Indian Fountain Pen Inks, Part 2 : Bril Inks

Bril Fountain Pen Inks are one of the most commonly found inks in India; they're inexpensive, and available in 8 different colors. But are they any good? The ones that I've tried are pretty hit and miss. None of them are terrible, but I'd probably only buy a couple of them again.
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[@crouserm]

A useful exposition. India is one market where literate culture still strongly supports fountain pens, and yet I hear the least about it (of the big markets). So, thank you!

[@thewetpen]

My pleasure! Thanks for watching 🙂

[@jayantghodke1796]

Love from India ❤🇮🇳✒️

[@betsychristina3509]

All my life I have used bril ink fountain pens. Now I am 32 and still own a ink pot from 1997...from my school days. It's very affordable and in india u need a very affordable ink pen because I grew up in a culture were we write a lot and everything is cursive. In school we were not allowed to use other pens only blue ink pen a very standard still followed in many schools. Our teachers used red ink pens. Since we were only allowed to use ink pens for public exams in 10th and 12th grade we were trained in it for which I am very greatful. I used a ball point pen to take notes in college and have been using it since...and my writing is now faster but has lost the beauty. I love to occasionally write in a fountain pen just to satisfy my craving to see my handwriting in it. I am from India, tamil nadu state. And they had this 350ml ink bottle that was in plastic with the paper label. It's been the same for the small glass bottle with a paper label.i till use the ink from 1997 it was a big bottle that was there like forever the ink is just the same. I can grab a pen fill it and can find no change with the flow or consistency etc. Still very much the same.

[@streamermode_codm]

What about it's water resistance?

[@betsychristina3509]

@@streamermode_codm it's not water resistant.

[@thinker1680]

Yay. My favorite royal blue ink. Beware. Use this once and you will feel ripped off with almost any other ink. 😅 whats more, the royal blue cleans up from the pen very nicely. No stains. No clogging. And does not fade in a notebook. great video. Thanks for the video. And it does wash up easily but with some resistance.

[@thewetpen]

After buying ANY bottle of Indian ink, I feel ripped off when I buy something else 🙂 Bril Royal Blue is pretty nice... reminds me of inks like Pelikan or Parker or other standard blues... but I have to say that I really prefer the Camlin Camel Royal Blue. So nice and vibrant! Though the Bril shades a little better. All of the Bril inks write well for me, well for me... the Bril Black is certainly better than the Camlin. Anyway, thanks for watching it!

[@himanshupal6083]

Can you tell me about torqoise blue? Does it fade? I don't like the royal one

[@vikas7686]

@@thewetpen when first used camlin feels so , but it fades away with time and becomes very blurry which is not the case with brill royal blue. also camlin stains pens alot if left for few days and difficult to clean.

[@thewetpen]

@@vikas7686 Almost every dye-based ink fades with time if it's exposed to light, including Bril. I've been using Camlin inks for years, now, and haven't had any problems with staining. Perhaps the inks are different now that a Japanese company has taken over.

[@G-Tarun]

​@@thewetpen Ah finally someone who likes Camlin Royal Blue!! (I like Bril's other colours - esp Turquoise but Camlin for Royal Blue). While not as purple-y as Bril, I like that Camlin Royal Blue is calm on the eyes.

[@krishnadasnair8765]

I purchased the turquoise blue in bulk in like 2019. It was 25 bottles but 7 of them broke during shipping. So they sent another 11 free of charge! I still have 1 bottle left in the bottom of my cupboard. Now a days i generally use Daytone (you have to try them out, they have a very nice range of colours, they come in two sets one regular and one extra fine, supposedly designed to flow better). I mixed chocolate brown and yellow and got pretty close to noodlers golden brown but noodlers shades better.

[@thewetpen]

Wow! Twenty five bottles would take me a lifetime to use up, unless I used the ink exclusively... and I think that Turquoise Blue would be the one that I'd use exclusively if it were going to be any of these. Daytone inks are coming up later in this series! 🙂

[@krishnadasnair8765]

@@thewetpen haha yea i gave like 5 or 6 bottle to some of my friends and use the rest pretty liberally. Like if I was changing inks I would not dump the residue ink into the bottle. I also used it a lot to make nice blue blacks and purples lol

[@subhmaypatra5562]

Yes, Bril's customer service is really good. They sent me two extra pens because they mistakenly didn't send one.

