Ink Review: Laban Inks

Just before Christmas, I purchased samples of the five newest Laban inks in their Mythology Series: Athena, Ares, Zeus, Hera, and Hermes. Beautiful colors! I haven’t been able to review these until now – there have been so many new inks released lately.

I am only reviewing these latest five inks but if you would like to read about the original five inks in the series, you can find them here:

Ink Series Review: Laban Mythology Series

I purchased my samples from Vanness where you can buy 4mL for $3.00 or the 50mL bottle for $20.

First, Zeus. Because this is a purple ink and purple is always the best! Zeus is a bit darker than ColorVerse Einstein Ring and a touch bluer. The sheen is amazing – see the swatches on Cosmo Air Light and Tomoe River paper at the end of the review for that.

Hera is a beautiful blue-black-teal color that is incredibly close to Private Reserve Ebony Blue (the original ink – I haven’t been able to compare to the recent Private Reserve release). The shading with Hera isn’t dramatic, but it shows up even in writing.

Laban Hermes is a light sky blue. I didn’t have a perfect match for this ink in my Col-o-ring cards, bu Faber-Castell Gulf Blue is close. In writing, though, Hermes is lighter.

Laban Ares is a bold red with a touch of orange – I would recommend this as a great replacement for Mont Blanc Corn Poppy since that ink is getting harder to find. There is a touch of sheen with Ares, as well!

Athena stumped me. Every time I held the card next to a blue-black swatch, it was quite obviously a black ink. Every time I held it next to a black ink, it was obviously a blue-black ink. Tono & Lims Neuschwanstein was as close as I could get until I compared Bungubox Silent Night. Athena does have a touch of sheen and I would recommend it as a replacement for Silent Night (especially since the price of Bungubox inks has skyrocketed up to $40 – $50 for a 30mL bottle). Athena is a wonderful blue-black-grey ink that would be perfect for office use.