Fountain Pen Ink Review: Pelikan Edelstein Olivine

As a regular fountain pen user and collector, I join hundreds of enthusiasts from around the world in our watch not only for new pens but also for new fountain pen ink colors. I eagerly wait for announcements of special edition pens, limited edition inks, new notebooks, and their ETAs to the far east where I live.

This year, Pelikan of Germany has added a new color to their Edelstein ink series. Edelstein Olivine is Pelikan's Ink of the Year for 2018, the seventh ink to be named such. Ink of Year colors includes Turmaline, Amber, Garnet, Amethyst, Aquamarine, and Smoky Quartz. The Edelstein ink collection also includes eight more colors: Onyx, Tanzanite, Sapphire, Topaz, Jade, Aventurine, Mandarin, and Ruby. Olivine, as well as the other Edelstein Ink of the Year colors, are limited and available for the current year only, and I'm so happy that Scribe.ph has kindly sent a bottle for this review.

Pelikan has a wide collection of fountain inks from its three series: 4001 inks, Fount India, and Edelstein. Edelstein is the German and Norwegian word for "gemstones". These higher-end inks from Pelikan correspond to the beautiful colors of gemstones and contain a special ingredient to ensure extra smooth writing.

Edelstein inks are presented in a unique 50 ml high-value glass flacon. The Edelstein flacon is an elegant rectangular glass bottle with a thick base and wide opening for easier ink filling. An eye candy, the flacon's design is one of a kind, and one of the most elegant ink bottles available in the market today.

Edelstein inks are presented in an elegant 50 ml glass flacon.

The Edelstein flacon has an equally elegant cap with the Pelikan logo embossed in silver. 

The flacon's wide opening makes ink filling easier, and it can accommodate bigger pens.

Olivine is a deep, dark green ink that looks more like a forest green color than olive. This color confusion bothered me for a while. Don't be surprised about the color, though. According to The Pelikan's Perch, this ink actually got its name from a gemstone with a typical olive-green color derived from traces of nickel. The mineral also takes on a reddish color, thought to be a result of iron oxidation. There it is. Edelstein Olivine got its name from a gemstone, not from olives.

A single pass/swab of Olivine. This ink is truly versatile. It can be deep and dark, but it can also be light and dramatic.

Double passes/swabs of Olivine shows a dark green ink, but also reveals a faint reddish sheen where the ink pooled before it dried.

I do not have many greens in my ink collection to compare Olivine with, but here is a side-by-side comparison with Diamine POGI, an Olive Green ink specially mixed for the Philippine market.

Pelikan Edelstein ink writing sample from a Pelikan M400 with a broad nib. It took a while to dry at 23 seconds, but ink drying times vary depending on nib wetness, paper quality, and the writer's hand stroke. Olivine could dry faster if written using a fine or medium nib.

Here is Olivine from a Bexley Intrepid with an extremely wet stub nib. It looks like a very dark green-black ink with no shading at all.

Shading is seen in most Edelstein inks but this -- like its drying time -- depends on a combination of factors: nib wetness, paper quality, and the writer's hand stroke. I tested Olivine in pens with wet broad and stub nibs. The writing samples from these nibs looked almost green-black after the ink dried. These are seen in the two photos above. However, when I tried Olivine in a wide 1.5 italic Lamy nib, shading was more obvious, and the ink color became more dramatic and meaningful.

Edelstein Olivine from a 1.5 Lamy nib on Pukka notebook paper. 

Lastly, let me add that Pelikan's packaging for their Eldestein inks is truly impressive, and possibly one of the best. The flacon has inner and outer boxes to ensure that the glass has full protection whether it's in transit or in storage. The flacon and its box both bear the ink's color, making it easy to find an ink you are looking for.

It is helpful that Pelikan includes the ink's name not only on the flacon (see images above) but also on their specific boxes. Locating inks is faster and easier with box labels.

The Edelstein flacon is first encased in an inner box, while the outer box provides additional protection.

Thick pads are added around the cap for reinforced protection. As I said, this packaging is impressive.

Olivine came out of Pelikan's 2016 social media contest which allowed fans to choose the 2018 Edelstein Ink of the Year. An entry for a dark green ink eventually won over 1,200 suggestions sent to Pelikan, which fans all over the world now enjoy. "Created and voted by Pelikan-fans for Pelikan-fans," Edelstein Olivine is a must-have ink color for anyone who loves to write with a fountain pen. This ink has a beautiful dark green color, produces excellent shading, and comes in an impressive and elegant packaging. If I were you, I'd get a bottle of Olivine now, because when it's gone, it's gone!

