Is Noodler's Black a good newbie ink?

[ofpwriter]

There seems to be quite a lot of differing opinions (and on other inks too) around here. I thought it would be great to get some sense about the real situation: what are the numbers? There are words of appraisal and there is harsh judgement.

 

How about not flooding each and every one of the "Help me choose my first..." -topics, but discussing here? Maybe help some people starting with fountain pens, at the same time.

 

(I will add my 2 cents later.) Thank you,

 

-O

 

P.S: I would like to keep the topic alive, so please keep it civilized.

[HenryLouis]

More like... the best ink ever made! It's inexpensive, it's permanent, it doesn't feather or bleed and it's dry time is among the best.

Edited August 8, 2009 by HenryLouis

[JohnS-MI]

I find it a well behaved ink which works well on a variety of paper.

 

Its permanence comes from reacting with the cellulose in paper. Be VERY careful not to spill

it on natural plant fibers (cotton, linen, etc). It does wash off your hands well.

Edited August 8, 2009 by JohnS-MI

[Viseguy]

More like... the best ink ever made! It's inexpensive, it's permanent, it doesn't feather or bleed and it's dry time is among the best.

Also, it's a deep dark black. Also, it washes out of pens as fast or faster than many other inks, whether traditional or modern.

 

It's the ink, in my book.

[inkcoffee]

More like... the best ink ever made! It's inexpensive, it's permanent, it doesn't feather or bleed and it's dry time is among the best.

 

 

I agree.

[gregamckinney]

I voted no- not so much due to the ink (which I generally like,) but since it is hard to know what issues a newbie might have.

If spilling ink or accidentally letting it dry out in a pen are expected of a newbie, then this ink is not a good choice.

 

In the past when I have given pens and inks to new users, I have given them Quink, Skirip or (more recently) Diamine. I think washable, very free-flowing inks are the best choice for newbies.

I also tend to give them blue inks, rather than black.

 

Regards, greg

[Goodwhiskers]

It's a great black ink for teenage or adult beginners who wouldn't worry about the permanence of Noodler's Black on cotton, linen, and rayon. For someone who would worry about that, I'd recommend a different black ink.

[Bookman]

Let me expand the hypothetical slightly. If I were buying a black ink to give a newbie along with his or her first fountain pen, I'd give Aurora Black. Sure, it's pricey; and when it's gone the recipient might choose an ink that's cheaper, like Noodler's. But apart from tendencies to stain or not stain permanently there's that elephant in the room. While reasonable people can and do differ over whether Noodler's (and PR) inks are safe for fountain pens, they don't disagree about the safety of Aurora, Waterman, and Diamine, just to name a few. I'm not qualified to take sides in the debate over whether Noodler's inks truly are safe, and I take no position on it; but for a newbie, I'd rather be cautious. And if I weren't buying the ink but he or she were buying it personally, I'd recommend caution. Of the black inks universally believed to be safe, Aurora Black probably has the best combination of lubrication and saturation.

[haziz]

Let me expand the hypothetical slightly. If I were buying a black ink to give a newbie along with his or her first fountain pen, I'd give Aurora Black. Sure, it's pricey; and when it's gone the recipient might choose an ink that's cheaper, like Noodler's. But apart from tendencies to stain or not stain permanently there's that elephant in the room. While reasonable people can and do differ over whether Noodler's (and PR) inks are safe for fountain pens, they don't disagree about the safety of Aurora, Waterman, and Diamine, just to name a few. I'm not qualified to take sides in the debate over whether Noodler's inks truly are safe, and I take no position on it; but for a newbie, I'd rather be cautious. And if I weren't buying the ink but he or she were buying it personally, I'd recommend caution. Of the black inks universally believed to be safe, Aurora Black probably has the best combination of lubrication and saturation.

 

I also voted no. Another unconditional vote for Aurora. Possibly Pelikan Brilliant Black if you know their pen is wet. Skrip, Quink and Waterman would also be safe sensible choices even if not the blackest blacks. With the Noodler's there are too many ifs, buts and maybes for a newbie who may be permanently turned off by their first impressions of FP land. I am in some ways in that boat after returning to fountain pens after many years of ballpoint use. My prior use of fountain pens and inks was very conventional. My bottle of Noodler's black sits unused on the shelf (I did ink one pen with it once) while my bottles of Aurora and Pelikan Black get heavy use.

