None More Black

"There's something about this that's so black, it's like how much more black could this be?  And the answer is none.  None more black."   ---Nigel Tufnel, composer, describing Aurora black ink.

The blackest of the black. It doesn't get much blacker.

Last night, I was wondering, what if I took a look back at the writing that I've done over the four years or so since I've been an avid fountain pen user, and tried to select the best black ink I've used?  The answer to any question like this is obviously subjective, because people value different things in a basic black ink.  Some want darkness of color, where no shading or hints of other colors are present.  Some want absolute permanence.  Others value the ability to purchase the ink in massive quantities, such as a giant custom-ordered bottle of Noodler's or a liter bottle of Pelikan Brilliant Black.  As for me, I'm not a heavy user of black ink, and only have two bottles.  The first, Sailor's Kiwa-Guro Nano Black, is a pigmented ink that meets my occasional need for permanence.  It's a pigmented ink, however, which is specifically designed for use in very fine Japanese nibs.  I've found that if you use it in a broader nib, especially a wet nib, the pigment "stacks" or "pools" on the paper as the ink dries and it will smear or ghost onto the next page.**  Therefore, for most day-to-day writing, if I'm in the mood for a basic black ink, I choose Aurora black because it's a "true black" and simply works well.  Aurora black is a very dark ink, which dries quickly, flows well, and has worked in every pen I've ever used it in, even the most temperamental of vintage writers.  Some people turn to Waterman Florida/Serenity blue to troubleshoot a pen; I turn to Aurora black.  I highly recommend this ink as a daily user.  The only caveat is that you may see some feathering and bleeding on very cheap copy paper, but that will be minimized in a fine nib.  On moderately heavy paper, you should have no problems. 

Aurora Black is very dark, smooth, and flows generously.  It dries quickly and does not smear.  Aurora makes two colors of ink:  black and blue.  The story may be apocryphal, but supposedly the reason the company sticks with two colors is quality control.  The quality of their ink is so high, they don't want to jeopardize that by expanding beyond what they already do well.

** Noodler's Bulletproof black and Heart of Darkness had the same smearing/ghosting issues for me.  People have recommended diluting them with distilled water, but since permanence is not a serious concern for me, I've stuck with Aurora and saved myself the trouble.  In situations where true permancence is required, I'll happily use ballpoints, a Sharpie pen, or a Sakura Pigma Micron. 

A Modern Classic: The Parker Sonnet

One of the more underloved modern pens is the Parker Sonnet.  There are some good reasons for this.  Parker's quality control has been less than pristine in recent years, since their acquisition by Newell-Rubbermaid and moving production to France.  While I was writing this review, I glanced through the pen forums and many new Sonnet owners complain that their pens skip, or are hard starters after the pen's been sitting for more than a day or so.  I've experienced these problems intermittently and will discuss further below. 

That said, I love the look of this pen and couldn't resist, so when I saw a used Sterling Silver Cisele ("Chiseled") model at the DC Pen Show last year, priced well below what I would have paid for a new one, I jumped and walked it over to Mike Masuyama to tune before I ever used it.  For the most part, it's a good writer, with a springy 18k nib that I ended up landing for sub-$100, including nib work. 

Early model Parker Sonnet Cisele.  My research dates this pen to the early to mid-1990s, because of the two-toned cap band. 

The pen has a black plastic grip section.  It's sturdy, and doesn't become overly slick during long writing sessions. 

The Build.  This pen is hefty, given that it's sterling.  I'm not sure whether it's pure sterling silver or plated, but it looks nice and feels durable.  The cap is a slip-cap, which pops on and off securely.  There's no rattling involved.  The clip is still tight.  To me, this pen has near-perfect weight and balance, posted or unposted.  It sits in my hand well, which is why I find it keeps its place in my rotation despite the fact that it's the one pen in my collection that cannot handle a wide range of inks well (see below).

Posted, this pen is the perfect length and weight for me.

I can use this pen posted or unposted, but I prefer to use it posted.

There is nothing special about the pen's cartridge/converter filling system, but mine came with Parker's old style large-capacity converter, which holds almost 1ml of ink. 

The Nib.  The nib is 18k, which gives it some spring.  Sonnets do NOT have flexible nibs, as many understand that term.  I've heard second hand that more recent versions of this pen (mine likely dates from the early to mid 1990s) have stiffer nibs, with some describing them as nails.  Mine has just enough give in it to lend my writing a bit of flair, but the feed is nowhere near good enough to allow me to actually "flex" the pen.  

Parker's 18k Sonnet Nib is understated and generally an excellent writer, if a bit picky about what types of ink you use it with.

