Ink Shot Review: KWZI IG Green Gold @AppelboomLaren

Thanks to KWZI for sending this ink sample for a review!

ABOUT

Color: Green gold

Bottle: 60 ml

Price: €10,70

Where to buy: Appelboom

Discount code for 10% off: friend

PROS 

• Bottle is easy to fill from.
• Interesting, attractive shade from start to finish. Looks even better when it's totally dry. 
• Bottle is tinted to save your ink from UV exposure. It also comes in a box, making it easy to stack.
• Relatively easy to clean for an iron-gall ink.
• Pretty well-behaved.
• Very water resistant.
• Easy to store on your shelf in the box.

CONS

• Each bottle is wrapped in plastic wrap. I realize this is likely to prevent leaking but it feels wasteful to me.
• KWZI inks have a particular smell - some describe it as vanilla. Myself, I do not like it at all. I suffer the smell for the joy of their colors. Fortunately, the smell does not linger on the page, but I feel I must warn you in the event that you find smelly inks off-putting. 
• I tend to think Iron-gall inks require more maintenance and cleaning for your pens. Just to be on the safe side.

OVERALL

Green gold is a great option if you need a more interesting iron-gall ink. It's not my absolute favorite color ever, but I don't use iron-gall inks unless I really need one. In that event, this is an interesting color. It definitely will hold up against water!

I received this item/these items free of charge for the purposes of this review. I was not compensated monetarily for my review. Everything you've read here is my own opinion.

Ink Shot Review: KWZI IG Mandarin @AppelboomLaren

Thanks to KWZI for sending this ink sample for a review!

ABOUT

Color: Orange

Bottle: 60 ml

Price: €10,70

Where to buy: Appelboom

Discount code for 10% off: friend

PROS 

• Bottle is easy to fill from.
• Interesting, attractive shade from start to finish.
• Bottle is tinted to save your ink from UV exposure. It also comes in a box, making it easy to stack.
• Relatively easy to clean for an iron-gall ink.
• Pretty well-behaved.
• Very water resistant.
• Easy to store on your shelf in the box.

CONS

• Each bottle is wrapped in plastic wrap. I realize this is likely to prevent leaking but it feels wasteful to me.
• KWZI inks have a particular smell - some describe it as vanilla. Myself, I do not like it at all. I suffer the smell for the joy of their colors. Fortunately, the smell does not linger on the page, but I feel I must warn you in the event that you find smelly inks off-putting. 
• I tend to think Iron-gall inks require more maintenance and cleaning for your pens. Just to be on the safe side.

OVERALL

Mandarin a slightly peculiar color. I was expecting a brighter orange, and I wasn't even sure this bottle was labeled correctly after using it for awhile. It didn't feel like a mandarin. Nevertheless, it seems to be accurate and the color itself, especially for an iron-gall ink, is quite fun!

I received this item/these items free of charge for the purposes of this review. I was not compensated monetarily for my review. Everything you've read here is my own opinion.

Ink Shot Review: KWZI IG Turquoise @AppelboomLaren

Thanks to KWZI for sending this ink sample for a review!

ABOUT

Color: Turquoise

Bottle: 60 ml

Price: €10,70

Where to buy: Appelboom

Discount code for 10% off: friend

PROS 

• Bottle is easy to fill from.
• Interesting, attractive shade from start to finish. Looks even better when it's totally dry. 
• Bottle is tinted to save your ink from UV exposure. It also comes in a box, making it easy to stack.
• Relatively easy to clean for an iron-gall ink.
• Pretty well-behaved.
• Very water resistant.
• Easy to store on your shelf in the box.

CONS

• Each bottle is wrapped in plastic wrap. I realize this is likely to prevent leaking but it feels wasteful to me.
• KWZI inks have a particular smell - some describe it as vanilla. Myself, I do not like it at all. I suffer the smell for the joy of their colors. Fortunately, the smell does not linger on the page, but I feel I must warn you in the event that you find smelly inks off-putting. 
• I tend to think Iron-gall inks require more maintenance and cleaning for your pens. Just to be on the safe side.

