If anyone here has both colors, how do they compare? I've tried looking at the separate reviews side-by-side, but I can only guess that they're similar. It's different scans, different paper.... My Navy tends towards dark green-blue, and I can't tell whether Legal Lapis is truer, blue tending toward cobalt.

Thanks.


(edited to make title clearer)

I find Legal Lapis to be an aquamarine-black in color.

-Bruce

I'll post a scan if I can figure out how to upload the file.

They're quite different colors. Besides that, Legal Lapis is "bulletproof" so that what you put on the paper stays on the paper 100%, whereas Noodler's Navy is a combination of a blue ink and some Noodler's Black. If you wet the Noodler's Navy you will end up with only the black staying.

And Noodler's Navy is a nice color. I suppose that for some it could be seen as a blue/black ink variation, one of so many.

Dear On Point,

Unfortunately, both inks react differently in different pens, the Legal Lapis being the more chameleon like ink, but Navy is as well. In my pens, Navy is the darker, more blue ink, and Legal Lapis is as described, and aquamarine-black ink. If you do not shake either color, they can appear almost identical, but if each is shaken before filling, they are quite distinct.

As the Ink Stained Wretch said, though, Legal Lapis is 100% bulletproof.

Regards,

Wade

Thank you all. I've now read descriptions for the LL that range from aquamarine, through turquoise, to slate, and now it seems that both LL and Navy are chamaeleons. I'm ordering LL.

While I really like bulletproofness in ink, the one time I dropped an entire bottle of ink on a hardwood floor, I was glad it was washable brown ink. The thought of all that ink binding to the cellulose...

At least I won't be buying another pen, right?

Dear On Point,

I am sure you will be happy with either, or both. I use LL a lot. So much so, that I am thinking of buying it the next time in the 4.5 oz bottle. I use the Navy less, when I am unconcerned about whether I will need the document later or not, but I want a good, dark, blue. Personally, I suspect the fun of fountain pens lies in the inks-just my opinion, and worth about what you paid for it

Regards,

Wade

I hope you post your impressions of the Legal Lapis. I am not a fan of blue ink, having been constrained to blue or black ink when I was a kid. But I like LL for checks and some other legal documents because of its waterfast properties. I find the aquamarine-black description consistent with my experience of the ink. I have at least one pen in my monthly rotation filled with this ink.

Well, hmmm, the document should still be there later, even if you use Navy. But seriously, even the non-waterproof Noodler's have archival properties (pH neutral, fade-resistance, etc.); if you don't get the document wet, it'll be OK. And with a "near bulletproof" ink, such as Navy, even if you get it wet there is a waterproof component that should remain legible.

Thank you all for your answers.

I bought the Legal Lapis, and could not tell the difference in color with fine nibbed pens. Even with medium nibs on the same model pen, I saw a very small difference. I started concluding that my eyesight must be strange in respect to dark blue-greens.

The Legal Lapis seems greener (a bit olive-colored) than the Navy, but the chromatogram shows no yellow. Probably because these inks both have permanent components, the blots don't separate out like for soluble inks.

I can see that LL is a good "business" ink. LL is subdued where the Navy has some translucent depth and brightness. LL in the bottle appears similar to Polar Blue, cobalt with a bit of magenta. The "matte" appearance of the LL is similar to Polar Blue's chalkiness, but not as pronounced.

The file that I'm attaching shows the differences I was able to capture, but the colors that I see on the paper are greener than what I see on my screen. I do not know how to correct the color in the file or on my screen, so I'll just confirm that both inks are chamaeleons.

Edited to attach file in different format.