PDA

View Full Version : What Are Your Top 5 Inks?



thagbert
April 5th, 2013, 08:12 PM
What are your top 5 inks?

In no particular order;

Noodler's 54th Massachusetts
Noodler's Purple Heart
Diamine Syrah
Noodler'a Bad Blue Heron
Noodler's Habanero

KrazyIvan
April 5th, 2013, 10:18 PM
Right now,

Diamine Syrah
Iroshizuku Ku-Jaku
Noodler's Midway Blue
Diamine Asa Blue
Diamine Red Dragon

The Good Captain
April 6th, 2013, 01:43 AM
In no particular order:
Pelikan 4001 Blue-Black
Diamine Presidential Blue
Montblanc Midnight Blue
R&K Scabiosa
Noodler's Prime of the Commons

earthdawn
April 6th, 2013, 01:46 AM
Noodlers Black Swan in English Roses
Mont Blanc Alfred Hitchcock
Akkermans Bekakt Haags
Noodlers Habanero
Akkerman Simplisties Violet

writingrav
April 6th, 2013, 05:44 AM
Edelstein Topaz
Noodler's Heart of Darkness
Noodler's Liberty Ellysium
Organics Studio "Join or Die" green sepia
Private Reserve Chocolat

gwgtaylor
April 6th, 2013, 06:26 AM
No order. Choices subject to change:

Mont Blanc Midnight Blue
Waterman Havana Brown
Waterman Florida Blue
J. Herbin Orange Indien
Noodler's The Purple Heart

fountainpenkid
April 6th, 2013, 12:42 PM
Diamine Asa Blue
Diamine Ancient Copper
Aurora Blue
Diamine Matador
R&K Alt Goldgrun

jor412
April 7th, 2013, 09:14 AM
In no particular order -
R&K Alt Goldgrun
Noodler's Zhivago
Noodler's El Lawrence
Diamine Red Dragon
Pilot Iroshizuku Yama guri

seriouschick
April 7th, 2013, 02:39 PM
Long-time lurker, first time poster ~ but I'm such an ink-hound, this thread called to me today.

I was *just* reorganizing my inks a few hours ago and thinking about my current favorites.

Here are my current 5 top picks (in no order...)

Mont Blanc Alfred Hitchcock
Noodler's Aircorp Blue Black
Diamine Havasu Turqouise
Pilot Iroshizuku Fuyu-Syogun
PR Avacado

thagbert
April 7th, 2013, 02:47 PM
It seems difficult for a lot of us to pick one single favorite. Different pens, different paper, different situations call for different inks!

southpaw52
April 8th, 2013, 03:49 PM
1. PR Dc Show Super Green
2. Conway Stewart Tamar
3. DeAtramentis Mandragora
5. Diamine Majestic Blue
Not in any particular order though my current top five.

Bogon07
April 8th, 2013, 05:10 PM
Hi seriouschick and welcome to the forum. Glad to see another liker of AirCorp.

Noodler's Aircorp Blue Black
Noodler's Catalpa
Noodler's 54th Massachusetts
Caran d'Ache Caribbean Sea
Noodler's Black Swan in Australian Roses

also
Noodler's Habanero or Apache Sunset

menunes
April 8th, 2013, 05:33 PM
Diamine Syrah
Monblanc Carlo Collodi
Sailor Sky High
J. Herbin Poussiére de Lune
Monblanc Red Season Greetings 2012 LE

thagbert
April 8th, 2013, 08:42 PM
1. PR Dc Show Super Green
2. Conway Stewart Tamar
3. DeAtramentis Mandragora
5. Diamine Majestic Blue
Not in any particular order though my current top five.

