Diamine Grey ink review

It's been a long time since I reviewed a grey ink so I got the urge to test one of the grey samples I have. I settled on Diamine Grey. If you're looking for a generic ink name, Diamine's got you covered. Now, grey inks can be rather boring, in my humble opinion, but I like to keep an open mind and this time I was surprised in a good way.

The ink was tested in my new workhorse, the Kaweco Sport Classic, which I use as an eyedropper. This has recently become my daily office pen and it's a good thing because it allows me to review inks quicker than I normally would, thanks to the broad nib which uses more ink.

If you're wondering about the eyedropper conversion in the Kaweco Sport, let me tell you that all I did was pour the ink in the body and screw it to the section, without using any silicone grease. It doesn't leak, though I wouldn't take it on a plane. Anyway, on with the review.

Bottle and pricing
Diamine inks are usually $12.95 a bottle for 80ml / 1.7oz which comes in at $0.16 per milliliter. In other words they are very affordable.

Color and saturation
Since this is a grey ink we can't really talk about color, while the saturation is average. Diamine Grey is on the darker side and to illustrate this I am comparing it with the other grey ink I tested, J Herbin Gris Nuage. As you can see, Diamine Grey is much darker.

Shading
Surprinsingly, Diamine Grey actually has some interesting shading going on. I like that when I start writing it is wet and much darker, almost black. As soon as it dries (which happens quickly), the color lightens but you can clearly see the dark shadows, usually where the ink pools at the end of a line. So yes, it definitely shades and it's far from being a flat color. I like to call this an "ink with personality".

Feathering
None that I could see.

Bleedthrough
It doesn't bleed through the cheap paper, except for a little insignificant ghosting.

Flow, lubrication, and smoothness
As always, I'm impressed by a wet ink and Diamine Grey makes me happy by scoring a 7/10 on the wetness scale. It flows nicely through the Kaweco's broad nib, as well as smoothly. It's a real pleasure in use. 

Drying time
Drying times vary depending on the paper quality. On Rhodia 80g it takes an average of 15 seconds to dry but on cheap paper that happens in 5 seconds or less. Of course, it also depends on the size of the nib. Broad nib equals longer drying times on glossy paper.

Smearing when dry
None.

Water resistance
Another thing that took me by surprise is the degree of water resistance this ink exhibited. It's not supposed to be at all resistant to liquids, yet the text is still legible after being submerged for a minute under running water.

Conclusion
Diamine Grey is by far the best grey ink I've tested, although that's not saying much since this is only my second grey ink. Nonetheless, I'm personally enamored with this ink by virtue of it's pleasant shade (dark but not too dark), as well as its shading, smoothness and surprise water resistance. I find it a joy to use in my daily pen and I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a decent grey ink. I still have a couple more grey inks to test but this one looks like a strong contender for Grey Ink of the Year.

Here are the two samples on photocopy and Rhodia 80g papers, respectively.