i appreciate that your lighting is so natural. I noticed it first when I watched your esterbrook tortoise shell estie video. I just saw the pen in store and in a lot of other videos it looks a lot lighter but yours is the most accurate IMO. Anyway whatever lighting you used here really helps show how these inks look IRL :)
Thank you! I have the natural light from outside and then a soft white lamp by my desk. I'm glad that the colors come across the way they do in person. I hope the future swatches I do look the same.
I totally have a bottle of diamine onyx black that i bought at the very beginning and never really got into it. Meanwhile Lamy Black, one of the most easily acquired blacks (at least in Australia), that you buy in bookshops and all sorts. Is one of my very favourite black inks. Its a non-blue leaning black that still shades faintly while feeling black and not grey or washed out. I weirdly love that. My husband tends to use noodlers black or J Herbins black (name escapes me). I love that this video shows off the variation in black
Aurora is also a black pigmented ink you might want to try. If you have ink bottles with necks that are too narrow to accept your pen, here is the solution I use: A clear plastic Ink Miser Ink-Shot Inkwell, c $7.00, and an eye-dropper. I use the eye dropper to fill the Ink Miser, and fill the pen from that, then pour the unused ink from the miser back into the bottle.
Aurora Black is not a pigmented ink. It is dye-based. Not water resistant, but one of my favorite black inks. I have 32 black ink samples and/or bottles.
Great job! And yes, I just subscribed. I really appreciated how you kept this to a good, concise description of the inks along with your experience of them. A black with shimmer that you might like is Diamine's Solstice; it is one of their Inkvent inks - black with green shimmer. Seconding the Ink Miser suggestion. Honestly I was amazed at how well it worked. Also, (don't laugh) I'll stick the sample vial into a lump of Silly Putty to keep it from tipping over as well. Thanks again!
Thank you so much for the great idea with the putty! That is not silly at all and really creative :) I'll have to check out the Diamine Solstice! I loved the inks from the green advent this year.
Diamine onyx black was also MY first ink purchase and I also had no idea/did no research! It just came up as a suggested purchase with the pen I bought 😂 I tend to go for dark browns now for my everyday writing, rather than black. Great video, thanks for sharing!
Liane from @lianelikes was the inspiration! I have seen others use bottle caps and also little acrylic blocks for stamping. But the circle swatch has been a game changer for sure. Thanks for watching!
Greetings! I am newly subscribed to your channel (came up "randomly" in my recommendations, so I went with it) and I'm watching some of your past & recent ink explorations, which I find so fun! I am of an age (old as dirt) and from a region (poor as said dirt) where fountain pens were not a choice, it's just what we had -- that or a hand sharpened pencil. Our ink choice was simple: BLACK, black, blackest black. In the 70's, I got FANCY and found Parker blue/black ink. That colorway still is my very favorite, thus I ❤️ MANY variations, and I'll try almost any permutation of it. I mostly buy bottles of ink, because the other passion is the actual glassware vessels (same with perfume...). I just like the look and feel of them. Any ink that comes in an ugly vessel (I'm looking at you, Noodler's and Private Reserve) gets decanted into a beautiful one. I'm delighted to have lived long enough to see writing become a hobby and fountain pens beloved by a brand new generation that perceives things differently and exposes me to new levels of pen joy, like the endless possibilities contained within the world of JINHAO 82 fountain pens. I have three cases filled with these little gems and switch them around to suit my notebook, inks, hair and daily mood. I'm not gonna stop. Thanks for sharing your love of the ink! And whatever ink explorations you want to uncover, I'm here for it!
Thank you so much for sharing!! I am so happy to hear the pen love ❤️️ I agree that Noodlers and Private Reserve have an opportunity in the bottle department hahah
Love any comparison video, great job! Aurora Black is actually the darkest black I tried and a wet, beautifully flowing ink. Highly recommend! I also love Kaweco Pearl Black - such a beautiful shade. I like Waterman Intense Black too even though a bit lighter it's a fun shade. I really want to try Diamine Onyx Black. I did not use black ink at all when I started buying fountain pen ink but then I thought it would be great to have a black ink for my notes so it can stand out from other colours. So now I have a pen permanently inked with a black ink only rotating the brands. I don't journal with black but I use it to write dates or highlights or things I want to stand out. I adore grey ink so I'm voting fot it next.
Great review. I started with pilot iroshizuku take-sumi @ $50 for 50ml. Liked it a lot. Then I saw you could get 350ml of pilot namiki black also for $50. No brainer, it’s an excellent yet inexpensive black ink.
@@mydandeliondiaries …I like to insert a wide delivery Automatic Pen for swatch book purposes, and you can’t with either of those brands…both lovely inks too.
