I'm still without a black ink of any sort in my arsenal. I think it's time to add a black for variety with my many blue inks. I'm looking for a well-behaved, fast-drying, high lubricity black ink. Lubricity is important in this one as well as flow because I'm going to be using it in a variety of pens, some drier than others. I also would like to keep them as smooth writing as possible and avoid clog ups or long dry times. What blacks fit this bill? I've heard good things about the performance of Waterman black, though I've heard some bad comments like, "it's not really black, it's actually gray". What suggestions do you have? I'm hoping to locate this ink locally too- really exotic inks are probably off limits.

I'd have thought Aurora would fit the bill.... just got some and love it!

My Aurora has turned nibs from scratchy to smooth after switching to it, but the only black I've compared it with is 4001, though Aurora is still much more lubey. LUUUUBBBEEEY.

Aurora, Sheaffer, and Waterman.

Aurora is amazing.

I have yet to get it in bottled form. I use the cartidges in my Parker Vectors/Reflexes. The result is quite wonderful.

Another vote for Aurora. Waterman Black is sometimes jokingly referred to as Waterman Gray so I don't recommend it unless you want a black that is rather wimpy. But WM inks in general do lubricate well.

In my limited experience with black ink (I've tried 4 - WM, Aurora, Noodler's, Lamy) Aurora has without a doubt been the most luscious yet dries at a reasonable rate. Noodler's is very good but slower drying. Lamy and WM are a bit too light, IMO, but they do dry quickly.

Noodler Polar Black should flow well. It is quite waterproof, if that is important. (Aurora behaves beautifully and is somewhat water resistant, but not completely so.)

You know, I've tried a lot (20) of black inks, and can't really feel a significant difference in the 'feel' or 'lubricity' of any of them. Granted, I do most of my writing with 'fine' nibs, so perhaps I'm stacking the deck against myself...

If it's available in your area, you might try J. Herbin's Perle Noire. I like Aurora's black, but I think the JH black is slightly darker, has better flow, dries just as fast, and has a little more reflectivity. The bottle is easier to dip nibs into and has a lower center of gravity than Aurora's, but Aurora's bottle is easier to use when there is very little ink left in it than the old-style "D" bottle that JH still uses. It's usually between 7 and 8 USD for 30ml.

Sounds like Aurora has some real fans- from what I'm hearing the performance is as good as Waterman's is? I'm assuming the color is a bit stronger since Waterman's is not terribly strong to begin with. Did anyone ever do a head to head of these in terms of their performance?

I quite like Pelikan Brilliant Black.

Andy

I concur that Waterman black and Aurora black are good choices for lubricity. Aurora is considerably darker than Waterman and higher flowing. Personally I do not think that the Waterman black is washed out or gray; for me it is just right and is my black of choice. The Aurora ink may be a better choice for you but it is so intense it can be difficult to wash out of a pen. I spilled half a bottle on my carpet and was not able to eradicate it even with professional steam cleaning and chemical treatment (a very expensive mistake).

On balance I would go with Waterman.

Also, I think Pelikan Brilliant black is very dark, second only to Aurora. However it is the poorest-flowing ink I have used and has no lubricity. I gave it away to someone when I gave them a pen as a gift.

Pelikan Black is a rich, deep Black. Aurora Black is very close to Pelikan but not quite as deep. Waterman Black is certainly not grey--but if you use a broad nib you will see some slight greyish shading, which some people like. IMHO the best of the lot (considering all factors you indicate) is Waterman--it has worked perfectly in every pen I have owned; Pelikan and Aurora have not.

Oh if it helps any- this pen is a firm fine Sheaffer nib from the 1930s. The flow is moderate to a bit rich in the pen. The nib is fairly smooth, but the paper I'm using is somewhat on the cheap side and I'd like to smooth out the ride just a little bit more. The task at hand is a note-taking sort of thing, so I'm hoping to get something that dries on cheap paper fast, but won't then dry up in the nib and hard start the pen. I'll also admit this pen is the new black Balance I got and I just couldn't resist putting some black ink in it to match. I'll also add that I converted over to fountain pens exactly 10 years ago this month- the pen then being a black Sheaffer flat top with black ink in it. I figured now would be a great little throw back time to a black Sheaffer pen with black ink in it for work.

I don't need "black hole" black, but just true black color (not something that comes out gray) is what I'm after. Has anyone else had problems getting the Aurora to flush free of their pens? I also read a report from this site's archives about Aurora growing fungus- has anyone seen this?


I'll be going to the ink store this evening out in Maryland- so everyone's two cents are welcomed by me this afternoon. I think it's between Waterman and Aurora at this point.

always strikes me odd that Pelikan black elicits such varying responses. some swear it is the darkest black they have used and others say it is grayish and blah. Very odd. j

This will probably not get to you in time but if the pen you are using is an older vintage model you will probably want to use a less intense black ink that will wash out easier in case of the inevitable spill or leak. Vintage pens are much more likely to emit gobs of ink when shaken or otherwise disturbed. I would not put Aurora in such a pen; it is like ineradicable paint.

Heck, ink doesn't cost that much. Buy bottles or cartridges of a few and check them out. Nobody else can tell you what is best for you.

You might give Noodlers Eel Black a try.

Here's a recommendation: Go to peartreepens.com, and get a "sampler" pack of inks - you choose 4 inks, and you get enough ink in each vial to fill a Sheaffer converter (about 1 mL). The caveat: You can only 'try' 4 samples per month (though if you buy a bottle of ink, they'll let you get another sampler).

