Noodler’s Blue Black Fountain Pen Ink Review
By
Woody holding the Noodler's Blue Black Fountain Pen Ink.
I posted a 1/2 day poll to allow my readers to pick the next item that they wanted to see reviewed, and the overwhelming winner was the Noodler’s Blue Black fountain pen ink. I was a little surprised by this, but happy at the same time because I was not aware of how many fountain pen fans there were out there. Hope everyone enjoys the review and finds it helpful.
It was not until recently that I started trying any of the multi color inks because I always had a misguided perception that they wouldnt look “business-like” and I wouldnt be able to use them in a serious business or office environment. After getting my hands on the Pilot Petit1 blue black (that I recently gave away to a reader) I quickly changed that opinion. I found the color of the ink to be very suitable for any professional setting, and it had a very dignified and clean look to it…not at all the cheezy “trying too hard” look that I had expected. I used to do the majority of my writing and note taking in straight black ink, but after trying this one out for a bit I’m starting to change my preference to the blue black…it has just enough character to it so it stands out, yet it is just subtle enough to not draw too much attention to it.
Noodler's blue black writing sample on Levenger Paper
One quick thing to point out before getting into the writing samples is that there seems to be something wrong with my scanner and there are some smudges on the glass, so you will see what looks like some smear marks in the pictures, but I assure you this has nothing to do with the ink. The first picture you see above shows the Noodler’s blue black writing sample on Levenger paper. As with most other inks that I have used on Levenger paper, they preform really well. The ink writes very smoothly, and it doesnt show any feathering or bleeding on the page resulting in very crisp and clean lines. This is my day to day writing combo for work, Noodler’s blue black and my Levenger Circa Notebook.
Noodler's blue black writing sample in a Rhodia notebook.
Now I know that there are many fountain pen users out there who love their Rhodia and/or Moleskine notebooks, so I wanted to do a quick writing sample to show how it writes on both of these papers. I guess at some point I should also mention that the writing samples were all done with the same pen…I dont want to mention the pen yet because I will be doing a full review of it at some point, but I will say it is a Pelikan Fine nib, and Ill leave it at that.
Writing in the Rhodia notebook with this ink was also very smooth, and the ink seemed to lay down a nice line. There are very faint signs of feathering that you really dont notice unless you look REALLY close…I used a magnification of 20x in order to be able to see this. Overall I would give a thumbs up to using the Noodler’s blue black with your Rhodia.
Boodler's blue black writing sample in a Moleskine notebook.
Now for the Moleskine writing sample…I dont think I’ve ever been truly satisfied with any fountain pen ink or liquid ink on a Moleskine. The only thing that I’ve used that was ok on one of these has been a ballpoint or a gel ink. You can see in the sample above that the Noodler’s blue black shows some heavy feathering on this paper…this has always been my issue with Moleskine paper. If you look closely at this ink on the Moleskine vs. the Rhodia or the Levenger paper you will see that it appears to be lighter in color. I noticed this after scanning the writing samples, so I went back and checked the actual samples to make sure this was not just my scanner acting up, and it definitely was not. In looking at the samples next to each other, the Moleskine definitely resulted in a much lighter appearance for the ink. I dont know if Im just not being fair here, but I just really wouldnt recommend this paper and this ink together.
Noodler's blue black with Woody and the paper samples. Top is the Levenger paper, bottom left is the Rhodia, and top right is the Moleskine.
The last picture here is my attempt to try and show the ink on all three different papers in the same picture. You can really see how the ink is much lighter on the Moleskine (bottom right) as compared to the Levenger and Rhodia papers.
I purchased this bottle of ink from Goldspot who carries a ton of different Noodler’s inks, each time I have ordered from them they have always been very quick to deliver. You can see all the Noodler’s ink that they have here, and you can also check out all of the other pens that they offer. In order to keep things completely transparent I want to also mention that Goldspot did give me a small bloggers discount on the ink, however I this has nothing to do with my suggesting them as a great place to buy from. I was actually a happy customer of theirs before I even started this blog.
Dont forget to check out the Ink Comparison Log for some comparisons of all the inks Ive reviewed.
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Very nice review OSG! I need to pick some of this up. I was also turned on to blue black from the Pilot Petit1 and now I love the color. Thanks for that review. Nr
nrepose – Thanks, glad you liked the review. So far I can blame the Pilot Varsity for getting me addicted to the Fountain Pen in general, and now the Petit1 for the blue black ink…makes me wonder what other Pilot products I should thry out.
Great review. Remember: for cost to quality, nothing beats the Parker Vector fountain pen. Cheap enough to lose and not feel bummed about, well built enough to last decades.
