I started with Noodler's Black because it was reputed to behave well on the touchy Moleskine paper. And it does behave well in Moleskines. I had also wanted to use the Noodler's because it's waterproof. I really, really wanted to use a waterproof ink, but now I'm starting to get a little more open minded.

I have about half a bottle of the Noodler's black left, and maybe it's me, but it seems to be acting "gritty" in every pen I put it in these days.

I recently bought a bottle of Pelikan Brilliant Black, and it's SO MUCH SMOOTHER than the Noodler's. I'm dumbfounded. When it used to behave, the Noodler's used to be oh, so smooth - but now using a black that's really smooth, I'm ready to chuck the Noodler's. Yes, the Pelikan ink does bleed through in a spot here and there, but it's worth using for a better writing experience.

My only beef with the Pelikan ink is that it's just not as "black" as the Noodler's. It's slightly more washed out and gray. Not much, but it bothers me enough to me looking for something else.

Does anyone know of a darker, more opaque black, smooth flowing black ink that behaves well on poor quality paper like the Pelikan?

This message was prompted by the receipt of my new Sailor Sapporo. I filled it with the Noodler's, (because that's always been my baseline ink) and it was smooth, but then it got gritty.... and then I realized that it's been doing that in all my pens as of late.

Whatcha think?

Do you shake the bottle before filling? I love Heart of Darkness. It behaves wonderfully in Moleskines and dries very quickly to boot.

Maybe you should try Caran d´Ache Carbon.
Behaves very well on all papers (even on Moleskine) and works perfectly well with many pens.
Maybe it´s yours ...

My list of favorite blacks (all of which are deep, dark black, not grayish black in color):

-- Aurora Black

-- Pelikan Black

-- ST Dupont Black

-- Sailor Black

+1 for Aurora Black but it is free-flowing so on Moleskine you might get some bleeding. But for lubrication, color, dry time it is very good

I heard good thing about Herbin Perle Noire but haven't tried it yet.

When I started using Aurora Black I put away everything else, even the Private Reserve Velvet Black which I like a lot.

I like the Pelikan Black but Aurora Black is hands-down my favourite - it flows better than the Pelikan in my "gusher" pens and is blacker than night.
Nick

Another vote for Aurora black. It is a very wet ink and does feather in a Moleskine in anything but the finest line - but it is very, very black and very smooth. Also, I have done some water tests and although it does run it will retain enough to be able to ead what's there after the longest soak.

I haven't used a lot of black inks, but I like Waterman black.

I've never had the trouble you speak of re: Noodler's Black, but I agree with the others - Aurora Black is a scrumptious ink. Very dark and velvety.

+1 for Aurora. I like it so much I wrote it a letter singing its praises.

Aurora Black is great. Noodler's also makes a variety of other great blacks like Borealis Black, Heart of Darkness, and Old Manhattan. There are a bunch of other combinations, too, like Zhivago (green-black), Air Corps Blue-Black, and red-black. Also, don't forget about the Japanese blacks like Platinum (very black) and Sailor (Pilot black isn't really all that black).

Best,
Summer

Stephanie, I'm using Pelikan brilliant black exclusively these days. Two other black inks I like a lot are J.Herbin Perle Noire and Aurora black.

How black they will look on paper depends on the kind of paper and the nib, but all these inks (pelikan, herbin, aurora) look black to me, and I like some shadowing.

Juan in Andalucía

Let's see - Noodler's black, half-full bottle, gritty feeling.. your remaining ink may have partially evaporated and is turning the consistency of glue. Try taking a small amount of that ink and diluting it with a little water - you'll likely find its properties more closely approximating the ink you originally bought.

I also use Pelikan black in my dip-less desk pen set, and have always been happy with the result.