Along with several others I've been using Waterman black since the 70's in college. Still generate many pages with it. I agree, it's not "intense" to me, either, but I have Heart of Darkness and also the X-Feather black if I want more saturation. It's an old favorite of mine and deserves its place with inks of this color.
I just discovered it as a great everyday ink and one affordable enough to put in my super-capacious Indian eyedroppers. X-Feather is an old standby, and Monteverde Midnight Black and J. Herbin Perle Noir are my other favorite blacks.
So far the darkest black ink I've enccountered is Sheaffer Black. It's an underappreciated ink, in my opinion. It is a dry ink though... but thanks to that it dries in no time, and you can also highlight without problelms (that's a plus for as sudent like me). I believe that Waterman Intense Black can also be highlighted so when I'm done with my Sheaffer Black bottle, I plan on buying this one! Anyways thanks for the ink review, James! :)
My first pens were Sheaffers, but for some reason I've never bought a bottle of their ink (plenty of cartridges, though). I tested highlighters once to see what worked well with fp inks, but I should probably add a highlighter test to these ink tests.
@@edisontrent5244 They did? Well, I was talking about the Sheaffer Skrip Black which anyways... itwas a real hassle to find though! For a moment there I thought they stopped prodducing inks. I hope the new Sheaffer inks will not replace the old ones.
I guess I'm somewhat in the minority as I rather like this ink. I agree, it could be darker/more saturated but I like how well behaved it is in a wide variety of my pens -- noting that I EF and F nibs are the most common in my collection. I'm also moving away from Noodler's (tend to be finicky in my pens) but like the suggestion by Jackie below to try Faber-Castell Carbon Black
I absolutely adore Jet Black by Diamine. I like my black inks quite dark and saturated, not a dark gray. But like everything, everyone has their own taste. Greetings James. 🖋
Aurora Black is Black. It’s, perhaps, a bit more expensive than some others but you’ll be, I think, happier. I do use Quink Black in my vintage pens only because it cleans out better.
This ink was the first one I bought, but no matter how many attempts I made, it never convinced me. Currently my favorite is the Pelikan 4001 Brilliant Black. For my calligraphic style I prefer dry inks. The Pelikan works very well with my Kaigelu 360, which is a bit too wet for my liking. The dryness of the Brilliant Black counteracts the excessive humidity of the K360
Not tried Waterman’s black but absolutely love their serenity blue: the blacks I’ve got are Pelikan(quite dry), Pilot(quite wet!) and Aurora(blackest of the 3) - hope this helps:)
@@erickmione I’ve got mine in a Pilot78g w EF nib and con40: it certainly has not stained that in any way whatsoever, but have not tried it in my Montblanc 146 so can’t guarantee that but, for what it’s worth, know Alan Light(what I ink) uses this ink in his Aurora 88 without issue:)
Nice video. Thanks. I love Sheaffer's and Waterman's inks. As for black, Aurora has the darkest black. It's more expensive, but it's definitely worth it if you want a very saturated black. Not bullet proof. Just very dark with no hits of other colors.
My "edc"/"all around" ink is Koh-I-Noor Document Black; excellent ink at a fair price, and works really well in ordinary paper; but as you defined it, like other black inks on the market, it's actually a dark gray (has a green tint on under the gray, but almost invisible)... From the inks I have in my collection, for you, I think the Aurora Black is a safe bet in terms of color; and in my tests it's water resistant (I can't say it's completely waterproof, but i still use it to adress envelopes). Noodler"s used to have some options, like the Raven Black; but now from the colors currentely avaliable, i think "Bad Black Moassin" and "Black Eel" are close enough. "Heart of Darkness" could also work, but in my experience, it still dries kind of gray depending of the paper and if you use fine nibs. Thanks for the review.
You might want to try Faber Catell Carbon Black. It's resistant and much darker than the permanent Platinum Carbon Black. I won't use Noodler's ink anymore, and have a bottle of Borealis and Bad Black Moccasin I would be happy to send you if you're interested.
I just ordered Aurora Black. I, too, am hunting for a black ink, not gray or charcoal gray. It is difficult to find one that is also quick drying, being left handed. Noodler's Bernanke Black is not as quick drying as I would like.
