Since I was a kid, I intrinsically knew that "there is no such thing as boring". It's subjective and determined by the level of knowledge and interest you have. To many this video would seem like it ran for hours, To us, it was over too quick. ONE OF US. ONE OF US.
You _failed_ me, HoD! Down the plughole you go! I now devote my life to developing the blackest black fountain pen ink. I shall call it... Woodlers Spleen of Darkitude.
Thanks for doing this test! I gotta say, even though it is not the blackest, Platinum Carbon Black for me will always be THE KING of black inks. As a professional illustrator I have never found a more perfect black. It's super black, it lays flat and doesn't layer or shade or streak, it is DEAD NUTS waterproof, it plays nice on any decent paper, is well behaved in every pen I've ever put it in, really isn't too bad to clean, AND it is rather affordable. So far I have I think 9 empty PCB bottles on my desk, maybe one day I'll build them into a little shrine of the all time greatest black ink.
@@uguubella In scans I have 0 issue whatsoever with the faint shine of PCB but, even in photos, it's there but it is negligible, save for extreme lighting scenarios that cause extreme glare. Even in just quick dirty snapshots with my phone of my ink drawings you don't really notice any glare.
To analyze value without being thrown off by different shades, take a picture of the samples and turn it to black and white. Artists do that to see if they are getting the correct values when they are painting. I did it with a screenshot of the video and it was funny seeing how some of the inks were in the wrong place. Also, I feel like a good black ink should be neutral, but that’s just my taste. Not too warm, not too cool, and no undertones. I think Perle Noire satisfies these categories well (a few others probably do too, but I would need to watch the video another time to name them and I’m sleepy now).
Sorry Drew, but I need a second part. There's just too much black ink missing. I have Kaweco and Pelikan 4001 here and they look very black to me. But I can't classify them because my screen distorts the colors in the video so much that I see everything but black... But I had fun anyway, as always. Thank you!
Drew, you may be surprised about the different tones, but I totally clicked on the video to see the different tones. I'm in love with the Obsidian and the TWBI black. They're so different from each other and from the other blacks. I'm a quilter, and when I"m trying to rank fabric from light to dark, I take a photo and change it to black and white. That way I'm not thrown off by different tones. That might help if you decide to rank ink from light to dark again.
Agree - and is why I tried to order both last night - TWSBI Black (and Midnight Blue) is on the way now and I hit the notification button for Obsidian.
Yup, that's the only reason I even know about carbon black to begin with, though I suppose that says something about how good document black is, that even though it lost drew thought it won, it was pretty close if I remember right
I always found Aurora Black, the basic one, to be one of the darkest inks that isn’t pigmented. Macchiato Man did a study on black inks - they even did RGB comparisons, and tried everything from bleach to scanning - and Aurora Black still won, for me. A low-maintenance, dark, dark ink.
That was never going to be close, was it? The thing with Chou Kuro is that it stays black as the void even when you put it in a mega broad nib. It doesn't start to shade to a disappointingly washed out grey like any other black ink(yes, including TWSBI Black). I wish Chou Kuro were a third of the price, but it certainly delivers on the marketing promises Platinum makes.
@drew...... Exactly, I just want a rock solid matte black, black and nothing but black; that's the reason to use it over all of the punchy colours you could pick instead. The only time I ever use another black ink(Aurora Black in my case) is to fill up my emergency pocket pen, because it may occasionally take half a year before I empty it and I would rather not let a pigmented ink like Chou Kuro accidentally dry up in there without noticing.
@@knownaigm I guess I should have said "dye-based black inks". Chou Kuro is still vastly more black than Carbon Black or any other pigmented black though. There is a sort of sheen to Carbon Black that becomes apparent when you see it next to Chou Kuro, which makes it look practically grey by comparison. It really is a night and day difference.
@drew...... That is a good point, PCB can definitely have a mild reflective quality to it depending on paper/application so a more matte version is definitely worth consideration.
Great video, would love to see a whole color series like this! The reddest red or the ink that changes the most in hue. Dunno but it'd be fun to do more vids like this
I can’t claim to have done any testing like Drew does here, but can confirm that Diamine Jet Black is quite black. Unfortunately it just didn’t want to play in my Rotring EF nib. I went back to a trusty old bottle of Parker Quink which has always worked flawlessly but is really only very dark grey in comparison. Is it common to compromise reliable flow in the quest for ultimate blackness? Anyone have a good tip for what I could try next?
Obsidian gets moved down because of how much colour is in it, but Twsbi stays where it is!!!!!!! I am guessing that you are colourblind Drew or Twsbi bribed you 😉 . Fun watch, as always, and like so many viewers I don't agree with your order, but if it wasn't personal opinion then it would not be such an enjoyable video. All it missed was your outlandish, fun and irreverent measurement system to describe the levels of blackness. Now just need to sit back and wait for my Friday fix.
