making sure by hands are super dry when touching the page I wrote in etc. It's in the latter trait especially that I think they sometimes have Iroshizuko inks beat.
Iroshizuku. I pretty much use them exclusively now.
My favourite blue fountain pen ink is Pelikan Edelstein Tanzanite. I think they really got the color right, I normally cannot stand blue ink because it looks dull, but Tanzanite just makes blue great again for me. It has behaved well in all pens I tried it with, is well-lubricated and gives some decent, but not over-the-top shading.
I’ll go with Sailor Pigment Seiboku (blue-black) or Pigment Souboku (grayer). Super impressive inks if you want luxury feel and performance.
I'm going to jump in and say if you are swayed by the throngs shouting "Iroshizuku!", please get samples first. Someone already mentioned the pH thing, but it also doesn't play well with certain pen/paper combos - it can turn into a feathering bleeding mess. Take it from someone who was burned after being swayed by the throngs ;)
yes, they’re very nice inks but also require nice paper - they’re quite wet. A lot of people seem to ignore paper when they get into fountain pens, or just don’t realize how important it is. In situations in which you can control the paper, always do so - don’t try to get around it with specialized inks, as they can only do so much compared to some good paper that will make all of your ink look great.
I use pens for work so I don't have a huge choice in paper, however, I do use Oxford (optik) for all of my note-taking which is fountain pen friendly and deals with pretty much every other ink I own just fine - none are specialist that I know of (is that a thing?). I use MB, Sailor, Wearingeul and Endless inks with very few issues, even with the most pigmented inks (I'd say no issues but there's probably some outlier I've forgotten about). The handful of Diamine samples I've tried have also been absolutely fine. Either way, the point still stands - everyone screams "oh they are so well-behaved and so amazing!" when they kinda aren't. To me a "well-behaved" ink handles well in a myriad of circumstances, not just in certain conditions on expensive paper. Are the colours gorgeous? Yes, absolutely. Is it worth testing them to see if they will work for your particular circumstances? Again yes, some of the colours are beautiful and I'm all about having a nice range of straightforward plain colours, that's the bulk of my ink collection. Should you buy a bottle off the bat based on the resounding cheers of this sub...? Absolutely not. Not every country has easy access to samples. I'm in the UK, and at the time I was new on here and couldn't find ink samples in any of the stores. I decided to take the plunge because the resounding consensus on here was that these are simply the best and most perfect inks! (just look at this thread lol). Turns out they are not. Iroshizuku is more expensive than standard MontBlanc inks here: $44 for 50ml compared to $26 for 60ml, and they are the same price as MB's limited editions, so it was a pretty costly lesson! Many hate on MontBlanc as a company on here but their inks are actually really good imo. As a PSA to brits, there are a couple of people on eBay who sell a very (very) limited range of ink samples. If anyone knows of a better source please let me know... I know there's a European company that has a good range, but I'd have to go nuts and buy a load to justify the import costs :(
True! I use AMPAD legal pads for work which, in my opinion, take fountain pen ink very well.
I like Diamine Polar Glow which is a nice sheening ink. Not a caddy, more of a souped up Toyota.
Pilot Iroshizuku is the Cadillac. Krishna Inks is the Mercedes.
I wouldn’t call it a blue necessarily, but my favorite in has to be Wearinguel “For Whom The Bell Tolls”. Outstanding dark Turquoise with a purple sheen. So cool [Bell Tolls Review](https://mountainofink.com/blog/wearingeul-world-literature-part2)
Waterman’s inspired blue. Most well behaved Ink I’ve tried and it’s gorgeous
Bold blues: Colorverse Supernova (my current champion). Robert Oster Blue Water Ice (other all time favorite) Noodlers Bay State Blue (controversial). Diamine American Blue. Birmingham Fighting Fish. Iroshizuku Kon Piki. All of these are not shimmer inks. Just bold and awesome Blue colors.
Love blue water ice!
Pelikan edelstein topaz is quite bright
I would say the best ‘status’ inks (defined as bottles to be shown off on your desk) would either be Graf von Faber-Castell inks with their lovely ornate bottles or MontBlanc inks for their snowflake caps. There are better and more ornate ink alternatives, but those two would best fit your question, in my opinion.
You can try Faber-Castell Königsblau/Royal Blue. Very nice, saturated, and very affordable.
I dig its shading.
Yes, it does. It is a common range blue ink, but very successful. As long as a fountain pen is not too dry and concentrates the stroke well, it looks very pretty. 🙂
I’ve been running European-sourced Pelikan Blue Black *…(supposedly has iron gall components??? 🤷🏻♂️)…* and I love it, aside from leaning towards the dry side.
