Noodlers New Ink - American Aristocracy !

[white_lotus]

Actually it's not like any color will be in the bottle, but one of three very similar colors. So I don't think anyone need be concerned that they'll get something that isn't one of the three shown. And Noodler's has been known to switch up their formulas and batches from time to time and no one seems to mind the color shifts (well very much).

[Barkingpig]

With all the reviews I read here that introduce me each "Pen Shop's edition" of Sailor ink, many which vary MUCH LESS than the three colors I see from the Goulet swabs of color, I cannot believe people will be happy to get "whichever one comes in rotation from their shipper." I remember a bit of ruckus when Noodler's BSAR, became a different color after the unavailability of one of the dyes from the "first" formulation, & the ensuing "third" formulation.

 

I do think the Goulets deserve credit for making this public knowledge & for explaining "UPFRONT" their policy to NOT make a choice available to their customers interested in purchase of this ink. It makes it quite impossible to say you were NOT warned you will be purchasing, what seem to me, could be described as "a Pig in a Poke."

 

I look forward to the reviews that will follow from those who purchase this ink.

[white_lotus]

Yes BarkingPig I understand your comments about some of the changes in the past with certain inks, but formulation changes due to dyes disappearing from the market are not due to Noodler's, so blaming them is really unjustified and quite unfair imo.

 

In this case, if the bottles are unmarked as to which version is which I don't know what people expect the Goulet's, or any other retailer that takes these on, are to do. Open every bottle and sample each one? Now instead of selling a new, unopened bottle, they're selling a used bottle. I'm not sure that's what people want to buy either.

[SNES]

 

Ditto.

 

 

Wholeheartedly.

 

Agreed. Tardiff called each bottle "unique" in a video, but that is just a positive spin on a lack of consistency. The preachy names/labels are getting old as well. I'm avoiding Noodlers ink now.

[inkstainedruth]

Not sure I like the idea of randomly getting some flavor of color. The purply one was nice, and the 2nd one was sort of interesting. But the third one looked a lot like Black Swan in Australian Roses -- a brownish burgundy. Not my cup of java.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[TSherbs]

Not sure I like the idea of randomly getting some flavor of color. The purply one was nice, and the 2nd one was sort of interesting. But the third one looked a lot like Black Swan in Australian Roses -- a brownish burgundy. Not my cup of java.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

Nor I. I don't buy many inks, and when I do, I don't want some random variable (color shift) thrown in. Others may like that, but for $12.50 and then some shipping on top of that, I want to know what I am getting before I give up my money. Example: My three consecutive bottles of Noodler's Golden Brown have all been noticeably different in color mixing between the brown and the yellow. The first bottle was gorgeous (three years ago, really strong, prominent yellows), the second one was terrible (flat brown, I poured it out), this more recent one is just ok. I am likely done purchasing this ink because I have not been able to count on the formulations to my liking.

[Cyber6]

 

Agreed. Tardiff called each bottle "unique" in a video, but that is just a positive spin on a lack of consistency.

 

 

HA!!.. That is called "marketing"...

 

Something about a fool and its money... ... Right now I am glad they haven't charged more for the "surprise color" bonus...

[Orpilorp]

C'mon buy a bottle, but we won't let you know the exact color. C'mon, this (bleep) shoot will be fun!

 

Hell's bells, this must be the dumbest marketing scheme ever. Look at how this community goes back and forth over the tiniest difference in shade between two gray inks or two purple inks, etc., and yet we are now expected to buy this new one without knowing what the color might be?! It's just not good enough for Noodlers to simply say that each bottle's color will be "purposefully unique" and have a "semblance" to several colors of wine.

 

This marketing plan is to the world of ink what New Coke was to soda. Bad idea.

[Notgatherox]

 

Three, if you add Monkey Hanger, which I think is also fairly recent.

 

Make that four - Pacific Gate of the Golden Dawn was launched at the SF Pen Show!

