thINKthursday
Aurora Blue Black
Aurora has seemingly perfected blue and black fountain pen ink.
This week we see how they did with their newest addition, Blue Black.
thINKthursday – Aurora Blue Black
We’ve adored Aurora Blue and Aurora Black for as long as they’ve been around, so we were pleasantly surprised to learn that Aurora was adding blue black to their selection. Aurora Blue Black comes in the same 45ml glass bottle that has a plastic stopper at the top, which makes the initial opening a challenge, but ensures the ink arrives intact at your door. The tall bottle can make filling difficult when it is less than half full, but it is moderately priced at $18. This review was done with a Pilot Metro F, Lamy Safari B and on Rhodia No. 18 blank paper.
Although I haven’t yet reviewed Aurora Black or Aurora Blue, here is my condensed view; if you’re looking for an every day blue or black, get a sample of each by Aurora. These are the inks we use for all of our testing pens in the store, and for many, they are the definitive blue and black. That being said, Aurora Blue Black doesn’t score as highly in the praise department. The color is a saturated blue-black that is very similar to Montblanc Midnight Blue.
Aurora Blue Black doesn’t have quite the exceptional properties that the standard blue and black posses. The flow was good but not nearly as good as the standard blue or black. Feathering and bleedthrough were both low and clean up was easy. It is a saturated ink and this led to higher dry times at 25-30 seconds. Water resistance was OK; the top layer of ink washes away but you can still make out the writing underneath.
I may be holding Aurora Blue Black to high a standard, but frankly, they produce two exceptional inks and I expected the same from their newest offering. In no way is Aurora Blue Black a bad ink. It is a nice, every day blue-black that performs well and looks good.
As with any ink review, the pen, paper, and person doing the writing will influence the way the ink looks. If you’re not sure about a color, try a sample to see if it’s the one for you.
Ink it Up!
Chris
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