Favorite Noodler's Inks

[Laura N]

Noodler's Fans, I wonder if you could give me some help. I am looking to put together a list of some of Noodler's biggest hits and best or most interesting inks. I am looking for Noodler's inks that are currently available in the regular marketplace -- not any that have been discontinued or are limited to particular retailers.

So, what's a Top Ten or Top 20 or Top 30 List of Noodler's inks for you? The ones you already love, or would love to try, and that we could buy at just about any retailer.

[Jon Szanto]

There are really only two that I would always want to have on hand:

- Noodler's Black, because it excels at all my needs when a tight, waterproof black is cast in a leading role
- Black Swan in Australian Roses, because there is really nothing else quite like it. I am still working off my original two bottles, and I've heard the formula has wandered. I hope not far.

[tandaina]

Apache Sunset
The original formula of Black Swan in Australian Roses (the new one is a totally different color and I'm not a fan.)

[mhosea]

Having just de-Noodlered my own ink collection, I feel a bit awkward in answering this question, but that choice was mostly about de-cluttering my ink cabinet. They stack nicely in boxes, but I began to wonder just how much weight the glass shelves in my cabinet were supposed to support, and there's still plenty of ink left, I can tell you. :)

I believe I've tried something like 45 or so Noodler's inks at this point, having bought bottles in perhaps 75% of those cases. The one I'm most likely to miss is Noodler's Navy. I should think Noodler's Blue would need to be in there.

[SL89]

Noodler's Borealis Black is my go to for black ink. I know its not bulletproof or anything like that, but that is beyond the scope of what I need. It is just a very very saturated black.

Noodler's Nikita is my favorite red (tho i am looking into trying the new Pak red)

I've yet to find a Noodler's Green that I really enjoy, (Diamine Sherwood Green comes close to an ideal for me)

I also recently got some of the glow in the dark / invisible ink Blue Ghost and am planning on inking up a pad and stamp with that and some Baystate Blue to make a unique seal.

[carlos.q]

Noodler's bulletproof Black - when you need a no-fuss basic waterproof black.
Noodler's Liberty's Elysium - a very nice bright blue with good water resistance.

[Neo]

Noodler's bulletproof Black - when you need a no-fuss basic waterproof black.
Noodler's Liberty's Elysium - a very nice bright blue with good water resistance.

I think the latter is only from the Goulets.

[mhosea]

I think the latter is only from the Goulets.

That's right. If we were to add exclusives, I'd add Revolution Blue (Goldspot).

[Chrissy]

I am watching this thread with great interest as I have a few Noodler's inks in my temporary ink drawer that could easily be PIF'd within the US before I leave for the bleak UK. :)

Many people seem to love the original Black Swan in Australian Roses, but sadly that is one that I don't have.

I know people who love General of the Armies too, and it looks great in letters, but I'm not sure if that is a current ink

[Sailor Kenshin]

- Black Swan in Australian Roses, because there is really nothing else quite like it.

That.

Plus, I'm really fond of Air Corp Blue-Black. It's teal-y, and dilutes well.

V-Mail GI Green is a nice, dark evergreen that mixes with Navaho Turquoise to create 'Navaho GI,' or 'GI Navaho,' depending on the ratios.


I would heartily recommend Bad Green Gator as the only really waterproof ink I own, if it did not turn, literally, into varnish inside a pen.

I have a ton of Noodler's inks in sample form, and I enjoy using Zhivago, Rabaul Red, Squeteague (or however you spell it!) and a bunch of others. But the only one of those I'd consider replacing with an entire bottle once it's gone is Luxury Blue. Slinky-smooth and serious, with a hint of teal.

[Neo]

I am watching this thread with great interest as I have a few Noodler's inks in my temporary ink drawer that could easily be PIF'd within the US before I leave for the bleak UK. :)

Many people seem to love the original Black Swan in Australian Roses, but sadly that is one that I don't have.

I know people who love General of the Armies too, and it looks great in letters, but I'm not sure if that is a current ink

How quickly does the color change effect occur?

