Why Go Past Waterman Inks?

[AndrewThomas]

I have three inks: Diamine Black, Waterman Black, & Waterman Blue-Black. The latter two flow nicely, are pleasant, dry quickly, and look nice. The former is dryer and makes the two pens I have (Parker Frontier and Sheaffer 330 [granted, not the most expensive pens, but the Sheaffer is quite decent] skip. Further, I've heard people here quote Mr. Binder as suggesting that Waterman inks are the least troublesome.

 

So my (somewhat provocative) question: Why use anything but Waterman inks?*

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*Unless you are writing checks and need a 150% waterproof ink, which frankly is quite rare.

Edited May 24, 2011 by AndrewThomas

[Pippin60]

I have three inks: Diamine Black, Waterman Black, & Waterman Blue-Black. The latter two flow nicely, are pleasant, dry quickly, and look nice. The former is dryer and makes the two pens I have (Parker Frontier and Sheaffer 330 [granted, not the most expensive pens, but the Sheaffer is quite decent] skip. Further, I've heard people here quote Mr. Binder as suggesting that Waterman inks are the least troublesome.

 

So my (somewhat proactive) question: Why use anything but Waterman inks?*

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*Unless you are writing checks and need a 150% waterproof ink, which frankly is quite rare.

 

Boring, no shading, too dry in some of my pens, and no imaginative color's. The only waterman ink I use is the Florida blue, in cartridge form. I do wish though that more companies like Diamine, or Private Reserve would offer long international standard.

[redisburning]

same reason I own pens that arent black.

 

I find J. Herbin and Pilot Iroshizuku to be superior physically, anyway.

[Albertine]

Different strokes for different foiks?

 

I have a hard time reading this as anything but a rhetorical question.

[Black Rose]

So my (somewhat provocative) question: Why use anything but Waterman inks?*

Not enough colour choice.

[OcalaFlGuy]

Two word clue;

 

Floriblah Blue

 

Bruce in Ocala, FL -the prosecution rests

[welch]

There is no particular reason to use anything but Waterman. They are dependably good inks.

[tonybelding]

So my (somewhat provocative) question: Why use anything but Waterman inks?

 

In no particular order. . . .

 

The place where I normally buy ink doesn't carry Waterman (yet).

 

I don't find Florida Blue attractive, it's too purple-ish.

 

I like waterproof and archival inks.

 

Some Waterman inks are a bit acidic and have been reported to corrode metal parts over time.

 

Waterman doesn't make anything as resistant to feathering and bleeding as Noodler's Black.

 

The color selection is quite limited compared with Noodler's, or PR, or Diamine, or Herbin.

 

Noodlers and PR are made in the USA. I kind of like that.

Edited May 24, 2011 by tonybelding

[bluemagister]

I was once threatened by a Russian Mafia gangster with a pen full of Diamine Black...so I use Noodler's Black, instead.

 

The inks you list are just too boring for me to buy. I prefer Noodler's saturated colors.

[Nonsensical]

I use Waterman Florida Blue, because it flows well. Even then, the only reason for using it over Noodler's is due to the terribly inflated prices that we have to pay over here...

 

Personally, Diamine inks come in more colours, are actually CHEAPER, and some flow just as well, if not better than WFB.

[2Hearts]

Boring colours and its performance is only so-so. I personally find Noodler's Heart of Darkness and Sheaffer Black to be supreme inks plus I use black in only one pen. Other than that I use bright pinks, greens, oranges and even for blue, I use a bright Herbin Bleu Pervenche.

[Alohamora]

Generally I prefer more saturated colors and at least some of my ink needs to be water-proof.

 

The "boring yet safe" niche for me is nicely filled by Lamy blue, at least Lamy comes in a cool bottle.

[Gobblecup]

I like allot of different qualities in my inks, and I love colour variation, so a plain blue that washes off a page easily, isn't really all that enticing to me. I do use Waterman inks, mostly vintage (like old blue black), and I have just started using Havana Brown, but I doubt I would use them exclusively, and I really doubt I will be buying Florida Blue any time soon. While you might think it's foolish, and I don't take it too seriously, water resistant inks can come in handy in a variety of situations, not just for writing checks. And ph neutral inks are safer for pens and the longevity of your written words. Lastly, I do find Waterman inks to be just a little on the dry side for many of my pens.

