Aurora Black

[orange lamy]

I gave in today and purchased a black bottle of ink... after all, everyone should have a bottle of black ink, at least one.

 

I do not have TOO much to compare to but I have some pro's and con's based on my experience with writing with a fountain pen in general... (sorry no pictures, it's black. literally.)

 

Prior to trying this ink, to be fair, I dipped my waterman 52 into lamy blue black the night before to try it out, and then cleaned the whole pen and let it dry out over night.

 

Color: It is definitely the black in of black inks. Dark, dense, and would only look like a super dark gray if I write with the lightest pressure (xf-bb nib). Other wise it makes a mark on paper that looks no less like a black hole.

 

Lubrication: Buttery, relative to the blue black. I didn't know how smooth the pen can write until I loaded it with this ink.

 

Flow: wet, wet, wet. fast or slow writing, it doesn't skip a beat. Flex or no flex, your paper will be stained.

 

Bleed through: Yes, on most paper I've tried it with, when I create the BB lines, it will bleed through to the second page. It usually does this on the "wettest" spot (when the pen stops).

 

Feathering: Yes, on printer paper, on my ampad. Quite disappointed that it has this property, I expected less feathering. On the other hand if you are not using a flex nib and have a fairly consistent light pressure you will be able to achieve featherless lines. It did not feather on my looseleaf paper from staple. Perhaps its less absorbant than the other two paper i tried it on.

 

Smell: none that I would be concerned about.

 

Shading: Yeah... right! None what so ever. Not necessary on a proper black ink.

 

Ink on nib: Just barely a spot on the tip. With the lamy blue black I have many spots on my safari, to the point that i got a black nib to ignore it. Very unsightly property. Good thing this ink does not have this problem, so far.

 

Price: $13.00 a bottle at my local penshop... Too high if you ask me!

 

Overall rating: 6/10

 

Conclusion: I don't think I would be using this ink much, I won't pour it out either because it performs well on good paper. I maybe searching for a different replacement once I go through half the bottle. Bleed through doesn't bother me as much as feathering does. I love the lubricative property of this ink, but it isn't enough to justify the feathering. I had higher expectation for this ink based off other reviews but felt disappointed. For the price I am certain there is a better black ink out there. I will continue to search! I can only recommend this ink to people that will be using it on higher quality paper (less absorbant too), and dryer flowing pens or pens with slightly scratch nibs. Else find something better for the money. By the way.. if you get this ink on your hands... well.. it will come off in a few days.

 

Pros: Lube, flow, color.

 

Cons: feathering, bleed through, price, hard to wash off stain on skin.

[PenTieRun]

Aurora is one of only two blacks that I own, and I really don't see the need to buy any others. Dark, smooth, and perfect. Love this stuff and wish Aurora made some other colors besides black and blue.

[bitterwonder]

Aurora black is pretty much the only ink I use. I keep a scap sheet of paper in my sketchbook should there be bleed through.

[freewheelingvagabond]

Aurora is one of only two blacks that I own, and I really don't see the need to buy any others. Dark, smooth, and perfect. Love this stuff and wish Aurora made some other colors besides black and blue.

 

 

I love the fact that Aurora makes only Black and Blue. I think this makes it stand out. There are already so many other inks available on the market!

[orange lamy]

I was looking for a black ink to take calculus notes and do computations, however the bleed through would not allow me to use both sides of my looseleaf. lol... just a small problem for me.

 

it's a very good ink, but not as practical as i like it to be!

[lapis]

Funny (likely not all that funny) but although black is definitely not one of the many ink colours I love, I have about 2 handfuls of 'em for the simple reason that I love comparisons. Maybe it's a paradox here but IMO the colours (if you can call black a colour) which are actually "easiest" to compare has to be black, because there is only one black colour (so to say). Sure, apart from bulletproofness, flow... there are differences.

But taken together, the 4 "best" -- that now meaning blackest black in general) I've ever used are Aurora, Perle Noire, Old Manhattan and HoD.

 

Whew

[orange lamy]

Photos to look at....

 

Generally what this ink looks like writing on cheap staples looseleaf...

This ink did okay on a smear test for something that is so lubricated and wet flowing....

 

The feathering... bleeding I talk about....

 

[1000km]

Aurora Black is superb. I love it!

[pbandjai]

love it. thanks for the visuals

 

Photos to look at....

 

Generally what this ink looks like writing on cheap staples looseleaf...

This ink did okay on a smear test for something that is so lubricated and wet flowing....

 

The feathering... bleeding I talk about....

[swmlon]

I have been wanting to try this ink out for a while after reading the generally positive reviews about it. But I wonder if I need another black since I already have the Sailor Nano Black which is really black and the Mont Blanc which is a lighter (I know, it sounds silly considering the colour) black. Another black I think might be overkill.

