Ink Flight #12 Reveal + Giveaway

This month, the first Ink Flight of 2018 found us in the Swiss Alps for Caran d'Ache's Ink-redible Chromatics ink collection.

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Previous Ink Flights (Ink Flight #1 - Noodler's, Ink Flight #2 - Robert Oster Signature, Ink Flight #3 - KWZ, Ink Flight #4 - J. Herbin, Ink Flight #5 - P.W. Akkerman, Ink Flight #6 - Papier Plume, Ink Flight #7 - Platinum Mix-Free, Ink Flight #8 - Franklin-Christoph, Ink Flight #9 - Organics Studio, Ink Flight #10 - Monteverde, Ink Flight #11 - Krishna )

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If you could imagine, for a second, that you walked up to a bar. Instead of distilled spirits being backlit by colorful LED lights, there would be bottles of fountain pen ink to quench the thirst of your fountain pens. As you look over the selection, you realize the inks are separated into tiers. The bottom shelf is the cheaper stuff. It'll get your pen filled and writing again, but that's just about it. Then, there are the mid-range inks that are a reasonable price, giving you better quality along with it. Last, but not least, there's the top shelf.

Caran d'Ache sits proudly on the top shelf.

Now, that's not to say that Caran d'Ache is going to be the absolute best ink you've ever written with. It is certainly one of the most expensive. Retail price on a 50ml bottle is $41.50 in the USA. Does the quality justify the cost? Read on below for our humble opinion and feel free to weigh in by leaving a comment below.

So, without any further adieu, let's discuss the colors that were shipped in Ink Flight #12.

Divine Pink

Less of a traditional "pink" and more of a reddish fuschia color, this ink is truly divine with a deep saturation and smoky shading. 

Electric Orange

Refreshing like the bright zest of fresh citrus, this color has a light saturation and gentle shading. See also Apache Sunset and Papier Plume Sazerac.

Hypnotic Turquoise

It's hard to take my eyes off of this mesmerizing, vibrant turquoise. It immediately shot up to my short list of favorite turquoises. Visconti Turquoise and Akkerman Treves Turquoise have good company.

Infinite Grey

I usually pass over gray inks, dismissing them as just less-saturated black. Infinite Grey surpassed my low expectations and surprised me with great shading and cool undertones that seem to quickly shift color as it dries on paper.

Infrared

The perfect red for editing, marking papers, and evaluating exams. This bright and bold red stands out nicely and flows effortlessly.

Organic Brown

A rich, earthy brown that shades and has a slightly darker singe around letterforms.

Ultraviolet

Pantone's 2018 "Color of the Year" in ink form! This toned-down purple shades well and has good saturation, but nothing close to the richness of J. Herbin Amethyste de l'Oural.

For an in-depth discussion and comparison of how each color looks on various papers, here is our first-ever video reveal video. Enjoy!

 

Box Extras: Jinhao 992 Demonstrator Fountain Pen and Clairefontaine Reporter Notepad

 Built to set sail over inky journal pages, the tapered, cigar profile of the Jinhao 992 fountain pen fits comfortably in hand and writes smoothly with its stainless steel nib. The included converter lets you draw up any ink color that came with this month's box.

To accompany the pen & inks, we included a the Reporter Pad. Often overlooked and under-appreciated, the reporter style pad comes in great use because of its pocket-friendly size and top spiral binding.

The French Clairefontaine mill has been making paper since 1858 and stationery products since 1890. The company leverages their experience in producing superior products for true writers.

We color coordinated the notepads with the colors of the tinted Jinhao demonstrators. Green pens paired up with the green cover notepad, amber went with tan, the totally clear demo went with black and blue went with the blue cover.

As for extra Caran d'Ache bottled inks this month, we don't have any extra at the moment, but you can contact us and we will be glad to order it for you. We intend to sell them at 20% OFF the MSRP plus shipping. Also, we have plenty of empty glass CdA bottles and will have them available for a nominal fee. They are not only a beautiful looking bottle worthy of a desk ornament, but they are functional to help fill your fountain pens.

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GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY (USA shipping addresses only)

Leave a comment below to let us know what you think about January 2018's Ink Flight, Caran d'Ache inks, the Jinhao 992 pens, and/or the Clairefontaine reporter pad.  We will pick one random commenter to win an upcoming February's 2018's Flight Box on Tuesday, January 30th at 8:00 pm. My sincere apologies to our international friends, we will only ship this giveaway to USA addresses.