44 replies to this topic

[Claudiu]

I think I've been using Pelikan 4001 Royal Blue for 99% of the time I write with fountain pens. It's cheap here, easily available for a long time and I like it. But I'm in the mood recently for some black ink as well. I've seen that Noodler's Heart of Darksness and Bulletproof are highly praised here as being the blackest of them all, but I can't find it locally and ordering it would cost me five times more than my regular Pelikan ink. I don't think it's simply worth it, with that money I can buy a new pen (or save for a really nice one).

 

However, at a shop near me, I've found Pelikan 4001 black and Parker Quink black. How are these two compare to each other, in term of darkest black, watery feeling and so on? I could buy them both, but I'm afraid that that I would have too much black ink lying around⁽¹⁾, since I use it quite rarely anyway.

 

So what are your thoughts regarding these two models? Parker is a bit more expensive, but not much. They also have Lamy and Faber-Castell cartridges with black ink, if they are worth it, I can buy a bunch and use them (after extracting the ink with a syringe, if it's worth the trouble, meaning if they are blacker).

 

⁽¹⁾ Also, since I'm a n00b, how long can you keep a bottle of ink before it spoils? It's probably years, but I remember seeing some thick deposits on some no-name ink that I've forgot about in a closet for like 10 years or so. Was it because it was a cheap one, or it's normal for old inks to develop deposits on the bottom of the bottle?

 

Edited by BatmanWalks, 09 December 2015 - 11:23.

[VladislavS]

I would prefer Pelikan

Edited by VladislavS, 09 December 2015 - 14:27.

[Claudiu]

Uh-oh, that Montblanc Permanent Black is simply amazing!

[lapis]

Yup, that MBPB is the best. Blackest black (although there are blacker blackest blacks out in the woods). At least of those 4; also the wettest and least maintenance. Costs more but worth more.

 

:-$

[Claudiu]

What do you mean by least maintenance?

[sirgilbert357]

Uh-oh, that Montblanc Permanent Black is simply amazing!

 

Keep in mind swabs aren't necessarily how the ink will look coming out of your pen...but a swab will show the underlying hues pretty well.

 

I use Pelikan 4001 black and Noodler's Black. Both come out looking very, very black in my Parker 45 with a medium nib (wetness is about 7.5 out of 10). There is zero gray tones...they are just BLACK. Both inks behave quite well, with the edge going to the 4001 in the bleed through department. On decent paper, I honestly can't tell the two apart if they come out of the same pen and are both dry. Even my "pour water on the page to see what bleeds" test reveals they are both extremely water resistant. I'd get the Pelikan 4001 just because of how favorably it compares to the Noodlers Black...

[Claudiu]

 

Keep in mind swabs aren't necessarily how the ink will look coming out of your pen...but a swab will show the underlying hues pretty well.

 

I use Pelikan 4001 black and Noodler's Black. Both come out looking very, very black in my Parker 45 with a medium nib (wetness is about 7.5 out of 10). There is zero gray tones...they are just BLACK. Both inks behave quite well, with the edge going to the 4001 in the bleed through department. On decent paper, I honestly can't tell the two apart if they come out of the same pen and are both dry. Even my "pour water on the page to see what bleeds" test reveals they are both extremely water resistant. I'd get the Pelikan 4001 just because of how favorably it compares to the Noodlers Black...

 

Then I won't spend a little fortune on Noodlers and I'll stick with Pelikan, since it's much cheaper and already available. Thank you!

[sirgilbert357]

 

Then I won't spend a little fortune on Noodlers and I'll stick with Pelikan, since it's much cheaper and already available. Thank you!

 

My pleasure!

[ac12]

As I understand Aurora Black is one of the darker blacks.
Next is Pelikan Black.
Parker has a reputation of being a dark gray, rather than a black.

But Aurora is a wet ink and Pelikan is a dry ink, so the behavior in the pen will be different.

Edited by ac12, 09 December 2015 - 16:58.

[VladislavS]

Noodler's vs MB vs Sailor

 

The nib is the same for all inks.

Edited by VladislavS, 09 December 2015 - 17:08.

[lapis]

What do you mean by least maintenance?

