thINKthursday – Toucan Turquoise Ink Review

Toucan is an Australian based ink company that makes a wide range of colors that come in a distinctive 60 ml pouch.  You can purchase Toucan Turquoise and the rest of their inks from Anderson Pens in a more convenient 2 oz bottle.  Priced at only $10 a bag, and $12.50 a bottle, Toucan is an affordable ink with some great colors.  This review was done with a Pilot Metropolitan Medium nib, Noodler’s Konrad with an Anderson Pens 1.1 Stub nib, on Rhodia blank No. 18 paper.

Toucan Turquoise

Toucan Turquoise

Toucan Turquoise

Toucan Turquoise

Toucan Turquoise Waterproof Test

Toucan Turquoise Waterproof Test

Toucan Turquoise is a pretty direct ink, but it did have some nice nuances.  It flows well, doesn’t feather and is close to the traditional concept of what a turquoise should be.  It has a standard dry time of 15-25 seconds, but it did not stand up to water well.  I didn’t really care for the color when it was in a finer nib.  The color seemed to be washed out, and it didn’t have much vibrancy or character.  In the stub nib the ink was considerably richer and more interesting; it shaded well, and was much easier to read.

Compared to Akkerman Treves-Turquoise and Private Reserve Daphne Blue, the Toucan had a slight green undertone that was especially noticeable with the stub nib and when using a brush pen.  I really enjoyed the subtlety that the larger nibs brought out, but it wouldn’t be noticeable in most daily use pens.

Turquoise inks generally don’t do it for me, but if you’re looking for a basic turquoise this one is economical and pretty.

Toucan Turquoise

Swab Test

Toucan Turquoise Alternatives

Toucan Turquoise Alternatives

Toucan Turquoise and Pilot Metropolitan

Toucan Turquoise and Pilot Metropolitan

Toucan Turquoise and Pilot Metropolitan

Toucan Turquoise and Pilot Metropolitan

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 be sure it’s the color for you.

Ink it up!
Chris