Rohrer & Klingner Verdigris vs Noodler's Aircorp

This review turned out to be a bit more work than I had anticipated. I had orginally inteneded to do a basic straightforward review of the Rohrer & Klingner Verdigris. When I started using it I immediatly noticed something very interesting - this ink is nearly a dead ringer for Noodler's Aircorp! as the two inks were so similar I decided to spend a bit more time with the Verdigris to get a better feel for how it compares to the Aircorp.

Color: This, as I noted above, is very similar to Noodler's Aircorp. In fact although I noted some slight differences in tonality on my initial writing sample (posted below) I spoke to sson! Once dry the two inks are for all intents and purposes identical! Both are a "blue black" leaning very much toward black with a blue-green shade to them. It is a color I really like and tend to use as my 'black' ink.

Shading: Very nice shading with this ink. Lots of variation in density and tone. Combined with the color I think it makes for a very nice 'vintage' look. Again the Noodler's is nearly identical in this regard.

Flow: Excellent. The R&K Verdigirs is a nice, free flowing ink. Flow of the Verdigris is excellent in both vintage and current pens. I used it in a number of different pens and it always behaved well, even after being in a pen for weeks. The Noodler's Aircorp also has good flow, but maybe not quite as free as the R&K

Lubrication: Very Good. The R&K lubricates well, even with a relativly 'toothy' nib. Lubrication is as good as most inks. I do think that the Noodler's has a slight bit more lubrication than the R&K though.

Writing/Paper notes: Well behaved on all the papers I tried. It is truly a joy to write with on good paper, but also does well on bad paper. With a REALLY wet writer and really poor paper you will get some bleedthrough and a slight amount of feathering, but in general this is a 'well behaved' ink. In most cases, even on poor paper there was little or no bleed through and very little or no feathering. Once again, the Noolder's exhibits similar qualities.

Water resitance: Poor. Most of the ink washed away in a cold water rinse, even after having dried for a couple of days. There is still enough ink on the page to be readable in most cases, but I would not consider this ink for any application where water resitance is needed. The Noodler's fares much better some of the ink washes away but it leaves the black component which is very readable.

Value: I really like the R&K Verdigris, but when compared to Noodler's Aircorp it just does not stack up for me. At $12 for a 50ml bottle vs $12.50 for 3oz (88ml) of the Noodler's - Noodler's is quite a bit cheaper. Add to the fact that the Noodler's is more water resistant and it is pretty much no contest for me.

thanks for the review

Here is a sample of my "wash test"

Wow! almost all gone

Thanks, Jim! Great comparison .

Very useful, thanks for taking the time!

Excellent review, especially the head-to-head aspect. Well done, and thanks!

Good review, Jim. Try the Noodler's/Swishmix Tahitian Pearl against those two, sometime. I suspect that you'll find that it leans more toward the blue of the R & K Verdigris and it's Eternal.

I recently received a bottle of Verdigris also, and immediately noticed a resemblance to Noodler's Midnight Blue. Doing a comparison, it became clear that the Midnight Blue has a stronger blue tone than the Verdigris. I do like the way the Verdigris performs.

I actually have a sample of the Tahitian Pearl. So far it appears to be a bit more blue/gray than the Verdigris or Aircorp.

Jim

Thanks folks for all the kind comments. When I saw how close the Verdigris was to the Aircorp I felt I had to do a bit of a head to head comparison.

Jim

Thanks much for the review and scans!

The one thing I notice about Aircorps is that under flourscent lights (like at the office) it has a sickly dark green color. I'm forced to use Private Reserve Midnight Blues that keeps its blue-black depth, or the paler Noodler's Legal Lapis (if I need something waterproof) for office use. By chance did you get to view the inks under flourescents?

Doug

Doug,

I have not. It is not surprising as standard flourscent lights tend to turn pretty much everything a repulsive shade of green, not just ink! I will run a sample out to the garage when I get a chance. (It is the only place I have flurscent lights.)

Jim