Very interesting process. Not sure about the ranking. What was most amazing though is that Drew managed to set 9 ink vials on the desk near is elbow and wave his hands around and NOT KNOCK any of them over. I would have knocked each and every one. I became so absorbed in waiting for him knock one, I’ll probably have to watch again and focus on the intended content. You’re amazing, Drew.
Personally I have found using swabs really removes a lot of saturation from the inks. I would love to see this repeated using a brush instead of the swabs, I think you will see drastically different results
Hi Drew! I have Rohrer&Klingner Ebony. It is the 2023 limited edition. It is an iron gall nut ink and it is black. But Octopus Write&Draw Black Elephant is blacker. I will get some TWSBI Black and compare it.
I can't help but to notice that you removed points on Obsidian for containing a color other than black, but didn't do the same for TWSBI, which has a very obvious red or purple hue going on in it. Noodler's seems to have some brown as it lightens, and the rest appear on my monitor as various shades of gray. Chou Kuro looks to be the only true black in your test. Fun test. Hope to see a Round 2.
My go to black right now is Diamine Onyx Black. I don't use a huge amount of black ink but when I do I want it to be like a portal into the bottomless void between universes. I like that I can get a 30ml bottle of Diamine OB for a very reasonable price, its black and inky enough to satisfy my craving and its never stained or gunked up a pen I've left it in.
I would also vote for a part 2, and then include Diamine Onyx Black. In my opinion it’s a great contester to TWSBI. Thanks for a great channel , that has diged me way to far down the rabbit hole 😀
You guys on Goulet pens, you are always dressed extraordinary, but i have to say, Drew, that shirt is really something else, phenomenal!!! It reminds me of Winamp era and all those tripping visualizations! I like your style! 👍
Very enjoyable episode! I am NOT into black inks but watched out of curiosity and Drew is so entertaining. I wound up ordering a bottle of TWSBI Black as I found I loved the nuanced hue of that ink. I WOULD have ordered Obsidian but you are out of stock (and I hit the notify button). Intriguing and a bottle of TWSBI Midnight Blue just leaped into my cart when I wasn't looking as is wont to happen for me with sheening dark inks. I am far more susceptible to new inks than I am new pens. I love Drew's honest uncertainty and willingness to change his mind.
Thanks Drew for another completely objective, definitive rating with conclusive results! Two oranges and a dark horse for your effort. 😄 Perle Noir is something special, it's hard to describe. Another favorite, although you don't carry it (yet), is Leonardo Black. It looks almost shimmery but there are no shimmer particles. I have a personal rule about ink: No blues or blacks. The reason is that they're so common and conventional. However, my ink shelf is full of exceptions to that rule because they're gorgeous.
I too was disappointed with Heart of Darkness when I was testing out what would become my go-to black. I chose Noodler’s Black as my everyday (and now have roped in my brother lol) because it is so well behaved on every paper I put it on. I have a EF Twisbi that is perpetually inked with it since I can use it on any paper in my office so it have eliminated 95% of my ballpoint pen usage.
Thank you for this important public service. It was also nice to see a number of waterproof/water-resistant inks included. I realize that was unintentional, but it's useful for viewers/customers to get a highly valuable extra benefit out of their inks.
These videos are always so timely. I've been looking far and wide for a super black ink to run in my extra fine Pilot VP! I have a light hand and prefer as little shading as possible on a black ink, so Chou Kuro looks like a promising match!
Personally, I only use black ink for making important notes that I will refer back to for years. For that reason, longevity and water resistance etc. are my biggest considerations and Carbon Black just ticks every box. I adore the stuff!
I have Platinum Carbon Black in my PILOT CH92 M for drawing/watercolour. I absolutely love it! Because ir’s sooo black on 100% cotton watercolour paper, the only change that I’d make is having a F nib.
Oh I’ve been waiting for this! I’m almost out of my noodler’s heart of darkness after 4 years from when I first got into fountain pens. Update after watching video: twsbi black looks so red to me, I would disqualify it like Obsidian. I think I will just stick to HOD cause it dried evenly and looked fairly dark/similar to Document Black, Kiwa Guro, and Carbon. And I know it stays wet in my pens for months and months. It writes easily after I leave it in my Decimos for 4-6 months The top 2 darkest to me seemed like Noodler’s Black and Chou Kuro but Chou Kuro is too much work and Noodler’s Black dried very slowly and I need something faster.