Ross – Thanks for the feedback, I will have to check out the Parker Vector.
The moleskine knockoffs that Target used to sell does the same thing that the Moleskine does, even with Noodler’s Bulletproof Black. I have the knockoff moleskine from target and I can’t write on it with black ink, or anything beyond a superfine nib.
Although my moleskine works with a slightly thicker nib, because I got lucky and got one of the ones that work well with fountain pen ink.
Jonel – Thanks for that additional bit of info. I’ve always wondered how people love the Moleskines so much. I wonder if it has something to do with the larger size nib working better with the paper?
No idea why, particuarly. I’m definitely not a huge fan of them–especially for the price. The knockoff I got was actually damaged, so I got it for less than a dollar, and I thought I would give the moleskine-type journal a try this semester at school–and I absolutely hate it. I don’t feel like I can scribble notes in next to my daily journaling(I could do that in the comp book I used before this one as a journal), I can’t tape things into it like I could my composition book, and I can’t shove a pen in to mark my spot(I know it’s bad for the binding, but I like doing it, so I don’t lose my pen or have to look for it every time I write).
At any rate, the moleskine reporter I use for daily notes now *does* do it’s job pretty well, despite me not liking it at first. Although I don’t think I’ll be buying another one anytime soon, unless I find a source of square moleskine reporters for $5 or less. Plus I already have a backlog of notebooks that I should be using.
Jonel – Again, thanks for all of that additional info. Sometimes I think the comments I get here are as valuable if not more valuable than my actual review of the item. Its always great to hear personal experiences and the how/why scenarios around other peoples usage.
I know the feeling about having a backlog of other stuff that you have to get to, Im in that situation with some pens right now, and I just ordered a bunch more from JetPens.
Great review! How is the drying time for Noodler’s BBk? It does have a reputation, you know…
Inkophile – good point, I should have mentioned the drying time. It dried very quickly on the Levenger paper…almost instantly, it took a few seconds on the Rhodia, but certainly within a range that I would consider acceptable.
Well, for me, as much as I enjoy Biffybean’s reviews, How she uses a journal is not how I’m going to use a journal. Yeah, we both use fountain pens, but I tend to use mine more for notes, reminders, and short stories than mandalas, and I don’t mind using a fine or extra-fine nib to write with. So as useful as the reviews are, I’m not too concerned about how journals take watercolor washes, or extra-broad nibs.
However, I did recently get a hand+book journal to use eventually, but for now, I think I’m going to journal only in cheap composition books.
Jonel – I enjoy Biffybean’s blog and reviews as well, and I do agree my use (and it sounds like yours too) for fountain pens and inks is of a different nature, so you have to take that into account when reading about the different reported properties of the inks, pens, and papers involved.
Since I am more into bright colors than blue-blacks, I don’t see myself using this, but it does enlighten to see it on the three different surfaces!
If you do want to move up to the next level of Pilot products, I highly recommend the gateway drug of the Pilot Namiki Knight. This pen is stunningly efficient and pleasant to write with. It’s one of the things that brought me back to the FP fold.
You can find them at Swisher Pens for the nice low price of $36.
Kim – I’m glad to see that the multiple writing samples of the Noodler’s Blue Black was helpful. I do also have the Noodler’s Tiananmen that I’ve used on Levenger paper with similar results in terms of not bleeding through much at all…but that is still a little on the dark side.
I will definately look at the Pilot Namiki Knight more, Id love to find one with a Fine nib, but it is a really nice looking pen…thanks for the tip on that.
Great review and you are acting as my worst enabler, I have to use up some of my ink stockpile before I buy some more. I like the look of this blue black ink.
Cheers
Bill
Bill – Im sorry, but I have an idea. How about you send me all your old stuff and then you just go buy the new stuff you want?
Like the wooden hand.
Nice review, OSG! I still have my Pelikan inked with Noodler’s blue/black. Someone mentioned drying time being a bit of a hassle and I do agree to an extent. Also depends on the paper you use as well. Post-it notes have to be the least favorable of all writing surfaces when it comes to ink.
Thanks for the website drop!
jack – I’ve gotten mixed reviews on “Woody” some people think he is creepy, others like him…thanks for the feedback!
Tom – I totally hear you on the Post-it notes, drying time for most ink on them should be measured in minutes, not seconds.
Also, thanks for your help in guiding me towards this ink, I really like it a lot! Using it again today at work.
Hey, I like Noodler’s Blue/Black ink. But does it seem a bit grey at times, or is it nice ‘n’ saturated? Have you tried to see if it was water resistant at all?