Click to view our Accessibility Statement or contact us with accessibility-related questions
GonzoTGreat
756
Apr 29, 2015
Hi folks,
I haven't posted anything in a little while, but I had to chime in, here. This is a great deal. I doubt it will last the full 7 days, so if you're on the fence, I'd suggest pulling the trigger (deliberately mixed metaphor). Just regarding this drop:
1. This is an awesome price for CONUS. 2. You can get one bottle of each! Yippee! 3. If you're considering this drop, you probably don't need these yesterday. 4. Even with unexpected delays, etc, my experience with Massdrop is that they are absolutely committed to making sure you get what you bought. In the condition you expect.
About the ink:
For those who know, this will be redundant. For those who don't:
1. These are truly unique inks. They have teeny, tiny flecks in the bottle that give your writing an amazing sheen, especially when using larger nib sizes or stubs (remember to shake carefully before filling that pen). 2. These are especially well suited for personal correspondence and calligraphy; they make your writing sparkle, literally! 3. I don't know how wet they write (depends on the pen) or similar properties. I've heard they play well with wet flex pens (think: Noodler's Ahab). 4. They are NOT low-maintenance inks. The pens will need to be cleaned thoroughly before filling, used frequently once filled and cleaned thoroughly after. 5. If you don't think you'll go through a full fill, try only filling your pen 1/2-way. 6. The bottle is beautiful, but the opening is rather small.
Helpful hint: In order to preserve the majority of my bottled ink, I pull about 3-6 ml out of the bottle at a time. I transfer this amount to a 7ml vial (like the ones that the Goulets sell). Then I use that ink (from the vial) in my pen. When I'm done with an ink and don't want to flush away 0.5ml of perfectly good ink, I can push it out of my pen and back in the vial from whence it came. It doesn't significantly compromise the small ~5ml in the vial, it completely preserves the ink in the "source" bottle, and you only lose the ink in the feed when you change inks before you naturally run out.
I don't know if I'll be joining this drop - my funds are severely limited for the foreseeable future. But if you're interested, live in CONUS and don't need these yesterday, I encourage you to join the drop soon. Again, I don't think this will last the full 7 days.
Disclaimer: Beyond being a happy customer and a fairly active poster, I have no affiliation with Massdrop.
I hope this helps anyone considering joining this drop.
Cheers.
ps. Over 60 sold with a 150 limit? No way is this going to last 7 more days (time left as of this post).
Edited: Added "ps"
GonzoTGreatHey @GonzoTGreat , I really appreciate your input, but maybe you can clear up a couple of questions that I have as a ink amateur.
1. I'm getting the impression this is a very popular, quality ink, but what makes this ink special as compared to say, a 50ml bottle of Lamy ink that costs $10? Do the tiny flecks even matter? I need just a little help justifying $60+ dollars on ink. 2. Why are you suggesting to purchase this over Massdrop instead of another website that would only cost me a couple dollars more to receive them quicker? I do enjoy supporting MD, but realistically this would only save me $2.
Any help is much appreciated.
GonzoTGreat
756
Apr 29, 2015
MarshallmallowlolI hope these answers help clarify a bit ...
WARNING! LONG EXPLANATION TO FOLLOW:
It *is* a very popular ink. If you're just getting started, it might be better to ease into these inks with samples. Samples can be had for purchase at a number of online vendors. The Goulet Pen Company is very popular (for good reason), but they're not the only ones. I would recommend checking out their site and/or fpn if you want more info about the ink and want to see what it looks like from different perspectives. You might even be able to find someone with whom to swap on one of the forum sites. Or see if you can find a review on youtube. Here's a decent demo of Stormy Grey I found. This one was done by Jetpens:

By the way, the "fine" nib they're using is a flexible fine nib dip pen.
One of the things to keep in mind is the pen and paper you're using, the effect you're trying to achieve and your experience with fountain pens. I certainly would not recommend these as a "first" fountain pen ink. What's the difference between these inks and the Lamy (or similar)? If you're using a nice stub or flex and you're writing on high quality paper (Rhodia, Clairefontaine, etc) you will notice a significant difference right away. Besides the saturation of the primary color, the Rouge Hematite shades quite well. Then, when you hold the paper to the light at an angle the words seem to sparkle as the light reflects off the added bits in the ink.
