thINKthursday
Montblanc Legend of the Zodiacs: Red Chine
Celebrate the Year of the Dog with an ink that’ll be sure to get you howling.
thINKthursday – Montblanc The Legend of Zodiacs
May your ink collection be proper and your pen finds be lucky when you’re using the new Montblanc ink The Legend of the Zodiac: Red Chine. It’s unknown if Montblanc will continue this series each year, but I’ll take any excuse I can get to try a new Montblanc ink color. Red Chine comes in the new 50ml square glass bottle that just might be the prettiest bottle on the market right now. It is nestled in a cardboard box where it is kept safe during transport. At $39 a bottle it’s not cheap, but the bottle alone is worth the price of admission. This review was done with a Pilot Metropolitan F, Lamy Safari B and on Rhodia blank no.18 paper.
The Legend of the Zodiacs: Red Chine sure is a mouthful, but luckily the color is a lot simpler – it’s red. To be more specific, it’s a fairly true red in finer nibbed pens where the ink didn’t have a chance to shade much. In broader nibs, the ink shades nicely, but with that brings lighter red/pink tones. The overall appearance is still red, but not a strong saturated red like Sheaffer Red.
Red Chine performed just like one would expect from a Montblanc ink. There was good flow with no feathering or bleedthrough on Rhodia paper. The saturation was on the moderate to high side, with generally low shading. Dry times were fine at 20-30 seconds. The ink had no water resistance, but clean up was easy.
Overall this is a nice red ink. Some inks in this color group can appear either too pink or maroon, but Red Chine stays true to its name. If you like red inks or are in need of a good correction ink for the school year, Red Chine fits the bill.
As with any ink review, the pen, paper, and person doing the writing will influence the way the ink looks. If you’re not sure about a color, try a sample to see if it’s the one for you.
Ink it Up!
Chris
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