Sheaffer's Slovenian Skrip Black

[DeaconKC]

As soon as my scanner co-operates, we will have a sample for you to see. In the meantime Here is my impression of Skrip Black.

I tried it using three very different pens; a Waterman Harley Davidson Combustion with medium nib, a Sheaffer Award with fine point and a vintage 1930's Sheaffer Junior with fine point. Both the Harley and Award are tempramental, not liking to start easily and skipping if the ink is not "wet". The Junior likes almost anything.

First was the Award pen, started right up without hesitation, laying down a smooth line with no feathering and working on perfection.

Secondly, the Harley too, started right up and laid down a bold, crisp line, with a little feathering, but so very smooth it was scary.

The Junior just loves this ink, a fine, elegant line, suitable for anything with no feathering.

None of the three pens had bleed through issues and all dried very quickly, the ink exhibiting no smudging or smearing after 5 seconds. The lubrication is very good, transforming a dry pen like the Award into a very gracious ride. It even performed well on the cheapest paper and 3x5 cards.

This is a nice deep color, and as others have mentioned in other reviews, there are darker, more intense blacks. But this is so well behaved, it deserves to be tested. Just because an ink has been around a while, doesn't mean it's not a champ.

Edited May 29, 2008 by DeaconKC

[DeaconKC]

Scanner wouldn't cooperate, so we'll try pictures!

http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff303/Kevin-Andra/010.jpg

http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff303/Kevin-Andra/012.jpg

http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff303/Kevin-Andra/011.jpg

Edited May 29, 2008 by DeaconKC

[JJBlanche]

Skrip inks are affordable too, which makes them all the more attractive.

[psfred]

Unless the new Slovenian ink is very much darker than the old Jet Black, I'll stick to Noodler's black. It's cheaper, it's blacker, and it's waterproof.

 

I think even Skrip black in cartridges was darker than Jet Black back in college.

 

Peter

[Goodwhiskers]

Unless the new Slovenian ink is very much darker than the old Jet Black, I'll stick to Noodler's black. It's cheaper, it's blacker, and it's waterproof.

Peter

If Noodler's is a person's top choice for black, for those reasons, then it beats Slovenian Skrip Black. Also, Skrip Black is somewhat water-resistant but far from "bulletproof."

 

Nevertheless, Slovenian Skrip Black is indeed darker and more opaque than the old Skrip Jet Black, better-behaved on more grades of paper, and in my opinion water-resistant enough for postal addressing without any covering.

 

Slovenian Skrip Black is not as dark or opaque as Sailor, Aurora or Pelikan / A T Cross Black, but darker than Waterman, Pilot/Namiki, Montblanc and Parker Quink Black. Of course, one person's "washed out" can be another's "delightful shading," and one person's depressingly dark opaqueness can be another's clear communication at a glance.

 

Slovenian Skrip Black behaves better on more grades of paper than Waterman and Pilot/Namiki Black.

 

Also, Slovenian Skrip is in the same suggested-price-per-milliliter range as Waterman, Parker Quink and Pelikan / A T Cross ink. This is a little higher than the range of Diamine, Noodler's and Private Reserve, and much cheaper than Montblanc, Namiki/Pilot, Aurora, Levenger, Sailor and J Herbin.

[andrewboy]

I really like this ink - use it as my every day black. Every so often I fancy a change, but always end up going back to it. One of the great things about it, is it's trouble free nature, and it seems to work well in every pen.

 

Thanks for a nice review,

 

Andrew

[RevAaron]

Slovenian Skrip Black is not as dark or opaque as Sailor, Aurora or Pelikan / A T Cross Black, but darker than Waterman, Pilot/Namiki, Montblanc and Parker Quink Black.

 

I was curious about this- the University bookstore just got in the Pelikan 4001 Black I'd ordered, and I was disappointed to find that it was not as dark as the Slovenian Skrip Jet Black. Is the 4001 Black something different than "Pelikan / A T Cross Black?"

 

Since I'm making comparisons, I'd also note that the Slovenian Skrip Jet Black fared much better in the water tests I've run than the Pelikan 4001 Black. Interesting, if only because I've seen the Pelikan in water-resistant ink lists that did not mention the Slovenian Skrip.

 

Slovenian Skrip Black behaves better on more grades of paper than Waterman and Pilot/Namiki Black.

 

I've not used Waterman or Pilot/Namiki inks, but I will second this- the Slovenian Skrip Black has behaved wonderfully in every pen I've tried it in, and on every kind of paper I've tried so far. The other inks I've tried have been less consistent.

 

Regards,

Aaron

[fpfanatic5]

I was curious about this- the University bookstore just got in the Pelikan 4001 Black I'd ordered, and I was disappointed to find that it was not as dark as the Slovenian Skrip Jet Black. Is the 4001 Black something different than "Pelikan / A T Cross Black?"

 

I also don't find Pelikan Black to be very opaque. I dumped my first bottle because I thought it was defective. The second bottle was a bit darker, but it seems like a fairly light brownish black to me. I find Waterman Black to be darker.

[Goodwhiskers]

I was curious about this- the University bookstore just got in the Pelikan 4001 Black I'd ordered, and I was disappointed to find that it was not as dark as the Slovenian Skrip Jet Black. Is the 4001 Black something different than "Pelikan / A T Cross Black?"

