Am I really on the eleventh day of Inkmas already? Today, I guess I’m still in Poland with KWZ and I’m Warsaw Dreaming ($15 for 60ml bottle). It seems oddly appropriate to review the darkest ink on day after the darkest night of the year.
Warsaw Dreaming is a dark, dark, dark blue black. It’s almost a violet blue black. It’s listed as a black ink but there is a visible sheen of blue-violet tone. It’s not sheen-y like some of the Oster inks but its not as blackout black or flat black as other inks.
(My apologies for how messy this writing sample is… I did it at 6am in the morning. And it took two tries to get it THIS legible! I even had to tape two pieces together and its still a train wreck. It’s not a reflection of the ink. I’m a tragedy.) The ink is a solid option for a black that’s not black-black. This KWZ ink is thicker in consistency than others. I didn’t notice the signature scent as much as other KWZ inks.
Compared to other off-blacks and Waterman Intense Black (for a control sample), Kyo-no-oto No. 1 is more bluish, Bookbinder’s Snake Ink Red Belly Black is cooler and more greenish (IMHO, maybe?) and Sailor Chu-Shu is clearly more purplish.
Black inks are something we all need to have around but its not always the most exciting thing we have to buy. While Kyo-no-oto No. 1 is a popular option, its pretty pricey. Warsaw Dreaming is a great alternative for a black that’s not as run-of-the-mill but still might add a little variety to your day-to-day writing. It’s still water soluble so it won’t cause too many issues in clean-up and it’s half the price of Kyo-no-oto.
TOOLS
- Paper: Rhodia Uni-Blank No. 16 with 6mm guide sheet
- Pens: Empire vintage traveling dip nib holder with Zebra G titanium nib ($33.50 per 10-pack), Esterbrook #2442 nib in a Shawn Newton custom nib holder
- Swatches: Col-o-Ring Ink Testing Cards
- Brush: Blick Studio #0 Round Synthetic Brush
- Ink: KWZ Warsaw Dreaming (60ml bottle for $15)
DISCLAIMER: This item was sent to me free of charge by Vanness Pens for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.
Thanks for these days of inkmas. I’m a fool for KWZ inks.