I have an admittedly narrow set of measures for an ink. I'm a newbie who has been doing fountain pens less than a year, and gradually figuring out what I like and want. I do a lot of relatively small lettering, so I want an EF nib. With some inks, like the beautiful Liberty's Elysium, I cannot get an EF line to save my life: the ink spreads into a nice broad line. Which may be wonderful for those who work with M nibs, but not for me. As of today, my three criteria are: (1) waterproof. (I've come to believe ink should be permanent.) (2) dries. Some inks, (Ottoman Azure, Noodler's Navy) are still sticky at the top of the page when I get to the bottom. I have to close the journal with a kleenex blotter between pages. (of course, different papers behave differently)(3) makes an actual EF line with an EF nib. No fat inks that spread.All my tests are in a Quo Vadis Habana / Clairfontaine 90 gsm dot journal, with a Noodler's Ahab / Goulet EF nib. TWSBI Blue-Black. (TBB)Wow. Really nice. Dark blue on the gray side. Checks all the boxes for me. (x) Waterproof (x) dries. This ink is dry within two words. Write a full line and swipe it with your finger. Maybe the last two words smear a little. But it dries quickly. And unlike some fast-drying inks, it does not dry in the nib if you stop writing for a bit: no dry starts. (x) EF line. This ink behaves in an EF nib and does not show off with an F or M line anyway. Some inks spread and you get a broader line than you're hoping for. And even with an EF line, I do see some shading. I like the light/dark ink variation fountain pens give (except in the darkest colors and blacks), and TBB shows some nice variety, even in EF strokes. TBB is not what you'd call buttery smooth. But it is not scratchy or gritty in any way. I was a little apprehensive because TBB is an iron gall ink. (That sounds like an unpleasant medical condition, doesn't it?) The only other iron gall I've ever tried is R&G Schreibtinte Scabiosa, which is another story. (Scabiosa sounds like a nasty Hogwarts spell, doesn't it?). That ink actually goes on a bit lighter than it dries, and I was worried TBB might have some funny properties. But this is a pleasant color, waterproof, quick-drying, EF ink that I could be happy with for a long time.
