Waterman Intense Black
Ink Review #21
*Please note that the scan is the accurate representation of this color.
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Overview
The color/properties
Waterman Intense Black is a pale black. There’s a slight amount of shading with a soft cut where the ink pools; however, there’s not a lot of tonal variation, and Intense Black mostly appears as a solid color. There is, however, a dull black sheen that’s mostly visible with larger nib sizes on more ink-resistant paper that allows the ink to pool heavier. It’s not that noticeable, but it’s there. I noticed it the most on Midori MD paper.
Ink splat
Ink droplets
Performance on paper:
Intense Black is well-behaved. Of my standard test sheets, there was only a spot of bleed-through on the Kokuyo paper. This ink should be fine on most fountain pen-friendly papers.
The dry times, surprisingly, were below average, often taking 25-30 seconds to finish drying, and in some cases extending past the 30-second mark.
The water resistance isn’t the best, and when exposed to water, the ink creates a blue cloud of color. The remains are mostly readable, but it’s hazy and messy.
Water resistance
Chromatography
Performance in the pen:
Surprisingly, I had a very hard time getting this ink to start with my test nibs, but when it finally did start flowing, I found the ink to have a consistent wet flow. Despite this, I still experienced some stops and hard starts with the broad and medium nibs. The ink otherwise feels slick and well-lubricated when writing, and the experience is enjoyable.
Cleaning took slightly longer than I expected, but the ink was still able to be washed out with a few soaks and flushes, without leaving any stains or residue inside the pen.
Written on 52 gsm Tomoe River paper (white) with a medium nib.
Written on Midori MD paper (cream) with an Esterbrook Posting nib (similar to a dry-tuned needlepoint).
Written on Midori MD paper (cream) with a medium nib.
I wanted to see how this ink would perform as a daily writer on some less-than-fountain-pen-friendly paper, so I inked up an Esterbrook Posting nib (sort of like a firm, dry-tuned needlepoint that’s designed to write on cheaper papers). I did a quick writing sample in this Moleskine notebook, but there’s unfortunately a lot of bleed-through on the opposite side of the page.
Performance in a pen: 8/10
Performance on paper: 9/10
Color saturation: 9/10
Sheening: 2/10
Shading: 2/10
Dry time: 5.5/10
Water resistance: 5/10
Ease of cleaning: 7.5/10
Shimmer: None
My personal thoughts...
Waterman Intense Black has been my choice of black ink for years. Admittedly, I don’t usually gravitate towards black inks, but I’ve always found Intense Black to be a great value for a truly dark black with minimal shading that offered a great writing experience. After finishing my tests I was surprised by its lackluster performance, and it certainly shouldn’t have had the issues it did, but it will most likely continue on as my go-to black ink.
Written on 52 gsm Tomoe River paper with an Esterbrook J (medium nib).
More images/info:
Featured in the photography and writing samples:
Waterman Intense Black (Amazon)
2 Esterbrook J fountain pens, medium and posting nibs
Galen Leather 52 gsm Tomoe River notebook
Midori MD A6 lined notebook (Amazon)
Molskine A6 lined notebook
Traveler’s Company brass clip (Amazon)
Fountain PENdulum pen rest
Traveler’s Company passport-size traveler’s notebook (Amazon)
Franklin-Christoph Black Napa Leather pen roll
Lumix ZS100 Camera (Amazon)
Tools and materials used in the writing samples:
A TWSBI Diamond 580 AL with 7 nib units including a Needlepoint grind, EF, F, M, B, 1.1mm stub, and an Architect grind. All nibs tuned to perform at the same medium wetness.
A Rhodia No16 A5 DotPad
A Leuchtturm1917 A5 Notebook
A Midori MD A5 Notebook
A 68gsm A5 Tomoe River Notebook
A Maruman Mnemosyne A5 Spiral Notebook
A Kokuyo Campus A5 Notebook