Prejudice Against Noodler's Ink

[snedwos]

BBK is Bad Belted Kingfisher? If so, has it been proven to be problematic for a large number of users?

Not that I know of, but it is saturated and lubricated and has a distinct "painty" feel and gluey smell that does make me a little nervous. It's a little bit stainy too, at least IME.

[AndyT]

The view from the other side of the pond. Here's an exhaustive list of what Niche Pens, the only official Noodlers stockist in the UK, has on offer today:

Bulletproof Black
X-Feather
Polar Black
Black Swan in English Roses
Rome Burning

And that's it. Postage costs and customs liability make importing your own an unattractive proposition. So long as this supply situation obtains I'm not going to get a chance to form any prejudices and Diamine, J Herbin et al will be mopping up most of the European trade in unusual colours.

[snedwos]

Niche pens will stock up eventually, it's where I got my two bottles. Neither colour is on that list.

[Mags]

I like Noodlers. BSB is amongst my faves! But as.folklore goes it stays out.of pens worth over $100. Thus far it has been in and out of several India pens and TWSBI demonstrator....it stains and it is water resistant so clean it off with some bleach and water...voila! the eel inks are easy flowing but.smear and as a leftie they dry SLOW in my ink stained south paw experiences.

I like Plains of Abraham by Noodlers as a sort of bullet proof ink more easily cleaned out.of pens. I used it in a few Aurora pens. No issues to report.

The black inks all seem good from Noodlers so I have it.around.too.

Mags sent from my blackberry playbook using tapatalks

[Titivillus]

No issues with Noodlers and they have some colors that I just love. I've pulled back to two ink colors and just use those.

[TMac]

I used to be afraid of the ink because of some of the stories and strong opinions it seemed to bring out in people. In the past year I have acquired 6 different colors. I really enjoy the ink and wish I tried it out earlier. Zhivago has great color but tended to show thru everything but Clairfontaine paper. I added a small amount of water and now can use it on any paper, including the cheap copy paper in the office.

[vhr5]

Lately I have been getting some samples of Noodler's inks and trying them out with some of my pens. If I like a particular color of ink I buy a bottle. So far I have not had any issues with any of the inks, therefore I am still very fond of Noodler's inks. I've tried only one of the eels (Rattler Red), and found it slow to dry on certain papers, therefore causing some smearing if I am not careful.... so I'm careful. As for Baystate Blue, I use it in my Twsbi Vac 700 Clear fountain pen. I thought that it would permanently stain the pen internally, but after I cleaned it with soap and water, most of the staining was removed. The remaining stain, which was very light, was removed with a mild solution of bleach and water. Although I am very fond of BSB and still use it, my new love is Noodler's Liberty's Elysium.

[chaimann]

How many people will have got into the hobby through Noodler's, I wonder?

That would be me. A friend was on the hunt for the perfect black ink, and mentioned that the large bottle of Heart of Darkness came with a free pen. That was my first step on the slippery slope.

The only challenging ink I have used was Kung Te-cheng. It was beautiful, but I can't stand the smell. Even the closed bottle smells bad to me.

[urizen2000]

I like Noodlers. BSB is amongst my faves! But as.folklore goes it stays out.of pens worth over $100. Thus far it has been in and out of several India pens and TWSBI demonstrator....it stains and it is water resistant so clean it off with some bleach and water...voila! the eel inks are easy flowing but.smear and as a leftie they dry SLOW in my ink stained south paw experiences.

I like Plains of Abraham by Noodlers as a sort of bullet proof ink more easily cleaned out.of pens. I used it in a few Aurora pens. No issues to report.

The black inks all seem good from Noodlers so I have it.around.too.

Mags sent from my blackberry playbook using tapatalks

Hi,

I have Blue Upon the Plains of Abraham and wanted to know, do you find that it has a strong chemical smell to it? It surprised me quite a bit. The bottle was recently opened after sitting in a drawer for almost a year, so I don't know if that has something to do with it. But have you used the ink often and noticed that it smells so strongly? Thanks. George

[welch]

There seems to be some prejudice against Noodler's among several pen experts (unidentified).

It maybe that Noodler's is the new kid on the block and more established brands like to take shots at them.

Should I be concerned about using Noodler's?

(1) It is mostly the reverse: Noodlers has a fanatic fan-base that is quick to jump any pen repair people who find themselves requested to repair a tortured feed that last used a Noodlers ink. The insults are often ugly, although Richard Binder seems beyond insult. He's that good. A few restoration experts refuse to warrant their pens if buyers user Noodlers.

(2) Noodlers is not a new ink line. They were an early saturated ink, but nobody connected with the standard brands -- say, Parker Quink or Sheaffer or Perlikan -- have been known to criticize Noodlers.

(3) I dislike some of Noodlers advertising, which attempts to frighten customers into believing that other inks will "flee at the smell of water" or that a fountain-pen user is at risk from forgers and people who eradicate beneficiaries and amounts from stolen checks. This seems unethical: Noodlers frightens people with fake risks and then offers a solution to he fake problem. Many times I read that someone only signs check with Noodlers bulletproof, waterproof, eternal, and fireproof inks. (OK, I made up the "fireproof"...that's hyperbole)

(4) Noodlers seems to have slipshod quality assurance, judging from the number of people who report that Noodlers color X has been reformulated.

I find that:

- Noodlers general inks are safe and some have attractive colors
- Noodlers makes several specialty inks for cold weather, writing during rain storms or sleet storms, or for people who write a page and leave it in in he direct sun. I avoid those inks, because I have no need for he special qualities.
- I grew up using Sheaffer Skrip in the '50s and '60s. Most often, I used Sheaffer Washable Black. I have perfectly readable essays from 1963...they went into a three-ring binder. People in the "golden age" of p;ens managed with what they called permanent ink. Such stuff was hard to get out of your clothes or off your hands, but it could be cleaned. I am more likely to spatter ink on myself when filling than to drop a work notebook into a lake. I like washing the ink out of my clothes.

