Ink Review: Noodler's Bad Green Gator

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Noodler's Bad Green Gator
Pen: Lamy Al-Star EF
Paper: Rhodia Dotpad 80gsm
Shading: low
Saturation: medium
Flow: wet
Dry Time: 5 seconds

Noodler's Bad Green Gator is another member of the Warden Series of Noodler's Inks.  Among these include Bad Blue Heron, Bad Belted Kingfisher, Bad Black Moccasin and Bad Green Gator.  I'd reviewed Bad Blue Heron recently when it was part of the Goulet's Ink Drop and really enjoyed that ink.  It was a very vibrant rich dark blue that behaved well in my experience, so I figured I'd give Bad Green Gator a try next.

Nathan Tardiff created the Warden Series of inks to combat both currently existing forgery techniques, as well as ones that haven't actually been observed by law enforcement as of yet.  The inks are what he calls "combination lock" inks, that have a set aging and component variable that are different on a per-bottle basis.  Essentially they each have a unique fingerprint; this makes it impossible for a forger to have an ink exactly identical to your bottle, making the forgery process nearly impossible.  In addition to the standard Bulletproof and washing-resistent properties that a lot of the Noodler's inks have, the Warden Series inks are also laser proof - pretty cool!

When I wrote with Bad Green Gator the first time, I noticed that the color seemed to flatten out a bit in it's saturation and richness once it soaked into the page.  There was very little shading, but it did fare well in regards to feathering and bleedthrough.  Like most Noodler's inks, it flows very well which is a plus.  It was a very impressive dry time at around 5 seconds for my fairly wet EF nib - likely because of it's permanent properties.  I'd probably recommend this to a left-handed writer for that reason.

In swab form, the ink looks a lot more saturated than it does out of my EF nib.  I had imagined the color would be a lot darker and have more shading, but unfortunately that wasn't the case.  So I wasn't really a huge fan of the color for that reason; but honestly that may not be the reason a lot of people buy this ink.  If you love the color green and want an ink that will stand the test of time (and forger), then Bad Green Gator is definitely for you!  You can pick up a 3oz bottle from Goulet or a similar retailer for $12.50.

Ink Review: Waterman Intense Black

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Waterman Intense Black (Ink Drop - April 2015)
Pen: Lamy Safari EF
Paper: Rhodia Dotpad 80gsm
Shading: none
Saturation: high
Flow: wet
Dry Time: 6 seconds

The final ink in this month's Ink Drop is Waterman Intense Black.  Waterman is one of the oldest brands in the fountain pen realm.  Lewis Edson Waterman created the first Waterman Fountain pen in 1883 and by the early 1900s they added ink to their line.  Waterman lays claim to creating the first ink cartridge in 1936 as well.

Waterman Intense Black is well-behaved black with a distinct brown undertone to it.  It almost looks like a deep, dark brown rather than black.  Being a black ink, it has no shading and is highly saturated.  It's a fairly wet flowing ink as well, and despite its wetness it has a very quick dry time with my EF nib at 6 seconds.

Back side of ink splatter, showing the evident brown undertone of the ink.

Overall, Waterman intense black is a nice ink.  Not my favorite black ink by any stretch, though I think that's because of the brown tint.  If you'd like a bottle, you can pick one up from Goulet or a similar retailer for $11.00 for a 50mL bottle.

Ink Review: Sheaffer Blue-Black

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Sheaffer Blue-Black (Ink Drop - April 2015)
Pen: Lamy Safari EF
Paper: Rhodia Dotpad 80gsm
Shading: low to moderate
Saturation: low to medium
Flow: medium wet
Dry Time: 8 seconds

The fourth ink in this month's Ink Drop is Sheaffer Blue-Black.  Sheaffer is brand that is fairly easy to run across; you can find their writing instruments and refills in most of your local office supply stores.  Aside from their fountain pens and inks, they have rollerballs, ballpoints and calligraphy products.

This is my first experience with a Sheaffer ink and to be honest I wasn't overly impressed.  Maybe I was expecting a more saturated ink as this one is fairly subdued in my experience.  I've found that inks from pen manufacturers tend to be a bit on the unsaturated side and this is no exception.  It's not a bad color at all, I do love the shade blue-black, but if I were to use a blue-black I'd definitely go with Iroshizuku Shin-Kai, Noodler's 54th Massachusets or Rohrer & Klingner Salix.

On the positive side, the ink is very well behaved.  No feather was present on my Rhodia pad and bleedthrough or ghosting were not an issue.  Dry time was average, at around 8 seconds.  All in all, not a bad ink; it's just not my preference.  Of course that doesn't mean that it isn't your preference, so if you're looking for a nice well behaved, no fuss blue-black, pick up a bottle at Goulet or a similar retailer for $9.25 for 50mL.

Ink Review: J. Herbin Gris Nuage

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J. Herbin Gris Nuage (Ink Drop - April 2015)
Pen: Lamy EF
Paper: Rhodia Dotpad 80gsm
Shading: low
Saturation: low
Flow: medium wet

The third ink in this month's Ink Drop is J. Herbin Gris Nuage.  J. Herbin was established in the year 1670 and is the oldest name in ink production in the world.  The company namesake, J. Herbin, was a sailor who ventured on many journeys to India and brought back a recipe for sealing wax.  They perfected this recipe over the years and became famous for the quality of his seals.  By 1700 he was making inks as well, and soon was making exclusive ink for Louis XIV and Victor Hugo.  Both of these ink formulas reside in their headquarters in Paris, France.

I had actually been considering picking up a bottle of Gris Nuage in my quest for my favorite grey ink, but I'd incidentally found my favorite before I had a chance.  I was glad to see it included in April's Ink Drop because I'd been wanting to try it.  I don't think it'll beat Faber-Castell Stone Grey as my favorite, it is definitely high up on the list.

Gris Nuage is a fairly low saturated ink, but that adds to the nice pale grey color on the paper.  It is a moderately wet ink that behaves quite well on my Rhodia pad.  No feathering or bleedthrough to speak of.  This is definitely my favorite ink in this Ink Drop, and I highly recommend it if you're looking for a middle of the road grey ink.

You can pick up a 30 mL bottle from Goulet or a similar retailer for $11.00.