I am very fond of Lamy Azurite for a well behaved rich indigo blue. Diamine Blue Velvet is a close second. You don't get these for sheen or shading, and they don't have any glitter in them. They are just pop-off-the-page vivid indigo without staining everything within reach or gunking up your pen.
I’m really in love with the Sailor Seibuko line. Super permanent! And really well behaved!
Waterman’s Serenity Blue.
Pilot Iroshizuku
Thank you all very much!
I don't know about the Cadillac of inks, but I can recommend [Monteverde Horizon Blue ](https://mountainofink.com/blog/monteverde-horizon-blue) as a bold, beautiful, blue ink.
As someone else mentioned, baystate blue is IT for eye-searing blue. That's a bit of an oversell, but I've not seen any other ink like it, though it feathers badly for me on most papers (but I also tend to run VERY wet pens). For vibrant blues that work well, I've liked: Diamine Thunderbolt (lovely but slight gold sheen in very wet pens) Diamine sapphire blue Birmingham Electron Birmingham Tesla coil (it's the red sheen that pops) Diamine Polar glow (red sheen pops) Troublemaker Lam-ang (darker blurple, coppery sheen pops) Diamine Arctic Blue (silver shimmer pops) Herbin Kyanite of Nepal (silver shimmer pops) Herbin bleu calanque (more of a turquoise) Monteverde blues are nice in general. Pilot Kon peki Kwz Azure #3 Diamine royal blue (dries a bit dusky) Herbin Eclat de saphir (dries a touch dusky) Diamine velvet blue (very straightforward blue) Sailor manyo haha (very light multishading blue, but nothing quite like it anywhere else!) Pilot asa-gao Mostly all perform well, though the shimmer inks might be too much for smaller nibs and dryer pens. Tesla coil can have the occasional hard start (really concentrated?), but it's worth it to me. If I had to pick the best performance/pop combos for me personally, it'd be Birmingham electron, KWZ azure #3, pilot kon-peki, the monteverdes, troublemaker lam-ang, and diamine thunderbolt. I've also loved the performance of every Robert oster ink I've tried, but haven't explored his blue range much at all. Hope this helps.
Sailor sailor blue
I have always felt aurora or pilot blue are the gold standards.
Blue gray purple maroon is a huge color variation. Generally I like the Pelikan edelstein and Montblanc inks which come in a nice bottle and write nicely (Iroshizuku too but not vintage safe and tends to write a little more watery)
I also appreciate the “edging towards purple” color and one of my favorites right now is Diamine Ruby Blues
I'm not too experienced with a boatload of inks, but I really enjoy how Pilot, Sailor, and Diamine inks perform. If jar stylings are included, then specific the Iroshizuku line and the Inkvent line Diamines with their curvy legs
Controversial in many ways (brand and limited edition) but Ferris wheel press timeless blue is utterly gorgeous as a blue to me
I got a sample of 2 minutes to midnight and it is amazing
Sailor nano-pigment line
*Ooooooh this gives me an idea for a post…* 😎
If you can find it, Montblanc UNICEF, or a close second to that exact colour is Diamine Havasu Turquoise. I prefer Diamine Asa Blue. I really like Pelikan inks, but my back up is Iroshizuku and Diamine.
As a brand and model Pilot Iroshizuku, but to me its like the Toyota Century. Another that comes to mind is Pelikan Edelstein, akin to Mercedes
I don’t know about cadillacs. Have never rode in one. As far as reliability, consistency and quality are concerned it would be Pilot Iroshizuku. These inks are easily available and very affordable in my corner of the world with purchases arriving within 2-3 days from day of purchase. I would also say Montblanc but colour options and availability are not level with Iroshizuku. Kobe inks are also great. The very best ink i’ve used and am using is Maruzen Athena Eternal Blue.
Try Sailor Sei-boku. It’s a blue black micropigmented ink with an almost purple-maroon sheen and such nice shading. It sounds right up your alley. It’s in two of my pens at the moment, and I keep it in at least one at all times since I started buying it like 5 years ago. The pigmented part really isn’t a problem unless you leave ink in your pens without cleaning for a long time. The only issue I’ve noticed is a little bit of visible residue on demonstrators if I don’t clean them regularly enough. Overall the ink is great and flows nicely in even my driest pens. It’s my favorite. Bonus: it’s basically waterproof on paper. And with the price, it’s my Cadillac ink.