Fear Noodlers? No. Pick a color you like and use it. Remember to rinse out a pen if you expect to let it sit. Noodlers Baystate Blue is cranky, requiring special handling or you will have a tenacious blue stain on, say, your carpet. Otherwise, use what you like. I know the pen guys who won't warrant their pens for use with Noodlers. They see more pens in a day than we see in a month. Don't ridicule them, but you might have better experience.

[dr.grace]

But it's essentially true that many inks "flee at the sight of water." I use Noodler's black when I'm addressing an envelope, and I tend to use inks that are at least somewhat water-resistant when writing in my journal or signing documents or writing checks. I've seen the result of coffee or water on things I've written with typical inks that aren't water-resistant, and it wasn't pretty. Oh, actually I guess it might have been pretty in an artistic way, but not readable.

[AndyT]

On the whole I prefer inks to be washable for the sake of easy pen cleaning, but there's definitely a place for something highly water resistant for addressing envelopes. Iron gall ink of one sort or another in my case, but Noodler's black sounds like a good bet.

[velo]

Noodler's have very good marketing. Initially I found myself being drawn in by the names of the inks and the labels on their bottles. Now I really make sure to look at the colour and see if its interesting before buying.

[AtomicLeo]

Lots of great posts here, and I'll add mine.

When I first decided to purchase a fountain pen, I read several sites that recommended Noodler's Black ink. I had not discovered FPN and didn't see any of the negative, over the top claims you'll find. All of these sites recommended Noodler's Black because it was a waterproof ink and many of other fountain pen inks would run on the page just looking at water. I use my pens at work and for journal writing. The water proof capabilities are critical to me. That's what sets Noodler's apart from the rest of the market. Later I found forums like this and was amazed at the vitriol toward the brand. Personally, if a pen restorer tells me that Noodler's voids their guarantee, I'm looking for someone else.

I think much of the negative opinion of Noodler's comes from the owner's personality. He is aggressive and a bit paranoid. I must admit with the heated political climate we have in the U.S. the past decade, I am turned off by anyone attaching a partisan label to their products. I have found myself buying other brands the past few years. That said, I love Noodler's Black Eel, Black, Zhivago, Belted Kingfisher, and Black Swan in English Roses. I've stayed away from the more exotic colors like BSB.

And for what it's worth all my bad ink experiences have been with J Herbin (stuff in the bottle TWICE!), Sailor Apricot (ate and tarnished the metal on a K5 converter), Diamine (The reds all leave 'crud' and Sargasso Sea took FOREVER to clean) and Private Reserve (Black Cherry stained a nib). All brands members here would swear are the best brand ever. Other than Sailor, the reaction with metal spooked me off the brand, I still own other colors in those lines. All a part of the joy of fountain pens!

[cwent2]

[QUOTE AtomicLeo I think much of the negative opinion of Noodler's comes from the owner's personality. He is aggressive and a bit paranoid.][/QUOTE]

Oh I don't know about aggressive and paranoid - more like that's how "we" are in New England. Alot of us can trace our ancestry to the 1640's and as you can call your brother a jerk but don't let anyone else A swamp Yankee can say the same - Just a little back ground on Swamp Yankee's follows. The Declaration of Independence was signed by the Rhode Island delegation - at gun point - aggressive? Proud is a better term. Paranoid... not without reason.

"Swamp Yankee is a colloquialism that has a variety of meanings. Generally, it refers to Yankees or WASPs (northeasterners with English colonial ancestry) from rural Rhode Island and nearby eastern Connecticut and southeastern Massachusetts. The term "Yankee" connotes urbane industriousness, while the term "Swamp Yankee" signifies a more countrified, stubborn, independent and less refined subtype."

[AndyT]

Nathan Tardif reminds me strongly of an old friend of mine, now deceased. (A Yorkshireman, make of that what you will). He came across as pugnacious, opinionated and defensive on short acquaintance but was a sterling chap underneath it all, so I'm happy to give Nathan the benefit of the doubt. He's 100% wrong about iron gall though!

[ethernautrix]

Noodler's Black anyway washes out easily, more easily than other inks (brands, colors). Can't recall which ones stained my hands for a couple of days -- a teal or blue... (not Noodler's).

I used a dip pen to scribble (play!) in my notebook the other night, used Noodler's Apache Sunset. Of course, the ink was very wet and seeped through a couple of pages preceding it. The Sailor Blue-Black has disappeared into or under the NAS; the Noodler's Black - absolutely unmoved, unhidden, no loss of the Noodler's Black.

So there's that....

[Penne Stilografiche]

I own 12 different bottles of Noodler's and I love them all. The only one of them that I have a problem with is Blue Nose Bear, which feathers and bleeds on all types of paper with even the finest of nibs. It is a pretty color, though.

My answer to the OP's question "Should I be concerned about using Noodler's?" is simple, Absolutely not.

Best Regards,
Vincenzo

[fncll]

This forum turned me around about my prejudice against Noodler's ink. Or more accurately my fear. The only one I have had any problems with is polar brown, which feathers like crazy on pretty much every paper I try it on.

[david i]

There seems to be some prejudice against Noodler's among several pen experts (unidentified).

It maybe that Noodler's is the new kid on the block and more established brands like to take shots at them.

Should I be concerned about using Noodler's?

My only thought in all this is that one should not confuse "dislike" for "prejudice".

regards

david