A key has been added, written on Clairefontaine paper, with a number of different inks for reference.
Standard Disclaimer: Image provided only to give a general sense of the color. The vibrance and nuance are typically lost when an ink is digitized.
Review
When I write a review, I first focus on color, and award an ink 0 to 100 based upon that alone, separate from other considerations. I then deduct points from the color score for defects (ie: lack of flow, creep, etc), to arrive at an overall score.
Color
I've heard nothing but bad about Visconti Black. It's too washed out, it's green, it's this, it's that. To me, Visconti Black is a perfectly acceptable, nay desirable, black ink. It is not a solid monotone black, but rather black with some grey shading, which, in my opinion, injects life into an otherwise boring color. If you're looking for a black to do pen drawings, this is probably not it, but for standard writing I find it perfectly acceptable.
Just to address the bullet points on this ink:
* It's not green, period. A coffee filter test and a separation in RO water revealed some purple, but absolutely no green.
* This ink does shade, and is thus not a solid and uninterrupted black. However, this is a black ink that happens to shade grey, not a grey ink that happens to shade black.
When push comes to shove, though, this is just an average, run of the mill color (ie: black), and as such, deserves an average, run of the mill rating.
Color Score = 75
Deductions
Visconti Black is a pretty well rounded ink, and as such deductions aren't applicable.
Bonus Points
The primary reason I bought Visconti Black is because (surprisingly) it represents about the best value per volume as far as black inks are concerned. Note that I'm referring to the 50mL plastic bottle, not the nifty inkwell.
+3
Overall Score = 78