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.

Review: Nock Co. Dot Dash Notebook Black

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Nock Co. continues to grow their business and adding new products to their storefront.  The latest addition is their Black Dot Dash Notebooks.  If you've read my review on the Yellow Dot Dash Notebooks, you know that the paper wasn't ideal for fountain pens.  They remind me a lot of the Field Notes notebooks; awesome product but less than stellar paper.  Nock Co. has listened to their users and have now released the Black Dot Dash Notebooks to their line to remedy that particular problem.  

The first thing you'll of course notice when comparing the books is the new, more subdued, black cover.  A lot of bloggers/reviewers, myself included, weren't the hugest fans of the bright yellow cover with the brown logo.  I have to say I am really digging this new cover - definitely more my style.

Nock have really done their homework on this one - the paper doesn't feel much heavier, but it is considerably smoother than the old books.  It is incredibly fountain pen friendly in comparison as well - in my tests, there was no feathering to speak of, even with my 1.1 mm stub.  

Left: Yellow Dot Dash Notebook; Right: Black Dot Dash Notebook

The color of the Dot Dash pattern has changed as well.  As opposed to the grey pattern on the Yellow books, the Black books sport a nice purple pattern.  You'll also notice the awesome "USA" logo on the back showing that they continue to stick to their tradition of US-made products.

I have avoided pocket notebooks for some time because of their lack of fountain pen friendly paper.  Nock Co. has changed that entirely.  These are truly a pleasure to write on and I know I'll be using them frequently.  Brad and Jeff continue to outdo themselves with excellent customer service and top-notch products.  I can't wait to see what other awesomeness comes out of Atlanta this year!

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.