Umm. You forgot number four.

fountainpenkid
April 9th, 2013, 03:43 PM
Damn. Akkerman Treves Turquoise is quite something...it might actually appeal to me more than Asa Blue... but I'll never find a bottle so I can't put it on my list.

earthdawn
April 10th, 2013, 02:16 AM
It looks a lot like the one Mont Blanc put out a while back .... beautiful color for sure!

dsolmei
April 24th, 2013, 09:14 PM
Noodler's Black -- I like the bulletproof qualities and the greyish shading when used with broader, wetter nibs.
Sailor Jentle Blue-Black -- I believe this is an Iron-Gall ink. It's a beautiful blue-black with great flow and a reasonable amount of shading.
Diamine Ancient Copper -- When the ink is wet on the page it's almost a chestnut brown. As the ink dries, it becomes more copper in color. Truly a beautiful brown.
Waterman Florida Blue -- Excellent properties and behavior. It isn't the best looker, but it can be very captivating with broader nibs.
Noodler's Black Swan in Australian Roses -- Wow. Gorgeous shading on Rhodia. It's one of the more subtle purplish inks. More purple-blackish.

Jon Szanto
April 25th, 2013, 12:12 AM
In an order that could only be described as "Alphabetically Sequential", I enjoy:


Aurora Black
Diamine Red Dragon
Iroshizuku Kon-peki
Private Reserve Sherwood Green
Sheaffer Skrip Permanent Blue-Black (vintage)

Jon Szanto
April 25th, 2013, 12:19 AM
Sailor Jentle Blue-Black -- I believe this is an Iron-Gall ink. It's a beautiful blue-black with great flow and a reasonable amount of shading.
Nice ink, might be my 2nd or 3rd choice for b/b ink, but... I do not believe it is an iron gall ink. Perhaps you have it confused with Pilot Sei Boku Nano Blue-Black Carbon.

woosang
April 25th, 2013, 04:03 AM
Sailor Jentle Blue-Black -- I believe this is an Iron-Gall ink. It's a beautiful blue-black with great flow and a reasonable amount of shading.
Nice ink, might be my 2nd or 3rd choice for b/b ink, but... I do not believe it is an iron gall ink. Perhaps you have it confused with Pilot Sei Boku Nano Blue-Black Carbon.

Agreed as the Sei Boku is advertised as pigmented but the Jentle inks are just that, easy to wash it of your pens (I prefer the carbon ink)

Sent from my GT-N7105 using Tapatalk 2

reprieve
April 25th, 2013, 06:58 AM
Montblanc Racing Green
Iroshizuku Ku-jaku
Diamine Ancient Copper
Pilot Blue-black
tie between Montblanc Violet and Noodler's Purple Heart

Pensfan
April 25th, 2013, 10:14 AM
Sheesh, tough to pick my Top 5 with so many situations, pens, paper, etc. In no particular order, here are the inks I use the most, so they could probably be said to be my favorites? haha

1) Diamine Majestic Blue: used in my daily note taking pen
2) Diamine Green Black: used in my daily carry pen and use in my Rhodia daily planner
3) Diamine Midnight: used for letter writing and playing with flex nibs for the shading
4) Noodler's Eel Black: used for checks, signatures, etc.
5) Noodler's Aircorp Blue Black: Used in wife's daily pen

tytoalba
April 25th, 2013, 10:22 AM
In no particular order:
Diamine Saddle Brown
Aurora Black
Noodlers Apache Sunset
Lamy Blue (yes, its well behaved in all respects)
Diamine Meadow, though I'd like to say Mont Blanc Oyster Grey, have received correspondence with the grey, and its a great color, particularly on off white paper. Can't speak to its characteristics in use, however.

Rollo the Cat
April 25th, 2013, 10:52 AM
Noodler's van Gogh Starry Night

Aurora Black

Noodler's Apache Sunset

Private Reserve Midnight Blues

Iroshizuku Yama Budo

fiberdrunk
April 25th, 2013, 09:12 PM
My favorite commercial inks:

1. Noodler's Violet Vote
2. Noodler's Bad Blue Heron
3. Noodler's Galileo Manuscript Brown
4. A dark burgundy blend of Magic Color Solar Scarlet + Delta Violet
5. Pharmacist's Urkundentinte (iron gall ink)

I make homemade iron gall and black walnut inks, too. Those top the list! ;o)

velo
April 26th, 2013, 04:24 AM
Conservative colours:
Private Reserve Ebony Purple
Pilot Iroshizuku Asa Gao

New to me:
Diamine Oxblood
Diamine Syrah
Noodler's Black Swan in Australian Roses

drgoretex
April 26th, 2013, 07:06 AM
In order of usage:

-Pharmacist's Darkening Absinthe
-Diamine Registrar's Ink
-Lamy Blue Black (old formula)
-Pharmacist's Urkundentinte
-Ecclesiastical Stationery Supplies' Registrar's Ink

All iron-gall for permanent hospital charting.

