on saleNoodler's Polar Black - Ink Sample

it's a good all-around black. Waterproof. Minimal feathering on Rhodia paper. I'd put this in an EDC pen.

Compared with other black inks--and I have quite a few--the flow of this ink seems to be more halting. I don't plan to replace it when it's gone, and I may even toss what I have left of it.

I've had this ink in my pen for less than 12 hours, and I'm already ready to switch it out for literally any other ink I own. I put it in a Pilot Metropolitan with a F nib, and the line it lays down is so wide, I feel like I'm writing with an M. I've noticed that most black inks I've tried lay down a thicker line than colored inks, but so far this is the worst offender (Noodler's Heart of Darkness also wrote thick--I'm not having much luck with the black Noodler's inks). I saw slight feathering and bleed-through even on nice Rhodia and Maruman paper. The feathering isn't spiderweb intense, but it makes me feel like my eyes are out of focus.When I took the cap off my pen this morning and got a handful of ink for my troubles, I decided it was time to move on to the next ink sample. That's generally more of a pen problem than an ink problem, but it contributed to my disappointment with Polar Black all the same.

This ink lays down a beautiful black line. The freeze resistance is fantastic, and has personally worked for me down to -20F. Even though I'm not using it in a permanent-piston pen, the lubricity of the ink is noticeable when writing on CF paper; it's like writing on silk with butter (I'm no poet).My big complaint, though, is the dry time, coupled with the terrible smear resistance. The ink takes *forever* to dry, especially on CF paper, and even after being dry for several days, even weeks, the ink will smear under even light pressure. I don't know if that's caused by the lubricating bits or what, but it's certainly a handicap to the ink.Definitely recommended if you need the freeze-resistance, but be careful about handling your writings later.

I tested this with a dip pen and found it to be similar to Black American Eel. The freeze resistant quality would be helpful for pens that I might leave in a vehicle during the winter. I tested the water resistance by spreading a drop of water across the ink with my fingertip. This leaves a grey wash with very distinct black copy remaining. When I run out of American Eel I will probably replace it with Polar Black.