Least maintenance means easiest to clean out of a pen and least problems with keeping your pen in order when it's filled with that ink. No or hardly any creeping, ignition problems and so on.

Some inks take hours, even days to wash out. Use slightly warm water, better yet distilled or dionized or filtered water. In between with a drop or two of dishwater soap/detergent. Often leaving your pen filled with that in a glass of it over night or even days can still soak out remains of very saturated inks and /or less soluble dyes. OTOH, some inks you can clean out within a few minutes or at most all on one day.

 

Check out http://www.richardspens.com/ and at the left under "More Search Options", type in e.g. "maintenance" (without the "s) and then hit the arrow.

 

An excellent site in general!

[fplover01]

I have been using Pelikan 4001 black for some time and it has been very black, and troublefree for me. A bit on the dry side so definetely better in a wet pen with a broader nib.

 

I have also used Lamy Black in the past. Pelikan has a darker tone. Edelstein Onyx is nice too but quite expensive and really not giving that much more than 4001 black.

[sirgilbert357]

I have been using Pelikan 4001 black for some time and it has been very black, and troublefree for me. A bit on the dry side so definetely better in a wet pen with a broader nib.

 

I have also used Lamy Black in the past. Pelikan has a darker tone. Edelstein Onyx is nice too but quite expensive and really not giving that much more than 4001 black.

 

I agree on the 4001 vs. Edelstein Onyx. Onyx is wetter and feathered more for me...I actually didn't even finish the sample of Onyx -- and I bought a whole bottle of 4001, if that tells you anything, LOL.

Edited by sirgilbert357, 09 December 2015 - 17:38.

[fplover01]

 

I agree on the 4001 vs. Edelstein Onyx. Onyx is wetter and feathered more for me...I actually didn't even finish the sample of Onyx -- and I bought a whole bottle of 4001, if that tells you anything, LOL.

Definetely agree that is wetter but this wetness alone didnt justify the price difference. I can understand though that using 4001 inks in dry pens can be a pain...

 

I just inked a white M205 with a BB nib which is supposed to become a dedicated pen for 4001 Black (I do not want to carry more than one M800s because in case of loss I know it would hurt me terribly). The result is excellent and the combination is a go for me.

Edited by fplover01, 09 December 2015 - 17:57.

[agentdaffy007]

The Pelikan 4001 Black is a marvelous ino just like the Pelikan 4001 Blue-Black. It is a dream to write with it in my wet MB 149. The pen just glides across the paper effortlessly. It is a bit less dry than Blue-Black. No feathering or bleedthrough on cheap copy paper. My favorite black for now!!

[tmenyc]

Are Montblanc Permanent Black and Mysterious Black the same ink?  

 

Also, I am very fond of Aurora Black and Noodler's Black/Old Manhattan Black and 4001 Black.  Waterman, which I like, is not quite there.  Parker is grey, although I have a bottle that somehow is really black.  I've been using Diamine Onyx in a dry pen lately and it's nice too.

 

Tim

[dcwaites]

Parker Quink Black and Pelikan 4001 Briliant Black are both dryish inks, as is Noodler's Black. If you use them in a dryish pen, you will get greyish/black lines and writing. However, if you use them in a medium wet pen, like sirgilbert357's medium wet Parker 45, you will get deep black writing with all three inks.

 

Noodler's Heart of Darkness is very similar to Noodler's Black, but is somewhat wetter. It suits a dryer pen than the Noodler's Black.

[lapis]

Are Montblanc Permanent Black and Mysterious Black the same ink?  

No, not at all. By no means! Mysterious Black (formerly called just Black) is in their "ordinary" line of shoes. Ident No: 105190.

Permanent black (Ident No: 107755) is a totally new ink, really more permanent in the sense of waterproofness etc, especially as judged by ink legalities or, as they say, ISO certification.

Both come in the same excellent 60-ml bottles and the permanent ink costs almost twice as much but that difference is really worth it. Read the reviews on these.

(BTW it's not Mysterious Black but Mystery black.)

 

Mike

Edited by lapis, 09 December 2015 - 22:49.

[tmenyc]

thanks, Mike.  Shall do.

 

Tim

[arcadeflow]

I am fond of inks from pen makers. I like Pelikan BBk and would trust the black iteration. Also Lamy Black is quite interesting.