Grey Inks Comparison

[@jeanneprice312]

I agree on Earl Grey being the best.

[@peterpuleo2904]

I like the blue shading in the Scribo Grey.

[@PenultimateDave]

Same here, the challenge for me is it's such a small bottle and I might have to use it more, and may have to buy some more of that ink!

[@walterfoster2582]

I use the kiri same quite often. As always, great review my friend.

[@mikes10663]

I am really enjoying your ink comparison videos. I know I will be looking them over frequently to help decide on inks to buy and which inks to select when filling pens.

[@peterbowenwalker6987]

Thank you for making these ink comparisons. They have been exceptionally helpful. Please keep them coming.

[@Alliejay-C]

I think I need to add a page to my ink notebook to note down inks I should buy next. Diamine earl grey needs to be on that list!

[@PenultimateDave]

Strangely I did that a couple of years ago and just rediscovered it recently during COVID. It was quite comical as I had added a lot of shimmer inks onto the list, and even more comical when I looked at the pen list and how many of them I had actually purchased unknowingly remembering I had created the list in the first place.

[@chiarac358]

Since Earl Grey seems to be a medium grey with a purplish undertone - to my eye at least - perhaps you might also like Jacques Herbin Gris de Houle, which is a medium cool grey with a purplish undertone, or Sailor Jentle Chu-shu, which is a dark grey, leaning purple. I received a Gris de Houle cartridge and I like it quite a lot. Chu-shu looks good when swatched, but I haven’t written with it yet.

[@criscavi19]

Diamine moon dust is really beautiful ink! Thanks

[@the_dark_forest]

Fantastic. Thank you. I love my grey inks & this has been really helpful. Those inks dried in ways/hues that totally surprised me. Some of the watery inks came up really well. I might have to ink up some of my pens and really pay attention. Very much appreciate your efforts, cheers

[@PenultimateDave]

Thanks, glad you like the review. I think the way they look in wet pens offers a lot in terms of shading and hues.

[@yuklimka7251]

I bought a 30ml bottle of Diamine Earl Grey to ink up my Pelikan M200 Gray Marble. It's a combo that works really well for me. Nice flow and wetness, decent amount of shading with an M nib, smooth writing experience. I may get a small bottle of the kiri-same soon. Thank you for an interesting comparison video.

[@Wreneagle]

My go to right now is De-Atramentis Artist Grey. It's pigmented so I guess that gives some people pause, but it has great behavior and tone.

[@drananth]

Grey inks work wonders in art, drawing, sketching, shading etc. 50 shades of Grey is not enough! As for writing, Diamine Earl Grey & Scribo Grey look interesting. They seem convincingly "inkish" instead of appearing uninspiringly "pencilish".

[@pguste]

straight out of the gate with your favorite!

[@bahaven1896]

I really like the Earl Grey and will have to get a bottle. Thanks for the video!

[@YuliDnevnik]

Earl Grey has got to be my favourite ✨✨✨

[@PenultimateDave]

Mine too, I still struggle to find a grey better!

[@YuliDnevnik]

@@PenultimateDave really? Thought they are nice grey inks out there

[@jamesaritchie1]

After using Earl Grey for a good while, I realized it was just too dark for my taste. I tried other greys, but none matched what I wanted. So I decided to lighten Earl Grey. After some trial and error, I found that three parts Earl Grey and two parts distilled water gave me exactly the grey I was looking for. It also made my bottles of ink last a good deal longer.

[@PenultimateDave]

It can change colour depending on the wetness of the pen, in a dry writing pen it tends to be quite light but likewise quite dark in a wet writing pen.

[@Person930]

This is a good tip! I will try this soon thanks!

[@jochwil42]

I'm gonna get Earl Grey now. Kiri Same is one of my favs. My all time favorite is Robert Oster Thunderstorm, but maybe that's a blue-black?

[@PenultimateDave]

Diamine Earl Grey is a great ink, I don't think you will be disappointed, it flows really nice. I haven't seen Robert Oster Thunderstorm before, I'll take a look for that.

[@texasboy5117]

While I always watch your pen reviews, I decided to watch my first ink comparison. I was very surprised to see how wet and dry some inks are. I plan on going back a watch your other ink videos.

[@PenultimateDave]

Thanks Terry, yes it's quite interesting to see how some write more wet and some more dry. I try usually to go with more wet writing inks, although that can be a challenge when writing in a notebook and wanting to turn the page to write.

[@6Untitled9]

Diamine silver fox is very nice. I think I’ll try the Pilot kiri-Same after seeing your comparison here.

[@aumshanti2514]

Absolutely love MB Oyster Grey, trying to track some down as we speak (what we're they thinking to discontinue!?) I'm delighted to see how close Kiri- Same and Storm Grey are! Thank you very much indeed for such a fabulous, no nonsense comparison! 👌👍💜

[@kaferrari]

thanks for the comparison video. In my humble opinion, to really see the ink colour out from the pen, the ink swatch shouldn't be done twice or thrice. for example, the moon dust, the colour is very light, and double or triple swatch make the ink looks darker than it is. We wouldn't write on top of the words twice or thrice, isn't it?

[@PenultimateDave]

Yes I get that argument and it's a perfectly valid one, however some nibs are much wetter in the way they write than other nibs that are very dry, that's why I wanted to saturate it more to show what a wet nib would look like more in the ink swatch.

[@kaferrari]

@@PenultimateDave great, I believe it will be a fire-hose nib to have the deep saturation!

[@kapirk2244]

I am a fan of Moon Dust. I also have been using a Levenger ink called Smokey that is a nice grey ink, a hint of brown, a hint of purple. Thanks for this comparison video.

[@denspens9035]

Diamine Grey is a nice ink. Bit dry though. Purple rock by Robert Oster is also nice. Unlike most of the ones you normally find this one has a purple tone to it.

[@antonioraffa123]

Nice work Dave👍🏻

[@PenultimateDave]

Thanks 👍

[@sistergoldenhair0727]

Some of the sailor inks are nice!

[@PenultimateDave]

I need to take a look at some of the Sailor Shikori inks.

[@sistergoldenhair0727]

Penultimate Dave yes! Some of their grey inks are amazing!! Lamy benitoite is also a glorious grey ink!

[@clipdrift]

lexington gray is a nice one as well!

[@PenultimateDave]

That's one I keep hearing good things about!

[@chiarac358]

I have 5 grey inks. My favorite is Dia Earl Grey, followed by Iro Fuyu-Syogun, Kiri-Same (which to me is more of a taupe/french grey color), JH Gris Nuage and MB Oyster grey (which I totally dislike). I find Earl Grey right between Fuyu-Syogun and Kiri-Same. If I let JH Gris Nuage evaporate, it looks a lot like Fuyu-Syogun. I prefer blue/purple leaning greys. I was looking at Scribo Grey, but it looks green to me. Also, I am not convinced of their bottle, which looks like a marmalade jar. It doesn't look easy to open without spillage! Edit: Has anyone tried Akkerman #29 Hofvijer Grijs? Color, wetness, saturation...

[@PenultimateDave]

Strangely I have Montblanc Oyster Grey and I keep thinking that I need to buy another couple of bottles since it has now gone out of production with Montblanc. However I tried it the other day and again wasn't a great fan of it and decided not to buy a couple more bottles whilst it's still available. I still haven't found anything I like as much as Diamine Earl Grey or even more than Earl Grey.

[@chiarac358]

​@@PenultimateDave Earl Grey is hard to beat. As hard as I try loving MB Oyster Grey, I just can't. I do feel like trying MB Cool Grey, but if it's just a renaming of Oyster Grey, I don't see how "cool" would apply to the new ink because, to my eye, Oyster is on the warmer side of greys. There is the Stipula Calamo Grigio Lava (Dark Grey) - on the warm side - and Grigio Fumo (Fading Grey) - on the cool side - which I wouldn't mind trying, but samples are hard to find. I'd also love to try their Sepia, Zafferano (Saffron). If I remember correctly, I think I read that the Calamo inks do better in gusher nibs.

[@dhm304100]

Thanks for the grey ink review! Have you tried Seitz-Kreuznach Slate Grey? It's a nice grey too!

[@PenultimateDave]

Hi Dean, I haven't yet, it's been one on my list for some time to buy but since I found early on Diamine Earl Grey it's been almost my goto ink and when it's not I fall back to Pilot Iroshizuku Kiri-Same.

[@sistergoldenhair0727]

Diamine grey was the best one of these. I keep it inked in my lamy 2000. The others seemed too watery.

[@PenultimateDave]

Diamine Earl Grey would be a perfect match for the Lamy 2000. Although I like Pilot Iroshizuku Kiri-Same and it's my second favourite grey ink, I have the exact same problem with that and other grey inks in that they are a little too watery.

[@ittaicarmon8347]

Too bad MB stopped making the oyster gray - just got a bottle a few weeks ago and I absolutely love it. Great interesting review.

[@PenultimateDave]

Keep looking around retailers, I'm sure there are some that still have some stock available.

[@SwayvillDelgarian]

Thanks for the review Dave, very interesting as ever. Have you tried Montblanc Heritage Web Grey ? I know it was a limited edition, but is still easily available.

[@PenultimateDave]

I haven't tried Montblanc Heritage Web Grey, I'll see if I can find it here.

[@kimlindseyOH]

The only one of these I own is the Earl Grey, and (happily) it's also my favorite amongst the group! Thanks for these ink comparisons! :-)

[@nadines.1107]

I only have Kiri Same by Pilot and am happy with it too. Earl Grey is pretty too though!

[@pepperpath]

Thanks. Have you used gvfc stone Grey ? It’s a warmer brown grey for fall and also diamine silver fox (good for winter ❄️

[@PenultimateDave]

Sorry I have not used it yet.

[@philadelphiapiper2743]

You really should try the new Pelikan Edelstein Moonstone in of the year 2020

[@PenultimateDave]

I actually have bought a bottle since, unfortunately it came in after I recorded the review. I was pretty ecstatic about getting it, even more so as the Pelikan Hubs have been cancelled for this year due to COVID. I'd say though that it comes in third place behind Diamine Earl Grey at No 1 and Pilot Iroshizuku Kiri-Same at No 2 for me. I find it a little on the watery/pale side. How do you find it?

[@cyntoh9265]

Thanks for the video. Greys aren't an ink color that I'm all that interested in. I do have one that I purchased and that is the Diamine Earl Grey, which I quite like, and I do have the Diamine Inkvent Snow Storm, from the calendar release. But I've only done an Ink swatch of It and not used it in a pen yet. You might like it, as it's a nice light grey with silver shimmer and looks very nice in the swatch.

[@PenultimateDave]

Thanks, yeah I'm not really a grey inks person much as I only have 6 grey inks currently. I'll check out Diamine Inkvent Snow Storm. The two main grey inks I like are Diamine Earl Grey and Pilot Iroshizuku Kiri-Same, I can't really better those at the moment.

[@ellzpc2609]

I have a few pens and I tend to match ink to pen... I have a Benu Briolette in the Silver Ore Finish with a B nib... I think Diamine Moondust would be perfect. However do shimmer inks block feeds and reduce nib performance? Can they damage the pen?

[@PenultimateDave]

I think you're right with regards to matching Diamine Moondust with the Benu. The shimmer isn't really an issue for most pens if you're using a medium nib or wider. If you're using a fine or extra fine nib then you may have some blockages. Personally I've had more clogs and clumping of particles in a converter or TWSBI barrel with J.Herbin than Diamine, but I know some have had the opposite experience to me. I usually dedicate my TWSBI Diamond 580's to Shimmer ink just to be on the safe side and not risk it in an expensive pen. You can find that if you get a partial blockage then the nib will write more dry and you may need to prime the converter or piston to get a bit more ink out, if you do that on some kitchen towel if/when it happens, you'll see a concentration of shimmer in the ink splotch.

[@ellzpc2609]

@@PenultimateDave cool thankyou for the advice... like you I have played with shimmer inks before but in a dedicated Ahab. I think moondust IS the only ink for that colour Benu lol. Have you seen my Maiora Vesuvio posts on instagram? What a beauty...well i think so! I've Got a Nettuno God Of The Sea coming soon! Love your reviews!

