Ink For University Exams

[vjones]

Another vote for DeAtramentis Document Ink Black. Of the black inks that I have (mostly Noodler's) it is the fastest drying and most well-behaved.

Edited January 6, 2018 by vjones

[Torrilin]

If you like Pelikan Black I’d stick with it. It’s cheap and while I can’t say it handles everything, it shouldn’t be bad. I tend to like Lamy Black better, or J Herbin Perle Noire. But mostly black inks will be fine.

 

My default black is Platinum Carbon Black, but I do a fair bit of arting and I don’t have or use fancy or vintage pens. It’s currently in a TWSBI eco, a Sailor my first and a Lamy Safari, so they’re all easy to clean.

 

From experience, 2-3 regular cartridge fountain pens should be fine for exams, even with an italic nib. If you’re using a ball nib, it’ll be plenty. I dunno if your exams require black only but you can double check. Often the requirement is blue, blue black or black, which means you can get pretty nuts. If that’s the requirement you won’t get marked off for a peacock or lighter blue. And there’s a host of nice blue black inks. If you’re really scared of running out, a packet of spare cartridges is an easy fix.

[Orange25]

I'd echo the recommendations for Sailor Kiwa Guro though it's expensive. (Not sure what your ink budget is.)

 

The one Noodler's colour that always seems to be available in the UK is Noodler's Black. Waterproof and performs well on printer/copier paper. I've used Heart of Darkness on cheaper paper and that works well.

 

Best of luck for your exams!

Edited January 9, 2018 by Orange25

[ac12]

I would go with Waterman or Pelikan black, depending on the flow of the pen.

Waterman is a wet ink so use it in a dry pen, and Pelikan a dry ink for a wet pen.

 

Personally I no longer like really BLACK ink, especially on WHITE paper. The problem is the contrast of the ink on the paper is too great for my eyes, and it makes it difficult to read. And the wider the nib, the harsher the contrast seems to be. A less than black black (like a DARK grey) is easier on my eyes. IOW, think of the examiner/grader that will be reading your exam. I was one of those graders in college.

[TinyHound]

Whitestarpens: buy the sailor ink online through ebay or amazon. Since it is less than 23 euros you wont pay VAT/import duties. You will have to wait 1 week or so but it should save you about 1 third of the costs or so. Also a good source is J-subculture.com