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I received the ink in this review at no cost from Scribe.ph, Pelikan's authorized and exclusive distributor in the Philippines. Pelikan products including Edelstein inks are exclusively available at Scribe.ph, a specialty store in the Philippines selling fountain pens, inks, paper products, and calligraphy supplies. Scribe.ph has stores in Eastwood Mall, Shangrila Plaza Mall, Glorietta 4, SM Aura Premiere, SM Megamall, SM Cebu, and Ayala Mall Cebu. For their complete location/address, contact numbers, and store hours, click here.

Fountain Pen Review: Monteverde Prima Green Swirl

In my years of accumulating, collecting, and using fountain pens, I've tried many brands, and found several favorites to keep. There are still some that I want to try, pen brands that I want to know more about. One of these is Monteverde, an American pen brand distributed by YAFA Pen Company. I've always wanted to try Monteverde pens — the demonstrator Artista Crystal, the carbon fiber Invincia, and the acrylic Prima.

A few weeks ago, Pen Chalet owner Ron Manwaring kindly sent me this lovely Monteverde Prima fountain pen in Green Swirl with a wonderful No. 6 stub nib to review. I don't have many green pens, and this Prima in Green Swirl is just beautiful! It's a perfect green pen for the year, to match Pantone's 2017 Color of the Year, Greenery.

The Prima series is available in five colors: Green Swirl, Tiger Eye Swirl, Turquoise Swirl, Purple Swirl, and Black Swirl. Monteverde also offers them either as ballpoint, or rollerball. These pens' caps and barrels are made from European grade glossy acrylic resin, accented with black and chrome.

The Prima measures 5.30 inches long and weighs 27 grams when capped. Without the cap, it is only 4.92 inches and 17 grams. When the 10 gram cap is posted, the Prima is longer at 6.10 inches, and heavier at 27 grams. This is why I (and other fountain pen users) do not usually post my pens. Posting their caps make them uncomfortably long and heavy.

Cap and barrel of Monteverde Prima. The translucent glossy acrylic resin with black swirl is just beautiful.
In different lighting, it has an attractive sheen and shimmer.

It's useful that the Prima can be fully taken apart. The threaded Monteverde converter can be easily disassembled, too. 

The barrel tapers off toward the black finial at the bottom, separated from the body by a chrome ring. When the fountain pen is uncapped, and the barrel is separated from the section, one is left with the converter and the nib and feed assembly (holder, feed, and nib). Using a rubber grip, I was able to take out the screw-type nib and feed assembly from the metal section. I pulled out the nib and feed from their holder, for a complete disassembly. It wasn't an easy process, and one I won't recommend to newbies and inexperienced hands to avoid breaking the feed or its holder. 

I usually disassemble pens for thorough cleaning and even drying. Cleaning pens for reinking or storage is always a must for me. 

Monteverde Prima parts (from top): cap, barrel, section, piston driver, converter, piston rod/shaft, converter ring, nib and feed holder, feed, and nib.

The Prima's metal clip is quite stiff, but holds the pen securely in place. The chrome cap rings with black inset has two imprints: 'Monteverde' on the clip side, and 'PRIMA' on the back side.

The Prima can be filled with ink using a standard international cartridge or converter, both included in the box. The threaded Monteverde converter screws onto the section for a secure fit, preventing ink spills if the converter is accidentally pulled out. The Prima's metal section adds to the durability and stability of this pen.

Monteverde offers the Prima fountain pen series with a fine, medium, broad, and stub (1.1) stainless steel nib. The Prima's nib contains several markings. Monteverde's logo of jagged mountain is imprinted across the nib, cutting across the breather hole. At the base, the logo and 'Monteverde USA' are imprinted. On the left tine's shoulder, 'Monteverde' is again imprinted, while the nib width (this pen has a 1.1 stub) is on the shoulder of the right tine.

The underside of the Prima's feed bears the number 6, indicating the pen's nib size.

The Prima's nib (center) with other No. 6 nibs (left to right): Edison, Bexley, Nemosine, and Jinhao.

Size comparison with smaller and bigger pens. From top: Kaweco Ice Sport, Prima, Kaweco Student, Lamy Al-Star, and TWSBI 540. The Prima is a full-sized pen designed to be ergonomically balanced for comfortable writing.

The Prima's 1.1 stub stainless steel nib is an expressive writer. The line variation it produced, together with ink shading is lovely. It's a hard starting nib, though, and definitely not a wet writer. When I was writing the text below, I had to pause several times to push some ink in the converter into the feed and nib. I'm thinking that this problem may be due to poor ink flow in the feed, a common Monteverde concern that I knew about prior to this review. But that can be remedied by widening the ink channel, and using a wet ink to avoid flow issues.

