We know that many of our readers love to use the deepest, darkest, most intense black fountain pen ink that you can find. Writer’s Bloc decided to do a simple comparison of some popular black inks and then pass the results on to you.
In this test we used a Clairefontaine drawing pad, a Brause calligraphy pen and a Q-tip.
Here are some characteristics of each ink:
Aurora Black – A true black color, good flow, not waterproof.
Pelikan Brilliant Black – Kind of a grey-black, not waterproof.
Noodler’s Black – A warm black color, "bulletproof", has a "creamy" feel against the paper.
Noodler’s Borealis Black – Water resistant, very penetrating.
Noodler’s Heart of Darkness – "Bulletproof", dries with a tiny bit of shine.
LAMY Black – A cool black with blue undertones, not waterproof.
In our opinion, the top three blackest black fountain pen inks are the Aurora, Noodler’s Borealis Black and Noodler’s Heart of Darkness. Alan’s favorite is the Borealis Black. What’s your favorite intensely dark black ink? (Click on the picture below to enlarge it.)
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I’m fond of the black unshaded super-saturated black of Private Reserve Ultra Black as well, but I will definitely check out some noodler’s HOD when I find a couple of nickels to rub together.
Just a note, Noodler’s HOD is *not* bulletproof. It is eternal – which gives rise to a different subset of qualities such as anti-fading. I tend to view them as the same, but not everyone does.
David – Thanks for the clarification!
I prefer the Namiki black, although I may be willing to try the two Noodler’s now. Thanks for the comparo!
Actually, for those that care, the Noodler’s Ink site lists H.O.D. as bulletproof and eternal. To quote, “All Noodler’s Polar Inks are also classed as “Bulletproof”, as well as such inks as “Lexington Gray”, “Black”, “Heart of Darkness”, “Golden Year of the Pig”, “Hunter Green”, “Luxury Blue”, “X-Feather”, and “Fox Red”.”
I’ve used the Noodlers 4.5 oz Black Ink. It is eternal & bullerproof. At least that’s what it says on the bottle label. I was informed that it is the blackest ink around. However I was told that Aurora Black is the blackest. Although I’ve never tried it.
Mel – Noodler’s black with its eternal and bulletproof qualities and reasonable price make it a very popular ink! Our small test showed Aurora black ink to be a bit more saturated than Noodler’s black, and even though it is not waterproof a lot of writers love it too. If you decide to try Aurora let us know how you think it compares. Thanks for your input!
In my opinion AURORA black ink is the darkest. I use it in my Parker 61 with fine italic nib and my Parker super 21 with med. italic nib
I wish that you had also tested the Platinum Carbon Black. I have used it and the Noodlers with good results.
Hi Charles,
We are thinking of including Platinum Carbon Black with some future tests. Thanks for the suggestion!