The Brand
Colorverse inks have taken the fountain pen ink community by storm in recent months. With its uniquely shaped bottles and great packaging, it’s easy to see why they’re doing so well.
There are a total of 28 colours in the range spanning across 3 ‘seasons’- Spaceward (Season 1), Astrophysics (Season 2) and Multiverse (Season 3). All ink colours come packaged in a 65ml and 15ml mini bottle set, but the Multiverse (Season 3) sets differ by having 2 different shades instead.
The Contenders
Ever since Lamy introduced (and then swiftly took it away) Dark Lilac, the hunt for a dupe has been never ending. It does not help that as a colour by itself, the deep plum shade is beautiful. Dark enough for a more serious setting, yet also colourful enough to bring some whimsy to every day writing.
Spoiler alert, there are no Dark Lilac dupes to be had here. BUT! There are lots of beautiful inks that are in this comparison.
Here we have:
- Einstein Ring (Season 1)
- Andromeda (Season 2)
- Lights On Ceres (Season 1)
All ink tests were done on 52gsm Tomoe River Paper.
Conclusions
There are a few take-aways from this comparison of Colorverse inks
- For those after a dark plum for everyday use, look no further than Einstein Ring. On much thinner nibs, the plum may lean towards black in some light, so if that bothers you then Andromeda might be the better option.
- Fans of Pilot’s Yama Budo will find Andromeda to be a warmer alternative.
- No sheen to be had from any of these.
- Unless you are collecting the lot, Einstein Ring and Andromeda could be too similar for you to come off feeling like you spent money on two very different inks colours.
- Lights On Ceres manages to be a great shade of red without being blinding or intrusive. It’s a good red to have in the arsenal without it screaming back at you from the paper.
Pricing
Colorverse inks retail for A$45 for 80ml, split between a 65ml glass bottle and a 15ml mini bottle. At $0.56 per ml, Colorverse actually beats out Pilot Iroshizuku inks ($0.60 per ml).