[@user-ju4zo4wc5x]

Hello, your videos are so delight to watch, elegantly shot, voice is sooting and clear, itenary is in place, no fumble and most importantly no annoying loud background music. Absolute joy :). keep it up.

[@thewetpen]

Glad you're enjoying the videos! Thanks for watching them 🙂

[@llchapman1234]

Love seeing inks specific to other countries and reading nostalgic comments 😊

[@Ivan-xy3ws]

PART 2 BABY!!!!

[@ilikepens]

Always happy to stop by and watch your videos.

[@thewetpen]

Thanks Dustin 🙂 Always nice to see you here among the first commenters!

[@subhmaypatra5562]

Even though I really appreciate Bril's customer service and the fact that they still use glass bottles, I would prefer Camlin's Royal Blue over Bril because Camlin is much more vibrant. I wish Camlin didn't stop using Glass bottles. Camlin was the first Fountain pen ink I used, almost 8-9 years ago. Just today I bought 6 old stocks of Camlin Scarlet Red from a nearby shop. He luckily got them in stock, and I thankfully through divine grace got to buy them. I wish I get to buy the Blue and Black's old stock too in glass bottles. They haven't changed the formula but glass bottles give a different feel altogether, also what a coincidence it is that I got introduced to your this lovely channel today itself.

[@jamesaritchie1]

I agree about glass bottles. I transfer ink that comes in plastic bottles to glass inkwells. I also transfer ink that comes in glass bottles, if I don't like the bottle because it's difficult to get more than half the ink out with a fountain pen. I know Noodler's has the insert that makes it easy to get all the ink out of the bottle, and I know a syringe works with other bottles, but transferring the ink to an inkwell is just easier for some brands. Especially Herbin, or with just about any small bottles, say 30ml or smaller. I always try to get the largest bottle of ink I can, but sometimes small is all that's available, so I take what I can get.

[@subhmaypatra5562]

@@jamesaritchie1 Thanks for the suggestion 😊

[@subhmaypatra5562]

You're videos are aesthetic ♥️

[@thewetpen]

Thanks! Glad you're enjoying them 🙂

[@carey7676]

This is 2022…….I’m using bril since the late 70s…..fountain pens were the in thing those days…..welcome bro…

[@avinashprasad2535]

Hope you try out Syahi - its a really new brand, theres very few reviews of it... And Krishna's new spring/summer series inks

[@thewetpen]

It's on my list :-) It looks as though only 3 of their colors are easily available from here... but the blue looks really vibrant.

[@avishekchakrabarty2560]

I like camlin royal blue more than bril because its such a sweet colour most importantly it doesn't fade easily. I have written my whole childhood with camlin royal blue and previously it was even better.

[@thewetpen]

I agree... the Camlin definitely my preference between the two. Someone commented on the Camlin video, saying that Camlin inks clogged his pen. I'm testing it now (for a little less than a week) in the same pen model, but haven't run into any problems with it myself, so far. I haven't tested any of them for fading, though... so I'm glad to hear that you've had good experience with the Camlin in the past.

[@MUTHU_KRISHNAN_K]

Thank you 🙏 Very helpful

[@thewetpen]

Glad to hear that it was useful! I have a new Indian ink video coming next week :-)

[@Govindan999]

My favourite was chelpark that we had years ago. If it ages it dries out fastly and changes colour like ageing.

[@thewetpen]

I have a bottle of Chelpark on my shelf... I don't know how old it is, and I probably won't try to write with it, but it's a nice piece of ink history from India 🙂

[@Govindan999]

@@thewetpen I have an doubt, recently while surfing internet I found that an person used fountain pen ink in inkjet cartridge for printer. Is it possible to do so.

[@Govindan999]

@@thewetpen I have unused bottle chelpark ink the problem is it dried out and it's now blue powder at bottom. It was an fantastic ink had good character.

[@thewetpen]

@@Govindan999 Maybe if it were diluted further, but it would probably be more trouble than it's worth. Liquid food-coloring will also work, in some cases, but it's not GOOD ink, it's just ink that sorta works. Who knows what it will do to your pen 🙂

[@jacobprince6602]

I love this video! Great content

[@thewetpen]

Thanks Jacob :-) And thanks for taking the time to watch it!

