I liked this ink. It seemed to have a smoother feel than the Aurora black, although I didn't try them in the same pen.

Nice review! I especially appreciate the side-by-side comparison of the Diamine and the Aurora. There's another thread currently in play in which one of the posts compares Herbin Perle Noire very favorably to Aurora Black. Perhaps Aurora Black's long dominance of the non-bulletproof black ink market is going to be challenged.

The non-bulletproof black inks that people on FPN seem to have been especially pleased with in recent months are: Aurora, Sailor, Dupont, Herbin, Diamine, and (with mixed reviews) Pelikan.

Great review! I had a horrible time with Diamine Quartz black - it would NOT flow in most of my pens, made them bone-dry and scratchy. But it was a lovely color - so rich and glossy! I've read here on FPN that some people have ended up with "bad" bottles of this particular color. Maybe I'll go back and try it again.

I had the same problem as asamsky did with Quartz Black. I tried it in three different pens and it would not flow at all. In frustration, I poured it down the sink. Even if I had a bad bottle, I see no reason to try again. Aurora Black and Noodler's (permanent) Black cover my black needs.

Regards, greg

I recently bought a bottle of Quartz Black from The Writing Desk and it really is a very nice black ink. It's my "everyday" ink for work and recording astronomical observations and works very well in my Parker.