Waterman is most famous for their blue inks: mysterious blue (dark), serenity blue (blue) inspired blue (turquoise) are must haves :) Personally I don’t like permanent black, my go to black is Parker Quink.
My ink collection has a substantial number of black inks, and Noodler's Raven Black tops it with 3 bottles, being tops in permanence and dark shade. It was a Wonder Pens exclusive, but the falling out came from the controversial branding by Nathan, ergo discontinued.
Very though review, thanks :-) I like to use the "Warden" series of Noodles whenever I can, but there are too many beautiful other color inks that dont have those permanent features, oh well... . I was recently using some Rotring black from a cartridge, and it seems really black and wet.
I have this ink. It is very good but did not work with my Parker iM. Works best with my Pelikan pens. If you write something and photocopy it, it will be blacker and more beautiful than any copy ink. Very good for creative teachers. But these are few nowadays
Sennelier's China Black is the darkest ink I've found. It's like liquid midnight. But I've never used it in anything except a brush and a quill pen. Platinum Carbon Black is also very black and you can use that in brush pens and even fountain pens.
I have a feeling that modern Waterman inks are versions of their old "washable" inks. For a reasonable price, a truly black ink and permanence, I am happy with Noodler's Heart of Darkness. I have several other black inks, but the Noodler's is my choice when I really want permanent and truly black ink.
@@erickmione In my experience, no. However, any of the Noodler's "bulletproof" (water resistant) inks can leave a film on the underside of a nib. This comes off with wiping, though it doesn't cause any problems.
To my eyes this one looks more medium/dark grey than actually black. Try the Cross Black ink. It's a real black. Maybe not as black as the darkest ones in the market like Platinum Carbon Black or De Atramentis Archive Black or some Noodler's (although I've not compared them side by side), but I was surprised about how dark and saturated (in color) it is. The only downside to me is that it's made in China, but it's a great very dark black ink which, by the way, it's also labeled as "archive" and at a great price when I purchased it (now it's more expensive though). Cheers!
Hi JG3. Jim from Madrid, Spain (an artist and a New Yorker expat living abroad). First... I've been a subscriber to your channel since a bit over a year ago, even though I don't post much. Second... I'm a fountain pen lover since I was young-er (I'm 56 now). Third... I use Fountain Pens for Every Day Writing (EDW) as well as for Art. I've been in search for a real Good and Black "Soluble" ink for fountain pen use! (And it ain't easy). For Art and other purposes (with Fountain Pens) I already use non-soluble (or permanent) inks that work for me just fine. My question comes because it is NOT easy to find a real soluble Black Ink for fountain pens. Why soluble? Because when I use it for Artwork (sketching, etc.) I can do a wash on it and use the ink to give tone and value as well as shadows, very quickly with a water brush (for example) when sketching quickly outdoors. For example, I've tried Parker's Quinn Black which turns out into a Sepia color (nice too, but not the black I'm looking for). Do you have any suggestions as to a real soluble Black Ink for Fountain Pens that when water is applied it's chromatic hughe is actually a neutral grey? Thank you in advance for your help! Cheers from Sunny Spain! 😁👍😎✌
I'm not sure off the top of my head, but I would think that Waterman Intense Black would do that. It seems to dilute to gray. That's interesting about Quink, because that was the first to come to mind. Gray and black inks do tend to get more complicated once water gets involved. I'll do some checking with the black inks I have handy.
@@JG3Reviews Thanks a lot! And yes, for Artwork I need black better. Quink turns out a biy closer to a Sepia, also beautiful, but I can't seem to find one that will turn into Neutral Grey. In any case, thank you again for taking the time to respond. Cheers!
A very professional and thorough review. Thanks very much
Thanks for watching!
Along with several others I've been using Waterman black since the 70's in college. Still generate many pages with it. I agree, it's not "intense" to me, either, but I have Heart of Darkness and also the X-Feather black if I want more saturation. It's an old favorite of mine and deserves its place with inks of this color.
I just discovered it as a great everyday ink and one affordable enough to put in my super-capacious Indian eyedroppers. X-Feather is an old standby, and Monteverde Midnight Black and J. Herbin Perle Noir are my other favorite blacks.
