hello to all,

i have only one short question: are the Heart of Darkness and Old Manhattan (FPH exclusive) same ink?

Thank you!

No

Then.....which is the blacker ink?

There is controversy on that.

My measurements show HOD is a little blacker.

Others insist that Old Manhattan is the blackest.

I don't believe you eye will discern much difference.

Other than a (possibly undetectable) difference in blackness, how do HoD and OMB differ from one another? Anyone know?

Well, OMB is a FPH exclusive that appears to only come in 3 ounce bottles. HoD is not an exclusive (though Swisher is the only online store I seem to be able to find with it in stock as of yet) and appears to only come in 4.5 ounce bottles with free eyedropper pen. The description on the Noodler's website what's new page makes me think HoD is designed to be a low-feather bulletproof ink with an average dry time. I can't speak to what drying and feathering characteristics OMB has or to how the inks work based on my tests because I haven't bought either one yet.

I've just ordered Old Manhattan so we'll see.
I don't use any other ink then black, rarely blue. It looks like my eternal quest for perfect blackest of the black is not near the end

Oh, the blackest and smoothest yet is caran d'ache carbon.

Thank's everyone for (quiet short or a bit longer) contribution

Thanks. I saw that description and didn't know what to make of it. Sounds like it could be similar to Swishmix Nile Ebony, but with the proportions weighted more towards bulletproof and less towards the quick-drying component -- but who knows? (I wish that Nathan would be less cryptic about these things. If you're going to make five kinds of black, at least explain, in plain English, how they're different from one another. )

I may order a bottle of HoD just to get the free modified-Kaweco pen -- heaven knows I don't need the ink! The pen that came with my bottle of Nikita red writes like a charm -- starts immediately, no skipping, nice smooth fine line. Great value when you realize that the rollerball version of that pen costs as much as the 4.5 oz. bottle of ink and the pen together.

Kaweco?

I don't have Nikita, but I do have Legal Lapis in the 4.5 ounce Boston Round that came with an eyedropper. Mine is pretty obviously a special order from Platinum that is a slightly modified Preppy.

Has Nathan changed pens?

I've got both; they are most definately different inks.

Heart of Darkness has a brownish cast to it, where Old Manhattan is a more 'pure' black. All things told, any difference between the two is small - the non-eel Noodler's blacks are the darkest of all of the black inks I've used (and I have many blacks). Even the eel blacks are quite dark.

My personal ranking is along the lines of:
1.) Old Manhattan (No cast; just black)
2.) Heart of Darkness (brownish cast)
3.) X-Feather (reddish cast)
4.) Bulletproof Black (no cast, just black)

But the difference between the top 3 are small and debatable. I personally purchased all of 'em. Reasons:
1.) They're all bulletproof
2.) They're all very dark
3.) Love the different labels
4.) I have no issues with flow or feathering - I'll use all of them, and love all of them.

You're right, it's a modified Platinum Preppy. So, OK, it's a $3 pen, not a $15 one -- but it sure writes well.

It absolutely does. I'd love it to be a medium instead of a fine, but it's one of the smoother fines I have dealt with.

thank you. that was indeed very, very helpful.

Agreed.