Searching for the Best Red Fountain Pen Ink

The pen world seems to have two categories of inks: The tried and true that have been around forever, like Waterman Serenity Blue, and the fashion-forward inks, colourful sometimes with some sparkle that add some flair to your page. And with new inks constantly appearing, unfortunately, sometimes your favourite ink gets discontinued.  

While I am not a teacher who uses red to grade papers, and I don’t work in a typical office where red ink might come in handy, I do find myself reaching for a pen filled with red ink, frequently. And, this past August my go-to red ink, Ferris Wheel Press Algonquin Maple (see image below), that I use for highlighting important events and appointments in my daytimer and adding a bright splash of colour to my sketches, was discontinued.

So, I am now on the hunt for a comparable red ink.  

What are the criterion for the best red ink?

In order to find a replacement ink, I first had to figure out what it was that I loved about Algonquin Maple. And, the fact is, the criteria people use to choose inks is very personal. What I like can be VERY different from what you like. So, I am going to list out what I like to create a checklist for picking a replacement red ink:

    1. Must be a true red; not too orange and not too dark.
    2. No shimmer; as much as I love shimmer, red ink tends to be a more practical ink for me.
    3. No crazy sheening.
    4. Must be fairly fast drying; Algonquin Maple fully dries on a page in about 40 seconds. Anything over 50 seconds is automatically eliminated because I know I will smudge it.
    5. Not waterproof, I have some waterproof inks in my collection and tend to dedicate a pen to them for life. I switch nib sizes too often to do this with my red

Currently Goldspot has 224 inks under the red colour category on their website so we should have no shortage of colours to pick from. So, with our criteria for a red ink set, let's go shopping on Goldspot.

*Cost and cartridge availability have no impact on how brands will rank.

Diamine Red Dragon

As a “legacy brand” dating back to 1864, an ink from Diamine was always going to end up on this list as they have a tried and tested formula. This is an absolutely stunning red that isn't pretending to be anything other than red. Even when it sheens, it is a dark red brown instead of going green like most red inks do. It has a daily comparable dry time to my current red of ink of around 40 seconds and also is not waterproof like my current red.

Shop Diamine Red Dragon Bottled Ink & Cartridges

Robert Oster Clay Red

While this is a newer ink brand on the market, I personally, am a huge fan of the Robert Oster line of inks. This is a very red red that has a slight bit of dark brown sheening to it on certain papers (Tomoe River). It has a fairly comparable dry time to other red inks on this list at 30 seconds making it definitely in the running to be my new red ink.

Shop Robert Oster Clay Red Bottled Ink

Scribo Rosso Melograno

SCRIBO was formed by former legacy OMAS employees after the original brand closed in 2016. Currently they have 13 inks in their lineup. This is a red that leans slightly pink but has all of the moody/muted vibes that I normally have in my inked up pens. While different from my normal red I think this red would actually fit into my colour palette more then the red I use. It has a very comparable dry time of about 30 seconds meaning it is definitely in the running to be my new red.

Shop Scribo Rosso Melograno

Jacques Herbin Rouge Grenat

With 300+ years (founded in 1670) of history behind it, it is no surprise that J. Herbin is the second legacy brand to make this list. This is a red that understands that all it needs to be is red. It is slightly on the darker side of reds that made this list but I think it looks absolutely stunning when written with. It has a fairly fast dry time of about 20 seconds meaning it dries faster than my current red.

Shop Jacques Herbin Rouge Grenat Bottled Ink

Wearingeul Captain Hook

Founded in 1957, Wearingeul has always focused on pens and paper and specializes in inks inspired by literature. This ink is a stunning deep red that has lovely medium red shading to it. It has no sheening and dries in 30 seconds on a page making it a top contender for my new red.

Shop Wearingeul Captain Hook Bottled Ink

Colorverse Min-Hwa Dan-Hong

Colorverse is an ink brand based in South Korea with an absolutely massive lineup of colours and lucky they are fairly easy to acquire through Goldspot. Dan-Hong leans slightly more pink than my current red but has no gold sheen unlike most pinkish-red inks, a nice change. It dries in about 40 seconds on a page making it quite comparable to my current red in that criteria even if the tone is very different.

Shop Colorverse Min-Hwa Dan-Hong Bottled Ink

Honorable Mentions

Diamine Writer's Blood

Unfortunately this ink leans a bit too bordeaux to be a true red for me but there is a reason this ink has a cult following. A stunning dark red/purple colour Writer’s Blood has minimal green sheening and looks stunning in every nib size you put it in from extra fine to flex. The only downside of this ink for me is the dry time, Writer’s Blood takes an impressive 60 seconds to dry so I don't know that I could use this ink without smudging it.

Shop Diamine Writer's Blood Bottled Ink

Sailor Shikiori Yodaki (Summer Night Bonfire)

As Japan’s first cartridge fountain pen on the market back in 1958, Sailor has a short but impressive resume as a pen and ink company. Yodaki has a super fast dry time and a stunning colour but it has a green sheen that is a little more fancy than I want to be in my practical red ink. I suspect a bottle will find a home in my collection at some point though because it is so pretty but it is not the true red I am after.

Shop Sailor Shikiori Yodaki (Summer Night Bonfire) Bottled Ink

Sailor Manyo Kuzu & Ume

These inks seem to be very paper dependent. I have seen swatches where they look red, swatches where they are bordeaux, and others where they are dark purple with a green hue. I am a huge fan of the Sailor Manyo line (really all of the Sailor inks) but because these colours look so different on different papers I unfortunately can’t give it a higher spot on this list to either of them.

Shop Sailor Manyo Ume Bottled Ink

Shop Sailor Manyo Kuzu Bottled Ink

Sailor Shikiori Irori (Hearth Red)

This one feels a bit like cheating to have it on the list because I own it. At the 2024 Chicago Pen Show I was lucky enough to be able to pick up this ink in the original 50 mL bottle. This is a stunning red but leans slightly too pinky-orange to replace Algonquin Maple in my collection even though it does dry in about 20 seconds.

Shop Sailor Shikiori Yodaki (Summer Night Bonfire) Bottled Ink

Taccia Aka Red

TACCIA is a fairly new pen company getting its start back in 2003 originally, but the brand officially became TACCIA in 2011. They have a few lines of inks but this red is part of their standard line. This ink really reminds me of Sailor Irori. It leans pinky-orange as well but has a fantastic gold sheen to it. Definitely not a replacement for my normal basic red ink but as red inks go it is a very fun red that dries in about 30 seconds.

Shop Taccia Aka Bottled Ink

Taccia Utamaro-Benizakura (Crimson Cherry Blossom)

I desperately wanted this ink to be my winner for best red ink. On the Goldspot site it is such a stunning bright, poppy red but after looking at a few other reviews on the internet I discovered that it has a stunning gold sheen to it. This ink will definitely be a purchase for me in 2025 because I think it looks spectacular & has a fairly fast drying time of about 15 seconds.

Shop Taccia Utamaro-Benizakura Bottled Ink

Dominant Industry Romania Red

Dominant Industry is another South Korean ink brand but unlike Wearingeul, it is a fairly new player on the market having released its first inks in 2021. I really thought this red was going to be our winner. It’s dry time is fairly similar to my go to red and it is the perfect red that really pops on a page. The only downside to it is also my favourite part of the ink; it has a dark brown/black sheen to it. I think it is super unique as red inks go and I think it will find a home in my ink wall in 2025 even if it didn't make the cut as my replacement red for Algonquin Maple.

Shop Dominant Industry Romania Bottled Ink

Wearingeul Anne of Green Gables

This ink from Wearingeul is part of their World Literature series and is a very pink red, not a bad thing but unfortunately not what I’m looking for this time around. This ink also has a green/gold sheen on some papers. Dry time wise it is identical to my current red ink at 40 seconds and looks stunning in every writing sample I’ve looked at.

Shop Wearingeul Anne of Green Gables Bottled Ink

Wearingeul Human Issues / Human Problem

This ink goes by two different names when you are looking it up online but just know they are the same ink. Colour wise this red wins hands down, it is the perfect medium dark red and is stunning. The issue with this colour is the dry time, at 70 seconds there is no way I could use this ink for day to day red writing.

Shop Wearingeul Human Issues Bottled Ink

My Pick for Best Red Fountain Pen Ink

Jacques Herbin Rouge Grenat

There is a reason why J. Herbin has been able to survive for hundreds of years making inks and Rouge Grenat is the perfect example of how that occurred. This is truly a no-fuss, fairly fast-drying, red ink that comes in both sample sizes and full bottles. It is an ink created by a brand that understands that as fountain pen users we sometimes want a pH neutral ink for those precious vintage pens. Rouge Grenat has none of the green sheening reds often have. It is significantly darker than my current red ink but I think it should shade quite nicely in a broad or flex nib.

Note: All the dry time information was collected and cross-referenced on various internet sites & blogs.


About the Author

Alexandra Richardson is a Canadian watercolour and fountain pen content creator. She can be found on Instagram and Youtube under @alexandrasartinsanity.

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