A new Franklin-Christoph ink! When Audrey told me that the new color was called "Sweet Maroon" I wasn't sure what to think about that. I wasn't sure there was room between the Urushi Red and the Terra Firma and the Red 187. They found a space, though, and it's a cool space.
Sweet Maroon is a beautifully shading ink with dark reddish tones and pinkish highlights, and (if you put down enough of it) a green sheen. This is an ink that can really change its character according to the pen you put it in. Below, you'll see it in a range of medium nibs, but they're very different medium nibs.
The short story is that I really love this ink. I just kept putting it in pens. It's in at least 4 of them right now, and maybe more. Check it out below and let me know what you think.
Since my wife works at the company, all of the usual disclaimers apply.*
The Written Review!
Close Ups!
Chromatography!
Ink Comparisons
Here's a link to a whole album of other comparisons for Sweet Maroon.
Tomoe River Paper - Ink Journal
Tomoe river paper is pretty good at showing the character of inks that shade and sheen, so it's really good for this ink.
I left in the sample of the Robert Oster Hippo ink because it's pretty cool (and limited to this kickstarter), and I'll have a review coming out for it in a few days.
Pen Habit Currently Inked Journal
Find the current version of these books here.
Staples 20lb Copy Paper
This is a really common sort of paper to find in offices and schools, and the Sweet Maroon performs very well on it. The only real bleeding/feathering/and spreading issues came from the massively wet OMAS nib. Even there, though, it does better than a lot of other inks. It's pretty impressive.
Col-o-Ring Paper
These new Col-o-ring books are pretty great. Check them out.
Water Test and Review Video
This isn't the most water-resistant ink, but it does leave behind a readable remnant in a sort of pink hue once you soak up the water.
**Disclaimers: My wife works for FC, but I'm not paid or employed by them. This isn't advertising, it's a review. Not even an officially solicited review. Just a review of an ink that I happen to like.**