Grey may seem like a plain, old, boring color, almost like a watered-down version of black. But in the world of fountain pens and inks, this couldn’t be farther from the truth. Grey is an incredibly versatile color; it is conservative enough for work or school, but it is also different enough to be used in other fun settings.
Every shade of grey has its own personality. It can add depth, elegance, and even a spontaneous punch to your writing. Artists can also use this color to sketch with more subtlety, nuance, and variety compared to black inks.
Here are our picks for the top five grey fountain pen inks that you can try:
Kaweco Smokey Grey
Kicking off our list is the Kaweco Smokey Grey. This is a great choice for those who want a medium and safe grey that doesn’t just resemble a faded black. It is a cool and light ink that has some light lavender shading, which adds depth and personality to an otherwise neutral color.
This particular ink writes fairly wet but behaves quite well, with no feathering and bleeding on fountain pen-friendly paper. It also has an above-average water resistance quality. If you want to try a reliable grey fountain pen ink, then this would be a good choice.
Pilot Iroshizuku Kiri-Same
Another medium-grey ink that writes wet and performs well is from Pilot. The Pilot Iroshizuku Kiri-Same fountain pen ink is a medium grey with cool undertones. When compared to Kaweco Smokey Grey, the latter looks much warmer.
This ink is excellent for fountain pen users who want grey ink because it has just the right balance of being dark enough to read while being light enough to showcase the beautiful grey color. Artists will enjoy this ink for sketching, especially since it is water-resistant enough to survive getting wet.
Diamine Moon Dust
Those who love shimmering inks will certainly like Diamine Moon Dust. This light, neutral grey fountain pen ink has plenty of shimmer and a little bit of shading, making it stand out on fountain pen-friendly paper. It performs decently with no feathering or bleeding, though the water resistance is lower compared to the other inks on this list.
As with most shimmering inks, you’ll get the best qualities on paper by using a broad nib. The great thing about this Diamine fountain pen ink is that it flows well in fine nibs as well. Though you might not get as much shimmer, you’ll still see good shading. While this ink flushes out fairly well from fountain pen converters, it is still necessary to clean the nib and feed separately.
J Herbin Stormy Grey
Another shimmering ink that makes the grey tones in fountain pen inks pop is J. Herbin Stormy Grey. This is a darker grey ink that is infused with shimmering gold particles. If you prefer deeper and more saturated greys but still want a bit of that extra quality to make it stand out, then this is the ink for you.
This J. Herbin ink flows well in pens like the TWSBI with a 1.5 mm stub nib. It’s worth noting that the gold flecks can be inconsistent, appearing heavily on some written parts with a light presence on others. Similar to Diamine Moon Dust, it may be necessary to take apart and clean your nib and feed after using this ink.
LAMY Crystal Agate
Last but not least, we have LAMY Crystal Agate. This is an unusual and enticing grey as it has a bit of a green undertone. It is named after a gemstone and is one of several inks in LAMY’s Crystal Ink line.
Those who prefer drier inks will enjoy writing with this, but it is important to note that it is quite light in color when used with fine and medium nibs. LAMY Crystal Agate works best in broad and flex nibs to really show off its qualities as a unique grey ink. If you prefer writing with broad nibs and want a grey that has more distinctive qualities, then this is a great pick.
If you haven’t tried grey fountain pen ink, you can easily add one of the options above to your collection. Whether you’re sketching, writing, or even just playing around with swabs, these inks truly are different from others in their subtlety and understatedness.
Written by EndlessPens Blogger Ramona Kabigting