Ken

jacksterp
April 29th, 2013, 12:09 PM
This list changes somewhat frequently - but as of now

2228

jde
April 29th, 2013, 12:55 PM
Is it okay boring lil me only has 3?

Namiki / Pilot Blue (counting them as one)
Pilot Blue-Black
Diamine Registrars Ink / Chesterfield Archival Ink (again, the same ink)


If I could afford it: Sailor Sei-Boku
If they still made it: Sailor Yama-dori

Perhaps that's five!

MarneM
April 29th, 2013, 03:00 PM
I can pick three fairly easily:

1) Diamine Ancient Copper
2) Iroshizuku Ku Jaku
3) Noodler's Black Swan in Australian Roses

The last two I think I'll just reserve until I have experimented with more ink. Although Waterman Blue Black may have a place. :-)

reprieve
April 29th, 2013, 03:42 PM
Is it okay boring lil me only has 3?

Namiki / Pilot Blue (counting them as one)
Pilot Blue-Black
Diamine Registrars Ink / Chesterfield Archival Ink (again, the same ink)


If I could afford it: Sailor Sei-Boku
If they still made it: Sailor Yama-dori

Perhaps that's five!

You are the one who turned me on to the wonderfully behaved Namiki/Pilot inks, which I had overlooked for a long time. I use Pilot Blue and Blue-black (my favorite) all the time. So thank you!

sargetalon
April 29th, 2013, 03:45 PM
My top 5 would be...

Aurora Black
Waterman's' Serenity Blue
Iroshizuku Kon-Peki
Private Reserve Sherwood Green
Noodler's Apache Sunset

Waski_the_Squirrel
April 29th, 2013, 04:03 PM
I always struggle to fill out this list.

Noodler's Black
Noodler's Baystate Blue
Noodler's Apache Sunset
Iroshizuku Yama-budo

and here we run into a problem...

gylo
May 1st, 2013, 09:15 AM
Top five (and only five)

Diamine - Ochre
J Herbin D - Olive Green

Cross - Blue
Diamine - Merlot
Diamine - Grape

I'm interested in ink that i can use at work - signing legal stuff, writing letter, notes and meeting minutes etc.
Something usual but not unacceptable to the signing of a check or contract!

I certainly need a black/grey and any other suggestions?

I don't seem to get away with the first 2 without raised eyebrows!:)

pajaro
May 1st, 2013, 05:55 PM
Montblanc black
Parker black
Montblanc racing green
Montblanc violet
Sheaffer blue black

Nonsensical
May 1st, 2013, 11:58 PM
Iroshizuku Kon Peki
Noodlers Black
Iroshizuku Tsuki Yo
Pilot Blue Black
Sailor Nano Black

carlos.q
May 2nd, 2013, 05:25 AM
At this moment:

Montblanc Midnight Blue
Pelikan Edelstein Topaz
Pilot/Namiki Blue
Pelikan 4001 Blue Black
Diamine Sapphire

Tomorrow... Who knows?

de_pen_dent
May 3rd, 2013, 12:51 PM
I've really gotten into my Iroshizuku inks of late. My favorites are:

- Kon Peki
- Ku Jaku
- Noodler Black Swan / Australian Rose
- Diamine Chocolate
- Caran d'Ache Caribbean

Laura N
May 3rd, 2013, 01:27 PM
I change inks and favorites too often to be relied on. The best I can do is:

blue
blue black
lighter blue
really dark blue
blue green

I really like blue. Sigh.