And when you're done, you get a nice 3-4 mL bottle (with or without a dropper, depending on what you order) you can carry around. I'm less worried about that leaking then a 30-40 ml bottle!

I use Waterman Black in several pens and like it very much. I've used Aurora and it is, well, "blacker" but I've decided to use Waterman black exclusively. It's well-behaved, treats the pens nicely, and by no means looks "gray".

Just my $0.02

I like Black Quink; it is my most used ink.
Also recommend Polar Black (thought it does cause nib creep).

Here is another vote for the Pelikan Brilliant Black.

Dries very quickly (have used fine and medium nibs with it so far)
Very nice, rich black.
Flow is amazing. Somebody above complained about it, but this ink flows very very well for me.
NO NIB CREEP. EVER.
Will not smudge days after you have written something with it on cheap OR on expensive paper. (Unlike Noodler's Black)

This is my favourite black so far.



Mame

Well I bought the last bottle of Aurora black that the boutique had out. I considered Waterman's, but found that it was in good supply everywhere I checked. If Aurora gives problems, I'll swap to Waterman's- I know I can get it just about anywhere. I talked with the girl at the boutique and she said Aurora black was quite popular and that it behaved well and flowed in rich fashion. I've never tried Aurora ink, so I figured I'd give something new a try.

A VERY brief test session tonight revealed the stuff flows fast (I added a drop or two of inksafe to the full bottle to prevent any fungal issues). We'll see how a real test tomorrow night goes- I have quite a few more notes to take. But so far the color seems quite deep and black- a true black. We'll see how the performance is.

I figure I'm due soon for a couple of ink reviews- Diamine Prussian blue and eventually Aurora Black.

Thank you for all of your ideas and your input- I will keep the suggestions in mind for future black ink bottles (especially Waterman's).

hi jsonewald,
which ink do you find blacker and wetter aurora or sheaffer?...

i have skrip black and i like very much, but i hear good things about aurora (waterman i don't like, its not dark/black enough for me)

I can recommend Waterman Black which has just cured my annoying downward stroke skipping problem. Also heard Diamine is good, which I'll try next.

Nathan Hondros

Skrip ist pretty far from the blackest of the black inks. Aurora is a darker ink than Skrip. PR Ultrablack and Velvet black are darker than either Skrip or Aurora. Noodler's Old Manhattan Black is darkest of all.

hello PZ
i can only compare skrip to pelikan 4001, which i don't like... skrip looks very black with my sheaffer valor!!!!

thanx for the info... i've been thinking on getting the PR ultrablack for a while now... and now i think i will consider the old manhattan

Waterman and Aurora are not easily available for me, but I did get hold of ST Dupont black. It is a very lovely bottle and a very very deep and lustrous black. Problem was the flow - it dried up too quickly. I tried the Mont Blanc black but was disappointed. The 'shoe' bottle was very convenient but the ink shade was too much on the purple side. I tried the Pelikan Black, but found it very grayish. Quink black was too watery and listless.

So finally what I did was this: Mixed a third part each of Mont Blanc (well I liked this bottle too so I had to buy the ink!, but Pelikan may also work) Dupont and Quink. This recipe is working very well for me since a couple of years and gives me a nice decent black which flows well. Perhaps 2/3 Dupont and 1/3 Quink may work as well.

You will have to do some trial and error to find what suits you/your pen.

In my experience the greatest black ink is Caran d'ache Carbon. Perfectly smooth, very dark, but little bit expensive.
Pelikan is a great disappointment-not that dark and nothing special. Montegrappa is almost pure gray and very dry, Pearker Quink is nice, if you like somewhat bluish black ink.
But didn't try aurora or noodler's yet, so...

Update: The Aurora is very nice ink. It's nice and dark, flows well, and has high lubricity. The only drawbacks are the expense and the somewhat slow dry time. But it gave me just what I was looking for in terms of lubricity- great stuff.

How does Visconti rate as a black? I seem to have acquired a few bottles by accident when my Visconti boxes bred like rabbits.

You can have a free 25 ml sample of my own ink, PM for the address. The only word of warning is that the ink is quite a strong performer and needs a good quality paper.

I use a Parker with a medium nib and and with a thinner paper the ink is visible from the other side.

Interesting that this topic should come up; I've just been contemplating the same issues. I've used Waterman black almost exclusively as my only black ink, although I did try - and like - Aurora some time ago. I've also used Pelikan and Noodler's, but didn't like those as much; Pelikan had a tendency to clog and Noodlers to smear after dry (and I'm left-handed so that makes a difference).

I'd say that Waterman remains my favorite standby black ink. It flows well in all my pens, is easily available, cheap, and I love the color. To me it seems a true black. Not as dark as some others, true, but I love the shading it gets because it's somewhat lighter. Also, I use other Waterman inks, so I can mix with confidence if I use this. (I'm always a bit uneasy about mixing brands. Anyone know if Aurora mixes well with Waterman colors such as blue-black, Florida blue, green?)

But it's true that for a really really deep black, Aurora is my favorite, hands down.

One thing to beware of, if you want to try it in a cart/converter pen: the Aurora cartridges are an unusual size; they're longer than standard long cartridges. I don't know if other companies use this size, but it wouldn't fit in any of my pens.

Noodler Polar Black would be a good choice, but note that it bleeds through bad paper, unlike standard noodlers black ink.

How about Noodler's eel black? That's what I use. It's not a quick-drying ink, though.