Best Bottled Ink?

[dennwise]

I own a mixture of high-end and low-end fountain pens (Aurora to Hero) and I was wondering if anyone has found a noticeable difference in bottled inks out there; such as Mont Blanc, Private Reserve, Pelikan, and so on? The thing that is most important to me is a nice even flow.

[Joe in Seattle]

My very best experience in both vintage and modern pens from XXF to Stub is Diamine.

[ImolaS3]

I find all all of the known good brands such as Noodlers, Herbin and Diamine are about the same and all very good indeed. I prefer Herbin for their colours, but the VERY high price (80ml Diamine or Noodlers is cheaper than 30ml Herbin) is a definite negative and I mostly have Diamine.

 

I find the ink made by pen manufacturers is poor by comparison.

[Scrawler]

I see you also posted here, so I have copied my post from the Montblanc forum here:

 

There are vast differences in wetness, flow, lubrication, bleed through and feathering of different inks. I agree that you should take a look at "Inky Thoughts" and browse some of the other experiences and reviews out there and decide for yourself which inks you will sample. If you have gold nibs, the acidity of your ink is less of a concern. If you have steel nibs, you need to consider that acidic inks can provoke corrosion. Your pen hygiene and cleaning regime will affect whether you should look at highly saturated inks.

[piembi]

There will be many controversial answers to this questions.

 

For general information you may read the chapter Inks: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.

[teeitup418holes]

I'm a fan of the Iroshizuku inks. I think they are the best colors, the best flowing inks, and the best looking bottles. All around great ink!

[ImolaS3]

Scrawler

 

I use the three brands mentioned and do not notice any, never mind 'vast' differences in the flow, lubrication, wetness etc. of these inks when used in the same pen and often wonder what it is I am missing.

The 'kings new clothes'? Or is there some specific way to test/see these characteristics?

[Scrawler]

Scrawler

 

I use the three brands mentioned and do not notice any, never mind 'vast' differences in the flow, lubrication, wetness etc. of these inks when used in the same pen and often wonder what it is I am missing.

The 'kings new clothes'? Or is there some specific way to test/see these characteristics?

He said "such as - and so on", which did not limit the inks under discussion, just gave examples. There are ways to test characteristics of inks, but most of the time the reports are of subjective sensations when using them. Some inks contain wetting agents and lubricants in addition to the dyes or pigments used to make the color. The flow and wetness of an ink will show in the thickness of the line. The lubrication in the smoothness of the writing experience.

[Pjake]

In my experience, the best overall inks across a variety of measures including, color, lubrication/flow, and behavior are:

 

- J. Herbin

- Aurora

- Visconti

- Iroshizuku

 

I am sure there are others of equal merit, but I am most satisfied with those above.

 

Peter

Edited August 17, 2010 by Pjake

[nxn96]

One thing I've learned here: there are no "best" inks for all purposes, and you're better off arguing politics or religion. Given the range of pens you describe, and assuming you want to keep this simple, I would say to stick to one of the basics such as Waterman or Quink. If you're asking what's the best (insert your color here), pick one and you can start your own thread as to why that one beats all the rest.

 

That's what I've learned here.

[dizzypen]

They're all good. I use them all.

 

I think we all have our favorites, but I don't think there is a definitive "best".

[dennwise]

It seems I asked the right crowed for advice; thank you-- the feedback helped a lot.

[Twyla]

They're all good. I use them all.

 

I think we all have our favorites, but I don't think there is a definitive "best".

 

Given the number of ink reviews you've written, I believe that completely.

 

Regardless of any brand bias or such, do you have a specific favorite ink? Just curious as to the favorite of someone with a lot more experience than myself.

 

As far as the OP, I'm brand new here, so I'm not going to stick my nose in the middle of what could get ugly. I will just say this: I had a bottle of Quink as a teenager. I got my first bottle of Diamine last week (hands are totally green already...), and there's no contest between the two in my book. The diamine is thicker, darker, and flows much more easily for me.

[PhotoJim]

I find the ink made by pen manufacturers is poor by comparison.

 

An exception for Waterman, please. I use their green and their Florida Blue regularly.

[dizzypen]

They're all good. I use them all.

 

I think we all have our favorites, but I don't think there is a definitive "best".

 

Given the number of ink reviews you've written, I believe that completely.

 

Regardless of any brand bias or such, do you have a specific favorite ink? Just curious as to the favorite of someone with a lot more experience than myself.

 

As far as the OP, I'm brand new here, so I'm not going to stick my nose in the middle of what could get ugly. I will just say this: I had a bottle of Quink as a teenager. I got my first bottle of Diamine last week (hands are totally green already...), and there's no contest between the two in my book. The diamine is thicker, darker, and flows much more easily for me.