OVERALL

I usually prefer iron-gall inks when they are wet but I must say this Turquoise is gorgeous when it's dry. Very water resistant, pretty well-behaved, not terribly difficult to clean so long as you practice proper pen maintenance and hygiene. 

I received this item/these items free of charge for the purposes of this review. I was not compensated monetarily for my review. Everything you've read here is my own opinion.

Ink Shot Review: KWZI IG Gold @AppelboomLaren

Thanks to KWZI for sending this ink sample for a review!

ABOUT

Color: Gold

Bottle: 60 ml

Price: €10,70

Where to buy: Appelboom

Discount code for 10% off: friend

PROS 

• Bottle is easy to fill from.
• Interesting, attractive shade from start to finish.
• Bottle is tinted to save your ink from UV exposure. It also comes in a box, making it easy to stack.
• Relatively easy to clean for an iron-gall ink
• Pretty well-behaved.
• Very water resistant.
• Easy to store on your shelf in the box.

CONS

• Each bottle is wrapped in plastic wrap. I realize this is likely to prevent leaking but it feels wasteful to me.
• KWZI inks have a particular smell - some describe it as vanilla. Myself, I do not like it at all. I suffer the smell for the joy of their colors. Fortunately, the smell does not linger on the page, but I feel I must warn you in the event that you find smelly inks off-putting. 
• I tend to think Iron-gall inks require more maintenance and cleaning for your pens. Just to be on the safe side.

OVERALL

Iron-gall gold is a beautiful color from start to finish. It's perfect if you want an attractive color that isn't just a blue-black, and it has staying power. Very water resistant, pretty well-behaved, not terribly difficult to clean so long as you practice proper pen maintenance and hygiene. 

I received this item/these items free of charge for the purposes of this review. I was not compensated monetarily for my review. Everything you've read here is my own opinion.

Ink Shot Review: KWZ Ink IG Blue #3 @BureauDirect

Thanks to Bureau Direct for sending this ink for a review!

ABOUT

Color: Blue
Bottle: 60 ml
Price: £16.95
Where to buy: Bureau Direct

Bureau Direct and KWZI share this information on IG inks:

It is recommended not to leave it unused for a long time in order not to let the ink dry out in the pen, otherwise it might be difficult to clean the pen. In the worst cases, this ink may damage your pen if left too long. 

A pen filled with IG ink needs some special care, similar to when any permanent ink is used. The key here is not to let your pen dry out as this will leave a residue that can't be cleaned out. How long it can be left depends on your pen - a cheaper pen may dry out quicker but this is depends on your pen.  If IG inks are used on daily basis, there are no special requirements as the ink will not have dried out. 

The Iron Gall series by KWZ Ink refers to the type of ink used in medieval times for writing manuscripts, but it has been designed as a modern fountain pen friendly ink. It is gaining popularity because the written notes are extremely long lasting on paper, as the color will darken over time as opposed to other inks, which tend to fade over time. Writing with it is fun, as the colour will change immediately. For example the pink ink becomes violet, the orange will become brown. The written notes are also water resistant to some extent. The dyes can be washed away, but the iron gall component is permanently bonded with the paper, so the text is still easy to read. 

The range of Iron Gall KWZ Inks includes 3 types. IG Mandarin is light iron gall - it means that the iron gall component concentration is very low and the maintenance doesn't differ from using standard ink. IG Blue-Black is Archive Iron Gall, which means that the concentration of the iron gall component is very high, thus it is the most water resistant and the most permanent of the whole IG KWZ ink range.  All the other IG KWZ inks - blues, greens, violets, reds or brown are the medium type - iron component concentration is high enough to make the notes everlasting, but low enough to be highly convenient in daily use. We still recommend taking precaution when using any IG ink as we don't want you to damage your pen.

Before drying.

PROS

• Bottle is easy to fill from.
• Well-behaved ink.
• Looks great in wide, broad and/or stub nibs but is easily legible in finer nibs as well.
• Rich color.
• Dark bottles are UV-resistant.
• Flows well.
• Decent price for the amount of ink you get. 

