Pelikan Edelstien Onyx First Impressions
In the early days of my fountain pen journey I frequently used Levenger’s Raven Black ink. In part it was for the archival quality of the ink, but also because black is a standard ink color, and at the time I didn’t want to be prevented from using my fountain pens due to ink color. Along my journey I determined that I prefer any color of ink except black. But here I am, with a pen full of a black ink, and I’m not rushing to empty and refill my pen.
Why & How I Got It
Quite simply, this bottle of ink came with my Pelikan M805 Stresemann. The price was too good to pass up, even if it hadn’t come with a bottle of ink. The ink came with the pen, and apart from that there was no other way this bottle would have been added to my inkventory.
Appearance
This ink looks less like a black ink and more like an incredibly dark grey ink. It reminds me of the color of a single piece of gravel that is wet and drying in the sun: it is both dark and black-like but subtly shifts into the grey spectrum. It is probably best described as a blank ink that shades with hints of grey. A couple of years back I began looking for a grey ink because it is a color not available to ballpoints, and yet was close enough to black that I might get away with the substitution. While I do not regret the grey ink I chose this is another excellent choice for a black ink that behaves differently from the standard black.
In the Pen
So far the ink has been perfect as far as the flow and wetness. I have it in my Pelikan M805 and Pelikan’s nibs have a reputation of writing wet. Conversely, their inks are known to be a bit dry. Personally I find these two play together well.
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All in all I am impressed with this ink on its first go. I love that it shades and shows some grey. I like that it is neither too dry nor too wet in my M805. It passed the first test: I will write this pen dry. The real test is will I use it again once this pen runs dry?
Published April 12, 2015
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