So far the darkest black ink I've enccountered is Sheaffer Black. It's an underappreciated ink, in my opinion. It is a dry ink though... but thanks to that it dries in no time, and you can also highlight without problelms (that's a plus for as sudent like me). I believe that Waterman Intense Black can also be highlighted so when I'm done with my Sheaffer Black bottle, I plan on buying this one! Anyways thanks for the ink review, James! :)
My first pens were Sheaffers, but for some reason I've never bought a bottle of their ink (plenty of cartridges, though). I tested highlighters once to see what worked well with fp inks, but I should probably add a highlighter test to these ink tests.
Sheaffer came out with new inks, not sure how they relate to the skrip inks except being more expensive
@@edisontrent5244 They did? Well, I was talking about the Sheaffer Skrip Black which anyways... itwas a real hassle to find though! For a moment there I thought they stopped prodducing inks. I hope the new Sheaffer inks will not replace the old ones.
I guess I'm somewhat in the minority as I rather like this ink. I agree, it could be darker/more saturated but I like how well behaved it is in a wide variety of my pens -- noting that I EF and F nibs are the most common in my collection. I'm also moving away from Noodler's (tend to be finicky in my pens) but like the suggestion by Jackie below to try Faber-Castell Carbon Black
I absolutely adore Jet Black by Diamine. I like my black inks quite dark and saturated, not a dark gray. But like everything, everyone has their own taste. Greetings James. 🖋
Aurora Black is Black. It’s, perhaps, a bit more expensive than some others but you’ll be, I think, happier. I do use Quink Black in my vintage pens only because it cleans out better.
Noodler’s Black or Noodler’s Heart of Darkness checks all of your criteria boxes. I’m very fond of them.
This ink was the first one I bought, but no matter how many attempts I made, it never convinced me. Currently my favorite is the Pelikan 4001 Brilliant Black. For my calligraphic style I prefer dry inks. The Pelikan works very well with my Kaigelu 360, which is a bit too wet for my liking. The dryness of the Brilliant Black counteracts the excessive humidity of the K360
Not tried Waterman’s black but absolutely love their serenity blue: the blacks I’ve got are Pelikan(quite dry), Pilot(quite wet!) and Aurora(blackest of the 3) - hope this helps:)
This aurora black ink stains the pen? I want a truly black to use in my montblanc 149, but i don’t want to stain the window.
@@erickmione I’ve got mine in a Pilot78g w EF nib and con40: it certainly has not stained that in any way whatsoever, but have not tried it in my Montblanc 146 so can’t guarantee that but, for what it’s worth, know Alan Light(what I ink) uses this ink in his Aurora 88 without issue:)
@@anguswhite8233 thanks.
Nice video. Thanks. I love Sheaffer's and Waterman's inks. As for black, Aurora has the darkest black. It's more expensive, but it's definitely worth it if you want a very saturated black. Not bullet proof. Just very dark with no hits of other colors.
I concur as I have used all those.
My "edc"/"all around" ink is Koh-I-Noor Document Black; excellent ink at a fair price, and works really well in ordinary paper; but as you defined it, like other black inks on the market, it's actually a dark gray (has a green tint on under the gray, but almost invisible)...
From the inks I have in my collection, for you, I think the Aurora Black is a safe bet in terms of color; and in my tests it's water resistant (I can't say it's completely waterproof, but i still use it to adress envelopes). Noodler"s used to have some options, like the Raven Black; but now from the colors currentely avaliable, i think "Bad Black Moassin" and "Black Eel" are close enough. "Heart of Darkness" could also work, but in my experience, it still dries kind of gray depending of the paper and if you use fine nibs.
Thanks for the review.
You might want to try Faber Catell Carbon Black. It's resistant and much darker than the permanent Platinum Carbon Black. I won't use Noodler's ink anymore, and have a bottle of Borealis and Bad Black Moccasin I would be happy to send you if you're interested.
Is noodles ink bad?
Since As a student it seems budget friendly and have nice volume.
I just ordered Aurora Black. I, too, am hunting for a black ink, not gray or charcoal gray. It is difficult to find one that is also quick drying, being left handed. Noodler's Bernanke Black is not as quick drying as I would like.
Aurora black is my next ink purchase. I have read that it is really dark
Waterman is most famous for their blue inks: mysterious blue (dark), serenity blue (blue) inspired blue (turquoise) are must haves :)
Personally I don’t like permanent black, my go to black is Parker Quink.