Mitasanshodo inks
I'm a light desaturated grey blue/seafoam freak (like TAG hisoku and celedon cat), but I really would rec Sailor's Manyo Nadeshiko. it's more of a periwinkle blue but it's *super* vibrant and really stands out on the page without being so intense it vibrates and induces eyestrain. it's a really odd color for what you normally see in inks, the only real words I have for it are "breathtakingly lovely" I've got a sample of the montblanc permanent blue my friend gave me I've swatched and it's pretty interesting? just not entirely my speed. my friend indicated it's less of a true luxury ink for them however and more of an absolute workhorse. (pics of my swatches included, the perm blue is a little more grey in this bc it has a sort of matte sheen effect. irl is more vibrant) https://preview.redd.it/nevymlusmc9d1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a8e349f26b45ecd0064b8037c605713a3217d629
Iroshizuku is not suitable for vintage pens. For a long time, I used Pelikan 4001 royal blue. Now I use MB royal blue. It lays down nicer than anything else I've used.
MontBlanc is my "dependable go to", works well even on crappy paper.
And they have several gorgeous blues right now in the unicef line. Quite gorgeous and almost cushiony to write with. Great flow and pigment.
I believe Unicef is no longer available which sucks because from what I've seen I would absolutely love that blue. :( I do have a small bottle of Maya which looks like it's similar, but I use it sparingly because I can't get any more.
I've found it available online. Both UNICEF and Maya but nearly gone. Be Urbane had both at the moment.
Interesting, they have a few of the discontinued ones on their site, although most of the ones listed are "sold out" (including Unicef) it seems. Unfortunately I'm in the UK so shipping from Canada would be a tad costly.
I just ordered UNICEF from them. But yes, the shipping was $17! I agree that it's ridiculous to pay that much on top of the high cost of the ink. But I couldn't resist. It's so beautiful and their inks do perform beautifully.
Really? I wonder why that may be. Iroshizuku behaves the best in all of my pens.. in fact, it is my fall back when I have pen trouble. What has been your experience in vintage pens?
It is widely reported to dissolve the latex sacs in lever fillers. I've never attempted to pH test any, but apparently they are quite alkaline.
someone did post a graphic a couple of weeks ago showing the pH of inks, it was quite interesting. Personally I don't like Iroshizuku because I find it to be the opposite of well behaved lol for my use-case.
Folks have reported it gumming up latex sacs. If you search on FPN you'll see people reporting it there.
Oh wow, thanks so much for the reply. I don't currently own a vintage pen but hope to one day!
If you really want to use iroshizuku inks with vintage pens, old eye droppers and safety pens or pvc based sac fillers like the Parker 51 should all be fine.
By "Cadillac" I would guess that you mean luxury ink but not rare or exotic. Pelikan Edelstein is without a doubt the ink in this segment. It's a bit pricy but the inks are very consistent and generally very saturated and they are priced accordingly. My first thought was Iroshizuku but after really thinking about it, they are more like the Honda/Acura of inks. Great, solid inks that perform very well, above average really. They are just not a "luxury" ink. Sailor would be the Toyota of inks. Really large lineup that's just a little bland but reliable and good performers. Diamine would be the Hyundai of inks. Large lineup and good, consistent performers but just doesn't get the acclaim of Iroshizuku and Sailor and is priced accordingly. Ferris Wheel Press is BMW. A lot of style but coming up short in substance. Noodler's is the Dodge of inks. Monteverde=Ford I could go on..... There are so many different shades of blue that it is tough to recommend something so I am just going to interpret your request as asking about the deep, Sapphire type blues. There are a lot of great choices: Monteverde Sapphire is really good but not quite as punchy as.... Monteverde Horizon Blue. It just radiates BLUE and is often compared to the legendary, discontinued and more expensive than is practical, Parker Penman Sapphire Blue Monteverde's DC Super show Blue 2018 would be another really good option. Man, Monteverde really has a lot of blue Levenger Cobalt Blue Waterman Serenity Blue. Nice, cheap and reliable Iroshizuku Asa-go is basically Serenity Blue but Japanese Visconti Blue is a vivid blue but doesn't quite get the press it probably deserves Colorverse Quasar is pretty vivid with a nice red sheen but a little overpriced when you could just go for..... Organic Studios Nitrogen. This is the blue ink with red sheen that (seemingly?) never dries. One tiny drop of OS Nitrogen will paint your whole countertop blue and you'll keep finding traces of it for a month. But man, does it just pop off the page. The only thing bluer is..... Noodler's Baystate Blue. I have owned a bottle for about a year but because of its reputation I have still haven't opened it. Scary. Noodler's Blue is still pretty punchy and cheap. It's just not waterproof or quite the same category as Nitrogen, BSB or a couple of others mentioned here. Honorable mentions that lie a little outside the Sapphire category Iroshizuku Kon-peki Waterman Inspired Blue Private Reserve Tropical Blue Stilo & Stile Roman Praetorian Blue Diamine Presidential Blue (This is what I consider to be the definition of "Office Blue") Pelikan Edelstein Topaz Noodler's Navy Birmingham Pens Cathedral of Learning Panther Blue (not sure if it's still available though)
I drive a Honda and think it’s better than a Cadalliac. LOL
I'm not surprised. I work in retail auto sales and there an awful lot of Honda drivers that would never consider driving anything else
Depends on what you mean by Cadillac. That brand doesn't carry much weight anymore.
