Ok,

You have the choice of one ink, in one colour. What do you choose?

It is just for everyday use, a reliable and steady business / fun favourite that you would pick if you had one bottle to choose from. It doesn't have to be the most expensive, or the cheapest, just the one that you would always reach for.

This is intended more for general writing, so fancy colours and creative thinking isn't the issue here. A sensible, decent all round ink for daily use is! I have never used ink before, so I am curious to find out what you all think.

Colour
Ink
Reason

If I was stuck with "one" ink for all my writing, I would have to use an ink that I personally mixed. Either a Black-Red mixture (Waterman Red + Pilot Black, but any combo would do) or a dark Blurple mixture (Blue + Purple + Black).

Not so much one ink, but one range of color...

I tend to dark blues and blue/blacks...with an occasional foray into black...just for grins...

Normally PR or Noodlers, but I like Sheaf and Quink as well...

Bill

I would choose between Aurora black, PR Copper burst, Waterman blue black.

Aurora : neutral and intense velvety black, well lubricated. The lines are a bit thick, but a joy to write with. Recently discovered.

PR Copper burst. Like very much color and shades. Nice feeling, flows well in all my pens, one of the best inks I tried. Fine color for everyday use.

Waterman blue black. Like the color, "passe-partout", OK in almost all pens.

No big experience, I have only a dozen of inks.

Jimmy

My experience is limited, but I'd choose Waterman Florida Blue or Pelikan 4001 Blue (or even black). Reasons? Readily available almost everywhere and, especially in the case of the Waterman, good flow in all pens. I think it has something to do with the ink being thinner, more fluid than most.

Just as I cannot really conceive of choosing only one pen to use all the time, I cannot imagine choosing just one ink color. I grew up limited to the usual blue, black and blue-black colors and I am moved on emotional grounds to avoid them. Today I am very fond of inks in browns, purples or violets, and burgundies. If I had to choose one ink, and one ink only, from commercially available inks, I think I would choose Pelikan "Brilliant Brown."

If only allowed one ink, then I'd have to go for a general purpose blue. In this case, I'd choose Waterman Florida Blue.

I tend to use Parker Quink blue for everyday writing - not because it's particularly wonderful ink, but just because I have two half-full bottles sat on my desk!

The ink I use the most is one I recently discovered, Aurora Black. Second most used color for me is Waterman Florida Blue. However, because it is not at all waterproof, I'm looking for a replacement.

Pelikan Royal Blue is my "go-to" ink.

Waterman Florida Blue

I feel sure that most people here enjoy the fact that they have a wide variety of inks from which to choose. It's a large part of the fun of using fountain pens, which it seems pointless to restrict - so I refuse to answer.

Shouldn't this be in Inky Thoughts, btw?

PR Velvet Black

Durable, and acceptable for almost every application.

If I was desperate for an ink, and faced with a multitudinous selection, I suppose I would reach for ever-reliable and trusty black Parker Quink or preferably Lamy black ink which I am having a lovely writing experience with at the moment; it writes on anything... Yes, black, I'm that boring and predictable.

Either Pilot Blue-black or my mix of Levenger Cobalt/Pilot Blue/Noodlers Black in a 10:10:1 ratio.

PR Tanzanite -- blue enough to be taken seriously, but purple enough to be fun! HP

These days I tend towards Sheaffer Skrip Blue-Black or, more recently, Sailor Jentle Blue. Both of them flow well in any pen I've put them in, and I like their colors when dry.

Don

Noodler's "Bulletproof" Hunter Green is the ink I have been exclusively using for the past year. Its different enough to stand out against all the black/blue standard inks but not too crazy looking to draw negative attention in a business setting.

Out of the ~80 bottles? Probably Quink Blue. It's the only one that I have at work in duplicate and is definitely the one that gets reordered the most.

Skip

Private Reserve Midnight Blues keeps me feeling good.

I virtually always use Pelikan 4001 Brilliant Black. It's a reasonably attractive ink that works well with all my pens.

Private Reserve Blue Suede of course!

Private Reserve American Blue of course !

Hey, where is the rest of you ?

How interesting that, out of an amazingly large collection of ink, you would choose one of the quintessential standbys!

I think having having only one ink would be awful, but having only one pen would horribly change the world of writing for me. My journal would suffer, short notes to friends and family would not be the same. Having said all that my one ink would be Aurora blue. There are more beautiful blues out there, but all my pens love Aurora ink. Happy pens make for happy me.

One ink?
Well I use PR Amerivan Blue or PR DC Supershow Blue about 90% of the time anyway so it would be one of the two.

Sheaffer Skrip Black or Pelikan Blue

Legal Lapis

I love my Noodler's Walnut. Great dark brown...although, I'm thinking about purchasing a bottle or two of the Legal Lapis...

Cheers,

t.

...simple: Montblanc Blue Black (second choice: Rohrer & Klingner Scabiosa)


Cheers

Michael

Sheaffer Skrip Jet Black -- Is there really any other ink? Still have about 8 full bottles

I'm a big fan of Noodler's, but if I have to pick one:

PR American Blue

No doubt about that.