 

Here's a link: http://aws.straitspen.com/shop/inks/noodler-s-ink/noodler-s-pacific-dawn-at-the-golden-gate.html

 

 

~Epic

[white_lotus]

Look at how this community goes back and forth agonizes over the tiniest difference in shade between two gray inks or two purple inks, etc.,

Maybe this is the problem.

 

If you go back to G2 gel rollers you can have the same exact color every single time. A Golden Age of Ink and all people do here is complain.

[AndyYNWA]

I don't like the fact that I don't know what I'm buy, hence I will not buy this ink (I don't think I would have anyway). But I this case you're at least informed that you will not know what you will get.

The case with other Noodler's inks are that you are expecting one colour and then receives a slightly other hue, which can be fine, but not the one you expected.

 

I think the problem in general in that Noodler's don't have 100% control over ther production process and QA. And in this case they make a marketing thing out of it.

 

If Noodler's had focused more on getting consistancy in their production instead of spitting our new inks every month, I think their reputation would have become better than it is right now.

[Patrick L]

_{The best thing with Noodler inks are their names. Only joking of course. But maybe not completely.}

[Bill P]

Hmmmmmmmmm,

 

I like all three colors, BUT I also like to order the color that I want...not a random color from a choice of 3....this just doesn't seem like it was very well thought out..or maybe they have batches of ink that were all supposed to be the same, BUT something went wrong and they have variations on a color...

 

What if I want one of each so I order three...and all three come in as the same color?

 

Either way, although I am interested, I will pass..UNLESS I can see what I am buying at a brick and mortar or a Pen Show.

[Tas]

A Golden Age of Ink and all people do here is complain.

 

I'm not really complaining

 

We all know how picky and fussy we are about colour or shade or tone. We spend hours, days, weeks, sometimes even years sniffing out just the right ink for our mood and imagination.

 

I'm a massive Noodlers fan, owning six of their pens and eight bottles of their ink, however the thought of buying something and not really knowing what you're getting seems to require more faith than I am able to give - especially when the last bottle I bought thinking it was La Couleur Royale ended up being a mislabelled Noodlers Blue and my rogue batch of 54th Massachusetts caused me so much grief that I ended up binning it.

 

I love that Nathan is formulating new inks and yes we are a tough lot to please so when he gets things right we rally behind him and his brand with pitchforks and torches held high. Sadly this time I'll stay home with my slippers and pipe.

(I don't actually own neither slippers nor pipe)

 

Edited August 31, 2016 by Tas

[Cyber6]

 

I'm not really complaining

 

We all know how picky and fussy we are about colour or shade or tone. We spend hours, days, weeks, sometimes even years sniffing out just the right ink for our mood and imagination.

 

I'm a massive Noodlers fan, owning six of their pens and eight bottles of their ink, however the thought of buying something and not really knowing what your getting seems to require more faith than I am able to give - especially when the last bottle I bought thinking it was La Colour Royal ended up being a mislabelled Noodlers Blue and my rogue batch of 54th Massachusetts caused me so much grief that I ended up binning it.

 

I love that Nathan is formulating new inks and yes we are a tough lot to please so when he gets things right we rally behind him and his brand with pitchforks and torches held high. Sadly this time I'll stay home with my slippers and pipe.

(I don't actually own neither slippers nor pipe)

 

 

 

+99999999999

 

Very well said... I am not feeling myself as "complaining".. just stating a fact. I don't buy ink blindly and I don't like to be told "If you don't get the color you want... take it as a BONUS... YAY!!" Really?, imagine "These are not the shoes you paid for?.. SURPRISE!!... Oh, this is not the color you want on your new 2017 BMW model?... SURPRISE!!!... So, this is not the color of dress you chose?... SURPRISE!! " I don't see that working for me.

 

Interesting enough... a bunch of Goulet blog readers seemed to be quite excited with the idea... I think I have a bridge I would ;like to sell them...

