Laban hasn’t been known for their inks – only their pen lineup. But recently they came out with a small collection of inks that take their inspiration from Greek mythology. I purchased bottles of Aphrodite and Apollo and samples of the other three in the collection.
The illustrations are fun although Aphrodite is a bit… not clothed. I do like the fountain pen in each drawing!
Each ink comes in a 50mL glass bottle and the packaging is not much larger than the bottle itself – not excessive but not minimal either.
Poseidon Green is not what I would call green. It is a lovely color, though. Rather than green, it is a teal or even turquoise that leans just a little towards green. Not much shading was seen in writing but it is a beautiful color.
Demeter Brown is an earthy color with a hint of red. In front of my eyes, these three cards looked very similar. under the camera, you can see quite a difference, though. There is some light shading in writing.
Apollo Orange is a very bright color! This is a color that could lead to pen crud if left too long in a pen, especially in a dry environment. Pen crud is a crystalization of the dye in ink, left behind as it dries. It can form crystals or lumps on the pen nib with some colors. It doesn’t harm the pen and typically comes off with a quick dunk in water. The best way to avoid it is to just write more with your pen!
Aphrodite Pink is my favorite of this bunch. A dark rose pink with a brown undertone. There is a bit of shading in writing but not much. Aphrodite is a unique color in my collection – nothing else quite matches it.
Finally, Artemis Navy Blue. I don’t know that I would call this navy blue – it is more a jewel tone sapphire with a bit of purple. There is a hint of sheen that shows up in normal writing – a subtle red. Artemis is a bit darker than Sailor Studio 543.
Finally, a full family photo. (I’m just now noticing I’ve misspelled Laban on Aphrodite…)
I have enjoyed each of these inks – a beautiful collection from Laban and not the typical colors you would expect from a first release of inks. At $20 for 50mL, it is very affordable. I’ve kept Aphrodite in a pen at all time since I purchased the bottle and it has quickly become one of my favorites.
I purchased my bottles and samples from Vanness Pens where you can get a sample for $2.60 or the full bottle for $20.
DISCLAIMER: The items included in this review were purchased by me and I was not compensated to write this review. Please see the About page for more details.
I also just ordered a bottle of Demeter since I love a good brown. I must say that orange is calling me. Will need to add to my ink-wishlist on my next ink order! Thanks for this review.
They seem to somewhat line up w/ the colors of their 325 pens—that could explain the color for Poseidon, as it’s a good match for the turquoise pen.
So do you use the numbers on the cards like a dewey decimal system?
It looks like base color, or first swatch of that color has no .digit, so I assume the subsequent ones are the ones with .5 .15?