Originally published at: http://boingboing.net/2017/02/20/some-more-flavors-of-noodler.html
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My wife recently gave me this (extra fine nib)…
https://www.twsbi.com/products/twsbi-eco-lime-green-fountain-pen
Having used many fountain pens over the years I can say, beyond doubt, that is the best fountain pen I have ever used.
For $31 I ordered one, compulsively. Clear tho, not lime green.
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Have you tried Baystate Blue? It’s quite vivid, waterproof when dry, and behaves well on more absorbent papers.
Blue Ghost is more of a novelty, but it really does pop under UV.
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I still recommend Pelikan ink.
I will keep this name in mind.
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Noodler’s Ink convinced me to give up always using black ink. I love how generous they are with samples and also their Eel series of lubricating inks. Those come in a wide enough range of colors that I could stick to them exclusively…but I’m always up for trying a new color.
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I find their inks flow really well. The Eel line seem great for pens that don’t dump ink all over the page but I’ll say HoD in my Duofold is like putting down paint.
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I use Noodler’s Polar Black pretty much exclusively. There’s an adorable eel on the label.
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Extra fine nib?
I’m a big fan of their Ottoman Rose. Sometimes pink, someone more purpley, great fun to use day to day.
Yes.
I prefer a Fine/EF nib on my writing pens – but I just realized my favorite pen is a medium. It was a gift from my father.
Under the pressure I write with, most EF become Medium.
I’m surprised you didn’t mention the truly unique quality of Rome Burning, which is that it’s waterproof but not in the way you expect: if it gets wet, a water-soluble, highlighter-bright yellow component flows away, leaving an extremely permanent bright violet ink behind. (Because yellow and purple make brown.)
You’re not really supposed to use any pressure when writing with a fountain pen, though: the ink flows via capillary action, and the nib just has to be moving on the paper for it to happen, unlike a ballpoint pen. Putting enough weight behind it to make an EF nib write like an M is not good for your nibs, and it’s hard on your writing hand, too.
The exception is when you’re using a flex nib: then you use variable pressure to get a variable line. But under normal circumstances, with a normal nib, someone should be able to effortlessly pull the pen from your hand while you’re writing. You shouldn’t have it in a death grip, or really any grip at all.
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If you can, connect with a local pen club or write to some fountain pen aficionados at Fountain Pen Network or fpgeeks.com. They’re either very generous with ink samples, or they can start a “circle journal” of inks (e.g. “Hi SpunkyTWS, this is J. Herbin Eclat de Saphir, written with a Visconti Divina with F nib”) to ultimately reach you.
– bought one bottle & four packs of cartridges, have 14 samples, five bottles, 4 packs of cartridges.
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Note that Baystate Blue is notorious for clogging up feeds, particularly on older fountain pens. Presumably achieving its vivid blue involves quite a lot of particulate matter in the ink.
If you’re using a vintage pen (one with a rubber bladder, especially), maybe steer clear. And you definitely want to be sure to rigorously clean out a pen before filling it with Baystate Blue (or any other Baystate-series ink), if it has previously contained a non-Baystate ink; mixing of Baystate inks with non-Baystate inks has been reported to cause far worse issues with clogging.
Often the recommendation is that if you like the Baystate inks, then you may want to dedicate a separate fountain pen for them, to avoid needing to worry about accidentally mixing inks and damaging pens…
For black: Polar eel black (which I believe is one of the “bulletproof” cellulose bonding inks).
For Cool: Nightshade. It’s black with a hint of blood red. Looks black on most papers, but with some white papers in the right light…
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That is so metal. 
I recently got a fountain pen for the first time and this is the hardest part to get used to. It’s heavier in my hand than my normal go-to pen, but it’s so much lighter on the paper. It just feels different to write with and it’s way more fun than I expected. I chose a cartridge pen for convenience, but after this post I’m kind of wishing I’d got an adapter for using bottled ink as well.
Practice, practice, practice!
As for the cartridges, you could get yourself a converter, and/or you could (should) get a syringe, which will make every aspect of your fountain pen cleaning and filling easier. You can reuse a cartridge a few times at least: just use the syringe to flush it with clear water, then inject bottled ink into the cartridge. Most pen places sell syringes: I’ve dealt with The Goulet Pen Company many times and they’re great, but you can shop around. https://www.gouletpens.com/goulet-5ml-ink-syringe-set/p/GP-10002
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Get a converter. I far prefer just sticking the nib into a bottle and drinking up the ink. Also makes cleaning so much easier. Cup of hot water, flush the pen via the converter a few times, til it runs clear.
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