Oh boy. Now you're going to have to go through the same comparison for blues, reds, greens, purples, oranges, pinks, blue blacks, browns, shades, sheeners, shimmers, etc. 😅
Oh man I'm the worst guy to do ink reviews. I did one on my favorite blue inks a year ago or so. But I also did a video about how talking about ink colour on reviews is almost pointless due to all sorts of variables. I worked in the pre-press industry for a while and colour was a major topic: th-cam.com/video/hFlaM4HIYoI/w-d-xo.html
I look forward to every video you put out. Truly appreciate all the work and time you put into your channel. Your content, your voice, sense of humour, all very engaging and entertaining, thank you.
In my office, we’re allowed to write with any color of the rainbow and any writing device of our choice. That includes funky colorful scented markers, colored pencils, etc! It’s actually kind of cute when we have our weekly meetings and everyone in my department sits down at the table with hot pink markers or lime green gel pens.
Same in my office. I'm in software so most of the guys keep notes digitally but I'm in pen-and-paper-notes club. And those of us who are can write in whatever colour we please. Though ironically, I prefer black.
For a well-behaved black ink when I'm unconcerned about it being bulletproof/waterproof, I love J. Herbin's Perle Noir. Before it gets put to paper the ink looks like it has an almost purple tinge to it, but once on the page it's just a great looking straight and vibrant black-black. Seconding the Thunderstorm though for a blue-black - I just bought a bottle and it's great looking stuff.
Aurora Black and Perle Noir have been mentioned non-stop in the comments. I'm going to have to try them out. I do have Platinum Carbon Black, it works well and everything but just too plain for my personal taste.
Nice list of black inks, i may be one of the few who loves black inks and i love the platinum carbon black and the aurora black. For me the Sheaffer black works pretty well too.
I have liked Sheaffer Skrip since 1983. 😁 (Though my Skrip black is from the 1950s currently. I have a soft spot for the old inkwell bottles as well. More practical than the current tiny in comparison version.😉)
Loved seeing some black-ish inks that aren’t usually talked about! My personal favorite black is Noodler’s X-Feather. It’s water resistant and does well on cheaper paper. The only thing is it takes a while to dry on more fountain pen friendly paper.
My go-to blacks are Noodlers Heart of Darkness in a Lamy CP1 EF, and Noodlers Dark Matter in a Faber Castell Neo Slim M. These are both balckety-black inks though the Dark Matter has an interesting velvety quality to it. I do think you have convinced me to try out some of your favorite Oster Thunderstorm.
Yep, used to use Noodler's Black, but transitioned over to Noodler's Heart of Darkness, and as it goes in a broad nibbed pen already might have to replace the ink bottle, even though it is 4.5 oz one, although of course it has been a few years, but go through it faster than the rest of my inks, with the exception of Yama-Budo.
1) Aurora Black, 2) Herbin Perle Noir, 3) Platinum Carbon Black, 4) Noodler’s Black, 5) Pilot Namiki Black…. Those are my most used. I go back to blacks and Royal Blues all the time, and no, they are not boring.
The Monteverde Noir series is really good, it takes regular color and adds to it a black shade. For the three black inks of the series, it adds a gray shading. Very nice!
Tbh I’m really loving Faber CAstell’s black ink in here, it has a more clear deep inky black on paper with no feather. Even the Robert OSter seems slightly brighter
I use Noodler's Heart of Darkness in a Charcoal Lamy with the calligraphy nib as my EDC work pen. Super black and sinks into the copy paper for a bit of bleed through. Thicker paper doesn't have the bleeding issue as bad. I had the issue you have with the Sheaffer Black with my bottle of BPC Petroleum on Galen notebooks; any of them. I have it in a pen I switched a Hong Dian EF nib into that writes smoothly and well on Tomoe River Branded notebooks, so go figure>
As a retired teacher, I was definitely allowed to use different colours - but I generally chose not to use bright red - mostly green and purple to stand out from the black and blue used by most students.
My job has always discouraged black, mostly from the days when photocopiers were only black and white and you signed the original in blue ink. Easy to tell the difference. Now it's next to impossible to tell the difference between original and copy . What I'm saying is I'm trying to find a good black ink I'll be happy to use, and it's a hard task, but I'm trying.
Very nice! I enjoy ink reviews but they often cost me money! Two TouTube channels that specialize in reviewing inks that are worth watching are An Ink Guy and Extra Fine Nib Ink Reviews. Both are interesting and offer valuable insights into various inks. Thanks for your review and happy holidays to you and yours! Edit: As far as black inks go, I tend toward pigmented inks such as Platinum Carbon Black, Iroshizuku Take-Sumi, and Sailor Kiwaguro. I also have a couple of dye-based black inks such as Lamy Black and Noodlers Heart of Darkness, which are fine inks. Also, I got a bottle of Diplomat Black with a pen I ordered and I don't think it's very good at all. I also have Rohrer and Klingner Lotte which is a pigmented black ink but I'm not as fond of it as I am the Japanese-made pigmented inks.
Noodler's El Lawrence - in sunlight it's somewhere between black and dirty motor oil. Indoors, you can't tell it's not black. And I love the way it flows off the nib.
Ya know, the introduction where you speak to the simple joy of writing resonates. I tote a fountain pen at work at often I judge quality based on if a given pen can survive wrestling multiple intoxicated individuals in a 12 hour shift. Thanks for reminding me that sometimes I just need to write with no other motive.
I did a calligraphy class with Gema from Tom's Studio and it was so fun to just learn something totally different. It also helps improve your regular writing as well and helps you learn to focus and experiment with your writing. Here's the vid if you're interrested: th-cam.com/video/H5h7qWl7PPw/w-d-xo.html
Great review! You have made me want to give the Thunderstorm a try. After purchasing a lot of inks of various colors and consistencies, I find myself drawn to blacks a lot. My two "go to" blacks are the Noodler's Bad Black Moccasin and Pilot's Iroshizuku Take-Sumi. I tend to use the Pilot's in my piston fillers and the Noodler's in the rest. I love them both, but after experiences with Noodler's Bay State Blue I have trust issues! Both my favorites perform well with most papers, and both seem to "fix" problems with pens which seem to have feed issues. "Dry writing" pens no longer skip, etc. I would love to hear what you think about Pilot Iroshizuku Take-Sumi. I believe the translation is something like, "Burned Bamboo". Best wishes; keep on doodling!
No worries about the Sheaffer Black ink. I don't know if they reformulated when they brought back their inkwell bottles. Cross sold them to an Indian company, so we will see if they can recapture some of Sheaffer's lost glory or if they continue to drive the name in the ground.
When it comes to inks, it usually depends on what activity i am doing. If its school i would like using black inks since it gives the most visibility and red or green inks for more creative works like writing drafts for a story. I want to explore abit more in the colours soon.
Robert Oster Graphite is one of his earliest grey attempts. Similar to Grun Schwartz (which was actually renamed from 'black' because of the green hue) they all tended a bit green.