What I look for in a black is the shade of black. Is it true black? Or is it a little brown, or blue, or green, or whatever. As I mostly use Broad and wider nibs, I look only at the sample from writing with a nib. Thanks for an interesting video. But my go to black will remain Herbin Perle Noire. It is a true black.
I LOVE TWSBI black! I bought a bottle with my first pen which was an Eco. I've haven't been tempted to try another black... yet. Super dark with great flow. Glad to see it getting some recognition here!
One thing I do to assess black inks and paints is to swab a solid square on the paper; and once dry, to crumple the paper up. If you can't see the wrinkles, it's a blacker black.
I loved your topic today, Drew, and in future you might venture into "truest of blues", "most vibrant of reds", etc. But may I quibble? I agree with your downgrading LAMY Obsidian for having teal overtones instead of being a true black, but then surely TWSBI Black should have been similarly downgraded for having red overtones. (Pelikan's 4001 Brillant Schwarz - very well-behaved black - has those same red overtones.) But there might be something else going on. I find red notes in my Pelikan 4001 Black here at home, I don't see the red in my Noodler's Black that I saw in your video. Is there possibly have a color-correction issue? Your lights are probably brighter than mine. Oh, and one additional thought: Did you consider including Namiki Black (made by Pilot, of course) in your comparisons? I love the ink and its squat but elegant bottles.
Maybe its an effect of the camera but most of those have some other tint to them. Obsidian looks greenish black for example. Noodlers looks brownish black. Twsbi looks reddish black. The others mostly shades of gray. Chou Kuro is the only one that looks pure black. Again it may be the camera effect, but that is how they appear.
Thank You, Drew, for your strong efforts in bringing your audience useful info. about fountain pens, ink, and paper. It had been previously reported that the blackest black inks were (are?) Aurora Black and Pelikan Brilliant Black. Thoughts?
Platinum Carbon Black will always be my #1. I started with Heart of Darkness and it was constantly drying up my pens. I have no issues with Carbon Black.
Well done Drew! BTW, I have been cleaning my pens with distilled water for over a decade now, ever since I watched crystals forming on the feed fins of a nib I was soaking in our tap water. At less than 2 bucks a gallon -lots ‘O converters full peace of mind.
But on my screen, TWSBI ink is NOT a neutral black. It looks different from the others. And it makes a difference if an ink is permanent or not in use. So for my drawing/watercolor sketches, I need Carbon or document ink.
That HoD looks waaaaay lighter than what comes out of my bottle of it. I find it's a good balance of super black ink but not being too painful to clean from a vacuum filler.
Thanks for this, Drew! I've never used Chou-Kuro or TWSBI Black, but I use Platinum Carbon Black, Kiwa-Guro, DeAtramentis Document Black, and Nooder's Black from time to time. Scribes' Ink Black Oil is darker than any of them; you might want to check it out. It's also the most waterproof ink I've ever used.
Sorry to see that Goulet no longer carries Aurora Black - to me, it's the clear winner of "blackest black" although I've never tried Chou Kuro. Now I'm wondering if I need to secure a bottle of Aurora Black - maybe it's getting difficult to find in the US? Hmmm... So this video is a double bonus for me! Potential scarcity alert + Drew being his entertaining self!😂 Write on!
Great shirt for black inks. Love hearing your opinions on various products, always an honest effort. The gray scale image, mentioned earlier, to judge darkness helps. I wonder if showing a standard color card in the shot would help too. Eyes and display monitors benefit from reference colors. The plain desk was very monochrome.
Sitting here watching Drew proclaim “this is super black” on TWSBI black, but on my phone screen all I can see is red. In fact, none of them really look black on my phone… except for maybe Chou Kuro. Might have to revisit this on my computer, and maybe pull up some of them in the swap shop to compare.
@@kellylaliberte548 On my TV where I stream all things TH-cam, TWSBI Black seemed to have blue-green overtones - our monitors certainly add a color bias for sure. I still bought a bottle 🙂
I can't speak for anyone but myself, but the absolute variety in tone and saturation between different blacks is what makes it such an amazing color to explore. Until I started to experiment with different blacks on different paper I had always kind of just thought "black ink is black ink." But, holy moly. The variety you find in this "plain and simple" color is astonishing. God help those that fall down the black ink rabbit hole because it's a deep one.
Lovely review. I use Noodler's Black mainly for illustration. I generally ink over my pencil outline and then erase the under drawing with a pencil eraser. I find in the process a bit of Noodler's black also gets erased. How is HOD in this regard? Does it lose its saturation when you erase over it?
Please do it again with tomoe. I use Chou Kuro. To me, it is the ‘Vantablack’ of fountain pen ink. It looks amazing on sanzen paper and you can feel the texture when writing. I would happily buy any ink with the same saturation and richness.
