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Perle Noir, Herbin

Perle Noir is one of the most recommended and well reviewed black inks out there. When I bought this ink a few years ago, I was disappointed. It is not the blackest, not the smoothest, not the fastest drying ink, not an archival ink, not the cheapest.  I decided to give it a second chance so I eyedropped a Preppy with it and filled a Lamy All-star. Over the past few days I have written many pages of work notes with the ink. Perle Noir is a well behaving black ink that is sold at a reasonable price, but it doesn't excel in anything. Below some writing samples, followed by drying times and test in water resistance. Drying times are about average to slow, 45 secs with a broad nib on Tomoe River 52g paper. The ink is certainly not water resistant, but it can handle an accidental drop.   The full characteristics: Feathering none Shading hardly any Show through negligible  ...

Jurojin, by Iroshizuku


In 2019 Iroshizuku launched a series of anniversary inks named after the seven Japanese Gods of Good Fortune. Jurojin, the God of Longevity, is one of those inks. The color, halfway between blue and purple is very versatile. Suitable for note taking in a business environment and beautiful enough for personal correspondence and notes. I don't know why but for me this color is a bit melancholic, hence my choice for the writing sample, Pushkin's "I loved you once".

Anyone that has experience with Iroshizuku knows it's a series of wonderful inks. There is no argument about taste in colors, but the ink behaves extremely well. On Rhodia paper I have only seen a little bit of feathering with a poster nib. Shading is good and subtle, there is some show-through but one can still use the backside of the paper. The ink is not too wet and lubrication is extremely well, the ink is unbelievably smooth. Drying time surprised me, 18 seconds on this paper. The ink is certainly not bulletproof, but it can take some water. 

At first I thought the limited edition was a more expensive version of Murasaki-shikubu, but that ink is definitely a lot more purple and less blue. The same with Noodler's Tchaikovsky, but that color is also less vibrant. Bilberry (Diamine) is significantly more blue and dark. Lilac Night (Diamine) is far more blue.

If you like Iroshizuku inks and you do enjoy writing with blue/purple inks, this one is highly recommended!


Written on Rhodia off-white paper

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