Midnights 'n' Manhattan

[Viseguy]

Here's a comparison of three dark-blue inks, two well-established and one relative newcomer. The contenders are: Private Reserve Midnight Blues; Noodler's Midnight Blue; and Art Brown's Manhattan Blue, also made by Noodler's.

 

In the scan, the names of the inks were written with a black Sharpie. The lettering beneath each Q-tip swatch was done with the ink in question, using three different rOtring Cores with Medium nibs, which were dipped.

 

Based on the broad-brush swatches alone, I'd say that the prize for sheer eye-popping color goes to PR. To me, the PR is the purest blue, perhaps leaning slightly towards purple, and looks the most "modern" of the three. The two Noodler's have green-gray undertones, which arguably gives them a more "vintage", or traditional, look.

 

That said, the differences among these three inks are far less dramatic in normal use, as you may or may not be able to tell from the writing samples. In person, it's hard to tell the difference at all. All three behave beautifully, in my experience, with good flow and little or no feathering and bleedthrough. They all have acceptable drying times, with Manhattan Blue perhaps the fastest. Manhattan Blue, in particular, has a pleasantly velvety consistency, yet does not smudge. Each one "shades" nicely when the conditions are right.

 

None of these inks is waterproof, but Manhattan Blue has a waterproof component that survives a soaking.

 

There you have it. When it comes to dark blue, you can hardly go wrong with any of these inks. What kind of demolition derby is that, you ask? The best kind -- where everybody goes home in one piece.

Edited April 8, 2007 by Viseguy

[Margana]

Good show, V. Terrific for comparison shoppers. Based on your writing samples rather than the swatches, the PR looks the brightest, Noodler's Midnight looks the lightest and Manhattan looks the darkest and deepest in color. If I needed a dark blue ink, I'd buy the Noodler's Midnight Blue and save myself a bundle by not buying the other two.

 

Thanks, Viseguy! What will you review next?

[DennisU]

Thank you Viseguy! I like your conclusion. I really like PR Midnight Blues both with fountain pens and dip pens. You've saved me some time and money with your comparison!

[jd50ae]

All my blues are PR. Well, except for one bottle of Pelikan I "found". PR is in all my pens.

 

Thanks for the review.

[phillychuck]

I like the color of all three -- but would really like a waterproof version. Any words of wisdom on this point?

[Inkanthropist]

Thanks for the great colour comparison, Viseguy. I agree with you that the PR has the eye-catching edge on the other two, but they all look like great colours.

 

Neil

 

PS: I can barely get close enough to the keyboard to type this -- my belly is filled with your Belgian chocolate. I think I might have to start drinking your FPN Galileo Brown/Black mix through a straw, too.

[Viseguy]

QUOTE (NeilB @ Apr 8 2007, 12:22 PM)

PS: I can barely get close enough to the keyboard to type this -- my belly is filled with your Belgian chocolate. I think I might have to start drinking your FPN Galileo Brown/Black mix through a straw, too.

You mean you have two people lavishing you with brown ink and chocolates? Talk about an embarrassment of riches! Though I'm rather envious that "Stefan's" mix was awarded a name in your blog, whereas mine languishes here in humble hyphenation. What am I, chocolate shavings?

[Inkanthropist]

QUOTE (Viseguy @ Apr 8 2007, 04:51 PM)

What am I, chocolate shavings?

Nothing but sweetness and light

[Taki]

Viseguy, thank you very much for this review! I always wondered about how different or similar Midnight Blues and Midnight Blue are. From what I'm seeing on my monitor the differences are subtle and I don't need to buy Noodler's Thanks again!

[Viseguy]

QUOTE (Taki @ Apr 8 2007, 09:43 PM)

Viseguy, thank you very much for this review!  I always wondered about how different or similar Midnight Blues and Midnight Blue are.  From what I'm seeing on my monitor the differences are subtle and I don't need to buy Noodler's    Thanks again!

Always happy to provide a service to the community! As it happens, I helped myself as well, by reminding myself how similar these inks are to each other. I'm sure they'll all be good to the last drop!

