Your Favorite Dark Inks?

[btb01]

Recently I've been branching out a bit more, trying some new inks, and I find that I'm learning more about what I like and don't like. Unfortunately, right now, my collection consists of more don't-likes or I-don't-know-it's-ok-not-my-favorites than inks that I really love. The two key things that I've discovered are that 1) I like dark, well-saturated inks, ideally those that write a little bit wet, and 2) I don't particularly like inks that have a lot of shading. (Shading can be fun for writing with an italic, stub or flex nib, but I just don't like it for everyday writing. I think it makes "regular" writing more difficult to read, especially if the lighter shade of the ink is very light in color. I'd much rather have an ink that stays -- or mostly stays -- the same consistent, dark color)

 

So I'm asking for your suggestions. Which dark, highly saturated inks with minimal or no shading do you like to write with? I'm open to all sorts of colors - as long as it's bold, dark (or somewhat dark -- see my notes on Diamine's Red Dragon below), easily readable and stands out on the page.

 

To give you an idea of what I've tried so far and what I like and don't like about those inks, here's a quick list with some brief thoughts on the inks I have:

 

Noodler's Air Corp Blue-Black: Currently my favorite ink. Wonderfully dark, just a hint of blue-ish-green, writes wonderfully in a Noodler's Konrad (slightly wet, nice dark line even without using any flex). Has a bit of shading, but as it just goes from dark to darker, I'm ok with it.

 

Noodler's #41 Brown: I like how dark this ink can be (in a wet-writing pen, like the Konrad), but in other pens (Lamy Safari, Fine) I find myself wishing it was darker. The color is just ok, a bit boring.

 

Diamine Red Dragon: Not too dark, but a nice, solid, bold red color with almost no shading, very consistent color in most pens (I prefer this one in a TWSBI with a Medium nib; in a Konrad, I found it shaded more and had several lighter-colored pale red strokes that I didn't like at all).

 

Noolder's Apache Sunset, Noodler's Golden Brown, and Rohrer & Klingner's Alt-Goldgrün: All three are nice colors, but I just can't use any of these for regular, everyday writing. The light yellow shading of the two Noodler's inks and the pale green of the Alt-Goldgrün make for an unpleasant reading experience when writing "normally."

 

Noodler's Bad Green Gator: Not gonna lie, I bought this one a long time ago and haven't used it much. The color, for me, is just blah.

 

Looking forward to your suggestions!

[Misfit]

I'm not sure this is much help but I like the dark blue of De Atramentis Sherlock Holmes ink. Noodlers Walnut is a dark brown.

[ENewton]

Sailor Shigure is an extremely dark purple.

 

Rohrer and Klingner Verdigris is an extremely dark green.

 

Robert Oster Purple Rock is a dark grey with purple undertones. It is nearly black in a wet pen.

[ca49reber]

I love DeA Sherlock Holmes & others must like it too because it is usually sold out. MB Shakespeare Velvet Red is my favorite red & is available again, probably for a short time.

[Charles Skinner]

On the subject of "dark" inks ----- I have discovered that what I really like are BRIGHT colors, ---- and dark, ---- not so much. C. S.

[chromantic]

Sailor Miruai is a very nice dark evergreen that fits your criteria - wet, saturated, minimal shading.

 

P.S. - Your location can help us know which brands to recommend. I'm assuming you're in the US, because Noodler's.

[OCArt]

Private Reserve Ebony Purple is a beautiful dark ink. Think of the peel of a very dark eggplant.

[ac12]

Diamine Sherwood Green. Out of a wet pen it is pretty dark.

 

I have a sample of Diamine Green-Black that I am pretty sure will bump Sherwood Green off the podium, and might replace it in my pens.

 

Noodler's Lexington Grey. This is a wierd one, as I was initially adverse to grey and being nothing but a faded washed out black. But dang if it did not surprise me. Out of MY pen, it is a DARK grey, maybe charcoal in shade. What surprised me is that it was easier to read than BLACK ink. I think it is because grey on white paper has less contrast than BLACK on white paper, so it was easier of my old eyes.

 

I do not have a favorite dark blue. But if I did, I think it would be Diamine Midnight. It is blue without being black, and it does not have the grey tint of many blue-black inks. I only tried a sample of it, have not bought a bottle.

[btb01]

Thanks for all the suggestions so far! I've been searching out reviews of each to get a good look at them, and there are definitely some that I'm adding to my wishlist.

 

I like the idea of a dark purple -- so long as its nice and dark, and not too purple. The PR Ebony Purple came up while I was searching some of the others suggested; I think I would like that one. I'm also curious about De Atramentis Elderberries. (The scent thing seems strange, but the color looks great!) Anyone have experience with that one?

 

(And yes, I'm located in the US. I should probably go in and add that to my profile so it shows up.)

