I listened as if I were listening to the American President's statement after an alien attack that was fended off with great losses. At the end of the speech, when he said "everybody in the fountain pen community", I got very emotional and cried with my fountain pen in my hand 😂😂😂
The popularity of Dark Lilac during its original release was NUTS...and the status it still enjoys among the community is crazy...I kind of love that there is a world-wide community of nerds that is SO INVESTED in a colour.
And this is how I got here: my family have sent me the NYT article over and over again. And probably a bottle will be my mother's day gift. I'll take it
As an artist, I can see a huge difference between the two versions of dark lilac (I prefer the new one). Not everyone is going to be as picky, but I have a hard time understanding how anyone can say they're similar - to my eye, the old one is a lot brighter with a warmer tone, and the new one has completely different shimmer qualities, with swampy undertones. I've just gotten into the whole fountain pen thing, and I'm finding this whole story is just hilarious, but wow is it compelling... I ditched work yesterday to go off in search of these inks, drove an hour into Montreal, and ended up coming home with Violet Blackberry. And a new TWSBI Diamond 580, and 5 other inks lol. Shipping question - why don't you ship to Quebec? Even with exchange and shipping, some things on your site are a better deal than I can get here. Plus, I'd love to support Goulet because I love the Pencast! More hammers and Nerf guns please!
This has to be one of my favorite Goulet videos so far. No I'm gonna go and cuddle my Dark Lilac 2016 boxes of cartridges while whispering "my preciousss".
I have no way to confirm this, but I theorize Lamy was utilizing one of the pigments that are sending painters into buying fits because certain shades of paint are no longer possible to be made. The pigments in question are Quinacridones, which have a deep reddish-brown quality to them (like the last rays of sunshine during sunset). They haven't been manufactured for years, but the supply was still going for awhile because of low demand. However, once enthusiasts heard it would no longer be around, they started buying it up and the stockpile dwindled faster than expected. So, now there's none to make more finished product. Again, I have no way to confirm this, but the window of time is right, the undertones the original Dark Lilac had match, and it's essentially the same story in an adjacent industry. Sad. You'd think the manufacturing company would see the demand these shades have, now that social media has made the colors more well known and accessible, and would go back to making them, or that some other pigment company would buy the rights to production. 🤷🏼♀️
This is a great explanation of the differences between the two editions of the ink. The background music enhanced the drama of the story, I loved that.
How often can you buy a ticket for the hype train out of fomo town for only $12? Just ordered my 2024 Dark Lilac, what can I say, I like all things purple-ish.
Thank you. Nice explanation without the drama. I come from the world of watercolor paints and discontinued pigments is a constant thing. Our high drama was Quinacridone Gold. It glowed but the pigment was discontinued in the automotive world. I know and felt your pain.
I feel your pain, and was crushed when Daniel Smith, who bought the whole supply of Quinacridone Burnt Orange (PO48 or 49, Gold’s the other one) got out of the oil paint business. There is no way I can use my beloved yellow in oils?!
@@annafdd I’m from the watercolor world, and feel your pain. The OG Quin Gold was PO49; it was replaced in most brands with a 2-pigment mix of PO48+PY150. The recently discontinued pigment - PO48 - was the more orange color. If you’re still looking for a great yellow, PY150 is what gave it the most yellow, “glowy” tone & is incredibly versatile & lightfast…even in watercolor. It’s usually called “Nickel Azo Yellow,” & is my favorite yellow pgmt bc it can be warm in more saturated uses, while cooler & bright when more diluted. It’s also a fantastic mixer. Most “new” Quin Golds combine it with PR101, but if you’ve got a Burnt Sienna that’s PBr7, it makes an alternative I really like, without having to take up more palette space & money. Thank you for coming to my (Pigment Nerd) TED Talk.
LOVED the investigative documentary vibe! And enjoyed the detailed deep dive into ink history and the thorough comparison. You guys should do this more often, about other topics that come up often (Monteverde inks and past mold issues, Kaweco nib inconsistencies, complaints about Visconti nibs...). It wasn't merely interesting but put a number of rumors and instigations to rest.
Aside from stationery and watches, I also dip my stinky feet into the perfume world. Reformulation is very commonplace in perfumery. The difference being Lamy admitted to the reformulation and stated the reason for it. Chanel, Dior, Guerlain, etc would never do that. Some perfume houses would even go to the extent of gaslighting you and say that there's something wrong with your nose. Hopefully, this hobby remains an honest cottage industry. The perfume world became a multi-billion dollar industry, corporate greed took over, and it is now, shall we say, not as honest.
This is great coverage of the story and the quasi-re-release. All said, I feel like I've seen other inks that are a closer match to the original 2016 Lamy dark lilac at Goulet pens. Could you guys maybe shout them out on the next Pencast?
You mention that you have a number of other manufacturers with a similar lilac ink. Which brand comes closer to the original deep lilac? I would much prefer the brighter deep lilac.
