Note: This post contains highlights of the original handwritten review, as well as summary comments. If you’d like any of the photos in this post in hi-res 1600px, send a PM.

After my stinging review of Noodler’s Highland’s Heather, I took the remaining handwritten reviews to the office to be typed so that I could also post this review for Noodler’s Iraqi Indigo. I wanted to balance the bad review of Highland’s Heather with this one because Iraqi Indigo happens to be my favorite Noodler’s ink.

Like Highland’s Heather, Iraqi Indigo is an “Eternal Ink” -- meaning permanent, UV lightproof, and waterproof. However, I don’t use it for any of those reasons -- I just really like the color and its flow properties. The fact that Iraqi Indigo also happens to be bulletproof is an ancillary benefit.

Bottle: The bottle is the standard Noodler’s 3-oz. bottle with the usual eye-candy label. As for the name of the ink, President Bush coined the phrased “Iraq Purple Revolution” 2-years ago in reference to Iraq’s first free election in 5,000 years. Iraqi Indigo was made in celebration of the Iraqi elections -- but I also think it shows Noodler's aptitude in marketing and alliteration. “Indigo,” by one definition means a hue between blue and violet or a dark blue to grayish purple blue. Purple is the dominant color in this ink -- I would describe the color as a subdued purple or a grayish purple. It cannot be mistaken as a dark blue ink.



You may be able to determine the accuracy of the ink color in the photos that I’ve posted by comparing them against Pendemonium’s color sample below. On my screen, Pendemonium’s color/writing sample is more saturated and a bit darker than it actually appears. The hue is in the general range, but Iraqi Indigo is more subdued in appearance, i.e., not as dark and striking as Pendemonium’s sample appears on my screen. As usual, this may depend entirely on the pen one is using.



For this review...
Pens Used: Pilot Ecrino F nib & Hero 329 F nib (misidentified as Hero 110 in color/writing sample & handwritten review)
Papers Used: Rhodia Pad (color/writing sample) & Belfort Notebook (handwritten review)









Ink Drying Time: Ink dries fairly rapidly on both the Belfort Notebook and the Rhodia Pad. I’ve used this ink plenty of times in a Moleskine Cahier, and on Moleskine paper, the ink dries equally fast. (See below for other papers I've used with this ink. The ink dries fast across the board on all papers listed.)

Flow: Unlike Highland’s Heather, Iraqi Indigo’s flow is smooth and trouble free. No pressure is required to get the ink on to the paper.

Saturation: While Iraqi Indigo does have a chalky appearance, it looks neither too light nor too highly saturated. The chalkiness in fact complements the light aubergine appearance. In other words, it’s a “very cool” appearance (not stylistically but in hue) -- making it appear grayish purple or purplish blue. This is in line with my notion of what indigo ink ought to look like.

Shading: In the right pen, one might be able to achieve some shading -- particularly with wide italics. Using a fine point though, there appears to be minimal shading.

Feathering or Bleed through: I prefer this ink in fine nibs because of its generous flow. Using fine points, the feathering is minimal to none. On the Rhodia Pad, using both the Ecrino and Hero 329, there was no feathering or bleed through. (With M nibs that I've used, there also appears to be minimal feathering and bleed through.)

Nib Creep: Not only do I prefer to use this ink in F nibs, but I also prefer it in hooded nibs! Why? Major nib creep:



Availability: Noodler's Iraqi Indigo is available only in bottles and exclusively from Pendemonium.

Final Verdict: This is a well-behaving ink in a lovely color, and bulletproof to boot. Apart from the nib creep, it’s a winner!

Other Pens: I’ve used Iraqi Indigo in multiple pens, but have never used it any of my vintage pens. I prefer to use it in F nibs, but have also used it in M nibs. I cannot remember every pen that I’ve used with this ink, but the pens I do recall are:
-- Hero #110, #329 Old Style, and #616 (all F nibs)
-- Pilot 78G (F nib)
-- Montblanc 144 (M nib)
-- Sailor Rose Bloom (F nib) & 1911M (F nib)
-- Pelikan M150 (cursive italic nib), M200 (stub italic) & M600 (XF & F nibs)
-- Pilot Decimo (cursive italic, M, & F nibs)
-- Caran d'Ache Ecridor (F nib)
-- Yard-O-Led Victorian (Pocket M nib & Viceroy F nib)

