Red & Burgundy Inks

Caran 'd'Ache Sunset
Color family: Reds
Sample? No | Scented? No
Shimmer? No
Comments:

A sweet clear red that leans a touch pinkish. A very well behaved ink from Caran ‘d’Ache’s older lineup, now replaced by what seems to be a much inferior red, Infra Red.


De Atramentis Dante Alighieri
Color family: Reds
Sample? No | Scented? No
Shimmer? No
Comments:

A.K.A. ‘Ruby Red.’ Bright, saturated, vivid crimson red, shades beautifully, but crimson hue stays true. Gorgeous; at last a real red! And of course, named for my own medieval love, Dante….


De Atramentic Oriental Red
Color family: Browns
Sample? No | Scented? No
Shimmer? No
Comments:

Warm, saturated, cinnabar red, shades beautifully to a deep rust. Opium red. I love this color!


De Atramentis School Ink: Red
Color family: Reds
Sample? No | Scented? Yes
Shimmer? No
Comments:

Brilliant fire-red with lavender scent, not yellow or pink. Manages to shade to a light red, not towards either pink or orange.


Diamine Red Lustre
Color family: Reds
Sample? No | Scented? No
Shimmer? Yes
Comments:

One of Diamine’s Shimmertastics line, a true red with a golden shimmer. It’s lovely and dramatic, and perfect for the holidays, but doesn’t quite excite me like Herbin’s Rouge Hematite.


J. Herbin 1670 Rouge Hematite
Color family: Reds
Sample? No | Scented? No
Shimmer? Yes
Comments:

Rouge Hematite, a fantastic flaming crimson, that shades to a deep rust (so I Love it even without its trademark sheen & shimmer), with an occasional flash of bronzey green, and a beguiling geeenish-gold shimmer. (The image doesn’t do it justice, really). When nearly dry, this looks like gold leafing; something about the shimmer pigment in this ink is the finest and smoothest I’ve seen, and the greenish shimmer is mesmerizing. This remains my favorite of any shimmering ink, and a favorite just in general!


Levenger Cardinal Red
Color family: Reds
Sample? No | Scented? No
Shimmer? No
Comments:

This is a nice clear, true red, with just a hint of deepness that keeps it from going orange, but not enough to go burgundy or purple. This is the “cardinal red” of sports teams, not so much the bird, but it’s a great red for all that!


Mont Blanc Corn Poppy (Red)
Color family: Reds
Sample? No | Scented? No
Shimmer? No
Comments:

This LE from Mont Blanc made quite a stir, and while its a nice red, it’s not particularly remarkable in my opinion. It’s a slightly warm red, which I do like, with a hint of brown when applied heavily, as in a bold or italic nib. For the price though, I’m not sure it delivers.


Mont BLanc DaVinci Red Chalk Special Edition
Color family: Reds
Sample? No | Scented? No
Shimmer? No
Comments:

This LE ink from Mont Blanc hits right in my sweet spot; somewhere between red, rust, and brown. It captures beautifully the rich hue of the red chalk favored by renaissance masters and artists today. It also comes in a gorgeous Mont Blanc inkwell, that I will definitely be using long after the ink is gone!


Noodler's Rattler Red
Color family: Reds
Sample? No | Scented? No
Shimmer? No
Comments:

This is a really nice, basic red. Deeper than a ‘pure red,’ but without either a pink/purple cast, or an orange tone to it. And the Eel (lubricated) version of this has opened up some more expressiveness in a couple of drier-writing pens.


Noodler's Widowmaker
Color family: Reds
Sample? No | Scented? No
Shimmer? No
Comments:

This is a gorgeous deep blood red, with just a slightly cool cast. It’s a smidgen darker than de Atramentis’ Dante, in a similar hue as Levenger’s Cardinal, but with a bit more depth and shadow to it.


Pelikan Brilliant Red
Color family: Reds
Sample? No | Scented? No
Shimmer? No
Comments:

Orangey-red with almost a salmony tone, not as deep or true a red as I expected.