[chromantic]

Seeing you like Noodler's, you might check out Red Black; it's a nice dark red that doesn't (to my eye) look brown, like other dark reds.

[ManofKent]

Cult pens/Diamine Deep Dark range are worth looking at. I like their Deep Dark Green a lot.

[btb01]

Cult pens/Diamine Deep Dark range are worth looking at. I like their Deep Dark Green a lot.

 

 

I had seen those, but wasn't sure if they were available outside the UK. I will be visiting my brother and sister-in-law in Bath this summer, though, so I'll keep those in mind.

[888007888]

Sailor Shigure is my top pick in terms of dark inks. Then Kobe #51. Followed by Lamy Dark Lilac. Also Diamine Bilberry and Pelikan Edelstein Tanzanite. For Browns I like Montblanc Toffee Brown and Iroshizuku Yama Guri

[ManofKent]

 

 

I had seen those, but wasn't sure if they were available outside the UK. I will be visiting my brother and sister-in-law in Bath this summer, though, so I'll keep those in mind.

As far as I'm aware they're store specials. I think Cult Pens ship overseas, but if you're in the UK you'll save on shipping. Whenever I've ordered from them of a morning the order has arrived the next day.

[rbanerjee]

Sailor Shigure is my top pick in terms of dark inks. Then Kobe #51. Followed by Lamy Dark Lilac. Also Diamine Bilberry and Pelikan Edelstein Tanzanite. For Browns I like Montblanc Toffee Brown and Iroshizuku Yama Guri

I love the Lamy Dark Lilac!

I also have a soft corner for Pelikan Edelstein Tanzanite. For a while, it was my daily workhorse, but of late I've been gravitating towards Sailor Nano Sei-boku.

[Martinsroom]

I agree with virtually all of these suggestions. The deep dark colours are indeed only sold by cult pens (who are online only but based in Tiverton, not that far from Bath) and all seem well received. Same cautions apply as for other diamine inks and I imagine the deep dark orange would be susceptible to nib crud like ancient copper etc. Also have a look at Sailor Doyou which is lovely deep grey-brown, minimal shading and near but not quite black.

[dan in montreal]

Seeing you like Noodler's, you might check out Red Black; it's a nice dark red that doesn't (to my eye) look brown, like other dark reds.

You could also try Diamine Oxblood, which I find lighter than the Noodler's R/B, but still well saturated. I like both inks but don't plan on getting another bottle of the Noodler's because of the very slow dry time.

 

Diamine Eclipse is another good choice for a nice super super dark purple (it looks black to the naked eye), as is Diamine Green Black, which has also been mentioned.

[btb01]

When I bought the Diamine Red Dragon, I had a hard time choosing between it and the Oxblood.

[Nikaa]

GREEN

Robert Oster Grun Swarz - the darkest green I've ever seen. Almost black... It depends on light, but sometimes you can say that it is black with green Perfect for everyday writing, no shading. Wet.

Diamine Geen Black - dark green (It's green, more green than Grun Swarz), very dark green, no shading.

 

BROWN

Iroshizuku Yama Guri, dark, cold brown - perfect for wet pen (it is darker, but it is wet ink).

 

BLUE/BLUEBLACK

Kobe #38, dark blue, perfect for wet nib (color is darker, but it is wet ink)

Cross Blue Black, dark, well saturated blueblack with a tone of violet. Shading a little. Wet.

Papier Plume Midnight Blue, well saturated Blue/Blueblack (more blue). Wet

Noodlers Ottoman Azure, not that dark, but well saturated. Not that wet.

Robert Oster Bluenight, dark blue. I'm not sure - is it wet or not that much.. I had only a sample

 

GREY/BLACK

Robert Oster Graphite, grey with black and green tons. Perfect for wet nib (darker color)

Edited April 29, 2017 by Nikaa

[inkstainedruth]

I'm kind of a sucker for blue-blacks (which is weird because I didn't use to be).

Right now, I've got Edelstein Tanzanite in a Pelikan M405 with an EF nib and I'm liking the ink more and more (it doesn't lean teal the way a lot of blue-blacks do). Diamine Eclipse is also very nice (on some paper it leans a little purplish). Private Reserve Ebony Purple is quite nice, if you like purple (it's a mid spectrum purple but fairly dark in tone).

+1 for Lamy Dark Lilac and Noodler's Walnut (note that Walnut is pretty dry, so you want to put it in a wet writing pen).

If you don't mind sheen, Ackerman Shocking Blue and Diamine Oxford Blue.

KWZI Grey Plum has some shading but not a huge amount. And is an interesting color. Another ink that has just a *tiny* bit of shading, depending on the paper and the nib, is Noodler's El Lawrence. It's dark enough to pass for black without actually *being* black (very sneaky! ).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth