Pelikan Brilliant Red ink is aptly named. It doesn't compete with the deeper red inks, which I typically prefer; however, it is stunningly bright. The ink is complimented by the orange and yellow tones of sunset, which are subtle with regular usage, but obvious in the ink swatch.
Pelikan Brilliant Red does have subtle shading and saturation properties, but overall the ink's color was incredibly consistent, with all but my Pilot Parallel. I typically use a flex nib because I want to see color variation; however, I much prefer this ink with the thicker lines produced by the Noodler's Ahab flex nib, over a standard nib.
I noticed something peculiar when running Brilliant Red through my flex test. As the nib lay ink on the paper, the ink appear almost gel-like in consistency, as illustrated in the picture below. Perhaps this is responsible for the ink's consistent color and minimal shading properties, but I'm not sure.
Pelikan Brilliant Red ink is a solid performer for those looking for a consistent color and minimal shading. This ink is almost highlighter bright, and I think that it would work well for marking up/grading papers or calling out important bits of information. The dry time is pretty close to 30 seconds, which is on par with most inks. Although this ink isn't a personal favorite, I would happily recommend it to those who may prefer its lighter color. Personally, I'm going to stick with Red Dragon for now.
Stats
- Dry Time: Less than 40s
- Wetness: High
- Shading: Low
- Feathering: Low
- Saturation: Medium
Tools
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Every teacher needs a red pen. Although most of my grading is now done in the digital world, I still mark up a few paper assignments every week. Why red? Most students believe that teachers use red to instill fear and anguish, but the truth is that bright colors, such as red, make it easier to pick out corrections and comments amidst a sea of black. Diamine Pumpkin is my favorite fall choice for grading papers, but I needed a new color suitable for the changing seasons.
I ventured out in search of the perfect red to fill my TWSBI 580 and settled on Diamine Red Dragon fountain pen ink. It wasnt't the bright ink that I was looking for, but I loved how Red Dragon looked on ink swatches online. The color resembles that of dried blood, with shades of brown. Even though I appreciate the evil villain feel that the ink provides, I love its deep color for everyday writing.
I am very happy with Diamine Red Dragon and have it inked up daily. Dry time is adequate, but I would rate its feathering performance as "medium". Even though I rated feathering as "low" in my handwritten review, further use revealed that this ink performs worse than most of my other inks on cheaper papers. I typically use Red Dragon on student assignments printed on cheap copy paper, and it feathers badly. Plan to use this ink with a nicer pad of paper. Despite the fact that this is not the perfect grading ink that I've been looking for, Diamine Red Dragon's deep color is too beautiful to let go of for now. If you know of any similar inks that perform well on cheap paper, please leave a comment below!
Stats
- Dry Time: Less than 20 seconds
- Wetness: Low
- Shading: Low-Medium
- Feathering: Medium
- Saturation: Medium
Tools
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