A basic writing sample in Aurora Black, probably my favorite ink to use in this pen.  There's no crazy flexing going on, especially in my day-to-day print-style.  However, under certain circumstances the softer nib can give your handwriting a touch of line variation.

Apparently a common problem with the Sonnet is that the nib skips, and can be a hard starter.  This likely has something to do with the feed not being able to maintain sufficient ink flow to the nib.  If I use a particularly dry ink, and write quickly, I will experience occasional railroading.  For example, well lubricated inks like Iroshizuku Kon-Peki, Aurora Black, or any of the Watermans work fine.  Inks with iron gall content such as Montblanc Midnight Blue (old IG formulation) or Pelikan Blue-Black make the pen temperamental. 

The Finish.  The reason I love this pen so much, and put up with its quirks, is the chiseled sterling silver finish, which is reminiscent of the old sterling silver Parker 75 in a larger pen.  As I mentioned earlier, my pen could use a good polishing to restore its shine, but it still looks great after 20+ years of heavy use.  The silver has developed a patina, which in my opinion adds to its character.  

The Verdict.  For all its quirks, I would still call the Sonnet a modern classic.  Parker has made this pen for nearly twenty-five years, and it has a loyal following, myself included.  If I were to purchase another, I would pick it up at a pen show where I could have a nibmeister tune the nib. For certain pens, this is well-worth a slight premium in price. 

Ink Review: Iroshizuku Yama-Budo

Continuing my "red" kick, this week I've been using a lot of Iroshizuku Yama-Budo, an ink I like but have not used much in recent months.  That's due more to my glut of ink and tendency to rotate colors regularly than to any problems with this particular ink, of which there are none.  It's an unusual color (Pilot translates Yama-Budo as "Crimson Glory Vine"), and I personally have not seen an equivalent anywhere else.  From looking at swatches, I'd consider Rohrer & Klingner Solferino (link here for a swatch) or possibly their Magenta (link here) to be similar.  However, I've used neither of these two inks and have no idea how they would compare to Yama-Budo in terms of properties.  I can't imagine that you would get much better than Pilot's premium ink.

Handwritten review of Iroshizuku Yama Budo on Exacompta Index Card stock. 

As you can see from the writing sample, Yama-Budo is a pinkish-purple, which is just purple enough to use in a professional capacity, and contains enough pink to make the ink interesting without looking garish.  I like this ink in a wider nib--you can get some nice shading!  Otherwise, it's like any other Iroshizuku ink:  the dry time is relatively quick, and it works fine on less expensive paper.   

Here's a photographed writing sample, as opposed to a scan.  This is not a bright, "hot pink" ink.  The photograph probably captures the ink's depth of color slightly better than the scan does.  As I noted in my review of Pelikan's Edelstein Turmaline, my opinion is that the Turmaline leans to much in the "pink" direction to use at work and be taken seriously.  My earlier review contains a side-by-side comparison of the two inks (Yama-Budo and Turmaline).  If you look at samples of them separately, you might think they look similar. 

Iroshizuku often gets knocked for its steep price tag, which is around $30 at most retailers.  However, you can often find a discount code or take advantage of free shipping deals to lower the cost.  I'm also a fan of trading unused bottles of ink on forum sites such as FPGeeks or the Fountain Pen Network.  Personally, I've never had a hard time justifying paying a premium for these inks.  They work well in nearly all pens, you get a standard 50ml (which lasts a typical person a really long time), and the ink bottle itself is hefty and looks great on a desk.    

The Iroshizuku line of ink uses one of my favorite bottles.  The bottle itself contains a depression in the bottom to make it easier to fill a pen when the ink level gets low. 

As of 2023, The T.G.S. Curated Ship is able to offer you Pilot pens and inks directly, including the entire Iroshizuku lineup. We currently carry the 50ml bottles of ink, priced at $24. The Gentleman Stationer is supported entirely by purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program. We no longer participate in third-party affiliate programs.

Ink Review: Montblanc Alfred Hitchcock

In early 2012, Montblanc issued a limited edition red ink to accompany its Alfred Hitchcock LE pen.  While the pen was gorgeous, it was well out of my reach.  (And out of the reach of most others, except for this one lucky man, who was kind enough to review the pen for the masses.)  For a mere fraction of the price, however, Hitchcock fans could claim a bottle of Montblanc's excellent Hitchcock ink, which despite being a limited edition was relatively easy to find for a period of time and eventually made its way into my regular rotation.  To date, this is the only ink I've "hoarded," and I have multiple bottles stashed away.  The ink is dark enough to use for any purpose, dries quickly, and doesn't feather or bleed.  The art deco styling on the small (30ml) bottle is attractive.  This is one LE ink that I would love to see reintroduced in a larger bottle to fill the need for a red in Montblanc's lineup.      