Robert Oster DIrect Sun
Color family: Reds
Sample? No | Scented? No
Shimmer? No
Comments:

Robert Oster is a newer brand (to me, at least) and it’s getting a lot of glowing reviews. This red is vibrant, true, fiery warm red, but it oddly strikes me as a little flat, somehow. I’ll modify this if is impresses me in use, but so far? Meh.


Tekker Custom Alighieri
Color family: Reds
Sample? No | Scented? No
Shimmer? No
Comments:

A deep, rusty, brownish red, named for Dante Alighieri, the master poet of medieval Italy. This is a bespoke ink from Tekker, a company that briefly offered a ‘spec your own color’ service. The mechanism was in instant hit, but sadly the folks running the company were nowhere near prepared for the enthusiasm the pen community had , or for the volume of orders they got. There was some talk of them selling the enterprise to a larger ink maker, but to my knowledge, nothing has come of it so far. That’s shame – it was a great idea, and a great ink!


Burgundy Inks

Custom Mixed "Binder' Burgundy
Color family: Burgundys
Sample? No | Scented? No
Shimmer? No
Comments:

Mixed by ‘dflorida’ on Fountain Pen Network to replicate the fabled ‘Binder Burgundy mix, this is a similar color to my own mix, but with far superior qualities. It’s more saturated, relatively water-resistant (leaving a fairly vivid and very legible magenta after determined soaking). Much wetter flow, too. Fantastic!


Custom Burgundy Mix
Color family: Reds
Sample? No | Scented? No
Shimmer? No
Comments:

A mix of 2 parts Pelikan Violet and 1 part Pelikan Brilliant Red. It’s a nice color, but falls prey, I think, to the weaknesses of both the inks in it, especially the Red.


De Atramentis Chianti
Color family: Reds
Sample? No | Scented? Yes
Shimmer? No
Comments:

Very similar in color to Dante Alighieri, if a little deeper. This is one of De Atramentis’ ‘wine’ range; inks that are made from actual wine. Not only a rich, luxurious ruby red, but a heady true red wine scent. I’ve been using this one a lot!


De Atramentis Patchouli
Color family: Burgundys
Sample? No | Scented? Yes
Shimmer? No
Comments:

This color is unusual – not quite burgundy, nor really rose, not purple, not brown….but I like it. But what’s best about this ink the the scent. Of all the scented inks I’ve tried, this one is exceptional. It boasts a true, clear patchouli scent that stays for days, and is really wonderful when writing.


Diamine Syrah
Color family: Burgundys
Sample? No | Scented? No
Shimmer? No
Comments:

Another solid Diamine ink, in a nice deep, warmish burgundy. I think I have tapped out the “burgundy” offerings, as I can’t really manage to distinguish them by anything more than lighter, darker, redder, etc. Still, a very fine ink.


J. Herbin Rouge Opera
Color family: Burgundys
Sample? No | Scented? Yes
Shimmer? No
Comments:

Soft cool lilac/red, not very saturated. Shades from a faded red/purple to a medium greyed magenta. Light ‘violet’ scent.


Noodler's Black Swan in Australian Roses
Color family: Burgundys
Sample? No | Scented? No
Shimmer? No
Comments:

Aside from possibly the longest ink name ever, this is a really gorgeous deep burgundy, but without a lot of the brownish tones that burgundies often have. Deep enough to be respectable, and a very well-behaved ink.


Private Reserve Arabian Rose
Color family: Burgundys
Sample? No | Scented? No
Shimmer? No
Comments:

Take a brilliant rose, deepen it down just a shade or two, add a bit of purple, soften it with a trace of grey, and you have Arabian Rose. Not sure if I like this one or not.


Private Reserve Plum
Color family: Burgundys
Sample? Yes | Scented? No
Shimmer? No
Comments:

I think I’d be more likely to call the Arabian Rose ‘Plum’ and call this some kind of deep red. It does have a purpley-burgundy tone to it, but there is a definite hint of brown as well. It shades well in the swab, but I’m less than impressed by it pen-on-paper.


Visconti Ruby Red
Color family: Burgundys
Sample? No | Scented? No
Shimmer? No
Comments:

This is an older bottle, one of the large glass champagne styles. I don’t know if I’d call this a ruby, maybe more of a plum or mulberry. It’s a rich purply-burgundy, subdued but not brown or faded.