I've never splashed around in Dark Lilac but I do have the other inks I'm about to mention. I know that, on screen, swabs of the old Dark Lilac and Pansy look very similar. Maybe it is just my pens and paper, but I think that Pansy is noticeably darker and cooler in my writing. By my eye, Waterman Tender Purple and Diamine Majestic Purple are closer to the 2016 Dark Lilac (again, in writing). Diamine's Robert, Imperial Purple, and Sheaffer Amethyst have some similarities, too. Consider getting samples of all of them to find out which ones look the best in your writing environment. Don't expect an exact match though. Many ink enthusiasts have labeled the 2016 DL as "unobtainium" because there is nothing else quite like it. The Goulet's would be wise to create a new Dark Lilac sampler package for everyone to buy.
It is ....unobtainium....and that DL bottle stays inside a Ziploc bag to get it close to hermetic. I have some DL cartridges (yes, they made some) and those are stored separately. What will bake everyone's noodle is that I have a case of Petrol. Not quite DM, Petrol has its own following. 😂
Thanks, Brian. I got a bottle of the new 2024 Dark Lilac ink from Goulet a couple days ago and it's amazing. I love it because of the new formula. I'm using it in a Noodlers Neponset with a music nib at the moment and the flow is fantastic, wet, and gorgeous. The sheen is the best of any ink I've used. My favorite before getting the Dark Lilac has been Birmingham Ink's Interstellar Bronze. After seeing this demo I realize I'm going to need to get a bottle of the Blackberry. Love the brownish color of it. I really do think the 2024 Dark Lilac is an improvement on the old formula. I addressed a letter to an old friend the other day with the new ink and he called me immediately to ask what I had written with and couldn't figure out how an ink could change colors just by shifting the paper. Bravo, Lamy! I hope the new sale to the Japanese is a good thing, but knowing the Japanese and their love of pen and ink I have high hopes. Oh, and thanks to your staff for the quick service I always get with Goulet Pen.
When i read the lamy statement that they thought they had a gap in their ink lineup i thought but why don't you just put violet in a bottle?? Can't be the only one. Am looking forward to trying this one though. The drama at the start of this was gold.
As someone who was not fortunate enough to get my hands on any of the original Dark Lilac, I was really looking forward to trying out this new version. But, after seeing your very thorough comparisons, I feel disappointed all over again. I have a hard time believing that was truly the closest they could get to the original! Thanks for the very informative video, though! Saved me the frustration of buying it and finding out the hard way that it is not what I expected. :)
Well, it is probably harder than it looks. Lamy is a company of scales and thus, they probably have long term contracts with their suppliers. They could not just go to a new supplier and say: "By the way..."
@XHobbiesPrime same. Not that I have a problem with sheen in and of itself, but the sheen really makes it a very different color from the original. It's hard for me to believe that someone at Lamy gave the go-ahead to release this color under the auspices of being Dark Lilac. Unless they really did want to create some controversy. Why pay for advertising when you can get it for free? You've heard the expression, "There's no such thing as bad press."
The new Dark Lilac formulation does not seem quite as "azarath metrion zinthos" as the original was, but it's still got a lot of its own unique character. If Lamy really wanted to Rickroll us they would perhaps announce a new color called Martinsheen and if they wanted to be even more controversial they would follow up with Charliesheen. 😱
I missed Dark lilac the first time it came around. I'm glad to see it come back. I'd still love to see Petrol come back as a standard colour. While I've found similar colours they haven't behaved nearly so well on inexpensive papers. Mitsubishi Uniball stuff is uniformly pretty nice in my experience. I would expect Lamy's reputation for quality to continue.
finding out ne of the pigments was no longer available doesnt surprise me actually, reminds me of a few years ago the paint community bemoaned the loss of original quinacridone gold. turns out a main factor of what pigments are commercially available is the auto industry.
I own a Lamy dark lilac safari and it is much loved. However, I missed out on the original ink...as happened to many people. I am debating if the new dark lilac would work for me, but I'm on the fence about getting a bottle. I'm glad to see the comparsion. If I do get the ink, I will know what to expect. Also...loved the Rickroll! :)
I understand everyone who is upset because they expected a true successor to the original dark lilac, but WOW I think the new one is gorgeous. If only it had been given a different name... green and purple definitely have their place as a duo!
I am so happy I stumbled upon the New York Times article, because when I was a kid I was obsessed with those Schaeffer fountain pens and I had to have ever color cartridge . I had not thought of fountain pens for years and the article triggered my love affair! Great video and I love the new version with that magical green sheen
I think I would like the new lilac better if it wasn't for the sheen. It's too much and I don't like how it washes out the base color. But this was a really nice and informative video. Thank you for the thorough comparison.
I feel like I've seen so many inks that could pass for Lamy DL 2016. To me, it looks like Coloverse Delcious Sleep? Regardless, I love that it's put the fountain pen community in the spotlight! Great video!
Brian, this isn’t your first foray into this storied masthead. I am looking through the NYT archives and an article from December 2018 reads: Brian Goulet, of Goulet pens, who had the handsomeness of a 1950s young dad, thick hair like mink, broad shoulders, a warm handshake. Surely such a flattering description sticks in your mind?!