Great video! I avoid black inks at all cost (just not my thing) but I recently bought a set of cartridges in case I _need_ to use it instead of my more colourful collection. I appreciate knowing what else is out there and how well it performs.
My daily driver is Aurora Black. I love it! No workplace stipulations on ink color, I just love Aurora's black offering. Of course, I use lots of blues on my other pens but my one pen will always have Aurora Black.
RO Thunderstorm is on my wishlist, though I consider it a super deep stormy blue not a black. I work at a non-profit & we have no ink requirements, but I keep one TWSBI Eco EF inked up with Noodler’s Black at all times. I have not tried many blacks, but it is the one ink in my collection that behave pretty much perfectly on cheap paper so when I need to sign stuff I don’t have to worry about feathering. I love my Eco for it too because I can go several weeks without using it & the seal prevents it from ever drying out! More pens need to incorporate that style of cap to prevent drying.
I work with the government and everything has to be written in blue ink. The best i have found that works for me is platinum blue black because its blue, stands out from the bic that everyone use and it does not bleed or feather on the cheap copy paper! The platinum black (dye ) is also really good on cheap copy paper. its kind of like a dark dark gray
Not too long ago I also did a black ink comparison video. My Kaweco Pearl Black was beat out by Noodlers Polar Black. In recent black ink comparisons I'm not seeing Polar Black in the line-up. It's a great black ink and water proof, which seems to be a must have if using for work.
I have the Thunderstorm. I have it for the blue black hue to it. My current black is Aurora Black. It is a plain black, no sheen but dries relatively fast. I am thinking about the Private Reserve Ultra Black next. At work it is dictated only black or blue ink. Other colors do not appear on fax copies and on some photo copiers.
Another fine vod. I always enjoy seeing one of your new vods in my notifications box. I jump right into it every time. Love what you showed and how you showed it. I could really see the difference in all the writing and smear samples. You did well. If you ever find you do enjoy doing this in future, I for one will be more than happy to watch, with much interest! Cheers
Nice assortment of black inks you don't hear much about. That Thunderstorm seems to be an excellent blue-black. My main ink is Noodler's Black. I was glad to see it included on your list. While I do use colored inks occasionally, I find basic black doesn't distract from my writing process. I want my poetry composition notes will be readable for many years to come. I also use Noodler's Black for autographing my books. Book paper is very "cheap" and doesn't play well with fountain pens. Yet, my readers LOVE that I sign with one. I use a fine nib combined with Noodler's Black and never have a smug or bleedthru in my poetry books. I have a TWSBI Eco, Platium Century 3776, and a TWSBI Diamond 580 I rotate between when on the road.
Yup I've found Noodlers Black is pretty decent on not so great paper. A fine nibbed pen can with that ink can be useable in most scenarios and its waterproof which is great. Having a signature smudge from a single drop of water isn't what you'd want to happen.
I've only been in the hobby for about a year and am (for now at least) sticking myself to a hard limit of not buying more than two bottles of ink of any one color--one that lives on my desk at work and one that lives on my desk at home. I bought a 30 oz. bottle of Pelikan 4001 Brilliant Black and then was gifted another of the same. So other than the odd cartridge I end up with here or there, that's the only black ink I've really used and it feels so incredibly overwhelming how many options there are even when it comes to something as straightforward as a black ink. And, of course, it also feels like it will be a good long while before I've run out of my current bottles. Even figuring out how to develop an opinion about specific black fountain pen inks feels like an unclimbable mountain, haha.
For a true black, Aurora is very good. Also like Diamine Jet Black and Platinum Black. Platinum Blue Black is also a little more black and rich than typical for that color of ink.
In my office when we sign our public record documents, we like to use certain green inks. This is due to the color when photocopied comes out grey. This makes it easy to identify original vs copied documents. Diamine Sherwood Green is my go-to for that.
My work doesn't care what ink color I use, nor are they concerned with permanance. The things I'm writing are just inventory slips which get processed and thrown out. I've used Noodler's Cactus Gruene, their Dragon's Napalm (before it got snowflaked into "Dragon's Fire"), and a few various red and even purple colors. Of all the black inks I have available, which aren't that many, my favorite is probably Noodler's Heart of Darkness. No, I'm not a Noodler's absolutist, but their inks are fine enough and work well in all the pens I've ever used.
For those who want a very black ink: Aurora and Montblanc permanent black are two very good black, black inks. So too is Platinum Carbon Black. Of course Noodler's Black is good too.
@ Doodlebug, apologies for my rudeness - I forgot to thank you for covering black inks. 👍 FWIW and only in my opinion: I've just been on a long search for a really good black, black ink. The final 'fight out' was between Platinum Carbon and Montblanc Permanent. The MB is the blackest ink out there other than the new Platinum Chou Kuro - with all of its issues. It is a superb black ink. Though I believe artists tend to go for the Platinum Carbon Black. I hope this is useful even though it is a narrower consideration than the video.
I'm not only limited to either black or blue ink, but any official document has to be done using a ballpoint pen. Many people hate having to give up their rollerball/gel pens, but I hate having to give up the waterproof inks I usually use in fountain pens (laboratory setting). My go-to for blacks were either Noodler's Black or Platinum Carbon Black, as they tend to be affordable and very water resistant. Most of the reasoning of the company ink rules involve auditor preferences and trying to avoid bleed-through.
If your forms are on crappy paper bleedthrough is a real concern unless it is very well behaved ink in very fine, or extra fine nib. Certainly a reason why the Chinese and Japanese market loves XF and even XXF nibs is that many official documents are on pretty crappy and pretty thin paper.
I’ve been looking for a non-shading, dark black for work. I had been using Noodler’s Heart of Darkness, which did the job on most paper, but I have started to use Kokuyo’s smart binder with their Sarasara paper which takes all the darkness out of it. I guess it is a matter of pigmentation. I’ll be giving that Carbon Black a try. Hopefully it is what I have been looking for.
Platinum Carbon Black is great, and in spite of its reputation is well behaved and easy to clean. I keep a fine Eco inked up with it and have never needed to clean the pen.
I recently got my first quality fountain pen and its a Lamy cp1(F nib) is there any chance you will review it. I personaly love the pen, when i first saw it in my hands it looked so slick and cool, but when I took the cap off it looked so small and cute. In some reviews people complain about its balance when its posted ,but i dont mind it ,especialy because it makes me stop gripping the pen so hard. One of the most satisfing things I ever done in my life is to put the cap on this pen the sound it makes is perfect and it never gets old because it surprises me each time.
I worked my way through all the black inks I accumulated over the years and only bought new bottles of two of them. Aurora Black is extremely smooth and also retains its darkness exceptionally well in extra fine nibs, where other may get quite grey. Oddly enough, it isn't especially black in very broad nibs compared to some other black inks. The other one is Platinum Carbon Black, in case I need a pigmented ink that is guaranteed to not make a mess should it get wet. Pilot Tsuwairo Black is also pretty solid for a pigmented black and seems to require slightly less frequent cleaning than PCB; not such a fan of Sailor's Kiwaguro pigmented ink.