Sorry for the slow reply to this question. Pelikan 4001 Brilliant Black, the last I've heard, is still the black ink sold under the label of the A T Cross company. From my same sources, this is also true of Pelikan 4001 Royal Blue (A T Cross Blue). I've heard conflicting reports about the source of A T Cross Blue-Black.

[DeaconKC]

An add on to the review: Strangely enough this ink even will work well on thermal print receipts.

[psfred]

It would indeed be a favorite ink if it were black instead of dark gray -- I have a Hero 336 filled with it at the moment (mostly as a result of reading this review, in fact) and it's just really pale.

 

Very smooth, does feather a bit on my FP friendly notebooks (where none of my Noodler's do, nor do most other inks) and a joy to use, but I just can't handle the faded look.

 

Maybe on some different paper.

 

Peter

[Goodwhiskers]

It would indeed be a favorite ink if it were black instead of dark gray -- I have a Hero 336 filled with it at the moment (mostly as a result of reading this review, in fact) and it's just really pale.

 

Very smooth, does feather a bit on my FP friendly notebooks (where none of my Noodler's do, nor do most other inks) and a joy to use, but I just can't handle the faded look.

 

Maybe on some different paper.

 

Peter

Skrip Black is lighter than the black inks from Noodler's, Sailor, Pelikan, and Aurora.

 

The Hero 100 and 329 I've used are on the wetter end of the spectrum (like many Parkers and A T Cross pens), so maybe you'll get better behavior from Skrip Black from a drier pen (Lamy Safari, most recent-production Sheaffers, Pelikan Pelikano/Future, some gold-nibbed Pelikans).

[bluemoon]

It would indeed be a favorite ink if it were black instead of dark gray -- I have a Hero 336 filled with it at the moment (mostly as a result of reading this review, in fact) and it's just really pale.

 

Very smooth, does feather a bit on my FP friendly notebooks (where none of my Noodler's do, nor do most other inks) and a joy to use, but I just can't handle the faded look.

 

Maybe on some different paper.

 

Peter

Skrip Black is lighter than the black inks from Noodler's, Sailor, Pelikan, and Aurora.

 

The Hero 100 and 329 I've used are on the wetter end of the spectrum (like many Parkers and A T Cross pens), so maybe you'll get better behavior from Skrip Black from a drier pen (Lamy Safari, most recent-production Sheaffers, Pelikan Pelikano/Future, some gold-nibbed Pelikans).

 

Pelikan brilliant black and Skirp black is my everyday use black ink for a long time, and I find Skirp flows really well on any pen

I have used . In a few drier pens Pelikan skipped...As for the darkness, yes, Pelikan is just a bit darker.. in good flowing pens the difference is hardly noticeable. But both are dark, true black ink.

 

One thing I want to add that ink characteristics may vary with bottles... all the production of a ink may not be the same.

The Pelikans we get here is imported from middle east, and the Skirps are new Slovenian stock...this may be the reason of my experience.

[absent_minded]

Whenever I read a review of Skrip Black, I'm always tempted to fill a pen with it. What always drives me away is the red component that separates, at the edges of lines, ever-so-slightly from the other dyes. When I first used the ink, I thought my eyes were tired, because I could swear I was seeing hints of red all over the place. It turned out I wasn't seeing things, because the excess ink I blotted on some tissue had separated into its component dyes, one of which was indeed red.

[DeaconKC]

One other thing I have discovered in the months since writing the review is that this is one of the inks that is recommended as a "safe" ink by most pen restorers. It and Parker Quink are the inks reserved now for my vintage pens.

[gyasko]

Whenever I read a review of Skrip Black, I'm always tempted to fill a pen with it. What always drives me away is the red component that separates, at the edges of lines, ever-so-slightly from the other dyes. When I first used the ink, I thought my eyes were tired, because I could swear I was seeing hints of red all over the place. It turned out I wasn't seeing things, because the excess ink I blotted on some tissue had separated into its component dyes, one of which was indeed red.

 

There is red in many black inks. Exactly which ones i don't know, because my only contact with it is cleaning it out of old pens. I don't use it.

[lovemy51]

i use to think this was very black... at least in the pen i was using at that time (i think it was my Kaigelu). then, after hearing more and more people saying it was kinda' washed out, i tried it in different pens and discover they were right. i now i like it even more!!!!

[afagjoi]

I love this ink, flows pretty nice, is darkness. Recommended at all.

 

I take I picture compared with other inks.

 

-Sheaffer Skrip Black ink ~ Pelikan M200 fine nib.

-Parker Quink Black ink ~ Parker Sonnet medium italic nib.

-Visconti Black ink ~ Visconti Kaleido Voyager medium nib.

-Parquer Quink Blue-black ink ~ Pilot 78G fine nib.

 

Check attached pic.

[JeanManuel]

What always drives me away is the red component that separates

That is precisely what attracts me, but you are talking about the pre-slovenian "skrip jet black", I presume.

[Goodwhiskers]

The new Skrip Black (from Slovenia) has a red component that separates when put fresh onto wet paper or on the reverse side of paper that has had too much of this ink scribled onto one spot.