I'm currently debating between Herbin's Sapphire Blue and Noodler's Blue for a Pelikan M200 Translucent F or EF nib. Both look promising, but I've not been able to find reviews or even much info on how people who've used them have liked (or not liked) them.

Seeing a comparison pic would be lovely, too, if anyone's got both and is able to share.

Shamelessly sponging up info,
Cindy

I have J. Herbin's Eclat de Saphir and I'll give you my opinion. IMHO, I find it to be a nice and bright blue, but it's over priced and doesn't lubricate all that well. It does dry quickly, which is a plus, and doesn't feather. But IMHO it is over priced for how much ink you get. Just my $0.01.

For the color, you can see it on My Ink Selector which is located here.

Hmmm... Not lubricating very well doesn't sound promising...

Let me add Noodler's Navy to the question, if I may, as well. It's another one that's got me curious.

I've had regular Noodler's Blue and loved the color. However, since I'm a lefty (like our friend Southpaw) I sold the ink because it didn't dry quickly enough for me and I was always smearing it.

I'll be trying Herbin Eclat de Saphir, Diamine Sapphire, & Aurora Blue soon. Still hunting for the "perfect" blue. I'll try to post a color comparison as soon as I have all 3 of them.

I can't comment on the navy blue, as I've never had it.

Best, Ann

I have never used Noodler's Navy.
But...
I have Noodler's Midnight Blue and I love the rich dark blue color. Highly recomended.

I was debating between Navy and Midnight Blue. Would love to find someone to trade a sample of Navy with a sample of my Midnight Blue.

I think of Parker Penman Sapphire as THE blue. J. Herbin Eclat de Saphire is a completely different colour, it is rather a light royal blue tone, a tiny bit to the cold side. I can't make friends with this colour. The Noodler's blue I don't know personally.

In the UK it is not so expensive for the Herbin inks, I have found the sapphire to be a good colour that dries quickly and have not had any problems with lubrication.

I have used it in a P "51" Aero filler with fine and medium nibs and in a Sonnet with a medium nib, where is does tend to dry out, but only after a day or so.

Jim

Noodler's blue is one of the most beautiful blue inks I know. It is has blue hue without purple tones, not too dark, not too bright. When used in juicy broad nibs (as in my Omas 360 Magnum with B nib) it yields lots of variation. If used in a dry fine nib (as in my Aurora 1888 LE), it dries as a very consistent blue. Somewhat slow drying, but nothing dramatic, I have not seen it feathering or bleeding.

You cannot go wrong with it!

Alejandro

Many thanks for the input. (Inputs? Inpeet? Impeets? ) I shall ponder further...

Lovely, helpful people.

I don't have any currently, but be aware that Navy is not what you would normally think of as "navy blue". Nathan has described it "as a replica of a 1930s Navy ink made for a local drug chain by the Old Colony Ink Co. of Massachusetts - a deep/darker blue with faint turquoise tingeing." To my eye, the turquoise coloration is more than faint, and I wouldn't call it a deep or dark blue. It's a distinctive color (and, incidentally, one of the more water-resistant of the non-waterproof inks), but it may not coincide with your mental picture of it.

To get what I would call a true navy or deep sapphire blue, mix equal parts Navy and La Couleur Royale. The result is a gorgeous, but still conservative, deep blue -- a tick lighter and bluer than Midnight Blue. (Unfortunately, I don't have any of that mix left, either.)