Noodler's Heart Of Darkness

[Luke Scicluna]

http://www.peartreepens.com/v/vspfiles/photos/19808-2T.gif

 

Well. My first review. Gee, seems so long ago that I signed up to this place of pens and other delights.

 

Let me make the following information clear.

1.) I like wet inks. By wet, I mean OOH THE PAGE IS DISSOLVING IN THE INK kinda wet.

2.) I abhor feathering.

3.) I love value.

4.) I like deep colours. Yes, I want my black to be black, not purplish grey *looks at Quink*.

 

And, God darnit, Noodler's Heart Of Darkness has me blown away on all counts.

 

Let's pretend that I am professional, for one slight millisecond, and try to categorise here.

Pocket-patrol

It is cheap. Supercalifragilisticexpialidociousially cheap. €13.10 or $19.99 nab you a great big 4.5oz bottle, complete with a Platinum Preppy (for free!). For the same amount of ink in cartridge form, you can expect to pay well over €100, at the very least. This ink is some of the best priced ink per volume on the market, and so far, filling my sizable Noodler's piston filler 3 times from it has only drained the neck and 5mm of the bottle.

Depth

 

By jove, this is a deep ink. Even with a Noodler's Piston Filled #2 nib, it is dark. Darker than the lines on the page, for once! Quink looks like doggy drool in comparison.

 

Wetness

This ink is WET. WET with a capital W, E, and T. With a fine nib, it writes so smoothly that it's almost as if your hand is floating over the page. With my despicably dry Parker Frontier M nib, it feels absolutely luxurious. I never expected this level of comfort from this particular nib, as it feels like sandpaper with Quink!

 

Smearing

It is safe to say that with normal use, and on average paper, drying time is ~ 5 seconds, with a #2 nib, after which it refuses to smear.

 

Water Resistance

 

Not affected at all by water after the drying time.

 

Final Word of Supposed Wisdom

If you like wet inks, go and get it right now. If you like drier inks, you should still grab a bottle and put it on your shelf.

If you use finer nibs, you should get this ink immediately, as it makes writing with a fine nib feel as gratifying as writing with a broad or medium nib.

If you use medium, broad, bb or whatever, this ink will permanenently rid you of railroading, stopping to throw your pen against the wall, and hefty price tags.

 

You owe it to yourself.

Edited August 30, 2011 by Luke Scicluna

[professionaldilettante]

I must agree that it's awesome. However, there's one ink that beats it in awsomeness right now for me, and that's Pilot Blue-black from a bottle. I can get 350ml bottles of that stuff for $10-15. Water would be cheaper at that price I'd think.

[GouletPens]

I think you'll find there are a lot of HOD lovers around here! I'm glad it's working so well for you.

[Bijesh]

I must agree that it's awesome. However, there's one ink that beats it in awsomeness right now for me, and that's Pilot Blue-black from a bottle. I can get 350ml bottles of that stuff for $10-15. Water would be cheaper at that price I'd think.

 

Where can I get that?

[Luke Scicluna]

I must agree that it's awesome. However, there's one ink that beats it in awsomeness right now for me, and that's Pilot Blue-black from a bottle. I can get 350ml bottles of that stuff for $10-15. Water would be cheaper at that price I'd think.

 

Where can I get that?

 

http://www.gouletpens.com/Iroshizuku_Bottled_Ink_s/945.htm

 

(No affiliation)

[Azuniga]

I must say that I agree with the Heart of Darkness review above... I got the large bottle since I use a lot of ink, I never expected I will ended so fast... I also really loved their ED pen, it is amazing...

Cheers, Ariel

[clmurphy]

I must agree that it's awesome. However, there's one ink that beats it in awsomeness right now for me, and that's Pilot Blue-black from a bottle. I can get 350ml bottles of that stuff for $10-15. Water would be cheaper at that price I'd think.

 

Where can I get that?

 

http://www.gouletpens.com/Iroshizuku_Bottled_Ink_s/945.htm

 

(No affiliation)

 

Your link is to the Iroshizuku page at GouletPens.com

 

Is that link correct?