I saw that article that someone shared too! How about another quote from that article? Brian Goulet as made fountain pens , ".....not just literary, but lit". :)
Reminds me of Noodler's Black Swan in Australian Roses with it's variations of the original. If the ink is going to change colors they should change the name.
Totally agree. I bought a new one based on reviews of the old one. With the same lable and packaging it's impossible to tell one from another until you already bought and used it.
Great video! This happens in art too. Some of people’s favourite paints and coloured pencils have changed hue because the original pigments were discontinued. It can be very disappointing! Since art and pen companies and are dependent on other manufacturers for the pigments and dyes, I now buy a back up for supplies I really love. Good for Lamy for apologizing!
Ordered one the other day as well. I didn't realize the significance until watching this. Currently I'm on the hunt for the perfect purple. I've ended up with a few very nice colors, although based on this video I think the original Dark Lilac is more the shade I'm going for.
@BrianGeorgeGaming yeah I know what you mean....the perfect purple 💜 I have Diamine Scribble Purple which is too dark for me so hopefully this lilac will feel better 👍👍 The original looks fab but I do like a sheen so this new one was an instant order when I saw the reviews 😀
I would like to see you do a quick purple comparison to see if there is a purple ink in your stock that would match the original! I personally don’t care much about it. I like the color of the dark lilac pen more than the ink. I like the new ink it might be fun. I’m a green ink user… the possibilities are endless.
Thanks for the video Brian. Looking at the closeups of your swatches, the 2024 Dark Lilac looks awfully close to Diamine "Little Bob". The base colour and green sheen look very similar, and even the way the ink clings onto the pen section looks the same. FYI: Little Bob is made by Diamine as an exclusive for Cult Pens here in the UK as part of the "Irridescink" iridescent range. These inks have people names, and the Diamine 30ml bottles are called Little Bob, whereas the 80ml ink is Robert.
LOL all this fuzz. I'm so happy with Diamine Blackberry. Purplish shade of blue that makes it serious with a twist. Nice and wet. Oxblood is almost the colour I'd like in my similarly coloured Carene. Not just red enough to my taste. Suggestions? Oh forget Noodlers, wouldn't buy anything from them.
0:58 I read that article! It's so cool to be a part of this community, but who knew there was drama to go along with it...over INK😃 I LOVE MY HOBBY! This was such a passion infused drama that I could never have imagined in the fountain pen world. I love this hobby/community 💜💛💜💚
My all-time favorite purple is still Rohrer and Klingner Cassia. It’s a super solid true purple that doesn’t lean blue, red, or pink. Just pure awesome purpleness! And yes, I have already stocked up in case it gets discontinued 😊
Opinions will differ of course, but I actually think Lamy acted with quite strong integrity over this release, which I appreciate. I have a bottle of the original LDL bought a couple of years ago, for far too much money, and 2 bottles of the new formulation arrived here yesterday, so I should be good for a while...
I got into fountain pens the year after dark lilac was released and was never able to get the ink. Im glad we can get this now, albeit it is a bit different formula.
The amount of attention this has gotten is unbelievable to me. 🤯 The original color was amazing. The new color is also beautiful. Will I pick it up next order even though it's not the same? Probably. 💜
Color matches in dye are tricky, even with the same ingredients. Yarn dyers warn about this - if you want an exact match, you want all the skeins from the same batch. In this case, the ink is remade years later, and with different ingredients. It is what it is. Both are beautiful. I'm tapped out for Fun Money this month, but will pick up a bottle in April, if some is still available (although, I might just get Azurite - it is even prettier).
And, the manufacturers for dye change formulas, too. I remember a particular change that a customer found because the new formulation would break color on a certain fiber content.
Thank you for covering this in video format; I read the NYT article but I think it wasn't written by someone actually in the fountain pen community. You go through the backstory and lore in such a informative and thorough way!
Its nice to see a lot of people enjoy purple inks. I’ve finished a bottle of Lamy Azurite last year and I have other bottles of purple inks from other brands and maybe if I remember, I’ll pickup the 2024 Dark Lilac.
Great explanation with excellent detail of the new ink. Not sure if it is my monitor but 2024 seems dull in comparison to 2016 and I can see why it was so popular, such a shame as the 2016 make me want to part with my money, unfortunately 2024 does not. Thanks for a very informative review Mr G🙂👍
Call me crazy but I was thinking of getting a gold nib for my lamy al-star. With this sale, should I be concerned they may discontinue them? Love the channel!!!
Sounds like it’s the same in other parts of the world: - food manufacturers (sweets, crisps, etc) do sometimes change ingredients if something else is cheaper or if something is no longer available. This sometimes changes the taste and sometimes doesn’t. What those manufacturers don’t do is change the name of their product. You have to just swallow it. - when you buy things at a hardware store, floor tiles for example, you want to make sure to get them all from the same die run as every time they make a new batch, subtle color changes may appear due to the changes that can happen when they mix paint, or dry times in slightly different temperatures. Same with this ink here. Sounds like Lamy honestly tried to recreate Dark Lilac but one of the ingredients is no longer available so they do whatever they can to make the same ink as in 2016. The purple itself is indeed ever so slightly off, the sheen is way different. I only stepped into the fountain pen world last year so I don’t have the original Dark Lilac but I do like what I see about the new one. The green sheen is a nice touch. I wanted to get my hands on Blackberry (suddenly no longer available in Europe) but wasn’t sure because of the gold sheen that I didn’t like. I love that Lamy did their best to bring back an all-time favourite and the result is a great new color. Right now, I can buy it directly from Lamy but shipping is expensive. And reliable third-party vendors don’t seem to have it yet…
That background music is next level. I was confused and excited all at the same time. I think I prefer the new Dark Lilac. It seems more legible if you're writing pages of text. Is it safe to say Blackberry is a sleeper purple that might be work-appropriate?
