Ink Review #935: Noodler's Tokyo Gift

Noodler’s Tokyo Gift debuted at the 2019 DC Show. This ink is also known as Cherry Blossom Pink, but I don’t think that quite applies-its more of a red. Thanks to Vanness Pens for providing a sample for review.

The color:

Tokyo Gift is a medium red. The ink is described as pink most places, but all I see is red.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink has just a little bit of shading and no sheen.

Writing samples:

Let's take a look at how the ink behaves on fountain pen friendly papers: Rhodia, Tomoe River, and Leuchtturm.

Dry time: 20 seconds

Water resistance: Low

Feathering: Low-there was some feathering in the flex nib

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: Low-there was some bleeding in the flex nib

Other properties: low shading, no sheen, and no shimmer.

On Staples 24 lb copy paper there was feathering in every nib size and just a little bit of bleeding in the larger nib sizes.

Comparison Swabs:

Tokyo Gift is a little bit darker than Robert Oster Rubine, and a little bit lighter than Robert Oster Red Candy. Click here to see the Noodler’s inks together, and click here to see the red inks together.

Longer writing:

I used a TWSBI Eco Blossom Red with a medium nib on a Lochby A5 blank Refill-Tomoe River 68gsm. The ink had an average flow.

Overall, this ink is pretty average. A little bit of feathering/bleeding in the flex nib, average flow and dry time, a little bit of shading. There’s just nothing about it that makes it stand out-I could take it or leave it.

Disclaimer: This ink was provided by Vanness Pens for the purpose of this review. All photos and opinions are my own. This page does not contain affiliate links, and this post is not sponsored in any way.

TWSBI 1791 Inks

TWSBI has been around for a while as a pen brand, but they recently branched out into inks as well. Their first inks are a set of 6, which can be purchased together or individually. I purchased my set of inks from Lemur Ink.

The inks come in a nice box, but it’s made of cardboard and it needs the paper band to keep it closed.

The bottles are 18ml glass with red plastic lids.

Swabs:

Left to right: Pink, Orange, Prairie Green, Emerald Green, Sky Blue, Royal Purple.

Writing samples:

Let's take a look at how the ink behaves on fountain pen friendly papers: Rhodia, Tomoe River, and Leuchtturm.

Water resistance: Low

Feathering: Low-there was a little bit of feathering in the flex nib.

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: Low-there is some bleeding in the flex nib.

Other properties: low shading, no sheen, and no shimmer.

On Staples 24 lb copy paper there was lots of feathering in every nib size as well as bleeding, so I would not recommend these inks for cheap paper.

Comparison Swabs:

Pink is similar to both Sailor Ink Studios 130 and Sailor Jentle Sakura-Mori. Orange is close to Diamine Sunset. Prairie Green is darker than Diamine Jade Green but warmer than Monteverde Key Lime Pie. Emerald Green is cooler than Colorverse Arabella but warmer than Diamine Cool Green. Sky Blue is similar to Taccia Sora Sky Blue. Royal Purple is similar to Taccia Murasaki Purple.

I used a Lochby Lined Blank A5 notebook (Tomoe River 68gsm). All of the inks had a wetter than average flow, almost a bit thin.

Overall, I enjoyed these inks. The ink is a bit thin, which makes it flow a bit wet, but I prefer wet inks anyway. The colors are nice, but Pink is light, too light in the smaller nibs. I would reserve Pink for broad nibs, but the others are dark enough for all nib sizes.

Disclaimer: I purchased these inks myself, and all photos and opinions are my own. This page does not contain affiliate links, and is not sponsored in any way.