AlejoPlay
May 3rd, 2013, 02:02 PM
Sailor Jentle Blue
Iroshizuku Kon-Peki
Iroshizuku Tsuki-Yo
R&K Alt Goldgrun
Iroshizuku Ku-Jaku

Murfie
May 3rd, 2013, 08:17 PM
De Atramentis Maron
Diamine Steel Blue
Noodlers Baystate Blue
Herbin Lie de Thé
De Atramentis Sahara Grey

thagbert
May 16th, 2013, 07:32 PM
New Top 5 Inks;

Noodler's 54th Massachusetts
Noodler's Purple Heart
Diamine Syrah
Noodler'a Cactus Fruit
Noodler's Habanero

anaximander
May 18th, 2013, 01:21 AM
Pelikan 4001 Blue-Black
Noodler's Zhivago
J. Herbin Pearle Noir
J. Herbin Vert Empire
Iroshizuku Asa-gao

Honey Mustard
May 18th, 2013, 01:08 PM
Rohrer and Klingner Sepia
J. Herbin Cacao du Brésil
DeAtramentis Kermesin Red
Private Reserve Sepia
MontBlanc Jonathan Swift Seaweed Green (sadly a LE, though Vert Empire isn't close behind)

anaximander
May 19th, 2013, 02:01 AM
Because I like counting things, I tallied the replies to this post so far.

Inks that have more than 3 votes are:

Aurora Black
Diamine Ancient Copper
Diamine Syrah
Noodler's 54th Massachusetts
Noodler's Apache Sunset
Noodler's Black Swan in Australian Roses
Noodler's Purple Heart
Pilot Iroshizuku Kon-peki
Pilot Iroshizuku Ku-jaku

By brand, the most popular so far are Noodler's (46), Diamine (32), Pilot (23), and Montblanc (13).

Gulfcoast
May 21st, 2013, 06:05 PM
Pelikan 4001 Blue Black
Iroshizuku Asa Gao
Iroshizuku Kon Peki
Noodlers Black Eel
Waterman Florida Blue.



Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

Jane-K
May 21st, 2013, 06:39 PM
J Herbin Bleu Ocean
Diamine Red Dragon
J Herbin Rouge Hematite
Montblanc Alfred Hitchcock
Montblanc Irish Green

caleath
May 23rd, 2013, 02:39 PM
Noodlers Burma Road Brown
Diamine Midnight
Noodlers 54th mass
Private Reserve Tanzanite
Noodlers Zhivago diluted 50/50 with water.

That's about it for now.

oldstoat
May 23rd, 2013, 03:41 PM
Diamine Midnight Blue
Diamine Chocolate Brown
Callifolio Bonne Esperance
Herbin Lie de The
Diamine Eclipse

AndyT
May 25th, 2013, 08:54 AM
Waterman Blue Black
Montblanc Midnight Blue
Rohrer und Klingner Scabiosa (and Salix according to mood)
Diamine Majestic Blue
Diamine Monaco Red

dgator
May 25th, 2013, 08:58 AM
Noodler's Black
Waterman Florida Blue
Binder Burgundy (Sheaffer Skrip Red + Waterman Purple)
Pelikan Blue
J. Herbin Éclat de Saphir

firstpancake
May 28th, 2013, 11:46 PM
Pelikan 4001 violet
Noodlers ottoman azure
Noodlers otteman rose
Noodlers apache sunset
Private reserve purple mojo

cedargirl
May 29th, 2013, 01:16 AM
Ooohh - I haven't played this one yet.

So today it would be -

Noodler's #41 Brown
Diamine Syrah
Diamine Asa Blue

That was easy. Have to think now.