Document Black will remain my fave for drawing (which I add watercolor to, so it needs to be permanent). But this has me really wishing that LAMY Obsidian was waterproof! I love the slightly-teal look.
I was surprised how different the tones of black look when next to each other. Some warmer, some cooler. The Obsidian might not be true black, but it's a nice one anyway. Almost a dark blue black.
I LOVE black inks. There are a couple that you didn't include, though; Rohrer und Klingner Leipziger Schwarz, & Diamine Eclipse. I wonder how they'd measure up?
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Only in the FP community can we get 30 minute videos analyzing and comparing which black ink is slightly darker than the other black ink
…and people who watch them.
We all have OCD.
For whatever reason, with all the color inks available, I RARELY use anything but black.
Ah yes... So calming to watch Drew's slow descent into black ink madness.
Excellent! - Drew
In terms of part two - gotta include Aurora Black and some of the other Noodler’s Black inks.
Calming? I kept waiting for him to knock over the bottle.
@@upsadaisy16 I guess I'm a sadist at heart, LOL! 😅
I need an entire video of that
I don't mind black inks, but it is always good to see the internet's most colourful shirt in action.
If you get ink on it, of any colour, it will not show.
well, gotta contrast the black...
tbh it looks great in it
l love that I can unironically watch half an hour of someone comparing different shades of black. It was a joy as always, Drew!
Since I was a kid, I intrinsically knew that "there is no such thing as boring". It's subjective and determined by the level of knowledge and interest you have. To many this video would seem like it ran for hours, To us, it was over too quick. ONE OF US. ONE OF US.
You _failed_ me, HoD! Down the plughole you go!
I now devote my life to developing the blackest black fountain pen ink. I shall call it... Woodlers Spleen of Darkitude.
🤣
Thanks for doing this test! I gotta say, even though it is not the blackest, Platinum Carbon Black for me will always be THE KING of black inks. As a professional illustrator I have never found a more perfect black. It's super black, it lays flat and doesn't layer or shade or streak, it is DEAD NUTS waterproof, it plays nice on any decent paper, is well behaved in every pen I've ever put it in, really isn't too bad to clean, AND it is rather affordable. So far I have I think 9 empty PCB bottles on my desk, maybe one day I'll build them into a little shrine of the all time greatest black ink.
Sometimes photos have that sheen on it from the ink, do you have that problem or not really cause u scan ur art or?
@@uguubella In scans I have 0 issue whatsoever with the faint shine of PCB but, even in photos, it's there but it is negligible, save for extreme lighting scenarios that cause extreme glare. Even in just quick dirty snapshots with my phone of my ink drawings you don't really notice any glare.
To analyze value without being thrown off by different shades, take a picture of the samples and turn it to black and white. Artists do that to see if they are getting the correct values when they are painting.
I did it with a screenshot of the video and it was funny seeing how some of the inks were in the wrong place.
Also, I feel like a good black ink should be neutral, but that’s just my taste. Not too warm, not too cool, and no undertones. I think Perle Noire satisfies these categories well (a few others probably do too, but I would need to watch the video another time to name them and I’m sleepy now).
That's a fantastic suggestion! - Drew
So which inks came out on top with your test?
please tell me which ink came out on top?
Unfortunately there are many different ways to convert a colour image into black and white.
We need one of these videos for each color now 😤
Sorry Drew, but I need a second part. There's just too much black ink missing. I have Kaweco and Pelikan 4001 here and they look very black to me. But I can't classify them because my screen distorts the colors in the video so much that I see everything but black...
But I had fun anyway, as always. Thank you!
Not a bad idea! - Drew
@@GouletpensCan I suggest a second heat including Aurora.
@@Gouletpens Try Noodlers X Feather Black. Please
Kaweco Pearl Black is currently my daily use black.
@@Gouletpens Leonardo Black is very black indeed.
I like the Obsidian, yes, it’s blueish. Meanwhile, I don’t mind the Twsbi, but c’mon, it’s plum.
right? i thought it was only me.
Twisbi looked purplelish to me. Meanwhile, Carbon looked gray to me
Absolutely agree. It’s dark but it’s not black. I wouldn’t even include it in the competition.
Lamy Dark Lilac for me looks rather black on a finer nib.
Chou Kuro is the level of blackness into which I hope my consciousness descends when I close my eyes to sleep.
If only we could all be that lucky.
My wallet certainly descends to that level of blackness🤑
@@silenos5225 🤣🤣🤣
Drew, you may be surprised about the different tones, but I totally clicked on the video to see the different tones. I'm in love with the Obsidian and the TWBI black. They're so different from each other and from the other blacks.
