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Specifications

The top of the cap

Manufacturer: Levenger

Color: Orange

MSRP: $12

Actual Price: $12, but often on sale for $10

Amount of Ink: 50mL

Cost per mL: 24¢

Bottle: Glass with an included inkwell for easier filling

Where to Buy: Only available directly from Levenger

At a Glance

Sheen: None

Shading: Slight

Water Resistance: None

Feathering: Average

Bleed through: High

Show through/ Ghosting: Average

Drying Time: High

Wetness: High

Lubrication: High

Staining: None
Saturation: Average
Cleaning: Average
Okay on Copy Paper?: Yes, but there is significant bleed through

Thoughts

The inkwell inside the bottle

Levenger, a U.S.-based stationery retailer, produces a line of fountain pen inks and often removes or adds to that line. In late 2013, they released three new inks, one of which was Blazing Sunset.

Levenger's Blazing Sunset is a vibrant true-orange which is one of my favorites. In contrast to other oranges such as Noodler's Habanero or Apache Sunset, this one has few traces of yellow and barely any shading - a quality which I like for note taking. Unfortunately, water- resistance is entirely nonexistent: after a few minutes, there was no trace of the ink's former presence.

One of my favorite aspects of all of Levenger's inks is the bottle. Inside is an inkwell to make filling easy even with only a few mL left. It's also deep enough that filling pens with large #8 or #9 nibs is still possible.

Overall, this is a well-presented, vibrant ink which I highly recommend.

Writing Samples

Note: Brackets indicate that there was significant bleed through or ghosting.

Extended Soak Test

Before

Of all the inks I've tested so far, this one has the least water-resistance. It's oddly satisfying to find a blank sheet of paper after less than 30 minutes submersed in water. This would be bothersome in a practical black ink, but it's fine here because I don't often write important notes in orange.

After

Gallery:

Specifications:

Manufacturer: Levenger
Color: Dark Green

MSRP: $12

Actual Price: $12

Price I paid: I bought this as part of the Levenger Ink Sampler for $12 while it was on sale.

Amount of Ink: 50 ml

Cost per ml: 24¢/ml at $12
Bottle: Glass; It includes a reservoir

Where to Buy: All of Levenger's inks are exclusive to their website.*

* All prices are the prices at the time of this review's writing on June 30, 2014.

Properties:

Sheen: None

Shading: Some shading from a dark green to an even darker green

Water Resistance: Somewhat water resistant

Feathering: Moderate on copier paper

Bleed through: Moderate

Show through/ Ghosting: Moderate

Drying Time: Fast

Wetness: Drier than Levenger's other inks, but not as dry as the Pelikan 4001 inks

Lubrication: Well lubricated

Staining: I haven't noticed any staining.
Cleaning: The ink cleans out of a pen easily
Nib Creep: None which I have seen

Okay on Copier Paper?: It's okay on copier paper as long as you don't have to write on the back.

Writing Sample:

Pen: Visconti Rembrandt Fine

Paper 1: Levenger Circa Paper

Paper 2: Copier Paper

Paper 3: Black n' Red Notebook

Paper 4: Flashcard for the Extended Soak Test (1 hour and 37 minutes)
Note: In the interest of conserving paper and to save time, the copier paper and Black n' Red samples were done on the same paper I used for the Levenger Blue Bahama review.

Levenger Circa Writing Sample- Front
The feathering, bleed through, and show through ratings are on the copier paper.

Levenger Circa Writing Sample- Back

Copier Paper Writing Sample- Front

Copier Paper Writing Sample- Back

Black n' Red Writing Sample- Front

Black n' Red Writing Sample- Back

Extended Soak Test Before

Extended Soak Test After

Levenger Forest (not Forest Green) is a dark green ink with some shading but awful performance on absorbent paper. It has a nice enough color to become an everyday green for me, but the bleed through prevents me from being able to use it on any paper save the nicest. It's also somewhat water resistant but changes to a completely different color.

If the color appeals to you and its poor performance on absorbent paper isn't a deal breaker, it's currently on sale for $10 on Levenger's website. (20 cents per mL)

Pros

A nice dark green color
Slight shading
Somewhat resistant to water
Dries quickly
According to Levenger's website, the ink is lightfast, but I haven't tested that claim.

Cons

Moderate feathering, bleed through, and show through
Drier than Levenger's other inks (I would recommend using this ink in an extremely wet pen, e.g. Pelikan Mxxx, to remedy this)

Possible Uses

Grading papers
Journaling on nicer paper
Note-taking (It's easy to read.)
Sending letters around St. Patrick's Day or Christmas

Gallery

Specifications:

Manufacturer: Levenger
Color: Light Turquoise

MSRP: $12

Actual Price: $12

Price I paid: I bought this as part of the Levenger Ink Sampler for $12 while it was on sale.

Amount of Ink: 50 ml

Cost per ml: 24¢/ml at $12
Bottle: Glass; It includes a reservoir

Where to Buy: All of Levenger's inks are exclusive to their website.*

* All prices are the prices at the time of this review's writing on June 28, 2014.

Qualities:

Sheen: A slight red sheen

Shading: Excellent

Water Resistance: Somewhat water resistant

Feathering: Moderate on copier paper

Bleed through: None

Show through/ Ghosting: None

Drying Time: Fast

Wetness: Fairly wet

Lubrication: Well lubricated

Staining: I haven't noticed any staining.
Cleaning: The ink cleans out of a pen easily

Okay on Copier Paper?: Okay, but there is moderate feathering.

Writing Sample:

Pen: Visconti Rembrandt Fine

Paper 1: Levenger Circa Paper

Paper 2: Copier Paper

Paper 3: Black n' Red Notebook

Paper 4: Flashcard

Writing Sample on Levenger Circa Paper- Front

Writing Sample on Levenger Circa Paper- Back

Writing Sample on Copier Paper- Front

Writing Sample on Copier Paper- Back

Writing Sample on Black n' Red Paper- Front

Writing Sample on Black n' Red Paper- Back

Extended Soak Test (2 hours)

Thoughts

Levenger Blue Bahama is a light turquoise ink which behaves surprisingly well on copier paper. The show through and bleed through are minimal, but the feathering is moderate to extreme.

This is an ink I like, but I don't think I would use it often enough to justify the purchase of a bottle. If you like the color and its properties, it's often on sale for $10 (20 cents per mL).

Uses:

Personal journaling
Informal correspondence (The color is too light for formal writing)
Note-taking

Pros:

Minimal bleed through and show through
Not very expensive (24 cents per mL)
Well lubricated and easy to clean
Excellent shading
Slight red sheen

Cons:

Moderate feathering on low-quality paper
Not very water-resistant

Gallery

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