6 New Birmingham Fountain Pen Inks: Oil Beetle, Basil Pesto, Elderberry, Agave

Рет қаралды 8,253

Күн бұрын

Of course I ordered the package deal of these inks from Birmingham last month, and yes, I also ordered the one that was announced this morning (though I don't expect to see it for a few weeks). This is my review of six new fountain pen inks from the Birmingham Pen Company, including Oil Beetle, Agave, Basil Pesto, Agave, Elderberry, Molten Tin, and Cherry Blossom. As usual, I swatch the inks on a variety of different papers, provide some writing samples, and compare them with some similar inks.
If you're wondering about the Datacolor color meter that I use in the video, it is this one. Not 100% perfect, but really good in combination with other color management methods: amzn.to/3dHAVcG
Music:
One of the pieces of music in this video is from Hooksounds. It's called "Still in a Dream", and you can get Hooksounds music here: www.hooksounds.com/ref/jmatth...
Also, special thanks to Monstercat for their awesome music.

Пікірлер: 111

@thewetpen Жыл бұрын

Which was your favorite? Please give this video a LIKE if you did :-) I forgot to beg in the video, again. OK... this video is too long for an ink video. I think I'll stick with just one or two inks in the future.

@UARELOVE1010 Жыл бұрын

You did a wonderful job showcasing the inks. The length did not matter. I love your handwriting. My favorite is the oil beetle. I collect the same color as oil beetle too. I am drawn to that color!!

@thewetpen Жыл бұрын

@@UARELOVE1010 Thank you Preethi :-) I'm in Japan right now, and buying inks every day. I hope that my luggage isn't too heavy to take home, but I should have some good inks to show you if I do 🙂

@UARELOVE1010 Жыл бұрын

@@thewetpen That's wonderful! I would love that. You are brave to bring inks on the flight. Can you also showcase some of the best places to buy Japanese inks/fountain pens and stationaries?

@thewetpen Жыл бұрын

@@UARELOVE1010 My intention had been to do exactly that... show a sort of walking tour of the best ink/pen places. Unfortunately, I don't speak any Japanese, and I've discovered that it's hard enough to just find these places and figure out what's what that I haven't had any extra resources to shoot video or even take many photos. But I'll do what I can 🙂

@UARELOVE1010 Жыл бұрын

@@thewetpen I hear you. I saved this video for a future Japan trip. Hope this helps. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/kLioipaYr5Otomg.html

@Korynith Жыл бұрын

Oh my gosh! Molten Tin looks so close to PenBBS June Pearl and I've been dying for a dupe for ages!

@thewetpen Жыл бұрын

Very true, although Molten Tin doesn't have any glitter in it :-)

@Catherinzsl Жыл бұрын

Great video, thank you. Seems like a shame they stopped putting those historical notes on their labels - that was a nice point of difference.

@thewetpen Жыл бұрын

I agree... I loved those details. I wonder why they stopped. Complaints about accuracy? Maybe they just wanted to expand into colors that didn't have an obvious local connection.

@chrisrap52 Жыл бұрын

My favorite is Oil Bettle. Extremely well done. I can't imagine the time it took to do all the sampling. Using different papers & nibs shows the large variation an ink can have. Enjoy seeing the PenBBS inks, I have a few. I also enjoy all my Birmingham inks, they make a LOT! Ever try Chinese Tramo Inks?

@thewetpen Жыл бұрын

Thanks! It did take some time... but it would have taken a lot less time if I hadn't accidentally formatted one of my SD cards before actually loading the stuff onto my computer. I have a handful of Tramol inks. I did a little video about them a while back, called "$3 Sheening Inks" : kzfaq.info/get/bejne/kMBmnLWemdvFlps.html After buying the Volga River and the Morning Forest, I got "Plumage" and "Aurora" and I like all of them! I've watched a couple of your videos about Tramol inks, and I'm tempted to order some of the non-sheening colors, now.

@chrisrap52 Жыл бұрын

@@thewetpen I'll watch the sheening video. Made me think of Tesla Coil.

@Dragon-Slay3r 5 ай бұрын

It's not oil it's ink thank goes on the tongue with rosary old school cover hence the samosa situation 😭

@migueloxamendi4284 Жыл бұрын

Your comment on the video length prompted me to make a double take on the time. It was over 17 minutes long but the time flew by. Another excellent video. Basil Pesto reminds me of Sailor Ink Studio #280.

