Pelikan Fountain Pen Ink 4001

Hey man, it was good; it was cool; it was so mellow. Mmmmm, yeah

Any fountain pen manufacturer who also markets their own range of inks will ensure they match the writing characteristics of that brand. Hence Parker will always recommend Parker Quink inks. Cross, Waterman and Sheaffer do the same and they may sometimes suggest that not using the matching brand of ink will either invalidate the guarantee or cause damage - it rarely does with the top ink brands. Of the four pen brands mentioned, only Sheaffer's ink is 'wet', very free-flowing and slow-drying on many papers; all the others are 'dry', more viscous and slow-flowing. It may be worth noting that Cross' bottled inks are identical to Pelikan 4001 but rebottled and relabelled! There are many other brands of ink of which few are available internationally, most only in the country of manufacture and whose characteristics may be unknown or variable. Any pen/nib combination that lays down a lot of ink (writes wet) and takes a long time to dry until it resists smudging will need a 'dry' or slow-flowing and quick drying ink to compensate; conversely, those combinations that are more meager with their ink need a wetter, faster-flowing ink if the written line is to be sufficiently dark and legible. Generally, broader and italic nibs write wet; finer nibs are typically drier writers although exceptions exist. Pelikan Royal Blue and Brilliant Black were purchased for the express purpose of use with a very wet-writing pen. The Pelikan 4001 ink range is mostly washable and are all 'dry' writing. The more expensive Pelikan Edelstein range is quite different in formulation, colours, bottles and, apparently, their writing characteristics. Typically, horizontal strokes and curves with some inks can be lighter than verticals where there is a possibility of overlaying up-strokes and down-strokes with ink laid upon ink. The 4001 range comprises quite saturated colours and contain a relatively high proportion of dye(s) and the lighter colours tend to produce limited visible shading or added character to the written line. Darker Pelikan inks are monotonal and probably better suited to specific situations where clarity and high legibility are essential; written exams, form-filling and musical notation are among those where they could work well. There are seven currently available colours including royal blue, turquoise, red, green, brown, black and violet that are all normally sold in 30 ml bottles but double-size bottles are offered in some countries. Pelikan was originally a pen manufacturer and their inks were then intended as their ideal companions. The 4001 range are recent formulations using synthetic dyes but they are equally suited to many other pen brands and are considered 'safe' and unlikely to ever cause damage to a pen (some inks are not recommended for certain pen models and sometimes brands). If you know that your fountain pen writes a very wet line with your present ink choice, then Pelikan 4001 inks are a potential solution as they are quite viscous (gloopy); that is my situation with a specific pen. If the pen is writing dry, Pelikan 4001 inks are best avoided as their naturally slower flow will not provide a sufficient ink level to prevent drop-outs of missing characters. They will need a 'wet' ink, e.g. most from Diamine, Noodlers, Herbin. Although another brand of ink is a personal general preference and is available in 100-plus colours, their inks are mostly very wet-writing and not suitable for my current favourite pens, a Pilot Capless and Pilot Decimo respectively fitted with Broad and Medium nibs. The same inks work superbly in other brands of fountain pen.

I really like the colour and the flow is good, I run a Pelikan and Mont Blanc fountain pen both with a medium nib and both write nicely with it with little to no ghosting with nice paper.

Lovely smooth writing ink for your fountain pen. Expensive but worth it if you like the colour.

A decent, opaque ink.

I have been using this ink for 20 years for my calligraphy. It isn’t waterproof, but it makes such fine lines, and doesn’t slide from the nib.

Excellent quality black ink. I use it in my mont blanc. Cheaper and better than their ink

Pelican know about rich ink quality. Outstanding!

Perfect n worthy ❤️

Excellent quality Ink. Great value for the price!

Always used Pelikan inks. The pink colour is refreshing to write

Came in the pelikan box and felt new and cared for. The ink had a nice warm redish undertone that made lines more lively.

I love the richness of this color and the cute shape of the bottle; it was smaller than I expected and I thought that the size made it that much more cuter. How long it lasts depends on how much you use it; for me it lasts a long time, and I write a lot. So if green is your favorite color or you just want to switch it up a bit, then you'll like this ink.