Sorry, even on you tube the inks are not close. I am a purple ink fan and spend lots of time comparing purple inks. The green sheen is completely off putting from a mild gold sheen. Fortunately there are lots more inks to evaluate (and thanks to sellers providing samples!!).
Brian, thank you so much for all the information on this ink, it was highly confusing and this sums it up nicely . Psst… the green sheen ruins it for me, it makes it like every other purple ink with green sheen out there.
Oh I actually really love that sheen! I use a not of medium nibs and having a really pronounced sheen makes me happy. My first ink I fell in love with was LAMY petrol... since that doesn't seem to be anywhere on the horizon, I will have to try this one.
This is a great video! Very informative and well done. Do we really know what is going to happen with the sale of Lamy? How do we know that the ink will be available "forever"?
As a former geology student I am partial to Monteverdi Gemstone Ink - Amethyst ! Brian is most interested in Garnet the most important gemstone because of ………Sandpare!
Awesome review and comparison, definitely I'll get the DarkLilac now. I have an question, Last week I receive my Lamy Blackberry ink for GouletStore and I'm using now, but this looks very different to your test here in the video or the website swabs, my ink looks. very very dark with no sheen, I only get sheen if I get a drop of ink, is this normal? thank you
Aw, and once again LAMY's poor forgotten purple the lovely, but mystifyingly cartridge only LAMY Violet has been forgotten. I very much enjoyed the bedtime story vibe to the backstory though! For the curious, the dye in question that is causing the formula difference is no longer made because the factory burned down sadly.
I listened as if I were listening to the American President's statement after an alien attack that was fended off with great losses. At the end of the speech, when he said "everybody in the fountain pen community", I got very emotional and cried with my fountain pen in my hand 😂😂😂
😂
😆💯👍
Well ... there are things in Life that are more important than others...
Fountain Pens count ... politics do NOT ... imho ;)
The popularity of Dark Lilac during its original release was NUTS...and the status it still enjoys among the community is crazy...I kind of love that there is a world-wide community of nerds that is SO INVESTED in a colour.
LoL - almost the same here (except for the pen in my hand and the crying...)
The dramatic background music is adding so much to this
It's giving Netflix documentary and I'm here for it. haha!
I LOVE the music!!
And this is how I got here: my family have sent me the NYT article over and over again. And probably a bottle will be my mother's day gift. I'll take it
As an artist, I can see a huge difference between the two versions of dark lilac (I prefer the new one). Not everyone is going to be as picky, but I have a hard time understanding how anyone can say they're similar - to my eye, the old one is a lot brighter with a warmer tone, and the new one has completely different shimmer qualities, with swampy undertones.
I've just gotten into the whole fountain pen thing, and I'm finding this whole story is just hilarious, but wow is it compelling... I ditched work yesterday to go off in search of these inks, drove an hour into Montreal, and ended up coming home with Violet Blackberry. And a new TWSBI Diamond 580, and 5 other inks lol.
Shipping question - why don't you ship to Quebec? Even with exchange and shipping, some things on your site are a better deal than I can get here. Plus, I'd love to support Goulet because I love the Pencast! More hammers and Nerf guns please!
This has to be one of my favorite Goulet videos so far.
No I'm gonna go and cuddle my Dark Lilac 2016 boxes of cartridges while whispering "my preciousss".
I have no way to confirm this, but I theorize Lamy was utilizing one of the pigments that are sending painters into buying fits because certain shades of paint are no longer possible to be made. The pigments in question are Quinacridones, which have a deep reddish-brown quality to them (like the last rays of sunshine during sunset). They haven't been manufactured for years, but the supply was still going for awhile because of low demand. However, once enthusiasts heard it would no longer be around, they started buying it up and the stockpile dwindled faster than expected. So, now there's none to make more finished product. Again, I have no way to confirm this, but the window of time is right, the undertones the original Dark Lilac had match, and it's essentially the same story in an adjacent industry. Sad. You'd think the manufacturing company would see the demand these shades have, now that social media has made the colors more well known and accessible, and would go back to making them, or that some other pigment company would buy the rights to production. 🤷🏼♀️
Honestly that INTENSE sickly green sheen is a no go for me.
I was kind of OK with the shade...then I saw the sheen and immediately blurted out "oh, NOOOO!" Any other sheen would have been better...
The sheen is what’s drawing me in but green and purple is my favorite color combination lol
I like it
Same
It's this bad on normal paper, tomoe river brings out a lot
This is a great explanation of the differences between the two editions of the ink. The background music enhanced the drama of the story, I loved that.