 

Sincerely,

 

Hany.

Edited August 9, 2009 by haziz

[DrPJM1]

It's a great ink for reasons mentioned above. It is also permanent on cellulose and cotton clothing, so filling instructions and a couple of warnings are needed when gifting to a newbie.

[effrafax]

I started out as a "returning newcomer" to fountain pens early last year (that is, I've always had the odd fountain pen around, used from time to time, but it just became a more serious hobby). BP Black was one of the very first inks I bought, and I'm very glad that I did.

 

It set a great benchmark for how an ink needs to behave, for me, with all the positive comments opined above. It's never given my pens any trouble, and I've managed not to have any serious spills!

[psfred]

Noodler's Black is a superb ink -- I've had zero problems with it that are specific to the ink (dried out nibs on lousy Chinese cheapie pens don't count as any ink I've put in there does the same thing). The only real issue with it is the need to shake it before filling, which I discovered on my own. No staining, no clogs (other than dry nibs, which happens to all fountain pens when not used), great flow, astonishing permanence, etc.

 

However, like any permanent ink, it would be a very poor choice for s grade school aged child, as spills and inky fingers are an inescapeable part of children and ink. Washable ink from whatever source would be better for Mom and Dad as the amount of ruined clothing will be somewhat less.

 

As far as damage to pens goes, so far I have only seen the following with Noodler's inks: Some stain (the Bulletproofs are wost here, and I have not tried to scrub the stain off the sacs that are no longer clear). Baystate Blue both stains some things and leaves a film that can be removed with alcohol (except from celluloid and other alcohol soluble materials) AND caused the hood to come off my Hero 616 repeatedly. Stained the sac dark blue, too. I believe it also rapidly accelerated the softening of a Parker 45 section, but mushy 45 sections are a known problem and the ink may have only made an existing problem more obvious. Flow is bad on some pens, but that is also true of other inks, although not always in the same pens.

 

Peter

[tfwall]

Let me expand the hypothetical slightly. If I were buying a black ink to give a newbie along with his or her first fountain pen, I'd give Aurora Black. Sure, it's pricey; and when it's gone the recipient might choose an ink that's cheaper, like Noodler's. But apart from tendencies to stain or not stain permanently there's that elephant in the room. While reasonable people can and do differ over whether Noodler's (and PR) inks are safe for fountain pens, they don't disagree about the safety of Aurora, Waterman, and Diamine, just to name a few. I'm not qualified to take sides in the debate over whether Noodler's inks truly are safe, and I take no position on it; but for a newbie, I'd rather be cautious. And if I weren't buying the ink but he or she were buying it personally, I'd recommend caution. Of the black inks universally believed to be safe, Aurora Black probably has the best combination of lubrication and saturation.

 

I also voted no. Another unconditional vote for Aurora. Possibly Pelikan Brilliant Black if you know their pen is wet. Skrip, Quink and Waterman would also be safe sensible choices even if not the blackest blacks. With the Noodler's there are too many ifs, buts and maybes for a newbie who may be permanently turned off by their first impressions of FP land. I am in some ways in that boat after returning to fountain pens after many years of ballpoint use. My prior use of fountain pens and inks was very conventional. My bottle of Noodler's black sits unused on the shelf (I did ink one pen with it once) while my bottles of Aurora and Pelikan Black get heavy use.

 

Sincerely,

 

Hany.

 

Concur with the above.

 

Additional problems I see with it:

*It is not readily available. You cannot buy it at office supply or big box stores making it frustrating for the person who wants to use a FP but does not want to spend a lot of time researching where they can order refills.

*It can easily lead you to assume that all Noodler's Inks flow and behave like BP Black. Stand by for massive disappointment on that account.

*It is more expensive than the readily available alternatives like Quink and Waterman's Ink.

 

If you want to draw people into using FPs, you need to give them easy to use pens and inks. The public already thinks that fountain pens are messy and complicated. Why would you reinforce that image by handing out ink that needs a list of warnings and special instructions?

 

New users should start with a nice pen company branded ink like Aurora or Quink. If they are still using FPs a year from now, come back and we'll talk about PR and Noodler's Inks.