 

 

 

C.

Edited August 31, 2016 by Cyber6

[inkstainedruth]

Let me be the first to say I really like a lot of the Noodler's inks I've tried; current count? Twenty-seven bottles and a total of 45 colors in all. And the bottle number does NOT count dupllicates/backups. That being said....

I thought some more about the whole "three different inks with the same label, but you don't get a choice of which one you want" thing. And the more I thought about it, the more it seems to be the *complete* antithesis of what Nathan has preached all these years about free markets. I mean, this is the guy who changed Army Green back to the OLD formula when customers complained (not me, though -- I LIKED the reformulated version, and was of the opinion that he should re-introduce it under a different name).

But this? This is what a friend of my husband and mine would have referred to as "a dead rat" (when he and his wife were house-hunting, and they'd see something not thought through, like a pergola with nothing growing over it in front of the front door, and she'd say "Why did they do that?" he'd say "It's a feature, dear" -- and after awhile she realized that he'd be saying it in the same tone as "It's a dead rat"...). This is more like Stalinist Russia (and yeah, I've *been* to the USSR back when it still was the USSR...).

Maybe, instead of "American Aristocracy" Nathan should have called the line by the more accurate name: "PT Barnum" (after all, the guy ended up as the Mayor of Bridgeport, CT -- you can't get more New England and American and historical than that...).

This way to the egress. ==>

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

ETA: Had not seen Claudia's most recent comment when I posted. And my response to her mention of "a bridge for sale"?

Edited August 31, 2016 by inkstainedruth

[deacondavid]

I just saw the Goulet post. I have a lot of Noodlers' ink and I actually enjoy the names and labels that apparently make many grimace. This idea really does not sit well with me, though. As others have stated, I really like to know what I am getting when I buy an ink. That's why I love sampling inks - whether ordering a sample from an on-line vendor or trying the ink at a pen show or at Dromgoole's. I'll pass on this one, thank you...

Edited August 31, 2016 by deacondavid

[Ghost Plane]

Add me to the contingent backing away. I only like one of the three possibilities. Those aren't good odds.

[CincyDawg]

First off, I have a number of Noodler inks and enjoy them. I also enjoy Nathan's labels, stories, etc. However I will not be buying this ink. I can't imagine such a business practice where it's playing Russian roulette with what color you will receive- doesn't seem to value the customer very much. But then again, I'm sure Nathan would be overjoyed when in one instance he's compensated $12.50 a bottle, the next 2.50, and the next $5.00. Each payment would be "unique".

[arrScott]

I'm on the fence. Judging by pics online, two of the three versions of this ink look really good to me, and would complement or fill a gap in my stock of bottled inks on hand. The third looks sort of meh on its own, and anyway appears quite similar to a couple of inks I already have. I'm sure a statistician could make easy work of my dilemma, since it's essentially a math problem. But not being a statistician, I'm not sure whether the potential reward of the 2/3 chance outweighs the potential punishment of the 1/3 chance.

 

And while I try mightily not to let any person's personal life (including politics) affect my public interactions with them, commercial or otherwise, I'm finding that the creator's increasingly overt crackpottery tiresome. I'm a history buff, so I kind of appreciate the dedication of someone who's willing to re-litigate the political debates of the 1780s, which is what Mr. Tardif's soapboxery amounts to, but does it have to be spelled out at length on every bottle of every darn new ink? No, it doesn't. It's not even a fine line between quirkiness and tiresome obscurantism, it's a pretty bright line, and Mr. Tardif has been on the wrong side of that line with the majority of his marketing for some time now. I sort of increasingly don't want to reward that. On the other other hand, I absolutely trust him as an ink-maker, and find his products to be reliably excellent, provided I avoid inks with a couple of particular advertised qualities. so I should probably just try harder to uphold my basic values of not letting a person's private life bias my view of him too much.