Aaaand we got Rick Rolled
And now I'm gonna have that song stuck in my head the rest of the evening..LOL
And rolled and rolled!
Never Goulet you up?
Well, he had to write SOMETHING, didn't he? When I test a new pen, nib, or ink, I write lines from Jabberwocky.
Came here for this 😂😂
The classiest way I've ever been Rickrolled
Y'all never let us down
How often can you buy a ticket for the hype train out of fomo town for only $12? Just ordered my 2024 Dark Lilac, what can I say, I like all things purple-ish.
Thank you. Nice explanation without the drama. I come from the world of watercolor paints and discontinued pigments is a constant thing. Our high drama was Quinacridone Gold. It glowed but the pigment was discontinued in the automotive world. I know and felt your pain.
I heard about this as I was trying to learn about watercolors at the time, and was shocked that the auto industry affected the art world like that!
Bringing back memories and the guarding that last batch of gold 😂
I feel your pain, and was crushed when Daniel Smith, who bought the whole supply of Quinacridone Burnt Orange (PO48 or 49, Gold’s the other one) got out of the oil paint business. There is no way I can use my beloved yellow in oils?!
@@annafdd I’m from the watercolor world, and feel your pain. The OG Quin Gold was PO49; it was replaced in most brands with a 2-pigment mix of PO48+PY150. The recently discontinued pigment - PO48 - was the more orange color. If you’re still looking for a great yellow, PY150 is what gave it the most yellow, “glowy” tone & is incredibly versatile & lightfast…even in watercolor. It’s usually called “Nickel Azo Yellow,” & is my favorite yellow pgmt bc it can be warm in more saturated uses, while cooler & bright when more diluted. It’s also a fantastic mixer. Most “new” Quin Golds combine it with PR101, but if you’ve got a Burnt Sienna that’s PBr7, it makes an alternative I really like, without having to take up more palette space & money.
Thank you for coming to my (Pigment Nerd) TED Talk.
@@DanniGeee oh excellent point about PY150 + Br7. I will try it out. I do have a tube of Daniel Smith Quinacridone Burnt Orange which is PO48.
LOVED the investigative documentary vibe! And enjoyed the detailed deep dive into ink history and the thorough comparison. You guys should do this more often, about other topics that come up often (Monteverde inks and past mold issues, Kaweco nib inconsistencies, complaints about Visconti nibs...). It wasn't merely interesting but put a number of rumors and instigations to rest.
Aside from stationery and watches, I also dip my stinky feet into the perfume world. Reformulation is very commonplace in perfumery. The difference being Lamy admitted to the reformulation and stated the reason for it. Chanel, Dior, Guerlain, etc would never do that. Some perfume houses would even go to the extent of gaslighting you and say that there's something wrong with your nose. Hopefully, this hobby remains an honest cottage industry. The perfume world became a multi-billion dollar industry, corporate greed took over, and it is now, shall we say, not as honest.
This is great coverage of the story and the quasi-re-release. All said, I feel like I've seen other inks that are a closer match to the original 2016 Lamy dark lilac at Goulet pens. Could you guys maybe shout them out on the next Pencast?
I'm actually super excited about this "controversy" because now I have something big and fun to connect outsider people to my niche hobby.
You mention that you have a number of other manufacturers with a similar lilac ink. Which brand comes closer to the original deep lilac? I would much prefer the brighter deep lilac.
It's not called deep, but dark lilac hence the not bright!
Diamine Pansy is pretty close.
I've never splashed around in Dark Lilac but I do have the other inks I'm about to mention. I know that, on screen, swabs of the old Dark Lilac and Pansy look very similar. Maybe it is just my pens and paper, but I think that Pansy is noticeably darker and cooler in my writing. By my eye, Waterman Tender Purple and Diamine Majestic Purple are closer to the 2016 Dark Lilac (again, in writing). Diamine's Robert, Imperial Purple, and Sheaffer Amethyst have some similarities, too. Consider getting samples of all of them to find out which ones look the best in your writing environment. Don't expect an exact match though. Many ink enthusiasts have labeled the 2016 DL as "unobtainium" because there is nothing else quite like it.
The Goulet's would be wise to create a new Dark Lilac sampler package for everyone to buy.
It is ....unobtainium....and that DL bottle stays inside a Ziploc bag to get it close to hermetic. I have some DL cartridges (yes, they made some) and those are stored separately.
What will bake everyone's noodle is that I have a case of Petrol. Not quite DM, Petrol has its own following. 😂
Definitely different inks, but they both look amazing! Thanks for making such a detailed video.
Now we have a nice new history in pen community. Thanks Brian
Thanks, Brian. I got a bottle of the new 2024 Dark Lilac ink from Goulet a couple days ago and it's amazing. I love it because of the new formula. I'm using it in a Noodlers Neponset with a music nib at the moment and the flow is fantastic, wet, and gorgeous. The sheen is the best of any ink I've used. My favorite before getting the Dark Lilac has been Birmingham Ink's Interstellar Bronze. After seeing this demo I realize I'm going to need to get a bottle of the Blackberry. Love the brownish color of it. I really do think the 2024 Dark Lilac is an improvement on the old formula. I addressed a letter to an old friend the other day with the new ink and he called me immediately to ask what I had written with and couldn't figure out how an ink could change colors just by shifting the paper. Bravo, Lamy! I hope the new sale to the Japanese is a good thing, but knowing the Japanese and their love of pen and ink I have high hopes. Oh, and thanks to your staff for the quick service I always get with Goulet Pen.