[nm4]

HOD is one of my favorites. It's smooth, bulletproof, and pitch black..hard not to like that! The only downside is that nib creep with this ink seems to be very prominent.

 

Cheers,

NM

[Luke Scicluna]

I must agree that it's awesome. However, there's one ink that beats it in awsomeness right now for me, and that's Pilot Blue-black from a bottle. I can get 350ml bottles of that stuff for $10-15. Water would be cheaper at that price I'd think.

 

Where can I get that?

 

http://www.gouletpen...d_Ink_s/945.htm

 

(No affiliation)

 

Your link is to the Iroshizuku page at GouletPens.com

 

Is that link correct?

 

That is the Pilot page on GouletPens.com - I don't know if what you have mentioned is there, just posted to see!

 

Could it be here?

 

http://www.gouletpen...d_Ink_s/947.htm

 

HOD is one of my favorites. It's smooth, bulletproof, and pitch black..hard not to like that! The only downside is that nib creep with this ink seems to be very prominent.

 

Cheers,

NM

 

I usually keep my pens in my shirt pocket, so I wouldn't know! Even so, small price to pay for the performance.

[Hohn]

Could anyone comment on HOD vs standard Noodler's Black? Is there any reason to pick one or the other/

 

I'm under the impression that the only advantage to standard black is that it may be a little less feather-prone on really cheap stuff.

 

Comments welcome to help me decide.

 

JH

[pkoko]

HOD is more saturated version of Regular Black. Regular Black is more saturated version of Eel Black

So Saturation = HOD>BP Black>Eel Black

 

In terms of feathering (best first)

X-feather > HOD > BP Black > Eel Black

 

But I read the x-feather has a really long drying time. I think drying time/smear resistance is the reverse of the above list. Personally, I feel that regular BP black ink is great for many many purposes. If you want slightly darker black; get HOD. If you want more lubrication; get Eel Black. If you want less feathering/bleed through; get X-feather. They are all excellent inks but BP Black is a great all-rounder.

[Hohn]

Really, HOD feathers less than BB? That's the opposite of my understanding. If so, I will get HOD instead of BB. I need the cheap paper performance (dry time is no matter for me) and would prefer the darker HOD color.

 

JH

[LexieS]

My regular BB does not feather much on cheap paper, I have a very cheap desk calendar and I have no problems with feathering. I almost purchased HOD, but decided on BB instead. Maybe whenever I run out of BB I will switch and give HOD a try.

 

Thank you for the review

[Yoda4561]

Really, HOD feathers less than BB? That's the opposite of my understanding. If so, I will get HOD instead of BB. I need the cheap paper performance (dry time is no matter for me) and would prefer the darker HOD color.

 

JH

 

Nope, Bulletproof black is, with the sole exception of X-Feather, the most feather resistant ink noodler's makes. None of the other blacks come close, and HOD isn't even the same color, wet chromatography shows that the dye components are different. So it's not just a more saturated version of the standard black. I find the standard black is just a hair less dark, but because it has no feathering the contrast on paper is higher, and to my eye looks "darker" unless you carefully do a side by side comparison. One thing is that HOD does flow much better than the standard black, so sometimes a pen just won't lay down the ink properly and it'll look much lighter than it should. The standard black will sometimes get stuck in the top of smaller converters where it can't get to the feed. HOD doesn't have that issue. Usually a very thorough cleaning of the pen will fix most of that. My lamy safari just needed to be filled with it a couple times before it started to work nicely.

Edited September 7, 2011 by Yoda4561

[Scrawler]

I must say that I agree with the Heart of Darkness review above... I got the large bottle since I use a lot of ink, I never expected I will ended so fast... I also really loved their ED pen, it is amazing...