[mhosea]

Noodler's Nikita is my favorite red (tho i am looking into trying the new Pak red)


I should second the Nikita nomination. Nikita is a great red, more water resistant than most, and very normal in its saturation and flow rate. One might, say, compare it to the Slovenian Sheaffer Skrip Red and not have a sense that one was more or less "boutique ink like" than the other. I'm not sure why Nathan never offered it in a regular bottle. A pair of Sailor Nagasawa Kobe reds, one darker and one brighter, pushed it out of regular use for me, but not before I'd used half of the 4.5 oz bottle with satisfaction.

[Laura N]

Thank you to everyone! But, yes, I can't do exclusives. I am specifically looking for the commonly available Noodler's sold by more than one retailer. Nor will invisible or highlighter inks work for this project -- bummer! :)

So far we have:

Black
Blue
Navy
Apache Sunset
Nikita Red
Borealis Black
General of the Armies
Air Corp Blue-Black
V-Mail GI Green
Zhivago
Rabaul Red
Squeteague
Luxury Blue

and I will just go ahead and add Black Swan in Australian Roses (current version)
and also Navajo Turquoise.

I really appreciate all the help. I probably need to get to 30. :)

[Quantum Sailor]

I'm a fan of Air Corp Blue-Black and Black, in all fairness these are the only Noodlers I've tried. My girlfriend is very happy with Hellfire.

[Sailor Kenshin]

Forgot to mention the V-Mail Mandalay Maroon. It ain't BSIAR, but a nice deep...maroon.

[Neo]

I use a lot of different inks, but these come to mind.

For writing that I plan to keep, Noodler's Polar Blue works well. The color tends to be dusty but it does have that bulletproof property and is office appropriate.

For shading, I echo Tandaina in recommending Apache Sunset and add Golden Brown as well.

For things that are shredder bound anyway, Gruene Cactus is good with fast drying and tendency to not feather.

[Wile E Coyote]

There are really only two that I would always want to have on hand:

- Noodler's Black, because it excels at all my needs when a tight, waterproof black is cast in a leading role
- Black Swan in Australian Roses, because there is really nothing else quite like it. I am still working off my original two bottles, and I've heard the formula has wandered. I hope not far.

Unfortunately, it has wandered quite a way off. We had a meeting of NJ pen folks a month or so ago where we compared both and the newer formulation is much lighter. It's more of a grey swan now but the roses are still there.

[Jon Szanto]

There are really only two that I would always want to have on hand:

- Noodler's Black, because it excels at all my needs when a tight, waterproof black is cast in a leading role
- Black Swan in Australian Roses, because there is really nothing else quite like it. I am still working off my original two bottles, and I've heard the formula has wandered. I hope not far.

Unfortunately, it has wandered quite a way off. We had a meeting of NJ pen folks a month or so ago where we compared both and the newer formulation is much lighter. It's more of a grey swan now but the roses are still there.

Son of a bitch. I just checked: one bottle about 65% full and a large vial. Use wisely, Jon.

[Laura N]

Okay, what does everyone think about this possible list? I put in everything mentioned, and added a few others that are on the best seller list on Amazon. I had to add Baystate Blue myself. Is this representative? Do I need more browns, or anything else, or less of anything?

54th Massachusetts
Aircorp Blue Black
Antietam
Apache Sunset
Baystate Blue
Black
Black Swan in Australian Roses
Blue
Borealis Black
Eel Rattler Red
General of the Armies
Golden Brown
Green Marine
Gruene Cactus
Hellfire
Lexington Gray
Luxury Blue
Navajoe Turquoise
Navy
Nikita
Ottoman Azure
Ottoman Rose
Polar Blue
Purple
Rabaul Red
Squetegue
V-Mail GI Green
V-Mail Mandalay Maroon
Violet
Zhivago

[Jon Szanto]

I don't know what to say - I've never even heard of some of those, how could I possibly judge the popularity? We're going on a pretty small sample size, here on FPG. Just for confirmation, other ideas, you could scan the threads here (https://www.reddit.com/r/fountainpens/comments/38wz12/what_is_your_favorite_noodlers_ink/) and here (https://www.reddit.com/r/fountainpens/comments/2g4tbn/what_are_your_favorite_noodlers_inks/) on reddit to get the kid's faves. Might give some other anecdotal weight to choices.