[@PenultimateDave]

Thanks, yes I have looks stunning the Maiora Vesuvio! Hope you like the Nettuno, they look good but I've heard mixed reviews from a few friends in terms of the quality of build of the Nettuno's, but I haven't yet been able to get one in my hands due to COVID to confirm or deny. Hope yours comes out good when it arrives!

[@ellzpc2609]

@@PenultimateDave Well the vesuvio nib has a lot of bounce and flex... but it railroads a bit on the down strokes.. i have spoken to Nino and he says the nib is entirely hand made in Italy with ancient equipment so there are some imperfections... it sure adds characteristics. Ill keep you posted on The God Of The Sea.

[@PickwickTurtle]

What is the red pen you use to write the names? Also great timing on this as I’ve been finding myself wanting a grey ink in my collection and this is very helpful!

[@sistergoldenhair0727]

Pickwick Turtle I’d like to know too!

[@PenultimateDave]

That's a 3D Printed pen made by William Shakour in the UK, he doesn't have a website but I have reviewed the 3D Printed Titan Pens on my channel before.

[@PenultimateDave]

@Tracie L. Stimpson That's a 3D Printed pen made by William Shakour in the UK, he doesn't have a website but I have reviewed the 3D Printed Titan Pens on my channel before.

[@sistergoldenhair0727]

Penultimate Dave I’ll look for that! Thank you;)

[@nauci]

Do you count the various multi-color inks as grey? Like Sailor Ink Studio 123 or 224, or Vinta Aegean Sea? I absolutely adore those and they're... Grey? But also blue and purple and pink and more.

[@PenultimateDave]

I don't have many inks that are off-grey like the Sailor Studio inks, so most of them I classify as their core colour. Although I have some Aqua colours that I will list as Turquoise instead of Blue or Green in my ink database.

[@MatsAndersson]

Inspired by this, i went ahead and bought a bottle of Diamine moon dust. I thought i'd shaken the shimmer particles up well before i loaded up in my Lamy AL-star converter, but i was disappointed to see no sheen at all. Any tips? I'll give it another try.

[@PenultimateDave]

You won't really see sheen but you should see glitter. If you're not seeing the glitter then you need either need to agitate the pen/converter by rolling it in your hands around 20 times to get the particles moving as they will be stuck to the converter walls or you may be using too finer nib. You should aim for at least a medium nib but preferably a broad or stub nib.

[@MatsAndersson]

@@PenultimateDave Yes, i figured it out.

[@SparkeyMark43]

Hi, what’s the pen you use in this video?

[@PenultimateDave]

The pen is a 3D printed piston pen called the Titan by instagram.com/WilliamShakour, he has a bit of a backlog but the pen is a great pen, piston filling with a #8 Bock Titanium nib, I have 3x and now a dip pen where I can swap the nibs out into and like it a lot.

[@SparkeyMark43]

Penultimate Dave Thanks for the info. Are they sold online or just at pen shows?

[@geslinam9703]

I don’t understand why Kiri Same seems so light to me. I see so many writing samples, it looks much darker than mine.

[@PenultimateDave]

Maybe different batches?

[@methodical_66]

What Pen are you Using?

[@PenultimateDave]

The pen is the William Shakour Titan, it’s a pen made by a UK Pen Collector William Shakour. I have a review of two of his Titan's at kzbin.info/www/bejne/aJ2to3tsjpl4mNk and another one at kzbin.info/www/bejne/mqjIfqWGfNmUa9U He doesn’t have a website, he’s on Instagram as instagram.com/williamshakour and can make pens to order.

[@methodical_66]

@@PenultimateDave I dont have Social Media. I dont believe in their Biased ways of Censoring people and how they pick and chose to do so. Is there anywhere else I can purchase the pen? What is the price of say the pen you used. I believe I saw you with a red one

[@PenultimateDave]

As far as I'm aware William only does Instagram, I don't have another way of contacting him. He makes the pens specifically to order so you can only buy direct from William.

[@methodical_66]

@@PenultimateDave Damn...ok. Thank you for your review and Information

[@minniefontein1665]

Here is how I get the most amazing grey: take any black ink. Add 5, 10 or 20% of water and you'll get any grey you want. Most inks are water soluble anyway ...