@thewetpen Жыл бұрын

Thanks! I agree about Ink Studio 280.... at least from the photos I've seen of it. I don't actually have any Sailor Ink Studio inks yet; I'm afraid that if I got any of them I'd want to start collecting them all :-)

@jensantangelo855 Жыл бұрын

Accidentally collecting the same colors over different brands is how I realized Diamine Soft Mint and Colorverse South Beach are virtually the same color. I’ve been loving the Agave in my pens. It’s such a pretty turquoise!

@thewetpen Жыл бұрын

Diamine Soft Mint... I don't think I have that one. Looks like I need to visit the Cult Pens website again 🙂

@Sharmaji-tm4qn 8 ай бұрын

Nice detailed analysis.. The amount of effort you put in is commendable

@ajarofpotential Жыл бұрын

Great vid, really enjoyed seeing varied shades and paper swatches. The length was just right 😊

@thewetpen Жыл бұрын

Thanks Laura 🙂 I have a ton of new Birmingham inks to review, but I don't know whether I will... I have a bunch of other vids that I want to make. I hope I get a chance, though.

@aresaurelian Жыл бұрын

Elderberry and the Oiled Beetle looks like my preferred colors for writing, but I also liked the agave. The other ones are also nice for laying down background color for ink paintings.

@UmiChan358 10 ай бұрын

Cherry looks awesome

@TheDormousesDesk Жыл бұрын

I have a few BPC inks and absolutely love Petrified Wood, Pennsylvania Fieldstone, and Antique Sepia. I’ve been a bit disappointed in the direction the company has gone lately, especially phasing out the 30 ml bottles. I hope they find their way because they offer some really interesting inks, especially multi-shading, which we just don’t see much of in the US market.

@thewetpen Жыл бұрын

It's too bad about the smaller bottles, though they must have been much less profitable with the cost of their bottles and fancy packaging. I completely agree about the scarcity of multi-shading inks from domestic companies; I really like them too.

@TheDormousesDesk Жыл бұрын

@@thewetpen Thats a good point. I’d pay more per mL for the smaller bottles. Now that I’m thinking about it, from your video it sounds like they’re having someone else do their fulfillment. Less SKUs and larger price point probably has some cost savings when you factor in 3rd party labor.

@TheReKinn Жыл бұрын

These inks looks like they all have excellent shading, but I really love how the basil pesto turned out. The elderberry reminds me a lot of R&K Scabiosa. Excellent ink comparisons! Had to sub~

@teresaharris-travelbybooks5564 Жыл бұрын

The Cherry Blossom looks almost exactly like Robert Oster Cherry Blossom. Regarding your question; I always buy turquoise and teal inks and I agree about what you said about Oil Beetle. As a matter of fact, it looks exactly like the Birmingham Jade Inferno that I got today.

@thewetpen Жыл бұрын

Ahh, interesting. My Jade Inferno (a couple of years old, now) is significantly lighter than Oil Beetle, but equally beautiful!

@joesel23 Жыл бұрын

Enjoyed this video! I got this set too and I really love the molten tin! For me I find it goes down the purplish color but dries to a very appealing grey.

@thewetpen Жыл бұрын

Ahh, that's interesting. My Molten Tin dried down to be a little bit less saturated, but remained decidedly purple. Maybe different papers, or different mix amounts in bottling? Anyway, I'm still on the fence about that one 🙂

@davecharvella4854 Жыл бұрын

Excellent! Thanks for taking the time to put this together ... cheers!

@thewetpen Жыл бұрын

It is always my pleasure, Dave! Thanks for watching it 🙂

@ilikepens Жыл бұрын

Another great video with great production value!

@thewetpen Жыл бұрын

Thanks Dustin 🙂

@CaffeinePanda 12 күн бұрын

I do the same thing as you with colors. I fell in love with Pilot Iroshizuku Tsuki-yo and I keep drifting towards similar inks when looking at other brands.

@pepperpath 6 ай бұрын

Yes, To buying the same colour from different brands: a pale ethereal blue/ grey ! (And, what I call ‘unusual’ greens )

@hannahf9301 Жыл бұрын

oh exciting, a new video!

@gracepark6838 Жыл бұрын

basil pesto and elderberry such delectable colors

@thewetpen Жыл бұрын

And Agave is pretty sweet, too 🙂

@teresaharris-travelbybooks5564 Жыл бұрын

I just got Birmingham's Jade Inferno, an emerald ink. Wow, it's a super nice ink. Very impressed.

