I confess I did not recognize the name Daniel DeFoe when this bottle of Mont Blanc’s Writers Series Daniel DeFoe ink arrived. All I knew was that it was a shade of green. So I did what any self-respecting blogger would do, I looked up Daniel DeFoe on Wikipedia. Turns out he was the gent who wrote Robinson Crusoe as well as being trader, writer, journalist, pamphleteer, and spy. So, someone I’d like to have had drinks with at some point. Now that I’m past the history lesson, let’s move on to the ink review!
The bottle is a pleasing shape. Its classic plus it has Mont Blanc’s distintive logo mark on the cap. I think the label with the author’s signature printed to simulate the ink color is a little vague.
As I said before, not knowing who Daniel DeFoe was when the bottle arrived, I only loosely assumed the ink might be green. The vagueness of the packaging did not clear much up so it wasn’t until I dipped my paint brush into the bottle and started making lines that I had any kind of inkling what was to appear.
The color is a deep, woodsy, leafy green. It is supposed to be reminiscent of Crusoe’s island but it also reminds me of the color of military fatigue greens but a little more luminance. It’s dark and bold on the paper but with a brightness.
The more I look at the Defoe ink on paper, the more enamored I become.
When looking for comparisons, I found Noodler’s Burma Road Brown and Diamine Salamander but they are both browner, muddier colors than the Daniel DeFoe.
I have to confess that I’ve seen Mont Blanc as a company that concerns itself with making beautiful, but veery expensive things that might not always be practical. This ink, however, is changing my thinking. Its an entirely usable color with good flow and consistency. In my wide 1.1mm nibbed Monteverde Intima pen on Rhodia paper, it took a bit longer to dry than some inks I’ve used lately but dry time was comparable to a lot of the Pilot Iroshizuku inks I’ve used.
Mont Blanc Daniel DeFoe is a limited edition ink available only for one year. A 35ml bottle sells for $19. I might have to order a spare.
DISCLAIMER: This item was sent to me free of charge by Pen Boutique for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.
Have you ever tried the Alfred Hitchcock blood red ink? I’d love to try it.
I never read Robinson Crusoe but I read Moll Flanders years ago. I just remember being skeptical that she remained a femme fatale after giving birth to nearly a dozen babies. It seems that would take it out of any woman.
I’m finding it very difficult to read the part of your blog with the background. I can’t see the print!
Never mind. The colored background went away. The fault was in my computer.
Ana, I love the look of this ink and your writing sample is beautiful. I have a question about the Monteverde Intima. I just received one two days ago – different body color but same 1.1 nib. I inked it with De Atramentis ink and am completely unable to write. The flow starts fairly well (not perfectly) and then the pen begins to skip horribly. I have used several 1.1 nibs in other models without difficulty. I am hoping you might have some advice. Thanks!!
Ooooh, that looks more than a bit like J. Herbin Vert Olive. I just opened my sample bottle last night – the Mont Blanc is more saturated, I think, but the J. Herbin has a wide range of shading. In my Lamy EF it came out very light except when I made an effort to pool more ink. I don’t have any 1.1 nibs but I’ll have to try it on my wider calligraphy dip nibs.
I’ve got one of those Monteverde Intimas but in Lava Grey. The black paint on the section started chipping off a week after receiving the pen. This happened despite handling the pen with kid gloves. The paint came off where the nib unit meets the section. Beware the poor quality of the Intima’s finish! Luckily I got mine from Goulet Pens and they did the right thing by refunded my money. Good luck, David
Hi David,
Good to know. So far, the structure of the pen is fine (I have the Lava Grey too) and the flow is slowly starting to improve. I bought mine from Goulet as well so I am glad to hear about your good outcome with the refund…just in case I need to pursue that avenue.
Thanks so much for your reply!
Deb
Sorry to hear about the flaw in your pen but I’m glad that Goulet Pens were able to help you out.I keep checking to see if there’s any wear on my pen, despite my rough handling, but no. It’s clean. Must have been a fluke in the painting process.
Mmm really like it. Reminds me a bit of PR Avacado.
Is the light green shading more toward green or yellow?
The lighter areas do go a little more yellow-green than a green-green but its a sort of split pea soup green. Does that help?