Review of Herbin's Perle Noire

[beowulf]

Hello,

 

Although there exists already a review for Herbin's Perle Noire, I want to add mine. Recently I bought a 1930s Sheaffer Lifetime Balance in black and I thought a black ink would really go well with it. Hence I searched a review for this ink here and found one here.

 

I very much like the thickness of the ink and I find it to be very strong. Like many Sheaffer pens, the nib is rather rigid than flexible but the ink runs very smoothly and almost lubricates the writing process. When I did the test with cotton swab, I was pleasantly surprised that the ink dries very fast. I intentionally used a rather cheap paper but it doesn't feather or bleed through (maybe the paper isn't so bad after all). Both the pen and the ink fare well on Moleskin paper although there is a bit of bleeding which is rather due to the nib than the ink.

 

Well, here you go and see for yourself. Please, excuse me for spelling Perle Noire incorrectly in the scan - I was rushed and when I realized my mistake I was too lazy to re-do my test and scan.

 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v142/beowulf222/perle_noire_test_20080131.jpg

 

If you have further questions, please, ask.

 

Nick

[Ellen]

Thanks for this review. I really like this color!

[iacobusg]

Thanks for the review! I've been using this ink quite a lot lately, and I've grown very attached to it. It dries quickly, and seems rather fade resistant too. I'm eager to try other Herbin inks now. Would love to see a review of bleu nuit.

[cmeisenzahl]

Thanks for the review, I love J. Herbin inks.

[FrankB]

Thanks for your review.

 

As I said in the other review, I started using J. Herbin inks in my vintage pens a number of years ago because they are deemed "safe" inks - pH neutral and made with vegetable dyes. I have been quite pleased with Herbin's Perle Noire. On some paper, the ink seems to dry to a light color, though I have not seen it turn grey as some people have stated.

 

J. Herbin has been in business since the Age of Napoleon, and Perle Noire was one of their original inks, if not the original. I assume they have the formula pretty well established by now, so I use the ink from the bottle and I do not tamper with it (by mixing).

 

I hope you continue to enjoy your vintage Sheaffer.

Edited February 1, 2008 by FrankB

[RLTodd]

Correct, but even farther back. They claim 1670 A.D., during the reign of Louis 14. A product from the glory of, etc. etc.......

[missnibs]

It's hard to find a good black ink, IMHO. But now that I've found Perle Noire, I need not look any further. also love the name, it'll always remind me of Pirates of the Caribbean. (fancy that Captain Jack Sparrow might have been using this ink... well, a fangirl can dream, no? )

[GouletPens]

J. Herbin has been around since 1670, that's 340 years. Louis XIV was 34 when the company was started! The ink is quite gentle on pens, I have some oooold flex pens (Waterman and Mabie Todd) and J. Herbin is what I prefer to use in them for 'safety'. Perle Noir is a great ink, very popular, and very highly recommended. It's one of the 6 inks J. Herbin will be offering in their 100ml bottles here in a few weeks when they arrive in the US!

[truthpil]

I echo the comment that this is a great safe ink for vintage pens. My 1920s Wahl wet noodle is drinking this stuff up and it performs marvelously. Perle Noire is a lot more saturated than most of the other inks in the Herbin line and gives Noodler's Black decent competition in the "blackest black" field. In a wet vintage pen it's as black as can be and is perfect in every way.