Most Well Behaved Ink?

[cskroeze]

Hey All,

 

I'm on quest to discover the most well behaved ink. Regardless of color, regardless of brand, what ink do you know is absolutely no-nonsense and will work in everything? Something that dries fast, flows decently, and is always readable?

 

Doesn't have to be pretty, doesn't have to be cheap or expensive, but let me know what ink has never let you down!

[Moshe ben David]

I'll jump in first.

 

1. The criteria you list are too demanding of perfection. This would be a unicorn ink if it indeed worked perfectly in everything, on everything, etc.
2. On any given paper, some pens will tend to be 'wet' writers, some will be 'dry' writers.
   1. assuming the nib and/or feed don't need tuning, Waterman inks (and to some extent Diamine inks tend to give a 'wetter' flow.
   2. again assuminng the nib and/or feed don't need tuning, Pelikan inks tend to give drier flow
3. Dry time may be a function of the paper porosity as well as ambient room and/or ambient humidity
4. Note also that how a pen writes with a particular ink on a particular paper is also influenced by you: how you hold the pen, how hard you press, etc. In other words, no matter what someone else tells you always keep in mind that as we like to say: YMMV (your mileage may vary)!

For the reasons given above, I and I suspect many of us do keep on hand both some Waterman ink and some Pelikan ink. Note also that 'blue' shaded inks tend to be a bit more reliable and easier to clean out of pens. 'Red' inks tend to be more susceptible to staining and drying up in the pen.

 

I am not including any points related to iron gall inks in the above; that is a whole new topic for discussion!

 

Hope this helps you get started down the road. If you stay with this, you'll probably find that it isn't only a pen collection you will have. You'll also have an ink collection and maybe even a paper collection!

[ethernautrix]

Noodler's Black.

[phillieskjk]

Parker Quink Black.

[cskroeze]

I'll jump in first.

 

1. The criteria you list are too demanding of perfection. This would be a unicorn ink if it indeed worked perfectly in everything, on everything, etc.
2. On any given paper, some pens will tend to be 'wet' writers, some will be 'dry' writers.
   1. assuming the nib and/or feed don't need tuning, Waterman inks (and to some extent Diamine inks tend to give a 'wetter' flow.
   2. again assuminng the nib and/or feed don't need tuning, Pelikan inks tend to give drier flow
3. Dry time may be a function of the paper porosity as well as ambient room and/or ambient humidity
4. Note also that how a pen writes with a particular ink on a particular paper is also influenced by you: how you hold the pen, how hard you press, etc. In other words, no matter what someone else tells you always keep in mind that as we like to say: YMMV (your mileage may vary)!

For the reasons given above, I and I suspect many of us do keep on hand both some Waterman ink and some Pelikan ink. Note also that 'blue' shaded inks tend to be a bit more reliable and easier to clean out of pens. 'Red' inks tend to be more susceptible to staining and drying up in the pen.

 

I am not including any points related to iron gall inks in the above; that is a whole new topic for discussion!

 

Hope this helps you get started down the road. If you stay with this, you'll probably find that it isn't only a pen collection you will have. You'll also have an ink collection and maybe even a paper collection!

 

Thanks for your input, Moshe ben David!

 

I completely understand that the ink is only one variable in the writing experience, but notice that I didn't ask for the PERFECT ink (no such thing!) but what ink is the MOST well behaved that you have encountered.

[TSherbs]

Hey All,

 

I'm on quest to discover the most well behaved ink. Regardless of color, regardless of brand, what ink do you know is absolutely no-nonsense and will work in everything? Something that dries fast, flows decently, and is always readable?

 

Doesn't have to be pretty, doesn't have to be cheap or expensive, but let me know what ink has never let you down!

Pelikan Royal Blue (Konigsblau)

Edited April 28, 2015 by TSherbs

[Maurizio]

Waterman Serenity Blue (at least that's what they're calling it this month).

[RMN]

Let's put it this way: If a new, properly cleaned pen has issues with Waterman Blue Black (whatever the fancy name) I would bring the pen back to the shop.

 

D.ick

[cskroeze]

Let's put it this way: If a new, properly cleaned pen has issues with Waterman Blue Black (whatever the fancy name) I would bring the pen back to the shop.

 

D.ick

 

Now that's what I call a ringing endorsement!

[Joane]

For me both MB Royal Blue and Mystery Black fulfill the criteria. They perform/behave beautifully in any pen and on any paper I have used.

[Legal Eagle]

Let's put it this way: If a new, properly cleaned pen has issues with Waterman Blue Black (whatever the fancy name) I would bring the pen back to the shop.

 

D.ick

 

Yeah I agree with this. You could also include Waterman Inspired Blue(formerly south seas blue). I find these inks to be the most well behaved in my experiences.

[Flaxmoore]

Sheaffer Blue, Pilot Blue Black. Both work in everything I own well.

[dspeers58]

Pilot Blue-Black, Waterman Serenity Blue, Visconti Blue

[cskroeze]

I'm seeing lots of love for Waterman inks here. I take it they're pretty reliable over all?

 

i don't think their colors are particularly jazzy, but they all seem like good writers, yes?

[alexander_k]

I guess there are many inks that behave well and the posts here as well as elsewhere (it is a recurring theme) suggest that there are many favourites. Just for the record, mine is Diamine Midnight: a guarantee for good flow in every pen I've tried it. BTW, is it a coincidence that most inks reported to behave so well are blue and in particular dark blue?

[lapis]

Waterman for sure. If your pen can't handle any of these inks, chuck the pen. The only thing bad about Waterman inks are the new names. How silly of the managers there!

 

Mike

[cskroeze]

I think there might be some Harmonious Green in my near future...

[SeeksAdvice]

MB-Midnight Blue (IG formula) - no longer made - well behaved on page. Does actually start to fade with time:/ (stuff I wrote with it last the "blue" component)

Sailor Kiwa-Guro - if you don't smudge the page. Carbon black ink. Ever see soot fade? Does have a strong silver sheen though.

Platinum Carbon Black - a "thicker" carbon black that does not dry as fast as Kiwa-Guro. Less of a sheen than Kiwa-Guro.

Sailor Sei-Boku - not the darkest "blue-black" but well behaved and ultra-permanent for a non-carbon ink.

Iroshizuku <x> - pretty well behaved, nice behavior in pen ... not really water resistant. Fairly fade resistant

So much depends on pen, paper, and environmental conditions. I've had Iroshizuku Tsuyu-Kusa feather and bleed on Apica paper due to the damaged nib on a pen scratching the page. I've also had Noodler's Bad Belted Kingfisher perform amazingly on one type of really bad legal pads and horribly on another, while using the same pen (M400). Noodler's Olde Dutch Colony Sepia (cough, golden brown, cough ... at least my bottle seems to be) is very dry in almost all of my pens, yet works really great in my old Keene which has had fits with nearly all other inks.

[JimCouch]

Aurora, either the blue or the black. Performs with pretty much any pen and any paper i have ever used. I sure wish they did a blue-back ink!

[Nomad]

+1 Aurora Blue. Never had a pen that skipped with this. The Black is pretty trouble free as well. Both "sensible," easy-to-read colors.