Yes, it actually is surprising. I really like blue, black,and green mostly. But Blue inks are my favorite, for some reason. Others that I use a like most:

PR Lake Placid Blue
PR Supershow Blue
Lamy Blue
Diamine Royal Blue
Diamine Mediterranean Blue
Noodlers Blue
Noodlers Legal Lapis
Waterman Blue (not a favorite for some reason)
Herbin Blue Nuit
Herbin Blue Myosites (sp?)
Yard-o-Lead Blue

Yes, I like blue....this doesn't include the 12-15 other blues that I've got.

Skip

Noodler's Legal Lapis.

/Tojusi

Noodler's Legal Lapis.

An FP with Legal Lapis, a Sharpie, and a pencil would meet pretty much all of my writing requirements.

Scott

Aurora Black is my one true ink.

Recently someone suggested a person get all eight colors of Waterman and then you could make any color you needed. But that wasn't your question.

After much whining, mashing of teeth, changing mind... for this one second... I'd pick Noodler's Air Corp Blue Black. It varies in color according to the pen/nib, adding a bit of water makes it even more interesting, and for addressing envelopes... it's Near Bulletproof.

Thats a horrible thought, like only having one pen...but I guess it would be blue...and Lamy Blue in a 50Ml bottle, the reason is that the bottle is damn handy, it has a well in the centre to help get the last of the ink out and it comes with a built in roll of tear off blotter paper for cleaning your nib.
That saying there are many other colours that I can not get aesily in this little country of mine so if I had more choices I might find a different colour.
But I like blue becasue it photocopies wll and you can write on paper that has photocopied material on it and see the difference.

Until about a year ago I would have said Waterman Florida Blue. Not only is it a free-flowing pleasant everyday colour, it's also my been my reference ink for testing pens for a long time. However, if we're getting personal, I'll fly the flag and replace it with Diamine WES Imperial Blue.



Martin

I've been stuck on my own bulletproof mix, New Old Bishop Street Blue-Black. The color is nice in dry and wet writers, on white or ecru paper, etc. Kinda conservative I guess, but I'm not very adventurous when it comes to ink colors.



Doug

Noodler's Red-Black is my go-to ink. Love it!

Considering that I have fifteen pens within reach on my desk - all with different colors of inks - I don't think I would ever willingly reduce my ink collection to one. If I had to, kicking and screaming and wailing to beat the band, I'd probably go with Noodler's Black. I love its stark contrast on the white of Clairefontaine paper and it's the ink I always have at least one pen inked with. It's also the ink that is always in one of my two Décimos, which is always in my pen rollup that travels with me.

But, I would never do it. How can I give up Noodler's Purple Wampum? Or Visconti Burgundy? Or Aurora Blue? And that's just naming the inks in the three closest pens on my desk. Now I'm desperate to use some beautiful ink! Did I mention Omas Sepia? Or PR's Chocolat? Just gorgeous. A joy to write with.

One ink only?

Noodler's Black.

Waterproof, very conservative (meaning it's easy to read) and can be used for everything.

Not that I would ever admit that I have 25 bottles of (different colors of) ink, though...

Peter

Noodler's Zhivago. To the non-caring or sticklers for "offical" colors, it comes across simply as an easy-reading black (with near-bulletproof qualities). But on closer examination, subtle shades of deep green are revealed around the edges, giving it a kind of classy, antique feel.

I also like Noodler's Aircorp BB for similar reasons, but in my current mood I guess I have to say Zhivago.

My "mainstay" ink, the one ink which I had to choose if I could only own one kind of ink...

Would be Parker Quink jet-black.

For as LONG as I have owned fountain pens, that has been my main source of ink. I find it fast-drying, dark and reliable.

Noodler's permanent black. Not that I have tried very many inks, but I like it because of the great saturated color and the waterproofness.

I'm amazed that one ink doesn't come tops more often.

I'm stuck in a conservative world, where blue/black is my only choice, yet there isn't much of a consensus there!

I am guessing a lot of people use what they can get... My local store did Quink, so I'm stuck with it until the whole bottle goes!

This has confused me rather than help me, but that is no bad thing.

The world would be dull without difference.

Thanks for the replies.

My work ink is Diamine Sapphire Blue. Wonderful on Rhodia paper from my Binder stub Parker 45.
My carry pen is loaded with Binder Burple (50:50 Waterman Purple:Florida).

So if it's a work day then Sapphire Blue...
When not at work, Binder Blurple...

I would have to say Quink Black, because it's safe for vintage FPs.

I am in a quandary with this question. I don't love black as an ink color. My favorite inks as far as color is concerned are (the now out of production) Diamine Tropical Blue and currently produced Diamine Mediterranean Blue. These inks look very similar to me and are easy on my eyes. However, I have a few pens that don't like these inks. They are fussy pens. They only like Aurora Black. All my pens write well with Aurora Black, even my fussiest. If a pen doesn't work with Aurora Black, it needs repair. So my everyday mainstay, if I had to choose only one ink, would have to be Aurora Black.