Overwhelmed with ink choices

[Spideysgirl]

As a newbie, I'm overwhelmed by all the inks on the market as well as the many shades. I don't even know what samples to buy to start.

[Lady Onogaro]

I understand the problem. I used to enjoy Goulet's Ink Drop because it took the problem of making choices out of my hands. Now that they don't do it anymore, I miss it.

[BayesianPrior]

My advice? Start with the classics. Whatever you can find locally. Parker, Pelikan, Waterman, Sheaffer, Cross, etc. Get a blue, get a black, and get something fun. These inks should be cheap enough that a couple of 30-50ml bottle won't break the bank.

If you want more precise recommendations, I'm sure other members could oblige.

My view of the best of the bunch (for what it's worth):

Pelikan: Black, Green
Sheaffer: Red
Waterman: All of them are great
Parker: Blue-Black

[kevmid]

I would always go the ink sample route to start with, don't buy bottles until you are happy with an ink. If you are in a country where a retailer offers samples then have a look at what they offer. If they offer many then work out what colours you would like to try. How many you buy depends on budget and how frequently/much you write.

Personally I started with colours and worked out how many I wanted to try. Then I looked at a retailer site like Goulet in the US for example (no affiliation) as you can compare different colours and I saw which ones looked most attractive and that I could afford a bottle of, and picked those samples. Pick the ones you like the look of, look at a few reviews of all time favourite inks and see which ones are recommended and if you like the look of them.

[inklord]

My advice? Start with the classics. Whatever you can find locally. Parker, Pelikan, Waterman, Sheaffer, Cross, etc. Get a blue, get a black, and get something fun. These inks should be cheap enough that a couple of 30-50ml bottle won't break the bank.

If you want more precise recommendations, I'm sure other members could oblige.

My view of the best of the bunch (for what it's worth):

Pelikan: Black, Green
Sheaffer: Red
Waterman: All of them are great
Parker: Blue-Black
...and this is exactly where the problem starts: while I'm sure these inks are great for many folks, none of them ever made it even in my "keep them for an emergency" list ;D

[inklord]

I'd just go by color at first. Get samples from one manufacturer that has a good reputation and carries several colors you find enticing (Diamine is a maker with a huge palette, for example). Maybe 5 samples to begin - ideally nothing too crazy like waterproof inks, iron gall inks or glittery inks, as they may entail advanced pen maintenance. If you have a need for such a "serious" color, also get a bottle of a basic blue, blue-black, or dark teal for business-like appearance (Aurora Blue is a nice royal blue with some depth to it, as is Waterman's "Serenite", personally I have a soft spot for Diamine's "Regency Blue" and Sailor "Blue"). Any brand will do, as long as it has the shades you're interested in. Then you could compare your experience with that given in reviews, and draw your own conclusions whether to stay with an ink or try something a bit different (it took me quite a few attempts to find my favorite brown-grey for example). Unused sample remnants can always be given to other newbies to get them started!

[BayesianPrior]

My advice? Start with the classics. Whatever you can find locally. Parker, Pelikan, Waterman, Sheaffer, Cross, etc. Get a blue, get a black, and get something fun. These inks should be cheap enough that a couple of 30-50ml bottle won't break the bank.

If you want more precise recommendations, I'm sure other members could oblige.

My view of the best of the bunch (for what it's worth):

Pelikan: Black, Green
Sheaffer: Red
Waterman: All of them are great
Parker: Blue-Black
...and this is exactly where the problem starts: while I'm sure these inks are great for many folks, none of them ever made it even in my "keep them for an emergency" list ;D

Fair enough...although I will defend Pelikan Black and Sheaffer Red as proper, no-nonsense inks that do what they say on the tin. The slight water resistance of Pelikan Black is a real bonus.

[Spideysgirl]

I'm interested in Noodlers ink. I like some of the colors they have. Besides they have awesome names and labels on the bottles. However I can't seem to find a sample package online.

[Dreck]

I'm interested in Noodlers ink. I like some of the colors they have. Besides they have awesome names and labels on the bottles. However I can't seem to find a sample package online.