I'm a quilter, and when I"m trying to rank fabric from light to dark, I take a photo and change it to black and white. That way I'm not thrown off by different tones. That might help if you decide to rank ink from light to dark again.
Agree - and is why I tried to order both last night - TWSBI Black (and Midnight Blue) is on the way now and I hit the notification button for Obsidian.
Well, that was fun. Thanks, Drew. I love my Chou Kuro and think it is worth every penny.
I believe Platinum Carbon Black, not the De Atramentis ink, was the champion of Drew’s wholly science-based water-proof tests a couple of years ago.
You are correct! My memory is horrible. - Drew
Yup, that's the only reason I even know about carbon black to begin with, though I suppose that says something about how good document black is, that even though it lost drew thought it won, it was pretty close if I remember right
When Drew said that I gasped. I was positive my fave black ink had won :D
I always found Aurora Black, the basic one, to be one of the darkest inks that isn’t pigmented. Macchiato Man did a study on black inks - they even did RGB comparisons, and tried everything from bleach to scanning - and Aurora Black still won, for me. A low-maintenance, dark, dark ink.
That was never going to be close, was it? The thing with Chou Kuro is that it stays black as the void even when you put it in a mega broad nib. It doesn't start to shade to a disappointingly washed out grey like any other black ink(yes, including TWSBI Black). I wish Chou Kuro were a third of the price, but it certainly delivers on the marketing promises Platinum makes.
@drew...... Exactly, I just want a rock solid matte black, black and nothing but black; that's the reason to use it over all of the punchy colours you could pick instead. The only time I ever use another black ink(Aurora Black in my case) is to fill up my emergency pocket pen, because it may occasionally take half a year before I empty it and I would rather not let a pigmented ink like Chou Kuro accidentally dry up in there without noticing.
Well, since it is sold out everywhere and has been for months, I doubt the price will come down any time soon. I would buy some if I could find it.
Platinum Carbon Black doesn't grey out and shade either, even when using it in my brush pens and doing broad wide fills with it.
@@knownaigm I guess I should have said "dye-based black inks". Chou Kuro is still vastly more black than Carbon Black or any other pigmented black though. There is a sort of sheen to Carbon Black that becomes apparent when you see it next to Chou Kuro, which makes it look practically grey by comparison. It really is a night and day difference.
@drew...... That is a good point, PCB can definitely have a mild reflective quality to it depending on paper/application so a more matte version is definitely worth consideration.
I would love to see you try to color match coffee or tea. Maybe do a whole series with random things- fruit, flowers, household objects??
Black ink tests rarely include Noodler’s Polar Black, but when they do it usually comes out on top (unless Chou Kuro is in the mix).
Yes! Thank you - and what a fabulous shirt!!! Lol, love the passion you display trying to figure this out.
Thank you, Drew I am a black ink aficionado and found this extremely informative and entertaining. 🖤
Yay! Thanks a bunch! - Drew
Great video, would love to see a whole color series like this! The reddest red or the ink that changes the most in hue. Dunno but it'd be fun to do more vids like this
Obsidian might have been down the bottom of the list, but a great colour. Could be perfect for some dark artwork.
Thanks
Al
Had to wear sunglasses for Drew’s shirt, resulting in all black inks looked absolutely pitch black.
Love your shirt Drew❣️♥️
How about Diamine Jet black or Onyx Black?
I can’t claim to have done any testing like Drew does here, but can confirm that Diamine Jet Black is quite black. Unfortunately it just didn’t want to play in my Rotring EF nib. I went back to a trusty old bottle of Parker Quink which has always worked flawlessly but is really only very dark grey in comparison. Is it common to compromise reliable flow in the quest for ultimate blackness? Anyone have a good tip for what I could try next?
@@Steve.MAurora Black may fit the bill. Whenever I’m in doubt about a particular fine nib, I reach for Aurora Black.
@@mishaerementchouk Thank you. A few people have suggested Aurora Black. It seems like I should give it a try!
I leaned a lot more about black! Thank you Drew and the team!🤗🤗🤗
Obsidian gets moved down because of how much colour is in it, but Twsbi stays where it is!!!!!!! I am guessing that you are colourblind Drew or Twsbi bribed you 😉 . Fun watch, as always, and like so many viewers I don't agree with your order, but if it wasn't personal opinion then it would not be such an enjoyable video. All it missed was your outlandish, fun and irreverent measurement system to describe the levels of blackness. Now just need to sit back and wait for my Friday fix.
TWSBI looked more black in person, I promise! - Drew
@@Gouletpens I believe you Drew, though many may not 😀. Thanks for the explanation, it makes sense.