I need to get me some Aurora. I do have the Platinum Carbon black but only in cartridges. It works well but just didn't do it for me for whatever reason.
@@Doodlebud Yeah, it wasn't love at first sight with Platinum Carbon Black for me either. However, then I found myself using it to address envelopes, write recipes and the other occasional thing that may get wet. It's very much a utilitarian rather than a sexy ink.
Richard Binder recommends Diamine Onyx so I tried it and I love it. I use Onyx in my Sheaffer Legacy stub nib pen it is just perfect. Lush black line and very well behaved. Try it.
I got a sample of Onyx but it must have been contaminated. I didn't use it right away, but went to use it a few months after I got it and it turned to sludge :(
I like the Monteverde Noir series. I owned Ocean Noir and was surprised to find that it has a bit of a red sheen. I loved it. Unfortunately, the packaging on that ink didn’t work out very well for me. 😢 The cardboard in the cap got saturated with ink, and I had to pour all the ink into another bottle. I think that the ink in that bottle became contaminated because it developed an unusual odor, and I had to throw out the bottle. Noodler’s Black is my go-to.
RO Thunderstorm is what I keep in my Pelikan M800 (B). I go for Aurora black in vintage MB 146 (M). Might check out Carbon Black. Looks solid and versatile for other papers. Smoke Noir looks good too. I've phased out using J. Herbin Perle Noire -- it's fine, but don't love it as much as I once did.
Only time I was forced to use black was at a site where things were colour coded, my pen of choice at the time was the energel platform as it was before I discovered fountain pens. These days I just need something distinct for signature purposes and use Noodler's Socrates. My car pen uses Noodler's Polar Purple and I can confirm it writes below freezing.
For blacks I have Pilot Iroshizuku Taki-Sumi which was my first black. I like it alright, but my favorite is Dark Matter by Noodler's. I also have Robert Oster Thunder Storm and like it as well. I just got Jacques Herbin Shogun which is a black with copper shimmer. It has taken second place behind Noodler's Dark Matter for me. I've heard that Noodler's Texas Black Bat is the darkest black there is? Not sure how true it is.
I have bought and tried several black inks over many years. The only three I have cared to keep and like best are: Aurora Black, Noodler’s Heart of Darkness and Sailor’s Kiwa-Guro (pigmented and permanent). Kaweco’s Pearl Black and Platinum’s Carbon Black being honorable mentions. I never quite liked most of the others I have tried. Particularly Noodler’s Black, Waterman’s Intense Black, Montblanc’s Black (don’t remember what it’s called). edit: I gotta say that I really like Monteverde’s Noir line of inks. I have four which are quite great.
I have had zero luck with black inks....they all seem to make the pen write like sharpie....I have tried Montblanc permanent black, mystery black, noodlers black, diamine onyx black, platinum black, pilot iroshizuko....
This review is a reference keeper. I only use black inks, so this is very useful. I'll have to get some Robert Oster Thunderstorm, per your glowing review. I've never had the urge prior. AND, I never understood before why I didn't care for the Sheaffer ink. (-:
So far, my favorite is Noodler's Black which is nice since it's super cheap and super available. My second fav is Platinum Carbon, but it has a pencil-like uniform sheen, so it's not for every occasion. Take-sumi is ok but I don't really care for it for the price. It flows nicely though. De Atramentis Document Black was disappointing, it looks grey. Lamy T52 is ok but nothing to write home about. The Pilot Parallel Mixable is an interesting case. Pitch black and looks nice, but feather's a lot. I don't have Aurora's black, but their Blue-Black is very nice. Flows like a dream. It just takes forever to dry. Some times it smudges even the next day.
I'm a fan of the Pilot Namiki black and the Pelikan 4001 Brilliant Black. Platinum's Chou Kuro is probably the blackest I've seen, but I'm not paying what they want for that stuff.
Thank you for a lovely review of black inks! I have the same negative experience with the Sheaffer Skrip black ink. It feathers heavily on almost all fountain pen friendly paper, and the lines that you lay down with this ink are invariably jagged: an unusable ink, you are right! It's a shame that it's so unworthy of the wonderful (or even intriguing) PFM pen whose nib lends the Skrip packaging a visual panache, and shores up expectations about its performance.
One of the original reasons places required black ink was the use of Xerox machines didnt pick up certain colors well, eventually blue was also able to xeroxed but in the modern day its mostly for conservative reasons and inertial habits.
The GvFC Carbon Black has an advantage in that you used the most expressive nib. LOL A lot of places want only black inks for forms or signitures because they are guaranteed to reproduce properly on photocopiers especially if the do not reproduce greys well, pushing it into solid black or white. Some government agencies want their forms filled out only in black.
One of my first ink purchases was the gallon size bottle of Heart of Darkness that came with the free pen. I really can’t justify another black ink purchase until I put a dent in this bottle. Which means I’ll never buy another bottle of black ink. :-) Curated Avalon has several videos on black ink. I think Noodlers Dark Matter is her favorite. Incidentally, Sheaffer pens are probably my favorite vintage brand. But the snorkel FREAKS me out! It’s like something out of a bad horror movie.
In my case, it's due to the teachers at University. Some don't mind exotic colors (Except Red, they use that to correct all the thingies you give them so it's out of the question) but some stick to the classic: Either Black Ink or Blue Ink Anything else use it for your notes but not for something you need to turn in unless you want a well deserved bonk
@@houghwhite411 Personally I have been writing with bright green ink (Rotring Green) during a whole semester. Now that I think about it... Green-Black sounds like a really good ink for a paperwork oUo
Nice comparison! My favorite black at this point is Kaweco Pearl Black, but I'm always willing for it to be beat out in order to get an even blacker black. I recently acquired, at a greatly reduced price, a bottle of Visconti Black. It it terrible, at least for someone who prefers really black black.
Hi Doodle Bud. I have Aurora Black which is beautiful to use. A slight green tinge. Super pen friendly. It is super nice to put down on paper if that makes any sense. I find that Waterman’s Intense Black is another reasonably priced decent black ink. Truth be told I almost never use Black ink not even Aurora. It’s not me. My cheat is Private Reserve Ebony Purple. It is so nearly black that you can almost get away with it. It’s hard to say but if I was only limited to one ink and had to forgo every other ink I own it would have to be Private Reserve Ebony Purple. Great video. Thank you. D
We have to use blue ink at work because it is harder to pass copies off as originals. It is part of GDP where documentation has to be complete, contemporary, original and legible.
I would imagine that there are a lot of places that have color requirements. My son is in the military and they require blue or black ballpoint ink. I had a teacher in the mid-60's that said any use of any ink other than black or navy blue will result in a failing grade. Guy sitting next to me decided to use green. Guess he thought she wouldn't notice. Sure enough. Failing grade. I have found that I use Noodler's Dark Matter when I need a black ink. I don't think it is 100% black, but; close enough for me.