I'd be more than happy to send you samples of Noodler's 54th Massachusetts, Heart of Darkness, #41 Brown, El Lawrence, and Noodler's Black--but I've no sample vials left. If you can get sample-sized vials to me, I'll be more than happy to mail them back to you with inks in them.

[GiaSophia]

Goulet Pens in the US offers various ink sample sets, some by color family, some by property, some by brand, and some other random sets. They have a Noodlers sample set which may be helpful to you.

[VertOlive]

When I was in your shoes I just went to Goulet and ordered $10.00 worth of samples of whatever looked good to me. Then I savored them for a while and returned for another $10.00 batch. It was a long time before I actually bought a whole bottle of ink and I enjoyed every minute!

[RocketRyan]

Diamine inks are pretty reasonable price wise and come in 30ml bottles, I have found them to be well behaved too.
Be aware though large piston fillers won't fit in the top of the bottle.
Waterman serenity blue is a safe choice, as mentioned above.

[Chrissy]

"I don't even know what samples to buy to start" I've been there, got the T-shirt. :blink:

[RocketRyan]

"I don't even know what samples to buy to start" I've been there, got the T-shirt. :blink:

Then we are all in trouble.

[Scooby921]

When I was in your shoes I just went to Goulet and ordered $10.00 worth of samples of whatever looked good to me. Then I savored them for a while and returned for another $10.00 batch. It was a long time before I actually bought a whole bottle of ink and I enjoyed every minute!
For a lot of us I think samples are sufficient. With so many colors out there to try it almost doesn't make sense to purchase a full bottle of anything. A 2mL or 3mL sample will fill most pens twice. With all of the different inks out there, and so many of them available in sample sizes, one could go for years rotating through all the different options and never buy a full bottle of ink. I look at my own shelf and wonder why I bought so many of these bottles. There are perhaps 2 which see regular use. The rest will sit there and collect dust because I find more pleasure in rotating through options and trying new things.

[Call_me_Tom]

I read a lot of reviews, watched YouTube reviews and researched what inks would work well with which pens.

My pricier pens are piston fillers and my lesser pens are using CC.

From my studies Noodler's Eel inks are marketed to lubricate pistons and that is the route I went.

Keep in mind, I've only been into this hobby for a month, YMMV.

[inklord]

... and, to drop another 2 cents into this, also keep in mind: for the first 30 or so years of my obsession with fountain pens, the only inks I ever used were Pelikan 4001 "Royal Blue" and "Blue-Black" and I was perfectly happy with those. My wife used Montblanc "Royal Blue" exclusively in her first fountain pen, a Montblanc 144, partly out of brand loyalty (this was before the hoity-toity boutiques) and partly because it's just a good ink. There is, after all, no one telling you that you must have a broad selection of inks at hand.
Many of us old-timers still think there's only three legitimate ink colors: blue, black, blue-black (I don't). And one of the great manufacturers of pens and FP ink, Aurora, only recently indulged in adding the last option, blue-black, to their so far two-toned palette. Keep it fun, relaxed, and playful! Best wishes
[The Inklord hath spoken]

[naimitsu]

As you can tell, you're in good company :D

At last count (which was about 6+ months ago and I've added to the list since...)
I have 200+ vials of samples
I have sampled 150+ of them
I own 50+ full bottles, with a couple duplicates of ones I really liked
And I think I have another 50+ inks on my "I want to try, but I have too many inks to try right now" list

I'm in the USA, so the "local" sources for samples I've purchased from are:
GouletPens.com
AndersonPens.com
Vanness1938.com

If it helps, here's a list of my favorites:
Bungbox Piano Mahogany
Bungbox Sapphire
Pelikan Edelstein Garnet (limited run)
Montblanc Violet (discontinued; old formula)
Montblanc Tolstoy (limited run)
Diamine Autumn Oak
Toucan Bright Blue
Pilot Iroshizuku Momiji
Diamine 150th Anniversary Silver Fox

FWIW, the brands I have had issues (either with the flow or the inks themselves) with are:
Noodler's
Private Reserve
Organics Studio
Scribal Studio (may be gone)
Anderson Pen's own inks

[stub]

My first 20 years of using fountain pens I used Waterman or Pilot and the occasional bottle (or Cartridge) of Skrip. Mostly blue, black or blue black. Still like all those inks and use them (on my last bottle actually labelled "Florida Blue" and just opened my last "South Seas Blue" as well) ...

