on saleLAMY blue - Ink Sample

This is a very pleasing medium to dark blue. In a fine nib pen, the ink tends to be a mild mannered medium blue. But, in a broad or stub nib, the true character of a deep water blue come out. Again, in a broad or stub nib, this ink shades somewhat, and does have a bit of a reddish edge sheen in an ink drop or heavy use. The dry time is moderate (about 10 seconds on Midori paper), and is not water resistant, although it does leave a pale blue ghost. The ink does not feather or bleed through on my Midori, Clairefontaine or Rhodia papers, but does have significant show through on my Leuchterm paper and some bleed through/show through on cheap notebook paper and copy paper, especially when using the ink in a broad or stub nib pen.

This ink seems to never come up on FPN or in other places as a great color. The color itself I find to be very pleasing and surprisingly good compared to weak pen company blues like Parker Quink Washable or even Pelikan. If companies like Diamine, Herbin, and Noodler's didn't exist, Lamy Blue would likely be my go to ink. The bottle is even better. My rating is based on the ink itself and not the bottle because the bottle would get five stars. The nib wiping paper cartridge provides a real value added option and allows for the bottle to have both a solid base and a deep section for filling large nibs. It may be the most clever of all ink bottle designs and is definitely in keeping with the overall design philosophy of Lamy.

Just the shade of blue I was looking for.Not too dark, but dark enough for business.

I love the Lamy bottles. Broad, shallow, but with a deeper well in the middle. Nice design for easily refilling a pen. And the built-in blotter paper in the bottom section is a great idea for cleaning up your pen after a fill. I'm not a big fan of the Lamy Blue ink however. Like or dislike of a particular color is very subjective by nature. I happen to prefer more vibrant colors, especially blues. The Lamy Blue seems rather subdued, almost faded to me. Nothing at all wrong with it; it's a good ink. It writes / flows well with my Lamy Safari. But when it's gone, I'll refill the bottle with another color from a less functional bottle.

Being the first bottle of ink I had ever bought I wanted a basic color to use when I wanted something more conservative than fun. This certainly does that. I loaded it in the converter of my Waterman Laureate and have had no problems with it. It is a lovely blue.