Diamine Mistletoe
Ink Review #45
*Please note that the scan is the accurate representation of this color.
This ink is part of the Inkvent Blue Edition (2019)
Overview
The color/properties:
Diamine Mistletoe is a medium green with (very) light grey and yellow undertones. Mistletoe has a slightly flat/matte appearance on the paper, and it shades with a crisp cut when writing in both cursive and print, where the ink pools. There’s also a slight red sheen that can often appear around the shaded areas of writing. It’s not a heavy sheen, but it does a lot to give this ink a unique character.
Ink splat
Ink droplets
Performance on paper:
During my tests, I ran into some minor bleed-through in the Kokuyo notebook, but there wasn’t any noticeable bleeding or feathering on the other papers.
The dry times were mostly average, often drying within the 20-second mark for the larger nibs. They were notably better on Rhodia, where all the nibs managed to dry within 15 seconds.
The water resistance was good. The color washes away when exposed to water, but there wasn’t a lot of clouding, and it left behind grey shadows of what was written that were crisp and legible.
Water resistance
Chromatography
Performance in the pen:
Mistletoe has a dry-medium flow. It starts off feeling nicely lubricated and comfortable to write with; however, there’s a quick drop off in flow during extended writing. After a few lines (about a quarter of an A5 page in my experience), you’ll notice the flow slowed down considerably. It’s still usable, but the experience is jarring, especially because it starts off so well. I didn’t have many hard starts, skipping, or stops during my tests with most of the nibs (extra fine through medium); however, the needlepoint in particular had difficulties with consistent skipping. The broad and stub nibs also had periodic hard starts as well. Still, the ink is far from unpleasant, and I found the experience with the fine and medium nibs especially to be quite enjoyable.
Cleaning the pen out was very easy, and the water ran clear after a single soak and flush. There wasn’t any leftover color or residue in the pen or nib units
Written on 52 gsm Tomoe River paper (white, 6mm ruling) with a medium nib.
Written on Midori MD paper (cream, 7mm ruling) with a medium nib.
Performance in a pen: 8/10
Performance on paper: 9/10
Color saturation: 6.5/10
Sheening: 1/10
Shading: 4/10
Dry time: 8/10
Water resistance: 4/10
Ease of cleaning: 9/10
Shimmer: None
My personal thoughts…
When I first picked up Diamine Mistletoe, I was immediately won over by the color and theme. It was an easy purchase — a wintry and natural-looking green that I thought would be great to write my holiday cards with for the season. I still maintain that opinion to this day, but since then, I never really gravitated towards it again. When I started preparing this review, I immediately remembered why: I’m not a fan of the dry flow. I remember trying it in a number of pens before finding an experience I was pleased with. I think once you find a good pair, it’s just fine — great even, but the hassle and wasted ink that comes with finding that perfect pen/ink combo isn’t necessarily conducive to a fun and festive holiday experience. Like I said, though, it’s a great winter color, and I can recommend it for that.
Written on 52 gsm Tomoe River paper with an Asvine P20 (medium nib).
More images/info:
Tools and materials used in the writing samples:
A TWSBI Diamond 580 AL with 7 nib units including a Needlepoint grind, EF, F, M, B, 1.1mm stub, and an Architect grind. All nibs tuned to perform at the same medium wetness.
A Rhodia No16 A5 DotPad
A Leuchtturm1917 A5 Notebook
A Midori MD A5 Notebook
A 68gsm A5 Tomoe River Notebook
A Maruman Mnemosyne A5 Spiral Notebook
A Kokuyo Campus A5 Notebook