Ok, so I recently ordered black ink cartridges from Paradise Pens by Waterman. To say I was disappointed is something of an understatement. It doesn't seem to flow evenly, and the ink is rather pale, looking like a washed-out black. Do you think I can return the ink cartridges, since I already plugged one in? Also, do any of you have any recommendation for nice, dark ink? I have a Padrino Breve which I love dearly, but it only takes mini or small cartridges. Also, has anybody else had this peeve with Waterman ink?
I also have a vintage Waterman that I got as a gift which I never really liked...haha....guess Waterman just isn't my company!

Hmm....maybe I can exchange it with someone for a different pen...for that matter maybe I can exchange the stupid cartridges as well :^)

So, what do y'all think?

I use cartridges from time to time in a Charleston and a Kultur demo, I've never really experienced any problems with them, never tried them in another pen though.

Andy

You might like their other colors better than the black. The purple, green and red are quite nice. I'm partial to Waterman because it's so well behaved on the road. Just wait 'til another brand gives your pen the runs and you'll know what I mean.

All my hues, I'm surprised to hear about trouble in a pen with Waterman ink.

On the color question, Waterman Black is among the not-blackest-black inks, which some people prefer. You might be able to trade carts for samples of other inks.

If you require international carts of black ink significantly darker than Waterman's, consider
Pelikan 4001 Brilliant Black (short or long carts; well-behaved in most pens and on mediocre paper; fast-drying)
Conway-Stewart Black
Private Reserve Velvet Black (short only; slower-drying than Pelikan)
Levenger Raven Black (short only; much slower-drying than Pelikan but well-behaved on most paper; water-resistant enough for addresses on envelopes; sometimes the online store doesn't charge for shipping of cartridges)

In bottled ink, there are more choices for black inks significantly darker than Waterman's, including
Diamine Quartz Black
Private Reserve Ultra Black Fast Dry (needs good paper)
A T Cross Black (the same as Pelikan's, but availability under either label can differ)
Aurora Black (highly-respected and well-enjoyed by FPN members)
Noodler's and Swisher's various black inks
Sailor Black

I have a couple (one med,one fine) of those starter kits with a Phileas, bottle of black ink, and several colors of cartridges.... I did think that the cartridge black was not as black as taking it from the bottle. I do shake the bottle before each draw... perhaps that is not possible each time you start to use the pen with the cartridge in it...
The black Waterman ink really feels smooth...and is plenty black when dipped by my Red Ripple 52...

I have both mine loaded with XFeather black Noodlers...and just got my first ream of HP #32,98,PC laser paper.. very smooth... and plenty black.

I've never had flow problems with waterman carts. and i've used and have pretty much every color they come in. They all work fine.

Will agree about the black though, i think it's almost a gray. I've been disappointed in the blacks i've tried. Parker quink black i've found to be more of a very dark blue black. I wonder what the actual blue black comes out like. . Tried some lamy and montblanc black at paradise pens. Nothing spectacular. Sheaffer's black carts have been my favorite so far, but they're VERY wet, for my taste. although that could just be the nib on my cartridge pen.

As for the waterman and exchanging it, well, All i have to offer are chinese pens, and a phileas, so i'm out. Of course, there's always money.

What kind of waterman is it?

I had a similar experience with a set of Waterman Black cartridges- they didn't flow properly and would often stop up the pen. A swap to Florida Blue fixed that- though I am not sure if it was just a bad batch of cartridges.

Waterman Black has been a solid ink for me. It was my first bottled ink. I do agree that it is pretty light in color, but after using it, Noodler's and Pelikan Black look brown to me, so I now prefer lighter blacks. I have never had any flow problems with it, it is actually one of my better flowing inks. I use a converter and bottled ink, not carts, though. I kind of lean towards Waterman and Parker inks, because they are not as saturated as other brands like PR. It just makes me feel more secure about clogging and possible problems with my vintage pens. PR dries up in my pens after a few days, and causes skimpy flow.

I also see a little bit of brown in Noodler's and Pelikan's black inks (less in Pelikan). Waterman Black is a little greenish. Sailor Black, which is among the darkest and most opaque, also shows me a tiny bit of green when I look very closely, whereas I don't have to look hard to see it in Waterman. The black inks from Namiki/Pilot, new Sheaffer Skrip, Parker Quink and Levenger seem a little bit purple. Your view may vary from mine.

Levenger's inks, at least the darker-colored ones, can behave in pens like PR's, in the good and bad senses.

I've found that one way to keep a saturated ink from drying up in a nib or feed channel, if the pen's cap is airtight enough, is to store the pen horizontally instead of vertically-and-point-up. Your results may vary from mine.

This works for me in the Platinum Preppy eyedropper fill pens that come with some 4.5 oz. Noodler inks. If I keep them horizontal in my desk drawer, they write without hesitation, even after two or three days. But when I carried one vertical ina coat pocket, it was hard to start until I let it rest in horizontal position for a few minutes.

I only have some of the blacks that you mentioned, but I do agree with your views on these, for the most part.

My pens are stored just almost horizontally, but not quite, so that may be the problem. However, my Phileas skips and writes dry with Tanzanite, which I thought was the laxative of FPs, after being stored overnight. It doesn't have problems with any other ink I've thrown at it, besides PR Fiesta Red.