Diamine Red Dragon: Ink Review

Diamine Red Dragon is a classic go-to fountain pen ink for those looking for a standard or darker red shade. With lovely shading and wet flow, this shade is sure to please. If you are looking for a new red ink to try, read on to see how awesome this ink is!

Ink Review 

Supplies Used:

• LAMY with medium steel nib
• Rhodia No. 16 dot pad, 80g white paper
• Tomoé River 52 gsm white paper
• Leuchtturm1917 80g notebook

Smear Test (Dry Time):

• 10 seconds – Out of the LAMY medium nib we get an even ten second dry time. Not too fast and not too slow! 

Drip Test (Water Resistance):

• Low – No water resistance to speak of, but it does wash to a lovely red coloration. This ink is a great medium for the artists out there.

Saturation:

• High – Red Dragon is a nice true red coloration that leans toward a dark red shade. The high saturation means some gold sheen can be coaxed out with the right nib and paper.

Ease of Cleaning:

• Medium – With no water resistance, the clean up is easy. But, this dye-heavy ink may take a few extra flushes to remove totally. 

Shading:

• Medium/High – The shading on this ink is subtle but present. On some more absorbent papers it shows a really nice gradation of color but on Rhodia or Tomoe the effect is a bit muted. 

Flow:

• High – This is a wet one! With its nice wet flow, Red Dragon is a pleasure to use in small and large nibs alike.
  
  If you're interested in similar colors, check out our Swab Shop where you can compare colors side by side.

Summary:

Diamine Red Dragon is a solid red ink option. It isn't quite as bright as Diamine Wild Strawberry, but it's still a true red. With an excellent flow and standard dry time, this ink is worth considering if your red ink lineup is lacking. Whether it's artwork, editing, outlining, or just standard writing, Red Dragon can do it all.

This color is available in 30ml bottles and 80ml bottles as well as our sample size.