Despite the flow issue (which I have fixed), I am happy with the Prima and will recommend it to those who want to explore and know the brand. It's a great pen, and I will consider getting another one in the future. The Tiger Eye and Turquoise Swirl pens look good! Get one for your collection.

The Monteverde Prima in this review is provided by Pen Chalet where it retails for US$75. For more details on purchasing pens from Pen Chalet, visit their website at https://www.penchalet.com/.

Fountain Pen Review: 2016 Lamy AL-star Special Edition Charged Green

The 2016 Lamy AL-star is now in the Philippines!!! Here is Charged Green, this year's special edition Lamy AL-star, and my favorite green pen from Lamy, so far.

Lamy has a new packaging system, using compact cardboard boxes instead of bulky plastic ones. An elastic in the felt-lined bed inside the box ensures that the pen stays in place and will not be scratched. The box is easy to store and does not take up too much space. (Yes, I keep my pens' boxes.) Last year's special edition Safari and AL-star pens came in similar compact boxes, too.

Charged Green AL-star pen box. 

The Charged Green AL-star pen in this review is a fountain pen, but the line also includes a ballpoint and a rollerball. In the last three years, Lamy has been coming up with special edition ink colors to match their special edition pens. This year, the Charged Green AL-star fountain pen has an accompanying Charged Green ink available in T52 bottles and Giant ink cartridges that fit most Lamy fountain pens. A Charged Green ink-x eraser is also available.

Of all the green Lamy pens that I have seen (and owned -- I still have to see the original and first issue Lamy Safari), the Charged Green is the most beautiful. In fact, my first thought when I took the pen out of the box was how beautiful it is. The anodized aluminum finish has a beautiful golden-green color that is bright, but does not hurt the eyes. It is an elegant color that is happy and cheerful.

The AL-star (and the Safari) is a nice pen for all fountain pen users -- newbies/beginners, collectors, students, artists -- even a Princess uses a Lamy! At 22 grams and 5.5 inches (capped), the AL-star is a well-balanced fountain pen: not too short, but not too long, either. It's not heavy, but not light. It's just right, and comfortable to use.

The pen's barrel has an ink window that shows the ink converter or cartridge inside. It allows me to check on my pen’s ink level without having to screw out the barrel from the section. The AL-star's cap is round, but two sides of the barrel are flattened. The Lamy logo is etched in one side of the barrel, towards the end.

The AL-star's signature triangular section grip is a helpful feature especially for newbies. Others find the section grip uncomfortable and annoying, but it is designed to make writing easier, so users have a firm grip on their pens while writing. An anti-slipping brake near the end of the section prevents the user's fingers from slipping into the nib while writing. Unlike the Safari pens’ matching body and section materials/colors, AL-stars have transparent gray plastic section.

The great thing about Lamy fountain pens is the interchangeability of their nibs across most of their product lines. The AL-star shares the same feed and nib with the Safari, Vista, Joy, Nexx, and Studio. AL-star fountain pens bought in the Philippines have medium nibs, but other nib sizes are available: extra-fine, fine, broad, and left-handed. The AL-star can also be fitted with an italic nib ranging from 1.1mm to 1.9mm.

Lamy's proprietary piston operated Z24 and Z26 converters can be used to fill the fountain pen with ink from a bottle, but the Z24 is a more suitable converter because it has two tiny nipples that fit snugly into the small grooves in the upper part of the section. When the nipples are fitted in the grooves, the converter stays in place, preventing messy ink spills. Giant ink cartridges are also available for use on the AL-star in Lamy's regular ink colors and also in Charged Green.

A lot of people including myself, have asked for long why Lamy has too many green pens. Aside from the first Safari, Lamy's Safari line has four green pens (Lime, Green, Neon, and Neon Green), and there are three more in the AL-star line: Silver Green, Blue Green, and Charged Green. I collect Lamy pens, and though different tones and shades of one color look cool in pictures, I sometimes wish Lamy would do a different blue for the AL-star, like, perhaps an aquamarine AL-star? A yellow AL-star would be cool, too!

Why so many green pens, Lamy?
Charged Green AL-star with two green AL-stars: Blue Green (2014) and Silver Green (2008)

The Charged Green AL-star looks a lot like an aluminum version of the 2008 Safari Lime.

Lamy AL-star fountain pens (from top): Aluminum, Graphite, Silver Green, Silver Blue, Ocean Blue, Black Purple, Ruby Red, Pearl, Blue Green, Copper Orange, and Charged Green. Still missing Coffee and Raspberry.