The ink is a dark "blood red," and I haven't seen any ink that I would call its equivalent.  Diamine has some dark reds that come close, but none have the same combination of great color and low-maintenance qualities that this ink has. 

Pen Review: Sailor Professional Gear Imperial Black Edition

One of my personal favorites, that until recently was always inked and used on a daily basis,  is the Sailor Professional Gear Imperial Black Edition.  Following a close call (and near total tragedy), my Imperial Black recently rejoined the rest of my collection thanks to Mr. Mike Masuyama, but more on that later.  

Aesthetically, this is one of the most beautiful pens that I own.  Sailor nailed it on the design.  I love the flat top cap and base, and the dark trim sets off the matte black color. 

I won this pen approximately a year ago in an eBay auction held by a Japanese eBay seller, and by sacrificing quick shipping and the U.S. display box option, I saved a little bit of money.  This pen has special meaning to me because I received it in the mail the day my daughter was born, and was carrying it and using it (with permanent Kiwa Guro pigmented ink, of course) to sign paperwork our entire first weekend with her.  Thus, you have my answer to that eternal question:  What pen would you use to sign your child's birth certificate?  (For me, it's not the Visionnaire.  I will give Morgan and his team credit, though.  They nailed the packaging on their product, as opposed to the hideous faux crushed velvet brown box in which this pen arrived.)  

If Elvis had purchased a pen in 1973 (which I'm sure he did), it probably would have come in a box like this. 

All joking aside, I knew from the eBay listing that this product was not coming to me in its original packaging (in order to save on shipping), so needless to say I wasn't expecting much in that regard.  This was my first Sailor pen, and what I was looking for here was one of Sailor's excellent nibs in a matte black pen with dark trim.  Apparently, Sailor uses Titanium ion plating to darken their trim, as opposed to Ruthenium.  Either way, I like the way this pen looks.  

Close-up of the titanium ionized trim.  My completely non-scientific survey of the pen industry revealed that Ruthenium is more commonly used in "stealth trim" than other metals, so Sailor's process may be unique?  Don't take my word for it--it's entirely speculation, and it doesn't really matter.  Both look great. 

I opted for the fine nib, which is equivalent to a western extra fine or narrower.  Despite the fact that it is 21k gold, the nib is not "soft."  In fact, it's a fairly stiff nib that lays a very fine line.  For example, the Sailor "fine" lays down a line of ink approximately one-half the width of my Pelikan M600 with an extra fine nib.  This is perfect for my needs, since I spend the majority of time at my day job editing others' written work product and scrawling marginalia.

A writing sample is included below.  The ink used is Sailor's Kiwa Guro nano-black.  As you can see from the photos, I'm working up a review of that as well. 

Nib Close-Up.  The tip is so fine that I had a hard time getting my camera to focus on it.  My photography skills need work.  Anyway, take a look at the classy scrollwork on the nib.  Tastefully done, in my opinion, with Sailor's iconic anchor symbol.   

Close-up image of the writing:  Note the very tight lines.  Paper is Field Notes Shelterwood edition.

The Good: 

  • Sailor nibs are amazing.  Although I had the nib tweaked to perfection by Mike Masuyama (who I believe used to work for Sailor), the nib wrote extremely well out of the box and I used it for several months before having it slightly tuned at the D.C. Pen Show.

  • Weight:  The pen is very light and fits nicely in the hand.  You can use this pen for long writing sessions without your hand becoming tired. 

  • Looks:  I love Matte black "stealth" pens, even though they are on the verge of becoming played out with every pen company trying to bring out a stealth model. 

The Cons:

  • Weight:  The pen is very light and can fly out of your hand if it becomes sweaty.  As I alluded to above, this happened to me once, and a slight drop of four inches onto my desk bent the 21K nib nearly in half.  Regardless of how stiff the nib writes, 21K gold is a soft material, and bends easily.  I managed to straighten it somewhat myself, but I had to send it to Mike Masuyama to restore the ink flow to a proper level.  Of course, it's now as good as new, but I'm much more careful with this pen.  

  • Size:  If you don't post your pens, the Sailor Pro Gear model might be too small for you.  I have to post this pen in order for it to write comfortably, but I post nearly every pen I own and don't have a problem with doing so. 

  • Sailor pens take proprietary cartridges and a proprietary converter.  It is what it is. 

The Overall Verdict.  this is one of the best, if not the best, writing pens in my collection.  The nib is superb.  That the pen also looks great is a bonus.  It's hardly ever out of rotation, and even then it's only to make sure that other pens in my collection get regular use. There are multiple buying options for this pen, and as I mentioned in the review I purchased directly from a Japanese seller, since for whatever reason Sailor has elected to price this pen at nearly double the Japanese price in the U.S. market.