 

2Hearts, I agree with you on Sheaffer Black (I've never used HOD though), it is a wonderful ink, it has really great performance.

[WendyNC]

Because I can! And then there's the whole color thing . . .

[Dave S]

Well, because they don't have a ton of colors available. South Seas Blue and Binder Blurple (1/2 FB & 1/2 Violet) rock my world. Havana is a nice brown. Good to great flow, don't clog, polite on most papers, but I couldn't stick with just those colors forever.

Edited May 24, 2011 by Dave S

[Ink Sandwich]

Since using Florida Blue, I actually like writing blue again and will probably not go past that as far as blue inks are concerned.

 

Other than that, I don't like the color of Waterman Blue-Black and prefer Pelikan instead, and Pelikan Brilliant Black has been my staple ink for 12+ years.

Also, Waterman is slightly harder to get, so it's a matter of convenience.

Edited May 24, 2011 by Ink Sandwich

[clmurphy]

I got waterman red and SSB cheap with an order, and they are great. Never had a hiccup from either one. But I need other colors (green!!) and I want waterproof ink in a few instances. There are many other inks that flow just as good as Waterman and at a better price (normally) than waterman. Also, I have heard that the pH of their inks can cause them to fade over time (even on acid free paper). Not good if you are doing more than mere scribbling.

[rwilsonedn]

Some people have strong preferences for one color over another, even at the expense of poor performance, inconvenience, cost, or, in some cases, physical damage to their pen. Some people just crave novelty. Not everyone takes a purely utilitarian approach to selecting inks, any more than they do to selecting pens. I have also heard from pen restorers whom I trust say that they are very careful about venturing beyond a few standard brands of ink made by pen manufacturers. I presume, given that they have been inside a great many pens, that they know of what they speak. So I guess I can respect another person's desire to go searching for the lost imperial ultraviolet, but I think they should be candid with themselves and with others that it is not a pursuit without risks.

ron

[Trebster]

So my (somewhat provocative) question: Why use anything but Waterman inks?*

 

Yep, you'll see the question has already ignited some divergent responses. Time will tell if your adverb needs adjustment.

 

My view: to my knowledge, no credible reports exist of Waterman inks being anything but perfectly well-behaved and safe. The same can be said for most every other fountain pen ink commonly (or uncommonly) available.* If you don't feel you need ink with extra bells and whistles, you will find that Waterman is perfectly serviceable. If you like it, use it to your heart's content.

 

For what it's worth, Waterman Florida Blue is the only ink from my ink larder that has ever drawn an unsolicited positive comment from the Teeming Millions. "Oh, that's beautiful!" The pen from whence the Florida Blue came was wholly unnoticed and unremarked upon (a Vanishing Point, for the record keepers).

 

 

* A couple inks are known to require their owners to use extra TLC, and this information is widely disseminated. Then there's ink that was clearly determined to be harmful to pens: Parker Superchrome was withdrawn from the market for that reason. That has never stopped people from playing with Superchrome anyway. <shrug>

[beluga]

I have three inks: Diamine Black, Waterman Black, & Waterman Blue-Black. The latter two flow nicely, are pleasant, dry quickly, and look nice. The former is dryer and makes the two pens I have (Parker Frontier and Sheaffer 330 [granted, not the most expensive pens, but the Sheaffer is quite decent] skip. Further, I've heard people here quote Mr. Binder as suggesting that Waterman inks are the least troublesome.

 

So my (somewhat provocative) question: Why use anything but Waterman inks?*

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*Unless you are writing checks and need a 150% waterproof ink, which frankly is quite rare.

 

 

 

Because we're not all wearing the same clothes, driving the same cars, eating the same food, drinking the same wine and loving the same women.

 

 

That's why.

 

 

 

I fear you may be confusing "provocative" with "silly".

 

Besides: If we really wanted to entertain such a debate, wouldn't such a question be better placed under Inky Thoughts rather than Writing Instruments?

 

 

 

 

B.

Edited May 24, 2011 by beluga