Hi have you ever tried Platinum Carbon Ink? I've heard good things. Very black and very waterproof also, so artists use it to draw with the ink and then put layers of watercolor wash over it. I've used Borealis black from Noodlers which I prefer over Heart of darkness. Thanks for your presentation. I just noticed other people are mentioning it also. Cheers Regards
I have some Platinum carbon black in cartridges for my Platinum pens. It works great but it just didn't really do it for me. I'm not a big black ink fan to begin with so I guess that one is just a bit boring for me. But it is a very good ink
I have become enamored with sheening inks. KWZ Warsaw Dreaming sheens a metallic gray, Diamine Midnight Hour sheens a metallic pink (similar to Sheen Machine), Zebra black on glossy paper resembles lacquer based India ink, even Sheaffer black sheens blue on glossy paper. Could you detail black sheening inks?
I don't have any black sheening inks buy I did do a video with some "engineery" talk ab out sheening inks. Check it out if you want: th-cam.com/video/E2EQqrfPR5I/w-d-xo.html
Great video as always. I'm new to your channel, which explains the late comment. In my line of work, we are allowed to write only in black or blue, though I prefer the blue. I noticed how well your Meisterstruck writes.. mine is feathering and bleeding like crazy. Could it be because of the ink? I put Kyanite du Népal from Jacques Herbin in the converter. keep up the good work!
Lawyers need at least one pen available with blue ink in it. For signatures. The reason is, if a document is signed in black, how to tell it from a Xerox? For some purposes we need the ORIGINAL, and the blue signature makes it easy to tell.
In days of color scans and color copiers this isn't as useful. Our legal documents are often copied in color, so this old timey tricks isn't as useful. (Now for one sided documents signed in fountain pen a bit of bleedthrough is all of a sudden a feature, as it is a sure sign of an original.)
But if some insists on a blue signature I do carry a pen with Noodler's Navajo Turquoise, which looks pretty nice as contrasted to all the other John Hancock's on a sign in sheet.
I have a lawyer buddy and he has a specific pen and ink he uses to sign docs for the exact reason. Which one is the original, and also ensures his signature isn't being forged or modified.
@@Doodlebud I know. I am a lawyer myself. (I was a techie before that.) And yes, I do have a signature pen myself...of course I have half a dozen in my shirt at all times I variety if colors. But so many documents are just e-signed these days. But when I can I use a fun permanent ink from Noodler's.
I've had nothing but disappointments with Noodler's Black. It separates in the bottle, takes too long to dry, shades, has an underlying brown tone, and threatens to bleed through to the opposite side of the page. There are better permanent blacks, IMO, including Noodler's Heart of Darkness (richer, darker black that has yet to separate and dries more quickly). But since they're both Noodler's inks: your mileage *will* vary. Platinum Carbon Black always deserves a shoutout when discussing permanent blacks, although I disagree when people say it is the darkest and blackest black. It has a satiny finish that reflects any light, so there is a frequent glint that lightens an otherwise dark, rich grey-black. Platinum now has an even darker micropigment carbon black: Platinum Chou Kuro. Platinum claims it is over 40% blacker than the standard Carbon Black. I have yet to try it but I am looking forward to getting my paws on it. Regardless, Carbon Black scores well in every category except the "low maintenance" category and scores 11/10 in permanence. Random notes: - like RO's Graphite, Diamine's Graphite also has a green undertone - Taccia Kuro has a fun golden sheen - Nurebairo has a fun copper sheen - J.Herbin's Pearle Noire is silky smooth - my sample of X-Feather Black doesn't live up to its claims but is still a solid option in the "dark, rich black" category. It is darker and richer than both Noodler's Black and Platinum Carbon Black - I, too, like RO's Thunderstorm - I didn't like Coal Noir and Smoke Noir at first but Doodle's passion for them have me thinking about picking up some samples!
So far the only one who cares what ink I use at work is me. I like to use my Noodler's Operation Overlord Orange in my diy flex stub Konrad. If it needs permanence, I'll use HOD in my penbbs 487 mag filler with Noodler's flex nib and feed.
Oh boy. Now you're going to have to go through the same comparison for blues, reds, greens, purples, oranges, pinks, blue blacks, browns, shades, sheeners, shimmers, etc. 😅
Oh man I'm the worst guy to do ink reviews. I did one on my favorite blue inks a year ago or so. But I also did a video about how talking about ink colour on reviews is almost pointless due to all sorts of variables. I worked in the pre-press industry for a while and colour was a major topic:
th-cam.com/video/hFlaM4HIYoI/w-d-xo.html
Nah, only black is ubiquitous
I look forward to every video you put out. Truly appreciate all the work and time you put into your channel. Your content, your voice, sense of humour, all very engaging and entertaining, thank you.
Well thank you so much for the very kind words!
I really like the basic Pilot black ink. No muss, no fuss, just a solid, deep black.
In my office, we’re allowed to write with any color of the rainbow and any writing device of our choice. That includes funky colorful scented markers, colored pencils, etc! It’s actually kind of cute when we have our weekly meetings and everyone in my department sits down at the table with hot pink markers or lime green gel pens.
Well that sounds like fun!
Wonderful! And you work for Disney? :)
Same in my office. I'm in software so most of the guys keep notes digitally but I'm in pen-and-paper-notes club. And those of us who are can write in whatever colour we please. Though ironically, I prefer black.
For a well-behaved black ink when I'm unconcerned about it being bulletproof/waterproof, I love J. Herbin's Perle Noir. Before it gets put to paper the ink looks like it has an almost purple tinge to it, but once on the page it's just a great looking straight and vibrant black-black. Seconding the Thunderstorm though for a blue-black - I just bought a bottle and it's great looking stuff.
Perle Noir is my favorite black. More permanent inks scare me, haha.
Aurora Black and Perle Noir have been mentioned non-stop in the comments. I'm going to have to try them out. I do have Platinum Carbon Black, it works well and everything but just too plain for my personal taste.
Nice list of black inks, i may be one of the few who loves black inks and i love the platinum carbon black and the aurora black. For me the Sheaffer black works pretty well too.
I have liked Sheaffer Skrip since 1983. 😁 (Though my Skrip black is from the 1950s currently. I have a soft spot for the old inkwell bottles as well. More practical than the current tiny in comparison version.😉)
Aurora…awesome black ink. Wet and jet-black.
My favorite black inks are Lamy crystal obsidian, and Pelikan 4001 brilliant black. Pilot black is good too.
I never use black ink but that Robert Oster Thunderstorm is interesting. My personal favorite tends to be between herbin perle noire and lamy black
Loved seeing some black-ish inks that aren’t usually talked about! My personal favorite black is Noodler’s X-Feather. It’s water resistant and does well on cheaper paper. The only thing is it takes a while to dry on more fountain pen friendly paper.
