2024 Ink of the Year... what will it be?

[@michaelsimon4034]

Thanks for introducing me to a new ink.

[@paulmchugh1430]

Thanks for your Ink of the year. I thought I found one in Diamine Athol Purple but it was too light for my taste. So I just purchased Diamine Purple Bow. Have you used this ink? I know it is not a new release but Noodler's Navajo Turquoise is just stunning. Very stable ink. The worst for me was Visconti Blue. It was so viscous, it wouldn't flow through the feed or nib without vigorously shaking the pen to get the ink down through the feed. I ended diluting the ink and so far it is working. My only Christmas present that brought a smile to my face was the Kanwrite Mammoth X. What a big pen with a #9 nib and ebonite feed.

[@theoffstageme]

I haven’t tried Purple Bow. There’s just so many inks and so little time. I’ll check it out. I don’t use a lot of noodler’s ink. I used to, but I found the performance just so inconsistent bottle to bottle… so I basically gave up. I absolutely want a Mammoth… I’ve had one in my cart for a little while now.

[@paulmchugh1430]

@theoffstageme the price is reasonable for Kanwrite. I will have to look for it.

[@juicylouisey]

Diamine Rosewood is my highlight of the year. Interesting you have an Aurora ink bottle in the thumbnail. Aurora inks don’t get the recognition they deserve. The black is especially good in finer nibs as it is so complex it doesn’t rely on just black dye.

[@theoffstageme]

The thumbnail image is the Barock ink bottle. There are a few brands that use the same bottle.

[@trulsdirio]

Barock actually takes all three spots in my top three this year! Third place is Grünkohl, their collaboration with Fountainfeder, an excellent online shop from Germany. Second place is Barock Charleston. I love Diamine Honey Burst, but it has always been a bit of a dry ink. Charleston fixes that and also is a little less orange leaning, which I appreciate as well. First place is Barock Bordeaux. Just a stunning, deep burgundy red. It offers great performance and shades really nicely. It is basically married to my Kaweco Dia2 (my favourite pen). I gotta say, next time I order some ink I absolutely need a sample of Kaviar, it looks stunning!

[@catherinehubbard1167]

Thank you for this review, very interesting. If you haven’t already tried them, I recommend some of the inks in the Hongdian line, especially the Gray, Purple, Black, Brown, and Blackish Green. Their Blue is lovely, but there are a lot of lovely blue inks. (My favorites are Oxford Blue for a soluble blue and Noodler’s Anti-feather Blue for a waterproof one.) Their Brown is similar in color to Diamine Espresso, a blackish brown cooler in tone than the colors you seem to prefer. The Gray is quite deep, and the Black is also deep, with a purplish undertone. The Purple is gorgeous, deep and warm. The Blackish Green is a deep, dark teal. All these inks are intense, free-flowing, well-behaved, and quite inexpensive. They have just a bit of water resistance though mostly soluble. I highly recommend them. There are more colors in the Hongdian line, but I have not tried them.

[@theoffstageme]

Definitely on my (very long) list of inks to get.

[@LandyVlad_Rides]

In my pursuit of a great dark green ink I just bought Octopus fluids "write and draw" in Green Tiger and Octopus Fluids 'Tiefgrun' (Dark Green).

[@theoffstageme]

I like the Write and Draw inks a lot, just be aware they take a little more maintenance in fountain pens.

[@Rgc571]

3 Oysters Purple Grey is similar. Really like this shade of ink.

[@theoffstageme]

It is pretty similar. I reviewed that few years ago. This is a little darker I think… but both are stunning.

[@karenholden4740]

Thank you that is a great ink

[@ILoveFountainPens]

I ‘discovered’ Octopus Fluids for the first time earlier this year. I was amazed to learn that they manufacture inks for all industries and mediums. Although I live in a city of over 450,000, there are only two small stores (a bookstore and a card shop) that sell a veeeeery limited selection of fountain pen inks. I was shocked that one of them had recently started carrying Octopus Fluids. I picked up a bottle of unicorn and I loved it so much that as I’d empty a pen, I’d refill yet another pen with Unicorn to see how it performed with a different make, model and nib. I’ve been blown away every time! I’m looking forward to rebuying this ink *many* times over!

[@Marshallmallowlol]

My top 3 inks of 2024 Diamine Jet Black Robert Oster Dragon’s Night Robert Oster Grey Seas

[@judyjacobs5827]

The name of this ink line is interesting. "Barock" in Hebrew means "lightning", though considering the longstanding anti-Semitism of the Germans, it seems unlikely that a company based in Dresden would knowingly use a Hebrew word.

[@theoffstageme]

I believe it's named after the Baroque period, as in the period of art, architecture, and music referencing the long history of ink production in Dresden/Saxony.

[@archivist17]

Unconventional choice, but you do make a good case for it.

[@theoffstageme]

Something about the ink just struck me, and of all the inks I reviewed in 2024, this was my favourite.