[Apotheosis]

Aurora Black is in every FP I'm using right now..! Need to get another bottle soon

 

 

[nscampos]

Aurora is quite inexpensive in Portugal.

I buy Aurora bottles at a corner shop and it costs me 5,50 euros, the same as Waterman ink.

 

And Aurora Black is my favourite ink, but it needs a good paper or a dry pen.

[Jules]

My M90 (F) was writing painfully dry until I filled it up with Aurora Black...the ink might not be great on bad paper or for wet writers, but it's definitely good for some things!

[orange lamy]

i completely agree with u jules, I think it will go with my safari most of the time, since that pen is a drier pen than the 52 i have.

[Bookman]

Orange Lamy, if Aurora Black feathers on and bleeds through your paper, you need better paper. Get yourself a ream of 24# HP Laser paper. It costs 2 cents a sheet. (And since you can write on both sides it's a penny a page, cheaper than most notebook paper.) If you needs lines, download a PDF template free-of-charge from incomptech.com—notebook paper, plain lines without a left-hand margin, graph, dots, whatever. Then print your own writing paper with an ordinary inkjet printer. Life's too short to write on crummy paper.

[ToasterPastry]

I don't normally come to the defense of ink, as the most overused remark, "it's just ink." However, I can assure you that after owning probably 80 to 100 different bottles of ink, I rank Aurora Black as one of my favorites. It was my one of my first inks, and my second black ink (after Pelikan Fount India).

 

As described above, it performs well in just about any pen. If the pen doesn't seem to work, you must first try Aurora Black after declaring it so. The lubrication of the ink with pen on paper is second to none.

 

I find very little, if any, feathering or bleeding with the ink (although I have not performed a comparison study with 30 or 40 different inks). Before you dismiss it, I suggest you try other inks on your paper, and see which performs better. Sometimes we are stuck with the paper we get. However, as Bookman suggests, maybe it's time to buy new paper.

 

Aurora Black is a rather acidic. I have never had long term problems with the ink in various pens. But then I don't leave pens inked for months at a time.

[orange lamy]

Orange Lamy, if Aurora Black feathers on and bleeds through your paper, you need better paper. Get yourself a ream of 24# HP Laser paper. It costs 2 cents a sheet. (And since you can write on both sides it's a penny a page, cheaper than most notebook paper.) If you needs lines, download a PDF template free-of-charge from incomptech.com—notebook paper, plain lines without a left-hand margin, graph, dots, whatever. Then print your own writing paper with an ordinary inkjet printer. Life's too short to write on crummy paper.

 

i agree, i need better paper, but i am doing reviews based on what I have, and this ink doesnt perform on cheap paper, considering its expensive ink, it really deserve the higher quality paper. i am doing all my reviews of what i have on my cheap staples paper, i am sure this ink is a very close to a 8 or 9 / 10 if i had some 24 lb paper to use.

 

Until then, this ink is still not for the cheap papers! (10 cents for 150 pages staples... back to school sale.. hahahahah)

 

again i am just saying this ink isnt for thin paper, and is a excellent ink otherwise. i was a little concern about the acidity too... but considering i water flush my pens every time i reload, it should be fine.

[Rena]

Thanks for the review, Orange Lamy. It's always good to get lots of perspectives on inks. Aurora Black is my black. Mmmmm — one of a handful of inks I consider a 'must have' staple in my ink cabinet. I've used several other blacks in the past, but once I tried Aurora Black, my search was over. It has nice water resistance too, even though not entirely waterproof, so I often use it for addressing envelopes.

 

Sometimes we don't have a lot of choice in the paper we write on; for instance, some of the cheap envelopes that come with otherwise nice note cards or birthday cards will feather slightly when I use Aurora Black. But then, most inks will feather on cheap envelopes, especially if your pens are wet writers like mine. Overall, the ink is so black, and so nicely behaved and good to use, I forgive it if it feathers on lesser quality paper once in a while.

Edited November 27, 2010 by Rena

[orange lamy]

Rena, I agree, I will keep my Lamy blue black for my crappy loose leaf refills and aurora black when i dish out the cash for some clarifo... well maybe some 24 lb laserjet paper. lol

 

i grew the itch to get more pens now to use all my inks my pencils are getting neglected.

 

Also i looked at my notes from a week ago, and the black contrast of the Aurora is OUTSTANDING. I mean the notes were so clear to read, just amazing, another + for this ink. (written on type erase paper so it dont feather or bleed)

[untrueparadox]

if you really have to use lined paper, i would suggest staples lined paper. they were like 20 cents for a pack of 100 a few months back and u can still find them for around $3/300 sheets. i have the aurora black and it works amazing on the staples paper, doesnt bleed through the paper, but i use japanese medium nibs.