@thewetpen Жыл бұрын

I'm a big fan of Jade Inferno, too! I got a giant bottle of it back when these inks were released as "rich formula", but a few months later, Jade Inferno was moved out of the rich formulas and into the "Swift" or "Crisp" (not sure which), and I'm not sure whether they decided that it didn't sheen enough or whether they changed the formula or what... and of course, they've just changed formulas again... so I'm not sure where things stand. But I definitely love the old bottle that I have 🙂

@teresaharris-travelbybooks5564 Жыл бұрын

@@thewetpen I don't know about the different formulas, as this is my first bottle of their ink. I inked a fine nib pen with it and I'm not getting any sheen, so I've cleaned out a 1.1 stub and I'm going to try the ink in that pen. It's supposed to sheen red, correct?

@thewetpen Жыл бұрын

@@teresaharris-travelbybooks5564 Yes... I'd call it magenta, but it's in that ballpark. It's not a heavy sheener, so you'll need to use a paper that supports sheen and still provide plenty of ink (dip pens are always helpful in that regard). Good luck!

@XtianApi 3 ай бұрын

Using different paper and a colorimiter is an awesome feature of your video!

@thewetpen 3 ай бұрын

Thanks! I don't use the colorimeter much in these videos, but it comes in handy now and then.

@XtianApi 3 ай бұрын

@@thewetpen the paper variation is the big one. Not sure how you light and have the camera set, but a video light at 5500k and a camera locked to 5500k and you really can't get better than that and the paper, especially since you don't know what the audience is watching on. Your videos seem accurate, so you probably do this already. Drives me crazy when I see an ink review in blue office light or really warm soft white. Anyway, thanks!

@rodrigod9586 Жыл бұрын

Fantastic video.

@Sonicman415 Жыл бұрын

I love this video.. this ink company is great. Elderberry is gorgeous. Tesla Coil is another BPC fav.

@thewetpen Жыл бұрын

Thanks! I bought the next set of inks that they released after this one, but I've been so busy these past few months, I haven't even opened the boxes to swatch them yet! But it's probably a video that I'll get to eventually :-)

@jannahlyon Жыл бұрын

I totally keep buying the same colors, I love me a subtle sepia or muted dusty pink and I keep thinking I dont have the right one until I go to add it to my swatches and discover I have 5 more just like it! Thank you so much for this thorough swatching, really appreciate all the work you put in, very helpful :)

@thewetpen Жыл бұрын

My pleasure! I must have about 40 inks that are all exactly the same color blue :-) And still, I don't really mind at all.

@Calcprof Жыл бұрын

I love teals, and have many of them. Of course, a lot are BPC

@MariaRosseau Жыл бұрын

I think Oil Beetle is the only one that grabs me, and I have definitely wound up with a preponderance of blues and teals compared to any other color. 🤣

@thewetpen Жыл бұрын

I'm really a sucker for blue inks. Birmingham released another one of these ink packages a day or two ago, and because it had two vibrant blue inks in it, I purchased it immediately. A couple of the others look good though, too, luckily. And I do really like the Elderberry, here.

@animula6908 Жыл бұрын

There’s no shame in that.

@alexandrasartinsanity 10 күн бұрын

I collect the same colour from watercolour brands but find I am a lot pickier when it comes to inks. They need to be different from what I already have and something I will actually use to end up on my purchase list.

@technoraptor7778 Жыл бұрын

Elderberry is my favorite out of those...I like nice dark grungy purples

@thewetpen Жыл бұрын

Agreed! That's a wonderful color. For me, it's a toss up between this one and Oil Beetle.

@Sglinert Жыл бұрын

Emerald Fusion is my absolute favorite green ink. As you can tell, I am binge-watching your videos....

@thewetpen Жыл бұрын

I love it when people binge watch my videos :-) I must have a hundred bottles of Birmingham ink, but I still don't have Emerald Fusion. It's one of the most expensive inks on their site these days, so it must be popular. Every few weeks I put it in my shopping cart and then never check out.

@Sglinert Жыл бұрын

@@thewetpen That and Quantum Coil. I love sheening ink. Ostrich Glen the Sea is my daily black ink. Sheens brlliant green and doesn't smear.

