The last ink my “hunt for the perfect purple” is Noodler’s Purple Wampum. While its not the last possible purple ink I could try, I needed to limit my search or I would go broke. Noodler’s fills their bottles to the absolute top so be sure to open them carefully. Alternately, it means that when you buy Noodler’s ink, you definitely get your money’s worth. The bottle hold 3 oz. which is about 88ml for $12.50. Quite the bargain when compared with other inks.
One of the first bottled inks I ever bought was Noodler’s Purple which I found too bright and a little garish. Purple Wampum, however, is a deeper, more complex alternative and more of what I had in mind. Its definitely a purple standing firmly between a reddish hue and a bluish hue making it a true purple rather than a blue violet or reddish purple.
Purple Wampum is probably the closest to the color I was envisioning in my head when I said I was looking for “the perfect purple”. Because the color is a bit wet and dark, there’s not a lot of shading in the writing sample but I was dipping my pen so the color results might be more consistent with the results of a finer nib than the fine italic I was using. It certainly looks lighter in the last few lines with a bit more shading so I think that’s more consistent with the results I suspect I would get with a traditionally filled italic pen.
In my swab sample, there’s a little sheen but in my water tests, there was no hint of other colors in the ink. Its one of the darkest purples I tried but not as dark as the Private Reserve Ebony Purple. Purple Wampum is actually more reddish in comparison to Ebony Purple.
In the end, I’d be hard pressed to choose a favorite among the four purple inks I’ve tried over the last couple weeks. Purple Wampum reminds me of grape juice, Private Reserve Ebony Purple has the most bluish cast and is the darkest, Diamine Damson is the duskiest, and Montblanc Lavender Purple leans furtherest into a reddish purple. So, in the end, the best purple ink is entirely a personal preference. Even I like all of these ink for their subtle variations and will probably discover over time which I like using most in daily writing but they are all great options.
DISCLAIMER: This item was sent to me free of charge by Goldspot Pens for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.
My favorite purple is Kaweco Summer Purple. It’s not a garish purple at all, more of a muted, summer twilight sort of purple, and I love it! I tend not to think of myself as a “girly girl” but it’s funny–my two current favorites are Kaweco Summer Purple and Noodler’s Ottoman Rose! 🙂
Summer Purple is a favorite of mine too. Have you tried Kaweco Paradise Blue? Its a great summery color and would look great with Summer Purple and Ottoman Rose.
I just noticed you write “Nooder’s” instead of Noodler’s in your written review – I had to chuckle because the other day I redid a written ink review twice because I did something similar. 😉
wrote*
ARGH! Typos are the worst in handwritten reviews. I never know if I should leave and hope no one notices, try to “fix it” or start all over. This time, I totally missed the mistake so I guess it will live on forever as “Nooders”.
I am loving all the purple! These colors are so nice, it’s hard to choose a favorite. I like how this one has some black in it too.
Thanks for the purple passion review. I love purples. Right now, my favorite is Rohrer & Klingner Cassia. As far as darker purples, I like J. Herbin’s Poussiere de Lune and Sailor Shigure.
I like Poussiere de Lune as well for the color but it can be a little runny. I’ve added Sailor Shigure to my list of purples to try next. Thanks for the tip!
I was going to suggest Cassia as well. It’s a great bright purple. Shigure is excellent, but it’s so dark it’s almost black.
Thx, Anna, for your usual outstanding work. I’m not a purple person, but I have seen one which my dearest bought at the Atlanta Pen Show (yes, we were there but didn’t know what you looked like): DeArtrimis Black Currant. It looks sharp, but has more black than your samples. John Meldorf
I’ll add Black Currant to my list of must-try inks. Sorry I missed you at the show. Next year, please say hello!