When i read the lamy statement that they thought they had a gap in their ink lineup i thought but why don't you just put violet in a bottle??
Can't be the only one.
Am looking forward to trying this one though.
The drama at the start of this was gold.
As someone who was not fortunate enough to get my hands on any of the original Dark Lilac, I was really looking forward to trying out this new version. But, after seeing your very thorough comparisons, I feel disappointed all over again. I have a hard time believing that was truly the closest they could get to the original! Thanks for the very informative video, though! Saved me the frustration of buying it and finding out the hard way that it is not what I expected. :)
Well, it is probably harder than it looks. Lamy is a company of scales and thus, they probably have long term contracts with their suppliers. They could not just go to a new supplier and say: "By the way..."
I think it would be a lovely color but the sheen is a big issue for me.
@XHobbiesPrime same. Not that I have a problem with sheen in and of itself, but the sheen really makes it a very different color from the original. It's hard for me to believe that someone at Lamy gave the go-ahead to release this color under the auspices of being Dark Lilac. Unless they really did want to create some controversy. Why pay for advertising when you can get it for free? You've heard the expression, "There's no such thing as bad press."
@@AtomicElf1❤️👍
@@AtomicElf1 I think the issue is the new ink is super saturated. Maybe diluting it slightly with distilled water would make it more palatable?
The new Dark Lilac formulation does not seem quite as "azarath metrion zinthos" as the original was, but it's still got a lot of its own unique character. If Lamy really wanted to Rickroll us they would perhaps announce a new color called Martinsheen and if they wanted to be even more controversial they would follow up with Charliesheen. 😱
I missed Dark lilac the first time it came around. I'm glad to see it come back. I'd still love to see Petrol come back as a standard colour. While I've found similar colours they haven't behaved nearly so well on inexpensive papers.
Mitsubishi Uniball stuff is uniformly pretty nice in my experience. I would expect Lamy's reputation for quality to continue.
finding out ne of the pigments was no longer available doesnt surprise me actually, reminds me of a few years ago the paint community bemoaned the loss of original quinacridone gold. turns out a main factor of what pigments are commercially available is the auto industry.
I own a Lamy dark lilac safari and it is much loved. However, I missed out on the original ink...as happened to many people. I am debating if the new dark lilac would work for me, but I'm on the fence about getting a bottle. I'm glad to see the comparsion. If I do get the ink, I will know what to expect. Also...loved the Rickroll! :)
You're absolutely right Brian, we are a very passionate community and glad to have you enlighten us about so much.
I understand everyone who is upset because they expected a true successor to the original dark lilac, but WOW I think the new one is gorgeous. If only it had been given a different name... green and purple definitely have their place as a duo!
The classiest presentation of this issue. I don’t write in purple ink but thank you Brian for the great information.
I am so happy I stumbled upon the New York Times article, because when I was a kid I was obsessed with those Schaeffer fountain pens and I had to have ever color cartridge . I had not thought of fountain pens for years and the article triggered my love affair! Great video and I love the new version with that magical green sheen
You know how to spin a masterful yarn: the Lay of Dark Lilac.
This is nerdy wonderful. Great history and comparison. Admittedly, I prefer the original.
I think I would like the new lilac better if it wasn't for the sheen. It's too much and I don't like how it washes out the base color.
But this was a really nice and informative video. Thank you for the thorough comparison.
Never expected this little fancy of us to go mainstream.
The green sheen is kinda surprising and polarizing though.
I feel like I've seen so many inks that could pass for Lamy DL 2016. To me, it looks like Coloverse Delcious Sleep? Regardless, I love that it's put the fountain pen community in the spotlight! Great video!
Brian, this isn’t your first foray into this storied masthead. I am looking through the NYT archives and an article from December 2018 reads: Brian Goulet, of Goulet pens, who had the handsomeness of a 1950s young dad, thick hair like mink, broad shoulders, a warm handshake. Surely such a flattering description sticks in your mind?!
I saw that article that someone shared too! How about another quote from that article? Brian Goulet as made fountain pens , ".....not just literary, but lit". :)
Thanks, Brian. I think I like the new ink better than the 2016.
Brian giving the pen community the dl on DL - I’m here for it! ❤
Was so excited to see you quoted in the NYTimes!!
Thank you, Brian. Appreciate this video! Blessings
Reminds me of Noodler's Black Swan in Australian Roses with it's variations of the original. If the ink is going to change colors they should change the name.
Totally agree. I bought a new one based on reviews of the old one. With the same lable and packaging it's impossible to tell one from another until you already bought and used it.