The Charged Green ink matches the 2015 Special Edition AL-star fountain pen. It is equally vibrant, bright, and cheerful, but I find the ink too bright for regular, everyday writing. When I wrote with the Charged Green ink in my Lamy AL-star with medium nib, it wrote too light, and I could barely read what I wrote. I changed the nib to a 1.1 stub, and though the writing was readable, I still found it too light for readability.

The 50ml Charged Green ink is in a Lamy T52 bottle that comes with a roll of ink blotter to clean the pen after filling, or blot writing. The bottle has a small basin at the bottom, to allow filling when the ink level is low.  

Lamy Special Edition inks: Neon Green (2015) and Charged Green (2016)

Below are swatches of the Charged Green ink together with other green inks. Because it is lighter than most green inks, the Charged Green will be more suitable for art, or highlighting.

The Charged Green ink looks dark in the photo below, but it is a very light ink. Despite that, it is well-behaved, with excellent flow and lubrication. Shading is visible when used in wide nibs (1.1, at least).

I love the Charged Green AL-star. It is versatile (interchangeable nibs), simple, minimalistic, and helpful to newbies (triangular section grip). The metallic finish has a special glow that brings warmth and brilliance to the Charged Green AL-star. The AL-star may be prone to scratches because of its material, but given the proper care, these pens will last for a long time.

If you haven't gotten one of these Charged Green AL-stars yet, go get one now!


I received the fountain pen in this review at no cost from Lamy's authorized and exclusive distributor in the Philippines, Times Trading Company.

Lamy AL-star pens are widely available from pen sellers worldwide. For a global search of Lamy retailers, visit: http://www.lamy.com/content/find_a_retailer/index_eng.html.

In the Philippines, the AL-star Charged Green  fountain pen and ink (and other Lamy products) are made available by Times Trading Company, through their kiosks at National Bookstore branches around Metro Manila.

Lamy products are also available at Scribe Writing Essentials, a specialty store offering fountain pens, inks, and paper products, Eastwood Mall, Shangrila Plaza Mall, Glorietta 5, SM Aura, and SM Megamall. For their complete location/address, contact numbers, and store hours, visit http://www.scribewritingessentials.com/stores/.

Fountain Pen Review: 2015 Lamy Safari Special Edition Neon Lime

The Lamy Safari fountain pen for 2015 is here, and no, it's not purple, but an intensely vivid and bright neon lime. Despite the disappointment of many Lamy followers over this Safari color, I still wanted one for my collection. When I saw the photos of the Neon Lime Safari, I knew that I had to get one, even if they say it's just another 'green Lamy' fountain pen.

Neon Lime is Lamy's Special Edition Safari pen for 2015. My Safari is a fountain pen, but the line also includes a rollerball and a ballpoint pen. Note that Lamy is marketing Neon Lime not as a 'limited edition' pen like the former ones, but as a  'special edition' Safari. I received the fountain pen in this review at no cost from Lamy's authorized and exclusive distributor in the Philippines, Times Trading Company. 

Neon Lime Safari pen box.

Lamy released the Neon Lime Safari fountain pen in a new packaging. Instead of the old plastic pen box, Lamy is now using laminated cardboard boxes for their special and limited edition pens. Neon Lime and the 2014 Neon Coral fountain pens came in two different cardboard boxes: the Neon Lime has a pullout inner box which slides out of the outer box, while the Neon Coral box has a removable top cover. The pen slot in the Neon Lime box ensures that the pen does not roll around inside the box.

Neon Coral Safari (2014) pen box.

The Neon Lime Safari fountain pen is very bright! I had to shoot photos a number of times to ensure that I will get one where the pen doesn't appear to be glowing, or washed out. It is as bright as the 2013 Neon, but a hint of green is noticeable when the two pens are side-by-side.

Lamy Safaris are student pens, and many fountain pen users have Safaris as their starter pens. These pens are made from the sturdy ABS plastic – the same material used in Lego blocks, gold club heads, keyboard keycaps, and inner walls of refrigerators. Designed by Wolfgang Fabian, this pen was first presented during the 1980 Frankfurt exhibition, and has been in Lamy's regular production since then. 

The Neon Lime Lamy Safari's parts are: barrel, section (grip + feed + nib), converter, and cap. Safari fountain pens measure 5.5 inches while capped, 5 inches uncapped, and 6.5 inches when posted. It's a light pen, and anyone can use it for extended periods of writing. The cap with the oversized chrome-coated stainless steel clip is 2.5 inches long, the length from the nib to converter is 4.6 inches, while the barrel measures about 3 inches. 