[@subramoniams9850]

Laurel Rose, Red, Blue Black? Have all except Black and Blue-Black. Laurel Rose is pretty pale though. As you said, reminds of my school days. When "graduated" to Chelpark it was like getting a Sheaffers pen 🙂

[@thewetpen]

I have an old bottle of Chelpark, which may appear in a future video... though it's old enough that I'm not sure that it's still good. I haven't tried it yet 🙂

[@jayantghodke1796]

Bril discontinued Blue-Black ink.

[@MarshaLove0723]

Thanks for this! The Royal Blue kinda reminds me of 'Papier Plume Forget-me-not Blue'. I think I prefer the more saturated Camlin Royal Blue.

[@thewetpen]

True... I was actually thinking of something like Pelikan Royal Blue, but Papier Plume is true also... their inks tend to be a bit watery for my taste, though they have wonderful names. Completely agree about the Camlin 🙂

[@soumyabratapaul8151]

Brilliant work, as always! Keep up the good work. Cheers!

[@parthshah2527]

I have used the rose color. I must say its pretty vibrant but but it sticks to barrel and its impossible to remove it. So don't try with transparent pens.

[@thewetpen]

Thanks! That's good to know... I actually assumed from the odor that the green and turquoise blue might stain, too, but I haven't had any problem yet.

[@yokobery2828]

I like your video becoming longer.

[@thewetpen]

Well, it's always a struggle for me to keep my videos from bloating and bloating and boring people to tears, but it seems to be a losing battle, and they're just going to keep getting longer :-) Thanks for taking the time to watch them!

[@Ivan-xy3ws]

@@thewetpen I WANT your videos to become longer. I am here for the long essays about what makes an ink the way it is. I would really be interested in not just the color of the inks you showcase, but do they bleed through some papers? Are they good for inexpensive college ruled notebooks? Love the content and love having to hear everything you have to say about them. Cheers.

[@thewetpen]

@@Ivan-xy3ws Hey Ivan, I'll remember that in the future, then. I'm not really considering these videos true ink reviews... just introductions, mostly, but as I work on the next ones, I'll try to provide the useful details 🙂

[@krishnadasnair8765]

@@thewetpen hey we would LOVE longer videos. Just write something for 45 mins and post it and we will watch it lol

[@thorhilda]

@@thewetpen Longer videos are not a fault in themselves. The flaw I see in other KZbinrs is that they waste time talking about things that are not directly relevant to the topic and go into more convolutions. You get straight to the point, visually illustrating what you are saying, without hesitation or superfluous words. Your demonstrations and comparisons are very useful and relevant. Thank you for taking the time to present them to us. Don't worry about the number of minutes devoted to them. Your videos are just right as they are. No need to shorten them.

[@rahamatali-mi4qu]

Try daytone extrafine inks....it has many colour options..it is also indian ink..my favourite ink...I m sure u will also like that...

[@thewetpen]

Thanks! In fact, I bought the complete set of Daytone Extrafine colors... or at least, the 15 colors that were on the market last year... and they've been sitting in a box on my shelf, waiting for me to return to this series about Indian fountain pen inks :-) I'll get to them one of these days!

[@rahamatali-mi4qu]

​@@thewetpen ur review videos are very help full ..pls review them all as soon as possible..waiting for this..and love from india..❤

[@shreyasj1351]

I have been using this ink since my school days.. may be 1995/96

[@himanshupal6083]

What is the self life of these inks?

[@subhmaypatra5562]

Green and Turquoise one were really cool

[@thewetpen]

Agreed! I'm a big fan of the Turquoise Blue. I like the green, but wish it were a little darker.

[@jamesaritchie1]

@@thewetpen I prefer darker green inks, too, but I also like having a light green as a change of pace, or to use on certain papers. Iroshizuku Chiku-Rin is my favorite for this. But this green might work, as well, depending on how it behaves on rice paper.

[@Abhiman_ss]

it is very good

[@bharatc.sampat6406]

Excellent Excellent

[@thewetpen]

Thanks!

[@user-kh9sy7fh7u]

I use Camelin Royal Blue.