But yeah samples, nowadays are good. I like of like Vanesspens samples as they give you 4ml and that really gives you a chance to try the ink several fills and in several pens but if I was you I would do a Goulet "most popular" sample pack of whatever tickled. I tend to buy full bottles as I live on the other side of the globe where there are no samples so you take your chances and, well, I have a lot of inks I don't use. Might PiF them but the shipping from here would be spendy.

[KKay]

If you look on here, and FPN you will see lots of ink reviews. I would start with samples. Also one of the ones you see do reviews on line for ink via You Tube is VittaR. She likes Noodler's ink, and you will see many reviews on it, among lots of other brands. When I first started, I also went to places like the ones mentioned above, and looked at what different brands colors were. I looked through those colors until I almost went blind. I wrote down the ones I liked. Then I looked at reviews. Then I got samples.

[Lady Onogaro]

Here's the link to the Goulet "Ink Samples By Brand" page. This is the Noodler's "Most Popular" page.

https://www.gouletpens.com/ink-sample-package-noodlers-best-sellers/p/ISP-Noodlers-BestSellers

[Spideysgirl]

I placed a Goulet order today. I got a random sampler, Noodlers sampler, a few colors that looked pretty to me and a notebook sampler. So I'm ready to go.

[sharmon202]

I've tried many colors & brands. I would not start with Noodlers or Private Reserve. Any others are good for newbies. Is this for letters, work?

[R.A. Stewart]

I would just add, for what it's worth (and my opinion is worth almost every penny of what it costs), that one great thing about this fountain pen madness is that you can get as deeply involved as time and finances permit, or keep it simple, and either way it's good. I used Parker Quink black through high school, college, and some years afterward, then later took up Pelikan 4001 Brilliant Black for another long run. I've recently made the bold leap ... to Waterman Intense Black, which I love, intensely if you will, and will probably stay with for yet more years. Maybe I'll get super-adventurous some day and try a waterproof blue-black for signatures. :)

This is in no way a criticism of those who experiment with dozens of shades and inks a year--I enjoy reading about their exploits and looking at their samples. It's just by way of saying there are many ways of enjoying this little corner of the world.

[ac12]

I would recommend 2 inks to start with
#1 - Waterman; blue, black or blue-black. This is a wet ink.
#2 - Pelikan; blue, black or blue-black. This is a dry ink.

When you get a pen, load up with one of the inks.
If you load Waterman, and the ink flows too much, switch to the dryer Pelikan.
If you load Pelikan, and the ink does not flow enough, switch to the wetter Waterman.

Noodler's is tricky, because there are soo many inks that have different properties and characteristics that one cannot make a blanket statement of that brand.

[Morgaine]

Get a load of penpals who also like fountain pens. Read their letters in sparkletastic Magical Forest green or the odd Or Audacieux ink, etc... decide whether you like the particular colour and buy! Write letters using the nice inks then you will be justified to buy more!

[Spideysgirl]

I'm interested in Noodlers ink. I like some of the colors they have. Besides they have awesome names and labels on the bottles. However I can't seem to find a sample package online.
Thank you for the offer. I found a sample pack of Noodlers at Goulet and also ordered some other samples so I'm well on my way.

I'd be more than happy to send you samples of Noodler's 54th Massachusetts, Heart of Darkness, #41 Brown, El Lawrence, and Noodler's Black--but I've no sample vials left. If you can get sample-sized vials to me, I'll be more than happy to mail them back to you with inks in them.
Thank you for the offer. I ordered a ton of samples from Goulet and I'm well on my way with inks.