Great video! This happens in art too. Some of people’s favourite paints and coloured pencils have changed hue because the original pigments were discontinued. It can be very disappointing! Since art and pen companies and are dependent on other manufacturers for the pigments and dyes, I now buy a back up for supplies I really love. Good for Lamy for apologizing!
I've just ordered a bottle of Dark Lilac....big fan of a sheen ink and this looks spectacular 👌
Ordered one the other day as well. I didn't realize the significance until watching this. Currently I'm on the hunt for the perfect purple. I've ended up with a few very nice colors, although based on this video I think the original Dark Lilac is more the shade I'm going for.
@BrianGeorgeGaming yeah I know what you mean....the perfect purple 💜 I have Diamine Scribble Purple which is too dark for me so hopefully this lilac will feel better 👍👍 The original looks fab but I do like a sheen so this new one was an instant order when I saw the reviews 😀
Thanks for the info on DL, Brian. We are good hands with you. No rush to get DL, I'll wait for Ink October this year to acquire it, thanks.
I would like to see you do a quick purple comparison to see if there is a purple ink in your stock that would match the original! I personally don’t care much about it. I like the color of the dark lilac pen more than the ink. I like the new ink it might be fun. I’m a green ink user… the possibilities are endless.
The green sheen in the new ink gives the 2024 dark lilac a warmer feel, which I love.
Thanks for the video Brian. Looking at the closeups of your swatches, the 2024 Dark Lilac looks awfully close to Diamine "Little Bob". The base colour and green sheen look very similar, and even the way the ink clings onto the pen section looks the same. FYI: Little Bob is made by Diamine as an exclusive for Cult Pens here in the UK as part of the "Irridescink" iridescent range. These inks have people names, and the Diamine 30ml bottles are called Little Bob, whereas the 80ml ink is Robert.
Robert/Bob has green sheen, though. Philip has gold sheen but doesn’t look anything like DL.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts and insights on this. I was waiting for your response and you didn’t disappoint
As someone who loves sheening, dare I say I think I might prefer the new Dark Lilac???
Yeah! I’m a sucker for purples and for sheen so the 2024 DL looks like a must have ink ✍️ for me 😍
The original ink color matches the Lamy pen best I think. But honestly the new ink is fairly stunning.
Fantastic video! Thanks for all you do, Goulet!
The new Dark Lilac looks like Colorverse Pillars of creation with that heavy green sheen on a brownish purple base.
Thanks for this LOOOONG mystery solve!
I LOVE THAT GREEN SHEEN!! Purple with green sheen/shimmer is ❤🎉
thank you for the video and comprehansive review and explanation, always enjoying your revision and videos
LOL all this fuzz. I'm so happy with Diamine Blackberry. Purplish shade of blue that makes it serious with a twist. Nice and wet. Oxblood is almost the colour I'd like in my similarly coloured Carene. Not just red enough to my taste. Suggestions? Oh forget Noodlers, wouldn't buy anything from them.
0:58 I read that article! It's so cool to be a part of this community, but who knew there was drama to go along with it...over INK😃
I LOVE MY HOBBY! This was such a passion infused drama that I could never have imagined in the fountain pen world. I love this hobby/community 💜💛💜💚
My all-time favorite purple is still Rohrer and Klingner Cassia. It’s a super solid true purple that doesn’t lean blue, red, or pink. Just pure awesome purpleness! And yes, I have already stocked up in case it gets discontinued 😊
Thanks for this purple 🟣 ink tip. I ❤ Rohrer & Klinger inks and I haven't tried Cassia ink yet.
Opinions will differ of course, but I actually think Lamy acted with quite strong integrity over this release, which I appreciate. I have a bottle of the original LDL bought a couple of years ago, for far too much money, and 2 bottles of the new formulation arrived here yesterday, so I should be good for a while...
I'm waiting for a re-reĺease of Petrol. That was mega popular as well, as I remember. Any word from Lamy on that?
Thank you. That was very interesting and educative.
Best coverage I've seen!
I see what you did there 😂
I got into fountain pens the year after dark lilac was released and was never able to get the ink. Im glad we can get this now, albeit it is a bit different formula.
The amount of attention this has gotten is unbelievable to me. 🤯
The original color was amazing. The new color is also beautiful. Will I pick it up next order even though it's not the same? Probably. 💜
That was an amazing introduction!
Color matches in dye are tricky, even with the same ingredients. Yarn dyers warn about this - if you want an exact match, you want all the skeins from the same batch. In this case, the ink is remade years later, and with different ingredients. It is what it is. Both are beautiful. I'm tapped out for Fun Money this month, but will pick up a bottle in April, if some is still available (although, I might just get Azurite - it is even prettier).
And, the manufacturers for dye change formulas, too. I remember a particular change that a customer found because the new formulation would break color on a certain fiber content.
Same with dyed cross stitch floss- buy from the same dye lot if you want a match
Thank you for covering this in video format; I read the NYT article but I think it wasn't written by someone actually in the fountain pen community. You go through the backstory and lore in such a informative and thorough way!
Its nice to see a lot of people enjoy purple inks. I’ve finished a bottle of Lamy Azurite last year and I have other bottles of purple inks from other brands and maybe if I remember, I’ll pickup the 2024 Dark Lilac.