[Armstrong]

Luxury Blue is probably my favorite. This ink has great shading properties and flows well.

Marine Green and Purple Martin probably tie for second. Went a little nuts on both of those for a while lol.

I love the Noodler's Bullet Proof line and use it almost exclusively, especially for check signing. But I also use it for study notes which amounts to a lot of writing. Have not had any real problems with the bullet proof series. I do understand that you need to flush the pens more often which isn't a big deal to me. Ammonia and water seems to clean it out very well.

The Noodler Blacks are very black and I love them. I use two of them regularly. The one with the Mocassin snake on the label for my general use. The X-Feather black for pens I will carry for appointments where I don't know the quality of the paper.

I have a couple bottles of a bright yellow and a very hot pink (was trying to entice my wife into fountain pens). The yellow is for Preppy highlighter pens. The pink is bright and very readable, leaps off the page.

[Laura N]

I don't know what to say - I've never even heard of some of those, how could I possibly judge the popularity? We're going on a pretty small sample size, here on FPG. Just for confirmation, other ideas, you could scan the threads here (https://www.reddit.com/r/fountainpens/comments/38wz12/what_is_your_favorite_noodlers_ink/) and here (https://www.reddit.com/r/fountainpens/comments/2g4tbn/what_are_your_favorite_noodlers_inks/) on reddit to get the kid's faves. Might give some other anecdotal weight to choices.

Actually, that's all I am looking for -- people's personal favorite Noodler's. I'm not necessarily looking for Noodler's that everyone has already tried, but rather for good ones to offer people. I need help because there are so many. I'd like to boil down the many Noodler's inks to a smaller group to choose among. It's not meant to be authoritative or anything. :)

But it's cool how many people are mentioning the same ones, and how that's tracking some of the things I've pieced together online. The wisdom of crowds.

[rdcalhoon]

Zhivago is the one Noodler's ink that I pull out regularly. I often use Black on the rare times I want a black ink. The samples I have tried that I am considering a bottle would include Nightshade, 54th Mass, and Bad Green Gator. I am being more deliberate in my ink purchases there days, but I doubt I will reach a steady state of purchase vs usage.

[reprieve]

Okay, what does everyone think about this possible list? I put in everything mentioned, and added a few others that are on the best seller list on Amazon. I had to add Baystate Blue myself. Is this representative? Do I need more browns, or anything else, or less of anything?

54th Massachusetts
Aircorp Blue Black
Antietam
Apache Sunset
Baystate Blue
Black
Black Swan in Australian Roses
Blue
Borealis Black
Eel Rattler Red
General of the Armies
Golden Brown
Green Marine
Gruene Cactus
Hellfire
Lexington Gray
Luxury Blue
Navajoe Turquoise
Navy
Nikita
Ottoman Azure
Ottoman Rose
Polar Blue
Purple
Rabaul Red
Squetegue
V-Mail GI Green
V-Mail Mandalay Maroon
Violet
Zhivago

That looks like a pretty nice list to me.

I would add Walnut. It's a really lovely rich dark brown, mostly well-behaved, and one of my favorite Noodler's inks. I am also a big fan of the new Park Red. It's a very pretty red and is slightly water-resistant. I like it even more than Nikita.

My other favorites are all on your list already. Zhivago is a go-to for me as is Black Swan in Australian Roses (though I haven't used the new formula). Yes to Antietam and Apache Sunset and Ottoman Rose. I don't use black inks often, and when I do, I usually choose Aurora Black, but Noodler's Black is a classic and definitely has a place in my ink cabinet. I prefer Dark Matter, but it's not worth having that many black inks on your list. :)

[Dreck]

I second (third?) the 54th Massachusetts. Until I converted to Iron Gall, 54th Mass was my absolute go-to, and I still have a bottle and a half of it. I love the UV-resistant, waterproof, bleach-proof, everything-proof qualities, and if Nathan made it in a formulation that oxidized to a blue/black, I'd probably never EVER use anything else--even for grading.

