Jacques Herbin 1670 Stormy Grey: Ink Review

Jacques Herbin 1670 Stormy Grey fountain pen ink bottle with three white cards that have scatchy blob, tornado, and blob on them, all on light colored background

Jacques Herbin 1670 Stormy Grey is a part of the Jacques Herbin 1670 series. The 1670 line launched in 2010 at their 340th anniversary with the ink Rouge Hematite, the first in the 1670 ink series. They followed up with many other colors, including this wonderful grey ink with gold shimmer. Find out more about Stormy Grey below!

Jacques Herbin 1670 Stormy Grey Writing Test on Rhodia dotPad

Jacques Herbin 1670 Stormy Grey Writing Test on Tomoe River

Jacques Herbin 1670 Stormy Grey Writing Test on Leuchtturm1917

Ink Review

Supplies Used:

LAMY AL-star with medium steel nib
Rhodia No. 16 dot pad, 80g white paper
Tomoé River 52 gsm white paper
Leuchtturm1917 80g notebook

Smear Test (Dry Time):

~20 seconds – There should be no smearing after about 20 seconds but definitely none by the 30-second mark.

Drip Test (Water Resistance):

Low-Medium – The ink won't be completely washed away, but it certainly wasn't intended for permanence.

Saturation:

High – There isn't much difference between swabs 1 and 3, as the ink comes out very saturated at all times.

Ease of Cleaning:

Moderate – The grey color isn't an issue but the gold shimmer tends to stick around longer than you'd like it to.

Shading:

Low – Slight color variation can be seen when writing with it, but it often comes out more flat than full-bodied.

Flow:

Moderate – Writes plenty wet for your pen to flow nicely across the page but doesn't gush out or pool up.

Packaging and Aesthetics:

50ml bottle with a decorative wax seal on the bottle, and a supple wax cap.
Grey boxes with formal-looking labels.

Jacques Herbin 1670 Stormy Grey fountain pen ink bottle and swab on white background

If you're interested in similar colors, check out our Swab Shop where you can compare colors side by side.

Summary:

Jacques Herbin has been around since the year 1670, hence the name for their premium ink line! Stormy Grey was released in 2014, so it's been around for quite a while, and for a good reason. It's an awesome grey ink that has more character than your average grey ink. The gold shimmer pops out against the grey color of the ink, which makes for a beautiful look on the paper. It's worth a try if you like inks that stray from the norm, as you don't see a grey ink with gold shimmer every day.

Jacques Herbin 1670 Stormy Grey fountain pen ink bottle with four white cards that have ink swatch, scratchy blob, and blob on them, all on light colored background

Jacques Herbin 1670 Stormy Grey fountain pen ink scratchy blob on light colored background

Jacques Herbin 1670 Stormy Grey fountain pen ink blob on light colored background

This color is available in 50ml bottles as well as our 2ml samples.

Posted by Ethan B.