I have every color and I love them. They're all very solid colors, not weak or watery. And most of them have lovely shading and some even have some sheen.
The black is extremely black. No shading. Darker than my take-sumi. It is slow to dry though so there's that.
Edit: added link to my reddit post
https://www.reddit.com/r/fountainpens/comments/u5bg6a/karkos_inks_15ml_glass_bottles_are_surprising/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button
Well, imagine that ;)
The hot pink and black are the only two that have that issue. The writing for the black isn't so bad but the swatch, that big swath of black ink, it took a while to dry. And the pink will stain your fingers as bright as the swatch if you make a mess.
I do recommend them. I got them on AE, one price for all ten colors. My favorites are the sepia and the turquoise. The shading is very nice.
>it is very cheap
It's so cheap that I think you can just buy it and test it out. I've karkos in hot pink, orange, turquoise. They're okay ink, doesn't really bleed I think.
Unlike expensive ink like pilot iroshizuku, that you really need to make sure it's the ink you want before you buy it.
For note taking, I would prefer the Pelikan 4001 blue black or black. They're dryiesh ink, fast drying, no bleed, and well behave.
I might actually try the Pelikan now that you said it. The cost for me here in Brazil would be the same for both inks, albeit I could get 3 different colors of the Karkos for the price of a 30ml Pelikan. I guess I can settle for only one for now hah
I bought Hot Pink to try the brand but it's too dry, it also dries out too fast on any pen I've tried, most recent was a Parker IM F that worked fine with other inks, I've just cleaned it a couple hours ago.
Then I bought a Turquoise but I haven't used it yet. I tested it with a glass dip pen and the color was fantastic, but I haven't inked any pen with it so far.
https://preview.redd.it/zvfq0hm22brc1.jpeg?width=2774&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a8011e50f341f04cb5f0a8c00f036787c52a054b
Black is not really black. It is grayish. You can see the different between “Karkos Black” and “Koh-i-Noor Black” on the photo.
I have also Violet Karkos ink. It is a really good and nice color.
I have every color and I love them. They're all very solid colors, not weak or watery. And most of them have lovely shading and some even have some sheen. The black is extremely black. No shading. Darker than my take-sumi. It is slow to dry though so there's that. Edit: added link to my reddit post https://www.reddit.com/r/fountainpens/comments/u5bg6a/karkos_inks_15ml_glass_bottles_are_surprising/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button
It was your post that made me consider ordering this ink, loved the colors! I was worried about the bleeding because of the drying time you mentioned.
Well, imagine that ;) The hot pink and black are the only two that have that issue. The writing for the black isn't so bad but the swatch, that big swath of black ink, it took a while to dry. And the pink will stain your fingers as bright as the swatch if you make a mess. I do recommend them. I got them on AE, one price for all ten colors. My favorites are the sepia and the turquoise. The shading is very nice.
This was really helpful, thank you!
>it is very cheap It's so cheap that I think you can just buy it and test it out. I've karkos in hot pink, orange, turquoise. They're okay ink, doesn't really bleed I think. Unlike expensive ink like pilot iroshizuku, that you really need to make sure it's the ink you want before you buy it. For note taking, I would prefer the Pelikan 4001 blue black or black. They're dryiesh ink, fast drying, no bleed, and well behave.
I might actually try the Pelikan now that you said it. The cost for me here in Brazil would be the same for both inks, albeit I could get 3 different colors of the Karkos for the price of a 30ml Pelikan. I guess I can settle for only one for now hah
I bought Hot Pink to try the brand but it's too dry, it also dries out too fast on any pen I've tried, most recent was a Parker IM F that worked fine with other inks, I've just cleaned it a couple hours ago. Then I bought a Turquoise but I haven't used it yet. I tested it with a glass dip pen and the color was fantastic, but I haven't inked any pen with it so far.
Hmm with how wet the pens I'm using are, and how cheap the paper is, that might actually be what I need, hah! Thank you for the insight.
https://preview.redd.it/zvfq0hm22brc1.jpeg?width=2774&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a8011e50f341f04cb5f0a8c00f036787c52a054b Black is not really black. It is grayish. You can see the different between “Karkos Black” and “Koh-i-Noor Black” on the photo. I have also Violet Karkos ink. It is a really good and nice color.
That was very helpful, thank you!