[@shannnkwt]

Does it fade?

[@koushik7604]

Few hours ago I bought a bottle of Bril Black. Btw, thanks for the video.

[@thewetpen]

My pleasure. Enjoy the ink!

[@kunalroy1421]

Congratulations You're Relieved of Cough...😂😂😂 By Fountain Pen Ink

[@SharanKaustav]

you really gotta try the bril signature fountain pen

[@thewetpen]

Looks like a nice pen. The next time I go back to India, I'll see if I can find one 🙂

[@ishrakrafitashfi2817]

Please review Karkos / Jinhao inks !

[@andycromwell8229]

Is the smell the same is that of Sailor inks? I went to Japan and bought a standard Sailor ink bottle. It smelled and it wasn't good. I found out the smell has something to do with trying to stop a bottle of essentially water with some die in it going all moldy in a tropical climate.

[@thorhilda]

Yes, the smell is due to a chemical additive, a fungicide that prevents mould. Since I had the unpleasant experience of having a bottle of ink turn into a foul-smelling goo because of mould, which nearly ruined one of my old pens, I appreciate and find the little fungicide smell very reassuring. And, note that I live in the opposite of a tropical climate. It doesn't just happen in tropical countries, but anywhere there's organic matter floating around in the air.

[@thewetpen]

My assumption was that the smell either was because of an anti-microbial or a solvent, but I haven't verified it with Bril. Almost all inks sold these days include some sort of biocide, but most of them are odorless... so it isn't necessarily because of that. Noodler's waterproof inks tend to have a strong smell (not very similar, but slightly), and those inks also tend to spread and feather more than usual... and a couple of these Bril inks also tend to feather, so that's where I was leaning.

[@andycromwell8229]

@@thewetpen I imagine that's what the smell is about and the fact the ink is not sold in the EU so you can get some funny smells. The standard sailor blue ink I got in Japan really smelled so bad I didn't use it. Whereas the Waterman and Diamine inks I use are made in France and UK - not exactly tropical.

[@jamesaritchie1]

@@thewetpen It's good to note that Noodler's has very few waterproof inks. Even though they may act the same to a point, a bulletproof ink is not the same as a waterproof ink. They work differently, and bulletproof inks usually take a good deal longer to become bulletproof, while a waterproof ink acts extremely fast. Some bulletproof inks can take up to three days to "set" into the paper, and can run even then, though you will still see the writing clearly. A waterproof ink dries much faster, and simply doesn't run at all. One ink Noodler's makes that dries almost instantaneously and simply does not run at all, not a trace of run, is North African Violet. I can write a sentence with this ink, rush to the kitchen faucet, hit the ink full blast, and it simply doesn't move. Even a swatch dries very, very fast. Anyway, "bulletproof" means nothing will get the ink out of the paper, including bleach. This means, for example, than no one will change your check to read a different amount, but it doesn't not guarantee the ink won't run on the surface. A "waterproof" ink is just that, it's waterproof. But if that's all it is then it can be removed from paper complpetely using chemicals. Or a laser.

[@red2432]

Not sure how to feel about indian inks, anyway will you be doing the diamine ink-vent calendar this year?

[@thewetpen]

I'll probably do the inkvent calendar again, but haven't decided for sure... it's a lot of work at a busy time of year. I did enjoy it, though 🙂

[@carolanne3017]

I hope you do. Loved your videos last year.

[@thewetpen]

@@carolanne3017 I finally pre-ordered my Inkvent Calendar last week, and it was supposed to ship this week :-)

[@kyteditz5839]

Yes i do use camlin ink as i live in india

[@TheDormousesDesk]

I like your black ink swatch stripes.

[@thewetpen]

Thanks 🙂

[@VijayKumar01234]

5:40 - I tried Noodler's Bullet Proof Ink recently, smells awesome & ofcourse it's quality is👌.

[@thewetpen]

Some Noodler's inks are excellent... one of my favorites is called Baltimore Canyon Blue, which is waterproof and a nice vibrant blue. Unfortunately, a lot of Noodler's inks are pretty terrible, too... feathering or gritty or staining pens.

[@VijayKumar01234]

@@thewetpen Is it? I don't know. That's terrible. Have you made any review on it's dark side? Any links? Thanks.