I also liked the Red-Black, and as someone has already said, the Noodler's Black is...very black.

[Armstrong]

From what I have read, not personal experience, you need to be careful of Baystate Blue as it has a reputation for staining. Though does seem to be wildly popular.

I also use Bad Blue Heron for a darker blue. It is a medium dark blue with some turquoise in it

[Armstrong]

I was just on Goulet's site. They are saying the ORIGINAL formula for Black Swan in Australian Roses is back.

[Jon Szanto]

I was just on Goulet's site. They are saying the ORIGINAL formula for Black Swan in Australian Roses is back.

It's Nathan: for how long? Why did it go away? Why did it come back? Dealing with an iconoclastic, loner producer has it's... downsides.

P.S. Any particular reason you are changing the fonts in your posts? Some of them are a bit hard to read, you could just leave the default font on and it would be the same for all of use (unless you need to really do some design of your response, etc).

[caribbean_skye]

My suggestions are: Gruene cactus eel, shahs Rose, ottoman azure, rattler red eel,

[dannzeman]

I was just on Goulet's site. They are saying the ORIGINAL formula for Black Swan in Australian Roses is back.

P.S. Any particular reason you are changing the fonts in your posts? Some of them are a bit hard to read, you could just leave the default font on and it would be the same for all of use (unless you need to really do some design of your response, etc).

Not to mention the color change. Ugh.

[Chrissy]

I am watching this thread with great interest as I have a few Noodler's inks in my temporary ink drawer that could easily be PIF'd within the US before I leave for the bleak UK. :)

Many people seem to love the original Black Swan in Australian Roses, but sadly that is one that I don't have.

I know people who love General of the Armies too, and it looks great in letters, but I'm not sure if that is a current ink

How quickly does the color change effect occur?

I haven't written with it myself, but I don't think it takes long for the color change effect to occur, just after it's written I think. It's always blue in the letters i receive.

[TerraNoir]

I would just like to add that Noodler's Nightshade is quite the unusual color but I rather like it! Though the list all together is one that I truly agree with. Black Swan in Australian Roses, in its original form, is just amazing! Definitely love Golden Brown too. I think I need to start revisiting some of my dear old friends!

[dannzeman]

My suggestions are: Gruene cactus eel, shahs Rose, ottoman azure, rattler red eel,

Gruene Cactus Eel is one of my favorites!

[dannzeman]

Also, forgot to mention Boston Brahmin Black. It's probably the best ink I've ever used for flex nibs.

[Sailor Kenshin]

I almost want to say Saguaro Wine. Someone wrote to me with this beauuuutiful color, and I fell for it, BUT I have never used it, so unlike my other suggestions, I don't know its properties.

[AndyYNWA]

54th Massachusetts is my favourite Noodler's. Nice color and behaves quite well for a Noodler's ink.

[AndyYNWA]

<snip>

I also use Bad Blue Heron for a darker blue. It is a medium dark blue with some turquoise in it

Maybe if you get your hands on the right batch. The one I have is a quite bright turquoise, nowhere near medium dark...

Seems like Noodler's are quite inconsistent in their quality control.

[Armstrong]

Well I looked in the comments and they said Nathan has not changed the formula at all. So the color judgement is just that a judgement call by the Goulet's people. The problem is apparently the consistency of the raw materials. The formula, according to Brian Goulet, has not changed from the original ever.

[TAYLORPUPPY]

I am watching this thread with great interest as I have a few Noodler's inks in my temporary ink drawer that could easily be PIF'd within the US before I leave for the bleak UK. :)

Many people seem to love the original Black Swan in Australian Roses, but sadly that is one that I don't have.

I know people who love General of the Armies too, and it looks great in letters, but I'm not sure if that is a current ink

I would like a bottle