Other Papers: I’ve used Iraqi Indigo on an assortment of papers, including:
-- Moleskine Cahiers
-- Various Apica Notebooks
-- Ampad Evidence Writing Pads (15-lb. and 16-lb.)
-- Staples Writing Pads (15-lb.)
-- Black ‘n Red Notebooks
-- Rediform Filler Paper (20-lb.)
-- Various 24-lb. to 32-lb. copy paper at the office

Summary:
Ink Reviewed: Noodler’s Iraqi Indigo (Eternal Ink - Bulletproof)
Pens Used in Review: Pilot Ecrino F nib & Hero #329 F nib
Papers Used in Review: Rhodia Pad & Belfort Notebook

Final Note:
I intend to test the bulletproof quality of this ink. I will update this post after I dunk the entire review in water and let it dry overnight.


UPDATE: The offer to give away ink was for Noodler's Highland's Heather, so this update is for those who sent PMs asking for Iraqi Indigo. It's not on offer; Noodler's Iraqi Indigo is a keeper!

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My experience with this ink is not quite as glowing as yours--but almost! I agree that shading is possible with some nibs, and there's minimal tendancy toward bleed through and feathering with finer and/or drier nibs (at least on Clariefontaine & Rhodia.)

I have had flow problems with some nibs, with the ink being overly fast flowing at first, and then wanting to dry in the nib after a couple of days. But this isn't true with all nibs I've used it with, so I'm in the process of making notes as to the best and worst nibs in my collection to use with this ink.

Colorwise, the fact that this ink dries to the "dull" subdued look that most of the waterproof inks have, doesn't bother me. I like the color of Iraqi Indigo. The dull colors of some of the other waterproof inks disappoint (but I use them anyway.)

Thanks for the wonderful review.

Best, Ann

[A very useful and complete review. Thanks much!

However, I notice that the paper color in your scans is a dark yellowish brown on my monitor. (The Pendemonium scan has a white background.)

If you wrote your test on white paper, the background should be white. Otherwise the apparent color of the ink is corrupted by the backgound color.

The way to correct this is to adjust the paper color in a photo editing program such as Photoshop or Photoshop Elements. In the latter there is a function that allows you to turn the background into pure white (or gray), corecting in the process any distortion in the ink color.

I have Iraqi Indigo in a Cross Townsend with a BB nib, and get really nice shading. It's great for addressing envelopes.

Judybug

I have found Iraqi Indigo to be about the thinnest of the Eternal inks I have (Black, Legal Lapis, II), so it can feather, but so far, only on really poor paper.

-Bruce

On my monitor the colour looks a little "washed out", more of a mauve than a purple - is that an Aurora Optima I see there?

OK -- here's the water test update. It's waterproof....but I bet y'all knew that already.

girlieg - thanks for doing this water test. I didn't realize Iraqi Indigo was THAT waterproof! That's amazing! No smearing at all. I'll continue to use it and Legal Lapis to address envelopes.

Judybug

It's better than that. I had an ammoniated cleaner explode all over a notebook, didn't even phase it. The notebook looks pretty shabby now, though.

-Bruce

I have some natural Japanese indigo cloth and it is the color of dark denim. I am not an ink expert but that is the color of indigo. Perhaps the ink experts could recommend something. No grey or green in it.

Indigo can dye cloth any number of colors, including green. Yes. Really. I've used indigo dyes, and I've seen something very like this ink coming out the other end. What exact color it winds up as depends a lot on the inks.

If you want a "new blue jean" ink, though, that's another story. I don't have any that are especially close.

I have a whole slew of Noodler's bulletproof inks. Iraqi Indigo is my favorite of the bunch. Great color, nice shading, and great flow. Despite the nib creep, it's my favorite ink.

If I had a brown colored pen this would be the ink I would use.

I just picked this up after thinking about it for such a long time. It's a beautiful purple. Not nearly as light as I thought it would be. Looks wonderful on Arches Text Wove from Renaissance Arts. I think the Eternals are turning out to be my favorite line from Noodler's. I really like each color and they flow like a dream. Thanks for another great ink review GG.