[@thewetpen]

@@VijayKumar01234 Hmm. I've made some videos that feature some of the bad Noodlers inks... let me see if I can find one. Ah, maybe here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/lYK1ooSDbdiNZ7s Still... they're mostly good inks. Just have to judge them individually.

[@VijayKumar01234]

@@thewetpen Thanks a lot for your detailed review and dedication you have. Hat's off. I would say, the review was more about the papers rather than the Ink. Seeing lot of positive reviews about "Noodler's X-Feather Ink" saying, it performs well on most of the less quality papers too. Thanks.

[@thewetpen]

@@VijayKumar01234 Yes, definitely about the papers rather than the inks... it just happened to show the worst Noodlers inks that I own. X Feather is great... I have the blue version.

[@lakshmidevi0123]

Hey, Greetings. Can you tell me which fades more? Bril torqoise blue or camlin royal blue

[@thewetpen]

Hi Lakshmi! Unfortunately, I don't have a good side-by-side test for those two. I am currently running a fading test on about 20 inks, and the Camlin is included, but not the Bril turquoise. That said, I haven't seen any significant amount of fading from either one, with the paper stored inside and away from the sunlight (which is much easier here in rainy Seattle).

[@lakshmidevi0123]

@@thewetpen thanks sir. also, can you tell me an efficient way how to refill rollerball pens like Uniball 215 and Reynolds trimax.

[@thewetpen]

@@lakshmidevi0123 Actually, I had never heard of the Uniball 215 before; I just Googled it and found them for sale in India, but they're not available here in the USA. Very interesting system... I'll have to search for one the next time I'm in India.

[@lakshmidevi0123]

@@thewetpen when is the fading test coming?

[@thewetpen]

@@lakshmidevi0123 I don't know, unfortunately. I just shot photos and some video of the results, but I have a couple of other videos to finish, and I'm going to be out of town for the next week, so it won't be for at least a couple of weeks.

[@jamesaritchie1]

I currently have three hundred and twenty-six bottles of ink. Large bottles. I've had more than two hundred others over time. Needless to say, but my wife is a saint. But I'm pretty sure I've never had a bottle of India fountain pen ink. Guess it just slipped under my radar, which is odd because I do like fountain pens made in India. I'll have tto remedy that.

[@thewetpen]

I'm a fan of them... though mostly as souvenirs. I'd say that Krishna inks are worth going out of my way for, and I'm really impressed with Camlin blue.

[@jamesaritchie1]

@@thewetpen Thanks. I'll have to give those a try. The Camlin Blue does look very good on video.

[@lakshmidevi0123]

Hi, I ordered the Bril inks and recently got it delivered. You know there site is crap, but still packaging was nice. I also ordered one of their fountain pens becoz it was cheap and surprisingly they are all very good. About the inks black wasn't that black so didn't like it. How do you fell about Parker black ink? which one is darker. Out of the all the Bril inks torqoise ink is my fav along with laurel rose

[@thewetpen]

The first bottle of black ink that I ever bought was Noodler's Black, and then I bought a Pilot Black. Both of them are dark enough and waterproof, so I never really branched out and tried other blacks... so I don't have Parker black or Waterman or Pelikan or most of the other major brands. I have heard good things about the Bril pens, but haven't tried them myself... glad you ended up with a good one!

[@lakshmidevi0123]

@@thewetpen yeah according to the price those pens are pretty good given the rich feel(looks) they provide😏🤣 The customer care executive even got emotional how they had to increase the price of their inks from 25 INR to 30 INR due to GST(tax). I will purchase a pilot black ink too. Just I am broke right now. Also make video on affordable pens for Indian students like me with a budget of 200 at MOST Thanks for the quick reply .. ❤️

[@abdulhameed10515]

Review bril signature fountain pen

[@thewetpen]

I'll see if I can get one... Bril products are not always easy to get here in the USA.

[@stevekage5395]

Hey. I've recently stumbled upon your channel and I must say, you're doing a great job. I greatly enjoy watching this series and I'm waiting for more. Although there is one thing that bugs me. What's that thing you're using to do your ink swabs? I've been using cotton ear sticks and while they're cheap and do good enough job, having something with which I wouldn't have to risk some stray cotton fibers getting mixed with my inks would be nice.