To my eye Aurora Black is noticeably darker than Carbon Black. Would have loved to see it in this shootout.
agreed, was really hoping to see how it compares
Very interesting process. Not sure about the ranking. What was most amazing though is that Drew managed to set 9 ink vials on the desk near is elbow and wave his hands around and NOT KNOCK any of them over. I would have knocked each and every one. I became so absorbed in waiting for him knock one, I’ll probably have to watch again and focus on the intended content. You’re amazing, Drew.
Personally I have found using swabs really removes a lot of saturation from the inks. I would love to see this repeated using a brush instead of the swabs, I think you will see drastically different results
Also pelikan Schwartz black would be cool to compare here
Drews uncertainty is hilarious lol
Hi Drew! I have Rohrer&Klingner Ebony. It is the 2023 limited edition. It is an iron gall nut ink and it is black. But Octopus Write&Draw Black Elephant is blacker. I will get some TWSBI Black and compare it.
I got Noodler’s Black and TWSBI Black at the same time and TWSBI black has been my go to black ink for years.
DeAtramentis Document Black ink is my favorite black ink. I always have a pen inked with it.
I love it, too, and also their Urban Grey, and Brown. And lately I've been having a lot of fun sketching with their Green Grey.
The video was worth it just to see all the faces Drew was pulling. I'd like to see those rated as a Top Ten! 🤪
TWSBI with a very strong showing!
I like these kinds of videos, please do more of these. It's fun talking into the screen as if you can hear me.😃
I do that too.
Haha! I love that! Thank you! - Drew
I can't help but to notice that you removed points on Obsidian for containing a color other than black, but didn't do the same for TWSBI, which has a very obvious red or purple hue going on in it. Noodler's seems to have some brown as it lightens, and the rest appear on my monitor as various shades of gray. Chou Kuro looks to be the only true black in your test.
Fun test. Hope to see a Round 2.
My go to black right now is Diamine Onyx Black. I don't use a huge amount of black ink but when I do I want it to be like a portal into the bottomless void between universes. I like that I can get a 30ml bottle of Diamine OB for a very reasonable price, its black and inky enough to satisfy my craving and its never stained or gunked up a pen I've left it in.
I would also vote for a part 2, and then include Diamine Onyx Black. In my opinion it’s a great contester to TWSBI.
Thanks for a great channel , that has diged me way to far down the rabbit hole 😀
I can't have enough black inks. Ever. I missed Aurora Black and Diamine Onyx black.
(btw, nice to see a black test. thanks Drew!)
To my eye the TWSBI black seems just a touch off from a true black, but I am floored at how consistently saturated it was.
You guys on Goulet pens, you are always dressed extraordinary, but i have to say, Drew, that shirt is really something else, phenomenal!!!
It reminds me of Winamp era and all those tripping visualizations!
I like your style! 👍
I think it’s great when you get a surprise winner.
I think Lamy black is the darkest non pigmented ink i have seen.
Maybe in part 2???
Very enjoyable episode! I am NOT into black inks but watched out of curiosity and Drew is so entertaining. I wound up ordering a bottle of TWSBI Black as I found I loved the nuanced hue of that ink. I WOULD have ordered Obsidian but you are out of stock (and I hit the notify button). Intriguing and a bottle of TWSBI Midnight Blue just leaped into my cart when I wasn't looking as is wont to happen for me with sheening dark inks. I am far more susceptible to new inks than I am new pens. I love Drew's honest uncertainty and willingness to change his mind.
I always use Aurora Black, a very dark black ink and quite wet.
Thanks Drew for another completely objective, definitive rating with conclusive results! Two oranges and a dark horse for your effort. 😄
Perle Noir is something special, it's hard to describe. Another favorite, although you don't carry it (yet), is Leonardo Black. It looks almost shimmery but there are no shimmer particles.
I have a personal rule about ink: No blues or blacks. The reason is that they're so common and conventional. However, my ink shelf is full of exceptions to that rule because they're gorgeous.
Ooh I’m gonna try a sample of the Leonardo.
Haha! Yes, 100% objective and scientific, for sure! Thanks for joining me, David! - Drew
Could you do a comparison of best waterproof versions of black and gray?❓️
Jetpens did one on their website a couple of years back
You should do a comparison of the top 10 blue-black inks. They should contain the darkness of a black ink, while also have visibly blue properties.
This comparison seems to me to be very dependent on the q-tip and how much ink you can load in the q-tip.
So many good black inks on the market. Thank you for testing. It was interesting.
