So,

It seems that the users of straight black ink are a minority. Anyone's thoughts about black ink? Why like, why not?

I think I'm in the tiniest minority here. I don't use exotic colors at all, at least not currently, mostly blue and black with a bit of Binder Blurple and Mont Blanc British Racing Green to liven things up. I like black ink because it's strong, straightforward, and acceptable in all circumstances. My favorite is Aurora Black, because it has thus far given me no trouble at all, it flows well, it dries quickly, and it's nearly waterproof (soaking overnight doesn't kill the writing, you'd have to damage the paper to get the ink off of it).

I love black ink. It's easily my favorite. I see the attraction of other colors, and if they're deep and saturated, I might even stick with them for a while, but I always return to black, pure black. Speaking of which, who has a recommendation for a nice, deep, opaque black?

Sacre noir.

I use jet-black ink simply because it's nice and dark and I can read it.

Another fan of black ink here! My current favorite is Aurora Black, but I'm also a fan of Noodler's Eternal Black and, more recently, Waterman Black.

I got away from using it at my last job because I often signed paperwork where the original needed to be distinguishable from copies, but since changing jobs I no longer have that requirement. I'm glad I get to use my black ink again!

Don

I try this and that but I always drift on back to dark blues, black, and b/b inks.

edit add:

Oh, and generally speaking I tend to find the blacks and dark blues are more water and fade resistant than the other colors.

At Paradise Pen Co, their ink is supposed to be on the wall from left to right as 'viscosity' increases...and Aurora is quite to the right (thicker)

Sounds like a good one though. I am curious about fairly permanent inks. I would hate for notes, letters, etc to disappear over time.
Tony

For years, all three of my pens could have any color ink they wanted, as long as it was black!

Then, I had need of a pen to write in green, and added a Sheaffer Triumph to the others. From there, well, about twenty or so different inks (& pens!!).

Today's choices were Aurora Black & Waterman Black in a Parker Vacumatic & Osmiroid with stub nib, respectively.

So, apparently my question brought out the black ink lovers...

I guess all you have to do is ask why doesn't anyone like X and all the X-lovers show up!

Cool! (Prefer black myself for most things, but PR Plum is fun for me right now)

And just finished my FIRST LAMY CARTRIDGE (took less than a week . Should've got a converter with that one too

T

I don't use black for a psychological reason. I associate it with all the logical, technical documents I had to deal with. Colors seem to switch sides in my brain and let me be creative. Same reason I can't do creative writing first drafts on a PC. Too much conditioning toward technical writing. Once the first draft is done, I can revise fiction on the computer. But to create it, I need pen in hand with lovely, lovely colors.

Well, I guess I don't care too much for black because it's so mundane; everyone has it in their ballpoint or rollerball. I have a fountain pen, so I can choose to use something else.
Additionally, I work for the government, where everything is usually photocopied about a bazillion times, so using a nonblack ink to signify original signatures and notes is a good thing at times.

Timely thread for me. Today, I carried a single pen (rare for me) with black ink (rare for me). The contrast of deep black on the paper was actually quite refreshing. I may have to do this more often!

Bill

I'm a color junkie, no question, but I also love the stark contrast of a crisp soot black like Noodler's Black or Aurora black on bright white paper (Clairefontaine) or a luscious cream just tinting into ivory paper (like Crane's).

I always keep one or two pens inked up with a black, most currently one of my new Décimos.

Black ink? My #1 ink!! (Noodler's Black) My logic:

School requires blue or black ink.

I would prefer to use a dark blue or black.

Noodler's makes both those colors in bulletproof varieties.

It's hard to mess up a black ink. I mean, just get it as dark as you can! Noodler's is on the verge of being too warm, but it's acceptable enough.

The bulletproof dies, however, seem to interfere with the color of the ink. Just ask anyone who's tried out Noodler's Blue-Black, Navy, Tahitian pearl, Legal Lapis, or Legal blue. They all have green tints.

Noodler's Black is a good color and bulletproof. The dark blues, however, are strangely colored (but still bulletproof). Therefore, I use the black a lot.


Realizing that there are no "true" dark blue bulletproof inks, I think I'm going to try out bulletproof blues - there seems to be a handful here including upper ganges, lux blue, and Glacier blue.

I've tried several black inks, and I've liked them all except Private Reserve Ultra Black. I got a bottle of the very freely flowing original formulation. I could have drowned! Yes, I'll probably try the reformulated version when it's available.

I often use lined or gridded paper, but it seems to me the lines or grids are generally much too heavy. (And much too purple, but that's for another thread.) Black ink, even from a fine nib, stands out from this background noise.

I'm currently using J. Herbin's Perle Noire. It's denser than I expected and dries fast. I really want to like Noodler's, but the odor puts me off. Haven't tried Aurora, maybe that's next.

I'm using black Quink in one of my pens, and I put it in because I haven't used it in a while. I kind of forgot its characteristics! I have to agree with the person above who said black's boring because ballpoint and rollerball users all have it. I may like something like Aurora black or Noodler's more though; something that seems more substantial. Until then, my pens will mostly be filled with PR Tanzanite or another Ink du jour.

Black ink is nice to use every now and again. It's nice and strong to read. Looks classical

When it comes to ink, I'm as unimaginative as the next person. Well, probably less so. Only have black and blue ink bottles. Plain, simple, boringly effective colours.