My ink collection has a substantial number of black inks, and Noodler's Raven Black tops it with 3 bottles, being tops in permanence and dark shade. It was a Wonder Pens exclusive, but the falling out came from the controversial branding by Nathan, ergo discontinued.
I recommend checking out Aurora Black - very black
Very though review, thanks :-) I like to use the "Warden" series of Noodles whenever I can, but there are too many beautiful other color inks that dont have those permanent features, oh well... . I was recently using some Rotring black from a cartridge, and it seems really black and wet.
I have this ink. It is very good but did not work with my Parker iM. Works best with my Pelikan pens. If you write something and photocopy it, it will be blacker and more beautiful than any copy ink. Very good for creative teachers. But these are few nowadays
Sennelier's China Black is the darkest ink I've found. It's like liquid midnight. But I've never used it in anything except a brush and a quill pen. Platinum Carbon Black is also very black and you can use that in brush pens and even fountain pens.
the BEST and none other can close is: J. Herbin Perle Noire. Hands down.... and is a great value...
Cross Black, I think is the best black.
I also would expect Noodler’s ink
I have a feeling that modern Waterman inks are versions of their old "washable" inks.
For a reasonable price, a truly black ink and permanence, I am happy with Noodler's Heart of Darkness.
I have several other black inks, but the Noodler's is my choice when I really want permanent and truly black ink.
This noodlers black stains the pen?
@@erickmione In my experience, no. However, any of the Noodler's "bulletproof" (water resistant) inks can leave a film on the underside of a nib. This comes off with wiping, though it doesn't cause any problems.
I like the chromatography , very interesting! Waterman & Parker inks tend to be very friendly to pens. 🙂
To my eyes this one looks more medium/dark grey than actually black.
Try the Cross Black ink. It's a real black. Maybe not as black as the darkest ones in the market like Platinum Carbon Black or De Atramentis Archive Black or some Noodler's (although I've not compared them side by side), but I was surprised about how dark and saturated (in color) it is.
The only downside to me is that it's made in China, but it's a great very dark black ink which, by the way, it's also labeled as "archive" and at a great price when I purchased it (now it's more expensive though).
Cheers!
What is this "manuscript black" you referred to? What brand is it? etc?
Manuscript is a British company, and their black bottled ink is available in the US at Hobby Lobby stores.
I suggest look at Parker Quink Black. I recently purchased some black ink from AliExpress
Waterman black does very well on poor quality paper. KWZ Warsaw Dreaming is the darkest black I have used.
Hi JG3. Jim from Madrid, Spain (an artist and a New Yorker expat living abroad).
First... I've been a subscriber to your channel since a bit over a year ago, even though I don't post much.
Second... I'm a fountain pen lover since I was young-er (I'm 56 now).
Third... I use Fountain Pens for Every Day Writing (EDW) as well as for Art.
I've been in search for a real Good and Black "Soluble" ink for fountain pen use! (And it ain't easy).
For Art and other purposes (with Fountain Pens) I already use non-soluble (or permanent) inks that work for me just fine.
My question comes because it is NOT easy to find a real soluble Black Ink for fountain pens.
Why soluble? Because when I use it for Artwork (sketching, etc.) I can do a wash on it and use the ink to give tone and value as well as shadows, very quickly with a water brush (for example) when sketching quickly outdoors.
For example, I've tried Parker's Quinn Black which turns out into a Sepia color (nice too, but not the black I'm looking for).
Do you have any suggestions as to a real soluble Black Ink for Fountain Pens that when water is applied it's chromatic hughe is actually a neutral grey?
Thank you in advance for your help!
Cheers from Sunny Spain!
😁👍😎✌
I'm not sure off the top of my head, but I would think that Waterman Intense Black would do that. It seems to dilute to gray. That's interesting about Quink, because that was the first to come to mind. Gray and black inks do tend to get more complicated once water gets involved. I'll do some checking with the black inks I have handy.
@@JG3Reviews Thanks a lot! And yes, for Artwork I need black better. Quink turns out a biy closer to a Sepia, also beautiful, but I can't seem to find one that will turn into Neutral
Grey. In any case, thank you again for taking the time to respond. Cheers!
Maybe a better name for that ink would be Black Intend !?
God bless you to
Nothing can beat Noodlers' Black!