Pelikan Fountain Pen Ink 4001

Any fountain pen manufacturer who also markets their own range of inks will ensure they match the writing characteristics of that brand. Hence Parker will always recommend Parker Quink inks. Cross, Waterman and Sheaffer do the same and they may sometimes suggest that not using the matching brand of ink will either invalidate the guarantee or cause damage - it rarely does with the top ink brands. Of the four pen brands mentioned, only Sheaffer's ink is 'wet', very free-flowing and slow-drying on many papers; all the others are 'dry', more viscous and slow-flowing. It may be worth noting that Cross' bottled inks are identical to Pelikan 4001 but rebottled and relabelled! There are many other brands of ink of which few are available internationally, most only in the country of manufacture and whose characteristics may be unknown or variable.Any pen/nib combination that lays down a lot of ink (writes wet) and takes a long time to dry until it resists smudging will need a 'dry' or slow-flowing and quick drying ink to compensate; conversely, those combinations that are more meager with their ink need a wetter, faster-flowing ink if the written line is to be sufficiently dark and legible. Generally, broader and italic nibs write wet; finer nibs are typically drier writers although exceptions exist. Pelikan Royal Blue and Brilliant Black were purchased for the express purpose of use with a very wet-writing pen.The Pelikan 4001 ink range is mostly washable and are all 'dry' writing. The more expensive Pelikan Edelstein range is quite different in formulation, colours, bottles and, apparently, their writing characteristics. Typically, horizontal strokes and curves with some inks can be lighter than verticals where there is a possibility of overlaying up-strokes and down-strokes with ink laid upon ink. The 4001 range comprises quite saturated colours and contain a relatively high proportion of dye(s) and the lighter colours tend to produce limited visible shading or added character to the written line. Darker Pelikan inks are monotonal and probably better suited to specific situations where clarity and high legibility are essential; written exams, form-filling and musical notation are among those where they could work well. There are seven currently available colours including royal blue, turquoise, red, green, brown, black and violet that are all normally sold in 30 ml bottles but double-size bottles are offered in some countries.Pelikan was originally a pen manufacturer and their inks were then intended as their ideal companions. The 4001 range are recent formulations using synthetic dyes but they are equally suited to many other pen brands and are considered 'safe' and unlikely to ever cause damage to a pen (some inks are not recommended for certain pen models and sometimes brands). If you know that your fountain pen writes a very wet line with your present ink choice, then Pelikan 4001 inks are a potential solution as they are quite viscous (gloopy); that is my situation with a specific pen. If the pen is writing dry, Pelikan 4001 inks are best avoided as their naturally slower flow will not provide a sufficient ink level to prevent drop-outs of missing characters. They will need a 'wet' ink, e.g. most from Diamine, Noodlers, Herbin.Although another brand of ink is a personal general preference and is available in 100-plus colours, their inks are mostly very wet-writing and not suitable for my current favourite pens, a Pilot Capless and Pilot Decimo respectively fitted with Broad and Medium nibs. The same inks work superbly in other brands of fountain pen.

It’s ink - simple straightforward and just works. Flows well in all my pens, Blue/black that also has a hint of grey when dry. Great everyday ink

I bought this bottle of Pelikan royal blue ink to use in my trusty old Sheaffer fountain pen, and it writes very smoothly, with the ink drying suitably fast. The colour is beautiful. I like the shape of the bottle, allowing one to tip it stably at about 70 degrees from the vertical in order to access the remaining liquid when it's getting low. My only regret is I would prefer a 50ml not 30ml bottle, as I will use it up too quickly! I rate 5 stars.

Lovely smooth writing ink for your fountain pen. Expensive but worth it if you like the colour.

As expected..good

How can Pelikan call this ink colour Brilliant Red. In my estimation it is a lovely Tangerine coloured ink which I have been after for years because no ink maker makes a tangerine ink. For information:- Tangerine is not Orange.

It is a lovely pink and will remain on my buy again list. Herbins pink is a stronger more pigmented pink, however, I didn’t want a strong pink this time. They will both remain on my list. It’s also a drier ink than Herbins if you’re using a broad nib and don’t want feathering. My nibs are medium, broad and calligraphy and the paper high gsm so I don’t get feathering or leak through but if you do the Pelikan ink is a lighter ink.

It's good a quality