As it happens sometimes in the ink world, we go to reorder our regular stock when we find out a color has been discontinued. It happened back in May of 2011 with Pelikan Blue Black, and it's just happened to us today with Caran d'Ache Carbon, Caribbean Sea, and Blue Night! Apparently, the US distributor went to order some from Switzerland, and they were surprised to find it had been discontinued, as there was no heads up about it. So since the distributor has none, that means no US retailer will be restocking, and whatever is on retailers' shelves now (including my own) is all that there will be.
Write On,
Brian Goulet
Perhaps it will just be a renaming, a la Waterman inks (and if it is then I sincerely hope they don't choose as idiotic names as did Waterman).
ReplyDeleteMysterious Blue was OK, because calling it blue black was a bit of a stretch. What the hell they mean by absolute brown I have no idea.
ReplyDeleteNeed to stock up on Caribbean Sea then!
ReplyDeleteCarbon is a good solid black - but it's not very water-resistant. Still - strange to discontinue a black without announcing a replacement for it.
ReplyDeleteI doubt that, usually if it's just a renaming they will just replace the ink with the new name and not discontinue it altogether.
ReplyDeleteYup, that was the first thing to go :P You'll want to find it fast, I'm sure it'll start to disappear from everywhere soon, perhaps before even most retailers realize it's discontinued!
ReplyDeleteIt is strange, both the black and blue black!
ReplyDeleteThis is a serious bummer. Blue night has been on my someday list for a couple years, as I have a thing for blue blacks and it's a nice one.
ReplyDeleteNot taking any risks so bought one of each from my local B&M pen shop - They are the Oz distributor for Caran d'Ache and they hadn't been informed as yet by Switzerland. They have heaps of stock though.
ReplyDeleteYup - rename and jack up the price. Standard practice.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I'm a little bummed too. There are a lot of blue blacks though, and certainly cheaper ones that could substitute.
ReplyDeleteYeah, we weren't 'informed' until we went to restock, but I'm sure once word gets out there everyone will get depleted (just like you helped them do!).
ReplyDeleteThat's not what's going on here...in fact I can't think of any ink company that has renamed and ink just to raise their price. These inks are just flat-out discontinued, and it'll be new colors coming out in the Spring. As a the price increase, Caran d'Ache has been doing that all along the way, twice in the last year I think...it's one of the most expensive inks per ml out there. I wouldn't call this 'standard practice', which is why I wanted to blog about it, I'm kind of surprised and wanted to give everyone else a heads up.
ReplyDeleteYikes! Carribean Sea is my favorite ink color - and unlike the other two, not easy to find in a different brand. Thank you for the heads-up, I found a site with some in stock and placed an order for a spare bottle.
ReplyDeleteGood call ordering it...ours was out immediately. The closest thing I've found to Caribbean Sea is Diamine Marine...it's a bit different, but since it's about 1/4 of the price it's an adequate substitute for most people.
ReplyDeleteHorror! I'm OCD about Caribbean Sea. I tried Diamine Marine. While very close, it is distinctively different in my pens. I agree, though, most will find it a satisfactory substitute for Caribbean Sea (except moi). It is like sunrise on spring, misty morning watching the waves slide across a sandy beach...wonderful memories associated with that color.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the heads up! I'll be stocking a lifetime supply. I can always count on Goulet Pens to stay current!
You're welcome! I'm just sorry I don't have any to offer you, that color cleared out before I even made the blog post :P Still, I'll always try to put this kind of info out there.
ReplyDeleteHi Brian, a close match to Caribbean Sea is actually Diamine Steel Blue, another match is Caran d'Ache Saffron to Diamine Blaze Orange. And now you know the secret. I will try Diamine Marine, but last time I played with it it was quite different to my eyes. Of course I could be completely wrong about everything.
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