Sailor Studios - Good Ink
I purchased a sample of Sailor Ink Studios #930, #973, and others to compare dark reds. I'm looking for a subtle, "grown-up red" that doesn't scream RED on the page.
RESULTS:
#930 - More pinkish purple than I expected, but not as much as Diamine Syrah.
Looks very dark with a wet nib, dries fast, shades very well, seems to write drier than average, and holds up to water moderately well (can still read it after 1 min soak and wipe)
#973 - More of a rusty red. In reviews, this looked similar to 930, but it's not.
Rusty red on the page, dries fast, shades best among this bunch, seems to write drier than average, and holds up to water moderately well (can still read it after 1 min soak and wipe)
Diamine Ox Blood - Beautiful, rich, dark blood red with purple tones. Very dark on the page (the darkest among these), dries moderate, seems to flow well, low to moderate shading with my wet pen, and does not hold up to water well (hard to read after 1 min soak and wipe)
Diamine Syrah - Nice wine red red with purple tones. Moderately dark on the page, dries moderate, seems to flow well, seems to have good shading, and does not hold up to water well (hard to read after 1 min soak and wipe)
Noodler's Red Black - Nice dark red on the page but casual observers would know you are using red ink, slow to dry, seems to flow well, nice shading, and holds up to water very well (the red washes but the black is clear after 1 min soak and wipe)
Noodler's Black Swan in English Roses - Nice color but leans strongly to rose and purple. Quite dark on the page (probably #2 to Ox Blood), dries slowly, flows pretty well, really nice shading, and holds its color to water very well (can easily read it after 1 min soak and wipe). This is the only one to bleed through Mnemosyne paper in my test of dark reds on the wettest parts, but well within bounds.
