The Best Black Ink!

[Scrawler]

What is best depends on you, what you will use it for, what you will use it in and what you will use it on. I personally favour HoD in thin nibbed pens that with a less lubricating ink may be a little scratchy. I also like HoD for permanence on legal documents, cheques and the like, even with its tendency to feather . I like Skrip Black in smooth, broad nibbed pens for elegant writing and use it in a pen with a very broad stub. I like Pelikan Brilliant Black too. My least favourite blacks are Japanese carbon inks I have in cartridges that were sent to me from Tokyo in vast quantity. It is not the colour, nor the performance I do not like, it is the fact that they stick up my feed if I leave them too long unused. I have not tried Aurora yet, but plan to. I like my blacks to be very black, not shades of grey.

[tanalasta]

I will also add that whilst the Sailor nano carbon inks are waterfast, behave very well on most papers (e.g. minimal feathering, bleedthrough, relatively quick drying times) - they are a high maintainence ink. If you leave the ink to dry, it s a real pain to try to even scrub it off. Almost like iron gall, it is an ink which requires a regular flush every one or two refills. It also doesn't mix very well.

 

To that end, if it's black you like - there are plenty to choose from - so to each their own. i'll admit to having Perle Noire in two of my five pens in current rotation.

[The Tool Guy]

Have to ditto those who say Noodler's Old Manhattan Black found at the Fountain Pen Hospital.

[Shalori]

ST Dupont, then Aurora. They are very similar but I like the smell of the ST Dupont and it seems a tad bit smoother.

[Number3124]

I'm sure it's been said before, but Noodler's Old Manhattan Black is the best ever.

[Rishi]

waterman black is what i love .....for its flow

[mori45]

I like Waterman Black for its grey tones, but if you want an ink that will write on just about anything without bleeding through, try HOD.

[markofp]

I feel like the Lone Ranger here, but I didn't care for Aurora Black at all. While it is very, very black, it is also very wet, and left me with a heavier line than I was expecting from my pen.

 

Montblanc Mystery Black doesn't get a lot of love here, but I am enjoying it very much. It's just the right depth for me, it's a good solid black without calling too much attention to itself. It writes with a controlled feel and leaves a line that I thought was appropriate for the nib size I was using (which for some reason is big with me.) Dries really quickly, too.

Edited July 7, 2011 by markofp

[PianoMan14]

I personally like Noodler's Eel Black. In my experience, it is as black and smooth as Aurora black, with the added advantage of being bulletproof.

[torstar]

You know, I'm actually not a big fan of Aurora black. It is truly one of the deepest blacks I've ever seen/used, but it feathers like crazy and flows far too wet. If I'm not using it in a F or XF pen it just gushes out of the nib and ruins any natural line variation there might have been. Plus, it's one of the most expensive inks per volume. Too bad Aurora has such a lovely bottle and J. Herbin has such a difficult one, otherwise I'd be more tempted to get Perle Noir!

 

 

 

Dilute the ink, that ends feathering in any situation.

 

Aurora, although the best black to me, is in a very poor bottle, not much use after 1/3 is gone. Have to pour the rest into an MB or old Shaeffer with the reservoir.

[djpyle]

www.stylos.se is an excellent place to get Aurora ink. FREE shipping.

 

Bookmarked this site. Tx!

 

+1 Great site!

 

As to the original question, my favorite black is Heart of Darkness. Regular Noodler's Black is also great (and even better in some situations), but I haven't gone a single day without HoD in at least one of my pens since the day I bought it. Love it!

[Chris]

There are lots of nice black blacks and lots of greys masquerading as blacks out there.

 

For simple, everyday, use it and don't worry, black blacks I'd pick Pelikan 4001 Brilliant Black and Waterman Black.

 

I also like Penman Ebony, though long discontinued in original form, and Noodlers Bulletproof Black; I've not tried Aurora but perhaps I ought to, but then I have enough black ink for a while.

 

Chris

[King Tubby]

I like Noodler's Heart of Darkness. I use it with the eyedropper pen that came with the bottle and it has worked well.

[The Good Captain]

I've got plenty of Pelikan 4001 but might have a try at the Waterman again, when I've bought some as I can't find the bottle I thought I had, and also one of the Diamine ones when I can.

I've bought too much 'pen stuff' recently!

[RLTodd]

I personally like Sheaffer Skrip Jet Black. Its a basic go to black with good flow and lubrication, it also is pretty waterproof and does not bleed on low quality paper.

 

Ditto.

 

I find Skrip Jet Black to be a very well behaved ink.

[shiroboshi]

Sailor Kiwaguru Nano-Carbon Black ink is incredibly well behaved, smoothly lubricated, and pretty darned much permanent ink. It's pricey, available from a limited number of vendors, but it's been my "go to black ink" now for a long time.

I simply haven't used a better black ink.

 

+1

[chrislibear]

I love the Aurora black, full deep and well rounded.

However, if i am doing a lot of writing, I actually prefer Waterman Black. Although it has a grayish tinge, the ink just behaves so abnormally well, dries quickly, and writes with such control and precision. Definitely give it a try!

[bernardo]

My votes are for Noodler's and Aurora, in that order.

[billykmd]

Aurora Black- I do find it very lubricant. It flows easily, but does feather some.

Noodlers Black- not as lubricant (which works for my medium nib) but still dark black.

[JefferyS]

I like Aurora Black, but wish it were not so wet. Noodler's Black seems very similar. That makes me want to recommend X-Feather for the very reason that it doesn't feather.

 

I wonder if ink makers anguish over making a the best black ink.