[@thewetpen]

Ah... those are foam cleaning swabs. I get a lot of questions about them. I just buy them on Amazon. I tend to use this type most: amzn.to/3y092np , but they're available in a ton of different shapes and sizes, and I do often need to use smaller ones to reach into bottles with small mouths (Diamine 30ml, for example).

[@stevekage5395]

​@@thewetpen huh. So that's what it is. Even though it's they're not reusable, like I originally thought foam does seem like a nice alternative to cotton sticks. Thanks

[@thewetpen]

@@stevekage5395 They actually are reusable... though they do tend to pick up stains from some inks. They'll return to a pretty clean white (except at the seams) with most inks if you rinse them off before the ink dries completely. It does generate some extra plastic waste, though.

[@stevekage5395]

@@thewetpen Gonna have to try them at some point then. Thanks for the info, and keep up the great job with your videos!

[@himanshupal6083]

Make click aristocrat review

[@VijayKumar01234]

2:48 - 😂🤣😂

[@atoneforeveryturn7495]

COULD YOU TRY THE TOPPERZ INK GRREEN INK ??

[@thewetpen]

I couldn't get any here in the USA, sorry!

[@Art_culture_livin]

Brill cost 25 cents per bottle in India

[@arunbalaji.s5416]

Is the ink waterproof

[@thewetpen]

No

[@renjutk4791]

The bril ink blue black it not ink

[@thewetpen]

Ah ha! I noticed that it was not available on the Bril official website, which did make me wonder whether it is still available. Sounds like it is more than just a temporary stock issue. Thanks!

[@renjutk4791]

And camlin ink has rare green ink in glass bottle

[@gamerboy4566]

I would like to know the water resistance of the bril red.

[@thewetpen]

Ahh, I'm afraid that I don't have Bril Red.

[@gamerboy4566]

@@thewetpen Ok. No problem. Thanks for the quick response. I have just ordered a red and a laurel rose. Should arrive in a week. I will then check it out.

[@gamerboy4566]

@@thewetpen I received my Bril Red ink today and tested out the water resistance. It does leave a little red marks, but the written is hardly readable at all. So I wouldn't call it water resistant ink. The paper I used is standard Classmate notebook paper available in all local shops.

[@thewetpen]

@@gamerboy4566 Ahh, thanks for the info! In general, most dye inks are not water resistant, so I suppose it's not a big surprise, but good to know at any rate.

[@davecharvella4854]

👍👍

[@ambigasathyaseelan6707]

Bril blueblack colour

[@thewetpen]

I don't think they make it anymore... I've never seen it.

[@Govindan1640]

I have got brill green an rose good inks . If this inks existed in Market every one would use fountain pen instead we have trash Camelin ink. I baught 3 bottles of camelin and its trash as shit.

[@AntonioMRosario]

So, while I am a fan of your videos and what you're doing here, I was a appalled by your edit showing the chemical disaster in India and the dead child buried in the debris. I thought that wasn't necessary and was in bad taste. Gave you a thumbs down for that.

[@thewetpen]

That is a point well taken. This may have come off as a little glib, but the fact of the matter is that I had been in Bhopal a few years previously, when I made this video and the Bhopal Gas Disaster is something that I find few Americans are aware of, despite American majority ownership of Union Carbide. The disaster killed tens of thousands of people and injured half a million more; to me, this seems like the sort of thing that more people should be aware of, if for no other reasons, then to help reduce the chances of the same sort of thing happening again... even if that means enduring five seconds of distasteful imagery. But perhaps this isn't the venue for that sort of thing, so I'll give it some thought.

[@AntonioMRosario]

@@thewetpen I agree that more people should be aware of an event (I was around when it happened) that's now becoming almost forgotten in history. And while I understand your point of view, I do come to watch your videos, and many other videos about ink and pens and paper, to relax and learn about this new hobby I've entered into. And, actually, I mostly didn't mind you mentioning that event in the video but that image of the dead child, IMO, crossed a line. I'm happy that you're willing to think about what I'm saying and appreciate your thoughtfulness regarding this subject. Thank you for your reply as well. I really like what you're doing on your channel and will continue to watch for your new videos. Antonio