It's not the colour of the ink (although, as I mentioned before, I would love to make some people sign their risks in blood -- or a colour closely related to it), it's what's written that counts.

Regardless of what other colours I may use, I always have one pen with black ink in it (currently a Pelikan M600 F, 4001 Brilliant Black). I have the old-fashioned idea that anything to do with business requires black ink.

I'm like you. I believe that if it's important or significant in any way, it should have nice, bold, official-looking black ink...which is why I have two bottles of the stuff on my desk.

I see the lure of colors: in many reviews, I 've liked certain greens and browns, but some of Noodler's speciality colors seem weird. First, some very exotic colors are difficult to read, and--perhaps this is because of grade school--I associate exotic colors with children's markers and such. I see black, blue, gray, and brown as more distinguished and definitive. Also, I hate the feeling of having a pen and not being able to use it becuase my ink is the wrong color. I love the distinguished elegance of black ink; I switch off at times with blue, and after a review of Noodler's Lawrence ink, I ordered that--a first for me; also, I love the color brown (in general). Black ink is always rich and lush, certain blues have this quiality also. In my pre-fountain pen years, one year I wrote in my journal with the same Uniball black ink rollerball (still, my favorite roller). I love flipping back through that journal: crisp white paper and dark, purposed, elegant black ink! I enjoy 1) deep, dark black and 2) black's with shades of blue, gray, or something else.

My ink color palette generally covers black, blue, pink, purple, and some green. But I'm always on the lookout for a black ink so dark that it rivals a black hole. Private Reserve Ultra Black almost fit this description but tends to flood my pens.

I have only recently stated using some of the more exotic inks, even then nothing more adventurous than Diamine Indigo and Sapphire Blue (not mixed) and Private Reserve Naples Blue.

I like black and usually have at least one pen loaded with it favourites up to now have been Pelikan Brilliant Black and Parker Black, recently tried Waterman Black which I also like and have bottles of Sheaffer and Conway Stewart Black.

I will probably experiment a bit more, but to be honest can't see myself using yellow, brown or red inks, but who knows maybe one day.

Work more or less requires black ink, and so I have 4 different varieties. In general, my favorite black is Noodler's (although I have no experience with Aurora). I have a bottle of Quink black which my Parkers love, Private Reserve Velvet Black which is less freely flowing but more saturated and Namiki Black which flows beautifully and dries quickly, but is less "dark" and tends to feather a bit on cheaper paper.

Overall, I like blue ink better, though...

I don't kow. I've always liked the character a good blue ink adds to the mix. I've been thinking of late of trying a black on one of my pens, as a bit of variety, but overall, I like a little color in my writing.

It's weird. Back in the dark ages before I switched to fountain pens I always insisted that my Parker Jotter ballpoints had a black ink cartridge in them. Always. Used to drive the keeper of the stationery supplies crazy because I was the only person who insisted on black. Since the switch to FPs I rarely use black. Waterman Blue Black, Florida Blue, Noodler's Legal Lapis, Squetegue, Blue Black, Skrip Blue and the occasional load of Noodler's brown all rotate through my pens. I'm not sure what the reason is except maybe I just like being different. <Shrugs shoulders>

Rick

I love black (use Levenger's Raven Black) and want to try the Aurora mention in the posts. I use alot of the blue range, reds, greens even pink (Levenger Pinkly) because I edit and comment on so many documents. Still it is nice to switch out and I use them for informal correspondence. Love Noodler's FireFly!

I only use black, blue and brown inks.

Aurora black, Pelikan brilliant black and Noodler's black.
Private Reserve DC Supershow blue, Lake Placid Blue and Noodler's Luxury Blue.
Waterman's Havana Brown, PR Copperburst and Noodler's Galileo Manuscript brown.

Now, if someone made a reddish-black ink to match urushi.......I would buy 100 bottles!

Tried black, but didn't care for it. One of the main reasons I got into FP's was
cause rollerballs didn't come in 5,000 different colors (if you mix yer own),
they were either black or blue.

Same story here. In my gel pen days, I used black all the time, except when signing documents or editing or marking up proofs. I liked the definite line. I have been very surprised to find that, with fountain pens, I tend to avoid my former favorite, as well as blues that look too, well, ball-pointy.

I may just be taking a break from all those years of black, black, black. Come to think of it, at one time, I wore a lot of black, too.

I was never a black ink user until Noodler's Black came along. These days, I almost always have one pen inked with it.

Dan

I love Black ink! The darker the better!

Noodler's Polar Black is my at work ink. Pelikan brilliant black is preferred for writing letters at home.

I have heard that Aurora is second to Noodler's Black for depth / intensity. Can someone confirm from personal experience?

I like nice colors if I write a letter, or for artistic endeavors but the main pen I carry for jotting/sketching has to be Black. Blue Black is ok for jotting. Noodler's Bulletproof Black or Aircorp BB usually.

I used to use black ink once in awhile, but have not inked up a pen with black ink in years now. Too boring. I like browns, blues, and greens, typically darker more consxervative shades.

I must confess that all this talk of black ink is tempting me to try it out again. I have the following black inks:

Parker Quink
Waterman black
Parker Penman black
Aurora black

I think the Aurora is the best.

Matt

Well, I did find it a bit boring, (not black enough?) - but I should give it another go. (Aurora black). I do like the blue though.

I hear nice things about Aurora Black, actually. Might try a bottle of that or Pelikan Black next. Right now I'm still on my bottle of merrily nibcreeping Namiki Black.