I'm planning on pickup a bottle to try out. I have some ideas for it!
My go-to blacks are Noodlers Heart of Darkness in a Lamy CP1 EF, and Noodlers Dark Matter in a Faber Castell Neo Slim M. These are both balckety-black inks though the Dark Matter has an interesting velvety quality to it. I do think you have convinced me to try out some of your favorite Oster Thunderstorm.
Yep, used to use Noodler's Black, but transitioned over to Noodler's Heart of Darkness, and as it goes in a broad nibbed pen already might have to replace the ink bottle, even though it is 4.5 oz one, although of course it has been a few years, but go through it faster than the rest of my inks, with the exception of Yama-Budo.
1) Aurora Black, 2) Herbin Perle Noir, 3) Platinum Carbon Black, 4) Noodler’s Black, 5) Pilot Namiki Black…. Those are my most used. I go back to blacks and Royal Blues all the time, and no, they are not boring.
The Monteverde Noir series is really good, it takes regular color and adds to it a black shade. For the three black inks of the series, it adds a gray shading. Very nice!
I think I’m in love with that Robert Oster. And the Smoke Noir. Now I have to go shopping.
💸💸💸
Tbh I’m really loving Faber CAstell’s black ink in here, it has a more clear deep inky black on paper with no feather. Even the Robert OSter seems slightly brighter
I use Noodler's Heart of Darkness in a Charcoal Lamy with the calligraphy nib as my EDC work pen. Super black and sinks into the copy paper for a bit of bleed through. Thicker paper doesn't have the bleeding issue as bad. I had the issue you have with the Sheaffer Black with my bottle of BPC Petroleum on Galen notebooks; any of them. I have it in a pen I switched a Hong Dian EF nib into that writes smoothly and well on Tomoe River Branded notebooks, so go figure>
As a retired teacher, I was definitely allowed to use different colours - but I generally chose not to use bright red - mostly green and purple to stand out from the black and blue used by most students.
Quick note about Monteverde Smoke Noir: surprisingly waterproof!
Do a writing sample, and see for yourself.
Yeah its actually pretty darn good. Its a strange ink! Odd colour (but I like it), dries fast, good on cheap paper, & good water resistance
My job has always discouraged black, mostly from the days when photocopiers were only black and white and you signed the original in blue ink. Easy to tell the difference. Now it's next to impossible to tell the difference between original and copy . What I'm saying is I'm trying to find a good black ink I'll be happy to use, and it's a hard task, but I'm trying.
Very nice! I enjoy ink reviews but they often cost me money! Two TouTube channels that specialize in reviewing inks that are worth watching are An Ink Guy and Extra Fine Nib Ink Reviews. Both are interesting and offer valuable insights into various inks. Thanks for your review and happy holidays to you and yours!
Edit: As far as black inks go, I tend toward pigmented inks such as Platinum Carbon Black, Iroshizuku Take-Sumi, and Sailor Kiwaguro. I also have a couple of dye-based black inks such as Lamy Black and Noodlers Heart of Darkness, which are fine inks. Also, I got a bottle of Diplomat Black with a pen I ordered and I don't think it's very good at all. I also have Rohrer and Klingner Lotte which is a pigmented black ink but I'm not as fond of it as I am the Japanese-made pigmented inks.
Black ink has been on my mind lately! Good timing DB :)
Noodler's El Lawrence - in sunlight it's somewhere between black and dirty motor oil. Indoors, you can't tell it's not black. And I love the way it flows off the nib.
Ya know, the introduction where you speak to the simple joy of writing resonates. I tote a fountain pen at work at often I judge quality based on if a given pen can survive wrestling multiple intoxicated individuals in a 12 hour shift. Thanks for reminding me that sometimes I just need to write with no other motive.
I did a calligraphy class with Gema from Tom's Studio and it was so fun to just learn something totally different. It also helps improve your regular writing as well and helps you learn to focus and experiment with your writing. Here's the vid if you're interrested:
th-cam.com/video/H5h7qWl7PPw/w-d-xo.html
Sheaffer is no longer available in that bottle style, dont know if they changed the formula.
My favorite blacks are #1 sailor manyo chigaya, #2 montblanc permanent black. Happy holidays!
I always enjoy your programs. Thank you again. R S Canada
Glad you enjoyed it 👍
Great review! You have made me want to give the Thunderstorm a try. After purchasing a lot of inks of various colors and consistencies, I find myself drawn to blacks a lot. My two "go to" blacks are the Noodler's Bad Black Moccasin and Pilot's Iroshizuku Take-Sumi. I tend to use the Pilot's in my piston fillers and the Noodler's in the rest. I love them both, but after experiences with Noodler's Bay State Blue I have trust issues! Both my favorites perform well with most papers, and both seem to "fix" problems with pens which seem to have feed issues. "Dry writing" pens no longer skip, etc. I would love to hear what you think about Pilot Iroshizuku Take-Sumi. I believe the translation is something like, "Burned Bamboo". Best wishes; keep on doodling!
No worries about the Sheaffer Black ink. I don't know if they reformulated when they brought back their inkwell bottles. Cross sold them to an Indian company, so we will see if they can recapture some of Sheaffer's lost glory or if they continue to drive the name in the ground.
When it comes to inks, it usually depends on what activity i am doing. If its school i would like using black inks since it gives the most visibility and red or green inks for more creative works like writing drafts for a story. I want to explore abit more in the colours soon.
My everyday black is parker quink.very smooth and very black for the price and works great with every pen
I love Pilot Iroshizuku Takesumi. I've never found a deeper, darker black, but it takes *forever* to dry.
That Regalia paper does make things look nice. Might need to acquire notebook to try it out myself.
Its really cool stuff
The Sailor pigmented black is really nice (very shiny)
Robert Oster Graphite is one of his earliest grey attempts. Similar to Grun Schwartz (which was actually renamed from 'black' because of the green hue) they all tended a bit green.
Great video! I avoid black inks at all cost (just not my thing) but I recently bought a set of cartridges in case I _need_ to use it instead of my more colourful collection.
I appreciate knowing what else is out there and how well it performs.
My daily driver is Aurora Black. I love it!
No workplace stipulations on ink color, I just love Aurora's black offering.
Of course, I use lots of blues on my other pens but my one pen will always have Aurora Black.
Yeah, now I have to get me some Aurora Black. Every other comment praises it just as I thought
RO Thunderstorm is on my wishlist, though I consider it a super deep stormy blue not a black.
I work at a non-profit & we have no ink requirements, but I keep one TWSBI Eco EF inked up with Noodler’s Black at all times. I have not tried many blacks, but it is the one ink in my collection that behave pretty much perfectly on cheap paper so when I need to sign stuff I don’t have to worry about feathering. I love my Eco for it too because I can go several weeks without using it & the seal prevents it from ever drying out! More pens need to incorporate that style of cap to prevent drying.
I work with the government and everything has to be written in blue ink. The best i have found that works for me is platinum blue black because its blue, stands out from the bic that everyone use and it does not bleed or feather on the cheap copy paper!