I too was disappointed with Heart of Darkness when I was testing out what would become my go-to black. I chose Noodler’s Black as my everyday (and now have roped in my brother lol) because it is so well behaved on every paper I put it on. I have a EF Twisbi that is perpetually inked with it since I can use it on any paper in my office so it have eliminated 95% of my ballpoint pen usage.
Graf von Faber-Castell Carbon Black is my blackest non pigmented (afaik) ink.
Anyway, thank you!
Loved it! Thanks Drew it was funny and interesting! 🎉
Thank you for this important public service. It was also nice to see a number of waterproof/water-resistant inks included. I realize that was unintentional, but it's useful for viewers/customers to get a highly valuable extra benefit out of their inks.
Another really good one and now my go to black is Private Reserve Ultra Black
I'm sticking with my "Bulletproof" Black
We need a series like this with all the major colors. I would like the next video to be red inks please
You guys always seem to know what I’m thinking in my head pen-n-ink wise!
These videos are always so timely. I've been looking far and wide for a super black ink to run in my extra fine Pilot VP! I have a light hand and prefer as little shading as possible on a black ink, so Chou Kuro looks like a promising match!
More rankings, please! This was very informative!
Personally, I only use black ink for making important notes that I will refer back to for years. For that reason, longevity and water resistance etc. are my biggest considerations and Carbon Black just ticks every box. I adore the stuff!
I have Platinum Carbon Black in my PILOT CH92 M for drawing/watercolour. I absolutely love it! Because ir’s sooo black on 100% cotton watercolour paper, the only change that I’d make is having a F nib.
I found out that you have to shake HOD as it seems that the black falls to the bottom of the bottle. I found this out the hard way...
I found this out as well. It is a gorgeous black when mixed.
Oh I’ve been waiting for this! I’m almost out of my noodler’s heart of darkness after 4 years from when I first got into fountain pens.
Update after watching video: twsbi black looks so red to me, I would disqualify it like Obsidian. I think I will just stick to HOD cause it dried evenly and looked fairly dark/similar to Document Black, Kiwa Guro, and Carbon. And I know it stays wet in my pens for months and months. It writes easily after I leave it in my Decimos for 4-6 months
The top 2 darkest to me seemed like Noodler’s Black and Chou Kuro but Chou Kuro is too much work and Noodler’s Black dried very slowly and I need something faster.
If it ain't broke...
I think I will stick to Platinum's Carbon black 😅
What I look for in a black is the shade of black. Is it true black? Or is it a little brown, or blue, or green, or whatever. As I mostly use Broad and wider nibs, I look only at the sample from writing with a nib. Thanks for an interesting video. But my go to black will remain Herbin Perle Noire. It is a true black.
I don't disagree! - Drew
I LOVE TWSBI black! I bought a bottle with my first pen which was an Eco. I've haven't been tempted to try another black... yet. Super dark with great flow. Glad to see it getting some recognition here!
Drew, why did you leave out Aurora’s black? That is the gold standard of black inks.
One thing I do to assess black inks and paints is to swab a solid square on the paper; and once dry, to crumple the paper up. If you can't see the wrinkles, it's a blacker black.
I loved your topic today, Drew, and in future you might venture into "truest of blues", "most vibrant of reds", etc. But may I quibble? I agree with your downgrading LAMY Obsidian for having teal overtones instead of being a true black, but then surely TWSBI Black should have been similarly downgraded for having red overtones. (Pelikan's 4001 Brillant Schwarz - very well-behaved black - has those same red overtones.) But there might be something else going on. I find red notes in my Pelikan 4001 Black here at home, I don't see the red in my Noodler's Black that I saw in your video. Is there possibly have a color-correction issue? Your lights are probably brighter than mine. Oh, and one additional thought: Did you consider including Namiki Black (made by Pilot, of course) in your comparisons? I love the ink and its squat but elegant bottles.
Maybe its an effect of the camera but most of those have some other tint to them. Obsidian looks greenish black for example. Noodlers looks brownish black. Twsbi looks reddish black. The others mostly shades of gray. Chou Kuro is the only one that looks pure black. Again it may be the camera effect, but that is how they appear.
Thank You, Drew, for your strong efforts in bringing your audience useful info. about fountain pens, ink, and paper. It had been previously reported that the blackest black inks were (are?) Aurora Black and Pelikan Brilliant Black. Thoughts?
Platinum Carbon Black will always be my #1. I started with Heart of Darkness and it was constantly drying up my pens. I have no issues with Carbon Black.
Was not expecting TWSBI Black to perform like it did!
Well done Drew! BTW, I have been cleaning my pens with distilled water for over a decade now, ever since I watched crystals forming on the feed fins of a nib I was soaking in our tap water. At less than 2 bucks a gallon -lots ‘O converters full peace of mind.
