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View Full Version : Handwritten Review/Comparison: Noodler's Bulletproof/Waterproof GREEN Inks



benjitzu
January 26th, 2014, 03:38 AM
Hey FPGeeks!

Just finished a little experimenting with four green inks I've recently acquired (all Noodler's): Bad Green Gator, Polar Green, Hunter Green, and Green Marine. I'm in the process of selecting the BEST Bulletproof inks for every color I like (black, brown, blue, purple, red, green, and indigo). I love green inks and have been searching for the 'best' bulletproof/waterproof green. This quest lead me to Noodler's, of course.

This is my very FIRST ink review, so forgive anything I missed.

For the comparison and testing, I used four different papers - HP 32# Premium, Rhodia Dot Pad 80g, Staples Gold Series Writing Pad White 20#, and Georgia Pacific 20# copy paper. Figured testing out these four types of paper would cover the range used by the majority of fountain pen users.

I initially had a sample of Polar Green and a sample of Hunter Green from Goulet Pens. I LOVED the color of both, but hated the feathering of Polar Green and hated the price of Hunter Green ($13.50 for a 1oz bottle = $0.45 p/ml; compared to $12.50 for a 3oz bottle = $4.16 p/oz or $0.14 p/ml for the other three greens). After a lot of research reading ink reviews about green inks, I decided to take a leap of faith and purchased a bottle of Bad Green Gator and of Green Marine (loved the bulletproofness of BGG & it's darker green color; and just LOVED the color of Green Marine, even though it's only partially waterproof, NOT bulletproof).

Enough explaining...here are the photos of the comparisons between BGG, Polar Green, Hunter Green, and Green Marine.

Here's the four inks on Georgia Pacific 20# copy paper:

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Here's the four inks on Staples Gold Series Writing Pad White 20# paper (AWESOME fountain pen friendly paper for those who haven't used it yet):

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And here's the four inks on the same Staples paper AFTER a wet-finger rub:

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Here's the four inks on Rhodia Dot Pad 80g paper (please forgive the water drip test on Green Marine - right as I was dabbing off the drops my cat decided to jump on the table...):

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Here are the four inks on HP Premium 32# paper:

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Here's the four inks on HP Premium 32# paper BEFORE a 30-minute soak test:

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And here are the four inks AFTER the 30-minute soak test (still in the water):

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That's all the pics I have for now ha!

Quick review of each on a simple scale: + means I liked it or it was awesome; 0 means neutral; - means I didn't like it at all.

Bad Green Gator
Color: + (I really like the dark forest green)
Feathering: 0 (feathers like crazy on crappy paper and Rhodia, only a little on Staples & HP; and interestingly enough performs decent in Moleskine IF using a very fine nib)
Ghosting/bleedthrough: 0 (ghosting on most papers, but not distracting, can still use BOTH sides of paper with exception of cheap copy paper)
Shading: 0 (not much, if at all - and that's ok with me; shading wasn't one of my criteria but I know it's important to many other FP users)
Flow: + (never had an issue with it drying up on me, but I am pretty good at capping the pen when not in use)
Waterproofness: + (this ink is BOMBPROOF!!! Didn't budge at all during drip test OR during soak test)
Cost: + ($12.50 for a 3oz bottle = awesome!)

Polar Green
Color: + (cool color, but compared to the other greens it dries chalky)
Feathering: - (this ink feathered on EVERY paper, though just slightly on HP 32#)
Ghosting/bleedthrough: - (because this is a lubricated ink, there was a lot of ghosting and quite a bit of bleedthrough - would be distracting to write on both sides of most paper with exception of HP#32)
Shading: 0 (not much, if at all - again, not what I was seeking)
Flow: 0 (too wet, even with an EF nib ink flows VERY quickly - would be an issue in anything larger than an EF nib)
Waterproofness: + (same as BGG - this ink is BOMBPROOF and even holds up very well to UV rays)
Cost: + ($12.50 for a 3oz bottle = awesome!)

Hunter Green
Color: + (very vibrant green; this is the green most people think of when they picture green)
Feathering: + (only feathered on very crappy paper; no feathering on Staples, Rhodia, or HP)
Ghosting/bleedthrough: + (slight ghosting on lesser quality paper, none of better quality like Staples, Rhodia, or HP)
Shading: 0 (not much shading as color is quite saturated, but again, shading wasn't what I was seeking)
Flow: + (SMOOOOOOOOOOOTH, loved how this ink behaved!)
Waterproofness: + (TINIEST of color movement when wet, seriously TINY; other than that bombproof)
Cost: - ($13.50 for 1oz bottle = eeeek!)

Green Marine
Color: + (awesome vibrant green!!!)
Feathering: + (feathered slightly on crappy copy paper, no feathering on all other paper)
Ghosting/bleedthrough: + (no ghosting even on copy paper)
Shading: + (AWESOME shading!!)
Flow: + (great flow, smooth, etc)
Waterproofness: 0 (all the green color washes away when exposed to ANY water; leaves a greyish color behind so you can still read what was there)
Cost: + ($12.50 for 3oz bottle = awesome!)