@thewetpen Жыл бұрын

@@Sglinert I'm a big fan of sheening inks, too. When Birmingham released their line of "Rich Formula" sheening inks (originally it was Tesla Coil, Voltaic Arc, Jade Inferno, and Ultramarine), and then Angelfish, I bought big 120ml bottles of all of them, although not all of them turned out to be heavy sheeners. I don't have any of the Ostrich inks, but I assume that they're the same ink as the Tramol sheening inks, and I have several of them... I might have to buy that Ostrich Glen the Sea, though... that sounds awesome. 🙂

@SatieSatie Жыл бұрын

Your videos are high-quality and very imformative, I have no idea why you don't have more followers. I like Elderberry but it looks almost exactly the same as Rohrer & Klingner Scabiosa, which is a mild, modern iron gall ink and therefore waterproof. Most of the Birmingham inks look too desaturated and lifeless for me personally.

@wind-flower Жыл бұрын

I really like the packaging and product design of Birmingham inks. I hope they start shipping internationally or selling their inks overseas some time in the future. Right now I've no way of getting them... My favorite from this bunch was Elderberry.

@thewetpen Жыл бұрын

Understood! There are so many inks from around the world that I'd like to try that can't or won't ship internationally, or if they do, it costs too much to be practical. Birmingham does say that they'll start shipping internationally soon, so there's some hope.

@randomstuff625 Жыл бұрын

Best reviewer

@thewetpen Жыл бұрын

Thanks! Glad you're finding them useful 🙂

@arsenic3208 Жыл бұрын

My favorite out of this set is Agave, but I still think Sea Holly is a nicer blue. I’ve been eyeing their ironside pens for a bit now too.

@thewetpen Жыл бұрын

I like Sea Holly, too. I only own one Birmingham Pen, and it's a Sixth Avenue, but the material color is called "Sea Holly", so of course I couldn't skip that ink 🙂

@red2432 Жыл бұрын

Nice

@septinox Жыл бұрын

By the time this video is released, Birmingham has just dropped some more new inks. A follow-up video is in order, I hope? Out of this bunch, Oil Beetle caught my eyes initially. But after watching the video, I now want to punch myself for not getting the Elderberry with my last two purchases!

@thewetpen Жыл бұрын

Yeah, a few days ago when the email came around, I immediately bought the new set of inks, too 🙂 There were two blue inks, so I didn't even hesitate. We'll see if I manage to make a video about them, though... I'm working on something else that I think might be more interesting.

@Calcprof Жыл бұрын

I went to college in Pittsburg. Great place.

@thewetpen Жыл бұрын

Nice! I thought long and hard about graduate school at Carnegie Mellon, but ended up back in Ohio.

@Calcprof Жыл бұрын

@@thewetpen Yes, I went to graduate schoo at CMU.

@animula6908 10 ай бұрын

Halo is the term for outer edges being darker.

@thewetpen 10 ай бұрын

Makes sense. 🙂

@nancymcnee2707 Жыл бұрын

Please tell me what kind of "wand" you make your swatches with. They look wonderful and so much easier than Q-tips. And I'm keen to find the Rhodia swatch pages.

@thewetpen Жыл бұрын

Hi Nancy. The Rhodia (etc) swatch pages are home-made... I've got a video about them if you're curious ( kzfaq.info/get/bejne/oa5dd5afntG4k2w.html ), but the swabs in question are from Amazon (of course) and come in several different sizes. I think that the ones I use in this video are these: amzn.to/3pC8sHO , but if you search for "foam swabs" on Amazon you'll find a variety of sizes and shapes. The nice thing is that they're washable and re-usable, though some inks do stain them. That Amazon link is an affiliate link, so it's a good way to support this channel if you buy anything 🙂

@llchapman1234 Күн бұрын

So sad they dropped the history snippets on the labels. It was so distinctive and added to their homey, small town, small business feel.

@thewetpen Күн бұрын

I agree completely!

@outpost12341 Жыл бұрын

Great review. "So it's not just my eyes" was a moment of relief! Birmingham's web site swatches do not seem true to the contents of their bottles. Oil Beetle is the best of the bunch by a long shot afaic.

@thewetpen Жыл бұрын

Yes, it's funny. Some of their swatches (mostly in the blue and blue-green range), their swatches are right on. Some of them are terrible, though... I've pretty much given up buying their colors that are in the red and magenta ranges because the swatches have just been so terrible for things like "Twilight" and "Waterfront Dusk" and "Weathered Brick", so I just don't have any confidence in what I'm buying there. I keep buying the blues and greens, though... and obviously I take the pinks/purples when they're in sets like this :-)

@outpost12341 Жыл бұрын

@@thewetpen oh, I need to know everything about the Weathered Brick! Teach me, master,

@thewetpen Жыл бұрын

@@outpost12341 Ha! Of the three that I mentioned, Weathered Brick is the one that looks most like its swatch on the Birmingham website (the other two are much less vibrant and magenta), though it is significantly more brown. The Waterfront Dusk is my favorite ink of the three, though it's not as magenta/purple as the swatch... it's much less saturated. I don't have any problem with any of the inks, just with their representation on the Birmingham site 🙂

@outpost12341 Жыл бұрын

@@thewetpen Thank you. I am in search of a "true brick" color, and this was close to what I want (on the swatch that is). I guess I have to wait until Birmingham figures out how to ship internationally, as there are not many options for the "brick"...