Cheers, Ariel

I liked HoD so much that when I gave a Hero 616 to a guy so that he would have a fine nib to write margin notes, I filled it with HoD. I also gave samples to a few members of my pen club, so now I am looking at having to order more. Trouble is my remote location makes it only worthwhile to buy and ship quantity. And I am not about to run out of anything else. I use HoD during elections to sign ballots. If there is ever a problem requiring forensic analysis, they will know which ballots I marked. I also use it for cheques and contracts. The only thing about HoD I do not like is that if you write on smooth well finished paper, like Clairfontaine notebooks, with a wet writing pen, it leaves a layer of unbonded ink on top of the bonded pen line, which smears when it gets wet.

[yocandyce]

I must say that I agree with the Heart of Darkness review above... I got the large bottle since I use a lot of ink, I never expected I will ended so fast... I also really loved their ED pen, it is amazing...

Cheers, Ariel

I liked HoD so much that when I gave a Hero 616 to a guy so that he would have a fine nib to write margin notes, I filled it with HoD. I also gave samples to a few members of my pen club, so now I am looking at having to order more. Trouble is my remote location makes it only worthwhile to buy and ship quantity. And I am not about to run out of anything else. I use HoD during elections to sign ballots. If there is ever a problem requiring forensic analysis, they will know which ballots I marked. I also use it for cheques and contracts. The only thing about HoD I do not like is that if you write on smooth well finished paper, like Clairfontaine notebooks, with a wet writing pen, it leaves a layer of unbonded ink on top of the bonded pen line, which smears when it gets wet.

 

So true! I have had issues with my rhodia paper doing the same. When a paper does get wet, I usually just run cold water over my writing to rinse off the unbonded ink, air dry, and toss it into whatever file it belonds to.

 

But generally, I always keep a pen inked with this in my purse. Never has it fallen out of rotation during the 10 months I've owned it!

[manashttu]

I like HoD, too. I tend to use blue inks a lot more than black, but when it comes to blacks, I like HoD and Aurora. Of course, Noodler's is a much better value.

[lapis]

Thanks for this review.

I must say that this is one good black ink. I have been sticking to Aurora's and Perle for sometime now, and HOD is much better than I had planned.

Above all, IMO -- yes I know some of you will hate me now -- HOD is also much better than the eternal rave for Kiwa Guro Nano Carbon Black. HOD is IMO an even blacker black, is much better lubed, doesn't end up as a slow-starter, dries faster... and is, yes, much less inexpensive.

 

Whew

[dcwaites]

Could anyone comment on HOD vs standard Noodler's Black? Is there any reason to pick one or the other/

 

I'm under the impression that the only advantage to standard black is that it may be a little less feather-prone on really cheap stuff.

 

Comments welcome to help me decide.

 

JH

 

I have been trying both inks in a Guanleming 2001 (cheapy Chinese hooded pen) on good and bad paper.

 

HOD is a richer, wetter, more lubricating black. It is more suited to cheapy little fine-nibbed pens as it lubricates the nib better, and flows better.

 

Both are very good on lesser quality papers, with little to no feathering or bleeding on papers that other inks like Everflo True Blue just spread like billyo through.

 

The HOD does tend to feather and bleed through lesser papers a tiny bit more than Noodler's Black, and show-through is a little more prominent.

 

If you are using a wetter nib, use Noodler's Black.

If you are using a finer, drier nib, use HOD.

[savingbirds]

I must say that I agree with the Heart of Darkness review above... I got the large bottle since I use a lot of ink, I never expected I will ended so fast... I also really loved their ED pen, it is amazing...

Cheers, Ariel

I liked HoD so much that when I gave a Hero 616 to a guy so that he would have a fine nib to write margin notes, I filled it with HoD. I also gave samples to a few members of my pen club, so now I am looking at having to order more. Trouble is my remote location makes it only worthwhile to buy and ship quantity. And I am not about to run out of anything else. I use HoD during elections to sign ballots. If there is ever a problem requiring forensic analysis, they will know which ballots I marked. I also use it for cheques and contracts. The only thing about HoD I do not like is that if you write on smooth well finished paper, like Clairfontaine notebooks, with a wet writing pen, it leaves a layer of unbonded ink on top of the bonded pen line, which smears when it gets wet.

You could always consider blotting paper