CONS

• It's an iron-gall ink so it takes some extra attention with cleaning. 
• It can stain pens and porous surfaces.
• It has a strong, sweet smell. Some friends of mine love it but I really don't like it.

OVERALL

KWZI creates some truly beautiful inks in useful, easy-to-fill from bottles that can be stored easily. They're wet flowing and are well-behaved. This is the third ink from Bureau Direct I have been able to test out - the others were Violet #3 and Green #1. I actually prefer those colors to this one, which is why I saved this one for last. There's nothing wrong with it but it's just a blue. In addition, same issue with the smell. It is so strong that it's off-putting but I know many others who don't mind it. It may be best to try a sample first if you're sensitive to smells! If you aren't and like the colors, they're well worth it.





I received this item free of charge for the purposes of this review. I was not compensated monetarily for my review. Everything you've read here is my own opinion.

Ink Shot Review: KWZ Ink IG Green #1 @BureauDirect

Thanks to Bureau Direct for sending this ink for a review!

ABOUT

Color: Green
Bottle: 60 ml
Price: £16.95
Where to buy: Bureau Direct

Bureau Direct and KWZI share this information on IG inks:

It is recommended not to leave it unused for a long time in order not to let the ink dry out in the pen, otherwise it might be difficult to clean the pen. In the worst cases, this ink may damage your pen if left too long. 

A pen filled with IG ink needs some special care, similar to when any permanent ink is used. The key here is not to let your pen dry out as this will leave a residue that can't be cleaned out. How long it can be left depends on your pen - a cheaper pen may dry out quicker but this is depends on your pen.  If IG inks are used on daily basis, there are no special requirements as the ink will not have dried out. 

The Iron Gall series by KWZ Ink refers to the type of ink used in medieval times for writing manuscripts, but it has been designed as a modern fountain pen friendly ink. It is gaining popularity because the written notes are extremely long lasting on paper, as the color will darken over time as opposed to other inks, which tend to fade over time. Writing with it is fun, as the colour will change immediately. For example the pink ink becomes violet, the orange will become brown. The written notes are also water resistant to some extent. The dyes can be washed away, but the iron gall component is permanently bonded with the paper, so the text is still easy to read. 

The range of Iron Gall KWZ Inks includes 3 types. IG Mandarin is light iron gall - it means that the iron gall component concentration is very low and the maintenance doesn't differ from using standard ink. IG Blue-Black is Archive Iron Gall, which means that the concentration of the iron gall component is very high, thus it is the most water resistant and the most permanent of the whole IG KWZ ink range.  All the other IG KWZ inks - blues, greens, violets, reds or brown are the medium type - iron component concentration is high enough to make the notes everlasting, but low enough to be highly convenient in daily use. We still recommend taking precaution when using any IG ink as we don't want you to damage your pen.

Before drying.
PROS

• Bottle is easy to fill from.
• Well-behaved ink.
• I love this green - it's sort of a teal even after oxidizing. 
• Looks great in wide, broad and/or stub nibs but is easily legible in finer nibs as well.
• Rich color.
• Dark bottles are UV-resistant.
• Flows well.
• Decent price for the amount of ink you get. 
• Great if you need an archival ink but don't want just a blue-black or black.

CONS

• It's an iron-gall ink so it takes some extra attention with cleaning. 
• It can stain pens and porous surfaces.
• It has a strong, sweet smell. Some friends of mine love it but I really don't like it.

OVERALL

KWZI creates some truly beautiful inks in useful, easy-to-fill from bottles that can be stored easily. They're wet flowing and are well-behaved. I am a fan of teal inks and find this one quite pretty! Personally, the smell is so strong that it's off-putting but I know many others who don't mind it. It may be best to try a sample first if you're sensitive to smells! If you aren't and like the colors, they're well worth it.





I received this item free of charge for the purposes of this review. I was not compensated monetarily for my review. Everything you've read here is my own opinion.