[haziz]

Another big plus for Quink Black. The only ink carried in bottles by my local Staples. They have a marginally wider selection in cartridges. A locally owned B&M office supply store carries Skrip and Quink in blue and black and that's it. If the newbie is however internet savvy this may matter a little less though.

 

Sincerely,

 

Hany.

 

Let me expand the hypothetical slightly. If I were buying a black ink to give a newbie along with his or her first fountain pen, I'd give Aurora Black. Sure, it's pricey; and when it's gone the recipient might choose an ink that's cheaper, like Noodler's. But apart from tendencies to stain or not stain permanently there's that elephant in the room. While reasonable people can and do differ over whether Noodler's (and PR) inks are safe for fountain pens, they don't disagree about the safety of Aurora, Waterman, and Diamine, just to name a few. I'm not qualified to take sides in the debate over whether Noodler's inks truly are safe, and I take no position on it; but for a newbie, I'd rather be cautious. And if I weren't buying the ink but he or she were buying it personally, I'd recommend caution. Of the black inks universally believed to be safe, Aurora Black probably has the best combination of lubrication and saturation.

 

I also voted no. Another unconditional vote for Aurora. Possibly Pelikan Brilliant Black if you know their pen is wet. Skrip, Quink and Waterman would also be safe sensible choices even if not the blackest blacks. With the Noodler's there are too many ifs, buts and maybes for a newbie who may be permanently turned off by their first impressions of FP land. I am in some ways in that boat after returning to fountain pens after many years of ballpoint use. My prior use of fountain pens and inks was very conventional. My bottle of Noodler's black sits unused on the shelf (I did ink one pen with it once) while my bottles of Aurora and Pelikan Black get heavy use.

 

Sincerely,

 

Hany.

 

Concur with the above.

 

Additional problems I see with it:

*It is not readily available. You cannot buy it at office supply or big box stores making it frustrating for the person who wants to use a FP but does not want to spend a lot of time researching where they can order refills.

*It can easily lead you to assume that all Noodler's Inks flow and behave like BP Black. Stand by for massive disappointment on that account.

*It is more expensive than the readily available alternatives like Quink and Waterman's Ink.

 

If you want to draw people into using FPs, you need to give them easy to use pens and inks. The public already thinks that fountain pens are messy and complicated. Why would you reinforce that image by handing out ink that needs a list of warnings and special instructions?

 

New users should start with a nice pen company branded ink like Aurora or Quink. If they are still using FPs a year from now, come back and we'll talk about PR and Noodler's Inks.

[Robert Hughes]

I voted "yes", but agree with the above posters that Noodlers' Black is more of a specialty niche ink. Newbies shouldn't have much trouble with it, but a more traditional (washable) formulation may be easier to work with - and wash out of your clothes!

[GeeTee]

Not really imho. I would start with a low maintanance ink like Herbin Perle Noir, Sheaffer skrip black or Pelikan Brilliant black (although the last one can be a bit dry).

[Possum Hill]

To make a good ink recommendation for a new fountain pen user, I'd need to know a little more about the person and the sort of writing he expected to do; Noodler's Black would be one of the inks I'd recommend.

[rdh]

A lot of people have avoided using fountain pens because of the tendency of most inks to run. If you are writing in a laboratory, the field, in clinics etc. where water is present, you need to write with a permanent ink. For this very reason, a lot of people are instructed to use ballpoints. I am sure the same is true for people working in the financial and legal fields. With permanent inks, like Noodler's, this is no longer necessary. I believe that this ink has made it possible for a lot of people to start using fountain pens again...or restart using them. In other words, it is the reason that there are a lot of fountain pen newbies.

 

Dave

[Chthulhu]

I can't vote on this now as the bottle I ordered hasn't arrived yet, but after reading some of the comments above I have to ask: are there really shops where you live where you can buy suitable ink? I haven't found one within thirty miles of my home, though It's possible that the John's Fifth Avenue Luggage store in the nearest mall may carry some Mont Blanc ink. Two art and craft supply stores in my town carry drawing and calligraphy inks, but nothing at all for fountain pens. If there's a stationer's remaining here, I've yet to find it. :-/

[grimakis]

You will regret getting it all over your bedsheets... I know I did.....