@thewetpen Жыл бұрын

@@outpost12341 My instinct here is to say "Oh, I'll send you a bottle!" but the fact of the matter is that I'm so horrible about getting to the post office that I keep initiating Amazon Returns online and then by the time that I make it to the post office with the item to be returned, the return period has long expired... so I won't torture you with unfulfilled promises :-) Good luck with finding the color, though... I can't believe that there's nothing similar from Diamine, but I also can't think of anything similar off the top of my head. Huh.

@MarshaLove0723 Жыл бұрын

Nice group of inks. 👍🏾 I only have 4 BPC inks. I like to try new inks all the time - takes too much money and space for full bottle purchases - so I mostly buy samples. I wish they sold samples. Heh.

@thewetpen Жыл бұрын

Hey Marsha :-) I know what you mean... I just had to build a new shelf unit to hold my ink bottles... it's 4 feet tall and 2 feet wide. I find something deeply unsatisfying about samples 😞

@MarshaLove0723 Жыл бұрын

@@thewetpen Samples rule! 😜 If I quickly go through a sample and decide I still want more, I'll make a bottle purchase. Otherwise, I'm off to the next 'new shiny' sample.

@spunky704 Жыл бұрын

Where did you get the swatch sample pads on the different papers? I have the Col-o-ring but would love the others.

@thewetpen Жыл бұрын

Actually, I made those :-) I have a video about it, here: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/oa5dd5afntG4k2w.html

@davidcsik9761 Жыл бұрын

I would like to ask a question: how can you correct your mistakes made by fountain pens? I mean writing mistakes. I tried ink erasers, but they didn't work (usually I use red ink and yellow papers).

@thewetpen Жыл бұрын

I do the same thing that I'd do if I were writing with a ballpoint pen or rollerball, which is... curse loudly, and then start over or cross it out and learn to live with it. Some people use white-out or correction tape, but I think that looks just as bad as a crossed out word, even if I'm using white paper. When I was in school, eraser pens (bleach) were popular, but you do need to use a compatible ink. Sorry I can't be more helpful!

@Sharmaji-tm4qn 8 ай бұрын

Good thing the packaging is plastic free 👍

@typewriterplants 9 ай бұрын

Oil Beetle is almost exactly the same as Inky Ink Academic Abyss.

@edwardrutledge2765 Жыл бұрын

Do you have favorite orange and brown shading bottled inks? I’m bored to tears with blue-greens.

@thewetpen Жыл бұрын

I do have quite a few browns and oranges, somehow, but I don't have any favorites off the top of my head (with the exception of Noodler's Sidewinder Sepia, which you can see on my site if you're not familiar, here: www.thewetpen.com/inks/noodlers-sidewinder-sepia-orange-and-red/ ). I'll have to investigate. One of the inks that I've been using a lot recently is a Pure Pens exclusive ink from Diamine called "People's Charter", which looks like a brown with some green sheen on a lot of papers, but on other papers it looks red.

@technoraptor7778 Жыл бұрын

Yeah bring on the sexy browns......uhhh..that sounded less racist in my head.

@edwardrutledge2765 Жыл бұрын

@@thewetpen the Noodlers looks promising. I already own the Pure Pen item you mentioned, and their Welch Gold, a brown with gold glitter. But I’m moving away from glitter inks to Sheening and/or shading browns and oranges. An example of the latter is Tono @ Lims “Pumpkin” (which I love) that’s a wonderful orange with green sheen. Now sold out, but I have a bottle.

@ameliabuns4058 Жыл бұрын

I want their pigment inks in Canada so bad :( there's just like no good pigment inks minus a few. (Sei-Boku)

@thewetpen Жыл бұрын

I've only just started using pigment inks over the past 6 months or so... I have a few from Kakimori and Sailor, but haven't tried the Birmingham inks yet. Incidentally, Wonderpens has recently started stocking the Kakimori inks, though they're not cheap. Cool bottles, though.