The platinum black (dye ) is also really good on cheap copy paper. its kind of like a dark dark gray
I have two blacks I use, platinum carbon and Rohrer and Klingner documentus schwarz. I don't use fountain pens at work as I don't really write much.
Not too long ago I also did a black ink comparison video. My Kaweco Pearl Black was beat out by Noodlers Polar Black. In recent black ink comparisons I'm not seeing Polar Black in the line-up. It's a great black ink and water proof, which seems to be a must have if using for work.
I have the Thunderstorm. I have it for the blue black hue to it. My current black is Aurora Black. It is a plain black, no sheen but dries relatively fast. I am thinking about the Private Reserve Ultra Black next.
At work it is dictated only black or blue ink. Other colors do not appear on fax copies and on some photo copiers.
Another fine vod. I always enjoy seeing one of your new vods in my notifications box. I jump right into it every time. Love what you showed and how you showed it. I could really see the difference in all the writing and smear samples. You did well. If you ever find you do enjoy doing this in future, I for one will be more than happy to watch, with much interest! Cheers
Thanks for the kind words, good to hear you enjoy my vids :)
❤ lovely review. You did well Doodlebud! I used to use Datramentis document black. Now I just use Pilot Black😅😅😅
Nice assortment of black inks you don't hear much about. That Thunderstorm seems to be an excellent blue-black. My main ink is Noodler's Black. I was glad to see it included on your list. While I do use colored inks occasionally, I find basic black doesn't distract from my writing process. I want my poetry composition notes will be readable for many years to come. I also use Noodler's Black for autographing my books. Book paper is very "cheap" and doesn't play well with fountain pens. Yet, my readers LOVE that I sign with one. I use a fine nib combined with Noodler's Black and never have a smug or bleedthru in my poetry books. I have a TWSBI Eco, Platium Century 3776, and a TWSBI Diamond 580 I rotate between when on the road.
Yup I've found Noodlers Black is pretty decent on not so great paper. A fine nibbed pen can with that ink can be useable in most scenarios and its waterproof which is great. Having a signature smudge from a single drop of water isn't what you'd want to happen.
I've only been in the hobby for about a year and am (for now at least) sticking myself to a hard limit of not buying more than two bottles of ink of any one color--one that lives on my desk at work and one that lives on my desk at home. I bought a 30 oz. bottle of Pelikan 4001 Brilliant Black and then was gifted another of the same. So other than the odd cartridge I end up with here or there, that's the only black ink I've really used and it feels so incredibly overwhelming how many options there are even when it comes to something as straightforward as a black ink. And, of course, it also feels like it will be a good long while before I've run out of my current bottles. Even figuring out how to develop an opinion about specific black fountain pen inks feels like an unclimbable mountain, haha.
Yeah its pretty insane how far you can go with this hobby/illness LOL. Who ever thought one would care so much about something like ink or paper!
I second the Pelikan 4001 Brilliant black, great color and it seems to improve performance on some pens.
For a true black, Aurora is very good. Also like Diamine Jet Black and Platinum Black. Platinum Blue Black is also a little more black and rich than typical for that color of ink.
My favorite almost-but-not-quite black is Noodler's Dark Matter--shades to a charcoal gray, flows more smoothly for me than Coal Noir.
Platinum Carbon Black and Sailor Kira-Guro are reliable, dark and water resistant. I have others, but those are the best.
In my office when we sign our public record documents, we like to use certain green inks. This is due to the color when photocopied comes out grey. This makes it easy to identify original vs copied documents. Diamine Sherwood Green is my go-to for that.
My work doesn't care what ink color I use, nor are they concerned with permanance. The things I'm writing are just inventory slips which get processed and thrown out. I've used Noodler's Cactus Gruene, their Dragon's Napalm (before it got snowflaked into "Dragon's Fire"), and a few various red and even purple colors. Of all the black inks I have available, which aren't that many, my favorite is probably Noodler's Heart of Darkness. No, I'm not a Noodler's absolutist, but their inks are fine enough and work well in all the pens I've ever used.
Guitar Antique Black is a very nice brown-black; really nice flow
I was thinking to myself that the thumbnails was looking exceptional 👌
For those who want a very black ink: Aurora and Montblanc permanent black are two very good black, black inks. So too is Platinum Carbon Black. Of course Noodler's Black is good too.
@ Doodlebug, apologies for my rudeness - I forgot to thank you for covering black inks. 👍
FWIW and only in my opinion: I've just been on a long search for a really good black, black ink. The final 'fight out' was between Platinum Carbon and Montblanc Permanent. The MB is the blackest ink out there other than the new Platinum Chou Kuro - with all of its issues.
It is a superb black ink. Though I believe artists tend to go for the Platinum Carbon Black.
I hope this is useful even though it is a narrower consideration than the video.
You really do need to get some Aurora Black and J. Herbin Perle Noire. Thanks for the review, makes me wanna pick up some GVFC.
I really do need to get some Aurora Black. I've only ever heard good things
I'm not only limited to either black or blue ink, but any official document has to be done using a ballpoint pen. Many people hate having to give up their rollerball/gel pens, but I hate having to give up the waterproof inks I usually use in fountain pens (laboratory setting). My go-to for blacks were either Noodler's Black or Platinum Carbon Black, as they tend to be affordable and very water resistant.
Most of the reasoning of the company ink rules involve auditor preferences and trying to avoid bleed-through.
If your forms are on crappy paper bleedthrough is a real concern unless it is very well behaved ink in very fine, or extra fine nib. Certainly a reason why the Chinese and Japanese market loves XF and even XXF nibs is that many official documents are on pretty crappy and pretty thin paper.
I’ve been looking for a non-shading, dark black for work. I had been using Noodler’s Heart of Darkness, which did the job on most paper, but I have started to use Kokuyo’s smart binder with their Sarasara paper which takes all the darkness out of it. I guess it is a matter of pigmentation. I’ll be giving that Carbon Black a try. Hopefully it is what I have been looking for.
Platinum Carbon Black is great, and in spite of its reputation is well behaved and easy to clean. I keep a fine Eco inked up with it and have never needed to clean the pen.
I recently got my first quality fountain pen and its a Lamy cp1(F nib) is there any chance you will review it. I personaly love the pen, when i first saw it in my hands it looked so slick and cool, but when I took the cap off it looked so small and cute. In some reviews people complain about its balance when its posted ,but i dont mind it ,especialy because it makes me stop gripping the pen so hard. One of the most satisfing things I ever done in my life is to put the cap on this pen the sound it makes is perfect and it never gets old because it surprises me each time.
If I pick one up I will for sure review it
I worked my way through all the black inks I accumulated over the years and only bought new bottles of two of them. Aurora Black is extremely smooth and also retains its darkness exceptionally well in extra fine nibs, where other may get quite grey. Oddly enough, it isn't especially black in very broad nibs compared to some other black inks.