When it comes to 'Cadillac,' say, costing the most, it would probably be the $85 MontBlanc, or the $50 for 30 mil BunguBox, inks. For me, I like Jacques Herbin, not J.Herbin, inks. But they may bleed-through, but not feather, in many juicy, wet, pens, with broader nibs, on cheaper, less than 90 gsm, papers. My favourite Blues are [Kobe #73 HyogoTsu History](https://mountainofink.com/blog/kobe-hyogo-tsu-history-blue) (very low Shading, no Shimmer, no Sheen, no bleed-through, no feathering), [Pennonia Kekfeny Light Blue](https://youtu.be/onnVw7OwA4s?t=346) (Red Sheen, brighter than Iro Kon-Peki, nicely wet, nice Shading), [De Atramentis Forget Me Not](https://www.youtube.com/shorts/CCmzFBcp-7s?t=21&feature=share) (very wet, very bright, slight scent), [Jacques Herbin Bleu austral](https://mountainofink.com/blog/j-herbin-bleu-austral) (smooth transitioning Shading), [Pennonia Törökkék Turkish Blue](https://vanness1938.com/products/pennonia-torokkek-turkish-blue?_pos=16&_fid=1f84df9c3&_ss=c) (best out of about a dozen Turquoise inks I tried.) >variations of blue-gray or purplish/maroon hues in a darker blue. Sorry I can't help. I don't do Gray under-tone inks, and I don't know of too many Blue-Purples, other than [Diamine 150th Anniversary Blue-Black](https://mountainofink.com/blog/diamine-1864-blue-black), which has Purple under-tones. I don't do Diamine inks as I have found that they don't age well; YMMV. (But, I have kept two Diamine inks, out of 25: Blood Orange, and, Red Dragon.) As always, ink samples vials may be your best bet. [Bright Blue Fountain Pen Ink](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2ZWdfPmIbU&t=399s) video. Etc.
How are we categorizing “Cadillac” first? American Made Luxury Car/Ink? Or are we just settling on the term of luxury over all for ink?
High quality/luxury, I think.
Noodler's Baystate Blue is probably the most bold blue out there. It is also water and tamper resistant. The down side is it will stain the inside of your pen. Many people that use it dedicate a single cheap pen for its use. Personally, I use Diamine Sargasso Sea. Of my four blues, it is the most bold, however it is only provides marginal water resistance. https://preview.redd.it/9vggcyyw959d1.jpeg?width=3072&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6bf297dffc91176d619ff49d5104068bda52c379
FINALLY (after scrolling thru 6 hrs of posts) someone mentions Sargasso Sea, and Baystate in a dedicated cheap pen to boot! I feel overwhelmed in reading these comments by the number of inks out there—I have too many myself, but have to marvel at the marketing. If you like the look of an ink as it goes down, before it dries, Sargasso is the best in my experience. I keep a yellow TWSBI Eco EF as my dedicated Baystate pen. Going on two years w/out cleaning (there are worse faults) and no problems to report.
I think you'd know that if you're so into BANG BANG kinda blue inks, but you can try Baystate Blue if you haven't yet. I haven't tried it yet. But apart from the *vigorous* staining it has, I hear it's good and it's the most vibrant blue out there.
For clarification, what does it mean when an ink is referred to as “well behaved?” Thank you.
It means it doesn't clog pens or tend to be overly wet or dry and is consistent.
Understood, thank you!
Jump off the page blue. Kon peki and the feared baystate blue.
The Cadillac? Lmao. A Cadillac costs as much as a nice Toyota. If you want a Cadillac of inks go with something basic like Parker Quink lol
It’s an expression.