 

Favorite like one? No. But I do have favorites within certain categories.

 

Favorite general purpose ink: Visconti Blue

Favorite bulletproof/waterproof: Noodler's #41 Brown

Favorite dusky ink: JH Poussiere de Lune

Favorite unique ink: Iroshizuku Ku-Jaku

 

I could probably go on... as my tag line says, I'm equal opportunity. LOL!

[Twyla]

They're all good. I use them all.

 

I think we all have our favorites, but I don't think there is a definitive "best".

 

Given the number of ink reviews you've written, I believe that completely.

 

Regardless of any brand bias or such, do you have a specific favorite ink? Just curious as to the favorite of someone with a lot more experience than myself.

 

As far as the OP, I'm brand new here, so I'm not going to stick my nose in the middle of what could get ugly. I will just say this: I had a bottle of Quink as a teenager. I got my first bottle of Diamine last week (hands are totally green already...), and there's no contest between the two in my book. The diamine is thicker, darker, and flows much more easily for me.

 

Favorite like one? No. But I do have favorites within certain categories.

 

Favorite general purpose ink: Visconti Blue

Favorite bulletproof/waterproof: Noodler's #41 Brown

Favorite dusky ink: JH Poussiere de Lune

Favorite unique ink: Iroshizuku Ku-Jaku

 

I could probably go on... as my tag line says, I'm equal opportunity. LOL!

 

Know what you mean: why have one when you can have twelve? That just doesn't make any sense.

 

I've already been looking at that #41 Brown, since I'm thinking a good brown should be a staple in any ink collection. Thanks for the info!

[Scrawler]

They're all good. I use them all.

 

I think we all have our favorites, but I don't think there is a definitive "best".

 

Given the number of ink reviews you've written, I believe that completely.

 

Regardless of any brand bias or such, do you have a specific favorite ink? Just curious as to the favorite of someone with a lot more experience than myself.

 

As far as the OP, I'm brand new here, so I'm not going to stick my nose in the middle of what could get ugly. I will just say this: I had a bottle of Quink as a teenager. I got my first bottle of Diamine last week (hands are totally green already...), and there's no contest between the two in my book. The diamine is thicker, darker, and flows much more easily for me.

 

Favorite like one? No. But I do have favorites within certain categories.

 

Favorite general purpose ink: Visconti Blue

Favorite bulletproof/waterproof: Noodler's #41 Brown

Favorite dusky ink: JH Poussiere de Lune

Favorite unique ink: Iroshizuku Ku-Jaku

 

I could probably go on... as my tag line says, I'm equal opportunity. LOL!

 

Know what you mean: why have one when you can have twelve? That just doesn't make any sense.

 

I've already been looking at that #41 Brown, since I'm thinking a good brown should be a staple in any ink collection. Thanks for the info!

I also like the #41 Brown, but there are situations where I must use black for my signature, so I use HOD with a nice bold nib, to make an everlasting open signature. For letter writing I like Herbins Poussiere de Lune. With the #41 Brown, I have taken to using it with a stubbed nib, because I like the minor variations. I use this as a sort of doodling, poetry writing ink.

[bwnewton]

Some of my favorites:

*Lamy Blue, Black, Turquoise and Blue-Black (which is a bit dry but behaves & shades very well.)

*Sheaffer Black, Purple

[jleeper]

I find the ink made by pen manufacturers is poor by comparison.

 

I've never tried Parker, Sheffier or Lamy ink, and most Pelikan ink I've tried don't interest me. But Montblanc, Visconti and Aurora make some of my (and I think may other folks around here's) go-to inks. And Waterman Florida Blue is a standby for other people here. If there were only one Black, Blue and Blue-Black ink in the world, I'd want them to be Aurora Black, Visconti Blue, and Montblanc Midnight.

[bwnewton]

I find the ink made by pen manufacturers is poor by comparison.

 

I've never tried Parker, Sheffier or Lamy ink, and most Pelikan ink I've tried don't interest me. But Montblanc, Visconti and Aurora make some of my (and I think may other folks around here's) go-to inks. And Waterman Florida Blue is a standby for other people here. If there were only one Black, Blue and Blue-Black ink in the world, I'd want them to be Aurora Black, Visconti Blue, and Montblanc Midnight.

 

If you like MB Mindnight, you might like Lamy Blue-Black (bottled, iron gall). Lamy also has a user-friendly bottle plus blotter paper & is inexpensive @ $7.50 per bottle.