I love doing ink reviews. I really love them. Inks are awesome, they can be used to draw out emotions and reference your current mood or attitude. When I commence my various ink reviews, I normally load a pen or two, use various test papers (anything I can write on), fill at least one page in my Habana Notebook, lastly I write a review – on my ink review form. Once that’s done, I post it on various social media outlets, and sometimes reference them in the videos I shoot. [Read more…]
J. Herbin Inks
J. Herbin inks have to be some of my favorite fountain pen inks available. J. Herbin inks come in 30 beautiful colors. Currently, I have ten of the J. Herbin Inks. I have purchased a few of these, but most have come directly to me from Karen Doherty. Exaclair, is the US distributor for J. Herbin Inks… [Please note, in no way does receiving these inks to test, inhibit the neutrality of the reviews.] Thanks again for the inks Karen! [Read more…]
Sabonis Fountain Pen Review
This is a review of the Sabonis Fountain Pen. This fountain pen brand is primarily marketed in Latin America. This specific pen was sent to me from Mexico. I am not 100% sure what model this is, as it came to me without a box or any paperwork. There doesn’t appear to be any markings that reflect a model on the pen or nib.
The first thing I noticed about this pen, was the weight – it’s pretty darn heavy. Much heavier than most of my other pens. The pen is pretty plain looking – in a good way, it also does look more expensive than it is. The cap is very tight fitting, it requires a pretty good grip to pull the cap off. There is also a noticeable click when the cap is removed and or reinstalled.
The dimensions of the Sabonis Fountain Pen are as follows:
Capped – 5.25″
Cap removed – 4.75″
Cap posted – 6″
Weight – 1.1oz (this was using a digital scale that was zeroed & includes the converter plus what ink is left inside.)
I was surprised that this pen didn’t include a cartridge and or converter. I tried using the extra Platinum Preppy and the Waterman converters I had… neither one fit correctly. I ended up ordering an International Piston Converter for a Pelikan (from my friends at Pear Tree Pens) and it ended up fitting perfectly.
The nib seems to be a fine-medium steel nib. It has the Sabonis logo and is made in Germany. It originally was difficult to get inked up. It was having a lot of problems starting up, even after I let the ink prime in it for 24+ hours. The next day I decided I needed to floss the nib (this opens the tines up a bit & allows for a better flow). That ended up working perfectly. Now the pen starts much faster and flows a nice fine-medium line.
The nib is nice and smooth and it produces a nice wetish line that has a nice bit of shading to it. I recently did an ink review with the Sabonis, it can be found here: J Herbin Bleu Azur Ink Review
All in all, for an inexpensive fountain pen, this is a pretty nice pen. I won’t say it’s my favorite, but its fun and will stay in my rotation.
Full sized images can be found on this set on my Flickr account.
J Herbin Bleu Azur Ink Review
J Herbin Bleu Azur [full size photo] – The sky, specifically the summer sky in Hawaii. That is what J Herbin’s Bleu Azur reminds me of. I lived in Hawaii for a little over three years, and I really do remember a color such as this. Its a beautiful sky blue. It has a hint of the ocean in it. Beautiful. It is not a really bright or vivid ink, but that doesn’t stop me from loving it. J Herbin Bleu Azur is a very calming & tranquil color. My wife has told me that this is by far her favorite color in my collection. She also commented, that it is a very peaceful color. Something she would write with all day. I have to agree.
I inked a Sabonis Medium fountain pen (from Mexico) up with the Bleu Azur. At first the pen was having some issues, but I will admit – it’s the first ink the Sabonis has seen. So, I let it sit for about 24 hrs. After that I flossed the nib to open the flow slightly. This really helped the flow and gave me a nice wet line with a nice amount of shading. Yet another winner in my book. Two thumbs up, for another excellent J Herbin ink.
Here are some of the other J Herbin Inks I have reviewed.
J Herbin was established in 1670, when Louis XIV, the Sun King, was 32 years old.
M. Herbin was a sailor, and from his many journeys to India he brought back to Paris formulas for manufacturing sealing wax. His special lacquer formula improved the quality of the seals in adhesion and neatness, helping him to become famous throughout the kingdom.
J. Herbin is also the oldest name in ink production in the world.
By 1700, the company was producing “l’Encre de la Tete Noire,” followed by “Perle des Encres,” (The Jewel of Inks) and “l’Encre des Vaisseaux” (The Ink of Ships).
J. Herbin made ink for Louis XIV, and a black ink for the sole use of Victor Hugo, author of The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Les Miserables. These formulas still reside in our company archives in Paris.
This ink was purchased from: Peartreepens.com