Agree there needs to be part 2! I think Noodler’s X Feather is the blackest black ink I have and is darker than de atramentis document black.
It's confirmed: Drew is the Captain America of ink testers. He can do this all day. YES!
I LOVE my Chou Koro, knew it was going to "win" 😂
Noodler's Black is the only black ink I use. It's virtually perfect for me.
But on my screen, TWSBI ink is NOT a neutral black. It looks different from the others. And it makes a difference if an ink is permanent or not in use. So for my drawing/watercolor sketches, I need Carbon or document ink.
That HoD looks waaaaay lighter than what comes out of my bottle of it. I find it's a good balance of super black ink but not being too painful to clean from a vacuum filler.
Thanks for this, Drew! I've never used Chou-Kuro or TWSBI Black, but I use Platinum Carbon Black, Kiwa-Guro, DeAtramentis Document Black, and Nooder's Black from time to time. Scribes' Ink Black Oil is darker than any of them; you might want to check it out. It's also the most waterproof ink I've ever used.
Way to go Drew. I enjoyed the challenge.
Sorry to see that Goulet no longer carries Aurora Black - to me, it's the clear winner of "blackest black" although I've never tried Chou Kuro. Now I'm wondering if I need to secure a bottle of Aurora Black - maybe it's getting difficult to find in the US? Hmmm... So this video is a double bonus for me! Potential scarcity alert + Drew being his entertaining self!😂 Write on!
Great shirt for black inks. Love hearing your opinions on various products, always an honest effort. The gray scale image, mentioned earlier, to judge darkness helps. I wonder if showing a standard color card in the shot would help too. Eyes and display monitors benefit from reference colors. The plain desk was very monochrome.
Sitting here watching Drew proclaim “this is super black” on TWSBI black, but on my phone screen all I can see is red. In fact, none of them really look black on my phone… except for maybe Chou Kuro. Might have to revisit this on my computer, and maybe pull up some of them in the swap shop to compare.
Same on my TV. I kept wondering how Obsidian lost points for the teal tones but TWSBI Black didn't lose points for actually being dark red!
@@kellylaliberte548 On my TV where I stream all things TH-cam, TWSBI Black seemed to have blue-green overtones - our monitors certainly add a color bias for sure. I still bought a bottle 🙂
I am also a bit puzzled about that, but I also have a red light filter on my screen right now, so I know I'm not getting an unbiased view.
Oh my, no Aurora black? The best black ink ever made ❤
We don't carry that one anymore! It's a respected black in though. -Brian Goulet
I can't speak for anyone but myself, but the absolute variety in tone and saturation between different blacks is what makes it such an amazing color to explore. Until I started to experiment with different blacks on different paper I had always kind of just thought "black ink is black ink." But, holy moly. The variety you find in this "plain and simple" color is astonishing. God help those that fall down the black ink rabbit hole because it's a deep one.
True when comparing them, but all alone on a piece of paper, I still think black ink is black ink.
Lovely review. I use Noodler's Black mainly for illustration. I generally ink over my pencil outline and then erase the under drawing with a pencil eraser. I find in the process a bit of Noodler's black also gets erased.
How is HOD in this regard? Does it lose its saturation when you erase over it?
De Atramentis Document black was recommended to me by Brian K and I could not be happier with it! Will always be my only black. ❤
You have to do this test again to verify 'waterfastness'. I use Carbon Black and Document Black when doing water color. Really important to me.
Please do it again with tomoe. I use Chou Kuro. To me, it is the ‘Vantablack’ of fountain pen ink. It looks amazing on sanzen paper and you can feel the texture when writing. I would happily buy any ink with the same saturation and richness.
Document Black will remain my fave for drawing (which I add watercolor to, so it needs to be permanent). But this has me really wishing that LAMY Obsidian was waterproof! I love the slightly-teal look.
I fell for it again. Ink comparisons that aren't about writing, but swatches. Now if I wanted to spend my time swatching . . .
I was surprised how different the tones of black look when next to each other. Some warmer, some cooler. The Obsidian might not be true black, but it's a nice one anyway. Almost a dark blue black.
Hi, Drew! I have been using Lamy Obsidian, and I just wanted to let you know that it comes across on the page as an ultra black in a pen
Would love to see you try and match Dollar bill green.
How did Noodler's X-Feather not make the cut?! I use it specifically because it is as black as it is.
I have always believed that the “best” blacks are made up of primary colours to give interest and depth.
Chromatography would be interesting.
I think that's a solid perspective! - Drew
I LOVE black inks. There are a couple that you didn't include, though; Rohrer und Klingner Leipziger Schwarz, & Diamine Eclipse. I wonder how they'd measure up?