Lamy's proprietary piston operated Z24 converters are used to fill the Safari fountain pen with ink from a bottle, but T10 ink cartridges are also available. 

Lamy used a black top cap (others call the top cap a finial) for Neon Lime, which is similar to the top caps of previous limited edition Safaris: Lime Green (2008), Neon (2013) and Neon Coral (2014).

The photo below shows how Lamy used different styles of top caps in their limited and special edition Safari fountain pens. Some pens have 'X' (or '+') top caps, while others have a round button with a hole in the middle. Also notice that while the most common top cap is black, some pens have top caps in the same color as their bodies (barrel + cap), and others come with a different color top cap (e.g. Special Edition Lamy Safari for China, extreme right in the photo).

Some users find the Safari's triangular grip uncomfortable and annoying. This feature, however, is designed to make writing easier – it is meant for users to have a firm and secure grip on the pen. An anti-slipping brake near the end of the section prevents a user’s fingers from slipping into the nib while writing. I do not find the triangular grip uncomfortable at all. I actually do not notice it when I'm using my Safari pens.

The great thing about the Lamy Safari fountain pens is the interchangeability of their nibs. A Safari fountain pen uses the same feed and nib as those on the Vista, Al-Star, Joy, Nexx, and Studio. The Safari fountain pens bought in the Philippines have medium nibs, but other nib sizes are available: extra-fine, fine, broad, and left-handed. The Safari can also be fitted with an italic nib ranging from 1.1mm to 1.9mm. My Neon (2013) Safari is fitted with a 1.9mm nib and I use it as a highlighter pen. I think I will do the same conversion with my Neon Lime Safari.

The Safari fountain pen’s barrel has an ink window that allows me to check on my pen’s ink level without having to screw out the barrel from the section. Towards the top part of the barrel, neatly etched in clean, sharp lines is the Lamy logo.

In the last three or four years, Lamy has been badly criticized, mainly for the color theme that they opted for the limited edition Safari and Al Star pens. It is puzzling to many, particularly to collectors such as I am, that despite the great clamor for a purple Safari, Lamy repeatedly used green in different tints and shades: Lime Green, Green, Neon, and Neon Lime for the Safari; and Silver Green and Blue Green for the Al Star. While there is a Black Purple Al Star, no one really knows if a purple Safari will ever become a reality.

When Times Trading sent the Neon Lime Safari pen to me, they kindly included a bottle of Neon Lime ink, a matching ink color with the 2015 special edition pen.

The 50ml Neon Lime ink is in a Lamy T52 bottle that comes with a roll of blotter that can be used to clean the pen after filling, or to blot writing. The bottle has a small basin at the bottom, to allow filling when the ink level is low.

The T52 bottle can be removed from its base, which holds the roll of blotter tape.

If the Neon Lime pen is bright, the matching Neon Lime ink is even brighter! It's so bright that it seems to be glowing when I look at it. Perhaps Lamy created the Neon Lime fountain + ink matchup to launch a new highlighter pen!

Neon Lime ink in converter. It looks like something radioactive.

I tried to use the Neon Lime ink, but realized that it is not for regular, everyday writing. It will be more useful as a highlighter ink.

To test if the Neon Lime ink can be used for highlighting, I swapped the medium nib with a 1.9mm italic nib and used the pen to highlight some text in a book. It's a perfect highlighter ink! It's even better than the ink from a real highlighter because it is light and has more transparency.

Comparison of Neon Lime ink (left) vs. a real highlighter (right).

This Neon Lime Safari fountain pen and ink matchup is an awesome addition to my growing collection. I love using Safari fountain pens because they feel good in my hand as I write. They are light, but also very sturdy. And they come in many different colors! My Neon Coral fountain pen from last year still looks new and now I have the 2015 Safari in my hands. I'm still dreaming of a purple Safari, though, but don't let that keep anyone from getting one of this bright, happy pens. Go get yours now!  

Lamy Safari pens are widely available from pen sellers worldwide. For a global search of Lamy retailers, visit: http://www.lamy.com/content/find_a_retailer/index_eng.html.

In the Philippines, the Neon Lime Lamy Safari (and other Lamy products) is made available by Times Trading Company, through their kiosks at National Bookstore branches around Metro Manila. Lamy pens are also available at Scribe Writing Essentials, a specialty store offering fountain pens, inks, and paper products, Eastwood Mall, Shangrila Plaza Mall, Glorietta 5, SM Aura, and SM Megamall. For their complete location/address, contact numbers, and store hours, visit http://www.scribewritingessentials.com/stores/.