The three BULLETPROOF inks all perform very similarly in MOST areas. They're all bombproof; they all look pretty cool - different shades and tones of green; they all dry very fast and write very wet and smooth; etc. Feathering is an issue with BGG and Polar Green, price is an issue with Hunter Green, and the green color washes away quickly with Green Marine.

Here's how I would rate these four inks based on the criteria I had (bulletproof, as little feathering as possible, smooth, cool color, can write on both sides of paper):

1st Place: Bad Green Gator
2nd Place: Hunter Green (would be #1 easily if it's wasn't over 3 times the price of the others)
3rd Place: Polar Green
Honorable Mention: Green Marine (disqualified because of partial waterproofness; still an AWESOME ink and I'll use it all the time)

If money isn't an issue for you, get HUNTER GREEN! It performs the best of ALL four inks, looks cool, behaves awesome, dries fast on every paper (only 10 seconds on Rhodia is FAST by my standards, and 1-4 seconds on all other paper is crazy fast), and is fully BULLETPROOF! When dripped with water or fully submerged, Hunter Green has the TINIEST of color movement, and I do mean TINY. Didn't bother me at all and I'm ridiculously picky (if you can't tell already). Only downside to this ink is it's cost - $0.45 p/ml; puts Hunter Green in the same price range as the cheapest Iroshiziku's Kon Peki on Amazon.com (around $22 for the bottle). So, again, if price isn't an issue for you, GET HUNTER GREEN. I'm just not ready to spend that much...yet. We'll see how I feel when my bottle of BGG is empty :)

If you're debating which color to get between BGG and Polar - go with BGG unless you live in a place where you need freeze-proof ink. If you like using medium or larger nibs, stick with Hunter Green or Green Marine - BGG and Polar Green will jump off the page and eat you! BGG and Polar Green must be used with fine if not extra-fine nibs. Just my humble opinion. If you don't need a full on bombproof ink, and are ok with a little waterproof grey after the green color washes away then get Green Marine.

For now, I'm VERY happy with my purchase of Bad Green Gator and Green Marine. I will use them both frequently, if not daily. Pretty sure BGG will become a daily ink for me along with Kung Te-Cheng, 54th Massachusetts, Bad Belted Kingfisher, and Noodler's Black.

Please let me know if you have any questions about these green inks, and enjoy your weekend!

b

benjitzu
January 26th, 2014, 03:40 AM
Argh! The pictures are all crooked (they weren't on my computer when I uploaded them into the post)...Does anyone know how to rotate photos? I'm off to bed as it's almost 4am haha, will fix it in the morning when I figure out how...

Cake
January 26th, 2014, 09:12 AM
Nice review! Great attention to detail.

Sailor Kenshin
January 26th, 2014, 10:16 AM
Thanks for the comparison! Well-done!

From the scans, it looks like Polar and Hunter have stronger blue elements than BGG, and Marine more of a yellow undertone. All look good. The only ink of this bunch I own and operate is BGG. Great for sketching with watercolor washes, and for check writing!

rdcalhoon
January 26th, 2014, 10:18 AM
I have been hoping to see just this comparison. Thanks!

writingrav
January 26th, 2014, 10:29 AM
Very helpful and well done.

benjitzu
January 26th, 2014, 10:33 AM
Thanks for the comparison! Well-done!

From the scans, it looks like Polar and Hunter have stronger blue elements than BGG, and Marine more of a yellow undertone. All look good. The only ink of this bunch I own and operate is BGG. Great for sketching with watercolor washes, and for check writing!

Sailor Kenshin - how long have you been using BGG and what paper do you use for your sketching? Would love to see some pics of your BGG in action!


I have been hoping to see just this comparison. Thanks!

rdcalhoon - after seeing the comparison, which green will you purchase for yourself?

Sailor Kenshin
January 26th, 2014, 12:53 PM
The paper is horrible, trust me, lol. It's a teeny sketch book with thick paper that does stand up to watercolor washes, but makes all fountain pen inks feather.

You might just be able to see the Hero pen loaded with BGG at the top of the image.

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5501/9275171401_09d078b872_z.jpg

rdcalhoon
January 26th, 2014, 05:00 PM
rdcalhoon - after seeing the comparison, which green will you purchase for yourself?

I'm on the road with my iPad And iPhone. I'll be looking these on a desk monitor tonight or tomorrow am. Right now I am favoring the Bad Green Gator.

cjr29
January 26th, 2014, 06:45 PM
Nice review. Thanks! I've settled on BGG myself. Love the deep green color and the rock-solid stability in water. BBG is definitely a great value bulletproof ink. It is in my daily use.

velo
January 26th, 2014, 09:58 PM
Using up a sample of Green Marine at the moment. Very well behaved. Bullet or waterproof doesn't matter for my use.

benjitzu
January 27th, 2014, 10:02 PM
The paper is horrible, trust me, lol. It's a teeny sketch book with thick paper that does stand up to watercolor washes, but makes all fountain pen inks feather.

You might just be able to see the Hero pen loaded with BGG at the top of the image.

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5501/9275171401_09d078b872_z.jpg

Awesome drawing! Thanks for sharing.