The lilac color is nice, but for me the green sheen is a deal-breaker.
Good review and summary of NYT story. I read it this morning.
Thanks for watching (and reading)! - Drew
You ARE the man. 💜🙌🏽💜
I do favor a green sheening ink.
Excellent content as always 🎉
What a story && what a story-teller
If I had invested in Buttered Popcorn and Dark Lilac I'd be sitting pretty.
Buttered popcorn is so ugly though. One step below a highlighter
I absolutely love Buttered Popcorn!
I occasionally see Buttered Popcorn available on FWP's Canadian website. I hope this helps.
Great explanation with excellent detail of the new ink. Not sure if it is my monitor but 2024 seems dull in comparison to 2016 and I can see why it was so popular, such a shame as the 2016 make me want to part with my money, unfortunately 2024 does not. Thanks for a very informative review Mr G🙂👍
Call me crazy but I was thinking of getting a gold nib for my lamy al-star. With this sale, should I be concerned they may discontinue them? Love the channel!!!
Hi, for what it's worth, I like the New Dark Lilac better than the old, purple and green is my jam. I'm happy.
They should bring back Petrol as well !
Sounds like it’s the same in other parts of the world:
- food manufacturers (sweets, crisps, etc) do sometimes change ingredients if something else is cheaper or if something is no longer available. This sometimes changes the taste and sometimes doesn’t. What those manufacturers don’t do is change the name of their product. You have to just swallow it.
- when you buy things at a hardware store, floor tiles for example, you want to make sure to get them all from the same die run as every time they make a new batch, subtle color changes may appear due to the changes that can happen when they mix paint, or dry times in slightly different temperatures.
Same with this ink here. Sounds like Lamy honestly tried to recreate Dark Lilac but one of the ingredients is no longer available so they do whatever they can to make the same ink as in 2016. The purple itself is indeed ever so slightly off, the sheen is way different. I only stepped into the fountain pen world last year so I don’t have the original Dark Lilac but I do like what I see about the new one. The green sheen is a nice touch. I wanted to get my hands on Blackberry (suddenly no longer available in Europe) but wasn’t sure because of the gold sheen that I didn’t like. I love that Lamy did their best to bring back an all-time favourite and the result is a great new color. Right now, I can buy it directly from Lamy but shipping is expensive. And reliable third-party vendors don’t seem to have it yet…
That background music is next level. I was confused and excited all at the same time.
I think I prefer the new Dark Lilac. It seems more legible if you're writing pages of text.
Is it safe to say Blackberry is a sleeper purple that might be work-appropriate?
Sorry, even on you tube the inks are not close. I am a purple ink fan and spend lots of time comparing purple inks. The green sheen is completely off putting from a mild gold sheen. Fortunately there are lots more inks to evaluate (and thanks to sellers providing samples!!).
We need to see Brian's watch collection
Brian, thank you so much for all the information on this ink, it was highly confusing and this sums it up nicely . Psst… the green sheen ruins it for me, it makes it like every other purple ink with green sheen out there.
Now I'll need to check how the original compares to Diamine Purple Rain, which has gold sheen. 😎
Please inform us (me)! I missed out on DL Classic and would love to know how Purple Rain stacks up ❤
Oh I actually really love that sheen! I use a not of medium nibs and having a really pronounced sheen makes me happy. My first ink I fell in love with was LAMY petrol... since that doesn't seem to be anywhere on the horizon, I will have to try this one.
I figure that I can get lilac or purple ink from another brand. What I really want to get my hands on is a dark lilac Lamy Safari.
The previous version is so much more beautiful.
This is a great video! Very informative and well done. Do we really know what is going to happen with the sale of Lamy? How do we know that the ink will be available "forever"?
As a former geology student I am partial to Monteverdi Gemstone Ink - Amethyst ! Brian is most interested in Garnet the most important gemstone because of ………Sandpare!
Damn spellcheck - Sandpaper!
I like all of them, but that Azurite, wow, next must-have acquired.
Also, nice Rick-roll, lol. I appreciate it. 😂
the green sheen reminds me of diamine bougainvillea. love the intensity of lamy inks though.
Bougainvillea is also a lovely colour and a fave of mine 😃
Appreciated being rick rolled while I watch a fountain pen video... lol
Good session
Awesome review and comparison, definitely I'll get the DarkLilac now. I have an question, Last week I receive my Lamy Blackberry ink for GouletStore and I'm using now, but this looks very different to your test here in the video or the website swabs, my ink looks. very very dark with no sheen, I only get sheen if I get a drop of ink, is this normal? thank you
Everyone's fussing about Dark Lilac and I'm here just hoping we might see a return of Petrol too.
Great job on this video.
They are like waaaay different
Its a nice purple but a totally different color. My temptation would be to mix it with Azurite.
I’m so here for the deep dive. 🏊
Aw, and once again LAMY's poor forgotten purple the lovely, but mystifyingly cartridge only LAMY Violet has been forgotten. I very much enjoyed the bedtime story vibe to the backstory though! For the curious, the dye in question that is causing the formula difference is no longer made because the factory burned down sadly.