I don't really get the appeal of a deep black ink. There is no character like shading or a slightly off black hue. The appeal of a fountain pen is the shading and imperfection. You might as well be writing with a black rollerball or sharpie if you want that perfect deep black. I find it boring.
There's something for everyone out there! Dark black is very striking on the page and is loved by many, but there are LOTS of colors out there too. As for using rollerball pens or sharpie, I think that fountain pens offer a more pleasant writing experience and that's part of the joy in using them!
Hi @@mydandeliondiaries I couldn't agree with you more, fountain pens always for me. My go to black is Montblanc Mystery black, that shades nicely, and in swab tests there is a cool purple tinge. It's a unique black with character. I also like Pelikan 4001 Brilliant Black for it's reliability and great water resistance for a safe and easy to clean dye based ink. It keeps my piston fillers lubricated and clean. It is a deep black with all the well behaved qualities.
@@jungroe Oooo that Montblanc Mystery black sounds so intriguing I'll have to try it out! Same with the Pelikan ink. I personally have not tried any of the Pelikan inks but they have very good feedback from everyone I have asked!
Love that I’ve inspired you, this spread is gorgeous!!!
Thanks so much 😊
i appreciate that your lighting is so natural. I noticed it first when I watched your esterbrook tortoise shell estie video. I just saw the pen in store and in a lot of other videos it looks a lot lighter but yours is the most accurate IMO. Anyway whatever lighting you used here really helps show how these inks look IRL :)
Thank you! I have the natural light from outside and then a soft white lamp by my desk. I'm glad that the colors come across the way they do in person. I hope the future swatches I do look the same.
I totally have a bottle of diamine onyx black that i bought at the very beginning and never really got into it. Meanwhile Lamy Black, one of the most easily acquired blacks (at least in Australia), that you buy in bookshops and all sorts. Is one of my very favourite black inks. Its a non-blue leaning black that still shades faintly while feeling black and not grey or washed out. I weirdly love that. My husband tends to use noodlers black or J Herbins black (name escapes me). I love that this video shows off the variation in black
Thank you so much for sharing 😊😊 Black is a staple ink for me!
Aurora is also a black pigmented ink you might want to try. If you have ink bottles with necks that are too narrow to accept your pen, here is the solution I use: A clear plastic Ink Miser Ink-Shot Inkwell, c $7.00, and an eye-dropper. I use the eye dropper to fill the Ink Miser, and fill the pen from that, then pour the unused ink from the miser back into the bottle.
Thank you for the suggestion! I picked up Aurora black as well and love it so far. 😁
Aurora Black is not a pigmented ink. It is dye-based. Not water resistant, but one of my favorite black inks. I have 32 black ink samples and/or bottles.
@@PatriotsComing I think that’s correct; Aurora black is a dye not a pigment. The blackest, most awesome of inks.
@@PatriotsComing. Would love your opinion on those inks….
Great job! And yes, I just subscribed. I really appreciated how you kept this to a good, concise description of the inks along with your experience of them.
A black with shimmer that you might like is Diamine's Solstice; it is one of their Inkvent inks - black with green shimmer.
Seconding the Ink Miser suggestion. Honestly I was amazed at how well it worked. Also, (don't laugh) I'll stick the sample vial into a lump of Silly Putty to keep it from tipping over as well.
Thanks again!
Thank you so much for the great idea with the putty! That is not silly at all and really creative :) I'll have to check out the Diamine Solstice! I loved the inks from the green advent this year.
This is one of the most helpful ink swatches I've watched. Bookmarked. Thank you!
Thank you! Definitely more to come :)
Diamine onyx black was also MY first ink purchase and I also had no idea/did no research! It just came up as a suggested purchase with the pen I bought 😂
I tend to go for dark browns now for my everyday writing, rather than black.
Great video, thanks for sharing!
Thank you for watching!
Aurora Black and Platinum Chou Kuro are the blackest of the blacks and the Platinum is waterproof and very permanent.
Holy smokes -- using those little condiment cups is brilliant! I'm going to redo my swatches with this tip. Thank you!
Liane from @lianelikes was the inspiration! I have seen others use bottle caps and also little acrylic blocks for stamping. But the circle swatch has been a game changer for sure. Thanks for watching!
Really a great video, thanks for doing such an in-depth comparison.
You're so welcome! Thank you for watching 😊
I love black 🖤 all of the inks looks pretty, especially the Polaris nights ✨
Black looks good with everything right?? That's what I tell myself at least haha. Thank you for watching!
Yes to the Manyo comparison!!!
I will add it to my list!
Greetings!
I am newly subscribed to your channel (came up "randomly" in my recommendations, so I went with it) and I'm watching some of your past & recent ink explorations, which I find so fun!
I am of an age (old as dirt) and from a region (poor as said dirt) where fountain pens were not a choice, it's just what we had -- that or a hand sharpened pencil.
Our ink choice was simple: BLACK, black, blackest black.