And -

Private Reserve Ebony Blue
Noodler's Zhivago

But now I want to add more ...

franzdimson
June 2nd, 2013, 08:52 AM
Noodler's Liberty's Elysium

Private Reserve American Blue

Diamine Syrah

Montblanc Albert Einstein

Waterman Serenity Blue (TIFKAF as Dr SBRE Brown says)

I guess I have a big bias with blue inks... =)

Essensia
June 2nd, 2013, 10:03 AM
Iroshizuku ku-jaku
Namiki Blue
Noodler's FPN Galileo Manuscript Brown
Noodler's Violet Vote
Noodler's Eel Blue

Cake
June 2nd, 2013, 10:25 AM
Diamine Red Dragon
Private Reserve Plum
Sailor Jentle Apricot
Diamine Syrah
Noodler's American Blue Eel

MadAmos
June 2nd, 2013, 04:00 PM
In no particular order and subject to change from day to day my top five by use are:


Diamine Damson
Diamine Syrah
Iroshizuku Tsuki-yo
Iroshizuku Shin-kai
Scribal Workshop Sasquatch

This was harder than I thought, limiting myself to 5 is quite difficult so as a bonus here is my honorable mention list.


Pilot

Blue
Blue-Black


Noodlers

54th Massachusetts
Squeteague
Air Corp Blue-Black
Bay State Blue
Bad Blue Heron
Red-Black
Purple Wampum


Iroshizuku

Momiji
Kiri-same
Yama-guri


Diamine

Merlot
Twilight
Rouge Carabier


Pelikan

Brilliant Brown
Blue-Black


Private Reserve

Velvet Black

DLS
June 3rd, 2013, 12:32 AM
Mont Blanc Irish Green
P.W Akkerman Shocking Blue
Waterman Havana Brown
Conway Stewart/Diamine Tavy
Mont Blanc Lavender Purple

Would not be able to rank them in any specific order though! :)

thagbert
June 26th, 2013, 07:21 PM
The list has changed.

1. Diamine Syrah
2. Noodler's Cactus Fruit
3. Noodler's Purple Heart
4. Noodler's 54th Massachusetts
5. Noodler's Habanero

I have a Diamine Midnight that I have yet to try. Need to flush a pen and ink it up.

Diamine inks are very nice but they have the absolute most boring labels and packing. Especially the color label.

caleath
June 26th, 2013, 07:42 PM
The list has changed.

1. Diamine Syrah
2. Noodler's Cactus Fruit
3. Noodler's Purple Heart
4. Noodler's 54th Massachusetts
5. Noodler's Habanero

I have a Diamine Midnight that I have yet to try. Need to flush a pen and ink it up.

Diamine inks are very nice but they have the absolute most boring labels and packing. Especially the color label.

I love diamine midnight, let us know how you like it.

Honey Mustard
June 26th, 2013, 09:53 PM
Diamine inks are very nice but they have the absolute most boring labels and packing. Especially the color label.

I think Private Reserve bottles are even more boring. The old art deco bottles were nice, but the new rounds ones with generic lids and inkjet printed labels are a total snooze. Although they mainly sit in a drawer so I suppose it's better than paying extra for a fancy bottle.

thagbert
June 27th, 2013, 02:37 PM
Diamine inks are very nice but they have the absolute most boring labels and packing. Especially the color label.

I think Private Reserve bottles are even more boring. The old art deco bottles were nice, but the new rounds ones with generic lids and inkjet printed labels are a total snooze. Although they mainly sit in a drawer so I suppose it's better than paying extra for a fancy bottle.

True. But at least they have the ink name printed on the front of the bottle.

Jeph
July 27th, 2013, 03:19 PM
1. Diamine Denim...............My standard work ink, a dark blue-black
2. Diamine Ancinet Copper...My favorite just for fun color
3. Diamine Red Dragon........My favorite red, managed to barely knock off Sheaffer Red, with Diamine Crimson a close third
4. Diamine Sapphire Blue.....A nice, rich, purplish blue on the edge of business appropriate, slightly more interesting than Waterman's Florida Blue
5. Diamine Majestic Purple...My girlfriend's favorite purple, and therefore mine.

I think that I see a pattern here.

