I'm looking for a bright, vibrant, in your face blue Maybe something like a cobalt color. Does ayone have any suggestions? Thanks in advance.

Baystate Blue!

Levenger's Cobalt Blue
Parker Penman Sapphire (sadly no longer manufactured)

Like Andy says Levengers Cobalt would fit your bill. I too love the look of Parker Penman Sapphire (have a little stash of this discontinued ink). But the most "in-your-face!" blue ink out there is indeed Noodlers Baystate blue.

Note the only one of the three mentioned that no one seems to have any troubles with is the Levengers Cobalt. The other two have some reported clogging problems and staining for the Baystate blue.

By reputation, Levenger Cobalt seems to be quite popular. I can attest to the vibrancy of Baystate Blue personally.

I'll mention that I was shocked by how vibrant Omas Blue is when I filled my Hero 100 with it for the first time yesterday.

I'd say J.Herbin Eclat de Sapphire. Very bright, (a bit to bright to my taste; I'm more a blue black person), smooth flowing ink in all my pens.

If you like a risky life, Bay State Blue. If you want to make it to an old age, Herbin's Eclat de Shappire.

PR Lake Placid
Diamine Sapphire
Noodlers Baystate

Visconti Blue

Private Reserve DC Supershow Blue

Peartree pens offers an ink sampler---you can choose four of any of the kinds they sell and the price is low. They have color charts. This could be the way to go until you find that perfect one.

I know they have Diamine, Noodler's and Herbin.

The brightest and most brilliant blue.

Have used Levenger Cobalt Blue for several years (three bottles worth). It's a vibrant, great color. But it leaves a bit to be desired in performance. L.CB is a wet, free-flowing, saturated ink and can bleed through some papers. After a year, the ink seems a bit gummy and sluggish. And, if you spit in its direction, it smears. So, bearing these caveats in mind, it is still a beautiful, useful ink that I like a lot.

Currently I am trying some less vibrant blues, Lamy Blue, Sheaffer Blue, both in cartridges. Performance is satisfactory. I also have Noodler's Luxury Blue. The ink is fast and free-flowing. Need to get it into the right pen, I suspect. But it is a pretty color.

A very bright lighter blue is Waterman's South Sea Blue.

I would go with Private Reserve, in this order from deep to mid: Supershow, Lake Placid, Tropical and Naples. (Supershow will probably be too dark to count as "bright" if you use it in a wet pen.) These all behave well, though you may find them a bit slow drying in wet pens - if so, dilute with water. That said, for bright and vibrant, I might suggest a mix - 50:50 Tropica: Supershow results in a marvelous colour.

These don't pop off the page as much as Noodler's Baystate Blue, but that stuff feathers like crazy unless (or so I keep reading here) you use very fine nibs.

As for Levenger's Cobalt, it's a marvelous colour (though I would have thought it doesn't really qualify as bright and vibrant), but behaves badly in my experience unless you mix it with a different ink (e.g. Lloyd's excellent suggestion of Namiki Blue); otherwise, it rapidly turns thick and takes forever (literally, I suspect) to dry.

A couple of the new Pilot inks - especially Morning Glory - look promising, but I've not seen them in person yet.

Simon

Private Reserve Electric DC Blue

I have three suggestions... Baystate Blue, Baystate Blue, and Baystate Blue especially in a Platinum Preppy with either a converter or as an eye-dropper (which is what I do). This stuff is BRIGHT!

Another vote for Herbin's Eclat de Saphir

What he said!

The color is almost identical to my tag line below

I agree, but there is a touch of green in that. To my eyes, PR's Tropical Blue is a true bright lighter blue ... one that jumps off the page and grabs you by the face and says "Check me out baby!" ... oops, got carried away again ...=)
pb2

Or you can try my new recipe for Bloo Lagoon in inky thought today.

Wow. I didn't know I had so many options. Thanks to all. Now I get to buy more ink!!!

