Pelikan Brilliant Red ink is aptly named. It doesn't compete with the deeper red inks, which I typically prefer; however, it is stunningly bright. The ink is complimented by the orange and yellow tones of sunset, which are subtle with regular usage, but obvious in the ink swatch.
Pelikan Brilliant Red does have subtle shading and saturation properties, but overall the ink's color was incredibly consistent, with all but my Pilot Parallel. I typically use a flex nib because I want to see color variation; however, I much prefer this ink with the thicker lines produced by the Noodler's Ahab flex nib, over a standard nib.
I noticed something peculiar when running Brilliant Red through my flex test. As the nib lay ink on the paper, the ink appear almost gel-like in consistency, as illustrated in the picture below. Perhaps this is responsible for the ink's consistent color and minimal shading properties, but I'm not sure.
Pelikan Brilliant Red ink is a solid performer for those looking for a consistent color and minimal shading. This ink is almost highlighter bright, and I think that it would work well for marking up/grading papers or calling out important bits of information. The dry time is pretty close to 30 seconds, which is on par with most inks. Although this ink isn't a personal favorite, I would happily recommend it to those who may prefer its lighter color. Personally, I'm going to stick with Red Dragon for now.
Stats
- Dry Time: Less than 40s
- Wetness: High
- Shading: Low
- Feathering: Low
- Saturation: Medium
Tools
- J. Herbin Glass Dip Pen
- Noodler's Ahab - Flex nib
- Pilot Parallel - 6mm nib
- Rhodia DotPad