The other one is Platinum Carbon Black, in case I need a pigmented ink that is guaranteed to not make a mess should it get wet. Pilot Tsuwairo Black is also pretty solid for a pigmented black and seems to require slightly less frequent cleaning than PCB; not such a fan of Sailor's Kiwaguro pigmented ink.
I need to get me some Aurora. I do have the Platinum Carbon black but only in cartridges. It works well but just didn't do it for me for whatever reason.
@@Doodlebud Yeah, it wasn't love at first sight with Platinum Carbon Black for me either. However, then I found myself using it to address envelopes, write recipes and the other occasional thing that may get wet. It's very much a utilitarian rather than a sexy ink.
A black ink I really like is Diamine Jet Black, sold here in the UK in 80ml bottles.
Richard Binder recommends Diamine Onyx so I tried it and I love it. I use Onyx in my Sheaffer Legacy stub nib pen it is just perfect. Lush black line and very well behaved. Try it.
I got a sample of Onyx but it must have been contaminated. I didn't use it right away, but went to use it a few months after I got it and it turned to sludge :(
I like the Monteverde Noir series. I owned Ocean Noir and was surprised to find that it has a bit of a red sheen. I loved it. Unfortunately, the packaging on that ink didn’t work out very well for me. 😢 The cardboard in the cap got saturated with ink, and I had to pour all the ink into another bottle. I think that the ink in that bottle became contaminated because it developed an unusual odor, and I had to throw out the bottle.
Noodler’s Black is my go-to.
RO Thunderstorm is what I keep in my Pelikan M800 (B). I go for Aurora black in vintage MB 146 (M). Might check out Carbon Black. Looks solid and versatile for other papers. Smoke Noir looks good too. I've phased out using J. Herbin Perle Noire -- it's fine, but don't love it as much as I once did.
Waterman black - no nonsense, good quality and affordable
Only time I was forced to use black was at a site where things were colour coded, my pen of choice at the time was the energel platform as it was before I discovered fountain pens. These days I just need something distinct for signature purposes and use Noodler's Socrates. My car pen uses Noodler's Polar Purple and I can confirm it writes below freezing.
Good to know it works in freezing temps! Might come in handy in Canada LOL
For blacks I have Pilot Iroshizuku Taki-Sumi which was my first black. I like it alright, but my favorite is Dark Matter by Noodler's. I also have Robert Oster Thunder Storm and like it as well. I just got Jacques Herbin Shogun which is a black with copper shimmer. It has taken second place behind Noodler's Dark Matter for me. I've heard that Noodler's Texas Black Bat is the darkest black there is? Not sure how true it is.
I actually kinda like the graphite one...its a dark dark dull mossy green...but the best black out of those I liked the carbon black.
Great well rounded review.
That blue pen holder caught my attention as well.
Please share details.
Thanks.
Review with details are coming this week I hope!
I have bought and tried several black inks over many years. The only three I have cared to keep and like best are:
Aurora Black, Noodler’s Heart of Darkness and Sailor’s Kiwa-Guro (pigmented and permanent). Kaweco’s Pearl Black and Platinum’s Carbon Black being honorable mentions.
I never quite liked most of the others I have tried. Particularly Noodler’s Black, Waterman’s Intense Black, Montblanc’s Black (don’t remember what it’s called).
edit: I gotta say that I really like Monteverde’s Noir line of inks. I have four which are quite great.
The noir inks are really good. Although the Rose Noir was a big disappointment for me
I have had zero luck with black inks....they all seem to make the pen write like sharpie....I have tried Montblanc permanent black, mystery black, noodlers black, diamine onyx black, platinum black, pilot iroshizuko....
This review is a reference keeper. I only use black inks, so this is very useful. I'll have to get some Robert Oster Thunderstorm, per your glowing review. I've never had the urge prior. AND, I never understood before why I didn't care for the Sheaffer ink. (-:
Washable:
Arora Black
Sailor Black
Permanent:
Platinum Carbon Black
Platinum Chou Kuro
Octopus Fluids Black Elephant
So far, my favorite is Noodler's Black which is nice since it's super cheap and super available. My second fav is Platinum Carbon, but it has a pencil-like uniform sheen, so it's not for every occasion. Take-sumi is ok but I don't really care for it for the price. It flows nicely though. De Atramentis Document Black was disappointing, it looks grey. Lamy T52 is ok but nothing to write home about. The Pilot Parallel Mixable is an interesting case. Pitch black and looks nice, but feather's a lot. I don't have Aurora's black, but their Blue-Black is very nice. Flows like a dream. It just takes forever to dry. Some times it smudges even the next day.
I'm a fan of the Pilot Namiki black and the Pelikan 4001 Brilliant Black. Platinum's Chou Kuro is probably the blackest I've seen, but I'm not paying what they want for that stuff.
Thank you for a lovely review of black inks! I have the same negative experience with the Sheaffer Skrip black ink. It feathers heavily on almost all fountain pen friendly paper, and the lines that you lay down with this ink are invariably jagged: an unusable ink, you are right! It's a shame that it's so unworthy of the wonderful (or even intriguing) PFM pen whose nib lends the Skrip packaging a visual panache, and shores up expectations about its performance.
One of the original reasons places required black ink was the use of Xerox machines didnt pick up certain colors well, eventually blue was also able to xeroxed but in the modern day its mostly for conservative reasons and inertial habits.
The GvFC Carbon Black has an advantage in that you used the most expressive nib. LOL
A lot of places want only black inks for forms or signitures because they are guaranteed to reproduce properly on photocopiers especially if the do not reproduce greys well, pushing it into solid black or white. Some government agencies want their forms filled out only in black.
If you haven’t used Diamine salamander it is in this category too. It’s a super dark, basically black olive green. I use it all the time
I might need to look at that. Inks that make me feel like I'm sneaking another color under-the-radar make me smile.
I'll get that!!! I'm looking for more black green inks
I've head good things about that ink. Monteverde Jade Noir is a fun dark green/black ink I enjoy too
One of my first ink purchases was the gallon size bottle of Heart of Darkness that came with the free pen. I really can’t justify another black ink purchase until I put a dent in this bottle. Which means I’ll never buy another bottle of black ink. :-)
Curated Avalon has several videos on black ink. I think Noodlers Dark Matter is her favorite.
Incidentally, Sheaffer pens are probably my favorite vintage brand. But the snorkel FREAKS me out! It’s like something out of a bad horror movie.
I've used half a large bottle of HoD if that says anything about my favorite black.
In my case, it's due to the teachers at University. Some don't mind exotic colors (Except Red, they use that to correct all the thingies you give them so it's out of the question) but some stick to the classic: Either Black Ink or Blue Ink
Anything else use it for your notes but not for something you need to turn in unless you want a well deserved bonk
Green-black is underatted
@@houghwhite411 Personally I have been writing with bright green ink (Rotring Green) during a whole semester. Now that I think about it... Green-Black sounds like a really good ink for a paperwork oUo
Nice comparison! My favorite black at this point is Kaweco Pearl Black, but I'm always willing for it to be beat out in order to get an even blacker black. I recently acquired, at a greatly reduced price, a bottle of Visconti Black. It it terrible, at least for someone who prefers really black black.
