Noodler's Polar Blue

[psfred]

Hmm. I shall have to do a scan and post it then.

 

I find that Polar Blue works fine for me as a regular ink. Feathers a bit more than I like on cruddy paper, but is OK on my "good" papers. Slightly blue-black, not a vibrant blue but definitely blue, and has performed well for me. I got mine on sale (a 4.5 oz bottle with Preppy eyedropper) and am quite happy with it.

 

Peter

[rzed1001]

I still haven't used mine yet but I got a bottle of this for working in the walkin fridge and walkin freezer, doing inventory and orders. Seeing this thread helped me NOT use it outside of this task I really can't wait to see how it does... but first I need to get some refill equipment....

I've just ordered this ink and I'm wondering about keeping it in the fridge - would that be the answer - so it works like its the winter? (Or even in the freezer?)

Of course, to answer my own point, I would have to keep the pen in the fridge as well.

 

Or fill with cold ink (or top up) each time I need to use it. Is this practical?

[edbollix]

received some this week. Loaded up the Safari and it's working fine , indoors and out. OK, I am just using it indoor and it's a nice color and a solution for a water issue I was having on enclosure cards for rescue cats; They can't keep their paws out of the water bowls!

[psfred]

Here's the promised scan. Things have been a bit nuts around here recently....

[Ghost Writer]

Well done and fun review. Ditto on the nib creep and bleeding/feathering issue. I bought this ink originally for the color and BP features. The low temperature quality of the ink was not really important for me. I can live with the nib creep, but not the way the ink reacts when it hits the paper I normally use. I will probably trade/sell this one. However, I must say that it is great to have a company (Nathan, thank you) that takes the time, money and effort to bring a variety of ink products to the market for all of us to enjoy

[jmw19]

I received a bottle of Polar Blue in a lot right around the time I started using fountain pens. I remember inking something with it, writing a few lines, seeing the feathering and bleedthrough, and placing the bottle in the back of my collection. I tried a few mixes early on, trying to deepen the color and tame the feathering, but didn't make anything satisfactory.

Recently, I inked a balky writer with straight Polar Blue, and lo and behold, it's nice in the right pen. In a finer, drier nib, the line dries almost instantly, which is nice for a lefty, and on better paper, the feathering and bleeding are minimized. Inspired, I've tried a few mixes, and while the chalky character shines through, it's possible to darken the line quite a bit without losing the water resistance.

 

So, the moral here, at least for me, is not to write off an ink without giving it a fighting chance. I don't know if I'd buy more when this runs out, but I definitely appreciate that it's out there.

[Bill Smith]

I am a lefty and I like Polar Blue, I use in a Pelikan M600 with a fine nib and I agree, it works best between November and April.

[edbollix]

I've been using the polar blue for a couple of months. It's really love hate with this stuff. I originally put it in my Lamy Vista and it wrote well enough but the nib creep was unacceptable. Solution! I filled a Hero 100 with it and if there is nib creep I don't see it. Problem solved! Writes great in this fine point pen. Stuff really is pretty darned water proof.

[lak611]

I've been using Polar Blue exclusively for the past 7 months. I did not have any issues with it in the summer. The nib creep does not bother me. I want a bulletproof blue ink, and I have not found any other bulletproof blue ink that has the color of blue that I like. Legal Lapis looks too green for my tastes. As a result, Polar Blue is my year-round ink.

[I am not a number]

The pictures ahve been dug out of the depths of the hard drive and restored, hope they help...

[dandelion]

I like this ink, but in all honesty I would like to like it slightly more.

 

 

I'm impressed by the accuracy of the scan - it looks exactly like my (newly) bought Polar Blue. I read this review before I bought it, but must have forgotten the bleed and feathering thing. But it is a great colour and this is a great review. I perfectly understand the feeling of wanting to like something a little bit more.

Edited to add that the lubrication properties of the Polar Blue is outstanding.

Edited January 28, 2010 by dandelion

[Ed Ronax]

Great review, thanks.

[bluemagister]

I think it's a little too periwinkle and chalky for me to use in a daily context, but in an M nib pen, the smooth flow alone is worth the price of the bottle. Overall, I like it.

[arthury]

I am not sure if Noodler's Ink have changed the formula a little to solve the feathering issue reported in the original review.

 

It's now 2012 ... and, ...

Based on my sample, testing on 2B and 3B nibs, using 28 lb (105g) Hammermill and 24 lb (90g) Clairefontaine papers, this ink is the best performing in terms of being non-feathering. I tried heavy and light strokes and none can perturb it to feather. It's performed significantly better than the Pelikan 4001 Royal Blue in terms of being non-feathering.

 

The only downside is that I am not very attracted to the duller blue shade and it reminded me of Noodler's Periwinkle.

 

In conclusion, non-feathering (used with large 2B 3B nibs) and bullet-proof are good properties to have for an ink. This is one of those successful Noolder's inks in my books.

[amberleadavis]

I am not sure if Noodler's Ink have changed the formula a little to solve the feathering issue reported in the original review.

 

It's now 2012 ... and, ...

Based on my sample, testing on 2B and 3B nibs, using 28 lb (105g) Hammermill and 24 lb (90g) Clairefontaine papers, this ink is the best performing in terms of being non-feathering. I tried heavy and light strokes and none can perturb it to feather. It's performed significantly better than the Pelikan 4001 Royal Blue in terms of being non-feathering.

 

The only downside is that I am not very attracted to the duller blue shade and it reminded me of Noodler's Periwinkle.

 

In conclusion, non-feathering (used with large 2B 3B nibs) and bullet-proof are good properties to have for an ink. This is one of those successful Noolder's inks in my books.

 

I tried mixing it with Visconti Blue and I've been very happy!

 

 

 

[mhosea]

I am not sure if Noodler's Ink have changed the formula a little to solve the feathering issue reported in the original review.

 

Bought a new bottle in December 2011. No idea if it might have been older stock or not. Unfortunately, feathering of that formulation was easily the most severe of any of the several dozen or so inks I've used.

[lapis]

I tried mixing it with Visconti Blue and I've been very happy!

I'll have to try out the above mix, too, but only under the condition that the Polar Blue charge is the same.

 

Mike