Dryden Designs Ink Bottles Compact - IBC (Sunset Orange)

I really like these Dryden inks. I wish they made them in more colors. The colors are very vivid and beautiful. There is only one I haven’t gotten yet and a truly love all the ones I have. I use them more than most of my other inks. They went above and beyond in their ensuring the bottle won’t leak when transported. The plug on the bottles is a pain to get out but it’s worth it and it’s nice to know when I order these I’m not going to have a mess when it arrives. They are a great quality ink and I’ve had no problems with any of them.

Good quality item!

I got this ink when I got my Dryden Designs fountain pen at the beginning of December and I just got around to testing it out. I hadn't even opened it. I was testing out the two colors of ink cartridges the pen came and now I've used up on of each, I was able to try this out. It comes in a squat heavy glass bottle which is very stable and resists spilling. It has a silicone rubber stopper in the top so it absolutely can't spill when the lid is screwed on tight. It is a very nice looking bottle that looks good alongside my other more stylish bottles of ink. The ink itself is a nice black ink. It isn't quite as black as some of my other favorite black inks, but this is black enough for my uses. It is not a waterproof ink so it will run and smear if it gets wet and you won't want to use it for anything that requires permanence. It is a fairly fast drying ink. It does bleed through paper that my other inks don't bleed through, leaving some big spots on the other side. However it doesn't feather significantly with a more dry writing pen, but it does feather where pens put down a lot of ink. The ink is a bit more expensive than other fountain pen inks, but not quite as bad as the more expensive brands. You are paying for the custom bottle a bit, but the bottle is good and stable highly reducing the chances that you will knock it over, making it more worth it. Some of their colors are cheaper than others, I'm guessing because they aren't as popular and they are trying to reduce inventory on those. It is a nice ink but I think it could be a little lower in price. They also unfortunately have a very low color selection. I've researched some of their other colors and I'm probably going to get some when they come back in stock.

A nice scarlet red, with a slight orangey tint. Very pleasant. Writes and flows well on leuchttrum 120gsm and rhodia papers

I have a fountain pen that has needed ink for years. I finally got around to buying some, which was this. I love red. Its a good color, heavy bottle and Im very happy with it. I need to learn to fill the pen more neatly because I got red ink all over my fingertips which looks like I just cleaned a deer. The ink is hard to get off, which is a good thing to me. Good flow and priced right!!

Why did you pick this product vs others?: Wonderful color for ink pens. Ink quality: Top quality ink for your fountain pens.

I received the ink very quickly (Amazon Prime, 2 days, even in Covid19), opened and used the Emerald color that day. I used it in a Moonman M800 Emerald pen, and it performed incredibly well. I liked the color, not imbued with so much black (true of many greens) that you could not see the green. Th flow was excellent. It PASSED MY BRIEF WATER TEST related to water resistance (I could still read “quick brown fox” after 15 seconds on cheap legal pad paper even; after 20 seconds not so much). The best part to me was the bottle, as I thought for its the price these bottles might be the best I have ever received, fit for a desk or other display.

I got a bottle of the blue/black. A nice dark blue ink - for serious writing. I like the color, flow seems fine. Haven't tested for water resistance, but there is a drought going on in California so it doesn't seem relevant. So why only 3 stars? At $20 for 50 ml this ink is WAY overpriced. As a comparison, Diamine blue/black on Amazon is $17.60 for 80ml. If my math is right that runs about $11 for 50 ml. (If you want a better deal, the next time you order a pen from Cult in the UK, the same Diamine bottle is about $7.) Noodlers blue/black here on Amazon is abt $15 for 3 oz., which works out to about $10 for 50ml. I would consider either of those at least equivalent to this ink, maybe better. There is no justification that I understand for the higher price. The packaging is interesting. The bottle is sealed with a removable plug, I would guess made of silicone. Sort of a pain to remove and replace, but less of a pain than when the paper inner liner of the lid sticks to the rim of the bottle, making it a mess to get off. I guess you don't need to replace it after the first use, but I plan on keeping it in.

Although the description says this fits in pens that takes standard cartridges - this does not work on my rotring art pen. It was a disappointment!

Nice colour, ink flow smooothly. I love this product.

I like the color of this ink. It is a nice professional looking color. I think though, that for the next blue that I buy, I am going to just go for a more regular blue and stick with my blacks, blues, reds, and maybe dabble in some more exotic colors for when I write poetry etc. And don't get me wrong, I do like my blue ink. I am simply unsure that I like them so dark. But the professional look is surely nice and I can very much see where it has it's place. My biggest dislike though, is that out of my four pens, I have not found one in which it flows nicely from. I like a nice smooth writing experience. In every single pen, I have gotten a slight scratchy feeling, and have to constantly think to keep a very light touch with the pen, which is proper anyhow, but having it at the forefront of my thoughts the entire time just diminishes from the writing experience, as I write to relieve stress and as a hobby. For those of you who like the lighter and darker tones when writing, this ink is surely for you. We need to remember, that this is all a matter of preference in the bigger picture, albeit there being poor products out there no matter what no matter what it is. I am not writing this to keep anyone away. It is simply my personal feelings and experience. So if you see anything that you may think appeals to you, such as the color itself being great, and it having a variance with faster and slower writing and the amount of pressure used... Those are good things for some folks... I simply do not like how they flow from MY pens. I think I simply may prefer wetter inks is all. I won't trash talk it, and I will always give an honest experience. Personal bias will be a thing for everyone. So take that for what it is. I actually am not yet experienced enough with fountain pens to truly know inks inside out and what goes with what regarding my own instruments and their various medias of use. EDIT: I have upgraded my rating to five stars. In both of the pens in which I have fitted proper sized and fitting converters into, after a few days, the ink is now flowing smoothly and those pens are writing beautifully. The color is VERY professional looking. And as a blue, it is a rather nice blue for personal writing as well. This is a very nice ink I have found. I would buy again. But I doubt that I will run out of it anytime soon, and I am still in the experimental phase of seeking out my personal best inks. But this one may stay on that list of 'best inks'. It IS a nice one, it just needs time to get flowing in your pen and the converter needs to be a proper fit.

Even with the dimension clearly displayed, I was still surprised by how much ink was in the bottle. The colour is very bright and easily legible. It’s one of those colours that is professional for every day use while still being somewhat unique and fun. It’s very pretty to look at. Unless you use an excessive amount, it’ll hardly bleed through, if it even bleeds through at all! The bottle is very weighty and poses little risk of tipping over and spilling. The bottle also has a very classic style about it that makes it pleasant to look at and compliments the top of any desk nicely. I’d highly suggest this for anyone who’s just starting with fountain pens or uses them regularly. The quality for the price is amazing. This product is truly a steal.

Doesn’t fit Parker. Doesn’t fit Lamy. Fills nicely but I can’t return it now because it’s used. Don’t know what “most” brands are. I thought Parker and Lamy were pretty standard.