Pelikan Edelstein Ruby Ink is one of the original Pelikan Edelstein ink colors when Pelikan’s premium line of ink was released about 8 years ago. Since then there have been some fantastic limited edition “ink of the year” colors such as Smoky Quartz, Amber, Garnet, Amethyst and Aquamarine. We are anxiously awaiting this years Pelikan Edelstein ink of the year, Olivine, which will be released later this year. However, sometimes its important to review and look at colors that we may have forgotten about, when we are anticipating the newest or latest and greatest products on the market. Ink is no exception.
Pelikan Edelstein Ruby ink is different and unique, compared to most red inks. It is what one might expect a “ruby” ink to be. Being a Pelikan Edelstein ink color, Ruby has all of Pelikan’s wonderful qualities such as smooth writing characteristic, easy on fountain pens, easy to clean, etc. The color is what sets this ink apart. Most red inks are either a bright and vibrant fire engine red or a dark deep red color. However, Pelikan Edelstein Ruby ink is a soft red color that doesn’t pop out as most reds. Pelikan Edelstein Ruby ink is an inviting, light red with a pink hue that produces a lot of shading and color variation.
Continuing reading for a chance to win the bottle of Pelikan Edelstein Ruby ink we used for this review.
Pelikan Edelstein Ruby Ink Review
While testing Pelikan Edelstein Ruby ink we found the following traits that you may find helpful when picking up your next red ink:
Testing Factors
For this review we used a French made J. Herbin glass spiral dip pen, which has a tip that is equivalent to a fine fountain pen nib on Rhodia dot pad paper. Other types of paper may produce different results.
Bottle Sizes
All of Pelikan Edelstein inks come in a fantastic 50 ml. glass bottle that is a display quality ink well. It’s a weighted heavy smooth glass bottle with a large faceted lid that allows easy access and the ability to be placed on its side to gather those last few drops. This alluring bottle truly represents the the quality ink it holds and is one of our favorite designs.
Cost
Pelikan Edelstein Ruby ink is on the mid to high price range for fountain pen inks. The Edelstein inks retail for just under $30 at $28.00. The price although at the upper end of the mid price inks it is worth every cent due to the quality, bottle presentation and color you get in return.
Dry Time
We found a quick dry time of approximately 4-5 seconds during our review of Pelikan Edelstein Ruby ink. This allows the ink to be used as an everyday ink and popular with left hand users. These results were using a glass dip pen on Rhodia paper, and other tips, nibs, and paper may produce longer dry times.
Bleed Through
We found no bleeding at all using Pelikan Edelstein Ruby ink on Rhodia dot pad paper, even during the cotton swab and water tests we conducted.
Feathering
During normal use, we found absolutely no feathering on Rhodia paper. Even during the water test only a very slight amount of feathering was detected and only at the wettest point of the test.
Water Test
We conducted a water test, where we ran a wet cotton swab over a dried ink sample of Pelikan Edelstein Ruby ink. This test produced some light color smearing, slight feathering and line distortion, but held up better than most non-waterproof inks we have tested.
Shading
One of the best characteristics of Pelikan Edelstein Ruby ink is that it has some fantastic shading. The soft red color can be darker with a heavy hand or wet nib and a light pink color when less ink is applied as well as all variations in between.
Conclusion about the Pelikan Edelstein Ruby ink
Pelikan Edelstein Ruby ink is a must have in the red category of inks due to its unique color. Like all Pelikan Edelstein inks Ruby comes with all the same great characteristics. It is reasonably priced for a premium imported German ink, has great dry time and is a unique “soft” color. Everyone needs a fire engine red color in their ink collection and although Pelikan Edelstein Ruby ink doesn’t fill this category, it is such a unique shade of red. You will love its color for notes, journals, editing or other red ink uses. Happy writing in 2018!
Enter to Win
Enter to win the actual bottle of Pelikan Edelstein Ruby ink that we used in this ink review:
