Both sets of inks in purple trays lined up next to each other.
Fountain Pens

November Subscription Samples, Review: Maiora & Octopus Fluids

November begins! This month I got Maiora inks from Truphae and Octopus Fluids from Ink Flight! Interestingly named inks, I must say. 

A purple tray with 5 ink vials lined up side by side and a plastic bag with the inks listed in handwriting that is difficult to read, each name written in the color of the ink.
Maiora Inks

Maiora inks are made in Italy and are most often described as vibrant when googled. I have been super tired lately so I didn’t get to look into this brand as much as I’d like. I know I’ve seen other reviews of it and they have a good reputation.

3 notebook pages overlapping each other, able to see just a portion of the bottom 2 pages, and more of the top page. There is a red, a blue, and a black ink sampled with shapes, swirls, straight lines, smudges and writing.
Maiora: Rossa Pompeiano, Blu Caprese, Nero Vesuvio
  • Rossa Pompeiano, looks red in the photo but in person it looks like a nice pink to me.
  • Blu Caprese, a purply blue, or a blue with faint purple tones, my favorite!
  • Nero Vesuvio, tough to find a true black ink. Looks black when wet, but dries to a very dark grey, hints of brown undertone.
2 notebook pages overlapping each other, able to see just a portion of the bottom page, and more of the top page. There is a yellow and a blue ink sampled with shapes, swirls, straight lines, smudges and writing.
Maiora: Giallo Tufo, Viola Amalfitano
  • Giallo Tufo, a lovely bright orange, yum!
  • Viola Amalfitano, nice medium purple, feels slightly multi chromatic, I really like it’s tone. Slightly worried about staining my metal nib – but ended up fine.
A notebook page with the following text in a silver ink: “Nov Truphae, Maiora” and then the name of the ink written in that inks color, and then a line of that ink color below it. “Rossa pompeiano” is a reddish color. “Giallo Tofu” is a yellowish orange. “Blu Caprese” is a blue color. “Viola Amalfitano” is a sort of cobalt blue. “Nero Vesuvio” is a dark grey/black color.
Maiora, Rossa Pompeiano, Giallo Tufo, Blu Caprese, Viola Amalfitano, Nero Vesuvio
A black pen with small bands of around the bottom of the cap in green, white, and red.
Monteverde, Aldo Domani Italia, F
  • I haven’t tried this pen yet, and I’m not sure when I will. The Monteverde pens I have tried I liked, but the coloring of this one isn’t something I usually use.
A purple tray with 5 inks lined up side by side and 1 more on either side. There is a long piece of paper with a lot of printed text and a dot of ink color next to each paragraph describing the ink. Those descriptions will be included in the listed inks under the following photos.

Octopus Fluids – these inks are pigmented, water proof and smudge proof – I think. Because of that I was super careful with them when I did the samples, and I expected to have some trouble keeping my metal nib clean. I only had an issue with one ink which I’ll describe below. I will include the text on the piece of paper that describes the inks below my own thoughts and in quotations.

3 notebook pages overlapping each other, able to see just a portion of the bottom 2 pages, and more of the top page. There is a purple, a red, and a teal ink sampled with shapes, swirls, straight lines, smudges and writing.
Octopus Fluids: Aubergine, Brilliant Rot, Karibik
  • Aubergine, purple! It’s pretty! Concerned about how sticky it is though. I had some trouble getting it cleaned off the holder for my metal nib. And I did not see the halo or the sheen, but that might be the paper I am using.
    “This charming purple ink has a blue halo with some light sheen.”
  • Brilliant Rot, weird name but okay! Very bright red.
    “This bold red stands out on the page like fire.”
  • Karibik, nice turquoise, although I did get it all over me! I shake the vials gently before sampling and when I opened the lid it burst out all over me and my desk! I think it was me though and not due to the ink haha.
    ”Sail the refreshing waves of this aqua blue-green ink.”
4 notebook pages overlapping each other, able to see just a portion of the bottom 3 pages, and more of the top page. There is a sepia brown, a yellow,a gray, and a maroon ink sampled with shapes, swirls, straight lines, smudges and writing.
Octopus Fluids, Sepia Schwarz, Orange, Pebble Stone, Weinrot
  • Sepia Schwarz, kind of a smoky brown. I drew a tree. Which I will not be showing the internet haha.
    “Write with vintage style using this dark, woody, neutral brown ink.”
  • Orange, pretty orange! Bright, yellow tones. Did not see any shading but again, could be my paper.
    “Bright and cheery, this juicy golden-orange color has smoky shading.”
  • Pebble Stone, very light grey, and I thought I saw some purple hints in it.
    “Part of the ‘pastel,’ this light grey ink has a soft appearance that shades well.”
  • Weinrot, dark maroon or burgundy I think, with very faint sheen.
    “This saturated, deep burgundy red has a dark sheen.”
A notebook page with the following text in silver: “Nov Ink Flight, Ocotopus Fluids” and then the name of each ink written in that inks color and then a line of the same color underneath. “Sepia Schwartz” is a brownish color, “Aubergine” is a gorgeous purple, “Orange” is a yellowish orange. “Brilliant Rot” is a super bright red, “Pebble Stone” is a light grey, “Karibik” is a teal, and “Weinrot” is a maroon.
22 November Ink Flight: Octopus Fluids, Sepia Schwarz, Aubergine, Orange, Brilliant Rot, Pebble Stone, Karibik, Weinrot
7 inks lined up in a straight line on a brown desk. Underneath them is a long piece of paper with a lot of text, an A5 size pack of loose leaf paper from Iroful, and a sticker of a Science Octopus, in a lab coat, and each arm holding different beakers and one has a pen. It’s a shiny sticker.
Octopus Fluids Ink Flight, 100 sheets of loose leaf A5 paper from Iroful, and a shiny Science Octopus sticker!

The inks turned out really cool, I liked all of the colors. I worry about pigmented inks in my pens and have even had warnings accompany some of them about not using them in that particular pen. Here is where I show my inexperience! Actually, the entire pack highlighted how much I still have to learn. For example, I thought this paper would be awesome to use, it’s a fancier grade and everything. But some of my pens end up sort of going dry and skipping when I write on it. Not sure why. Discovered a hard surface under the page instead of another page or a softer surface does help, but! Must still investigate. And I continue to love these stickers.

I enjoy how these subscriptions keep exposing me to new inks, pens, and accessories. I don’t know how long I’ll keep doing them but as of next month I’ll have been subscribed to Truphae for an entire year! They are certainly still fun.