AtomicLeo
July 27th, 2013, 04:41 PM
1. Noodler's Black Eel ... my favorite black (Noodler's Dark Matter is a close second)
2. Noodler's Black Swan in English Roses
3. De Artemis Wizard's Ink ( I think this is the same color as their Sherlock Holmes ink)
4. Private Reserve Chocolate .... like writing with melted chocolate yummy!
5. Noodler's Green Marine ... I use this ink more than any other. Great color for journaling and work.

inklord
July 11th, 2015, 04:06 PM
Rohrer & Klingner "Sepia" - my standard ink
Franklin-Christoph "Dark Chocolate" ties with Pilot Iroshizuku "Yama Guri"
Pilot Iroshizuku "Fuyu Syogun"
De Atramentis "Dahl's Chickens"
Diamine "Autumn Oak"

FredRydr
July 11th, 2015, 04:28 PM
What are your top 5 inks?

In the following order:

Aurora black
MB Toffee
Waterman blue
MB blue/black
Waterman Havana

Fred

VertOlive
July 11th, 2015, 04:58 PM
Yarp. This is incredibly confining even to think about. But.

Sailor Kingdom Note "Amanita muscaria"

Stipula "Musk Green"

Iroshizuku "Yama guri"

De Atramentis "Sherlock Holmes"

Sailor Kingdom Note "Tanna japonensis"

Laura N
July 11th, 2015, 05:03 PM
When I saw this thread pop up again, I couldn't believe I had posted. But, it turns out, I am more consistent than I thought. This is still true!


I change inks and favorites too often to be relied on. The best I can do is:

blue
blue black
lighter blue
really dark blue
blue green

I really like blue. Sigh.

inkyletters
July 11th, 2015, 05:11 PM
J. Herbin Moondust
Organic Studios Arsenic
De Atramentis Sherlock Holmes
De Atramentis Alexander Hamilton
Organic Studios Lewis Carroll

Crazyorange
July 11th, 2015, 05:53 PM
De atramentis black brown
Stipula musk green
Rohrer and klingner alt goldgrun
MB toffee brown
J herbin vert olive

Quantum Sailor
July 11th, 2015, 06:20 PM
In no particular order

Diamine Graphite
Iroshizuku Shin-Kai
Diamine Syrah
Noodlers Air Corp
Pelikan Edlestein Tanzanite

Though I'm a big fan of the black inks I have as well

tiffanyhenschel
July 11th, 2015, 10:32 PM
Organics Studios Blue Merle
Sheaffer Melon Red
Sheaffer Persian Rose
Sheaffer Peacock
J.Herbin Lie de The'

My all time favorite used to be J.Herbin Poussiere de Lune, but the formula now is different than a few years ago. Now it's not even in my top five. :(

Lady Onogaro
July 11th, 2015, 10:47 PM
I love that Sailor Kingdom Note Tanna japonensis, too. I wish it weren't so darn expensive or I would buy a bottle so it could go on my list. Another green I like from Sailor is Tokiwa-matsu.

My top five would be (in no particular order)

Rohrer & Klingner Cassia (thanks to Migo)
J. Herbin Poussiere de Lune
Lamy Turquoise
De Atramentis Arthur Conan Doyle/Oriental Red
De Atramentis Sherlock Holmes

Quantum Sailor
July 11th, 2015, 10:48 PM
Organics Studios Blue Merle
Sheaffer Melon Red
Sheaffer Persian Rose
Sheaffer Peacock
J.Herbin Lie de The'

My all time favorite used to be J.Herbin Poussiere de Lune, but the formula now is different than a few years ago. Now it's not even in my top five. :(

I find J.Herbin inks to be what I tend to call very wet ink. I only have two colors but both seem to almost drip out of my pens, is this a common thing with their ink or just me? Maybe just the black I have and my gf's pink?

tiffanyhenschel
July 11th, 2015, 11:27 PM
Organics Studios Blue Merle
Sheaffer Melon Red
Sheaffer Persian Rose
Sheaffer Peacock
J.Herbin Lie de The'

My all time favorite used to be J.Herbin Poussiere de Lune, but the formula now is different than a few years ago. Now it's not even in my top five. :(

I find J.Herbin inks to be what I tend to call very wet ink. I only have two colors but both seem to almost drip out of my pens, is this a common thing with their ink or just me? Maybe just the black I have and my gf's pink?
Hmm, they shouldn't be that wet. Your black is Perle Noir? That is pretty well behaved in my experience. Which pink does your girlfriend use? The Rose Cyclamen does feather on lower quality paper or with extra wet nibs.

