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Noodler’s Empire Red Another eternal/forgery proof Coral red from Noodler’s, originally specific for the British market but now available in North America. It's pricier than the normal lineup of Noodler's line. Ink is touted as fluorescent but I couldn't detect any fluorescence with my UV flashlight. It’s wet, coral red ink , lacking in the lubrication department. It’s pleasant enough to use, but I won’t be buying a bottle of it, in case you’re wondering. It has some shading as you can see with a broad nib. All the other shading you see, is exaggerated by the scanner. I used most of the ink on cheap envelopes and it really behaved well. Let's start with the chroma, which looks like blood red. Writing samples: I tried to find humorous quotes about the holiday season to add some levity Photo: Comparison: Water test: and finally an art work: Stirred not shaken, which I hope it's self explanatory Other inks used: Platinum Carbon Black Akkerman Delfts Blauw J Herbin Vert Empire Pens used: Pilot Kakuno Ef, Lamy Safari (EF/F/M/B/Stub 1.1), Nibcreaper semi-flex What I liked: Colour, didn’t dry up in long writing sessions. What I did not like: Lack of lubrication, long dry time on Japanese paper, What some might not like: Long dry times on Japanese paper, price Shading: Not really, only Ghosting: Faint on copy paper Bleed through: Negligible on copy paper. Flow Rate: Wet Lubrication: Below average. Nib Dry-out: Not at all. Start-up: No. Saturation: Reddish. Shading Potential: With broad nibs Sheen: Beyond dismal. Spread / Feathering / Woolly Line: Did not notice. Nib Creep / “Crud”: Did not notice. Staining (pen): Did not notice. Clogging: No. Cleaning: It’s a waterproof, red ink, so do the math. Water resistance: Excellant Availability: 90 ml / 3 oz bottles. Please don't hesitate to share your experience, writing samples or any other comments. The more the merrier

Noodler’s Rachmaninoff I have been stalling this review for quite a while, as I love the composer, and dislike the ink, a colour made for Barbie with the consistency of Pepto-Bismol. I’m assuming this atrocious colour was chosen because of the lovely lyrical melodies of the composer. If that’s the case, then it shows an absolute misunderstanding of the music. The composer A bit about Rachmaninoff, one of the greatest composers, pianists of early 20th century, born in Russian Empire in 1873, and died in Beverly Hills, USA in 1943. Rachmaninoff’s music was slightly out of the sync with the musical trends of the era, and critics often panned his music for being too lyrical. This is from the Groves' Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 1954 edition: His music is "effective but monotonous in texture" and consisted "in essence mainly of artificial and gushing tunes accompanied by a variety of figures derived from arpeggios. The enormous popular success some few of Rachmaninov's works had in his lifetime is not likely to last." Well, I can assure you this article has been rewritten. Mostly known for his piano work, especially his lyrical 2nd and monumental 3rd concerto. I personally love his youthful first and his misunderstood 4th. Here is his Prelude in C Sharp Minor, recorded by the Rachmaninoff himself in 1920. He has written 3 symphonies, the first of which, nearly derailed his career as a composer, due to bad premier thanks to a presumably inebriated conductor. His 2nd is lyrical and brought him fame, but with the advent of Bolshevik revolution he went to exile to the West, and made a living mostly as a Pianist. He composed few works, notably his Rhapsody on a theme of Paganini and his intense Symphonic Dances. It might be noted that the medieval theme of Dies Irae (Day of Wrath), peppers his work. Ink Review: Now for the ink, it has an offending scent, qualified as archival, fluorescent, forge resistant and water resistant. It'll clog your pen and blind your eyes It distinctly had flow issues in the Kakuno Ef, and then was extremely wet, in the Lamy Ef. Then over time it was playing hard to get with the B nib in Lamy Safari. I was glad when I dunked it down the drain. I didn’t bother to test it with a stub or flex nib, it seemed counterintuitive after having bleeding through Midori paper. It behaved decently with Rhodia and Tomoe River and it has fast drying time. I don't recommend this ink. Chroma: Writing Samples: I tried finding quotes by Rachmaninoff, though one should know the man, the music and his times to get the gist of it. Photo: I didn't bother with a photo. It's not worth it. Comparison: Water test: and finally an artwork, the Pianist Charcoal, graphite, Sumi ink · Pens used: Pilot Kakuno Ef, Lamy (EF/F/M/B,) · What I liked: Listening to Rachmaninov, fast dry times · What I did not like: Colour, stench, behavior. · What some might not like: Scent, colour, bad behavior. · Shading: Absent. · Ghosting: Yes on most paper. · Bleed through: On Midori, worse on copy paper. · Flow Rate: Awful in Kakuno with Ef, sluggish. · Lubrication: Ok. · Nib Dry-out: A bit · Start-up: Yes, with Kakuno. · Saturation: Saturated pink. · Shading Potential: Dismal. · Sheen: No. · Spread / Feathering / Woolly Line: Did not notice. · Nib Creep / “Crud”: A bit. · Staining (pen): I won’t be surprised. · Clogging: I think it did · Cleaning: High maintenance. · Water resistance: Excellent. · Availability: 90 ml bottles. Please don't hesitate to share your experience, writing samples or any other comments. The more the merrier