Lennon Tool Bar, 2023 Summer Limited: Cat General — Ink Review #178

 Lennon Tool Bar - 2023 Summer Limited - Cat General

Ink Review #178

Originally posted on FPN: Mar 27, 2025

Ink: 2023 Summer Limited - Cat General
Brand: Lennon Tool Bar
Country: Taiwan
Availability: 30 ml bottles; 2023 Summer Limited ink. Sold out at several retailers; availability may vary by retailer or marketplace.
Pens Used: Pilot F3A EF, Lamy Safari (EF / F / M / B / Stub 1.1), Waterman W2 vintage flex.

🧾    Description

Lennon Tool Bar is a Taiwanese company.

Cat General is one of the four 2023 Summer Limited inks. The other three are Bird Monster (green-grey), Catfish Spirit (purple-grey), and Rabbit God (pink).

As of March 2025, it was still available from retailers around the world. Current availability is more limited, and it is sold out at several retailers.

This was my first foray into Lennon Tool Bar inks.

This ink is difficult to define. Everything about it is pen-, paper-, and nib-dependent. On each paper it is subtly, or not so subtly, different.

The colour is also difficult to define: sepia-gold with a hint of pink. Colour and shading are both pen- and paper-dependent.

At first I thought the flow was average and the lubrication slightly below average, but by the time I reached the B nib, the flow was below average and the lubrication low.

I liked the colour on some papers and hated it on others. It shaded on some papers, less on some, and extremely on Iroful. It is very well behaved on copy paper and shades with some nibs.

Dry times are about 20 seconds on Rhodia. Cleaning is a pain in the fountain pen. Give me a pigment ink any day, but not this one. I had to put the Safari in cleaning solution twice and use the ultrasonic cleaner twice.

I made the mistake of filling a vintage pen; I was still cleaning residual ink after two days and several soaks in cleaning solution.

I would recommend this ink only for pens that can be easily dismantled.

🧪    Chroma


✍️    Writing Samples (scan)

Rhodia

Midori

Tomoe River 68 gsm

Iroful

Hammermill 20 lb

📸    Photo

Tomoe River / Midori photo

🔍    Comparison

Brown ink comparison

💧    Water Test

Bottom: 10 seconds under running water, 24 hours after writing.



 Artwork

Sever

Part of the Inktober prompt, depicting the ancient scripts of Felus-Maus, when the great rupture happened and cats and mice became enemies.
Kala Moonlight Tide (grey). 

Manicure

Cat is being pampered at the beauty salon for a manicure and, obviously, some treats afterwards. 

Fanyantan - Qinghai Wave (green), Hosia Ink Studio - Shing Tong, and Kala Moonlight Tide.

Order of the Mouse

General Cat has received the most prestigious of military valour. You really have to look for that medal.
 J. Herbin Bleu Calanque is the background, and Kala Moonlight Tide is used for the outlines.

🧷    Ink Characteristics

·       What I Liked: Name; colour on some papers; doing washes.
·       What I Did Not Like: Colour on some papers.
·       What Some Might Not Like: A pain to clean.
·       Writing Experience: Mixed; very dependent on pen, nib, and paper.
·       Pros: Interesting colour; well behaved on copy paper; good water resistance.
·       Cons: Low lubrication in some nibs; difficult cleaning; colour varies a lot by paper.
·       Shading: Yes.
·       Ghosting: None.
·       Bleed Through: No, on cheap paper.
·       Flow Rate: Average to slightly below average.
·       Lubrication: Slightly below average to below average.
·       Nib Dry-out: Did not notice.
·       Start-up: Okay.
·       Saturation: Nope.
·       Shading Potential: Paper- and nib-dependent.
·       Sheen: With larger application.
·       Spread / Feathering / Woolly Line: Did not notice.
·       Nib Creep / "Crud": Did not notice.
·       Staining (Pen): No.
·       Clogging: No.
·       Cleaning: A pain. Give me a pigment ink any day.
·       Water Resistance: Quite good.

💬    Closing

Cat General is a strange and characterful ink: sepia, gold, and pink depending on pen and paper. I enjoyed it most for washes and the name, but the cleaning is enough to make me cautious.

No fountain pens were harmed in preparing this review. 😉

Please don't hesitate to share your experience, writing samples, or any other comments. The more the merrier. 😊

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