[davidmigl]

Thank you!! Dark blues are something I have been exploring since I first foraged into the world of FP's, and this comparison provides valuable direction on my path.

 

Now, how 'bout cranking up the demolition with a water test?

[lefty928]

Oh no ... P.R. Midnight Blues has been on my list (why does it never get any shorter, no matter how many I buy off it?) and now I see I have to bump it up -- or speed up plans for a trip to NYC. Thanks for the thorough comparison!

 

I've been looking at blue blacks and switching between reviews of Noodler's Aircorps, Noodler's Blue Black, hunting for a Noodler's Navy scan, etc., so I really appreciated seeing these dark blues all on one page and so consistently laid out for a true comparison. It was also helpful that there were writing samples as well as the swabs.

Edited April 9, 2007 by lefty928

[Shortie]

Thanks, Viseguy for the review. Have been using the PR blue myself (local shop does not carry Noodler's), and I have been really curious about other blues. And now I know. And added more candidates to my want list.

[Viseguy]

QUOTE (davidmigl @ Apr 9 2007, 12:06 AM)

Now, how 'bout cranking up the demolition with a water test?

The test page looks so pretty, I was thinking of framing it and hanging it on the wall. But, never one to resist a challenge, I will submerge it tonight and post the results here tomorrow. Stay tuned.

 

OK, here it is: demolished! The original test page after an hour-long soak under water, with brisk agitation during the first 5 minutes. The results, in case they're not visible on your monitor: All three inks left visible traces, Noodler's Manhattan Blue being the most legible (the dark green/gray remnant reveals the source of this ink's "vintage" look, I believe), PR Midnight Blues a respectable second, and Noodler's Midnight Blue bringing up the rear. I was actually somewhat surprised by the performance of the Private Reserve ink; based on the DCSS and American Blue experience, I thought there would be nothing left.

 

And look at that Sharpie! Evidently the black Sharpie fares better under water than the blue, which, as I recall, did only so-so on a soak test that I ran a year or two ago.

 

What think ye?

Edited April 10, 2007 by Viseguy

[Viseguy]

Post to bump up the soak test results. (Hey, you asked for it! )

[davidmigl]

Very interesting! I was somewhat expecting the PR to have some resistance, as I found in my own tests that it left behind a dark component.

 

I was really interested in the Manhattan Blue, as I had heard rumors of its water-resistance. It seems like it came in neck and neck with the PR.

 

Noodler's midnight blue - I believe that this is the first water test of this ink on FPN, so it's always intriguing to see how a new ink fares! Looks like I'll leave it to other inks to be waterproof, though.

 

[Latro21]

thank you very much for this. as i was reading through the posts i kept thinking how much id like to see a water test done on these, and there it was!

 

the noodlers manhattan blue just made my list based on this. i was very surprised you said it dried fast with no smearing, as i have problems with slow drying and smearing with golden brown and bulletproof black on most paper.

 

 

i wish i had a scanner so i could post my water tests, as i have a really good one i did thats very comprehensive. maybe ill try taking a photo of it...

[DavidB]

Viseguy, as near as I can tell, black Sharpie is permanent on paper. What kind did you use last year that the ink bled off? Sharpie does partly dissolve with alcohol exposure, especially on plastics / metals. Plastics can absorb some of the ink and permanently stain underneath the writing, but paper should be pretty much untouchable.

 

David B

[Margana]

Hmmm. Manhattan Blue would work for envelopes so that puts it at the head of the class. Thanks, Viseguy!

[Viseguy]

QUOTE (davidmigl @ Apr 10 2007, 10:14 PM)

Very interesting! I was somewhat expecting the PR to have some resistance, as I found in my own tests that it left behind a dark component. I was really interested in the Manhattan Blue, as I had heard rumors of its water-resistance. It seems like it came in neck and neck with the PR. Noodler's midnight blue - I believe that this is the first water test of this ink on FPN, so it's always intriguing to see how a new ink fares! Looks like I'll leave it to other inks to be waterproof, though.

The PR was a pleasant surprise to me. It's such a pretty color, it's nice to know it has some water resistance. Not as much as Mannie Blue, but OK.