What pens are you using these inks with? Do other inks work better in these pens?

Quantum Sailor
July 11th, 2015, 11:40 PM
Organics Studios Blue Merle
Sheaffer Melon Red
Sheaffer Persian Rose
Sheaffer Peacock
J.Herbin Lie de The'

My all time favorite used to be J.Herbin Poussiere de Lune, but the formula now is different than a few years ago. Now it's not even in my top five. :(

I find J.Herbin inks to be what I tend to call very wet ink. I only have two colors but both seem to almost drip out of my pens, is this a common thing with their ink or just me? Maybe just the black I have and my gf's pink?
Hmm, they shouldn't be that wet. Your black is Perle Noir? That is pretty well behaved in my experience. Which pink does your girlfriend use? The Rose Cyclamen does feather on lower quality paper or with extra wet nibs.

What pens are you using these inks with? Do other inks work better in these pens?

The black is Perle Noir and the pink is Roulle D'ancre. I use the Perle Noire in an old reform pen which ironically won't write with any other ink I have. I think the nib tines are too close together and need adjusted. My girlfriend uses hers in TWSBI's mainly.

Laura N
July 12th, 2015, 09:06 AM
I find J.Herbin inks to be what I tend to call very wet ink. I only have two colors but both seem to almost drip out of my pens, is this a common thing with their ink or just me? Maybe just the black I have and my gf's pink?

No, I don't think so. Like Tiffany, I find Perle Noire to be a very well-behaved ink. It is on the wetter side, but not like that. I think there's possibly something wrong with your pen. Perle Noire and Aurora Black are both wonderful black inks; Perle Noire in my experience feels a little nicer and more lubricated in my pens, so that one is a slight favorite for me, but I think they are the two best black inks out there.

Some Herbin inks actually are on the dry side. Café des Îles for example is almost too dry. I don't know the pink that your girlfriend uses, though. If you ever want to give J. Herbin inks another try, you can get 10ml bottles from Jetpens. Or just PM me. :) I have most of them. The only downside is that in the past they tended to develop SITB, but I have been told by Exaclair, the distributor, that "they solved that problem."

Cookies
July 12th, 2015, 09:51 AM
Difficult to narrow it down, but I'd say

De Atramentis Pigeon Blue (#1)

And the rest in no particular order...
Diamine Marine
Private Reserve Bleu Suede
J. Herbin Cacao du Brésil
Tie between Private Reserve Burgundy Mist and Diamine's Syrah

Honorable mention to Diamine Asa Blue

klpeabody
July 12th, 2015, 10:13 AM
I find J.Herbin inks to be what I tend to call very wet ink. I only have two colors but both seem to almost drip out of my pens, is this a common thing with their ink or just me? Maybe just the black I have and my gf's pink?

No, I don't think so. Like Tiffany, I find Perle Noire to be a very well-behaved ink. It is on the wetter side, but not like that. I think there's possibly something wrong with your pen. Perle Noire and Aurora Black are both wonderful black inks; Perle Noire in my experience feels a little nicer and more lubricated in my pens, so that one is a slight favorite for me, but I think they are the two best black inks out there.

Some Herbin inks actually are on the dry side. Café des Îles for example is almost too dry. I don't know the pink that your girlfriend uses, though. If you ever want to give J. Herbin inks another try, you can get 10ml bottles from Jetpens. Or just PM me. :) I have most of them. The only downside is that in the past they tended to develop SITB, but I have been told by Exaclair, the distributor, that "they solved that problem."

For whatever it's worth, I have had the same experience as Laura where J.Herbin inks are concerned. While Perle Noir has nice flow and lubrication, I find the others a bit on the dry side. I enjoy some of the J.Herbin inks very much though, and they are great candidates for my wetter writing pens.