I found the page at The Writing Desk really useful
They list ink by color with a sample.

http://www.thewritingdesk.co.uk/showproduc...k&subr=none

I'm not sure how close it comes and my Diamine Washable Blue seems much paler than what they have on the swatch, but since this is the first bottle I'm using, I have nothing to compare it to.

Others out there might know better if the colors come close, but at least it gives an idea of the differences.

Silke

I'll second Waterman South Seas Blue. My favourite ink combination is one I mix myself. I use 50% Noodler's Luxury Blue, 20% Waterman South Seas Blue, 20% Diamine Royal Blue, 10% Noodlers Blue Ghost. This creates a really smooth flowing, dark turquoise blue; It looks stunning.
I call it Cozumel Blue

Baystate Blue for the brightest, Visconti Blue for the brightest best behaved blue!
PMS

Visconti Blue is my #1 favorite...but Baystate Blue just blows it out of Nantucket Sound in terms of loud...bright...and in your face blue! It is nuclear in it's heritage...so please handle with care!

Peter

Herbin's ECLAT DE SAPHIR, or, likely "sapphire blue". Very nice.

Mike

If you want well behaved, go for visconti. Its a great color. But if you dont mind staining, then go for Baystate. You wont be disappointed with either (color wise that is).

I have many blues and Noodler's Baystate Blue is the most obnoxiously in your face blue.

I found paper is also important in bringing out the best in your blue. I had tried Visconti blue on HP Colour Laser, OCE Topcolour and Clairefontaine DCP papers, and found that it was blue with a touch of grey.

Then I found some Stora Enso 4CC paper, and suddenly this discrete little blue became vibrant and solid.

If I ever get some Baystate Blue, I will have to get get some welding goggles before I try it on this paper...

But seriously, the problem with blue is that everybody has their own ideas of the perfect blue. Partly it's because most of us are colourblind to at least a minor extent, and so what you see as blue is not what I see as blue.

As well, some of us like a 'pure' blue, others like it with a touch of purple, others like me, like it with a touch of green. Some like a bright, light blue like Waterman Florida, others a deep, dark blue like P R American. My personal favourite is PR American blue lightened with one third Diamine Aqua.

To further confuse the issue, some of us try our inks on bright white office papers that have optical brighteners in them, others write under fluorescent lights, others by the light of an open window. It's no wonder we all have different opinions on what is the best blue...

My thoughts exactly!

Thanks all for your suggestions. I took the plunge, promised myself to be good about not spilling, and bought ......Baystate Blue! Heeding the advice of more experienced members about staining etc, I bought a Nathan modified Platinum Preppy to be Baystate Blue only! Now... where are my shades?

Ditto - Baystate but be careful! Stains just about everything.

High maintenance- Noodler's Baystate Blue
Low maintenance- Waterman Florida Blue

PR DC Show Blue, Baystate Blue. I use the Baystate Blue in my Lamy Al-Star not worried about staining and the flow is great. I use PR Midnight blue and DC show Blue in all of my pens and I'm happy with it.

BUMMER!!!!! My BSB and Preppy arrived today, and I forgot to purchase an eyedropper to fill the pen!!! I had to content myself with a quick cotton swab dip and swipe on the paper. I'll pick one up tomorrow when I go out to buy paint. I drive right by the pharmacy.

Do you have a straw by chance?
You can try dipping the straw in the ink, cover the top with your finger then transfer the straw to the pen and release, just like you did with the milk in elementery school.

You can get a free tranfer pipet here, look about half way down there is a link to a sample order page.

http://www.perf-sci.com/d_transfer/TP02-3100.html

Great idea! I wish I had noticed your post before I went to bed. I would have stayed up rather late playing with my new toy. I purchased my eyedropper and filled my Preppy. BSB is an awesome color! It makes Pelikan brilliant blue look blue-black. Thanks to all for their suggestions. I'll keep the other colors on my someday list as well.