Soemtiems bargains are great, other times it's terrible 😂
I too like a really black black. Aurora is by far the best I’ve found so far, have you tried it?
Hi Doodle Bud. I have Aurora Black which is beautiful to use. A slight green tinge. Super pen friendly. It is super nice to put down on paper if that makes any sense. I find that Waterman’s Intense Black is another reasonably priced decent black ink. Truth be told I almost never use Black ink not even Aurora. It’s not me. My cheat is Private Reserve Ebony Purple. It is so nearly black that you can almost get away with it. It’s hard to say but if I was only limited to one ink and had to forgo every other ink I own it would have to be Private Reserve Ebony Purple. Great video. Thank you. D
Yeah a really dark purple, green, blue etc are good alternatives to a black.
We have to use blue ink at work because it is harder to pass copies off as originals.
It is part of GDP where documentation has to be complete, contemporary, original and legible.
But what about water fastness? That tends to be the decider for me, whether or not an ink is water fast.
Check out mountainofink.com as they do a full suit of testing including water tests etc
I would imagine that there are a lot of places that have color requirements. My son is in the military and they require blue or black ballpoint ink. I had a teacher in the mid-60's that said any use of any ink other than black or navy blue will result in a failing grade. Guy sitting next to me decided to use green. Guess he thought she wouldn't notice. Sure enough. Failing grade. I have found that I use Noodler's Dark Matter when I need a black ink. I don't think it is 100% black, but; close enough for me.
Noodler's Black is one of the few Fountain Pen inks that works well on moleskine notebook paper.
I find it amazing that Moleskines are so hostile to ink. Dealkiller for me. Cheers
Hi have you ever tried Platinum Carbon Ink? I've heard good things. Very black and very waterproof also, so artists use it to draw with the ink and then put layers of watercolor wash over it. I've used Borealis black from Noodlers which I prefer over Heart of darkness. Thanks for your presentation. I just noticed other people are mentioning it also. Cheers Regards
I have some Platinum carbon black in cartridges for my Platinum pens. It works great but it just didn't really do it for me. I'm not a big black ink fan to begin with so I guess that one is just a bit boring for me. But it is a very good ink
Which pen case is that @doodlebud?
I wanted to ask the same question!
I have a review coming up shortly. I plan to shoot it tonight or tomorrow. So hopefully Friday it will be up. Keeps your eyes peeled :)
My favorite black inks are:
Noodlers Heart of Darkness
Iroshizuku Take Sumi
Aurora Black
Platinum Carbon Black
Pilot Black
I have become enamored with sheening inks. KWZ Warsaw Dreaming sheens a metallic gray, Diamine Midnight Hour sheens a metallic pink (similar to Sheen Machine), Zebra black on glossy paper resembles lacquer based India ink, even Sheaffer black sheens blue on glossy paper. Could you detail black sheening inks?
I don't have any black sheening inks buy I did do a video with some "engineery" talk ab out sheening inks. Check it out if you want:
th-cam.com/video/E2EQqrfPR5I/w-d-xo.html
Carbon Black looks good to me.
Great video as always. I'm new to your channel, which explains the late comment. In my line of work, we are allowed to write only in black or blue, though I prefer the blue. I noticed how well your Meisterstruck writes.. mine is feathering and bleeding like crazy. Could it be because of the ink? I put Kyanite du Népal from Jacques Herbin in the converter. keep up the good work!
Amazing thumbnail!. Nice video too. :)
Lawyers need at least one pen available with blue ink in it. For signatures. The reason is, if a document is signed in black, how to tell it from a Xerox? For some purposes we need the ORIGINAL, and the blue signature makes it easy to tell.
In days of color scans and color copiers this isn't as useful. Our legal documents are often copied in color, so this old timey tricks isn't as useful. (Now for one sided documents signed in fountain pen a bit of bleedthrough is all of a sudden a feature, as it is a sure sign of an original.)
But if some insists on a blue signature I do carry a pen with Noodler's Navajo Turquoise, which looks pretty nice as contrasted to all the other John Hancock's on a sign in sheet.
I have a lawyer buddy and he has a specific pen and ink he uses to sign docs for the exact reason. Which one is the original, and also ensures his signature isn't being forged or modified.
@@Doodlebud I know. I am a lawyer myself. (I was a techie before that.) And yes, I do have a signature pen myself...of course I have half a dozen in my shirt at all times I variety if colors. But so many documents are just e-signed these days. But when I can I use a fun permanent ink from Noodler's.
which flavour of Noodler's black was this? can you review some Sailor black ink?
That one was just straight up plain Noodler's Black
Thank you...nice. where did you get that blue pen case?
I have the review coming up
i use noodlers black at work
I've had nothing but disappointments with Noodler's Black. It separates in the bottle, takes too long to dry, shades, has an underlying brown tone, and threatens to bleed through to the opposite side of the page. There are better permanent blacks, IMO, including Noodler's Heart of Darkness (richer, darker black that has yet to separate and dries more quickly). But since they're both Noodler's inks: your mileage *will* vary.
Platinum Carbon Black always deserves a shoutout when discussing permanent blacks, although I disagree when people say it is the darkest and blackest black. It has a satiny finish that reflects any light, so there is a frequent glint that lightens an otherwise dark, rich grey-black. Platinum now has an even darker micropigment carbon black: Platinum Chou Kuro. Platinum claims it is over 40% blacker than the standard Carbon Black. I have yet to try it but I am looking forward to getting my paws on it. Regardless, Carbon Black scores well in every category except the "low maintenance" category and scores 11/10 in permanence.
Random notes:
- like RO's Graphite, Diamine's Graphite also has a green undertone
- Taccia Kuro has a fun golden sheen
- Nurebairo has a fun copper sheen
- J.Herbin's Pearle Noire is silky smooth
- my sample of X-Feather Black doesn't live up to its claims but is still a solid option in the "dark, rich black" category. It is darker and richer than both Noodler's Black and Platinum Carbon Black
- I, too, like RO's Thunderstorm
- I didn't like Coal Noir and Smoke Noir at first but Doodle's passion for them have me thinking about picking up some samples!
No Sailor Kiwaguro?
Havenn't used it yet. These are just my personal picks. The number of inks out there to try seems endless LOL
When writing IEPs as a Special Education Teacher, we have only been allowed to use blue or black ink for legal documents.
I use J. Herbin Perle Noire, but I want to try Aurora Black.
Platinum Carbon Black
So far the only one who cares what ink I use at work is me. I like to use my Noodler's Operation Overlord Orange in my diy flex stub Konrad. If it needs permanence, I'll use HOD in my penbbs 487 mag filler with Noodler's flex nib and feed.