In the 70's, I got FANCY and found Parker blue/black ink. That colorway still is my very favorite, thus I ❤️ MANY variations, and I'll try almost any permutation of it.
I mostly buy bottles of ink, because the other passion is the actual glassware vessels (same with perfume...). I just like the look and feel of them.
Any ink that comes in an ugly vessel (I'm looking at you, Noodler's and Private Reserve) gets decanted into a beautiful one.
I'm delighted to have lived long enough to see writing become a hobby and fountain pens beloved by a brand new generation that perceives things differently and exposes me to new levels of pen joy, like the endless possibilities contained within the world of JINHAO 82 fountain pens. I have three cases filled with these little gems and switch them around to suit my notebook, inks, hair and daily mood. I'm not gonna stop.
Thanks for sharing your love of the ink! And whatever ink explorations you want to uncover, I'm here for it!
Thank you so much for sharing!! I am so happy to hear the pen love ❤️️ I agree that Noodlers and Private Reserve have an opportunity in the bottle department hahah
Love any comparison video, great job! Aurora Black is actually the darkest black I tried and a wet, beautifully flowing ink. Highly recommend! I also love Kaweco Pearl Black - such a beautiful shade. I like Waterman Intense Black too even though a bit lighter it's a fun shade. I really want to try Diamine Onyx Black. I did not use black ink at all when I started buying fountain pen ink but then I thought it would be great to have a black ink for my notes so it can stand out from other colours. So now I have a pen permanently inked with a black ink only rotating the brands. I don't journal with black but I use it to write dates or highlights or things I want to stand out. I adore grey ink so I'm voting fot it next.
I will definitely have to try the Aurora Black and the Kaweco Pearl Black! Thank you for voting and watching!
Agreed…if you like your black to be black it has to be Aurora.
In fact, I think in time that science will prove that black holes are composed wholly of Aurora black ink.
Great review. I started with pilot iroshizuku take-sumi @ $50 for 50ml. Liked it a lot. Then I saw you could get 350ml of pilot namiki black also for $50. No brainer, it’s an excellent yet inexpensive black ink.
Thank you! I'm glad you found what works for you 🙂
Oh wow those prices... iroshizuku 50ml in my country only costs 20 dollars...
Other interesting blacks: Aurora Black (very wet), Sailor Kiwaguro (Pigmented black, not as black as Platinum, but interesting in its own right.)
I have picked up a sample of the Aurora Black and I love it! I'll add the Sailor Kiwaguro to my list. :) Thank you for watching!
So much black ink! I don't know how I get by with just one bottle.
If you write with blank ink a lot like I do, I feel it is perfectly reasonable to have multiple bottles haha
Really interesting that the Waterman Intense Black bled through yellow! I wonder what the chromatography is like on that one
I agree! I'll have to get some chromatography strips.
I haven’t noticed Troublemaker “stickiness,” but I’m so frustrated with tiny neck openings. Same for smaller Ferris Wheel Press bottles…grrrrr.
It is frustrating I agree. Maybe they will listen to the community feedback one of these days. Thank you for watching!
@@mydandeliondiaries …I like to insert a wide delivery Automatic Pen for swatch book purposes, and you can’t with either of those brands…both lovely inks too.
Oh how I hate the Ferris Wheel bottles. Too narrow neck and just waiting to get knocked over.
😇🩵🙏🙌
You should have showed us when they were all dry!
At the end of the video the inks are dry and I show close ups :)
So much ink wasted
I don't really get the appeal of a deep black ink. There is no character like shading or a slightly off black hue. The appeal of a fountain pen is the shading and imperfection. You might as well be writing with a black rollerball or sharpie if you want that perfect deep black. I find it boring.
There's something for everyone out there! Dark black is very striking on the page and is loved by many, but there are LOTS of colors out there too. As for using rollerball pens or sharpie, I think that fountain pens offer a more pleasant writing experience and that's part of the joy in using them!
And yet you’re watching a video on black fountain pen ink. I appreciate the video and black ink, especially from ST Dupont. Thank you for the video.
Hi @@mydandeliondiaries I couldn't agree with you more, fountain pens always for me. My go to black is Montblanc Mystery black, that shades nicely, and in swab tests there is a cool purple tinge. It's a unique black with character. I also like Pelikan 4001 Brilliant Black for it's reliability and great water resistance for a safe and easy to clean dye based ink. It keeps my piston fillers lubricated and clean. It is a deep black with all the well behaved qualities.
@@jungroe Oooo that Montblanc Mystery black sounds so intriguing I'll have to try it out! Same with the Pelikan ink. I personally have not tried any of the Pelikan inks but they have very good feedback from everyone I have asked!
Black ink makes the boldest statement of any of your inks. It stands tall and strong and classic. It’s not pretentious … doesn’t need to be.