There Are Pandas, and Then There Are Pandas.
And this isn't either of them! The Pandas we're talking about here, are watches, not bears. And what got me thinking about them (again) was a link posted this morning by @cm.rook who pointed a few of us to the very attractive (and not terribly priced) Yema "Rallygraph" Panda which, in it's most traditional arrangement, looks like the one on the left, but can also be had in the version on the right: The model on the left is a true Panda, while the model on the right is called a reverse Panda. The reason for that distinction is clear--Panda bears, only come in the first arrangement. Now at this point, everyone should be thinking about the most well-know Panda, The Rolex Panda, which is actually a Daytona, and among Rolex Daytonas, the most famous of which is the Paul Newman Daytona, which was famous first, because it was Paul's, and second because it sold at auction for $17.8 million (US Dollars). The story of that auction is well-known so I'll only...
Nov 8, 2019
Thanks to Mike, I was generously sent a couple of bottles of ink and I've been playing around with them for a little while. I think I'm about ready to share my thoughts on these inks over the next week or so; I hope you enjoy the review!
There's a little pamphlet tucked inside with pictures and (printed) writing samples of the other inks in the line. According to the pamphlet, certain colors are "indelible." Burned Orange seems to be one of the newer releases, as it's not included in the pamphlet just yet.
Opening the cap, there isn't a discernible smell (hey, it's a concern for some people!). If you put your nose right to the opening and take a deep whiff, there is a slight... ink smell. It's not pungent, nor is it very noticeable. Definitely great for those of you who are a bit more sensitive to smells.
I tested this ink on Midori MD notebook paper, which is smooth with a light texture, and has cream-colored, fountain pen-friendly sheets inside. I used a Jinhao X750 with a stock feed and nib as well as a Nemosine broad nib.
I've never used an orange ink quite this vibrant before; actually, I don't think I've really touched an orange ink in this tone. My other inks, like Noodler's Antietam and Diamine Ancient Copper, are much deeper, far closer to brown than orange. I love the way that it pops off the page; it's very sunny and bright, and reminds me of orange soda. You might love it if you want to freshen up your color palette, but it's definitely not an ink you can use in a business situation, except perhaps to highlight.
You get about 75 ml (~2.5 oz) of ink. This may seem like quite the premium considering the price (about $30 MSRP), but Faber-Castell does not want you to think that this isn't a luxury product. The packaging is fitting of the price tag. Personally, I think the ink would be a great gift for someone.
So what do you think? Is Graf von Faber-Castell an interesting ink color waiting for its turn in your palette, or something you'd definitely skip?
In the future, I'll provide swatches of the ink alongside other colors that I have in my collection to give you an idea of what inks are in a similar color family, but not necessarily similar. If you have any suggestions for what I can provide in future reviews, please let me know. And, of course, if you have any questions, I'll be happy to answer them to the best of my ability.
Thanks for reading my first review on Massdrop! You can also find me on my website (http://wintersharks.blogspot.com) where I review inks, papers, and pens. The site is a bit empty because I just started brand new from an older blog, but I promise new material will be coming very soon. I also have an Instagram (instagram.com/pharaonis/) where I post artful pictures of my stationery collection.