Private Reserve recently released their 1st Limited Edition ink and we’re pretty excited about it for several reasons. Come along with us on today’s Private Reserve Limited Edition 2 Minutes to Midnight Blue ink review & giveaway and find out why!

All About the Ink Maker: Private Reserve

We introduced another Private Reserve ink a couple weeks back (from their recently released Pearlescent ink series release), so our rundown about the ink maker may seem a bit repetitious today. But just in case you didn’t read our previous review…here’s some info on Private Reserve!

Private Reserve was added to inventory here at PenChalet.com earlier this year. The “new” brand is actually a reintroduction of a brand many fountain pen and ink fans already loved that wasn’t available for a while. The release in 2021 came after the Private Reserve brand changed hands. So, while the company has a new owner and new distributor, they also released many old favorites that pen addicts were happy to see available again. The Private Reserve ink brand also quickly started releasing some exciting new ink products.

Generally speaking, Private Reserve inks are known for smooth ink flow, high saturation and nice shading traits. They’re also known as non-smearing, non-clogging and safe for fountain pens. All their inks are made in the EU, but the inks are then packaged and distributed in the USA.

As a proud authorized retailer of Private Reserve inks, Pen Chalet currently carries a great variety of ink from this well-loved brand:

• Regular Edition inks (38 colors)
• Fast Dry Edition inks (6 colors)
• Pearlescent Edition inks (6 colors)
• Infinity Edition inks (6 colors)
• Limited Edition inks (1 color – today’s featured ink!)

This Week’s Featured Ink: Limited Edition 2 Minutes to Midnight Blue Ink

In today’s Private Reserve Limited Edition 2 Minutes to Midnight Blue ink review, we checked out a beautiful, very dark, deep sea blue ink color (not a blue black ink as the name might suggest). The 2 Minutes to Midnight Blue ink shows up dark on paper, and is great for an everyday ink color. As a limited edition, there were only 1100 bottles produced, and Pen Chalet sold through its original 100 allotment of this limited edition ink almost immediately. Luckily, we were able to acquire another shipment of ink for all of you that still wanted a chance to get your hands on this beauty. But it was our last shipment of this particular ink. We’re told we won’t be able to get another restock. So get yours before it strikes midnight and it’s gone for good!

***In a rush? Experiencing a decided lack of patience? Not in the mood to read? Well, never fear, if you skip the full review to jump directly to the bottom and enter to win the bottle of ink we used for this week’s ink review…we’ll forgive you.

It’s Time: Private Reserve LE 2 Minutes to Midnight Blue Ink Review

This week we put Private Reserve LE 2 Minutes to Midnight Blue fountain pen ink through our standard review tests. And it’s time to share the results!

Ink Review Testing Factors (to keep things scientific):

For our review of Private Reserve LE 2 Minutes to Midnight Blue ink we used a French made J. Herbin spiral glass dip pen on French made Rhodia paper (dot pad). The dip pen has a tip similar to a medium-fine fountain pen nib.

Let’s Talk About the Private Reserve LE 2 Minutes to Midnight Ink Bottle

One of the things we enjoyed immensely about this limited edition ink from Private Reserve was the ink bottle and packaging. As a limited edition ink release, the 2 Minutes to Midnight Blue ink comes in a unique bottle – unique size, unique shape, unique packaging, and unique labeling! The ink comes in a new 6-sided unique limited edition 110 ml. bottle, which is larger than the standard 60 ml. round Private Reserve bottle you may be familiar with from their other ink series. You’ll also notice unique (and new) packaging and labeling referencing the name of the ink, and a large lid that depicts a clock showing the time at exactly 2 minutes to midnight.

How Much Does Private Reserve Limited Edition Fountain Pen Ink Cost?

This week’s ink is a limited edition ink, so it’s not shocking that the cost is a little higher in comparison to regular Private Reserve ink releases. But as always, look for great prices on Private Reserve inks at PenChalet.com. You’ll find that it’s very economically priced for a large capacity ink bottle of limited edition ink.

How Fast Does this Week’s Featured Ink Dry?

Private Reserve LE 2 Minutes to Midnight Blue ink had a dry time of approximately 4-5 seconds; which is pretty quick. This medium to high saturation ink is definitely an option of you’re looking for an everyday ink.

How Did This Week’s Ink Fair in the 1-Dip Test?

We applied a one dip test to see how far one dip could write on paper (dipping the pen into the ink only one time). This week’s ink easily wrote across the paper on all three writing samples with medium to high saturation. (One dip per writing sample: “S” “X” and scribble lines, seen above).

Does 2 Minutes to Midnight Blue Ink Bleed Through?

We saw some very slight bleeding during normal use on Rhodia dot pad paper, and some slight feathering during the water test and heavy saturation cotton swab test.

Was There Any Feathering During the Review?

While we didn’t see any feathering during normal use, we did see some slight feathering during the water test and during the heavy saturation cotton swab test.

How Does the Ink Stand Up to Water?

Private Reserve LE 2 Minutes to Midnight Blue ink is not waterproof, and we saw significant color smearing (expected with dye-based inks). However, the lines were still clearly legible. There was also some slight feathering during the water test (as noted above).

What About Shading Traits?

We saw some very slight possible shading traits (if you use a nib that allows ink flow variation like a stub or italic). We did not see a lot of shading during normal use – the color was very consistent.

Final Conclusion on this Week’s Featured Limited Edition Ink:

This week’s ink, Private Reserve Limited Edition 2 Minutes to Midnight Blue ink, is fairly economically priced. The Limited Edition ink, manufactured in the European Union, is limited to only 1100 units. This limited edition ink comes in a very large 110 ml. ink bottle with a large, easy to open lid. We love the unique, highly themed packaging and labeling. One of Private Reserve’s high performance, easy to clean and use inks – 2 Minute to Midnight’s quick dry time makes it a great choice for everyday use. Happy writing from the EU!

Enter to Win a 2 Minutes to Midnight Blue Ink:

Enter to win the actual bottle of Private Reserve Limited Edition 2 Minutes to Midnight fountain pen ink that Pen Chalet used in this week’s ink review:

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