I'm wondering, Quantum Sailor, if when you clean your pens are you using JB Pen flush (or some variety thereof)? If I don't flush very very thoroughly after using the JB's, I have excessive flow issues. Or, perhaps your nib may simply need adjustment for less ink flow? Just thinking out loud.

reprieve
July 12th, 2015, 02:53 PM
When this thread popped back up, I was curious to see if--nearly two years later--my list would be the same or not. It's not, although there is some overlap.


Montblanc Racing Green
Iroshizuku Ku-jaku
Diamine Ancient Copper
Pilot Blue-black
tie between Montblanc Violet and Noodler's Purple Heart

Now I would say:

Pilot Blue-black
Montblanc Racing Green
De Atramentis Pigeon Blue
Sailor Tokiwa-matsu Green
Diamine Handel

I wonder which of these inks will still be on my list two years from now. I'm pretty sure Pilot Blue-black will be (it's my all-time favorite, everyday go-to workhorse ink). I only have two bottles of Montblanc Racing Green left, so that will probably drop off my list in the future but only because it's so difficult (and expensive) to find now. If anyone reading this happens to have an unloved bottle of Racing Green sitting around collecting dust, let me know.... :)

reprieve
July 12th, 2015, 03:00 PM
I find J.Herbin inks to be what I tend to call very wet ink. I only have two colors but both seem to almost drip out of my pens, is this a common thing with their ink or just me? Maybe just the black I have and my gf's pink?
Hmm, they shouldn't be that wet. Your black is Perle Noir? That is pretty well behaved in my experience. Which pink does your girlfriend use? The Rose Cyclamen does feather on lower quality paper or with extra wet nibs.

What pens are you using these inks with? Do other inks work better in these pens?

The black is Perle Noir and the pink is Roulle D'ancre. I use the Perle Noire in an old reform pen which ironically won't write with any other ink I have. I think the nib tines are too close together and need adjusted. My girlfriend uses hers in TWSBI's mainly.

Do those pens drip with any other inks or only with Herbin?

Dripping suggests an air leak somewhere. Those are piston fillers so it couldn't be a loose converter. If it were a bad seal, the ink would likely drip out through the back end around the piston knob/blind cap. Make sure the nibs and feeds are pushed in or screwed on all the way. With the TWSBIs, make sure the section joints aren't loose.

Klp's comment on residual cleaning fluid makes a lot of sense. I've experienced excessive ink flow when I use cleaning fluid and refill the pen without rinsing out the cleaner thoroughly enough. Even a little bit of pen flush can increase the ink flow a lot.

Wile E Coyote
July 12th, 2015, 03:08 PM
I like to be fashionably late...

Parker Penman Sapphire (Private Reserve DC Supershow Blue)
Sailor Sei Boku
Sailor Nano Black
Platinum Blue-Black Pigment
Diamine Oxblood

Quantum Sailor
July 12th, 2015, 06:48 PM
Thanks for all the replies. It's been a while since I have tried the J. Herbin Perle Noir in any other pen besides the Reform. I'm now going to have to break it out again and try it in some of my other pens again just to see if it was just in a pen that had problems.

inklord
July 12th, 2015, 07:03 PM
Yarp. This is incredibly confining even to think about. But.

Sailor Kingdom Note "Amanita muscaria"

Stipula "Musk Green"

Iroshizuku "Yama guri"

De Atramentis "Sherlock Holmes"

Sailor Kingdom Note "Tanna japonensis"
What a nice selection! After writing my lil list I instantly regretted not including "Musk Green" ...but that would have been the sixth ink, right?

naimitsu
July 13th, 2015, 05:05 AM
My top 5 changes every so often. I will absolutely love an ink, and then find something else that has more of what I like about an ink.

So for the moment, the top 5 are:
Pelikan Edelstein Ink of the Year 2014(?) Garnet
Montblanc Violet
Pilot Iroshizuku Momiji
Pilot Iroshizuku Ku-Jaku
Diamine Autumn Oak

And... Montblanc Mahatma Gandhi for special notes ;)