Noodler's Ink - Bad Belted Kingfisher

[AgentVenom]

Ink Review: Noodler's Ink- Bad Belted Kingfisher

Grade: 81.25%

Paper Tested On: Norcom Composition, Staples 20lb, 85g Clairefontaine, 90g Rhodia, Post-it Note.

 

Bad Belted Kingfisher (BBK) is now the 2nd Noodler's "warden" series ink that I have tried. If you're not familiar with this series, you should know that it is an ink that was designed to be forgery resistant. It's designed to resist water, bleach, and even UV light. At first I wondered if BBK would be any different to Bad Blue Heron (BBH). Both are "warden" inks and both are blue, but I think that they are definitely different enough that trying both has been enjoyable.

 

BBK has a wetter flow that makes it a smoother writing experience. BBH seems to be a slate blue color that comes across as chalky to me, but BBK comes across as a more true blue. Honestly I can't help but think that it reminds me of the denim on a new pair of jeans. BBK performed very well in the permanency tests I put it through, but I was happy to see that it did make some nice ink washes. So just don't expect it to not move from the page at all. It's resistant, not permanent. BBK dries quickly and cleans up well and without too much hassle. The drawback to it being a fast dryer is that it won't shade readily.

 

It will shade on good paper with a wet pen, but on other paper it can look like a dark navy color and you may not see any shading at all. BBK isn't prone to bleed through and that can be very useful if you're using it in an office setting. And because it's a blue color it's a appropriate color that won't turn any heads and attract any unwanted attention.

 

So which do I like more? BBH or BBK? That's hard to say. I like the color on BBH more, but I prefer the flow of BBK. After that, both are nearly the same, and you may just end up picking which shade of blue you like more.

 

Overall, BBK is a great ink that has a lot of special properties, but is still easy enough to use without a lot of special maintenance. If you've never tried a "warden" series ink from Noodler's, I'd say this would be a good introductory ink for you to try.

 

[visvamitra]

Not bad.

[AgentVenom]

Not bad.

Thank you. I appreciate it.

[The Good Captain]

It looks good to me but I reckon I'll stick to the Bad Blue Heron.

[MKeith]

Nice review and thanks. BBK is more of a blue black to me and is a little less behaved than I like. I have to agree with The Good Captain that I prefer Bad Blue Heron. BBH has become my favorite "permanent" ink particularly in moderately wet pens and CI nibs.

Edited October 23, 2015 by MKeith

[Alexandra]

I have found BBK to be the perfect ink. It's suitable for almost any purpose and it'll do anything but sheen.

[AgentVenom]

It looks good to me but I reckon I'll stick to the Bad Blue Heron.

It is a tough call, but I agree.

 

Nice review and thanks. BBK is more of a blue black to me and is a little less behaved than I like. I have to agree with The Good Captain that I prefer Bad Blue Heron. BBH has become my favorite "permanent" ink particularly in moderately wet pens and CI nibs.

 

I've never had any issues. What was your experience?

 

I have found BBK to be the perfect ink. It's suitable for almost any purpose and it'll do anything but sheen.

 

BBK does have the versatility of being a little less water resistant. I would pick it over BBH for doing ink washes any day.

[TSherbs]

A very thorough review, thanks.

 

The color is bland to me, and I really didn't like BBH when I sampled it, so I am not likely to try this one. I don't need forgery-proof inks.

[Chumango]

I use it to sign checks.

 

I find that it bleeds through and feathers on all but the best quality paper. I would use it more if it were better behaved. For most writing lately I have been using several iron gall inks.

 

If I don't use the pen for a week or so (Lamy Al-star) it does dry in the nib but it flushes easily and flow is restored without problems.

[Morphling27]

I love this ink, it's my favorite ink and I use it almost daily. I don't care that it isn't as waterproof as BBH, which looks ugly, spreads too much, and stinks to high heaven.

 

Great review. Your color circles that identify the color look accurate to me when I use the ink, I would never classify them as having any purple though. It's not a purple-y blue to me in any way.

 

I typically use it in bigger F nibs or regular M, works best. It does show-through a bit more, but the feathering is manageable even on the really really bad paper my work now provides.

[amberleadavis]

Thank you for the review. I really like how you show that the color can be different.

[Bhavna]

Thank you for a fantastic review of this gorgeous blue-black ink. I love it! It is in constant rotation. You have exquisite writing.

[FLZapped]

Love this ink. It reminds me of an old school Blue Black.

[Abner C. Kemp]

Nice review. It reminds me a bit of Montblanc JFK Navy Blue. A very nice color to use at work, as you mention. The quick dry time would make this a nice choice for lefties.

Edited November 11, 2015 by Abner C. Kemp

[AgentVenom]

Thank you to everyone. I appreciate all the kind words.

 

Just a thought about the forgery resistance. I can see how that doesn't apply to many of us. I actually think that artistic applications of this ink are more realistic. I love to do ink washes and I think BBH, and the other inks in the warden series, would be a great tool to use for they purpose.

 

Another use of an ink like this would be addressing letters. I don't know about anywhere else, but the mail service here has become a tad careless. I have come home and the box is open or my mail is on the ground several times now.