Truly, these have a sheen like no other.
If you're a student, write with a fine or extra fine nib, don't like to play or fiddle (read: clean) with your pens and only use them for note taking, then no, I wouldn't recommend these inks. I would recommend something like Noodler's Black or Heart of Darkness or, if you're writing on cheap paper, then X-feather. Or another black or blue or red that strikes your fancy. Can you use these for casual note-taking? Yes. But you'll miss the opportunity to really *enjoy* the ink and the experience. If you've never used these and just want a simple, good note-taking ink, then I wouldn't recommend these.
That said, here's my take on MD, their price, etc. If you live in CONUS, the MD drop price (even with shipping) is usually as good as or better than most you'll find online. Shipping is not fast. That estimated ship date? It's an estimated ship date. I know of products that have shipped a few days before, spot on the date or up to a few weeks late. Shipping ink can be tricky - especially if the ink is in a special bottle as these are. The thing with Massdrop is ... let's say you get your ink. You're totally psyched. You open the package and you find ink seeping from one of the bottles. Massdrop will make sure you're set (as long as you contact them). So ... for shipping speed, don't order from MD if you're in a hurry. For price, MD is usually comparable to or better than the best online price but sometimes only by a couple bucks, sometimes by a lot. If you place your order, it ships, something happens to it I've discovered that customer service has improved dramatically in the past few months. Really, I don't have any affiliation, but it's in everyone's interest for you to be happy with your experience.
Lots of folks like to order a product online and then BAM!, it's enroute and they can track it. That's fine. For most of the things I order, I'm like that. That's not MD. Once I order a product from MD, I sit back, cool my heels and put a note on my calendar for the "estimated ship date". Then, I forget about it. I'm saving a few bucks, and I'll get a cool product.
Also MD has the advantage of having a pretty decent member community with some knowledge and/or experience with the product in question.
For some items (including stuff for the writing community), I've seen stuff sell for 20% less than the cheapest I could find on Amazon, even with free shipping. Sometimes the item just isn't available from anyone else. If I really want the item, I can afford it, I don't mind the wait and the savings is worth it to me, I get it from MD. If I really want the item right now and I don't mind paying more, I buy it elsewhere. If I can't afford it, I don't buy it.
I'd love to join this drop, but I just don't have the scratch right now. That's fine. I still have Stormy Grey and Rouge Hematite ink left in my sample vials and the poverty thing is (hopefully) only temporary.
My answer is probably much longer than you expected, but I hope I've answered your questions.
Cheers.
Periodically edited for typos, grammar and clarity. Significant changes are noted as such.
GonzoTGreatHey @GonzoTGreat, Thanks so much for your response. It was not too long. I have ordered samples from Goulet Pen Company twice, and they are running a tad low, so the reason I'm here is to get into my first bottled inks. I've also used MD for some pens and EDC items before, and I agree completely with your opinions about waiting a little longer for a quality product with quality customer service and community. I am a cheap, patient materialist, so this system works for me.
On that note I am a student however, so most of my writing is taking notes, which I really enjoy with fountain pens. I have tried EF and F nibs before, but I have enjoyed my M, B, and stub nibs much more because of their wetness. I'm not really into flex or calligraphy writing though. Furthermore, I enjoy fountain pens because they inherently require tinkering. Albeit I think I'm going to go with these because they will last me a long time and I enjoy quality inks with nice properties.
All your help is much appreciated.
InkyPinky
7
May 1, 2015
MarshallmallowlolYou can try out all of these inks in a sample, which is enough to fill your pen twice, from GouletPens.com., for under $2. Goulet ships within two days everything I have ever purchased.
BrooksBrown
1
Jun 3, 2016
GonzoTGreatI'm tempted with this ink to get my first dip pen. Thoughts?
GonzoTGreat
756
Jun 3, 2016
BrooksBrownNo experience with dip pens for anything more than ink testing. I'd suggest fountainpennetwork.com (fpn) for more info.